From: Susan Kniep, President
The Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations, Inc.
Website: http://ctact.org/
email: fctopresident@ctact.org
860-524-6501
December 29, 2005
WELCOME TO THE 61st EDITION OF
TAX TALK
**********
CONGRATULATIONS TO
JACK WALTON, Vice President of FCTO
On his Election to the Town Council of Watertown – Oakville
Watch the Waterbury
Republican for an upcoming extensive report on Jack’s success!
******
From Free Star Media LLC re EMINENT DOMAIN
January Rally—Supporters Across America
called to Action on Saturday January 21 and Sunday Jan 22
http://www.freestarmedia.com/
THE FIRST BATTLE is fast
approaching in our campaign to end eminent domain abuse by having those who
advocate it experience it themselves. We are holding a rally in Weare, New Hampshire over the weekend of January
21st and 22nd. We will meet in central Weare on
Saturday morning at a location to be announced later. After a short briefing we
will set out in all directions to ask Weare voters to
express America's outrage
over the Kelo vs. City of New London decision by signing the ballot initiative that was drafted by our supporters
in Weare. This initiative
asks the Town of Weare
to use eminent domain to seize the land
of Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter
for the purpose of economic development through the construction of an Inn. It must be filed by the end of January and will be
voted on in March 2006. Continued at this
website …. http://www.freestarmedia.com/
******
QUESTION: WHAT TOWNS ALLOW NON RESIDENTS THE RIGHT TO
VOTE ON THE BUDGET? PLEASE LET US
KNOW.
Murray Renshaw, murraytheeye@snet.net
New London
Subject: Nonresident
Property Owners Right to Vote on Budget
December 18, 2005
Susan, Thanks for all the great information provided in your e mails-
New London is
presently working on charter revision. One of the new proposals many property
owners would like to add is the right of non resident property owners to vote
on the budget. Do you know what other towns in Connecticut allow the same? I think
Westbrook is one. Please advise thanks for all the good work regards
Murray Renshaw
******
Robert Fand, Robert7912@aol.com
Independent Party of Ct.-State Central
Subject: 2006 November
Representative or State Senator Election
Dear Susan, I hope
you are doing well. It was a pleasure to talk with you today. Please relay the following to your
readership…."Attention to all taxpayer organization members from the
Independent Party of Ct.-State Central. We are looking for candidates with
heartfelt taxpayer oriented issues for State Representative or State Senator to
run on our Independent Party line for the 2006 November elections. We currently
have Minor Party status in five Danbury
area State
Representative districts. It would require the candidate and/or voting helpers
of the candidate to go out and obtain valid petition signatures equal to 1% of
the previous votes cast for that particular office. We could offer the
possibility of doing all you’re reporting paper work which we have been doing
for candidates since 1986 so you can have confidence in us. We do not intend to
run candidates in districts that already have a local "Independent Party" name,
such as in the Waterbury
area, or other taxpayer affiliated name associated with it but other districts
that do not or do not intend to affiliate with such a named party. Please
contact Robert Fand,.M.D.,
Director. at 203-743-9467 or by e-mail through robert7912@aol.com . We can make and have
made the difference in close elections."
Thank you Susan.
Robert Fand, M.D.
******
Mike Guarco, BudgetGuru06035@aol.com,
Mike is Chairman of the Granby
Board of Finance and The Connecticut Municipal Consortium for Fiscal
Responsibility
Subject: Consortium hits two milestones in recruitment
FYI.... for those who may wonder how things stand..... last week we logged the 75th town on the roster of
Consortium member towns - with the endorsement of the Board of Finance in Darien. The subsequent backing from the BOF in
Warren... and this week's endorsement by the BOS in Cornwall - led by Gordon Ridgway - the D First up there - brings us up to an even
100 boards in our camp....and 77th town,,,with more
in the works. Note these milestones coming less than 12 months after the first
boards signed on. With the start of the
session less than 2 months away.... a number of locally hosted recruitment
events around the state will add to our numbers substantially. Our thanks to
the leaders in towns like Cornwall...
Easton...
Ashford... and Stonington
who will host and are helping bring their neighbors into our ranks. Best of the season to you all! Mike Guarco
******
John Barrett, jmbe1@charter.net
Coventry
Subject: Property Tax
Reform
Dear Susan - It is great that you have brought this issue to
the forefront. I have been standing on my soapbox for the last two years
regarding the same issue. The only difference I had in my desired reform
is if refinancing a home happens, or a second/equity loan is taken your
property, the property should be assessed at the new property value the owner
has placed on it and borrowed against it and taken advantage of the capital
gain to be realized. I have been deep in
the tax battle trenches locally in Coventry
for years. I have put up with years of abuse by the "pro-education"
crowd. I have had arbitrary assessment reviews by the assessor. And
my business has suffered an underground boycott from certain business owners
and government agencies because of my personal politics. But I am still
hear and they know I'm still hear and active.
Thank you for all your good work.
John
******
Mike Guarco, BudgetGuru06035@aol.com,
Mike is Chairman of the Granby
Board of Finance and The Connecticut Municipal Consortium for Fiscal
Responsibility
December 29, 2005
From Mike: This and
related material will shock all...even the libs who
will be losing program and people to cover the give-aways
they are responible for..........the GASB rules will
bring it all out into the open.....and help shine the spotlight on the differentials
in public employee comp and everybody else.
Read the following article written by
Edward Achorn: Called to account: 'If anybody understands it, they'll freak out', 01:00 AM EST on Tuesday, December 27, 2005
TAXPAYERS in Rhode Island -- and nationwide -- will soon be
learning some very unpleasant facts of life about debts the politicians have
been running up in their name for many years, in courting favor with
public-employee unions. And some union leaders are understandably getting
twitchy about the day when the spotlight gets switched on.
The federal Government Accounting Standards Board has
ordered states and communities to start reporting, in less than two years, how
much they owe government retirees for (often free or low-priced) health coverage.
The true costs -- which have been kept hidden from the public until now, since
governments have conveniently failed to keep track of the mounting pricetag -- are staggering, experts say. Nationwide, the
unfunded liability could be $1 trillion.
"This is a huge liability," Jan Lazar, an
independent benefits consultant in Lansing, Mich., told The New York Times
("The next retirement time bomb," Dec. 11). "If anybody
understands it, they'll freak out." When Duluth, Minn., recently ran the
numbers for providing free lifetime health care for its retired workers, their
spouses and their children up to age 26, the total came to $178 million -- more
than double the city's operating budget, The Times pointed out. Duluth simply cannot
afford it, the mayor warned. Public disclosure of such costs will have
repercussions, some of them alarming. Cities and towns may have such huge
liabilities that their bond ratings will plummet, making it extraordinarily
expensive or impossible to borrow money. Some may be forced into bankruptcy.
Local taxes -- in Rhode Island,
already among the nation's highest -- may have to be
raised sharply, and services slashed. Citizens are sure to be angry that even
more of their money will have to go for even worse government because of deals
cut long ago, and never fully explained. Union officials fear the public will
pressure politicians to slash benefits. As Rhode Island House Finance Chairman
Steven Costantino told The Journal's Katherine Gregg
("It's a fiscal nightmare," Dec. 18), the revelations will throw a
spotlight on the difference between the public sector, which enjoys generous
health benefits, "and the segment of the population, probably working in
the private world, that does not." That could re-ignite a discussion about
national health care. Of course, those of us in the private sector, struggling
to survive in a competitive world, are paying most of the bills for those in
the public sector. While we focus on our jobs, paying taxes, and keeping our
children clothed, sheltered, educated and healthy, special interests are at
work day and night to influence the political system. In many states,
public-employee unions and their operatives have learned to contribute heavily
to campaigns, get out the vote, elect friendly politicians, and handsomely pay
experienced, full-time advocates to represent their interests at the state
house and at city hall. To be sure, that's our system -- the best there is.
Unfortunately, the common good and the public interest sometimes get short
shrift, even in the best system, and even when agreements are made "in
good faith." It's human nature. Politicians often don't worry about
cutting deals whose costs will be inflicted on later generations of taxpayers,
such as offering free health care to government retirees. They won't be around
to suffer the wrath of the voters who foot the steep and rising bills. And
politicians can get away with selling out to special interests because the
public is too busy and apathetic to notice -- or because voters are denied essential
information that could help them better understand what is at stake. The
requirement that states and communities finally come clean with taxpayers and
bondholders about retirement costs may make the stakes all too clear. But, as
with all of life's problems, we are best off facing the grim truth squarely,
and deciding what to do about it. Questions will inevitably be raised: Can we
afford to keep all of the promises that were made years ago to our public
employees, many of them good people who work hard for us? Can adjustments, or
compromises, be made that would spread the pain around? Is it moral, fair and
just to bankrupt cities and towns to provide such generous benefits for a few?
Is there a better way to run government, focusing a little more on those who
receive the services, and a little less on rewarding those who deliver the
services?
One union chief, Robert Walsh, the executive director of the
National Education Association Rhode
Island, lamented to Ms. Gregg that he expects the new
reporting requirements to spark "some knee-jerk reaction against benefits,
which, sadly, we are getting used to."
"We will have to educate folks again," he said,
"that these are benefits that folks have earned that were part of their
terms and conditions of employment and every state in the country is in the
same boat." That will be an
important discussion. This time, at least, the public will be armed with
information about how much such "terms and conditions" are actually
going to cost taxpayers.
******
Donald Patterson, dpatterson.coco@comcast.net
Vernon-Rockville
Subject: State
Department of DCF
December 24, 2005
I got your letter and seasons greeting today and may you and
your family have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Years
too. My main concern as a taxpayer and as a parent whose kids have been through
the DCF system is the extraordinary wasteful programs they have. Their programs
only prolong and intensify the problems that got the kids there in the first
place. They waste so much money, they make Ted Kennedy a fiscal conservative by
comparison. Former State
Senator Kevin Rennie wrote a great article in last
Sundays Courant about DCF and their $800 million
dollar budget( its actually $775 million) but at that amount whats another $25 million. If I saw results and
accomplishments I might accept those figutes but
every year DCF's budget rises and so do the problems
and failures associated with them. One
thing you wrote in your Season s Greetings letter made me think of something I
wrote and investigated on my own on. I believe the size of the legislature
needs to be reduced. I made up a plan when the last reapportionment was made
and Governor Rowland ignored me and State Senator Tony Guglielmo
thought it was a bad idea but did not explain why. My plan would have saved the
state over $3.3 million. Connecticut's population
ranks 29th in the country yet we have the 9th largest state legislature.
My proposal called for reducing the state senate from 36 members down to 16
members by having only two state legislators from each of the 8 counties, much
in the same way the US
Senate has 2 senators from each of the 50 states. The state representatives
would be reduced from 151 down to 69 members by having only one state
representative for every 50,000 people. Keep on mind that some legislative
districts have trouble rounding up two candidates to run in the state
elections. In the 2004 election, 38 state senators and state representatives
ran unopposed. Is that democracy in action? My proposal did not take into
account mailing costs for each state politician but if the total number were
reduced, the total savings would undoubtedly be more than my estimate of $3.3
million. They have no problem laying off state workers
but don't dare reduce their numbers!
******
AUDIT
DETAILS PUBLIC WORKS CORRUPTION
Associated
Press, 11/13/05
HARTFORD — A state auditors’ report on the Connecticut Department of
Public Works during a two-year period of the former Rowland administration
details much of the corruption discovered at the agency. Contract
irregularities, lax or nonexistent management controls, suspension of employees
who were suspected of illegal activities, failure to follow state fiscal
guidelines and even the hot tub at then-Gov. John G. Rowland’s Litchfield house
that kicked off investigations into the burgeoning scandals are mentioned in
the report that was issued last week.
Officials of Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s
administration say many problems and weaknesses cited in the audit of the
agency, which covers 2000-02, have been corrected and other changes are
planned. State Auditors Robert G. Jaekle and Kevin Johnston say flaws in the agency must be
studied to prevent new problems. “That’s
our responsibility: to look at agencies, to confirm and document the systemic
problems that may have existed, to make recommendations and to let the public
know how agencies respond,” Johnston
said. Virtually all the top
officials at the public works agency have changed since the period covered by
the audit. The state public works agency
played a key role in the awarding of state contracts that became a major focus
of investigations. Rowland is serving a year in federal prison after pleading guilty
to a corruption charge last year. Peter Ellef, Rowland’s former co-chief of staff, and Lawrence Alibozek, the ex-governor’s former deputy chief of staff,
have pleaded guilty to steering state contracts to firms in return for
bribes. William Tomasso,
a top executive and part owner of the New Britain-based Tomasso
Group of companies, also has pleaded guilty in the scheme. Johnston said the audit focused on the
Department of Public Works, not individuals.
Among the audit’s findings was a $100,000 change order that lacked proof
it had been properly approved. James T.
Fleming, the public works commissioner who took over in 2003, said DPW has
imposed changes that require much more documentation “than ever before.” Another problem cited by the audit was DPW’s lack of control over state spending at the governor’s
residence in Hartford.
The report found that the state spent $20,000 a year for catering and $20,000
on groceries for the governor’s residence during the Rowland years. Little
documentation proved the spending was proper, the audit said. The report said the public works agency paid
the cost of electrical wiring at the governor’s residence for the hot tub that
was Rowland’s property.
Payments to disconnect the hot tub from the residence “appear not to be
allowable,” the auditors said. The
auditors called for strengthening internal controls over spending at the
governor’s residence. Fleming said internal control procedures now in place are
sufficient.
In addition, Rell has imposed contracting safeguards
by executive order and is negotiating with the General Assembly over
legislation to make the reforms state law.
******
HERE IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO
SUPPORT SCHOOL CHOICE
From:
Theresa McGrath
Family Alliance
for Children in Education
FACE0203@comcast.net
(860) 570-1203
Dear Friends, The Alliance for School Choice has sent us the
word that they once again need our help by signing onto the attached letter; by
replying back to NL@AllianceForSchoolChoice with your
name, organization title and name and the state you reside in.
This is a wonderful thing, to help the victims of Hurricane
Katrina! Thank you for all your support!
Theresa McGrath
Please
refer to the following. Thank you. Theresa
-----Original Message-----
From: N. Llumiquinga
[mailto:NL@AllianceForSchoolChoice.org]
Sent: Thursday, December 15,
2005 12:41 PM
To: N. Llumiquinga
Cc: Laura Devany;
Kathy Krueger
Subject: URGENT: We need your
support today Re: Katrina legislation
Importance: High
Dear friend,
Once again, we call upon you to support our efforts as the U.S.
Congress develops the final supplemental package to address various needs
arising from Hurricane Katrina. We are requesting that any proposal provide
equitable and efficient funding to help all displaced students including those
in public and private schools.
We are at the final hours where some friendly support may be
included. WE NEED YOUR HELP ON THIS EFFORT. The attached letter must be sent
this afternoon.
Please reply ASAP if I may add your name/organization to the
letter.
Thank you for your continued support! Nelson
Nelson Llumiquinga, Director of Outreach &
Training
Advocates for School Choice, 5080 N. 40th St. Suite 375
Phoenix, AZ 85018; 602.468.0900 p; 602.468.0920 f
602.332.3303 c; AllianceForSchoolChoice.org
******
Bush Lets Government Spy on Callers Without Warrants
By JAMES RISEN and ERIC LICHTBLAU, The New York Times, Dec 16, 2005
WASHINGTON (Dec. 16) - Months after the
Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush secretly authorized the National Security
Agency to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States to search
for evidence of terrorist activity without the court-approved warrants
ordinarily required for domestic spying, according to government
officials. Continued at the following
website…. http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20051215232809990023&ncid=NWS00010000000001
******
Home for Christmas (from the Wall Street Journal)
Susette Kelo's story: from humble abode to
eminent domain.
BY MELANIE KIRKPATRICK,
Saturday, December 24, 2005 12:01 a.m. EST
NEW LONDON,
Conn.--It's the week before Christmas, and as my train from Manhattan nears
this old New England seaport, I can't help but hum a few bars of that seasonal
favorite, "There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays." Continued at the following website: http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110007723
******
From: Pat Snyder, Snyderpate
US House of Rep.Vote
Christmas OK!
Dec
22, 2005
Also
Visit Pat’s Website at: http://www.watchdog4pop.blogspot.com/
22 Congressmen Hate Christmas - This year's
"War for Christmas" – keeping "Christ" in the holiday has
apparently been won. And, like many "wars," there has even been a
Congressional resolution in support of keeping Christmas alive and well. On December 15 the House of Representatives
passed a resolution "protecting the symbols and traditions of
Christmas" by an overwhelming 401-22 vote.
Continued at the following website:
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/12/22/172328.shtml
******
Interesting
Websites: http://www.cfer.us/pageView.asp?PageID=4
; http://www.medlineplus.gov/ ; http://drudgereport.com/ , http://www.realclearpolitics.com/
, http://politicalwire.com/ ; http://nationalreview.com/, http://www.tnr.com/ , http://freecycle.org/ (send your favorite
website to us and we will include in a future edition)
******