July 31, 2018
From: The
Federation of Connecticut Taxpayers
Contact: Susan Kniep, President
Website: http://ctact.org/
Email: fctopresident@aol.com
Telephone:
860-841-8032
Unsustainable:
The Government Pension Pickle That Several States Are Facing (James Murphy /
The New American)
Excerpt: Connecticut is per capita the
wealthiest state in the nation. But it currently faces a debt of more than 53
billion dollars, largely due to its own growing pension crisis.
The top ten retired employees in the Constitution State all receive more than
$225,000.00 per year in pension payments by the state. 1,400 retirees in
Connecticut receive more than $100,000.00 in pension benefits annually.
Republicans in the state have called for a decrease in cost-of-living
adjustments, increased employee contributions and an end to the practice of
negotiating pensions through collective bargaining but unions and Democrats
continue to push back against such ideas.
No, no, no, says Harry Hartley the former
president of Connecticuts branch of the American
Association of University Professors (AAUP). Since retiring in 2005, Hartleys own pension has risen over $73,000 annually to its
current $242,000 per year. The problem was not the pensions, Hartley claims. The
problem was they did not fund them properly. Now they are looking for some
quick band-aid probably illegal unethical and immoral and thats
the wrong way to go. Continue reading at https://www.thenewamerican.com/economy/sectors/item/29657-unsustainable-the-government-pension-pickle-that-several-states-are-facing
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Connecticut State Retiree Pensions are only 41%
funded. In 2017, payments totaling over $1.8 billion were made. These
pension payments were made directly to retirees or to their beneficiaries. They
represent the pensions of 48,395 retired employees.
Some pensions exceed
$300,000, $200,000 and $100,000. To determine what each state retiree
receives, Click on Pensions, next go to
Search, then to the column captioned Total. Click Total twice and you
will see the highest to the lowest pensions being paid. To move to the
next page, go to the arrow over the column headed Total.
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Newsmakers July 26, 2018
Connecticut
Pension Commission Eyes Tapping State Assets to Shore Up Ailing Fund (Chris
Butera / Chief Investment Officer)
Excerpts: Lotto revenue and income from
unused state land could help shore up ailing public retirement system.
Connecticuts
new pension panel is looking to draw from state government coffers to keep
rising pension costs at bay.
The Pension Sustainability Commission,
which is exploring how to shore up Connecticuts
sagging public employee retirement system, ruled out using the sale or lease of
state parks or other publicly used amenities. Instead, earnings from the
Connecticut lottery, or unused state land and properties, could help shore up
dwindling pension funds. Continue reading at Connecticut
Pension Commission Eyes Tapping State Assets to Shore Up Ailing Fund (Chris
Butera / Chief Investment Officer)
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Newsmakers July 24, 2018
New Connecticut Study Group Aims to Solve
Pension Mess
Commission will study states fiscal situation in an attempt to boost the state-worker retirement systems
low 41% funding level.
https://www.ai-cio.com/news/new-connecticut-study-group-aims-solve-pension-mess/
Tags: Connecticut, Connecticut Pension Sustainability
Commission, pension
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Another excellent
article by Jon Lender
Read more Jon
Lender | Hartford Courant Journalist | Muck Rack
HARTFORD COURANT Government Watch
Jon Lender: Its
The Scorecard For Wining And Dining Public Officials,
And You Can Look It Up
One of the most common tools for influencing
state government decisions is a sandwich. Paid lobbyists at the State Capitol
use them like auto mechanics use trusty socket wrenches. You want a law passed,
or you want the opposite, or your client wants relief from an administrative
ruling, and you take a legislator or state commissioner or deputy out to lunch
or dinner and talk it over. It happens all the time and it is just the way
things work. Continue reading at http://www.courant.com/politics/government-watch/hc-pol-lender-wining-dining-20180727-story.html
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There is now a price tag for Medicare
for all $32.6 Trillion
The Boston Globe
23 hours ago WASHINGTON US Senator Bernie Sanders Medicare for all plan
would increase government health care spending by $32.6 trillion over 10 years,
according to a study by a university based libertarian
policy center.
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The Washington Post
reports
Wildfires force 15,000 people in
Northern California to evacuate
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HARTFORD COURANT Breaking News
Suspect In New York Slaying Was On Probation In Connecticut And Also Faces Charges In Los
Angeles
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