September 2, 2012
From: The Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer
Organizations
Contact: Susan Kniep,
President
Website: http://ctact.org/
Email: fctopresident@aol.com
Telephone: 860-841-8032
The week ahead: Europe and jobs
Report:
Connecticut Economy Weaker Than Experts Believed
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New Hampshire’s UnionLeader.com Editorial Blasts Malloy in
their August 30 article captioned
Sane politics: Don't follow Connecticut | New Hampshire
OPINION01
EDITORIAL Last weekend, Republican vice presidential
candidate Paul Ryan campaigned in New
Hampshire. The state Democratic Party brought in
someone to counter his message. Their choice: Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy. What
a choice. Malloy reportedly told New
Hampshire Democrats that those who voted for Romney
and Ryan would be “out of their mind.” Sane policies, it seems, are those of
Democratic governors like Malloy. Two weeks ago, Business Week reported Gov. Malloy’s announcement
that Connecticut would give a company called Bridgewater Associates “a
$25 million ‘forgivable’ 10-year loan at 1 percent interest to help finance two
buildings totaling 750,000 square feet (69,700 square meters). It will also
provide as much as $5 million for job training, $5 million for
alternative-energy systems and $80 million in tax credits, according to the
statement.” What is Bridgewater
Associates? Only the world’s biggest hedge fund. It
paid its founder $3.9 billion last year. Subsidizing
that company is Malloy’s idea of sane. Read the complete article at ….. http://www.unionleader.com/article/20120830/OPINION01/708309912
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For U.S. unions, holiday begins somber election countdown
Reuters, Sept 2, 2012 - Stung by losses in former
strongholds such as Wisconsin and Indiana, organized labor has pledged to spend
more than $100 million to help President Barack Obama win re-election over Republican nominee Mitt Romney
and reverse the Republican Party sweep of state legislatures two years ago. But
as the United States pauses for a national holiday honoring the union movement,
there is a growing sense that labor's ability to deliver politically is fading
just as it faces what could be its most important election in 80 years.
Continued at ….. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/02/us-usa-campaign-labor-idUSBRE88107I20120902
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Rentschler field piling up financial losses | WTNH.com Connecticut
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A state
auditor's report says Rentschler Field, the football
home of UConn's Huskies, had a loss in each state
budget year from 2008 to 2011. The Hartford Courant reports that Rentschler Field had losses totaling $9.3 million for 2008
through 2011. Much of it reflects depreciation that accounts for the cost to
build the stadium. Continued at ….. http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/hartford_cty/rentschler-field-piling-up-financial-losses_95171738
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Don Michak of the
Journal Inquirer of Manchester
reports
Baldwin leaves state holding the bag For
more than 250 Thousand Dollars
A
limited-liability corporation behind last year’s Hockey Fest at Rentschler Field owes the state more than a quarter-million dollars
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Who Pays for Party Conventions? Taxpayers may
be surprised to learn that at least in part, they do. According to the Federal Election Committee, both the Republican
and Democratic parties “received initial payments of $17,689,800 from the U.S.
Treasury” to cover costs for their national conventions. Partisan and
independent voters alike might be dismayed to learn about the growing amount of taxpayer money being siphoned from federal
taxes and granted to the Republican and Democratic parties even though they are
private organizations. Continued at ….. http://ivn.us/2012/08/28/who-pays-for-party-conventions/
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Gas Prices
Nationally: August Gasoline Prices at Seven-year High
Connecticut: Our View: Gas prices spike for Labor Day
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For Unions, Labor Day Is About Grabbing More Power - News
By MARK MIX 08/31/2012 Investors Business Daily
Big Labor Goes To Court
Seven years ago Service Employees International Union
officials imposed on all 36,000 California state employees forced to accept
SEIU representation a "special assessment" for a self-described
"political fight-back fund" to pay for a campaign to defeat several
California ballot initiatives. Union officials even imposed the fee on
nonmembers without notice or opportunity to opt out.
After years of legal wrangling, long after SEIU officials
defeated the 2005 proposals, the U.S. Supreme Court held 7-2 that
SEIU bosses had violated the workers' First Amendment rights.
The Court's majority ruled for the first time that union
officials must obtain affirmative consent from workers before using workers'
forced union fees for union politicking.
While this National Right to Work Foundation-won victory is
a step in the right direction, there is still a long way to go. Continued at
….. http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials-perspective/083112-624281-unions-use-labor-day-to-seize-more-power.htm?p=full
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From The Connecticut Business
& Industry Association (CBIA)
Connecticut General Assembly: How They Voted
How the state Senate voted on key
bills >>
How the state House voted on key bills
>>
Read CBIA’s entire publication at : http://gov.cbia.com/inside_the_capitol/article/general-assembly-how-they-voted#When:13:29:57Z
The following is an Excerpt: Which candidates,
for example, understand the connection between jobs and a business climate that
encourages private-sector investment and expansion? And which understand that
voting for bills that increase business costs and mandates works against
creating a job-producing business climate? Make a difference It’s important to know where candidates stand on those
issues and how their positions impact the economy and the ability of
businesses, large and small, to add jobs and grow. The voting records of members of the Senate and Connecticut's House of Representatives help
illustrate the positions of lawmakers on those issues. You'll find those
records at CBIA's Election 2012 site, along with other resources
for learning about candidates and their positions. Share these resources with
your friends, colleagues, and neighbors. Use the site to explore, analyze, and
compare candidates' positions and then take the time to connect with those running
for office in your area. Ask them how they plan to grow the state's economy and
improve our business climate, and share your ideas with them.
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Frank Scott frank@betterredding.org introduces The SmartTowns website described as the major
website dedicated to providing local officials and involved citizens with the
tools they need to improve town, city and county services while spending less
money.
Check out the
web site at http://www.smarttowns.org/.
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Memoir of a nuts & bolts prosecutor For some late night reading…. The True Story of the Prosecutor Who Took On the Mob, Fought
Corruption, and Won By
Herbert J. Stern Continued at ……. http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/literature/20120902_Memoir_of_a_nuts___bolts_prosecutor.html
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Do Naugatuck Valley tax scandals point to wider issues? | The
... August 29, 2012 By Neena
Satija With three Naugatuck
Valley communities conducting separate investigations of corruption allegations
involving taxes and municipal finances, questions are being raised about
whether tighter controls on local tax collectors' offices are needed. "The
public is wondering just what the heck is going on," said Eugene Driscoll,
editor of the Valley Independent Sentinel, a nonprofit local
news website whose recent reporting led to a state criminal investigation of
Ansonia's tax office. Ansonia's tax collector, Bridget Bostic,
resigned this week. She is
suspected of issuing "tax clearance" documents, which allowed people
to register their cars despite owing taxes on them. Bostic
allegedly issued the forms to several individuals, including her mother,
according to a fact-finding report by the city. The criminal investigation is
continuing, and no charges have been filed against Bostic.
In Derby,
former tax office employee Katherine Kulhawik
allegedly voided cash payments made by taxpayers. Local officials have not
specified what exactly happened to the cash, but a separation agreement between
Kulhawik and the town requires her to pay $9,000 in
what the town called "damages," or face possible criminal charges. In
Shelton,
hundreds of thousands of dollars were reported missing from the city's finance
office dating back to 2009, the city's mayor announced recently, and state
police are investigating. And last month, Oxford's
former tax collector pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $200,000 from the
town. "It's like fingernails on a chalkboard to us," said Old Saybrook Tax Collector Barry Maynard of the allegations.
"It sends shivers up and down our spine." Continued at ….. http://www.ctmirror.org/story/17349/corruption-allegations-naugatuck-valley-towns-raise-questions
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Wall Street agency poses tougher test for state pensions'
health August 24, 2012 By Keith
M. Phaneuf Just as Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's plan to bolster the state's cash-starved
employee pension fund kicks in, a leading Wall Street credit-rating agency is
posing a new way to test the pension system's fiscal health. Moody's Investors
Service has proposed a new methodology that would
offer a much grimmer assessment of public employee pension plans in
Connecticut, many other states, and most municipalities.But
officials here, who have until Sept. 30 to comment on
Moody's proposal, expressed confidence in the direction state pensions are
heading. And the head of Connecticut's chief municipal lobby said cities and
towns long have been aware of the challenges they face to maintain their
pension programs, adding their fate will hinge on how well state officials
preserve municipal aid and help control property taxes. Moody's revised
approach hinges on how much long-term return government entities can assume to
make as they invest pension funds. http://ctmirror.org/story/17294/wall-street-agency-poses-tougher-test-states-fiscal-health
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High Tide: From a Swiss Money Laundering Probe of UBS to
Fortune 500 Companies' Codes of Conduct By C.M. Matthews Wall St Journal A roundup of
corruption-related news from Dow Jones and other sources. You can also receive
a newsletter version of Corruption Currents here. Bribery: An
electrical contractor has pleaded guilty to bribing a northeastern Ohio
county commissioner and other officials in exchange for contracts
and favors in connection with the a wide-ranging public corruption case
that saw Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora
sentenced to 28 years in prison in July. (AP) Federal prosecutors allege that two former El Paso Independent School District
trustees were bribed to award $3.2 million in contracts to
a local company for dropout recovery services. The trustees’ lawyers could not
be immediately reached for comment. (El
Paso Times)
Read Much More at http://blogs.wsj.com/corruption-currents/2012/08/31/high-tide-from-a-swiss-money-laundering-probe-of-ubs-to-fortune-500-companies-codes-of-conduct/
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Collective Bargaining and Human Rights September 2012 •
Volume: 62 • Issue: 7 Government-sector
collective bargaining is being challenged in many states. In response,
government-employee unions (GEUs) are asserting that
the human rights of government employees, including freedom of association, are
under assault. But a correct understanding of human rights gives the lie to the
unions’ self-serving jeremiads. In states such as Indiana,
Ohio, Rhode Island,
and Wisconsin,
chronic budget deficits and monstrous unfunded liabilities tied to
government-employee pension funds and retiree health benefits have led to a
revolt against GEUs. In Indiana, Governor Mitch Daniels cancelled
the executive order of his predecessor that allowed collective bargaining among
state employees. In Ohio,
Governor John Kasich and the legislature adopted restrictions on collective
bargaining and GEUs that were later overturned by
referendum. In Rhode Island,
State Treasurer Gina Raimondo convinced her
Democratic colleagues in the legislature to adopt significant pension reforms
that outraged the GEUs. In Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker and the
legislature restricted the scope of government-sector bargaining, forced GEUs to face periodic recertification, eliminated forced
payment of agency fees by government employees, and stopped government agencies
from automatically deducting union dues on behalf of the GEUs.
For this, Governor Walker faced a recall election on June 5, which he won.
Continued at ……. http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/pursuit-of-happiness/collective-bargaining-and-human-rights/
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How Fed makes money for taxpayers CNNMoney.com The
Fed earned a $77.4 billion profit last year, and of that,
most was from interest payments. The year before, it earned $81.7 billion, and in 2009, it earned
$53.4 billion. Read the complete article at http://economy.money.cnn.com/2012/09/01/how-fed-stimulus-earns-a-profit-for-taxpayers/?iid=HP_LN
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Nine school districts to apply for Race to the Top federal
money August 31, 2012 By Jacqueline
Rabe Thomas The federal government intends to award $383 million to
support local reform efforts for the upcoming year. Nearly 900 districts across the country are expected to
apply, but only 15 to 25 of them will receive funds. Federal regulations require that this money be awarded to districts
with plans to enhance the relationships between students and their teachers
through personalized learning initiatives. Read complete article at ….. http://www.ctmirror.org/story/17374/nine-districts-apply-race-top-federal-money
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States Cutting the Most Government Jobs - 24/7 Wall St. August 14, 2012
Between June 2011 and June 2012 the nation added more than 1.7 million jobs. At
the same time, the number of government jobs fell by more 200,000. While the
national economy has improved since the Great Recession, a number of state
economies continue to struggle. In response to a stalled recovery and shifting
political pressure, many states are doing the unthinkable: cutting government
jobs. http://247wallst.com/2012/08/14/states-cutting-the-most-government-jobs/
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CONNECTICUT’S DEBT CRISIS
In October, 2011 it was noted within the
article 10 States With The Highest Debt Per Person: Report that Connecticut has
the highest debt per capita at $5,402.
According to Connecticut’s Fiscal Accountability Report - Connecticut General Assembly our total debt is $71.4 Billion.
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Taxes: How much should the rich pay?
Check Out State Employee Salaries, Pensions, Vendor Payments and More at the
Connecticut Transparency Website
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Visit the Federation’s Website for Previous Publications
http://ctact.org/