State Aid to CT Municipalities from 2005 to 2012
How Did Your Town Do In Comparison to Other
Towns?
January 16, 2013
From: The Federation of
Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations
Contact: Susan Kniep,
President
Website: http://ctact.org/
Email: fctopresident@aol.com
Telephone: 860-841-8032
Obama unveils new restrictions on assault weapons, ammunition
Justin Sink and
Mike Lillis - 01/16/13 11:44 AM ET
Excerpt: Obama asked Congress to reinstate and strengthen the
assault weapons ban and to impose a 10-round limit on ammunition magazines. He
also called on Congress to require criminal background checks for all gun
sales.
"Weapons
designed for the theater of war have no place in a movie theater," Obama said. “A majority of Americans agree with us on
this."
The
president also asked Congress to approve a law against so-called “straw
purchasing” of guns, toughen gun trafficking laws, and authorize new funding
for gun violence research, mental health efforts, and a program that would
place mental health counselors and police officers in schools.
In total,
the White House estimates that the president's requests would total "in
the neighborhood" of $500 million in the coming fiscal year.
Read complete article at http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/277501-obama-unveils-major-new-proposals-to-restrict-access-to-guns
Related: Biden backs Giffords's gun control initiative
Video: Obama: 'We have an obligation to try'
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Obama's 23 Planned Executive Actions On
Guns
Here is a list provided by the White House of
the 23 executive actions President Obama plans to
take to reduce gun violence in the wake of the Newtown, Conn.,
massacre…. http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/obamas-23-planned-executive-actions-on-guns
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Jan. 16 - New York signs into law one of the nation's toughest
gun-control measures and the first to be enacted since the mass school shooting
in Connecticut.
Sarah Charlton reports. ( Transcript ) PLEASE
NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signs the first
gun-control measures into law since last year's deadly shooting at a school in
Connecticut. The bill brings into force tough new rules on assault weapons,
ammunition capacity and screening for people who are mentally ill. SOUNDBITE:
THOMAS ABINANTI, NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMBER, SAYING (English): "Let's
stop glorifying violence, guns and those who use them. All I hear today is 'We need to have these weapons to defend ourselves.'
Well, we are not going to be invaded by an army." The legislation was
proposed in the wake of the Newtown
shooting last month which left 20 students and six adults dead. It also came on
the day of another deadly shooting - as two people were killed when gunfire
broke out in the carpark of a Kentucky college. Gun rights groups, such as
the National Rifle Association (NRA), lashed out at the New York bill, saying it was rushed too
quickly through the statehouse. As the measures passed, protesters gathered in Connecticut calling for
an end to the sale of assault weapons. On Wednesday (January 16), President Barack Obama is expected to unveil recommendations to
curb gun violence.
N.Y. gun law finds support in Connecticut Capitol
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Five Federal Policies on Guns You've Never Heard Of
Seven of the Most Striking Ways States
Have Loosened Gun Laws
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Let’s Talk Taxes, Public
Sector Union Contracts, State Debt, and More…..
From the Federation: If the following
headlines on the State’s budget are alarming, keep an eye on your local
property taxes which could in turn be dramatically increased if Governor Malloy
cuts aid to municipalities.
Ctmirror.org has reported
Revenues shrinking faster than state is making cuts
noting the following: The consensus report from the governor's budget staff and from the legislature's
nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis all but ensures the built-in gap in the
next state budget still exceeds $1 billion, despite emergency cuts by Malloy in
November and a special deficit-mitigation session by
lawmakers in mid-December The report, which lowered revenue expectations for the fifth
time in 16 months, also worsened the shortfall in current finances, pushing
that deficit beyond $70 million. The article is continued at ….. http://ctmirror.org/story/18780/shrinking-revenues-undermine-last-round-state-budget-cuts
and should be read in its entirety.
In its report Pension fund hits 24-year low as repair plan begins
Ctmirror.org notes: The state employee pension
system fell to a 24-year-low this fiscal year as investment losses and more
conservative projections for future earnings left the fund with enough assets
to cover just 42 percent of its obligations, according to a new report. According to the latest actuarial valuation, prepared by Cavanaugh Macdonald Consulting of Kennesaw, Ga.,
the fund had $9.74 billion in assets and $23 billion in obligations for a
funded ratio of 42.3 percent. The report
is continued at http://ctmirror.org/story/18765/pension-funds-hits-24-year-low-bailout-plan-begins
State auditors have been hard at work as noted within State auditors say Connecticut erroneously billed feds
and Conn. audit raps development dept. on travel costs. Within these articles it is noted that “State auditors say
they've discovered the state of Connecticut
has erroneously submitted more than $3.4 million in Medicaid claims for partial
federal reimbursement.” And “State auditors say Connecticut's economic development agency
disregarded then-Gov. M. Jodi Rell's ban on
out-of-state travel, spending more than $100,000 between 2008 and 2010”. We suggest you click on the headings and read
the articles in their entirety.
As the State of Connecticut’s budget continues to tank, Mayors, First Selectmen, Superintendents of
Schools and their respective legislative bodies – Boards of Education and Town
Councils – are throwing caution to the wind and sealing multi-year union
contracts. They are taking money out of
the pockets of homeowners and businesses in their respective towns – which they
raise through escalating property taxes - and transferring that money into the
pockets of our public sector employees with absolutely no discussion of the
impact these multi year contracts will have on that town’s budget or taxpayers,
should Governor Malloy be unable to sustain the amount of State Aid distributed
to municipalities now or in the future.
On the local level, they are sealing these legally binding union
contracts committing municipal taxpayers to the costs associated with salaries,
overtime, health and pension benefits, and in some contracts, longevity pay –
all of which well exceed that which many
in the private sector can ever hope to attain.
The most egregious, which is seldom discussed among municipal elected
officials prior to sealing the deals with the unions and hardly ever reported
on by the press – are the two wage increases which are granted to public sector
union members.
While the focus is placed on the negotiated or arbitrated
wage increase, little to no reference is ever made of the step increases
secured by public sector unions at the local level. While you may hear of a negotiated or
arbitrated wage increase over three years of say 2% each year totaling 6% in
your town, you will seldom see a focus placed on the step increases which can
reach 5% a year or more until an employee reaches their maximum step.
In conclusion,
as approximately 85% of Municipal and Board of Education budgets pay for the
salaries, overtime, health, pension, longevity pay or other perks of union
contracts, some of which are forced to arbitration, the only solution is to
dramatically reform Collective Bargaining laws and other state mandates.
In conclusion, if you cannot afford to pay for these union
contracts which comprise the majority of local budgets and in turn your
property taxes, the
cold hard truth is that you could lose your home to a tax lien sale.
Check to see how much municipal aid your town has been
receiving over the years at State Aid to CT Municipalities from 2005 to 2012
In 2010, Forbes reported the following which is an
interesting read: The Millionaire Cop Next Door - Forbes as today we
reflect on the bankruptcy filings
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On January 14, 2013, State Comptroller, Kevin Lembo issued the following:
COMPTROLLER LEMBO LAUNCHES “OPEN CONNECTICUT,” ONLINE HUB FOR
STATE FINANCIAL DATA AND TRANSPARENCY
Welcome to Open Connecticut!
We all pay taxes – but few of us actually research where tax dollars come from
and where they go.
Historically, pockets of state financial information have been available – but
scattered across agencies. Through Open Connecticut,
we want to centralize that information and make it easier for you to follow.
What exactly is in the state budget? Where did our deficits or surpluses come
from? How much did we spend on a particular vendor or program? And what should
we expect in future years?
It’s your money. You have a right to know.
Please take the time to browse this site, better understand your government –
and ask questions if you have them. Thank you for visiting! State Comptroller, Kevin
Lembo
The Federation suggests you
……
Also check out the State of
Connecticut Transparency Website
*****************
Recently, The Yankee Institute Open Government and Yankee Institute for Public Policy reported the following:
Connecticut's List of Lasts
Yankee tells General Assembly: Get CT Back on
Top
EAST HARTFORD -
The Yankee Institute purchase a full-page advertisement in
four newspapers today to highlight the disgraceful list of lasts Connecticut has compiled
in recent years. "We aren't just doing worse than
average," said Fergus Cullen, the Yankee Institute's Executive
Director. "We are doing the worst."
Connecticut's List of Lasts
Cullen
continued, "On the first day of the Legislative Session, we are
calling on the General Assembly to address the state's financial challenges by
reducing spending and adopting pro-growth tax policies to move Connecticut from last to
first."
The
full-page advertisement appears in the Hartford
Courant, Stamford Advocate, Danbury News-Times, and Greenwich Time.
***********************
Get Connecticut Back on Top
Yankee's PolicyWiki has pro-growth solutions for
CT
EAST HARTFORD
- Connecticut has compiled a disgraceful list of
lasts in recent years, as the Yankee Institute highlighted on
Wednesday this week with a full page advertisement(PDF)
in several major CT newspapers. Yankee Institute Executive Director Fergus
Cullen said," Now is the time to lower spending and adopt pro-growth tax
policies that will move Connecticut
from last to first."
The specific
policies advocated by the Yankee Institute are available on the Yankee PolicyWiki. They include:
Connecticut can get back
on top. The General Assembly should take action immediately on these important
issues.
***********************
Obama To Push Immigration Overhaul In Early 2013:
Report
Reuters Jan 13, 2013
* Plan would require businesses to verify new employees in
country legally
* Could create a guest-worker program for low-wage immigrants
* Immigrants seeking legal status would have to pay fines and back-taxes
WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is forging ahead on a wide-ranging plan to overhaul
the U.S. immigration system early this year, including a path to citizenship
for undocumented immigrants already in the country, the New York Times reported
on Sunday. Obama wants to advance the plan even as he
faces tough battles with Congress over fiscal issues and gun-control laws, and
may lay out his ideas during his annual State of the Union address on Feb. 12,
the Times said, citing senior administration officials and lawmakers. Continue reading at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/13/obama-immigration_n_2468112.html
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Standardized test backlash: Some Seattle teachers just say
'no' Christian Science Monitor - 2 days ago Resistance to
standardized tests has been simmering for years, but now a group of Seattle
teachers is in open revolt. No longer will they administer the tests, they say,
citing a waste of public resources. Continue reading at http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2013/0111/Standardized-test-backlash-Some-Seattle-teachers-just-say-no
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Also check out Billion Dollar State Budget
Deficits and High Debt, while Some State Salaries
and Benefits Exceed 300,000 Dlrs and Pensions Exceed
250,000 Dlrs.