Drive And Earn Dollars For Your State Pension! Work Overtime And Earn Dollars For Your State Pension!

 Connecticut has $150 billion dollars in short and long term debt along with unfunded liabilities.  It is a figure that I constantly use as I feel that the state is a walking economic time bomb ready for the implosion of debt that can no longer be paid back.  For example what happens when Connecticut can no longer borrow any more money and or must borrow money at an excessive rate of interest?  Does it go bankrupt?  Or does it raise taxes even more than they are now?  If this is the case then why does Connecticut allow for its state legislators and state employees to include mileage reimbursements and payments for overtime in their state pension calculations?

A brave state legislator-Republican Representative Christie M. Carpino, 32th District has proposed yet another bill to eliminate mileage reimbursements and payments for overtime from being included in pension calculations for state employees via H.B. #5149.  It is co-sponsored by Republican Representative Craig Fishbein, 90th District.  Will anything happen this session?  Will our Omnipotent One Party Rule State Legislature decide to throw a bone at Connecticut Taxpayers and vote this bill into law thus eliminating this costly and economically illogical "perk" to pad their pensions that is helping to contribute to Connecticut's massive debt?  Since when should mileage driven be counted in a pension?  Do you know of any private pension that counts miles driven as a calculation to a final payout?  Do you also know of any private pension that counts overtime worked as a calculation to a final payout?  I don't.  But here in Connecticut with the unrelenting Democrat Party controlling all aspects of state government Connecticut Taxpayers must pay out for mileage reimbursements and payments for overtime to help increase these bloated state employees pensions.  Why is this still going on with Connecticut's $150 billion dollars in short and long term debt along with unfunded liabilities?  Why during one of the worse economic crisis in the state's history must this practice continue while the state has massive unemployment and many businesses were closed permanently and have lost their life's work and savings?  How and what did these state legislators accomplish during their political careers that created such massive economic gains for the state  during their career that they must now be entitled to some of the "supposed" gains or profits that the state received?  And if so what are these "supposed" gains or profits?  Is it $150 billion dollars in short and long term debt along with unfunded liabilities?  If it is then they should be paying back Connecticut Taxpayers for their fiscal incompetence and economic illiteracy and receive no pensions.  

This is yet another example that shows how poorly governed Connecticut is and has been for the past thirty years.  And it is another example of the total disrespect Connecticut's ruling political elite has for Connecticut's Taxpayers.  From no bid secret state contracts for the Governor's hedge fund to miles for pensions it just never ends in this state.  It just never ends.  Bankruptcy in my opinion looks promising in 2021 to rid the state of its cancer known as its government.  Free Connecticut.

How Bad Can Connecticut's Legislation Get?

 How bad can Connecticut's Legislation get?  Apparently the worse is yet to come with some current bills being introduced in this current session.

I really thought we saw it all last year with the debacle of a "Police Accountability" law that has made Connecticut unsafe with massive amounts of car thefts and robberies in broad daylight.  Crime runs rampant in our state thanks to this bill.  Or maybe the "Paid Family Leave Act" that taxes many who work a 1/2 of percent of their income that will somehow pay for many weeks off of paid leave in 2022 for those who will get this paid time off for not working.  The oversight to this law and its requirements astound me as to how it can remain solvent over the next few years.  Or maybe its the liberal green "Transportation and Climate Initiative" that will be implementing a plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, that includes you guess it higher gasoline taxes.  Or as Ned Lamont and his consultants have stated only a "nickel" a gallon will be the increase.  Says who?  And how will this "help" Connecticut other than eliminate more jobs and cause more businesses to close and or move out of state.

This session we have to deal with the usual Connecticut Democrat Party draconian increases in taxes via laws that would include higher income tax rates, a statewide property tax on "mansions" that are worth  $430,000 or more, much higher capital gains taxes and the usual highway tolls.   Want to work?  Not in Connecticut as Connecticut public employee unions want new powers to pressure state and local government employees to join and pay them.  They are demanding workers private information obviously so that they can contact them everywhere and anywhere and pressure them to pay dues.   This is SB908.  Do you want private health insurance?  Many Connecticut Democrats don't want you to have that as seen in a "public option" healthcare plan found in SB22 and a state run "single payer" healthcare system found in SB842.  No more local town/city planning and zoning decisions as the state's politically correct forces will eliminate decisions made on a local level and transfer them to the state in the guise of affordable housing, multi-unit residential buildings, sewerage systems, housing authority jurisdiction, training for certain municipal officials involved in planning and zoning decisions and compliance with municipal zoning regulations found in SB804.  Have you heard enough yet?

Connecticut's bad legislation is getting worse with the constant omnipotent one party rule of the Connecticut Democrat Party.  High taxes, an Executive Order Governor, and one party rule all help Connecticut to continue its road to economic and personal ruin.  These bills help to nurture its demise.  I have had enough of it.

Connecticut’s New Budget-More Rhetoric

Governor Ned Lamont with great fanfare and adulations has presented the new Connecticut Fiscal Year 2022-23 budget this past week.  The budget for the two years is roughly $46 billion dollars in spending for a state that has roughly 3.5 million people.  The budget increases state spending by 3.5 to 4%.  The budget includes new taxes including a mileage tax on trucks that will in all likelihood be passed onto consumers in the form of higher prices for goods and services and a roll back in some previously stated tax cuts.  The budget relies upon a great deal of Federal Covid-19 aid to help balance its budget along with increases in state income taxes due to the stock market increasing in value and thus more capital gains taxes being paid.  The budget is 268 pages in length and I wonder how many member of our state legislature will have read each page before they will vote on it?  Maybe five or ten.  When reading through the budget and its analysis I wonder if I am living in the same state that they are describing.   On page 2 of the budget this paragraph should shock anyone who lives or works in this state“The $17 billion in financial resources from the federal government to Connecticut was significant and critically necessary to manage the public health pandemic and resulting impacts on the Connecticut economy and lives of our residents. Without the combined fiscal and monetary policy actions of our federal government, the nation and the state’s economy would have entered a depression. This is evidenced by the more than 30% decline in the gross domestic product on an annualized basis in the second quarter of 2020.”

Therefore Connecticut received $17 billion dollars in Federal aid last year due to the Covid-19 crisis.  If Connecticut spends roughly $23 billion dollars a year then this aid accounted for almost 74% of the state budget. Or did the $17 billion dollars in Federal aid go to many no bid state contracts for those who had political connections in the state?  Did it go to consulting groups who apparently are experts in creating policies to perpetuate stale one party rule in the state? 

Stating it in other terms how can Connecticut survive without a massive inflow of Federal money in the future?  Since spending does not get cut in this state budget nor is any state agency downsized in state government how can state officials make these economic predictions of $46 billion in spending with the state economy being on limited/restricted/reduced hours and thousands of businesses shut down along with massive unemployment?  And again is there any plan to fully reopen the state’s economy? Again there is no mention of it.  But instead we hear the familiar cries of not enough money is being spent to address poverty, new and higher taxes on the working middle class are essential for the state’s fiscal health, more cuts to the police are critical to combat crime, legalization of marijuana will bring in an incredible some of taxes, online gambling being taxed will be great, etc.

The budget in my opinion does little to address the massive debt the state continues to accrue.  Connecticut has $150 billion dollars in short and long term debt along with unfunded liabilities or roughly a debt of $42860 for every person who lives in the state. What is the next step a new debt tax for every person who lives in the state?

Thus I am to assume as a Connecticut Taxpayer that unless Connecticut continues to get unlimited Federal aid an economic depression will occur in the foreseeable future.  I am also to assume that new taxes and the legalization of drugs and gambling online are the new panacea that will solve all of Connecticut’s economic problems just like the state income tax did in 1991.

I suggest all of the Connecticut State Representatives and State Senators read the state budget in its entirety. See if any of you can find even one dollar that could be cut from it and let your constituents know about it.  And explain to your constituents how Connecticut survives without a Federal handout for the future.  Cutting spending always falls on deaf ears in Hartford.  Why bother with it anyways since there are no longer any checks and balances in our state government nor any economic logic found either.  The new budget in my opinion is again another sham for Connecticut Taxpayers.  A sham that sadly is too familiar to an unresponsive and totalitarian state called Connecticut.

Connecticut Is Closed On February 12, 2021 Lincoln’s Birthday. Thank You Connecticut Taxpayers.

 

I bet you did not know Connecticut Taxpayers monies are being used to give Connecticut State employees Lincoln’s Birthday off today Friday February 12, 2021 as a paid holiday.  They also have Monday February 15, 2021 off as a paid holiday which is the Federal holiday of President’s Day.  I find great irony in the woke, liberal, socialist Connecticut Democrat Party embracing this paid day off for Connecticut State employees.  After all we are somehow led to believe through the new history of today where lies are truth that we must abide by, that Republican President Lincoln was somehow bad (not woke) in wanting freedom for slaves that were held in our country and that a Civil War was fought for to eliminate slavery from our country.  If one reads some excerpts about President Lincoln and the Civil War from the politically correct New York Times 1619 Project (a project in my opinion that wishes to destroy facts from our history), or from the many other liberal views of how bad President Lincoln was one would wonder why Connecticut State employees are off today?  Thus why are Connecticut State employees off today since President Lincoln should be discarded from history according to many new history “experts” and their shameful rewriting of our history to facilitate a socialist agenda that they want us to believe?  To me this day of pay for Connecticut State employees is economically and politically irrational especially for our most liberal and socialist Democrat leaders in our state.   Why are they off?  Wasn’t “Honest Abe” bad for our country?  And isn’t “Honest Ned” doing incredible things for Connecticut since he has taken office instead?  Like $150 billion dollars in short and long term debt along with unfunded liabilities?

Maybe a compromise could take place.  Connecticut State government could rename February 12th as Connecticut Democrat Party/Ned Lamont Day.  This way Connecticut State employees could be more comfortable in having the day off with pay, paid for by Connecticut Taxpayers without the stress of worrying about that evil Republican President Lincoln.  Why Connecticut Taxpayers must pay for this day off is absurd and ridiculous.  

Freedom is never free and President Lincoln understood that concept.  It is too bad it is lost in Connecticut in 2021.  Free Connecticut.

By the way Happy Lincoln’s Birthday and get to work so that you can pay your Connecticut taxes to help pay for this essential day off for Connecticut State employees.

Connecticut Is Curious?

 

I am curious about Connecticut.  I also believe that many Connecticut Taxpayers are curious about their state also.  They are curious as whether or not to remain in the state for a variety of reasons.  These reasons include but are not limited to excessive state and local taxation, excessive state government laws on running businesses, excessively high unemployment insurance and workers compensation costs, a neglected bridge, road and highway system, a lack of ethics in state government, a lack of checks and balances in state government, excessive unfunded pension liabilities, excessive short and long term debt, just to name a few issues.  There are many more that one can talk about.

The economic news continues to be negative in Connecticut and I am curious as to what our one party rule is going to do about these issues in the coming legislative session?  We see already that the tried and true policies of raising of taxes, new taxes/tolls/miles driven tax are being reintroduced in the legislature along with the usual laws that continue to take away our personal freedoms and advance a failed socialist liberal agenda for the state.  

There seems to be little new coming out of our state government as far this Legislative session is concerned.  I again am curious as to what are the plans to restore the state’s economy and create jobs?  Raising taxes?   Mandating a socialist liberal education agenda for Connecticut Taxpayer funded schools?  Hiring more politically connected state employees at above average salaries and benefits?  Creating more no bid state contracts that are directed at companies that have economic ties to the Lamont’s hedge fund?  

If all of these programs and new and higher taxes have failed to solve Connecticut’s economic problems why are they being touted again as a solution?  With the amount of money Connecticut Taxpayers are spending in taxes why is the state in such bad shape economically?  Is it possible that these same programs and taxes have done nothing for the state since the implementation of the state income tax in 1991?  Thus I am curious as to why in 2021 they are being offered again as a“solutions”.  

“Solutions” should include the following:

1. Cutting state spending across the board by at least 10% focusing on the elimination of political patronage management jobs and the over compensation of State Commissioners.  

2. A complete overhaul of the state purchasing system opening it up to real competitive bidding and the elimination of no bid contracts regardless of pandemic restrictions.

3. The elimination of binding arbitration for municipalities and a complete restructuring of the state pension system to eliminate a pension like the one Mark Ojakian, 67, who retired January 1, 2021 as President of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities System received for $237,310 a year and will grow by an estimated 2% or more annually with cost-of-living adjustments. Does he really deserve a pension like this?  This defies economic logic.

4. A Constitutional right to recall elected officials who are incompetent and unethical via petition and vote form.  

5. Fully open hearings on all bills that come to the legislature.  These same bills can’t have amendments tacked on to them that have no relationship to the original bill itself.  All bills must be made public and summarized as far as the costs involved in the bill that must be borne by the Connecticut Taxpayers.  No votes on legislation or state budgets can take place between 7pm and 7am during a business day.  

6. No former state employee or legislator can be employed by a lobbying firm before a five year waiting period after they leave their position or office.

7.The elimination of all paid consultants and consultant group from any work or policies with state government.  We have elected and paid state employees who should be capable of running our government.  That is their job.  If they can't then they should be removed from office or their jobs.

If Connecticut started working on and implementing some of these suggestions I am curious if we would see some changes in our state government?  Connecticut Taxpayers are curious?  Maybe our state government officials should be too?  Free Connecticut.