Connecticut's Only Concern:Salaries, Benefits, Pensions and Debt

For those who are actually able to decipher Connecticut's state budget and short and long term debt issues one may want to put a for sale sign in front of their house immediately and move.  For those of us who choose to fight both parties and remain to take back Connecticut this year one must comprehend the economic Armageddon that may take place if spending is not brought under control.  Currently Connecticut has between $60 and $80 billion dollars in short and long term debt along  with unfunded liabilities.  For every $1 of tax money raised .35 cents of it goes to salaries, benefits, pension and debt.  That means .65 cents is allowed to be spent for actual operations of the state.  Thus one may see more clearly the economic mess the state is in since 1/3 of the state budget is spent only on salaries, benefits, pensions and debt.  To further the economic short fall in the future state pensions have accelerated at massive pace.  According to a recent report and article issued by the Hartford Courant and the Yankee Institute there are now over 1400 former state employees who receive pensions of over $100,000 a year in 2016 as compared to just 110 former state employees eight years ago.  Connecticut state employee pensions can include overtime worked along with car and travel expenses to boost up this amount.  The IRS defines the highest pension that can be received is $215,000.  This does not matter to former UConn business professor John F. Viega who gets over $300,000 a year in his pension.  His pension violates IRS law but nothing is done about it.  This is not allowed in the private sector where most employees must be enrolled in a 401K type pension along with their meager amount of Social Security they receive.  The private sector pension benefits are minimal compared to the generous Connecticut Taxpayer funded benefits that have helped enrich Connecticut's political ruling class for years now. 
Connecticut candidates for Governor especially on the Democrat side have avoided the subject of every $1 of tax money raised .35 cents of it goes to salaries, benefits, pension and debt.  They choose to look for new ways to raise taxes the most common Utopian one being car and truck tolls everywhere in the state.  Connecticut already has one the highest tax rates in the country with little to show for it so I guess the economic logic is raise them even more than they are now.  Don't bother to reign in the every $1 of tax money raised .35 cents of it goes to salaries, benefits, pension and debt.  That might impact Connecticut's political ruling class and their dictatorial rule in our state economy. 
Connecticut has a complete economic disconnect in its state government.  While many of Connecticut's middle class struggle to survive and while many of Connecticut's super rich move out of state to low tax states like Florida and the Carolina's, Connecticut's political rulers just keep making excuses to raise taxes more to nurture the economic quagmire that continues unabated. 
Something has to give.  There needs to be a complete overhaul of Connecticut's union and non union salary, benefits and pension system and structure.  Connecticut can not survive in the long run spending the amount it does on union and non union salaries, benefits and pensions.  It can not keep borrowing to survive.  No amount of new or higher taxes can raised to offset this excess of spending.  Connecticut will cease to exist as we know it if spending is not brought under control.  And no amount of failed Connecticut Democrat Party Liberalism can save them this election year.

Not Fiscally Sound

Connecticut's Governor Malloy has vetoed a bill this week to reverse eligibility restrictions in the program that would have reduced or eliminated health benefits for an estimated 113,000 seniors and disabled patients.  The bill would have helped those 113,000 people who were stripped of these additional health benefits payments in Malloy's recent deficit ridden budget.   The bill would restore those funds that these 113,000 people use to help pay their Medicare related expenses. The claim that the funding for it was not fiscally sound.  I wonder as a Connecticut Taxpayer what if any of the Democrat and Governor Malloy budgets and or programs has ever been fiscally sound in his rule?  I wonder as a Connecticut Taxpayer what if any of the Democrat and Governor Malloy deals that were made with Connecticut State Employee Unions were fiscally sound?  I wonder as a Connecticut Taxpayer what if any of the Democrat and Governor Malloy numerous tax increases that were supposed to balance the budget were fiscally sound?  I wonder as a Connecticut Taxpayer what if any of the Democrat and Governor Malloy proposed programs on tolls and congestion pricing to drive in Connecticut will be fiscally sound?  I wonder as a Connecticut Taxpayer what if any of the Democrat and Governor Malloy state union and management pension and benefit programs are fiscally sound?
We have a state government that is economically inept.  We have a taxpayer funded state government that enjoys hurting those most in need in our state while embracing political patronage and illegal immigration.
Malloy's veto of this bill should be overridden immediately.  Why does Connecticut's government like to hurt those most vulnerable in our society while embracing those here illegally?
Connecticut's Democrat led government lacks fiscal sense.  They lack economic logic.  This veto of a bill that helps many vulnerable citizens in our economy is yet another example of how the Connecticut Democrat Party feels about its taxpayers and citizens. 

Who Wants To Be Connecticut's Governor?

There are a lot of individuals in Connecticut who want to be Governor.  The crowded field of candidates has to raise money to obtain matching taxpayer funds from our bankrupt state thus one receives at this time an enormous amount of emails with great claims of what each candidate will do for the state.  It is predictable that several of the Democrat candidates for Governor wish to continue the failed policies of the Malloy Administration by urging higher taxes, higher state spending, more nepotism and more debt.  An ex convict, Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim is also running logically ignoring rules and laws in his campaign in true Connecticut Democrat Party fashion.  Hartford's Mayor Luke Bronin obviously feels he is well qualified to be Governor by nursing the city into near bankruptcy only to obtain at the last second a taxpayers bailout and by running on a platform on shoving regionalism down all the fiscally stable towns in the state to bail out the fiscally inept cities.  Ultra liberal Middletown Mayor Dan Drew dropped out after he both ran out of money and had his town committee votes taken away from him recently.
On the Republican side conservative Peter Lumaj is running with a stable platform of lower taxes and lower state spending.  Conservative State Representative Prasad Srinivasan is another excellent candidate.  Other candidates offer the wide array of the more common Republican themes of lower taxes and economic growth ideas. To me several of the candidates are RINO's and they no longer have any objectivity or reason to be voted into office.
Along with this parade of ideologies we also have Republican State Senator Joe Markley running for the Lieutenant Governor position.  Mr. Markley who is one of the most conservative members of the State Senate and in my opinion should receive the nomination without hesitation.  I am sure many of the RINO's of the Republican Party will do whatever they can to block his nomination during the convention. 
Connecticut in this coming election needs to become conservative and frugal whether they like it or not.  Connecticut's state government needs to save every cent it can to start to address its incredible $60 to $80 billion dollars of short and long term debt along with its unfunded liabilities.  How about if someone running for Governor would develop a plan to ask his or her Administration to take pay cuts, opt out of the pension benefit and come up with real world economic solutions to stimulate Connecticut's economy and pay off this debt?  We know the Democrat candidates can not do this.  We know several Republican candidates can such as Peter Lumaj, Prasad Srinivasan and Joe Markley.  Maybe Connecticut voters can support a change finally in the way our state government runs by voting for conservative candidates in November.  Just a thought to save our state from its impending bankruptcy.

Connecticut's Decline In 2018

It is a new year.  Happy New Year to my readers.  It seems for many years now I have seen a gradual decline in Connecticut.  Our state government seems to be working for itself, with a political patronage and spoils system firmly in place.  Elected officials lie and break the law with no repercussions.  We see that no rule of law applies to them.  A constitutional amendment of a legally voted upon state spending cap is ignored then ruled illegal by a Democrat elected official.  Back room deals allow for elected officials to resign and then to be appointed to high paying state jobs with little or no experience for a lifetime.  Both state management and union workers enjoy well above average salaries, benefits and pensions with little oversight.  There are no ramifications when a job is done wrong.  Taxpayers pay for this employment debacle.  Connecticut owes a great deal of money.  It owes between $60 and $80 billion dollars in short and long term debt and unfunded liabilities.  There is no and has never been a plan to pay off this debt.  It is always kicked down the road for future taxpayers to pay off in theory. 
A theme that I have written about for years now is that I do not like government at any level local, state or federal to rip people off especially taxpayers.  Sadly I see numerous articles relating to government corruption and the rip off of local, state and federal taxpayers on a daily basis.  Here in Connecticut this is the path our elected officials in many cities and towns, in Hartford the hub of state government and our pandering and egotistical two United States Senators and five Representatives have taken.  It sickens me.  And I know it sickens many taxpayers here in Connecticut.  Taxpayers are tired of this corruption and daily rip off.  It gives new meaning to a realistic 2018 version of taxation without representation for Connecticut Taxpayers.  Again laws and rules do not pertain any more to our Connecticut elected officials.  Bridgeport Democrat Mayor Joe Ganim is an excellent example of this disregard for any law.
Thus it is a new year.  Can any solutions be found to the issues of Connecticut of 2018?  These issues include a loss of population, a loss of jobs, a crumbling infrastructure, high workers compensation costs, excessively high taxes, high state debt and a corrupt state government.  What is the plan to deal with these problems?
The silence is deafening.  Maybe Connecticut Taxpayers should stop supporting this corruption.  It is time to take back Connecticut in 2018. 








 we as common taxpayers must abide by