From Susan Kniep,
President
The Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer
Organizations, Inc. (FCTO)
Website: http://ctact.org/
email: fctopresident@ctact.org
860-524-6501
June 27, 2006
WELCOME TO THE 81st EDITION OF
TAX
TALK
Although FCTO does not endorse candidates, we
do encourage all Americans to become involved in the electoral process whether
it is running for public office or simply voting. If you are
running for public office this November, please send to us at fctopresident@ctact.org
information to include your name, your town, the office you are seeking, your website
and/or email address, and the three most important things you hope
to accomplish if elected to office. If you know someone running for office,
suggest they forward this information to us.
We will include the information in upcoming Tax Talk publications.
We encourage all voters to learn as much about
the candidates as possible, whether they are incumbents or your neighbor who
has just thrown his hat into the ring.
Don’t be caught up in the glitz of a campaign but learn about the
substance of the candidate. Determine
how he or she will represent your interests if elected. In some countries, people have risked their
lives for the right to vote. In the United States,
we simply need to set time aside time on TUESDAY,
NOVEMBER 7 to do what we are morally
responsible to do – VOTE!
*************
State
of Connecticut
Elderly Programs
http://www.cga.ct.gov/2005/rpt/2005-R-0549.htm
*************
Updates Eminent Domain
www.ctrsvp.org
*************
Great,
Great Editorial by Bob Green, a FCTO Board Member …..
From: ROBERT GREEN, rgreen619@snet.net
Salem, CT
CT Education Commissioner
quits to become Greenwich Schools
June 14, 2006
To the Editor of The
Day:
Buried deep in the regional section of The
Day’s June 14, 2006 issue is a brief article of 14 lines reporting on the
sudden departure of Connecticut’s education commissioner, Dr. Betty Sternberg,
to accept the position as Greenwich Schools new superintendent, effective
August 14. She often has been hailed as
the champion of combating the unfairness and inconsistencies of “No Child Left
Behind” and an ally of Attorney General Blumenthal in Connecticut’s pending lawsuit against the
Federal Government. I wish her well as
she takes on her new endeavor.
As superintendent, she will receive a
salary of $210,000 her first year.
Additionally, she will receive a $30,000 annuity, a performance
incentive up to $15,000, a monthly car allowance of $1,000, a $4,000 annual professional
development stipend, a $2,000 monthly housing allowance, and a one-time
relocation allowance of $25,000. In her
current position as education commissioner, she earns $148,000 annually and
receives 44.5 cents per mile for business travel.
At a time when school districts throughout Connecticut are
combating the negativism created by skyrocketing costs while pleading for
additional funding to maintain the current needs of their students, our
departing education commissioner can take comfort in one thing.
She won’t have to worry about being left
behind.
Robert M. Green
Member, Board of Directors, Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer
Organization
*************
Carl Yacobacci, classictops@sbcglobal.net
Derby
Eminent Domain
June 27, 2006
A small update: This is an article from a news
story that appeared 6/26/06 in the New
Haven Register. nhregister.com We have also had TV appearances on Fox
61 News Sunday night and CBS News3 on Monday evening news. Both stations are
out of Hartford, CT.
Reporters are comparing Derby to what
happened in New London
with the abuse of Eminent Domain Laws... I hope by this print and news
coverage, people will know Eminent Domain abuse is still running rampant in Corrupticut. And
just like what was discussed at the IJ conference, the quotes of "last
resort", "we hope we don't have to use it", "it's a tool
for govt to use" ring out like a broken
record. One of our Aldermen told me and
Brian Calvert Sunday at our Eminent Domain booth that if a few people have to
be "sacrificed" to get this development done that he would vote to
put us out of business! Not he would want to , but he
would... talk about talking out of both sides of your mouth..Nice
elected official.... This is public good! Bankrupt the citizens that have been
here, so a billion dollar corporation can make more... Please pass this on to anyone you may think
is interested! Thank You Carl Yacobacci Click on another article on this issue Eminent Domain
Battle In Derby
*************
IT IS GREAT TO HEAR FROM FCTO FRIENDS
IN ARIZONA
….
From:
Steve and Susie Breckley, steveb@bluewatermanagement.com
Arizona
Subject: Eminent Domain and other issues
June 26, 2006
Hello, Susan Why doesn't anyone in CT seem to know
that Richard Blumenthal initiated this whole Kelo
issue, leading to what's now a costly national problem? He gets a free
pass on all his harmful mischief. We've
moved to AZ, after 30 yrs. in CT. The government is so much better
here: business friendly, low taxes, right-to-work, less corrupt. School choice. One
small example is: The DMV is overwhelmed with growth. So it's been
partly privatized. in fact, they will come to
your house to inspect your vehicles for about $15 each. As a result, people are more cheerful,
friendly and civil. Business is thriving. Lots
of lessons for CT. - Senator Jon Kyl is the best in the Senate. Has moral character,
like Joe Lieberman. But is a Conservative. We're
working on his re-election campaign. Keep up the good work.
Kind regards, Steve
and Susie Breckley, 83 West Cedar Drive, Chandler,
AZ 85248
*************
Click to read EMINENT DOMAIN IN NJ
Press of Atlantic City - Atlantic City,NJ,USA
Last week proved that true, at least in the battle over eminent domain in
New Jersey: ... The bill would
tighten eminent-domain use, to be sure. ...
See
all stories on this topic
*************
Great Reading
for those facing revaluation and paying high property taxes …
Just Click on Taxes for the rest of us
Concord Monitor - Concord,NH,USA
... The truth is, property taxes are regressive. ...
At the same time, they're getting off easy on their local taxes - especially property taxes. ...
*************
Bush: Limit
eminent domain to public works http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-domain25.html
June 25, 2006, BY
JENNIFER LOVEN, Chicago
Sun-Times
WASHINGTON -- President
Bush ordered Friday that federal agencies cannot seize private property
except for public projects such as hospitals or roads. The move occurred on
the first anniversary of a controversial Supreme Court decision that gave
local governments broad power to bulldoze people's
homes for commercial development.
The majority
opinion in the Supreme Court case involving New London, Conn.,
homeowners limited the homeowners' rights by saying local governments could
take private property for purely economic development-related projects because
the motive was to bring more jobs and tax revenue to a city.
But the court also
noted that states are free to pass additional protections if they see fit. In a
backlash to the decision, many have done so, prohibiting so-called takings for
shopping malls or other private projects.
Many conservatives
-- particularly in the West -- see the decision as a dangerous interpretation
of the ''takings clause'' in the Constitution's Fifth Amendment, which allows
the government to seize property for public use with just compensation. They have
argued that such takings are an unjustified governmental abuse of individual
rights.
Cities, though,
backed by some liberals, see the takings power as a tool for urban renewal
projects crucial to revitalizing cities.
The federal
government has only a limited role in such projects.
*************
Judy
Aron of West Hartford provides this informative
article from London, England. Could this be next for the United States…
Family life
faces State 'invasion'
By Sarah Womack, Social Affairs Correspondent
Article from London, England
(Filed:
26/06/2006)
Government
surveillance of all children, including information on whether they eat five
portions of fruit and vegetables a day, will be condemned tomorrow as a Big
Brother system. Experts say it is the biggest
state intrusion in history into the role of parents. Government surveillance of
all children, including information on whether they eat five portions of fruit
and vegetables a day, will be condemned tomorrow as a Big Brother system. Experts say it is the biggest state intrusion
in history into the role of parents.
Changes being introduced since
Victoria Climbié's death from abuse
include a £224 million database tracking all 12 million children in England and Wales from birth. The Government expects
the programme to be operating within two years. But
critics say the electronic files will undermine family privacy and destroy the
confidentiality of medical, social work and legal records.
Doctors, schools
and the police will have to alert the database to a wide range of
"concerns". Two warning flags on a child's record could start an
investigation.
There will also be
a system of targets and performance indicators for children's development.
Children's services have been told to work together to make sure that targets
are met. Child care academics, practitioners and policy experts attending a
conference at the London
School of Economics will
express concern about how the system will work.
Dr Eileen Munro, of the LSE, said that if a child caused concern by
failing to make progress towards state targets, detailed information would be
gathered. That would include subjective judgments such as … Is the parent providing a positive
role model… , as well as sensitive information such as a parent's mental health. "They include consuming five portions
of fruit and veg a day, which I am baffled how they
will measure," she said. "The country is moving from 'parents are
free to bring children up as they think best as long as they are not abusive or
neglectful' to a more coercive 'parents must bring children up to conform to
the state's views of what is best'."
The Children Act 2004 gave the Government the powers to create the
database. Experts fear that genuine
cases of neglect will be missed in the mass of detail. "When you are looking for a needle in a
haystack, is it necessary to keep building bigger haystacks?" said
Jonathan Bamford, the assistant commissioner at the
Information Commissioner's office, which promotes access to official
information and the protection of personal information. Keeping check on 11 million or 12 million
children, when the justification for the database was that three or four
million were in some way "at risk", was "not proportionate",
he said.
"The cause for
concern indicator against a child's record is expressed in very broad language.
For example, it could be cause for concern that a child is not progressing well
towards his or her French GCSE."
Arch, the children's rights organisation, was
also worried. It said: "Government databases have a dreadful record."
It was revealed
this year that more than half a million children had been entered on a DNA
database created to record known offenders, even though many had never been
charged with an offence. Eight-year-old
Victoria Climbié died in 2000 while living with her
aunt, Marie-Therese Kouao, and her aunt's boyfriend,
Carl Manning, despite having been seen by dozens of social workers, nurses,
doctors and police officers. The
Department for Education and Skills said: "We need to ensure that
professionals work across service boundaries for the benefit of children.
"Our proposals
balance the need to do everything we can to improve children's life chances
whilst ensuring strong safeguards to make sure that information stored is minimal,
secure and used appropriately.
"Parents and young people will be able to ask to see their data and
make amendments and will retain full rights under the Data Protection
Act."
*************
Spending
Increases Don't Improve Student Achievement
Lori Drummer,
School Reform News, May 1, 2006
On February 23, the American
Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) released the 12th edition of its annual Report
Card on American Education: A State-by-State Analysis,
by Andrew T. LeFevre (who also contributes to School
Reform News). http://www.alec.org/meSWFiles/pdf/Report_Card_on_American_Education.pdf
The handbook assesses the academic achievement rates and public education
investments of the 2003-04 school year and measures changes in these indicators
over the past two decades. ……….As has
been the case with previous editions, this version of the Report Card found no evident correlation
between improved student achievement and increasing education spending or
lowering student-teacher ratios…. Article continues at the following
website: http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=18917
*************
Doug Buck, buckscorner@cox.net
Wethersfield
Eminent Domain
June 26, 2006
The problem is with congress and the
legislature. The executive can
only enforce laws--should anyway. The supreme court
also made the
correct decision in the matter by leaving it with the states. They were
not in favor of evicting anyone, but it was a state's matter.
The state legislature must make a proper law protecting homeowners from
this theft. The governor is also not to blame, although she should have
stated her position better, "I do not make laws, I
enforce them. Please
write a law to protect our homeowners," she should have said.
President
Bush's involvement is pure politics. He really has no authority to
issue an executive order to impose upon a state's matter. His
involvement is another example of creeping nationalism, another blow to
our founding principles. (People do not understand the Constitution.)
I blame our legislators. They are in the pockets of their cronies, or
cowards, or both. The state legislature should make a law prohibiting
the vile practice. What happened to the the one
they were writing?
Doug Buck, Wethersfield
*************
Clout-heavy
restaurant firms didn't pay property taxes: suit
June 26, 2006 , Chicago Sun Times
BY STEVE
PATTERSON AND CHRIS
FUSCO Staff Reporters
Restaurant companies linked to political insider Antoin "Tony" Rezko
that shut down three eateries at O'Hare Airport after being accused of
minority-business fraud now have another problem: A lawsuit alleges they didn't
pay their property taxes. http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-rezko26.html
*************
Thank you to Judy Aron of West Hartford imjfaron@sbcglobal.net for forwarding
this information to us on the List of Major
High Court Cases -Some Supreme Court cases still to be decided and the
issues involved. Judy is a great
researcher and has provided a wealth of information to all FCTO members and
friends…. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SCOTUS_MAJOR_CASES?SITE=7219&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2006-06-24-09-01-47
*************
Judy Aron, imjfaron@sbcglobal.net
Medicaid Proof
of Citizenship
June 15, 2006
It's about time.. let's thank the government for demanding proof (finally !!)
but look at what
VOICES has put out (they are proponents of Mental Health Testing for all and
Universal preschool) they believe this is a "burden"... do they not
know what a burden illegal aliens have had on our social welfare systems? 
Full
Report (407.06K) I think it is
atrocious that we are giving aid to illegals but it
is appalling that social welfare is even given to non citizens!!
Especially as we struggle to pay for health care for our own families, after
being taxed to death to pay for programs like Medicaid, et
al.
Medicaid Recipients to Need Proof of
Citizenship
June 5, 2006,
Associated Press
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,198311,00.html
WASHINGTON — Tens
of millions of low-income Americans will soon have to show their birth
certificates or U.S.
passports if they want to obtain health care through their state Medicaid
programs
*************
Steve Hallquist, bluespiper@sbcglobal.net
New London
In the midst of the all the turmoil over Fort Trumbull in
the past month, I thought it would be good to share something a little more on
the lighter side. Here's a story for the ages.
A city boy, Kenny, moved to the country and bought a
donkey from an old
farmer for $100. The farmer agreed to
deliver the donkey the next day. The
next day the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad news. The
donkey died." Kenny replied,
"Well then, just give me my money back." The farmer said, "Can't do that. I went
and spent it already." Kenny said,
"OK then, just unload the donkey." The farmer asked, "What ya gonna do with him?"
Kenny: "I'm going to raffle him off."
Farmer: "You can't raffle off a dead donkey!" Kenny: "Sure I can. Watch me. I just
won't tell anybody he is dead."
A month later the farmer met up with Kenny and asked, "What happened with that dead donkey?" Kenny: "I raffled him off. I sold 500
tickets at two dollars a piece and made a profit of $898.00." Farmer: "Didn't anyone
complain?" Kenny: "Just the
guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back." Kenny grew up and eventually became the
chairman of Enron.
*************
Bob White, RNW@cox.net
Subject: CT Taxes
June 17, 2006
I think there should be more focus on taking the
dependence of towns off property tax!!
This forces Sprawl/Development!! Competition between
towns to get un-needed big box stores.
Your union busting stance ("reduce state mandated expenses")
contributes to "the race to the bottom" - "World Trade"
stuff & this are helping to move us to 3rd World status, & make
super-powers out of India
& China!
*************
Some execs get free coverage after
they retire
April 13, 2006, By Ellen E. Schultz and Theo Francis, The Wall Street Journal
At a time when companies are scaling back health benefits
for other retirees, former top executives at many corporations are receiving
partial or full lifetime medical coverage on top of pensions valued at millions
of dollars, a Wall Street Journal analysis of dozens of recent securities
filings indicates. Continued at following website: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06103/681899-28.stm
*************
EXCELLENT –
CLICK AND READ: Property taxes should be abolished
Patriot-News - Harrisburg,PA,USA
You think I jest when I say government owns your property? What happens to your home if you fail to pay the levied property taxes? ...
*************
Senate
Bill Could Eliminate School Property
Taxes
North Country Gazette - Chestertown,NY,USA
... what is being hailed as
major property tax reform
legislation that could result in the complete elimination of residential school
property taxes in school ...
See
all stories on this topic
*************
Jeanne Picard,
JPicard@99main.com
Canterbury
RE: Eminent Domain
June 24, 2006
Susan,
I have a suggestion that will eliminate all of this uncertainty
as to the direction we hope our elected officials will take if we
contact them. There are too many politicians today who have been bought
by the corporate sector. Look how the Connecticut legislature responded to eminent
domain in this last session -- or rather how they didn't respond. There
is no way you could convince me that the non-action on this issure
wasn't deliberate. And there is no way you could convince me that they
didn't know how hugely important this issue was to the citizens of the state to
have their property protected from seizure by special interests with the help
of local officials. Our esteemed legislators thought it was more
important to pass legislation making soda unavailable to students in their
schools rather on people losing their homes to rich and powerful corporate
entities. I think it is Colorado that
has passed the most restrictive eminent domain law in the
country. (That would have to be checked because I don't know if I am
remembering correctly.) I suggest that this law be put on a petition and
signatures be collected to put the issue on the ballot for the mid-term
elections. It could be made really simple. Here's the law. It
will be put on the books in Connecticut.
Yes or No. The issue would go directly to the
voters and the politicians, the corporations and the lobbyists would be
forced out of the loop. And they would certainly be sent a message.
The petition could be put on the internet with the address right on the
petition. That way anyone could download a petition and collect
signatures. People could also log on to find the signature count and
actually see the progress. All of the
energy and time used to harp on people to contact their elected officials could
go into collecting signatures. I know a lot of people who did contact
their state legislators for this eminent domain issue and they saw their
efforts go no where. There is also another whole group of people out
there that I know who I urged to contact their legislators and they just said,
"Why bother? They're not going to do anything." or
"They're not going to listen to me. They're going to do what they
want no matter what I say." or
"Why? It won't do any good." They were right, weren't
they? But I bet all of these same people would put their name on a
petition if it was stuck under their nose, especially if they knew if enough
signatures were collected it would go directly before the voters and bypass the
politicians. And if the citizens of Connecticut know the question is coming up
on the ballot it would have the effect of causing more people to register to
vote and making the effort to show up at the voting booth. This issue
would be resolved this November, in just over 4 months. Eliminate the politicians, the corporations
and the lobbyists and put the issue directly before the people. I think
that's where the energy and effort should go. With around 95% or more of
the voters in favor of this legislation the required number of signatures
would come in like wildfire. Jeanne Picard Canterbury
*************
Click to View Report
House
approves bill limiting growth in property
taxes
Eyewitness
News - East Providence,RI,USA
PROVIDENCE, RI (AP) -- The House of Representatives early Saturday
overwhelmingly passed a bill aimed at providing property tax relief for state residents by ...
See
all stories on this topic
*************
Marvin Edelman, marvined@earthlink.net
Windham Taxpayers
Association
Eminent Domain:
Letter to Susette Kelo and
Pasquale Cristofaro
June 24, 2006
The following note went out today to Susette Kelo and Pasquale Cristofaro along with a copy of the Windham Republican Town
Committee resolution of 7-13-2005 on the issue of eminent domain. Marvin
Dear Susette and Pasquale
and Familes,
However you resolve the seizure of your property by
the government of the city of New London, you
deserve the thanks and praise of every property owner in Connecticut and the entire country.
The Supreme Court of the United States made a terribly wrong
decision on the issue of eminent domain in 2005, and one day that decision will
be rescinded. We have informed Governor
M. Jodi Rell that we have been disappointed with her
tepid leadership in this matter and her reckless offer of our state money as an
additional pay-off.
Some news reporters continue to misunderstand or
misrepresent the issue. It is not that
we oppose the application of eminent domain in every case of economic
development. Municipal and state
statutory power should not be used to assist in the seizure of private property
for the financial benefit of another private person or corporation without the
acceptance and approval by the original owner.
We were present at the rally on June 5, 2005, along
with William Rood of North Windham, president of the Windham/Willimantic
Taxpayers Association, and Susan Kniep, president of
the Federation of Connecticut
Taxpayer Organizations.
Sincerely, Eunice and Marvin Edelman
202 Scotland Road
Windham Center, CT 06280
23 June 2006
*************
Natalie Sirkin, GNSirkin@aol.com
Private
Property Rights Protection Act of 2005.
June 23, 2006
Your last tax talk stated “This bill is called the Private Property
Rights Protection Act of 2005. “The Institute of Justice Informs us
that “This bill will cut off federal economic development funding for
governments using the power of eminent domain to take property and transfer it
for private commercial development. “It will strongly discourage the
large numbers of abuses we are now seeing in the wake of Kelo.”
I heard yesterday (Fri) on radio that someone, probably
the President, has declared NO eminent domain in the entire country (for some
period?). I thought I heard some time ago that
the new London
Council backed off from taking the Kelo house. Evidently that was wrong.
No issue has riled up the country more since the port
issue. Even the immigration issue has not had the immediate black effect
as eminent domain. Glad to see you are involved in it. We must watch Dodd.
Natalie Sirkin
*************
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