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Breaking: Warm seawater forces Conn

Breaking:  Warm seawater forces Conn. nuclear plant shutdown

  

 

 

August 13, 2012

 

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

 

U. S. SENATE PRIMARY ELECTION

 

Democracy comes with a price! 

Many brave men and women made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of Democracy so that we could exercise our right to vote

 

PLEASE VOTE TOMORROW AUGUST 14!

 

Where do I vote? Voter Registration and Polling Place Finder

 

Find Your local Registrar of Voters.

 

 

Those seeking the seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, include the following as provided by the Darien Patch:

 

 

Democrats

Chris Murphy, current congressman from the Fifth District, the party's endorsed candidate and a Cheshire resident.

 

Susan Bysiewicz, former Secretary of the State and Middletown resident.

 

Republicans

Linda E. McMahon, a former CEO Of WWE, the party's endorsed candidate and Greenwich resident.

 

Chris Shays, former congressman from the 4th Congressional District in Fairfield County and a resident of Bridgeport.

 

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Gary Shilling: US in Recession Now or Within 3 Months, Deleveraging Will Take 5-7 More Years In a Daily Ticker Interview with Henry Blodget, economist Gary Shilling makes the case the US is already in recession. Continued at …..http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/

 

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Going To Court On Primary Day  CTNewsJunkie.com by Christine Stuart | Aug 13, 2012 12:38pm Secretary of the State Denise Merrill is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon on what is arguably one of the busiest days of the year for her and her staff, and she’s not happy about it.  The Republican Party filed a lawsuit last week against Merrill’s office asking the court to overturn her decision to put the Democratic Party on the top ballot line, and a Superior Court Judge scheduled a preliminary hearing at 2 p.m. Tuesday. Continued at ….. http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/ctnj.php/archives/entry/going_to_court_on_primary_day/

 

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From The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) 

 

CBO: Deficit at $975B, on pace to top $1 trillion mark for fiscal 2012

 

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Motorola to Cut 20% of Its Work Force

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Border Patrol agents convicted in human smuggling case | UTSanDiego.com

 

Illegal immigrant rearrest rate is 16%, study says - Los Angeles Times

 

Illegal Aliens a Drain on U.S. Taxpayers, Report Says   Written by  R. Cort Kirkwood  Aug 13, 2012 As we observed in our August 10 article, "CIS: 40 Million Immigrants in U.S. in 2010," illegal aliens are largely poor and uneducated and drain the welfare and public education systems. A survey from the Center for Immigration Studies shows.   Immigrants in the United States: A Profile of America’s Foreign-Born Population” paints a startling picture of the nearly 11 million illegals and their children. The survey shows that about 40 million immigrants live in the United States. A little less than 28 percent, or 10.5 million, have crossed the border illegally and are flouting U.S. law.Illegals are about 3.5 percent of the U.S. population.  Continued at ….. http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/immigration/item/12431-illegal-aliens-a-drain-on-us-taxpayers-report-says

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House GOP sues Holder over 'Fast and Furious' docs  By David Jackson, USA TODAY  August 13, 2012 The Republican-run House went to court today, seeking to force Attorney General Eric Holder to release documents related to the botched "Fast and Furious" gun-tracking operation. "By stonewalling Congress and ignoring a contempt order, the Justice Department has left the House no choice but to take legal action," said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. Continued at …… http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2012/08/house-gop-sues-holder-over-fast-and-furious-docs/1?csp=34news#.UCk1lKCFpkg

 

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Malloy gets implied OK to pursue restrictions on health benefits for the poor  By Keith M. Phaneuf   CTMirror.org   Aug 6, 2012  Two state legislative panels will give Gov. Dannel P. Malloy the green light to eliminate Medicaid benefits for more than 13,000 of Connecticut's poorest residents -- but they will do so without a vote. Read more at http://www.ctmirror.org/story/17108/malloy-gets-implied-ok-pursue-restrictions-health-benefits-poor

 

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Latest on Connecticut State Employee Pensions

 

Markets roiled CT's pensions for $1.2B loss | HartfordBusiness.com A drop in the value of Connecticut's state pension funds in fiscal 2012, combined with payments to retirees, caused the funds' total assets to decline by $1.2 billion, the state treasurer says. The state's six pension plans and eight trust funds finished the 12 months ended June 30 with assets totaling $24 billion, down from $25.2 billion a year earlier, Treasurer Denise L. Nappier's office said Friday. One billion dollars of the decline was tied to payment of benefits to retirees. The remainder was due to market losses, her office said. Continued at ….. http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120810/NEWS01/120819999/0/NEWS01 

 

Reuters Reports:  Connecticut's pension fund assets slip 0.9 pct in FY 12  

 

 

States Facing Public Pension Crisis - ABC News 

Check out Connecticut at

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2012/06/states-facing-public-pension-crisis/

 

State Retiree Pensions of $100,000 and More

http://www.ctact.org\upload\home\PensionNew.xls

 

Get More Pension Info at

 

Pensions - Connecticut Transparency Website

http://PensionTsunami.com

 

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10 States That Are On The Federal Dole - Money - MSN

 

Check out No. 9: Connecticut

Population: 3.57 million

Percent of U.S. population: 1.2

Federal spending per capita: $15,662

Federal income taxes per capita: $5,156

Connecticut received almost 50% more government funding per capita than the national average. The Constitution State was awarded $11.1 billion in military-procurement contracts in 2010, ranking it fourth in federal defense expenditures, at $3,352 per resident.

 

Connecticut ranked first in federal spending per capita, in terms of direct payments other than retirement and disability. Almost 60% of that money was spent on prescription drug coverage. At $14.1 billion, Connecticut residents collectively received the largest prescription drug benefit, a full $5 billion more than was received by residents of No. 2 Florida.

 

 

Read more at ….. http://money.msn.com/investing/10-states-on-the-federal-dole

 

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Paul Ryan Reading Guide: The Best Reporting on the VP Candidate

We're going beyond the horse race and gathering the best stories out there on Congressman Ryan and his positions.

 

More coverage: Campaign 2012

 

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California Bankruptcies Shield Retirees, Not Bondholders  By Steven Greenhut Aug 9, 2012 6:30 PM ET Bloomberg The recent war of words between the California Public Employees’ Retirement System and a Bermuda- based bond-insurance company called Assured Guaranty Ltd. (AGO) has made it clear that California officials would rather stiff bondholders than trim even the most generous pension benefits promised to public-sector workers. The debate centers on Stockton, California, the largest city in the nation to declare bankruptcy. In its initial proposal to creditors, the city would fully fund its pension system while walking away from $124 million in debt from pension-obligation bonds it floated in 2007.  Continued at …… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-09/california-bankruptcies-shield-retirees-not-bondholders.html

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U.S. Postal Service Reports $5.2 Billion Loss in Third Quarter Written by  Brian Koenig  Aug 11, 2012   The red ink on the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) accounting books is flowing more steadily, as the agency reported August 9 a $5.2-billion net loss for the third quarter, boosting its fiscal year-to-date loss to a startling $11.6 billion. After factoring in the 274 days comprising the first three quarters of fiscal 2012, the debt-ridden agency has lost an average of $42,335,766 per day this year. Continued at ….. http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/politics/item/12421-us-postal-service-reports-$52-billion-loss-in-third-quarter

 

FedEx to Offer Employees Buyout Incentives (FDX, UPS)

 

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Capitol Aide, Who Gave Info To Donovan Campaign, Takes Heavy Comp-Time And Vacation  August 8, 2012  BY JON LENDER, jlender@courant.com The Hartford Courant   Laura Jordan – identified as the capitol aide who federal investigators say gave inside information on pending legislation to Christopher Donovan's congressional campaign – has taken more than twice as many hours off in vacation and compensatory time as she has worked since the campaign scandal broke May 31, state records show. Continue reading article at ….. http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-capitol-aide-scandal-time-off-0808-20120807,0,283687.story

 

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The For-Profit Higher Education Industry, By the Numbers - ProPublica by Suevon Lee     Aug. 9, 2012,  The for-profit higher education industry was the target of a bruising report issued last week. Based on a two-year effort, the report detailed high rates of loan default, aggressive recruiting, higher than average tuition, low retention rates, and little job placement assistance. It was spearheaded by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, a longtime critic of the industry. (ProPublica has written a number of pieces looking more closely at the explosive growth sector, including questionable recruiting and marketing.) Continue reading at ….. http://www.propublica.org/article/the-for-profit-higher-education-industry-by-the-numbers

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 Visit the Federation’s Website for Previous Publications

 http://ctact.org/

 

State Loses Lawsuit Cld Cost Millions, Delinquent Taxpayers, Study on Local State Business Taxes Wall St Hot Investment Your House, School Test Scores, FCTO Board Member Armand Fusco Recognized by EAG, 6 Bil Dlrs Wasted Iraq War, and Much More News

 

Report Notes that Conn is the worst of all 50 states in its unfunded burden per taxpayer  Concern for crime being committed by those released early, Obama Tosses US Economic Recovery Under the Bus alleges Liz Peek, Dems and Reps Tell Romney to Release Tax Returns