December 13, 2011
From The Federation of Connecticut
Taxpayer Organizations, Inc.
Contact Susan Kniep, President
Website: http://ctact.org/
Email: fctopresident@aol.com
Telephone: 860-841-8032
State
of Connecticut
transparency website transparency.CT.gov
POST OFFICE REPRIEVE
Congress gets the Postal Service to agree to a moratorium
on closings until
May 15, 2012. More
Oil Surges on Speculation of Iran
Disruption
Stocks Erase Gains After Fed Statement
Wall St. Journal Dec 13, 2011 3:29PM U.S. stocks
erased their gains as the Fed took no immediate actions to bolster the economy
but left its policy options open. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203518404577096262955758688.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection
Spending bill in jeopardy as lawmakers
bicker Reuters, Dec 13, 2011
A bill that would
keep the U.S. government
operating beyond the weekend appeared in trouble on Tuesday as lawmakers
bickered over whether they had resolved policy issues such as abortion funding
and travel to Cuba. The
bill has been caught up in a year-end fight between Republicans and Democrats
over taxes and spending that has left Americans watching a familiar scene
unfold - both parties trying to outmaneuver the other to score points ahead of
the 2012 elections. Continued at ….. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/13/us-usa-budget-idUSTRE7B72MK20111213
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The Hartford Courant Asks: Is the food-aid scandal part of a culture of fraud in state
government?
What do you think? Click to Vote …. http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/todaysbuzz/hc-thursday-buzz-1208,0,7343849.story
Attorney: Delay Malloy Food Stamp
Hearings Officer Put On
Administrative Duty By CHRISTOPHER KEATING, ckeating@courant.com The Hartford Courant 8:58 p.m. EST, December 12, 2011 HARTFORD—
Insisting that Gov. Dannel P.
Malloy is rushing to judgment, an attorney is asking the state to
declare a moratorium on all disciplinary hearings for state employees suspected
of fraudulently receiving food stamp benefits after Tropical Storm Irene. Rich Rochlin,
who said he represents more than 10 state employees, says the state needs to
order a comprehensive, independent investigation because his clients told him
that food stamp benefits were distributed without any verification. His clients
are arguing that they should not be subject to losing their jobs because they
were unaware of the income limits in the program, which were not listed on the
two-page application. Continued at …. http://articles.courant.com/2011-12-12/news/hc-state-employees-worried-1213-20111212_1_malloy-administration-state-employees-dannel-p-malloy
Hartford Courant
Food Stamp Fraud
For additional info on Food Stamp
Fraud go to the end of this publication
Food Stamp Scandal Hints At Culture Of Cheating Among State Workers Dec 8, 2011 Hartford
Courant Sadly, the 15 state workers
suspected of gaming the system to obtain federal food aid meant for low-income
victims of Storm Irene might be just the tip of the iceberg. This scandal undermines people's trust that
government can honestly and competently administer programs funded by
taxpayers. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is making the right noises about
this disgrace. "The abuses of public trust involved go beyond simply lying
about income," he said in a statement. "In some instances, people
lied about assets under their control or even listed a deceased relative as
living in the household. … These were not oversights or honest mistakes. This was
outright fraud, and it will not stand."
http://articles.courant.com/2011-12-03/news/he-ed-perez-benefits-20111203_1_unused-vacation-sick-time-sick-days
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MF Global Probe Said to Weigh Illegal
Use of Funds …
Europe's Banks Seek Fresh Lending Cover
CA Revenue Shortfall to Trigger $1B of
Cuts
Air Force Dumped Remains of at Least
274 Bodies in Virginia Landfill
A disturbing report from the Washington Post
has revealed that the Air Force had dumped the "incinerated partial
remains" of at least 274 American troops in a Virginia landfill, a figure
much higher than the military initially let on, before stopping the practice
three years ago. According to the report, 976 fragments from 274 military
personnel were cremated, incinerated, and taken to the landfill between 2004
and 2008. There are still another 1,762 fragments that could not be identified.
Continued at ….. http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/12/air-force-dumped-remains-of-274-plus-in-landfill.html
Will the budget cap bottle up Malloy's fiscal reforms?
By Keith M. Phaneuf CTMirror.org In a parting shot from the last
recession, the state budget spending cap will clamp down tighter over the next
few years than at any other time in its history, state fiscal analysts are
warning. But the cap no longer is the fiscal bogeyman it was when it was
enacted two decades ago. And Gov. Dannel P. Malloy may have
to choose between strict adherence to that arbitrary limit -- a principle his
Republican predecessor did not follow -- and meeting other fiscal goals,
particularly shoring up Connecticut's severely depleted pension systems.
http://www.ctmirror.org/story/14720/malloy-may-have-choose-between-spending-cap-and-budget-reforms
House considers tougher trading rules
for lawmakers | Video ...
Long-Term Jobless Eye Bleak Future As Unemployment Benefits End
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/11/long-term-jobless-eye-ble_n_1141780.html
White House Defends Embattled Regulator Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman
Gregory Jaczko, Under Fire by Ryan Grim ryan@huffingtonpost.com Huffington
Post Dec 13,
2011 ….. HuffPost reported on Monday
that the lead organizer of the coup attempt had previously consulted for the
firm that operates the Fukushima nuclear
facility that melted down in Japan
earlier this year. Continued at ….. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/13/nrc-bill-daley-stands-_n_1146032.html
NY’s Tax Overhaul, Said to Raise Taxes
on the Rich, Actually ... Doesn't
Marian Wang, ProPublica: "The tax overhaul that New York
state passed this week has been widely described in news reports as raising
taxes on the rich and cutting them for the middle class - even as a win for
Occupy Wall Street protesters and a possible blueprint for Congress. But
perhaps New Yorkers need to take a closer look." Continued at ….. http://www.propublica.org/article/nys-tax-overhaul-said-to-raise-taxes-on-the-rich-actually-doesnt
Will
Congress Ban Corruption in Its
Midst?
New York Times Dec
11, 2011 In
a rare instance of Congressional bipartisanship, the Senate and House Judiciary
Committees have quietly approved badly needed measures to tighten the
anticorruption laws applicable to members of Congress. These laws have eroded
across a decade of court decisions, and it remains to be seen whether the full
Congress will tighten bans on fraud and bribe-taking by those in its ranks.
With public approval of Congress in the single digits, the two houses would be
wise to pass the Clean Up Government Act of 2011. The measure
would strengthen the federal anti-bribery law that was considerably narrowed by
a 2010 Supreme Court decision saying the statute covers only cases of outright
kickback schemes, requiring proof of quid pro quo corruption. That lets
conniving officials off the hook if they engage in undisclosed self-dealing —
like quietly steering a valuable road plan through land they secretly acquired.
Continued at …. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/12/opinion/will-congress-ban-corruption-in-its-midst.html?_r=1
Budget Director Worries About Health
Care Costs, Asks To Delay Pooling by Christine Stuart | Dec 13, 2011
12:08pm Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s budget director expressed
reservations Monday about opening up the state employees’ health insurance pool
to municipal employees next month. Continued at …. http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/ctnj.php/archives/entry/budget_director_worries_about_health_care_costs/
Recession expands Connecticut's pockets
of poverty By Keith M. Phaneuf The poverty rate for New Haven jumped by one-fifth during the last
recession and now hovers close to 12 percent. In Hartford
and Windham
counties, the rates grew more modestly, but still reached 10 percent. And the
pockets are starting to spread beyond their traditional centers. Continued at
….. http://www.ctmirror.org/story/14791/recession-expands-connecticuts-pockets-poverty
Supremes inject court into the 2012
campaign on health and immigration By Justin Sink - 12/12/11 08:31 PM ET The
Supreme Court ensured a second major political controversy will be at the
forefront of the 2012 presidential election on Monday when it announced it
would hear a challenge to Arizona’s
immigration law. The court will hear
arguments about the Arizona
law in April and will issue a final decision in June, just two months before
the national political conventions. The high court is also expected to issue a
decision on President Obama’s
healthcare law around that time.
Continued at ….. http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/198939-supremes-inject-court-into-the-2012-election-campaign
Healthcare reform law's unsustainable
CLASS Act gets reprieve Julian Pecquet 12/13/11 11:21 AM ET Republicans have given up on repealing the
healthcare reform law's long-term-care CLASS Act this year, the repeal bill's
sponsor told The Hill. Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.) said the payroll
tax package was the last chance to repeal the program before Congress adjourns,
and that he had urged House leaders to include it — to no avail. He also said
he'd shortly be introducing legislation to replace the program. Continued at …. http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/199025-health-reform-laws-flawed-class-act-gets-reprieve
Democratic Sen. McCaskill finds House
defense bill riddled with earmarks
David Goldstein - McClatchy Newspapers Dec 11,
2011 ….. Of the 225 amendments to the House defense authorization bill that McCaskill's staff reviewed, aides
judged that 115 — totaling $834 million — were earmarks, based on several
factors. These included how similar an amendment was to a previous earmark
requested by the same lawmaker. To determine that, her staff reviewed the
lawmaker's website and press releases, past defense bills and earmark databases
maintained by government watchdog groups. Full report at http://www.thestate.com/2011/12/11/2074924/democratic-senator-finds-house.html
Perez Nails Hartford For Unused Vacation, Sick Time Dec 3, 2011 Hartford
Courant More Payments:
Former mayor entitled to $71,000
It must stick in
the craw of hard-pressed Hartford
taxpayers that they have to come up with $70,947 to pay disgraced former Mayor
Eddie A. Perez for unused vacation and sick time. How many ways can he stick it
to the city? Nonetheless, an arbitrator
has found that Mr. Perez has the money coming for time he accumulated during
his 81/2 years in office. It could have been (slightly) worse: The arbitrator, West Hartford Corporation Counsel Joseph A. O'Brien,
rejected about $24,000 of Mr. Perez's claim, mostly for time he spent on trial
for corruption charges last year. Mr. Perez posited that he was working as the
mayor while he was on trial, so should be compensated
for it as unused vacation time. Mr. O'Brien rightly concluded that Mr. Perez
was otherwise occupied.
http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/he-ed-perez-benefits-20111203,0,2077733.story
In Colorado, a Power
Struggle Towards Moving to Municipally Owned Energy Kirk Johnson, The New York Times News Service: "Many Americans
these days, from the huddled masses of Occupy Wall Street to the coifed confines
of the presidential campaign, are talking about the future of capitalism. Here,
that debate is focused on electricity, specifically whether this city should,
in Tuesday’s election, sever its relationship with a corporate utility and move
toward a home-ruled, municipally owned one that would be environmentally
greener and locally accountable." Continued at ….. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/us/boulder-seeks-to-take-power-from-the-power-company.html?_r=1
Top New York
Foreclosure Law Firm Threw Homeless-Themed Halloween Party What the Costumes Reveal - NYTimes.com Article at ….. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/29/opinion/what-the-costumes-reveal.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1323806400-/b2+Cfj/idw98XxrZRGAxg
Premier’s Actions in Iraq Raise U.S.
Concerns By JACK HEALY, TIM ARANGO and MICHAEL S.
SCHMIDT NYTimes Dec
12, 2011 Night raids and mass arrests
come as the United States prepares to leave Iraq, leading Western officials to
question the country’s course under Prime Minister Nuri Kamal
al-Maliki. Continued at …. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/13/world/middleeast/arrests-in-iraq-raise-concerns-about-maliki.html?ref=todayspaper
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Maryland, Virginia at top of nation for
food stamp fraud ...
By: Hayley Peterson and Brian Hughes | 11/30/11 Examiner Staff Writer
Few cases prosecuted as enrollment soars Maryland ranks second and Virginia fifth in the amount of taxpayer dollars wasted on food
stamp fraud. For every $100 in benefits, Maryland
gave out $6.11 to people who weren't eligible -- amounting to about $60
million, according to fiscal 2010 data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Virginia gave out $5.04
to ineligible recipients, or about $70 million, and the District ranked 21st,
doling out $3.76 in overpayments. The national average was $3.05. Continued at ….. http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/dc/2011/11/maryland-virginia-top-nation-food-stamp-fraud/1962111
CONNECTICUT FOOD STAMP PROBE…..
The following is additional
information on the Food Stamp Probe implicating State Employees.
Note that the State of Connecticut’s
transparency website transparency.CT.gov provides you with the ability
to research the salaries of all state employees to include their benefits and
pensions.
Example: Within the following Hartford Courant news
article captioned Trooper
Who Earned $124,000 A Target Of Food Stamp Probe you have the
ability to research the Trooper by name to determine not only his salary but
benefits which are all highlighted on the State’s website as follows:
Department of Public Safety, Jimenez,Noel Salary & Wages $124,435.47, Fringe Benefits $64,362.30, Total $188,797.77
If you click on his name, it will give you a
full breakdown of his wages of $124,435, which include
Salaries & Wages-Full Time $62,249.09; Longevity Payments $327.00; Overtime
$54,385.86; Differential Payments $1,642.56; Meal Allowance $5,830.96.
When visiting this website, you can research
by individual name or department. For
example, if you wanted to see all State employees paid in fiscal year 2011, you
would go to http://transparency.ct.gov/html/searchPayroll.asp, then click Advanced Search. Next you would determine what department you
may wish to access by clicking the arrow next to Agency. If you wanted to research others in the State
Police, you could go to Department of Public Safety, and click on Search.
You can also download data through the
following website ….. http://transparency.ct.gov/html/downloads.asp
You can also access vendor info and more
through the State’s transparency website.
If you have any questions, please contact Susan
Kniep at 860-841-8032
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Trooper
Who Earned $124,000 A Target Of Food Stamp Probe A 13-year state
police trooper who earned more than $124,000 last year is among the state
employees — including three other troopers — under investigation for allegedly
filing a fraudulent food stamp application following Tropical Storm Irene. Noel Jimenez worked an overtime shift at a
state Department of Social Services satellite office in Norwich in September. The investigation will
center on whether Jimenez filled out a form to get federal funds through an
emergency food stamp program known as D-SNAP (Disaster Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program), sources familiar with the investigation said. His earnings
would have disqualified him from receiving aid.
Read more...
State Police Union Reacts To Fraud
Accusations | 12/12
9 More State Employees Suspected Of
Fraud, Governor Says
D-SNAP probe intensifies - NewsTimes Ken Dixon, Staff
Writer December 11, 2011 About
800 state employees were among the 23,726 households accepted for D-SNAP. An
unknown number, which DSS investigators are closing in on -- and which should
be clarified this week -- misstated their income, assets and/or dependents. At
least one claimed a dead relative was alive and hungry. For a few hundred dollars, these state
workers have put their careers and families in jeopardy. They are in danger of
losing their secure state jobs and facing criminal prosecution, with the
possible loss of state pensions.
It's the first real scandal of the nearly year-old administration of
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. It
emerged after the familiar name of a state employee jumped out at a DSS auditor
late last month. Continued at ….. http://www.newstimes.com/local/article/D-SNAP-probe-intensifies-2395791.php