Seven years ago, the Connecticut General Assembly adopted the Citizens Election Program. As a result of that monumental action,Connecticut put in place a campaign finance system that would ensure our citizens enjoyed the fairest, cleanest and most honest campaigns in the nation.
With a national election and campaign finance system spiraling out of control and increasingly under the control of special interests,Connecticut actually stood up and took an action that would serve as the national model for what can and should be done to promote true democracy.
And yet, over the past year Connecticut's Democratic elected officials have done more damage to this extraordinary law than the Republicans have been able to do over the past seven years.
What we have witnessed is nothing short of a dishonest effort to destroy Connecticut's best-in-the-nation public financing program and to do it in a way that our state's Democratic leaders could attempt to defend themselves by saying don't blame me, I'm not the one who put the knife through the program's heart.
Looks like Mayor Taco will allow his "allegedly" racist BFF Police Chief Len Gallo to walk out the door with over 150,000 in benefits by allowing him to resign as opposed to having to top cop face termination.
Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr. said Friday on retiring Chief of Police Leonard Gallo's last official day on the job that he will not terminate Gallo as the Board of Police Commissioners has requested.
"After consultation with legal counsel for the town, I have decided that it is in the best interest of the town of East Haven that that the town decline to terminate Chief Gallo's employment," Maturo said.
Maturo's outrageous behavior seems to have no end...and in the end, taxpayers of East Haven will be forced to pick up the tab.
Susan G. Komen for the Cure said today it was retreating from a decision to cut funding to Planned Parenthood, which provides abortion and birth control services, and apologized for a move that thrust the world's largest breast cancer charity into a deeply politicized controversy.
"We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities," Komen said in a statement.
It's too bad that this situation happened in the first place as politics has NO business in breast cancer screening for those in need.
UPDATE (12:40 PM): Senator Richard Blumenthal released the following...
"This decision is a resounding victory for women's health care. Komen's reversal is a response to an overwhelming outpouring of support for women's health - which I was proud to be a part of. I applaud this decision to reconsider this damaging policy and restore Komen's partnership with Planned Parenthood, a trusted and effective provider of health services for millions of women across the country. Now more than ever, we must resist and reject baseless, ideological attacks on women's health care from extreme, right wing political groups. I look forward to continuing to work to ensure that every woman, regardless of income, has access to the vital health services she deserves. "
I applaud @KomenCT for continuing to honor their commitment to #PlannedParenthood: http://bit.ly/Ad9gwE #rightthingtodo
Dem. 5th Dist. Congressional candidate Elizabeth Esty released the following:
"I am very pleased that the Komen Foundation has reversed its decision and will continue to allow Planned Parenthood to apply for grants to provide vital health services for women. The public attention to this matter underscores the importance of women's health and the broad public support for ensuing that women's healthcare is affordable and accessible. It is also a solemn reminder that we must stand together in the fight and a testament to the strength and depth of support for these crucial rights."
When the officers were arraigned last month, U.S. Magistrate Holly Fitzsimmons indicated their next court apperance would not be until March 15. But Judge Alvin Thompson, who will now oversee the case, ordered the officers and their attorneys to appear in his court Thursday.
[...]
U.S. Attorney David Fein has said that the investigation was continuing and more arrests could be coming. An order filed by federal prosecutors on Thursday, which seeks to protect documents that may be turned over during discovery, seems to indicate that either a wtiness wore a wire or phones were tapped.
Prosecutors are asking Thompson to order the four defense attorneys not to disclose any "recorded conversations," taped statements or transcripts of interviews to anyone but their staff and clients. The reason for the order is to protect the on-going investigation because uncharged individuals are referred to in the documents and also because many of the documents are also part of an on-going civil rights lawsuit against the town.
I can't wait to watch the other shoe to drop in this case
Michael P. Lawlor, the state's undersecretary for Criminal Justice and Planning, said Wednesday evening that the state may examine the convictions of defendants who were arrested by the four local police officers now facing federal charges stemming from a racial-profiling investigation.
"These four officers are very tainted -- in essence they were lying in police reports," said Lawlor, a former prosecutor and state legislator from East Haven. "Assuming that's all substantiated, [the state] will consider opening those cases back up."
Lawlor noted that that state does have authority to act in such situations, and is evaluating all possibilities.
"We're reviewing our options with the hope of announcing something as soon as possible," he said.
A clergy group, representing thousands of parishioners in New Haven and Fairfield counties, is asking that all convictions since 2008 based on arrests by four indicted police officers in East Haven be reviewed and thrown out if tied to misconduct and racial profiling.
The group specifically asked Wednesday that someone other than state's Attorney Michael Dearington conduct the review, because it claims he failed in 2009 to take action on the conflict between a videotape of the arrest of the Rev. James Manship and the police report describing it.
The East Haven Board of Police Commissioners in 2010 wrote to Chief State's Attorney Kevin Kane asking for documentation on the case based on statements from Police Chief Leonard Gallo that Dearington's office had determined that the "officers' reports were acceptable."
The commissioners wanted to know if the report was "accurate and truthful," given the conflicting videotape.
[...]
"Since Father Manship's arrest, everyone has known that the police report simply didn't match what was recorded on tape, yet no one has taken action that could have prevented continued misconduct by the officers in question," said Rabbi Robert Orkand of Temple Israel in Westport.
"We believe the state's attorney has an obligation to vacate all convictions resulting from the police breaking the law," Orkand said. "We believe that that particular office, the state's attorney office (Dearington's), is a rather weak one without a great deal of power and so our hope is someone other than the person sitting in that chair could investigate what has been done up until now."
East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr. needs to resign his elected position as leader of the shoreline town of 28,000.
His lack of alarm about the alleged actions of his police department, in which four officers have been indicted for alleged civil rights violations, and his crass comment about the town's Latino community are enough to prove he is not worthy to lead.
[...]
The fact that the mayor would use the image of "tacos" to slur an entire ethnicity also shows a lack of understanding that Latino refers to many different origins -- such as Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico and Puerto Rico -- with varied traditions and customs.
Maturo, a former firefighter in town, was mayor from 1997 until narrowly losing re-election 10 years later. In 2011, he won the office back in a recount.
What political party he represents does not matter. Maturo should be representing no one. He must step down.
Sen. Minority Leader John McKinney, R-Fairfield, and Tom Swan, head of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group, rarely agree on policy matters.
But Swan this evening backed up McKinney's call for legislative Democrats to convene an informational hearing on the Department of Revenue Services' announcement Monday the agency has replaced tax refund checks with JPMorgan Chase debit cards.
"Why are banks able to profit off people's refunds?" Swan - no fan of big banking institutions -said.
According to state Treasurer Denise Nappier, the contract with the partnership of Chase and Bridgeport-based People's United Bank is worth $25,000. There are, however, no fees for using the cards at Chase and People's ATMs. Fees of $1.50 will be applied at other ATMS after three uses.
Sullivan and Nappier maintain the debit cards are more secure than checks, more convenient and will also cut the state's administrative costs by an estimated $290,000.
Swan continued, "This is the type of thing that should be discussed and shared in a public way ... Kevin Sullivan should not just be able to go off and do this without any public process."
Is poor little rich girl Linda McMahon being taken for another very expensive ride by cynical political hired guns?
After all, Republican consulting gurus like Connecticut's Pat Sullivan stand to make a lot of money (again) as long as McMahon continues her self-funded quest for the U.S. Senate.
A call to action from CCAG.
Finish the Job on Health Care! Visibility Action
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 (Opening Day of the 2012 Legislative Session)
8:30 AM to 1:30 PM
visibility action
State Capitol -- Hartford
Join CCAG and healthcare4every1 for all or part of the day! There will be coordinated activities throughout the day to make sure that health care reform work gets done in 2012. Help send a message to Governor Malloy and the General Assembly that health are reform needs to be finished.
Come to Legislative Office Building Room 2600 - 2nd floor of the Legislative Office Building to check in and get your assignment.
Call CCAG Political Director John Murphy 860-233-2181 X311 or healthcare4every1 203-639-0550 x 314.
Tell us what time you will join us on February 8th and how long you can stay.
Today, Senator Richard Blumenthal announced his support for The Paying a Fair Share Act, a proposal introduced by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) that will adjust the tax rate for those so that individuals who make over 1 million dollars a year (including revenue from capitol gains and dividends) pay taxes that are more in proportion to taxes paid by working families.
Press release:
Last week, in his State of the Union address, President Obama said: "Tax reform should follow the Buffett Rule." Today, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced legislation to make that goal a reality and put an end to a tax policy that often asks middle class workers to pay higher tax rates than individuals earning more than $1 million per year.
The Paying a Fair Share Act, which is cosponsored by Senators Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Mark Begich (D-AK), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) would ensure that multi-million-dollar earners pay at least a 30 percent effective tax rate, just as President Obama proposed.
"It's time to give middle class families in Rhode Island and across the country the straight deal they deserve," said Whitehouse, who began drafting the legislation several months ago. "As we continue working to restore our economy, it's more important than ever to make sure all Americans are paying their fair share toward our nation's success - and right now that just isn't happening. It's inexcusable that our tax system permits ultra-high income earners to pay a lower tax rate than a truck driver or a janitor, and this legislation would help fix that unfair system."
Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) said: "This bill is about fairness. It's simply not right that some millionaires pay a lower tax rate than hardworking middle-class families, and like President Obama said in the State of the Union, we must fix it now. We cannot ignore the fact that tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans added nearly a trillion dollars to the debt over the last decade, and the Congressional Budget Office released a report yesterday showing that these tax breaks will continue to push deficits to unsafe levels. Passing this bill would mark a strong first step toward achieving a tax code that returns to the core America values of fairness and shared responsibility."
"As one of the Senate's strongest advocates for comprehensive tax reform, I'm a firm believer that our tax code is broken and our nation's top earners need to pay their fair share," said Sen. Begich. "There's no reason why an Alaska fisherman or teacher should be paying a higher tax rate than a millionaire or billionaire. It makes no sense. Right now our top earners have a special status compared to middle class Alaska families who depend on earned incomes and it's time to seek fairness."
Blumenthal said, "The biggest earners should do their fair share - that basic American principle is our goal. I will fight for fairness in our tax code, with this measure as our first step. Hardworking families deserve this measure, and no less."
"This legislation is a strong first step toward rebuilding the middle class by restoring a measure of fairness to our tax code. In our unbalanced economy, we must provide a tax code that represent the needs of our country, with respect to equality and fairness to our society as a whole," said Harkin. "By ensuring that the wealthiest among us pay their fair share, we will be better able to afford critical investments in education, infrastructure, and innovation that can rebuild a strong, vibrant middle class."
Senator Patrick Leahy said, "While hard-working Vermont families and small businesses are struggling to make ends meet in a difficult economy, tax fairness has continued to erode, benefitting the wealthiest one percent at the expense of the rest of the country. By now a large proportion of millionaires pay a smaller percentage of their income than do a large share of moderate-income taxpayers. As we grapple with large budget deficits worsened by the Bush tax cuts and two wars overseas, it is just common sense that those who have benefitted the most shoulder their fair share of the burden."
Sen. Bernie Sanders said, "With a record-breaking $15 trillion national debt and a growing gap between the very rich and everyone else, it is absolutely absurd that the wealthiest people in the country are paying the lowest effective tax rate in decades. There is no excuse for millionaires and billionaires to have an effective tax rate lower than middle-class families. If we are serious about addressing this deficit crisis, it is imperative that we have a tax system which is fair and which asks the wealthiest people in our country to pay their fair share."
Whitehouse has pointed out in Senate speeches that the top 400 earners in America paid an average effective tax rate of just 18.2 percent in 2008. President Obama often cites the example of Warren Buffett, who has famously highlighted that he pays a lower tax rate than his secretary.
Whitehouse's legislation would apply only to taxpayers with income over $1 million - including capital gains and dividends. Taxpayers earning over $2 million would be subject to a 30% minimum federal tax rate. The tax would be phased in for incomes between $1 million and $2 million, with those taxpayers paying a portion of the extra tax required to get them to a 30% effective tax rate. The bill also includes language to preserve the incentive for charitable giving.
The legislation is expected to reduce the deficit by tens of billions of dollars, and is currently awaiting a score by the Joint Committee on Taxation.
Maybe it was the fresh mountain air of Switzerland or maybe it was the realization their approach wasn't working, but over the last 48 hours we've seen the Malloy Administration make a significant shift in the way they are talking about the state's problems and Malloy's record to date.
For months, Governor Dannel Malloy, Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management Ben Barnes and Chief Advisor Roy Occhiogrosso have been diligently sticking to their message that Connecticut's fiscal health is back on track and all will be well.
In recent weeks, even when Comptroller Kevin Lembo raised specific concerns about the health of the state budget, even when Moody's Investment Service downgraded Connecticut's Bond Rating, even when the Legislature's non-partisan Office of Fiscal Analysis determined that Connecticut's state budget actually had a deficit and not a surplus and even when OFA determined that Malloy's purported pension savings were completely off base, the Malloy Administration claimed that they were right and everyone else was wrong.
A couple of months ago, Ben Barnes, Malloy's Budget Chief reported that "the enacted budget returns the state to structural balance for the foreseeable future, with operating surpluses projected in each year of the biennium. We are projecting a General Fund balance of $79.1 million this month, an improvement of $3.5 million from last month's estimate" " Ben Barnes 11-15-2011
In December Barnes said things were even better claiming "we are projecting a General Fund balance of $83.7 million this month, an improvement of $4.6 million from last month's estimate, and $8.7 million above the amount reserved per Sec.46 of Public Act 11‐48 to address the GAAP deficit." Ben Barnes 12-20-2011
Just a few weeks later, when Moody's downgraded the state's budget rating, Barnes' retort was "Moody's is wrong in its analysis of the state's finances, and wrong to change Connecticut's credit rating...Connecticut has done all the right things to shore up our finances, and Moody's has responded with a downgrade intended to satisfy their internal corporate need to deflect attention from their historic lack of credibility." Ben Barnes 1/20/2012
Malloy's chief message advisor, Roy Occhiogrosso went so far as to claim "this Governor has played no gimmicks whatsoever with the state's finances. None. Thanks to Gov. Malloy the state is keeping its books honestly, for the first time ever, and meeting its obligations completely" Roy Occhiogrosso 1/20/2012
The Malloy Administration was clear. They were right and Moody's was wrong. In fact, Moody made this wrong decision to make up for their role in causing the Great Recession.
Days later, as word spread that state revenues were down and the promised state surplus had suddenly become a state deficit, the Governor's Communication Director announced that OFA was wrong and that "Secretary Barnes is confident in OPM's numbers," Andrew Doba 1/25/012
A day later, Governor Malloy added "We're confident based on current numbers that we're dealing with that we'll end in the black...We think that we're going to recognize the savings we have built in the budget" Dan Malloy 1/26/2012
At one point OPM even went so far as to say that the surplus was real and everyone else was wrong.
Their claim? The state's $20 billion dollar budget actually had a surplus of $1 million.
And finally, last week when OFA announced that the Malloy/SEBAC pension changes would fall billions short of the number the administration had promised, Barnes shot back that OFA's analysts were "logically incorrect" adding "While we respect the capabilities of the legislature's Office of Fiscal Analysis, they are not actuaries; their analysis of the pension fund is flawed," Ben Barnes 1/27/2012
Their message was clear, concise and consistent. We're right and anyone who questions us is not only wrong, but they are "logically incorrect," have no credibility or are simply idiots.
Faced with reality, their message never appeared particularly useful or sophisticated but it certainly seemed to make them feel good. It was a reminder of the scene from the 1986 movie Matilda where Harry Wormwood (played by Danny DeVito) tells his kid "I'm smart, you're dumb; I'm big, you're little; I'm right, you're wrong, and there's nothing you can do about it."
And so it went until a few days ago when the Malloy Administration made a profound change to their message.
MLN is powered by