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Thank you.
June 28, 2012
From Susan Kniep President
The Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations, Inc.
Website: http://ctact.org/
Email: fctopresident@aol.com
Telephone: 860-841-8032
Read the decision | Hear the original arguments
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Stockton
bankruptcy: Southland cities try to avoid similar fate
Stockton
Bankruptcy Is Hard Hit for City Retirees
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Judge refuses to block Florida voter purge By ASSOCIATED PRESS Posted June 27, 2012 at 3:37 p.m. TALLAHASSEE —
A judge on Wednesday rejected a request by federal authorities to block Florida's contentious
move to remove potentially ineligible voters from its rolls. U.S.
District Judge Robert Hinkle said there was nothing in federal voting laws that
prevent the state from identifying voters who may not be U.S. citizens even if it is close
to the upcoming Aug. 14 election.
The U.S.
Department of Justice filed a lawsuit earlier this month to halt the purge,
saying it was going on too close to a federal election. U.S. officials also said the list used by Florida had
"critical imperfections, which lead to errors that harm and confuse
voters." Hinkle in ruling from the
bench said federal laws are designed to block states from removing eligible
voters close to an election. He said they are not designed to block voters who
should have never been allowed to cast ballots in the first place. Although "questioning someone's
citizenship" is not a trivial matter, Hinkle also said that non-citizens
should not be allowed to vote. "People
need to know we are running an honest election," said Hinkle, who was
appointed by former President Bill Clinton. http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2012/jun/27/judge-refuses-block-florida-voter-purge/
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CT pensions worth about 50 cents for each $1 in pay | Raising
Hale
Another
Excellent Report By Zachary Janowski
June 27, 2012
Pensions for
Connecticut
state employees are worth nearly 50 percent of their income, according to a
memo from the state Comptroller, only exceeded by the value of pensions for
judges, worth about 58 percent of income.
Regular
state employee pensions are worth 46.01 percent of pay, according to a memo from Comptroller Kevin Lembo
dated July 1.
Most state
employees contribute 2 percent of pay in addition to the state’s contribution,
earning them a 2,300 percent return on investment.
Employees
hired between 1984 and 1997 contribute nothing to their pension.
Hazardous-duty
employees – including state police, correction officers and other designated
employee groups – receive pensions worth 48.71 percent of pay. They contribute
5 percent of their income or, for employees hired between 1984 and 1997, 4
percent.
Read this excellent article in its entirety at ….. http://www.raisinghale.com/2012/06/27/pensions-50-cents-for-each-dollar/
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The Sharp, Sudden Decline of America's Middle Class
They had good,
stable jobs - until the recession hit. Now they're living out of their cars in
parking lots.
By Jeff Tietz
June 25, 2012 Rolling Stone http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/the-sharp-sudden-decline-of-americas-middle-class-20120622
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New York
Attorney General Enters Campaign Finance Fray Inquiry Looks Into a Shield for Donors in Elections By NICHOLAS
CONFESSORE New York Times -
Published: June 26, 2012 - Attorney General Eric
T. Schneiderman of New York has begun investigating contributions to
tax-exempt groups that are heavily involved in political campaigns, focusing on
a case involving the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has been one of
the largest outside groups seeking to influence recent elections but is not
required to disclose its donors. Mr. Schneiderman
issued a wide-ranging subpoena on Tuesday to executives at a foundation
affiliated with the chamber, seeking e-mails, bank records and other documents
to determine whether the foundation illegally funneled $18 million to the
chamber for political and lobbying activities, according to people with
knowledge of the investigation. The
investigation is also looking at connections between the chamber’s foundation,
the National Chamber Foundation, and another philanthropy, the Starr Foundation, which made large grants to the
chamber foundation in 2003 and 2004. During the same period, the National
Chamber Foundation lent the chamber $18 million, most of it for what was
described as a capital campaign. Continued at …… http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/27/us/politics/new-york-attorney-general-enters-campaign-finance-fray.html
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Who Says CT Can’t Attract Out-of-State Business? Pot Industry
About To Explode Posted by Dan Lovallo on Jun 21, 2012 | 3 Comments Now that CT Gov. Dannel
P. Malloy has signed into law a bill legalizing medical marijuana, out-of-state
entrepreneurs are taking notice. According to an AP story, Arizona businessman Bruce Bedrick was in CT this week to show off his “mock
dispensary.” It’s a vending machine that dispenses pot. A group (NORML),
advocating the legalization of
marijuana, predicts not only the expansion of the marijuana growing industry,
but a boom in supplemental businesses such as indoor growing stystems, lights and other equipment. And a Bloomfield, CT
lawyer, who assists clients using pot for medicinal purposes, plans to expand
his business to help those in need of marijuana. Law Effective Oct. 1 Connecticut regulators
are designing a system of regulations on how to implement the law.
Medical marijuana becomes legal in CT on October 1. So who says CT cannot
attract business? And to think, all it took was the state to remove
regulations. The industry is flourishing, without any government
financial assistance. Amazing. http://cttalking.com/government/connecticut/who-says-ct-cant-attract-out-of-state-business-pot-industry-about-to-explode/
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