Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations

Connecticut loses out on Race to the Top funds�� Charles J. Lewis, Hearst Newspapers December 17, 2011� WASHINGTON -- Connecticut failed to win the "Race to the Top" competition for early learning education funding and ranked 20th among the 37 applicants, according to contest results released Friday.

The state flunked in ��.�� Validating the effectiveness of the state tiered quality rating and improvement system. (7 points out of a possible 15.)�� Developing a workforce knowledge and competency framework and a progression of credentials. (23.6 points out of a possible 40.)�� Read the complete article at �� http://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Connecticut-loses-out-on-Race-to-the-Top-funds-2407406.php

New state report on education inequities has New Haven authorities fired up� By Jim Shelton, Register Staff� jshelton@nhregister.com / Twitter: @jimboshelton�� The report, �Equity in Education: A Transformational Approach,� is a sweeping indictment of racial disparities in graduation rates, school discipline, achievement and placement in special education programs. The State Education Resource Center, a nonprofit organization supported by the Connecticut Department of Education, released the report Friday. The public can read it online at equity.ctserc.com� Continued at �.. http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/12/18/news/new_haven/doc4eee9083c413f683353271.txt?viewmode=default

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SEC sues former Fannie and Freddie execs for fraud �� Dec 16, 2011 By Kevin G. Hall | McClatchy Newspapers� WASHINGTON � The Securities and Exchange Commission announced a dramatic lawsuit on Friday alleging that six former top executives of mortgage finance titans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac committed fraud by authorizing misleading statements about their balance sheets.�� Fannie and Freddie were congressionally chartered private companies with implicit government backing until they were put into government receivership by the Bush administration in September 2008.� That move came at the start of a global financial crisis that has proved to be the worst since the Great Depression. The financial crisis was triggered by excessive subprime mortgages given to the weakest borrowers, and former Fannie and Freddie executives now stand accused of deliberately misleading about their exposure to these subprime loans.� Continued at �. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/12/16/133328/sec-sues-former-fannie-and-freddie.html

Scrutiny grows on Newt Gingrich after SEC sues former Freddie Mac,

Fannie Mac execs� Boston Globe ��Dec 16, 2011 WASHINGTON -- Since resigning from Congress in 1999, Gingrich has written books and built a consulting business that has received about $55 million in client fees, including from Freddie Mac.�� Continued at �.. http://www.boston.com/Boston/politicalintelligence/2011/12/scrutiny-grows-newt-gingrich-after-sec-sues-former-freddie-mac-fannie-mae-execs/WjhSK9tBa6fdy99X2eCAhP/index.html

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Capping U.S. Withdrawal, Final Convoy Leaves Iraq

By TIM ARANGO and MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT�� Published: December 18, 2011�� BAGHDAD � The last convoy of American troops to leave Iraq drove into Kuwait on Sunday morning, marking the end of the nearly nine-year war. The convoy�s departure, which included about 110 vehicles and 500 soldiers, came three days after the American military folded its flag in a muted ceremony here to celebrate the end of its mission. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/19/world/middleeast/last-convoy-of-american-troops-leaves-iraq.html?hp

Interactive: Leaving Iraq | The Final Days

As Wars End, Veterans Return to Scant Jobs

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Health Care Law Will Let States Tailor Benefits� New York Times, By ROBERT PEAR, �12/17/2011 12:24:32 AM ET�� New York Times 2011-12-17T05:24:32� By giving states the discretion to specify essential benefits, the Obama administration sought to deflect one of the most powerful arguments made by Republican critics of President Obama�s health care overhaul � that it was imposing a rigid, bureaucrat-controlled health system on Americans and threatening the quality of care. Continued at �. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45705740/ns/politics-the_new_york_times/

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U.S. Sues To Recover $446 Million From Hezbollah-Connected Firms

by Sebastian Rotella / @propublica / Dec 15, 2011

Federal prosecutors fired another broadside Thursday in a massive case accusing the Hezbollah militant group of financing itself through the global drug trade, filing a civil money laundering case [1] against a Lebanese bank and a network of Hezbollah-connected companies, including U.S. shipping and used-car firms.

The 66-page complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York details a sprawling conspiracy in which Hezbollah figures and their associates in the United States, Lebanon, Africa and South America allegedly generated and laundered hundreds of millions of dollars from cocaine smuggling.

The complaint seeks $446 million in forfeiture assets from the companies, including the Lebanese Canadian Bank SAL of Beirut, which allegedly served until this year as the hub of an illicit financing apparatus that pumped drug cash into the coffers of Hezbollah [2]. The bank, already hit by U.S. Treasury Department sanctions in February, allowed Hezbollah figures to move huge amounts of cash with little or no oversight, authorities say.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents believe the Shiite militant organization, a powerful force in the Lebanese government despite its bloody history of terrorism against the West and Israel, received at least $100 million a year from the criminal enterprise, according to a U.S. antidrug official. Continued at �..� http://www.propublica.org/article/u.s.-sues-to-recover-446-million-from-hezbollah-connected-firms

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AP data: States shed thousands of public employees - Boston.com� By Erik Schelzig� Associated Press / December 18, 2011� See Reference to Connecticut �Read complete article at��

http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2011/12/18/ap_data_states_shed_thousands_of_public_employees/?page=1

Was it extreme damage or was it negligence?
Chris Powell, Journal Inquirer ��.. Governor Malloy was obliged to point out that three years ago the state Department of Public Utility Control had specifically approved CL&P's repair staff level. ��Read complete article at http://www.journalinquirer.com/articles/2011/11/07/chris_powell/doc4eb7f13923cf3970089220.txt

Foreclosures spread to suburbs� December 18, 2011

Play CBS Video Foreclosures spread to suburbs

Profits and Questions at Online Charter Schools

CONNECTICUT:� Lawmaker Defends Bond Commission Vote� by Christine Stuart | Dec 16, 2011 Gov. Dannel P. Malloy thought he had caught Sen. Andrew Roraback, R-Goshen, in a flip-flop on earmarks at Friday�s state Bond Commission meeting, but Rorback said that his voting record is consistent with his principles. Roraback voted against $50,000 in funding to help the Chatham Historical Society repair its roof, but he voted for spending $243,410 on fire safety and environmental repairs for the Department of Developmental Services Northwest Center in Torrington, a town he represents. Malloy didn�t see the difference, aside from the fact that one item was in his district while the other wasn�t.�� Continued at �.. http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/ctnj.php/archives/entry/lawmaker_defends_bond_commission_vote/

Insider Trading Is Illegal, Just Not on Capitol Hill - NYTimes.com

House Republican leaders have foolishly sidetracked a bipartisan ethics bill in Congress to ban members from using inside information they gain in private hearings and discussions in stock trades. Insider trading is illegal generally, but Congress�s apparent exception from the ban was never a concern on Capitol Hill until a recent report on �60 Minutes� questioned whether various members were profiting from back-room knowledge.�� Continued at �.. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/15/opinion/insider-trading-is-illegal-just-not-on-capitol-hill.html

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Indefinite Military Detention Measure Passes On Bill Of Rights Day

WASHINGTON -- The Senate passed a defense bill Thursday that authorizes indefinite detentions of American terrorism suspects, coincidentally acting on the controversial measure on the 220th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights.

The bill, the National Defense Authorization Act, passed 86 to 13 and is expected to be signed quickly by President Obama, who withdrew a veto threat against the bill Wednesday. Six Democrats, six Republicans and one independent opposed the bill.

Though the legislation passed overwhelmingly, several senators argued that it was threatening fundamental provisions of the Bill of Rights, which is celebrated every Dec. 15.

"We as Americans have a right to a speedy trial, not indefinite detention," said Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.). "We as Americans have a right to a jury of our peers, which I would argue is ... not enlisted or military personnel sitting in a jury. You cannot search our businesses or place of business or our homes without probable cause under the Bill of Rights." Continued at �.. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/15/indefinite-military-detention-bill-passes_n_1152114.html

Bill Summary & Status - 112th Congress (2011 - 2012) - S.1867 ...

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Up Next -- Education Unions' Plans to Reform Schools ��By Jacqueline Rabe Thomas �Dec 19, 2011 CTMirror.org - �Continued at �� http://www.ctmirror.org/story/14835/next-education-unions-plans-reform-schools

BBC News - The scandal of the Alabama poor cut off from water

Banks stand to lose millions of dollars in debt repayments if the biggest municipal bankruptcy in American history is allowed to proceed. But the real victims of the financial collapse in the US state of Alabama's most populous county are its poorest residents - forced to bathe in bottled water and use portable toilets after being cut off from the mains supply. Continued at �. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16037798

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