Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations

With two of the four state employee unions that voted against the $1.6 billion savings and concession package the first time ratifying the second vote, it�s more than likely the announcement of the vote tallies by labor leaders this afternoon will be a celebration. The State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition will gather at the CSEA union hall in Hartford at 12:30 p.m. to announce the final tally. If the package is ratified it will save thousands of jobs and spare state service cuts. It will also put to bed the two-year, $40.1 billion state budget that depended on the savings from the state labor agreement to close the gap.� Continued at �� http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/ctnj.php/archives/entry/union_vote_tallies_to_be_announced_this_afternoon/

SEBAC, The Vote, And What Happens Next

Rival union ups pressure on AFSCME

The union looking to unseat another in representing the state prison guards has filed paperwork with the state Labor Department saying it has enough support to force a run off vote. Journal Inquirer Newspaper - Ed Jacovino - Aug 16, 2011

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Governor makes pitch for non- partisan special session on jobs

Parent groups, alternative schools left off school finance panel

State police crime lab loses accreditation By Michael Regan Aug 17, 2011 5:22pm The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors has refused to extend the accreditation of the state's forensic laboratory following two critical federal audits, a top Malloy Administration official said Wednesday. Michael Lawlor, Undersecretary for Criminal Justice Policy and Planning at the Office of Policy and Management, said the lack of accreditation will not affect current criminal cases.�� http://www.ctmirror.org/node/13624

Looks Like Second Time Will Be The Charm �by Christine Stuart and Hugh McQuaid | Aug 17, 2011 Neither Gov. Dannel P. Malloy nor the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition would comment on the vote for the $1.6 billion concession package Wednesday. But their cheerful demeanors � coupled with vote tallies from union sources � made it apparent that the second time was the charm. �. In addition to layoff protection, the deal offered no wage increases for two years, followed by three years of 3 percent increases; no furlough days; shaved cost-of-living increases for pensions; it raised the retirement age by three years for those retiring after 2022; and instituted a new $35 co-pay on emergency room visits. One employee used the emergency room 150 times in one year, according to union officials.� Continued at �.. http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/ctnj.php/archives/entry/looks_like_second_time_will_be_the_charm/

"The Rise of the New Global Elite," As the debate will soon ensue in Washington, and the American public await the outcome of the Supercommittee who will decide our fate, the following is an interesting read offered by the Atlantic which provides insight into the�� "The Rise of the New Global Elite," ��. ��A multibillion-dollar bailout and Wall Street�s swift, subsequent reinstatement of gargantuan bonuses have inspired a narrative of parasitic bankers and other elites rigging the game for their own benefit. And this, in turn, has led to wider�and not unreasonable�fears that we are living in not merely a plutonomy, but a plutocracy, in which the rich display outsize political influence, narrowly self-interested motives, and a casual indifference to anyone outside their own rarefied economic bubble. Read the complete, lengthy article, at http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/01/the-rise-of-the-new-global-elite/8343/

Special interests hire powerful Washington firms to protect them from budget cuts Lobbyists Take Aim at the Supercommittee� charged with finding ways to reduce future budget deficits by $1.5 trillion over 10 years. Lobbying revenue dipped to $1.65 billion in the first half of 2011, down 8.5 percent from the first half of 2010, according to the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/lobbyists-take-aim-at-the-- supercommittee-08112011.html

60 Minutes Expose On How Corporations Avoid Taxes While Citizens Pay Over $1 Trillion A Year Posted by Alexander Higgins - July 30, 2011 at 1:48 am - Alexander Higgins Blog Our government is in knots over ways to lower the federal budget deficit. Well, what if we told you we found a pot of money � over $60 billion a year � that could be used to help out? That bundle is tax money not coming in to the IRS from American corporations. One major way they avoid paying the tax man is by parking their profits overseas. Read the full transcript at CBS�

http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/2011/07/30/60-minutes-expose-corporations-avoid-taxes-citizens-pay-1-trillion-year-45451

Standard & Poor's, Others Lobby Government While Rating Its Credit� Washington Post, By Dan Eggen, Standard & Poor�s Corp. has a major influence in Washington through its venerable bond-rating business, which helped rattle markets over the past week by downgrading U.S. debt for the first time.�� But S&P also seeks to influence the U.S. government in a more traditional way: financing aggressive lobbying efforts aimed at limiting federal oversight and protecting its powerful role in financial markets. Continued at �.. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-influence-industry-sandp-and-others-lobby-government-while-rating-its-credit/2011/08/09/gIQANbEs6I_story.html?wpisrc=nl_fedinsider

Stop Coddling the Super-Rich, By WARREN E. BUFFETT

Published: August 14, 2011

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/15/opinion/stop-coddling-the-super-rich.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

Editorial: Buffett Undertaxed? Just Write A Check

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/581561/201108151848/Mr-Buffetts-Tax-Hypocrisy.htm?src=HPLNews

DMV Scales Back Hours and Moves Some Services

'Kids for cash' judge sentenced to 28 years for racketeering scheme

N.J. Still Paying Lobbyist Pensions The Record Aug 10, 2011 A series of articles in The Record beginning in late 2009 revealed that 63 retirees from three outside organizations � the New Jersey League of Municipalities, New Jersey School Boards Association and New Jersey Association of Counties � were receiving a combined $1.3 million in public retirement benefits annually. http://www.northjersey.com/news/127438113_N_J__still__paying__lobbyist__pensions.html

Read the Embarrassing Hacking Allegations That News Corp Redacted� by Marian Wang | @mariancw

New documents published today cast doubt on News Corporation's claims that top executives and editors at the now-defunct News of the World were unaware of widespread phone hacking at the paper.

Document: Compare Goodman Letter Redactions by News Corp and Law Firm

Hospice lobbyists battle over Medicare payment system

Connecticut Senator Suzio Announces�..

Here�s How You Can Help Me Bring Gas Prices Down

New Searchable Online Database Helps Consumers Report and Avoid Unsafe Consumer Products

U.S. Chamber Of Commerce Battles Anti-Bribery Statute

More than three decades after the United States Congress passed the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act -- striking a major blow against international corruption by criminalizing bribes to foreign officials -- the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is trying to carve out some major exceptions in the law to prevent prosecutors from enforcing it too aggressively.

State gets $6.7 million for exchange plans; first meeting Aug. 29

By Arielle Levin Becker on August 15, 2011 The state has secured a $6.7 million federal grant to help create a health insurance exchange, the marketplace for purchasing coverage that must be operating by 2014 as part of federal health reform. In addition, officials announced that the first meeting of the quasi-public Connecticut Health Care Exchange will be held at 10 a.m., Monday, Aug. 29, in room 1A of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. Read more http://www.ctmirror.org/node/13589

Mug-Shot Industry Will Dig Up Your Past, Charge You to Bury It Again

Medical homes idea gains ground, but not consensus on definition

Report: No broad agreement on how they should operate By Arielle Levin Becker The number of Connecticut physician practices officially considered "patient centered medical homes" has grown dramatically in the past six months, mirroring a national trend. But a new report says that while the idea is widely-lauded, there's no broad agreement on what a medical home is and how it should operate. http://www.ctmirror.org/story/13578/report-medical-homes-adoption-advancing-without-enough-evidence

Illinois denies 3 hospitals property tax exemption By CARLA K. JOHNSON BusinessWeek� �. last year's Illinois Supreme Court ruling found a central Illinois hospital wasn't doing enough free or discounted treatment of the poor to qualify for an exemption, obligating it to pay $1.2 million in local property tax payments per year. Continued at �. �

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9P5GMJ00.htm

Gulf Spill Report Points to Missed Signs

The Marshall Islands, where Transocean's doomed Deepwater Horizon rig was registered, said in a report that the disaster resulted from the crew's failure to react to multiple signs of brewing trouble, but the report doesn't say who was ultimately responsible for the incident.

Health-Plan Buyers Get a Look Under the Hood

Consumers shopping for health insurance will soon get a peek at a new standard form that will lay out the details of each policy, from deductibles to how much it might cost to have a baby.

Unions Set for Battle in Turf War

A California union is expected to file charges with federal officials this week alleging that a major health-care system is trying to tilt a workplace election�one of the biggest in U.S. history�to a rival union.

Long-Term Unemployment Wreaks Mental Toll on Jobless
Read the Article at McClatchy