Education or Experience, not neither

So on a few Herald Articles I had noticed that Tim O'Brien listed that he had attended CCSU. The most recent interview in the Herald stated that he moved into town as a student. But I noticed that he never mentioned what he majored in or what degree he graduated with. Then a commenter on the Herald said that he was a college dropout who never completed his degree. I don't know if this is true, but it is the only reason I can think he wouldn't have actually listed being a college graduate as part of his education in his bio.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think that you need a college degree to run for office or even be successful in office, but the ACORN cronies who bashed John McCain from being near the bottom of his class at West Point are pulling for someone without a college degree? If education is so important for John McCain then why isn't it important for Tim O'Brien?

Now, my personal belief is that what you don't get in terms of a formal education you can make up for in terms of experience. In order to be a Mayor you need a keen business sense, you need integrity and dedication, you need conviction, passion, and a sense of purpose. There are many self made men who I think would be excellent in the capacity of Mayor. A small business owner who built up a successful business is a prime example. A salesman who worked his way up the ranges into a management position would also probably have what it takes. So what is O'Brien's experience?

From what I can gather he's running on his experience in the legislature. The problem is that you don't really need hard work to become elected to the State House or Representatives. You can do it with luck, connections, and funding. And once you are elected it is hard to lose that seat as incumbents, especially Democratic ones in Connecticut, have a good hold on their seats. And it isn't like O'Brien has even done that much in the State Senate. His landmark tax reform that he's been touting was declared unconstitutional and yet he still defends it, claiming, “It just means that we have to do some more work to clarify and delineate our positions. I have every confidence that it will, as many already think, become a template for other states around the country.”¹

How can he stand by something declared unconstitutional? Is this what New Britain needs as a Mayor? All public leaders should have education or experience. Ideally they should have an ample amount of both. Sadly, Tim O'Brien has neither.

¹ Taken from Wes Craven (Oct. 24, 2009), "O'Brien offers state rep experience", New Britain Herald, retrieved via http://www.newbritainherald.com/articles/2009/10/25/news/doc4ae3a226c79f7434913174.txt