Susan Kniep, President
The Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations, Inc.
Website: http://ctact.org/
email: fctopresident@ctact.org
860-524-6501
June 15, 2006
WELCOME TO THE 79th
EDITION OF
TAX TALK
http://www.whistleblower.org/template/index.cfm
EMINENT DOMAIN
Connecticut Homeowners – Connecticut’s Governor, Legislature and New
London’s City Council are still trying to remove New London Homeowners from their land! Read
Fort Trumbull
State Deadline Runs Out
Today http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=25983d01-6e8e-4696-862f-da6b0d7f6313.
Also visit the following website for updates on Eminent
Domain issues in New London
and beyond. www.ctrsvp.org
Call in and talk with Susan Kniep,
President of FCTO, and Mike Cristofaro, the son of a New London
Plaintiff in the Kelo vs New London Supreme Court
Case on Friday, June 16. Learn about the
petition drive to put this issue before New
London voters.
On Friday, June 16, 2006, from 7 PM to 8 PM, Host, Larry Hample of Citizens for Fair and Responsible Government,
invites the public to call in to his television cable program to discuss
Eminent Domain with his guests Michael Cristofaro,
the son of Pasquale Cristofaro, a plaintiff in the
Suzette Kelo vs New London
Eminent Domain case and Susan Kniep, President of the
Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations, Inc. The call in numbers for the Cable Channel 25
program are
440-3154 for New London residents and for those
outside of New London
1-800-253-2285. Even if you cannot
access the cable program, let us hear from you.
Also to be discussed is the ongoing petition drive led by Neild Odlum of New London.
The petition is an effort to place before the voters of New London the Eminent Domain issue as it
affects Susette Kelo and
others who wish to remain in their homes.
New London
residents who wish to sign the petition can contact Neild Oldham
at 860-443-2261.
Read Below an excellent editorial by Betty Perkowski of North Stonington
on the Eminent Domain issue.
Susette Kelo and Michael Cristofaro’s
family could lose their homes.
Could your
home be next!?!?!?
*************
Judge: 'In God We Trust' stays,
By UPI Staff
United Press International, June 14, 2006
SACRAMENTO (UPI) -- A federal judge in California has rejected an atheist's claim
that the motto "In God we trust" violates the First Amendment
separation of church and state. http://www.gopusa.com/news/2006/june/0614_us_mottop.shtml
*************
UPDATE ON
GROUP HOMES
NEWS ALERT: Group home curbs sought: Waterbury legislators becoming
involved, Thursday, June 15, 2006, BY MICHAEL PUFFER, Republican-American
WATERBURY -- In the wake of group
home proposals that riled two Waterbury neighborhoods, top city officials are
calling for new curbs in a state law that allows small group homes to be
established virtually anywhere. In a
letter sent to state senators and representatives representing Waterbury last week, Mayor Michael J. Jarjura asked for a change in the state law that allows
group homes for up to six individuals to be placed in any residential area of
any community. Under current law, state agencies serving certain special needs
groups don't have to abide by local zoning ordinances and don't have to notify
municipal officials or neighbors before moving in. Jarjura
would like notification to be sent to the city.
He also asked that the city be given a yearly inventory of all group
homes, and for new legal requirements that the homes be maintained so as not to
mar the appearance of surrounding neighborhoods. The letter was dated June 7, the same day Jarjura and other city and state officials met in the
cafeteria of Kennedy
High School with about
100 residents who were upset about a group home for four mentally handicapped
individuals planned for the exclusive Country Club neighborhood.
It was nearly a mirror image of a similar meeting that took
place at Kennedy several months earlier, when a small group home for mentally
disturbed youths was proposed on Esther Avenue, part of the tight-knit,
blue-collar Town Plot neighborhood. In
both cases, residents complained about impacts on their property values, and
raised fears of risks to their children. But perhaps the most persistent
complaint in both cases was the lack of warning. One day after Jarjura
drafted his letter, Alderman Paul Pernerewski came
out with correspondence containing his own requested changes to state law. His
letter asks that a public hearing be required for new group homes. He addressed
it to the full Board of Aldermen for its blessing before it is sent to the
city's legislative delegation. City
officials might have saved their ink.
The three state legislators who attended last week's public meeting --
state Sen. Joan Hartley, D-15th District, and state Reps. Anthony D'Amelio, R-71st District; and Jeffrey Berger, D-73rd
District -- say they were already planning to push for similar curbs when the
new legislative session opens in January.
In fact, the full city delegation attempted earlier this year to file a
bill that would require public hearings. But in a short legislative session
that focused on budgetary issues, the request quickly died. In January, however, state lawmakers are
scheduled to sit down for a long session, in which it will be easier for
individual lawmakers to propose a bill. Hartley, Berger and D'Amelio
said they believe a similar proposal stands a better chance. "You always have a better end result
when you have all the parties at the table and informed," Hartley said.
"It's a matter of being open."
But venting sessions like the one that took place last week are just
what the original architects of the group home law hoped to avoid, said Peg Dignoti, executive director of Arc of Connecticut, an advocacy group for mentally
handicapped individuals. Dignoti should know. In 1979, she helped pass the original
law, which at that time only applied to group homes for the mentally
handicapped. In later years, its protections were extended to group homes for
mentally and physically disabled youths in the care of the state, as well as
individuals receiving mental health or addiction treatment. "It was meant to prevent the sort of
meetings where people come out of the woodwork and say terrible things about
people based on mythology and incorrect facts," Dignoti
said. Dignoti
said the law she helped shepherd received several challenges in its early
years, but opposition died down as myths about supposed dangers of mentally
handicapped individuals died down. She said Waterbury's case reminds her of those early
days. "It is like deja vu," Dignoti said.
"I can't believe this is coming out of the dark ages."
GROUP HOMES: The following article provides insight into the concerns of
property owners throughout the State. To
draw awareness to their concerns,
impacted property owners have formed a coalition called CONNECTICUT
GROUP HOME ABUTTERS (CGHA). Please click on http://www.ctabutters.com/ if you wish to visit
their website.
Halfway house plan causes concern; State mum on exact
location of 20-bed facility
Waterbury Republican Newspaper, June 8, 2006 - WATERBURY - The state
departments of Mental Health and Addiction Services and Correction are
negotiating with a nonprofit organization to operate a 20-bed halfway house
downtown. The facility would house men who have been convicted of crimes and
are working their way back into the community.
Before the contract for the halfway house has been signed, state and
city officials are saying enough is enough..
"Especially not there," said Mayor Michael J. Jarjura, http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives
Preston files lawsuit in zoning
dispute, By AMY BETH PREISS, Norwich Bulletin http://www.norwichbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060602/NEWS01/606020335/1002/NEWS01
**************
Judy Aron, imjfaron@sbcglobal.net
West Hartford Taxpayers Association
Two Subjects of Interest: (1) CT
pays for illegal immigrant to attend college; (2)
WHAT ARE YOUR CHILDREN READING? Poison In
Our Libraries
June 13, 2006
To think that our own state agencies are accomplices in
breaking federal law regarding illegal immigration is beyond me. They do not
report illegal aliens! They are aiding and abetting people who have
committed a crime. What part of illegal do they not
understand? How ethical is
that? How much money is the state doling out to illegals
in CT? What does Governor Rell have to say
about this?
*************
Thousands of parents are struggling to put their kids
through college and an illegal from Mexico gets full room and board
worth $40,000 per year. He is now an adult, or soon will be, what on earth is the State of Connecticut
doing paying for his education. Do they plan on sending him to graduate school,
law school as well? This is really misguided charity.
Paul Streitz
CT Citizens for Immigration Control
www.ctcitizensforimmigrationcontrol.com
*************
Immigrant goes from
tobacco fields to college By Pat Eaton-Robb,
Associated Press Writer | June 11, 2006 WINDHAM, Conn. --Five years ago, 14-year-old
Sait Perez left his impoverished parents and little
sister in Tabasco, Mexico, and crossed the border. The teen made his way from California to Connecticut,
where he now has resident status, will graduate this month from Windham High School
and begin a college education in Rhode
Island in the fall that will be paid for by the
state. ….
Perez is one of a handful of illegal immigrant children DCF deals with
each year, DCF officials said. The state does not keep statistics. Under its policy, the department also does not report undocumented aliens to the
federal Department of Homeland Security and Immigration Services. Instead, staff are told to work
to help illegal children obtain legal resident status.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2006/06/11/immigrant_goes_from_tobacco_fields_to_college/?page=1
*************
WHAT ARE YOUR CHILDREN READING?
Poison In Our Libraries
By Steve Crampton
AgapePress, June 13, 2006
http://www.gopusa.com/news/2006/june/0613_libraries1.shtml
……..”Some of the books include graphic descriptions of incest,
homosexuality, masturbation, bestiality, and child molestation. For instance,
Push is the story of a young girl who is pregnant with her father's child. The
local newspaper, the Northwest Arkansas Times,
which opposed the effort to limit access to the book, admitted that it
contained materials that are patently offensive. Another book is advertised as being "the
most controversial young adult novel ever," and describes an adolescent
boy's love affair with a teacher, and two teens who
become addicted to heroin. Oh, and by the way, the book won an award as
"an outstanding book for children."
*************
FCTO extends its appreciation to Betty Perkowski for her excellent editorial on Eminent Domain
which appeared in the Hartford
Courant. Betty also provides us with
insight into concerns of those living in southeastern Connecticut.
Betty Perkowski,
petitioncongress2@att.net
North Stonington, June 10, 2006
Susan, You have my permission to use my
Letter to the Editor, Hartford Courant June 5, 2006, regarding eminent
domain, in your FCTO newsletter. Your website is great and I see
that my position on government is a good fit.
----------------------------
The following is just a bit of background as to what SE CT has been through and how we feel powerless
sometimes against the government. But we have always risen to the challange - even when it has been the federal government .
Southeastern CT is no longer the
quiet forgotten area of the state. Ever since Congress created a federally
recognized "tribe" (out of thin air), we have been inundated with
countless proposals by out of state developers to "improve" our area
and "expand the tax base" ( Utopia Theme Park, North Stonington
Studios, Six Flags, LegoLand, Chinese Theme Park).
These were all pitched as developments that would lower our taxes. Why do
people always believe more development will lower taxes? It hasn't worked
anywhere it has been tried yet.
When Six Flags was beating down our door(mid
nineties), I, as a member of the opposition group, "This is Not a
Done Deal", did an analysis of local taxes in towns with less
development and towns with more development. I had seen a report done in VT and
one statewide in CT showing that rural towns have lower tax rates than
more developed towns. So I figured I would compare the SE CT towns.
Using data from the CT Institute of Municipal Studies that
presented a comparison of taxes from town to town ( they had a formula so you
could compare them despite different mill rates and evaluations) I plotted all
our local towns on a grid from lowest to highest taxes and lowest to densist development. And guess what? It was true. Except
for the anomaly, at that time, of Waterford ,CT having Millstone Nuclear Power
paying most of the taxes, all the others fell into the expected
quadrants. Rural towns with the least development paid lower taxes
compared to the towns with the most development(higher
grand lists).
But people refuse to believe the truth. They really, really,
really, want to believe that if they change this zone for these guys their
taxes will go down.
Another issue of concern is - How do we stop
these Boards of Education from getting away with referring
to modest increases as CUTS in their budget? Any increase from the year
before is an INCREASE. They ask for 10% more and then whine that a 5% increase
is a 5% CUT in their budget. And they are careful to make sure their teacher
salary deals are already locked in. They never point out that if they didn't
agree to such exorbitant compensation for teachers and administrators then
there would be plenty of money "for the children" they love to hide
behind.
Another concern is that we also have the continuing fight
against annexation and federal recognition for several groups who want to get
on the BIA gravy Train. . The tribes continue to remove land from the tax
rolls. Ledyard CT
has lost most of the taxes from its toniest
neighborhood as wealthy Mashantuckets moved in and
the land was "taken into trust" to use the government's euphemism.
The most expensive homes in town and Ledyard can't get a dime in taxes for them.
The children from these homes go to Ledyard schools. Depending on the address,
either State Police or Ledyard police respond to this pachthwork
of jurisdictions. The police logs are full of responses to tribal homes - not
break-ins but everything from drugs, weapons, rape to murder. For a small
family group they have quite a collective rap sheet.
Wow! How did a little girl from Britt Rd in the 1950's ever get involved
in all this? Guess I just can't sit quietly by when I see injustice
.
Betty Perkowski
--------------------------------
A Battle
Over Rights by Betty Perkowski, Hartford Courant
I
believe the May 30 editorial ["Stop Shameful Eviction Plan"] about
the eminent domain case slightly, but importantly, misstated what the fight is
about.
It is not enough to say the people want their homes. Of course they do. They
want the right to their homes. That includes the right to do with them what
they want - live in them, rent them out, even sell them.
If Susette Kelo was handed
back the title to her home tomorrow and sold it the next day, I would
understand. It is the right to her property that is being stolen from her.
She is not asking to be shackled to one piece of property for the rest of her
life. She wants to be the one to decide its fate. It should not be decided by
the government or a local development commission.
People buy and sell real estate all the time. But rights cannot be sold, nor
should they be stolen. Betty Perkowski, North Stonington
*************
rarturo1@sbcglobal.net
Love him or hate him, he sure hits the nail on the head with
this!
Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a
High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn
in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically
correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality
and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.
Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!
Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect
you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You
won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.
Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.
Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your
Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they
called it opportunity.
Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your
mistakes, learn from them.
Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are
now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes
and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before
you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation,
try delousing the closet in your own room.
Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS
NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll
give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer.
This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and
very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF.
Do that on your own time.
Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life, people actually
have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.
If you agree, pass it on.
If you can read this - Thank a teacher! If you are reading it in
English -Thank a soldier!!
**************
State lawmakers
want to force review of taxes
Township
Journal - USA
... Jon S. Corzine
to call the Legislature into special session in July to jump-start efforts to
reform the state’s highest-in-the-nation property taxes. ...
See all stories on
this topic