From Susan Kniep, President
The Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations, Inc.
Website: http://ctact.org/
email: fctopresident@ctact.org
860-524-6501
February 8, 2006
WELCOME TO THE 65th and 66th EDITIONS OF
TAX TALK
TAX TALK 66
From: Philip Gagnon, philip.gagnon@sbcglobal.net,
Jan 25, 2006
It is a breath of fresh air that FCTO is fighting for fiscal
responsibility. What a sham it is to see the deficit ballooning at the Capital
while the unions tighten their grip on the Democratic cronies in the
legislature. It is the highest hypocrisy to claim you are for protecting the
middle class when you pile on debt our kids will end up paying for. PG
*******
FEDERAL DEBT TO THE PENNY
The
Outstanding Public Debt as of February 8, 2006 at 03:11:33 PM GMT is:
$8,213,249,583,265
The estimated population of the United States
is 298,381,285
so each citizen's share of this debt is $27,517
The National Debt has continued to
increase an average of
$2.14 billion per day since September 30, 2005!
Keep a
Check on the Debt: http://brillig.com/debt_clock/
*******
From the National Taxpayers Association http://www.ntu.org/main/page.php?PageID=52
Answers to Questions About Congressional
Pay & Perks
What
Kind of Retirement Benefits do Members of Congress
Receive?
Do Lawmakers Who Commit Crimes
Still Receive Retirement Benefits?
Do Members of Congress get
Automatic Pay Hikes?
Do
Members of Congress Pay Social Security Taxes?
Do Members of Congress Pay
Income Taxes?
How Do Congressman and Senators
Pay for Office Expenses?
How Much Does a Member of
Congress or the President Earn in a Year?
Learn
More about "No Work, No Pay"
How Large
is the President's Retirement Pension?
*******
FEDERAL: K Street's New Ways
Spawn More Pork, As Barriers With Lawmakers Fall,
'Earmarks' Grow, By Jonathan Weisman and Charles R. Babcock, Washington
Post Staff Writers, Friday, January 27, 2006; Page A01, An explosion of special
interest funding engineered in part by lawmakers with close ties to lobbyists
is drawing increased scrutiny as Congress moves to address concern about
corruption that already has led to the conviction of a Republican House member
and former GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Continued at the following website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/26/AR2006012602221.html?sub=AR
CONNECTICUT: Shameless Shakedown, Legislative Democrats
Busy Squeezing Lobbyists, January 29, 2006, When a popular
Republican governor is enveloped in a fundraising scandal, her Democratic
counterparts in the legislature would normally be raising a noisy ruckus,
scattering opprobrium across the news cycles. The investigation into campaign
fundraising by Gov. M. Jodi Rell's chief of staff, M.
Lisa Moody, and many commissioners has elicited the eerie sound of silence from
Democratic legislators. Continued at
the following website: http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/columnists/hc-rennie0129.artjan29,0,3956613.column?coll=hc-utility-oped
*******
Here Pork, There Pork, Everywhere Pork, Pork
Under State, Type in Connecticut:
http://publications.cagw.org/pigbook/pigbook.php3?pigyear=5
Pig Book – Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=reports_pigbook_faq
Nearly 14,000 Pork Projects in Federal
Budget this Year , Written By: Chris Edwards,
Published In: Budget & Tax News, Publication Date: October 1, 2005,
Publisher: The Heartland Institute http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=17834
*******
The Center for Public
Integrity http://www.publicintegrity.org/default.aspx
LOBBY WATCH: http://www.publicintegrity.org/lobby/
Candidates for GOP House Leader Also Have Ties to K Street,
At least 19 former staff members are lobbyists
WASHINGTON,
January 18, 2006 — The three candidates running to replace Rep. Tom DeLay as Republican Majority Leader in the House of
Representatives have their own multiple "revolving door" connections
to lobbying firms, each sending former staff members, and staff members of the
committees they chair, to work for major K Street operations. Continued at the following website: http://www.publicintegrity.org/lobby/
*******
From: Robert
Green, rgreen619@snet.net
January 20, 2006
Governor Rell
Announces Surplus, Climbs to $512 Million, Improved
Income and Corporate Tax Revenues Cited - Growing revenues from the
state income and corporate taxes have boosted the estimated state budget
surplus to $511.8 million, up from $327 million a month ago, Governor M. Jodi Rell announced today.
“Connecticut’s economy continues to expand and move forward and these
numbers offer proof of the momentum we continue to build,” Governor Rell said. “But, as we prepare for the 2006 legislative
session opening next month, I want to caution everyone: this is good news, but
it is also a projection at this point – it is not money in the bank. “Connecticut citizens expect their tax
dollars to be handled prudently, and that is exactly
what I will do. The lion’s share of any surplus will be deposited into the
Rainy Day Fund because, as bright as the picture looks today, it will not last
forever and we need to set aside what we can,” Governor Rell
said. Other key options for surplus
funds include paying down debt and bolstering the state’s pension fund
obligations, the Governor said.
Governor Rell will present her 2006-2007
budget and legislative proposals when the General Assembly convenes on February
8. “My budget proposals will be
anchored in the concept of fiscal restraint and improved efficiencies in state
government,” the Governor said.
*******
TAX TALK 65
FCTO
MEETING
Saturday, January 28, 2006
8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Chatfield Retirement Community
1 Chatfield
Drive, West Hartford, CT
Tickets $10.00 for Continental Breakfast
2006 – THE YEAR OF THE
TAXPAYER
United we can force the change of Binding Arbitration
Laws and other State Mandates, instill ethical standards in local and state
government, and ultimately control taxes.
We can also force the change of Eminent Domain laws and stop government
from taking possession of our homes.
Come and meet Mike Guarco of the
Connecticut Municipal Consortium for Fiscal Responsibility
Learn how you can help Mike bring town officials on board
with his organization and challenge the state mandates which are driving up our
property taxes. Refer to Tax Talk 60 for
further information on Mike’s success.
Also, read below of the Town of Somers
joining Mike’s organization. If you wish
to be put on the Jan 28 Agenda or plan to attend, please contact me at 841-8032. Susan Kniep
*****
Failed Banking Institutions in Connecticut
There have been 43
bank failures in Connecticut
since 1989. Thirty-one (31)
were state-chartered institutions. The following tables show state and federally-chartered
bank failures by year and by institution. All towns are in Connecticut.... http://www.ct.gov/dob/cwp/view.asp?a=2228&q=296974
*****
The National Debt is $8.1 Trillion!
Updated 7 January 2006. Press Release
Check it yourself at the U. S. Treasury Department web site, it
changes daily.
SEE HOW CONGRESS IS SPENDING YOUR MONEY!
http://www.federalbudget.com/
*****
Analysts review ways to strengthen tax system, By
Keith M. Phaneuf, Journal Inquirer, 01/21/2006
HARTFORD - State legislative
analysts outlined numerous options this week for strengthening Connecticut's
tax system, including sharing sales tax revenue with towns, setting a statewide
vehicle tax rate, and closing exemptions to lower the overall sales and
corporation taxes. The Program Review
and Investigations Committee also reported that despite its overall strength,
Connecticut's revenue network relies heavily on property taxes that hinder business
competition, asks less of its wealthiest citizens than the national average,
has a volatile income tax, and frequently tinkers with its business tax. Continued at the following website: http://www.journalinquirer.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15973163&BRD=985&PAG=461&dept_id=161556&rfi=6