Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations

Please note that if you have received more than one copy of this email publication, wish to be removed from FCTO's email list, or add a friend, please notify FCTO at fctopresident@aol

Please note that if you have received more than one copy of this email publication, wish to be removed from FCTO's email list, or add a friend, please notify FCTO at fctopresident@aol.com. Thank you.

From The Federation of Connecticut

Taxpayer Organizations, Inc.�
Contact Susan Kniep, President

Website: http://ctact.org/
Email: fctopresident@aol.com

Telephone: 860-841-8032

April 19, 2011

Republican Budget �Tough Medicine�� by Christine Stuart | Apr 19, 2011 2:19pm�� It does close seven rest areas, the Department of Motor Vehicles in New Britain, and ends Chester to Hadlyme and Glastonbury to Rocky Hill ferry service. It also proposes consolidating state agencies to save $47.9 million, changes how poor and disabled persons receive Medicaid, and eliminates unemployment benefits for part-time workers. Perhaps the most controversial piece of the Republican budget is the Medicaid waiver which they say will help the state avoid costly payments for federal health care mandates and save the state $70 million in the first year and $140 million in the second year of the budget. The proposal actually requires the Department of Social Services to apply an asset test, instead of the current income test, for anyone applying for the program. It�s unclear exactly how many fewer people would be allowed to stay in the program if the asset test was applied. Read complete article at �.. http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/ctnj.php/archives/entry/republican_budget_tough_medicine/

WILL CT HAVE A BUDGET THIS WEEK?!?

While Detroit Moves Against Unions and issues 5,466 layoff notices,

Connecticut Republicans offer a state budget without tax hikes �and

Connecticut Democrats Divided Over Income Taxes .

But if Governor Malloy and Unions cannot agree to terms taxpayers

will pay the price as

Malloy contingency plan hits aid to towns

S&P's $5 trillion bank doomsday tab

Political gridlock and fiscal bloat aren't the

United States' only problems.

http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2011/04/18/sps-5-trillion-bank-doomsday-tab/

Big U.S. Companies Shift Hiring Abroad �U.S. multinational corporations, the big brand-name companies that employ a fifth of all American workers, have been hiring abroad while cutting back at home, sharpening the debate over globalization's effect on the U.S. economy. The companies cut their work forces in the U.S. by 2.9 million during the 2000s while increasing employment overseas by 2.4 million, new data from the U.S. Commerce Department show.� http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704821704576270783611823972.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories

From ctnewsjunkie.com:� A new report by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy�s Budget Director Ben Barnes shows that when the state switches to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles the budget deficit will grow by $1.52 billion. That�s on top of the already $3.3 billion budget deficit for next fiscal year. �Continue reading "Transition To GAAP Creates $1.52B Deficit" �

U.S. credit rating outlook lowered by S&P

State Pensions Reach 263,000 Dlrs, See List

Yes, states can cut excessive government employee pensions �http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/2011/04/yes-states-can-cut-excessive-government-employee-pensions

Bad Budget Baseline Gives State Spending A Running Start Budget Shenanigans Begin With Inflated Baseline For Next Year's Spending Plan April 17, 2011|By TOM FOLEY, The Hartford Courant� http://articles.courant.com/2011-04-17/news/hc-op-foley-budget-connecticut-0417-20110417_1_current-services-budget-budget-claims-government-spending

STATE Plan for Conversion to GAAP-based Budgeting

Super Rich See Federal Taxes Drop Dramatically� By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press,� Sun Apr 17, 4:02 pm ET WASHINGTON � As millions of procrastinators scramble to meet Monday's tax filing deadline, ponder this: The super rich pay a lot less taxes than they did a couple of decades ago, and nearly half of U.S. households pay no income taxes at all. The Internal Revenue Service tracks the tax returns with the 400 highest adjusted gross incomes each year. The average income on those returns in 2007, the latest year for IRS data, was nearly $345 million. Their average federal income tax rate was 17 percent, down from 26 percent in 1992. Continued at �. http://moneywatch.bnet.com/saving-money/news/super-rich-see-federal-taxes-drop-dramatically/6218946/

STATE Republicans rap union stewards for doing their business on state time ��State employee unions have 911 �stewards� who make an average of $62,618 a year and are allowed to conduct union business on state time, Republican lawmakers said.

Subsidies not creating jobs as hoped �Nearly half of 63 companies that got state Department of Economic Development grants and loans failed to create or maintain jobs agreed to

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State of Connecticut

Office of Legislative Research Reports

� STORAGE OF NUCLEAR WASTE IN CONNECTICUT� http://www.cga.ct.gov/2011/rpt/2011-R-0159.htm

� QUESTIONS ON DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND THE MILLSTONE POWER PLANT http://www.cga.ct.gov/2011/rpt/2011-R-0179.htm

� QUESTIONS REGARDING RETIRED STATE EMPLOYEE �HEALTH INSURANCE http://www.cga.ct.gov/2010/rpt/2010-R-0419.htm

� REGULAR PAY AND OTHER FORMS OF PAY FOR STATE EMPLOYEES� http://www.cga.ct.gov/2010/rpt/2010-R-0258.htm

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Article Captioned:� 25 Shocking Facts That Prove That The Entire U.S. Health Care Industry Has Become One Giant Money Making Scam What is the appropriate word to use when you find out that the top executive at the third largest health insurance company in America raked in 68.7 million dollars in 2010? http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/25-shocking-facts-that-prove-that-the-entire-u-s-health-care-industry-has-become-one-giant-money-making-scam

Ending collective bargaining would be opportunity for reform By Susan Kniep, The Federation of CT Taxpayer Organizations http://www.ctmirror.org/node/12121

U.S. is increasing nuclear power through uprating By Alan Zarembo and Ben Welsh, Los Angeles Times� April 17, 2011, 7:23 p.m.�� The U.S. nuclear industry is turning up the power on old reactors, spurring quiet debate over the safety of pushing aging equipment beyond its original specifications.� The little-publicized practice, known as uprating, has expanded the country's nuclear capacity without the financial risks, public anxiety and political obstacles that have halted the construction of new plants for the last 15 years. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-uprates-20110418,0,7739985.story

New database provides information on 'hospital-acquired conditions' By Arielle Levin Becker on April 15, 2011 According to controversial new data released by the federal government, foreign objects were left in Medicare patients after surgery four times at one Connecticut hospital from October 2008 through June 2010. From the data, you could learn that Medicare patients at 10 Connecticut hospitals got severe bed sores during that time, and all but one hospital had at least one Medicare patient get a "hospital acquired condition." The data on hospital-acquired conditions is the latest in a growing list of health care quality measures being reported publicly. Later this month, it will be added to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Hospital Compare website, which already offers information about mortality and readmission rates, how often hospitals follow recommended care measures, and the results of patient surveys. The federal government also runs a site to compare nursing homes, and is developing a Physician Compare website that will draw from a voluntary program that pays bonuses to doctors who provide data about the care they provide

But you might have a harder time figuring out what to do with the information.� Read more http://www.ctmirror.org/story/12240/hospital-data-reporting

"Spillionaires": Profiteering and Mismanagement in the Wake of the BP Oil Spil Kim Barker, ProPublica: "The oil spill that was once expected to bring economic ruin to the Gulf Coast appears to have delivered something entirely different: a gusher of money. Some people profiteered from the spill by charging BP outrageous rates for cleanup. Others profited from BP claims money, handed out in arbitrary ways. So many people cashed in that they earned nicknames - 'spillionaires' or 'BP rich.' Meanwhile, others hurt by the spill ended up getting comparatively little."�� http://www.propublica.org/article/spillionaires-profiteering-mismanagement-in-the-wake-of-the-bp-oil-spill

Falling enrollment could cost schools $18M under Malloy plan By Jacqueline Rabe on April 15, 2011 Proposed legislation allowing cities and towns to cut their school spending when enrollment drops--part of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's education funding package--could reduce the collective local school budgets by more than $18 million, the head of a superintendents' group says.

Florida launches billion-dollar mortgage bailout amid concernsBy Mary Shanklin / The Orlando Sentinel� Sunday, April 17, 2011 -� ORLANDO, Fla. � Florida on Monday launches a billion-dollar mortgage bailout aimed initially at unemployed homeowners and pinned largely on the hope that those who get help will find jobs within six months. The Florida Housing Finance Corp. starts taking applications Monday morning from struggling homeowners for mortgage assistance from the federal government�s Hardest Hit funds. The state-owned corporation had planned on providing as much as $35,000 over 18 months to each qualified homeowner. But at the direction of Florida Gov. Rick Scott, it scaled back the program to offer only $12,000 over six months. http://www.bostonherald.com/business/real_estate/view/20110417florida_launches_billion-dollar_mortgage_bailout_amid_concerns/srvc=home&position=also

Your 2010 Federal Taxpayer Receipt� Just enter a few pieces of information about your taxes, and the taxpayer receipt will give you a breakdown of how your tax dollars are spent on priorities like education, veterans benefits, or health care. http://www.whitehouse.gov/taxreceipt?utm_source=email108&utm_medium=image&utm_campaign=taxreceipt