GOVERNOR
MALLOY!CONNECTICUT STATE LEGISLATORS!PLEASE – PLEASE – PLEASE
CUT THE BUDGET! NO MORE ADDED TAXES!
REFORMSTATE MANDATES!
This week, East Hartford
Officials approved a three year union contract which included a 5.5% wage
increase with East Hartford taxpayers funding
100% of the employee’s healthcare premiums costing $16,182, $17,680 and $18,408
in years 1 through 3.In addition,
taxpayers will pay 50% of their healthcare premium if the employee retires at
55 years or under; 75% if they retire at age 56 through 59, and 25% for the
spouse, and 100% of the cost if the employee healthcare premium if they retire
at age 60 to 64, and 50% of the spouses premium.This apparently was the best the town could
do at the bargaining table and it serves as a prime example why the State and
Towns need reforms to state Binding Arbitration laws or go bankrupt.
A Message from the Federation:Our state is drowning in debt at $72 Billion
according to the state’s latest Fiscal Accountability Report. In June, 2010, Fitch Ratings downgraded Connecticut's bonds
citing the state's tendency to borrow money to cover budget deficits rather
than raise taxes or reduce spending.
Connecticut taxpayers live in
one of the highest taxed state in the nation.Among the 169 towns throughout Connecticut,
we pay approximately 85% of our property taxes for Town and Board of Education
personnel related expenses.
The solution to the State’s budget crisis must include not
only a reduction in the state employee workforce but reforms to mandates such
as Binding Arbitration and Prevailing Wage Laws.Without these reforms, Connecticut towns will be crippled against the
unions which now have control over many management issues to include
utilization of town/state automobiles, size of classrooms, scheduling of police
personnel and more.
In addition, taxpayer dollars allocated to such quasi public
development agencies as the Connecticut
Development Authority (CDA) and Connecticut
Innovations should be pulled back following repeated complaints by State
auditors.As reported by the Journal
Inquirer in Oct 2010, CDA had total revenues of $8.2 million as of June 30,
2009, when its expenses totaled $10.6 million, resulting in a net loss of $2.4
million.
Governor Malloy as a candidate in Oct, 2010 “charged that
the CDA and Connecticut
Innovationshad broken the law by
refusing to make public critical information that taxpayers have a right to see….The reason we need to have this information
is simple:If the companies receiving
this money aren’t doing what they’re supposed to be doing, then they shouldn’t
be receiving that assistance….And that
will help us cut government spending at a time when we need to find every nickle and dime we can.”
Last week, the
Federation provided you with a delineation of state expenses for the past five
years.List 1 includes companies, individuals, and/or
departments which have received payments from the State of Connecticut which total between $10,000 and
$22.5 Billion. http://www.ctact.org/upload/home/ABOVE2.xls
Not listed within the two
spreadsheets but included in the total payments for the following fiscal years
are 28,170 payments made by the State of between $1 and $999.
The following is a breakdown
of state spending by year:
Fiscal Year 2005- 2006$13.8 Billion
Fiscal Year 2006- 2007$14.5 Billion
Fiscal Year 2007- 2008$15.7 Billion
Fiscal Year 2008- 2009$17.2 Billion
Fiscal Year 2009- 2010 $15.6 Billion
Fiscal Years 2005- 2010$76.9 Billion
It is also
important to note that the State of Connecticut
contracts for many of its services.The
contracting agencies are private, nonprofit entities.As such, millions of our tax dollars are paid
to these private entities which are exempt from Freedom of Information
Laws.
The following chart
illustrates those Connecticut
and nonprofit agencies which received the most money from the State during the
past five years.
For example, JOHN D'AMELIA AND ASSOCIATES LLC received over
$350 million.The following provides
insight into this organization - The Rental
Assistance Program (RAP) is the major state-funded program for assisting
very-low-income families to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the
private market. Participants find their own housing, including apartments,
townhouses, and single-family homes. The participant is free to choose any
private rental housing that meets the requirements of the program, as described
below. RAP certificates are funded through the Department of Social Services
(DSS) and are administered statewide by DSS and its agent, J. D’Amelia &
Associates (JDA). JDA subcontracts operation of the housing choice program
to seven local Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and one Community Action
Agency throughout Connecticut.
FIRST TRANSIT INC which received over $314 million is
described as follows:ConnDOT Announces
Contract with First Transit, Inc., to Operate the Hartford, New Haven and
Stamford Divisions of CTTRANSIT The Connecticut Department of Transportation
(ConnDOT) is pleased to announce that it has awarded First Transit, Inc., the
contract for management of the Connecticut
Transit (CTTRANSIT) operations in the Hartford, New Haven and Stamford
divisions. The term of this Agreement is for five years, with a State
option for a five-year extension. This contract will be a continuation of
the Department’s long professional relationship with the First Transit, Inc.,
firm and its local management team. http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?Q=320286&A=1373
Historic Tax Hike Shows
Malloy’s Failed Vision NEW BRITAIN – The Malloy
administration’s attempt to close the budget deficit by relying on the largest
tax increase in Connecticut history is a failure of vision and leadership at a
critical time, according to Republican State Party Chairman Chris Healy Monday.
“This is a disaster for the Middle Class, small business
owners, investors and a pay day for the government,” said Healy. “At long last
we see what many privately feared, that Governor Malloy is more interested in
rewarding those who feed off government rather than those who produce wealth and
opportunity http://www.ctgop.org/2011/02/historic-tax-hike-shows-malloys-failed-vision/
Malloy Offers Tax-Raising
Budget, Tells Unions To Give Up More Or Face Big LayoffsBy
CHRISTOPHER KEATING, JON LENDER and DANIELA ALTIMARI, ckeating@courant.com
The Hartford Courant
9:31 p.m. EST, February 16, 2011Fulfilling his promise of offering shared
sacrifice, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy unveiled a $19.7 billion budget Wednesday that
spreads the pain among constituency groups and generated criticism from
businesses, senior citizens and Republicans.Fiscal conservatives said that Malloy's
budget taxes too much — an additional $1.5 billion in the first year — and cuts
spending too little in an overall package that would increase spending by 2.4
percent in each of the next two years.The
plan is balanced partly by assuming that the state will receive $1 billion
annually in savings from state employee unions. If no deal is reached, Malloy
warned in his budget address that there could be layoffs of thousands of state
employees. http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-malloy-overview-0217-20110216,0,6823742.story?sdgf
(HARTFORD,
CT) – Over the next seven weeks,
Governor Dannel P. Malloy will hold a series of 17 town hall-style meetings
across the state. These meetings will allow the Governor to discuss the state’s
pressing economic and budgetary issues face-to-face with state residents, while
listening to their own thoughts and suggestions, as well. Read the Governor’s Message at http://www.governor.ct.gov/malloy/cwp/view.asp?Q=473942&A=4010
Governor Malloy’s town hall meeting schedule is as follows
BRIDGEPORT,
February 21, 7-8 PM, City Hall Annex Auditorium, 999 Broad St. TORRINGTON, February
24, 7-8 PM, City Hall Auditorium, 140 Main Street NEW LONDON, March
2, 7-8 PM, Jennings Elementary School, 50 Mercer Street WATERBURY, March
8, 7-8 PM, Veteran’s Memorial Hall, 235 Grand Street NORWICH, March
9, 7-8 PM, City Hall, 3rd Floor, 100 Broadway BRISTOL, March
14, 7-8 PM, City Council Chambers, 111 North Main Street MERIDEN, March
15, Time & Location TBD MIDDLETOWN, March
16, 7-8 PM, Common Council Room, 245 DeKoven Drive HARTFORD, March
21, Time & Location TBD STAMFORD, March
22, 7-8 PM, Government Center, 4th Fl Cafeteria, 888 Washington Boulevard NEW HAVEN, March
23, 7-8 PM, Aldermanic Chambers, 165 Church Street GREENWICH, March
28, 7-8 PM, Town Hall Meeting Room, 101 Field Point Rd MANCHESTER, March
29, 7-8 PM, Lincoln Center Hearing Room, 494 Main St WINDHAM, March
30, 7-8 PM, Town Hall Auditorium, 979 Main Street NORWALK, April 4,
Time & Location TBD NEW BRITAIN, April
5, Time & Location TBD DANBURY, April 6,
Time & Location TBD
Malloy administration wants
to make vo-tech schools a local responsibility By
Jacqueline Rabe on February 16, 2011 The Malloy Administration plans to shift
responsibility for running--and funding--the the
10,600-student vocational-technical school system to local and regional school
districts, the governor's budget director said Tuesday. Read more http://www.ctmirror.org/story/11524/malloy-administration-seeks-rid-stat...
GOP leaders balk at Malloy's
bottom line, new taxing powers for towns By
Keith M. Phaneuf on February 15, 2011 Republican
state legislative leaders charged Tuesday that Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's first
budget proposal, which technically boosts spending 2.4 percent each of the next
two fiscal years, isn't frugal enough and piles $85 million in new municipal
taxes on top of an already too-high $1.5 billion state tax package.
Obama Administration cuts to heat assistance trouble legislators,
advocatesBy Deirdre Shesgreen on February 15, 2011 WASHINGTON--Connecticut's
House Democrats were troubled enough when Republicans last week proposed
slashing $390 million from an emergency fund to help the poor with home heating
costs.
Read more http://www.ctmirror.org/story/11511/whbudgetliheap
TO UNION
MEMBERS:Every union member in America is
potentially owed hundreds of dollars from their union. Under the 1988 Supreme Court decision Communications Workers of America v. Beck every
member of a union is entitled to a full refund of their dues that are not
directly used for representing them. Until now though, it’s been almost
impossible for any member to find out exactly how much their refund should be. Information and a simple process to obtain
your refund is provided at the following website….http://www.unionrefund.org/
The U.S.
House today begins a high-profile debate on a Republican plan to cut $61
billion in spending for the rest of 2011, setting up a high-stakes battle with
President Obama and congressional Democrats. House
Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., left, and House
Speaker John Boehner will allow amendments to a bill that seeks to cut $61
billion in federal spending. The GOP
proposal aims to uphold the party's vow in its Pledge to America
campaign document to trim $100 billion in federal spending. The measure, which
would fund the government from March through September, would cut nearly every
facet of the federal government. Continued at
The 500 Billion Dollar
Bailout That You Never Heard About by: Taylor Cottam Seeking AlphaFebruary 15,
2011 Theft at the point of a gun Don’t downplay the control that the Federal Reserve has
over the amount that you make on your savings account. If we look at the Fed
Funds rate vs. the Certificate of Deposits Index (CODI) we see how much control
the Fed has over the money that we get from our savings account. http://seekingalpha.com/article/252854-the-500-billion-dollar-bailout-that-you-never-heard-about
Merrill proposes voting by
mail By Jacqueline Rabe on February 14, 2011
A bipartisan coalition is pushing for an elections reform
package that includes a constitutional amendment to allow early voting by mail.
"We are not on the forefront of this," Secretary of the State Denise
W. Merrill said while announcing the reform package with both Republican and
Democratic lawmakers standing behind her. She said 35 states currently allow
early voting by mail. Read more http://www.ctmirror.org/story/11503/early-voting-initiative
