Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations

Connecticut Homeowners � Connecticut�s Governor, Legislature and New London�s City Council are still trying to remove New London Homeowners from their land!�� Read Fort Trumbull State Deadline Runs Out Today http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=25983d01-6e8e-4696-862f-da6b0d7f6313.�

Also visit the following website for updates on Eminent Domain issues in New London and beyond.� www.ctrsvp.org

Call in and talk with Susan Kniep, President of FCTO, and Mike Cristofaro, the son of a New London Plaintiff in the Kelo vs New London Supreme Court Case on Friday, June 16.� Learn about the petition drive to put this issue before New London voters.

On Friday, June 16, 2006, from 7 PM to 8 PM, Host, Larry Hample of Citizens for Fair and Responsible Government, invites the public to call in to his television cable program to discuss Eminent Domain with his guests Michael Cristofaro, the son of Pasquale Cristofaro, a plaintiff in the Suzette Kelo vs New London Eminent Domain case and Susan Kniep, President of the Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations, Inc.�� The call in numbers for the Cable Channel 25 program� are 440-3154 for New London residents and for those outside of New London 1-800-253-2285.� Even if you cannot access the cable program, let us hear from you.�

Also to be discussed is the ongoing petition drive led by Neild Odlum of New London.� The petition is an effort to place before the voters of New London the Eminent Domain issue as it affects Susette Kelo and others who wish to remain in their homes.� New London residents who wish to sign the petition can contact Neild Oldham at 860-443-2261.��

Read Below an excellent editorial by Betty Perkowski of North Stonington on the Eminent Domain issue.��

Susette Kelo and Michael Cristofaro�s family could lose their homes.

Could your home be next!?!?!?

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Judge: 'In God We Trust' stays, By UPI Staff
United Press International, June 14, 2006

SACRAMENTO (UPI) -- A federal judge in California has rejected an atheist's claim that the motto "In God we trust" violates the First Amendment separation of church and state. http://www.gopusa.com/news/2006/june/0614_us_mottop.shtml

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UPDATE ON GROUP HOMES

NEWS ALERT: Group home curbs sought: Waterbury legislators becoming involved, Thursday, June 15, 2006, BY MICHAEL PUFFER,� Republican-American

WATERBURY -- In the wake of group home proposals that riled two Waterbury neighborhoods, top city officials are calling for new curbs in a state law that allows small group homes to be established virtually anywhere.� In a letter sent to state senators and representatives representing Waterbury last week, Mayor Michael J. Jarjura asked for a change in the state law that allows group homes for up to six individuals to be placed in any residential area of any community. Under current law, state agencies serving certain special needs groups don't have to abide by local zoning ordinances and don't have to notify municipal officials or neighbors before moving in. Jarjura would like notification to be sent to the city.� He also asked that the city be given a yearly inventory of all group homes, and for new legal requirements that the homes be maintained so as not to mar the appearance of surrounding neighborhoods.� The letter was dated June 7, the same day Jarjura and other city and state officials met in the cafeteria of Kennedy High School with about 100 residents who were upset about a group home for four mentally handicapped individuals planned for the exclusive Country Club neighborhood.�

It was nearly a mirror image of a similar meeting that took place at Kennedy several months earlier, when a small group home for mentally disturbed youths was proposed on Esther Avenue, part of the tight-knit, blue-collar Town Plot neighborhood.�� In both cases, residents complained about impacts on their property values, and raised fears of risks to their children. But perhaps the most persistent complaint in both cases was the lack of warning.� One day after Jarjura drafted his letter, Alderman Paul Pernerewski came out with correspondence containing his own requested changes to state law. His letter asks that a public hearing be required for new group homes. He addressed it to the full Board of Aldermen for its blessing before it is sent to the city's legislative delegation.� City officials might have saved their ink.� The three state legislators who attended last week's public meeting -- state Sen. Joan Hartley, D-15th District, and state Reps. Anthony D'Amelio, R-71st District; and Jeffrey Berger, D-73rd District -- say they were already planning to push for similar curbs when the new legislative session opens in January.� In fact, the full city delegation attempted earlier this year to file a bill that would require public hearings. But in a short legislative session that focused on budgetary issues, the request quickly died.� In January, however, state lawmakers are scheduled to sit down for a long session, in which it will be easier for individual lawmakers to propose a bill. Hartley, Berger and D'Amelio said they believe a similar proposal stands a better chance.� "You always have a better end result when you have all the parties at the table and informed," Hartley said. "It's a matter of being open."� But venting sessions like the one that took place last week are just what the original architects of the group home law hoped to avoid, said Peg Dignoti, executive director of Arc of Connecticut, an advocacy group for mentally handicapped individuals.� Dignoti should know. In 1979, she helped pass the original law, which at that time only applied to group homes for the mentally handicapped. In later years, its protections were extended to group homes for mentally and physically disabled youths in the care of the state, as well as individuals receiving mental health or addiction treatment.� "It was meant to prevent the sort of meetings where people come out of the woodwork and say terrible things about people based on mythology and incorrect facts," Dignoti said.� Dignoti said the law she helped shepherd received several challenges in its early years, but opposition died down as myths about supposed dangers of mentally handicapped individuals died down. She said Waterbury's case reminds her of those early days.� "It is like deja vu," Dignoti said. "I can't believe this is coming out of the dark ages."

GROUP HOMES:� The following article provides insight into the concerns of property owners throughout the State.� To draw awareness to their concerns,� impacted property owners have� formed a coalition called CONNECTICUT GROUP HOME ABUTTERS (CGHA).�� Please click on� http://www.ctabutters.com/ �if you wish to visit their website.�

Halfway house plan causes concern; State mum on exact location of 20-bed facility

Waterbury Republican Newspaper, June 8, 2006 - WATERBURY - The state departments of Mental Health and Addiction Services and Correction are negotiating with a nonprofit organization to operate a 20-bed halfway house downtown. The facility would house men who have been convicted of crimes and are working their way back into the community.� Before the contract for the halfway house has been signed, state and city officials are saying enough is enough.. "Especially not there," said Mayor Michael J. Jarjura, http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives�

Preston files lawsuit in zoning dispute, By AMY BETH PREISS, Norwich Bulletin� http://www.norwichbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060602/NEWS01/606020335/1002/NEWS01

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Judy Aron, imjfaron@sbcglobal.net

West Hartford Taxpayers Association

Two Subjects of Interest: (1) CT pays for illegal immigrant to attend college;� (2)

WHAT ARE YOUR CHILDREN READING? Poison In Our Libraries

June 13, 2006

To think that our own state agencies are accomplices in breaking federal law regarding illegal immigration is beyond me. They do not report illegal aliens! They are aiding and abetting people who have committed a crime. What part of illegal do they not understand? � How ethical is that? How much money is the state doling out to illegals in CT? What does Governor Rell have to say about this?

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Thousands of parents are struggling to put their kids through college and an illegal from Mexico gets full room and board worth $40,000 per year. He is now an adult, or soon will be, what on earth is the State of Connecticut doing paying for his education. Do they plan on sending him to graduate school, law school as well? This is really misguided charity.

Paul Streitz
CT Citizens for Immigration Control
www.ctcitizensforimmigrationcontrol.com

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Immigrant goes from tobacco fields to college By Pat Eaton-Robb, Associated Press Writer | June 11, 2006�� WINDHAM, Conn. --Five years ago, 14-year-old Sait Perez left his impoverished parents and little sister in Tabasco, Mexico, and crossed the border. The teen made his way from California to Connecticut, where he now has resident status, will graduate this month from Windham High School and begin a college education in Rhode Island in the fall that will be paid for by the state.� ��.� Perez is one of a handful of illegal immigrant children DCF deals with each year, DCF officials said. The state does not keep statistics.� Under its policy, the department also does not report undocumented aliens to the federal Department of Homeland Security and Immigration Services. Instead, staff are told to work to help illegal children obtain legal resident status.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2006/06/11/immigrant_goes_from_tobacco_fields_to_college/?page=1

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WHAT ARE YOUR CHILDREN READING?

Poison In Our Libraries

By Steve Crampton
AgapePress, June 13, 2006

http://www.gopusa.com/news/2006/june/0613_libraries1.shtml

��..�Some of the books include graphic descriptions of incest, homosexuality, masturbation, bestiality, and child molestation. For instance, Push is the story of a young girl who is pregnant with her father's child. The local newspaper, the Northwest Arkansas Times, which opposed the effort to limit access to the book, admitted that it contained materials that are patently offensive.� Another book is advertised as being "the most controversial young adult novel ever," and describes an adolescent boy's love affair with a teacher, and two teens who become addicted to heroin. Oh, and by the way, the book won an award as "an outstanding book for children."

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FCTO extends its appreciation to Betty Perkowski for her excellent editorial on Eminent Domain which appeared in the Hartford Courant.� Betty also provides us with insight into concerns of those living in southeastern Connecticut.�

Betty Perkowski, petitioncongress2@att.net

North Stonington, June 10, 2006

Susan,� You have my permission to use my Letter to the Editor, Hartford Courant June 5, 2006, regarding eminent domain, in your FCTO newsletter. Your website is great and I see that my position on government is a good fit.

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The following is just a bit of background as to what SE CT has been through and how we feel powerless sometimes against the government. But we have always risen to the challange - even when it has been the federal government .

Southeastern CT is no longer the quiet forgotten area of the state. Ever since Congress created a federally recognized "tribe" (out of thin air), we have been inundated with countless proposals by out of state developers to "improve" our area and "expand the tax base" ( Utopia Theme Park, North Stonington Studios, Six Flags, LegoLand, Chinese Theme Park). These were all pitched as developments that would lower our taxes. Why do people always believe more development will lower taxes? It hasn't worked anywhere it has been tried yet.

When Six Flags was beating down our door(mid nineties), I, as a member of the opposition group, "This is Not a Done Deal", did an analysis of local taxes in towns with less development and towns with more development. I had seen a report done in VT and one statewide in CT showing that rural towns have lower tax rates than more developed towns. So I figured I would compare the SE CT towns.

Using data from the CT Institute of Municipal Studies that presented a comparison of taxes from town to town ( they had a formula so you could compare them despite different mill rates and evaluations) I plotted all our local towns on a grid from lowest to highest taxes and lowest to densist development. And guess what? It was true. Except for the anomaly, at that time, of Waterford ,CT having Millstone Nuclear Power paying most of the taxes, all the others fell into the expected quadrants. Rural towns with the least development paid lower taxes compared to the towns with the most development(higher grand lists).

But people refuse to believe the truth. They really, really, really, want to believe that if they change this zone for these guys their taxes will go down.

Another issue of concern is - How do we stop these Boards of Education from getting away with referring to modest increases as CUTS in their budget? Any increase from the year before is an INCREASE. They ask for 10% more and then whine that a 5% increase is a 5% CUT in their budget. And they are careful to make sure their teacher salary deals are already locked in. They never point out that if they didn't agree to such exorbitant compensation for teachers and administrators then there would be plenty of money "for the children" they love to hide behind.

Another concern is that we also have the continuing fight against annexation and federal recognition for several groups who want to get on the BIA gravy Train. . The tribes continue to remove land from the tax rolls. Ledyard CT has lost most of the taxes from its toniest neighborhood as wealthy Mashantuckets moved in and the land was "taken into trust" to use the government's euphemism. The most expensive homes in town and Ledyard can't get a dime in taxes for them. The children from these homes go to Ledyard schools. Depending on the address, either State Police or Ledyard police respond to this pachthwork of jurisdictions. The police logs are full of responses to tribal homes - not break-ins but everything from drugs, weapons, rape to murder. For a small family group they have quite a collective rap sheet.

Wow! How did a little girl from Britt Rd in the 1950's ever get involved in all this? Guess I just can't sit quietly by when I see injustice .

Betty Perkowski

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A Battle Over Rights by Betty Perkowski, Hartford Courant

I believe the May 30 editorial ["Stop Shameful Eviction Plan"] about the eminent domain case slightly, but importantly, misstated what the fight is about.

It is not enough to say the people want their homes. Of course they do. They want the right to their homes. That includes the right to do with them what they want - live in them, rent them out, even sell them.

If Susette Kelo was handed back the title to her home tomorrow and sold it the next day, I would understand. It is the right to her property that is being stolen from her.

She is not asking to be shackled to one piece of property for the rest of her life. She wants to be the one to decide its fate. It should not be decided by the government or a local development commission.

People buy and sell real estate all the time. But rights cannot be sold, nor should they be stolen.� Betty Perkowski, North Stonington

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rarturo1@sbcglobal.net

Love him or hate him, he sure hits the nail on the head with this!
Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your
Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life, people actually
have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

If you agree, pass it on.� If you can read this - Thank a teacher! If you are reading it in English -Thank a soldier!!

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State lawmakers want to force review of taxes
Township Journal - USA
... Jon S. Corzine to call the Legislature into special session in July to jump-start efforts to reform the state�s highest-in-the-nation property taxes. ...
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