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BREAKING NEWS

BREAKING NEWS!!!!

 

 

KEITH M. PHANEUF AND JACQUELINE RABE THOMAS of

 

CTMirror.org have just announced that

 

House Democrats offer modest town aid shift in new budget

 

Majority House Democrats unveiled a new budget Wednesday that matches the town aid proposed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy while redistributing education funds more modestly from wealthy and middle-income towns and into poorer communities.

 

But the House Democratic plan, which still features a sales tax increase and surcharges on restaurant and hotel transactions, avoids taxing hospitals and billing cities and towns for teacher pension costs as proposed by the governor.  Continue Reading

 

See how your town fares under House Democrats proposed budget

 

The House Democratic plan has 25 communities losing all ECS aid, and another 25 school districts losing anywhere from 2 to 88 percent of their ECS funding. Among the Alliance Districts, Waterbury and Hartford are the biggest winners in the House Democrats plan, each standing to gain $1.2 million, a one percent increase.

 

Malloys plan would have funneled $48 million more to Waterbury, and $29 million more to Hartford for education. There may be a big caveat for that aid, however: For communities that would see ECS increases, the administration has not decided whether to require it be spent entirely on education or if it could help offset the cuts in other state grants. Continue Reading

 

 

********************

 

August 23, 2017

 

 

From:  The Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Org
Contact:  Susan Kniep, President
Website: 
http://ctact.org/
Email: fctopresident@aol.com
Telephone: 860-841-8032

 

 

As Connecticut and Illinois Bleed Red Ink while Controlled by Public Sector Unions,

 

Wisconsin Becomes a Right to Work State and Brings in a $10 Billion Business!!!!

 

And a proposed National Right to Work Law could solve the problem for all States to include Connecticut and Illinois!

 

 

 

Connecticut and Illinois are on a collision course on their race to the bottom of the fiscal cliff. 

 

Illinois just passed a state budget.  Connecticut legislators have yet to do so.

 

On August 18, 2017 we learned that Connecticut Gov. Malloy would reduce school aid by 28% and dramatically redistribute what was left leaving the majority of towns with $0000.

 

Three days later we learned that Republican Len Fasano asked Attorney General Jepsen to issue an opinion on the legality of Malloys actions as it was reported that Connecticut state finances had already accumulated a $94 million deficit in the new fiscal year.

 

The common denominator of Connecticut and Illinois is powerful public sector unions. The solution to their ultimate fiscal demise is experiencing a Wisconsin Moment in the Sun.  

 

On May 25, 2017 headlines read Kevin Rennie: Malloy Cut Disastrous Deal With Unions - Hartford Courant

 

The 10 year sealed deal guaranteed State employee unions wage increases and job security while leaving a $3.5 Billion two year deficit on the table to be paid by Connecticut taxpayers along with a $74.3 Billion Debt.   

 

Last week, the Governor proposed that tab be picked up by local property owners through a cut to Education Cost Sharing and other state grants.  Read more at https://ctmirror.org/2017/08/22/poorest-districts-spared-some-ed-funding-cuts-still-to-be-hit-hard-by-others/

 

So what is Wisconsin doing right which Connecticut and Illinois are not?  When Governor Scott Walker realized it was the public sector unions crippling his State of Illinois he did something about it.  And recently a multi-billion $$$$ industry took notice as it chose Wisconsin over Illinois

 

Where the finances of Wisconsin are bringing in business, Connecticut finances are driving them out as evidenced by the exodus of GE and Aetna.  And lets not forget UBS where its headquarters is now in Manhattan, Pfizer which closed its Groton 750,000 square foot plant, and the exodus of 20% of Connecticut residents from the age of 35 to 44.  

 

 

On July 26, 2017, headlines read Foxconn officially announces new $10B LCD factory in Wisconsin.

 

On August 4, 2017 the Chicago Tribune wrote The next Foxconn and Illinois: Heres why Wisconsin will be the state growing more taxpayers.   Therein, they wrote:

 

Heres the takeaway: Foxconn chose the state that has stable government, healthy finances and pro-growth policies for employers. Illinois has none of the above.

 

This state is deep in debt and badly run. A 10-ton anvil dangles overhead in the form of at least $130 billion in unfunded pension obligations. Taxes are too high, yet Illinois still cant pay its bills on time. Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner recognizes that Illinois isnt competitive. He wants to cut onerous regulations and make other reforms to attract business investment, but hes been stymied by House Speaker Mike Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton and their Democrat-controlled General Assembly. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-foxconn-illinois-wisconsin-edit-0806-jm-20170804-story.html

 

Sound familiar Connecticut taxpayers as we face a $74.3 Billion $$$ debt much of which is due to what we owe state retiree in lucrative pensions and healthcare benefits? 

 

Theres another reason Wisconsin beat Illinois: Our northern neighbor is now a right to work state. It does not require workers to be part of a union or pay union dues even if they are employed at a company operating under a collective bargaining agreement so says the Chicago Tribune in a separate article.

 

And yes, you remember Governor Scott Walker who took it to the max when he went into the ring with the Wisconsin Public Sector Unions.  It was not an immediate knock out punch. No, Walker did several rounds in the ring with the unions. And he won the fight!   

 

On March 11, 2011 the Washington Post headline read Wisconsin governor wins his battle with unions on collective bargaining.  Staff writer Karen Tumulty wrote:

 

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has won his drive to strip the states government workers of nearly all of their collective-bargaining rights, prevailing after a three-week standoff that brought tens of thousands of protesters to the Capitol and transfixed the political world.

 

To which Lee A. Saunders, secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which is the nations largest government-worker union replied Its not over. This may be a battle that has been won by the governor, but we are in this for the long haul. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/10/AR2011031005940.html

 

On February 26, 2017 Jana Kasperkevic wrote in the headlined article Why unions are so worried about right-to-work laws - Marketplace

 

A national right-to-work bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives, and though previous attempts have failed, a Republican-controlled Congress and White House means a law is a real possibility. And thats a threat to labor unions, which are dependent on the dues that such a law would curtail.

 

Similar legislation has been introduced in the past, but we believe that this year, the legislation could garner more support than ever before, Leacy Burke, a spokeswoman for South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson, told the Huffington Posthttps://www.marketplace.org/2017/02/24/business/push-nationwide-right-work-law-could-weaken-unions

 

 

And as the following article By STEVEN GREENHOUSE on FEB. 22, 2014 notes Wisconsins Legacy for Unions - The New York Times

 

Mr. Walkers tough stance toward public-employee unions has steeled governors and mayors grappling with large unfunded pension obligations. And his criticisms of pensions have been reinforced by the turmoil in Detroit, where the often-generous and sometimes scandal-ridden pension system played a substantial role in the citys bankruptcy.

 

Youre seeing more politicians willing to stand up to public-sector unions, said Gary Chaison, a professor of labor relations at Clark University. Fairly or unfairly, public-sector unions are increasingly being seen as part of the problem. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/business/wisconsins-legacy-for-unions.html?mcubz=1

 

So what is Connecticuts solution?  Lets start by changing Connecticuts ethics laws so we dont read headlines like Voting in your employers interest? No conflict in Connecticut | The CTmirror.org Therein they note:

 

On Tuesday, House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, vouched at a press conference for a preliminary concession deal involving his employer, the major public-sector union, AFSCME. Aresimowicz said he felt no awkwardness in speaking out or voting on a concession deal relating to members of AFSCME Council 4, which hired him long before he was a state legislator. https://ctmirror.org/2017/05/24/voting-in-your-employers-interest-no-conflict-in-connecticut/

 

Conflict? Yes!

And Connecticut taxpayers are paying the price for that conflict!