Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations

According to The Tax Foundation, and I quote Americans will work longer to pay for government (113 days) than they will for food, clothing and housing combined (108 days). In fact, Americans will work longer to afford federal taxes alone (74 days) than they will to afford housing (60 days). As a group, Americans will also work longer to pay state and local taxes than they will to pay for food.� The residents of Connecticut will celebrate last as usual, working until the 128th day of the year, from January 1 to May 8, before earning enough to pay all their taxes�� Read the whole story�.

America Celebrates Tax Freedom Day, by Gerald Prante and Scott A. Hodge

Tax Freedom Day will arrive on April 23 this year, the 113th day of 2008 (ignoring Leap Day). That means Americans will work nearly four months of the year, from January 1 to April 23, before they have earned enough money to pay this year's tax obligations at the federal, state and local levels.� Americans, as a whole, work a significant number of days each year to pay for things other than government, but nothing else is so expensive. Americans will work longer to pay for government (113 days) than they will for food, clothing and housing combined (108 days). In fact, Americans will work longer to afford federal taxes alone (74 days) than they will to afford housing (60 days). As a group, Americans will also work longer to pay state and local taxes than they will to pay for food.� Tax Freedom Day had arrived later for the four previous years, but due to an expected slowdown in the nation's economy and a massive one-time fiscal stimulus tax cut passed earlier this year, Tax Freedom Day is projected to arrive three days earlier this year compared to last year. CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL REPORT� Special Report No. 160, PDF, 363.3 KB

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The Pension story in Connecticut isn�t so bright either.� Read on and remember soon we will all know due to GASB43/45 what we as taxpayers are obligated to pay for retiree healthcare benefits for town and board of education employees.�

http://www.pensionriskmatters.com/2008/03/articles/public-plans/public-pension-pain-ten-worst-states-in-terms-of-funding/

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By Judy Aron, imjfaron@sbcglobal.net

Vice President, West Hartford Taxpayers Association

Board Member of FCTO

Dear Editor � West Hartford News

The common belief is that if you invest in your schools that this will automatically raise or maintain the value of your home. While it is true that good school systems attract home buyers, the fact is that studies have shown that more school spending has no correlation to better schools or higher academic achievement. Higher taxes and unrestrained spending causing higher budget demands also means that people on fixed incomes and modest economic backgrounds (i.e. middle class) will have to move away.� Many people are already choosing to put their homes up for sale because of higher taxes, and people are passing up on moving into West Hartford because they can get a better deal in taxes accompanied with better schools in towns like Avon and Farmington. That is unfortunate for West Hartford.� I feel that we can do better in making and keeping our town affordable while increasing academic achievement.�� Considering that our last revaluation was done at the height of the housing market in 2006, many people are finding that they now cannot sell their home for the amount of their current assessment! And basically homeowners who choose to stay here are already overpaying on their taxes based on this inflated unrealized capital gain.� Home prices have already begun to fall as a result of mortgage crisis and the allied credit crunch. In the end, the real estate bubble has burst and higher property taxes are driving out established owners and preventing new people from moving in.� In essence, increasing property taxes are driving home prices down, slowing sales, and stimulating an undesirable demographic shift � the flight of the empty nesters.� These folks usually contribute the lion�s share of the tax revenue and require the least amount of community services.� Our senior center and senior services do not cost nearly as much as what our public schools consume. It must be understood that if we alienate and drive older folks out of town, we have lost the major cash flow source that is the financial bed rock of West Hartford�s tax revenue. We also lose a vital part of the demographic fabric that makes West Hartford so terrific. It is also not good for us to be a place that is financially unattainable for young people just starting out. As I see it, when older folks move away, as they are doing, more than likely families move in with more children that put an increased strain on an already strained school system. People should not have to "sacrifice" to live here or struggle to stay here. � Our property taxes continue to climb and home values slide downward to compensate for increased tax liability.� As home values slide, the property tax base erodes generating less revenue available to fund education. This downward spiral has started and will accelerate if something substantial is not done regarding town spending. In my opinion, pushing our senior population out is not a very good end result for �supporting school spending�. Sounds like that children�s story � Killing the goose that laid the golden egg doesn�t it?

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From: Philip Gagnon, philip.gagnon@sbcglobal.net
Subject: Re: Tax Talk 114:FCTO Promotes Property Tax Cap, Rell Budget, Taxpayer Meetings,More
To: Fctopresident@aol.com

Keep up the good work, with respect to GASB rules finally we see some of the smoke and mirros being pushed aside so taxpayers like myself can know the true costs of running the government.� Phil

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Global Research is The Centre for Research on Globalisation (CRG) is an independent research and media group of writers, scholars, journalists and activists. The following link will take you to their website on which you can find the following articles among many http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=home

Is an International Financial Conspiracy Driving World Events?�� http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8450

Here is an excerpt.�

The implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement by the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations has led to the elimination of millions of U.S. manufacturing jobs as well as the destruction of U.S. family farming in favor of global agribusiness.� �.. Similar free trade agreements, including those under the auspices of the World Trade Organization, have led to export of millions of additional manufacturing jobs to China and elsewhere. �.Average family income in the U.S. has steadily eroded while the share of the nation�s wealth held by the richest income brackets has soared. Some Wall Street hedge fund managers are making $1 billion a year while the number of homeless, including war veterans, pushes a million. � The housing bubble has led to a huge inflation of real estate prices in the U.S. Millions of homes are falling into the hands of the bankers through foreclosure. The cost of land and rentals has further decimated family agriculture as well as small business. Rising property taxes based on inflated land assessments have forced millions of lower-and middle-income people and elderly out of their homes. http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8450

How Far Will the Crash Go and What Do we Do Now?

The �Crash of 2007-8� is underway Global Research, August 18, 2007� http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=6575

Their 2005 article is an interesting read in 2008... America's Spiraling External Debt and the Decline of the US Dollar - Why the Emperor has no Clothes �http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/FRA501A.html

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INVITE FROM THE UCONN LAW FEDERALIST SOCIETY

Friday, April 18, 2008, 12:30pm, **Lunch at 12:15 pm!

University of Connecticut School of Law

Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder Courtroom (Starr 108)

**Map/directions available at http://www.law.uconn.edu/about/map.html

The UConn Law Federalist Society For Law & Public Policy Studies is pleased to present Constitutional Clich�s:

Does Trite Make Right?�� A talk by Prof. Randy E. Barnett, Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Legal Theory, Georgetown University Law Center.� Following will be a Q&A! This event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP to Rob Barbieri at rbarbieri08@gmail.com.

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You Can't Spell "Confidence" Without "Con"

West Hartford may or may not lose confidence in William DiBella, the Rowland crony heading the MDC

Thursday, April 03, 2008, Hartford Advocate By Jennifer Abel

http://www.hartfordadvocate.com/article.cfm?aid=6980

Connecticut is jokingly called "Corrupticut" by people who think there's something improper about officials like ex-governor (now ex-jailbird) John Rowland using state contracts to enrich themselves at taxpayer expense.� Rowland crony William DiBella never went to jail, but last year the SEC ordered him to pay nearly $800,000 in fines and restitution over a "finder's fee" he collected in a pension-fund investment scam that sent ex-state treasurer Paul Silvester to prison. DiBella currently heads the Metropolitan District Commission, which handles water and sewer services for several Connecticut towns and has a budget measured in the billions of dollars.� Two weeks ago, Newington � an MDC member town � passed a resolution of no confidence in DiBella, and on March 25 the three Republican members of West Hartford's town council proposed a similar resolution. Seven people signed up to speak at the council meeting, all in favor of it. Susan Kniep, East Hartford's ex-mayor, asked: "Are you willing to gamble $2 billion of taxpayer and ratepayer money on a man who believes he did nothing wrong in a deal in which some of the players served time in a federal prison?" Michael Seder, a West Hartford resident and MDC commissioner, echoed Kniep's thoughts. "I'm asking this town council ... even to go further and ask for [DiBella's] resignation."� Robert Young of Wethersfield added: "DiBella took the trust of the people and stomped all over it ... DiBella should never be allowed in the public trust again. Connecticut is crooked enough." But the council didn't vote on the resolution; instead, Deputy Mayor Chuck Coursey moved to refer it to the Government Liaison Committee.� Councilman Joe Visconti, who proposed the resolution, thinks it should've been voted on that night, but Coursey disagrees. "We think it's an important issue, and we want to give the full council the opportunity to speak ... have West Hartford's MDC commissioners there," he said when we asked him about it. Besides, Coursey added, a no-confidence vote wouldn't really matter anyway: "Town councils have no input into who was chosen for MDC ... this would be more of a symbolic resolution."� DiBella, a Democrat, views this as much politically motivated ado about nothing. "It's a political advantage to Republicans to go after me on this issue," he told us. And where the SEC fines are concerned, "We're in the process of appealing ... This is a civil matter. A securities issue. It is not a criminal matter." Also, he said, reports that his fine was nearly $800,000 are erroneous: "The fine was $110,000," he said. As for the rest of the money, "they're saying I have to return the fee I got and pay interest on it. That's not a fine."� MDC commissioners aren't paid. Why is DiBella so determined to keep a volunteer job when the people he volunteers to serve wants him out?�� "I've been on this board for 30 years," DiBella said. "We're trying to clean the environment. I want to see this through." �� Write to us at editor@hartfordadvocate.com or jabel@hartfordadvocate.com

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In Justice Shift, Corporate Deals Replace Trials

By ERIC LICHTBLAU, Published: April 9, 2008

WASHINGTON � In 2005, federal authorities concluded that a Monsanto consultant had visited the home of an Indonesian official and, with the approval of a senior company executive, handed over an envelope stuffed with hundred-dollar bills. The money was meant as a bribe to win looser environmental regulations for Monsanto�s cotton crops, according to a court document. Monsanto was also caught concealing the bribe with fake invoices.� http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/09/washington/09justice.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

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GAO: Millions Wasted on Government Cards, By Hope Yen, The Associated Press, Wednesday 09 April 2008

Federal employees charged millions of dollars for Internet dating, tailor-made suits, lingerie, lavish dinners and other questionable expenses to their government credit cards over a 15-month period, congressional auditors say. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080409/ap_on_go_ot/government_credit_cards

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From the National Taxpayers Union, http://www.ntu.org/main/press.php?PressID=1002&org_name=NTU

For Immediate Release Apr 4, 2008
For Further Information, Contact: Peter J. Sepp, Natasha Altamirano, (703) 683-5700

Taxpayer Group Applauds Washington State for Passing Spending Transparency Legislation(Alexandria, Va.) -- Enactment of a bill Tuesday opening up state government spending to public scrutiny puts Washington State in the center of the dynamic "Google Government" movement, according to the National Taxpayers Union (NTU), which has more than 10,800 members in the state and 362,000 nationwide. With the passage of Senate Bill 6818 and its enactment through the Governor's signature, Washington is among nearly dozen states that have opened up their books to taxpayers online. "Washington now joins several others in the belief that transparency is vital to good governance," NTU Government Affairs Manager Andrew Moylan said. "These tools to evaluate spending programs can build more honest and responsible budgeting."� The Washington plan is modeled after federal legislation enacted last year, cosponsored by Sens. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Barack Obama (D-IL). The law has ordered the U.S. Office of Management and Budget to construct an Internet destination (www.USASpending.gov) for the general public to track the flow of federal grant and contract disbursements.Moylan also praised the Legislature for strengthening the bill through the legislative process. "All too often, the amendment process is used as a way to weaken legislation, but the House and Senate deserve credit for using it to strengthen transparency requirements instead," he said.Washington represents yet another victory for the "Show Me the Spending� coalition, which NTU created last year in order to pass similar legislation in all 50 states. Two groups that were particularly instrumental to raising the visibility of this reform, the Washington Policy Center and the Evergreen Freedom Foundation, are partners in the 23-member coalition, located at www.showmethespending.org."Accountability in government is not a left or right issue -- it's a right or wrong issue," Moylan concluded. "Washington's namesake would be proud that more than 200 years after his death, the state has taken this revolutionary step."The 362,000-member NTU is a nonpartisan, nonprofit citizen group founded in 1969 to work for lower taxes, smaller government, and economic freedom at all levels. Note: For further details on the "Google Government" movement, visit www.showmethespending.org or www.ntu.org.

NTU recently congratulated Washington State officials for enacting Senate Bill 6818 and bringing greater transparency to the state's budget. Unfortunately, similar legislation was vetoed in South Dakota. NTU continues to push for greater openness and transparency in state spending with its "Show Me the Spending" coalition partners. You can learn more about the coalition by visiting http://ga1.org/ct/k1NCak71HmqI/showme or http://ga1.org/ct/npNCak71Hmqf/ntuorg.

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ALERT:� On April 15, 2008, Homeowners will Join a Broad Coalition of Labor, Economic Policy and Community Organizations who will Call on House of Representatives to Fight for Homeowners, and Not a Taxpayer Handout to Corporate Homebuilders and Wall Street
Investors.�� Homeowners and a broad coalition of labor, economic policy and community organizations will call on the House of Representatives to fix the Senate's Foreclosure Prevention Act, which not only fails to adequately help struggling homeowners, but also contains a $25 billion taxpayer funded handout for corporate homebuilders and those on Wall Street who helped cause the mortgage and housing crisis. Two-way Teleconference Line: (800) 763-5654 Please call (202) 942-2285 or email jhay@liuna.org�� to get the conference code

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