Connecticut's Constant Pension Crisis

Connecticut has had a constant crisis when it comes to trying fund its overly generous pensions to state and local management and union workers along with teachers and judges.  A recent report by Pro Bono Public Pensions and written about by the Yankee Institute (https://yankeeinstitute.org/2019/11/21/connecticut-state-and-local-unfunded-retirement-obligations-top-124-billion/ ) that was issued this week stated that Connecticut has a $99.5 billion dollar unfunded pension liability and other post-employment benefits along with $22 billion dollars that is owned by Connecticut's municipalities for the same areas. These pension obligations are for 99,594 active and retired state employees and 87,952 active and retired teachers according to the state while also by law the state  has to maintain pension funds for approximately 17,000 municipal employees and 493 judges, family support magistrates and compensation commissioners.
If you do the math 205,039 past and present state and municipal employees will cost Connecticut Taxpayers approximately $125,000,000,000 in present and future tax dollars since the individuals getting the pensions and retirement benefits contribute very little to their plans.  Thus the massive under funding of the plans.  Connecticut has a total population of roughly 3,573,000 as of 2018.  Thus almost 20% of the state budget now goes for salaries, benefits and pensions for roughly a half of per cent of the population.  This unfunded liability represents almost seven complete state budgets or in other words if the state just spent every dollar from its budget on nothing else but these liabilities it would take roughly 14 years for this obligation to paid off (this also does not take into economic account all of the other state debt and bonds it has which is roughly another $40 billion dollars).
Putting it is even more simpler terms each citizen of the state would owe about $55,000 to the state for their share of this debt plus the other debts and liabilities the state owes.  The Connecticut Democrat Party could easily pass a new unfunded liability tax on each Connecticut Taxpayer based on income while exempting their own political ruling class to help pay for this short fall. 
Connecticut's pension crisis is a real economic crisis.  It has been pushed aside for years.
As a Connecticut Taxpayer I wonder along with many others what is the justification for these high state management, union, judges and teachers salaries, benefits and pensions?  I see many political appointments to these jobs when a Democrat candidate loses an election and or "retires" from public office (think of Ben Barnes).  Are they bettering the state?  I really can't see it since Connecticut is now roughly $140 billion dollars in debt and last or nearly last in the country in most economic and business categories while in the top five states for highest taxes in the country.  I will assume that this is what these 205,039 past and present state and municipal employees have helped to develop and nurture over the years-what amounts to being a toxic economy.
What is the solution?  Obviously the Connecticut Democrat Party along their media cheerleaders believe higher taxes in any and all forms will resolve this problem.  But it hasn't and will not in the future.  The current situation is economically unsustainable while Connecticut still has yet to recover completely from the 2008 recession. 
Something is radically wrong with this system of salaries, benefits and pensions.  It is unfair to the remaining legal Connecticut Taxpayers who are serfs in this Connecticut Democrat Party serfdom. 
We should not have to live and work in these economic conditions.  Fix the system seems always to fall on deaf ears.  How about solving it today? 

Connecticut's Constant Tax Crisis-No Tolls

The Connecticut Democrat Party seems to be besides themselves in always trying to raise taxes and to protect their ruling elite in Hartford.
Their new toll tax manufactured crisis is yet another example of a crisis to help create new toll taxes and yet more prevailing wage and excessive cost construction jobs for the state unions.
Some Democrat Senators are truly concerned now for their campaigns and seats next November since a majority of legal Connecticut Taxpayers are against tolls and will vote them out of office.  In my opinion they should be voted out of office anyways since they have done nothing for our state other than create an economic nightmare and constant recession.
We do not need a toll tax.  The monies will not go to repairing bridges and roads.  There will be constant cost overruns to these tolls.  The costs of administering tolls to the state will be enormous.
We do not need tolls.  We need a functional unbiased financial analysis of what roads and bridges need to be repaired and how much will it cost.  We need a competitive bid process for these same projects not a group of Connecticut Democrat Party donors and or lobbyists getting the work.  We need a definitive time table as to when it will be completed.  We need the original transportation funds and gas taxes that were earmarked for these repairs to go back into the DOT budget and be used as such.  We need a full forensic audit of the DOT and its spending.  We need answers as to why our roads and bridges are in such a state of disrepair.
We can compare these possible new tolls taxes with the complete failures of the ten cent a bag plastic bag tax, the $12 per homeowners insurance tax for crumbling foundations, the dry cleaners surcharge tax and the upcoming sales tax on dry cleaning effective 1/1/2020, the $2 tax per tire for tire disposal when buying new tires, the secret roughly 25 cents per gallon gross earnings tax on each gallon of gasoline you buy, the $250 tax on all LLC's in the state to file a three line form with the Secretary of State's office, etc., etc.  The list of these taxes is really endless.  Toll taxes will be no different.  And I am confident they will do little to improve our road and bridge system.  And I am confident Connecticut's $100 billion dollars in long and short term debt along with unfunded liabilities will only grow even more in the near future.
It is time for Connecticut's ruling political elite to come up with a much different plan to provide Connecticut drivers a efficient, functional and safe road system with the monies they already have.  The Connecticut Republican Party's new plan is a start.  Connecticut Taxpayers need to be respected by Connecticut Democrat Party and its cronies.
No Tolls.  No they will not work.  Our ruling elite need to figure out a new plan that does not include new taxes or tolls.  They need to do it today.
No Tolls

Tolls Are Taxes

I wonder what part of No Tolls doesn't Ned Lamont or the Connecticut Democrat Party understand?
I wonder what part of new tolls does not mean new taxes for Connecticut drivers, taxpayers and businesses?
I wonder what part of new tolls does not mean new higher transportation costs that will be passed on to all in our state economy thus increasing the cost of living?
I wonder what part of new tolls does not mean more Connecticut bureaucracy and high costs to run the already failed program?
I wonder why there is going to be a toll on a part of Interstate 684 that is not even in Connecticut?
I wonder how many drivers will use non toll roads in order to avoid these tolls?
I wonder how fast will toll revenues decline from their projections?
I wonder how many out-of-state drivers will ignore the toll notifications they will get from the State of Connecticut and not pay the toll?
I wonder how quickly the temporary tolls will increase in costs and become permanent?
I wonder also how quickly the toll money gets diverted to the State's General Fund to pay for state union and management salaries, benefits and pensions?
I wonder how long will it take to actually repair the major road and bridge projects that are being proposed to be fixed by the Governor? 
I wonder how many cost overruns will occur when these projects are being worked on?
I wonder how much more money has to be spent because these repairs can only be done by unions with no competitive bidding and with a forced prevailing wage rate being paid?
I wonder what Democrat political appointee will run this already failing toll program?
I wonder how much he or she will be paid also and why such an excessive amount of salary?
I wonder why Ned Lamont and the Connecticut Democrat Party have such a dislike and disrespect for the Connecticut Taxpayer especially since there is such a great opposition to tolls?
The Connecticut Democrat Party will once again damage the state economy with their new toll tax.
And for those members of the Connecticut Democrat Party who vote for tolls, they will lose at the polls in November.
NO TOLLS.  

Connecticut's New Temporary Tolls Are Just New Taxes

What is a temporary toll?  Here in Connecticut with a majority of drivers and businesses in  opposition to tolls, 14 "temporary" tolls are now being introduced by our leaderless Governor Ned Lamont.  The tolls are supposedly "temporary" in nature if one can understand the new complex program for approximately 20 years or until the time the state can pay back the Federal Transportation Administration for money borrowed to fix our failed highway, road and bridge system while making Metro North 15 minutes faster on some routes for their commuters. The state is going to borrow against future revenue streams claiming that there is no money as usual to pay for road repair.
That is what a "temporary" toll is going to look like in Connecticut.  The tolls will be placed on most bridges making it close to impossible to avoid.  Thus the Connecticut Democrat Party will have the best of all worlds with these new "temporary" tolls.  The Connecticut Democrat Party gets a new tax in the form of a toll, gets to continue to divert road and highway funds to pay for state union and management salaries, benefits and pensions, and again like the state income make a "temporary" tax into a permanent one.  The Connecticut Democrat Party economic reasoning defies any type of economic logic as these new toll taxes will only further the economic decline of the state.
New toll taxes will increase the cost of living in Connecticut as drivers must find this money from their personal budgets in order to drive to work daily.
New toll taxes will increase the cost of living in Connecticut as all deliveries will cost more and those increased costs of delivery for food, fuel and all essential goods and services get passed on to consumers in higher prices.
New toll taxes will increase the cost of living in Connecticut while not guaranteeing any roads or highways get repaired in the long run since there will not be enough money in the future since toll revenues will not meet estimates.  Thus tolls will have to go up as usual to meet these inflated estimates.  I am also confident that most of the repair work will have no bids involved and thus the costs to repair will be astronomical.
Governor Lamont took the easy way out and has offered an unrealistic solution to fix our state's road and highway problems.  New toll taxes will increase the cost of living in Connecticut.  The Connecticut Democrat Party gets what they want in new taxes so they can continue to tax and spend Connecticut into economic oblivion.
And once again legal Connecticut Taxpayers are ignored and shunned by our inept one party rule state government.
No Tolls.

Wallingford's Vote On Tuesday November 5th

Wallingford is a well run and strong town and community.  It has low taxes, low electric rates, AAA bond ratings, a superior school system, a safe community to live and prosper in, an ethical and 
non-egotistical Mayor, a dynamic Town Council and Board of Education that govern effectively, and an incredible variety of businesses and companies that call Wallingford home.
It is an exceptionally well-run town being led by Republicans.  Republicans who want to see the town grow and prosper.  Republicans who are concerned about families, taxes and their physical community.  There is no play to pay in our community nor lack of services. To many others and me it shows by how dynamic and strong Wallingford is in 2019.   It continues to be a model community in our poorly run Democrat led state.
The Republican ticket led by Mayor Dickinson deserve your vote on Tuesday November 5th.   Your vote will keep Wallingford moving forward and growing for the future.