Three Years Later, and Still No Answers To Ned Lamont's Sema 4 Debacle

Connecticut's secret Democrat and illegally-used non-profits are a fascinating look at the non- transparency of Ned Lamont's Democrat Connecticut Party's inner workings.  They are very difficult to understand and follow.  They are designed that way so that Connecticut's Taxpayers are kept in a perpetual state of confusion and ignorance while profits are being made off them, and other abuses are fashioned from them.  For three years now, Tony De Angelo, in his weekly radio segment on the Lee Elci Show heard on 94.9 WJJF, New London, CT has been discussing these abuses in these non-profits and their agreements especially with Sema4.  Connecticut embraces a hybrid of quasi public/private organization having ties to state government and at the same time having no accountability to Connecticut Taxpayers to show where money has traveled.   I have written about Sema4 several times over the past three years.  Given the perpetual information failure of Connecticut state-run media, coupled with the willful blindness (and/or) ignorance of almost every elected state official on this issue, it is time to revisit it once again.

Sema4 is an excellent example of a complex maze of secret agreements, offshore tax-haven partnerships, personal data mining, and a general rip-off of Connecticut Taxpayer's monies.  Ned Lamont and his family's hedge fund, Oak HC/FT Partners were heavily invested in Sema4.   By way of review, Sema4 obtained $45,150,000 in fast and easy state cash with little to no oversight in Covid-19 and Genomics testing from the State of Connecticut.  It received a $15 million dollar 2% interest-only "sweetheart" loan made by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development with little oversight, of which over 40% of said loan was forgiven by hitting bogus propped-up "job targets" paid for by the very loan proceeds made to Sema4.  It had loans and unknown billings and payments that in many cases continue not to be reconciled nor disclosed as of today.  Last year, Sema4 laid off 250 Connecticut employees and its Branford location closed.  It then moved to Maryland.   And many questions still remain unanswered such as is the loan being paid back?  Why was the loan given in the first place?  Was it given due to the involvement of Oak HC/FT Partners to prop Oak's investment and IPO using state tax money?   Is this a conflict of interest for Ned Lamont's family hedge fund, Mount Sinai Genomics/Sema4, the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development that a Governor in office can allow this type of agreement to be in effect? What happened to all the information and data with regards to the undisclosed Genomics testing for which state contracts are in effect?    How about a full disclosure as to what was done with this data and why?  Finally, were the "Covid Tests" made by Sema4 reliable indicators of a China-sourced virus? It is silence as usual from the Lamont Administration.

Connecticut Taxpayer's still do not have answers from three years ago as to the companies that have had investments made in them by Oak HC/FT Partners relating to the Covid-19 crisis.  Some of the companies include "Thermo Fisher Scientific", "Sema4", " Core Infomatics", "UNITE US" "Ocrulus", "Urjanet", "1life Healthcare", "Galileo Health", "Castlight Health", "Paladina Health", and "VillageMD".   They seem to all have ties to Connecticut also in the form of contracts to do business with the State of Connecticut, its non profits, or surrounding states with no bid contracts.    Will Connecticut Taxpayers ever find out how much profit was made by Oak HC/FT Partners and the Lamont family from these contracts and or companies?  Why is this information secret? 

Sema4 and its ties to Connecticut with its apparently forgiven loan are just a small part of the never ending amoral and unethical "deals" that are made behind Connecticut taxpayers backs with the full blessings of state government.  Why does continue to happen?  What can be done to prevent these issues in the future?  Obviously laws are immaterial to the Ned Lamont Democrat Administration.  The rule of law obviously can get in the way of the income and profits that can be earned by Ned Lamont, his family's hedge fund and other politically connected individuals.  Shameless and unscrupulous economic acts and deals are the norm for Democrat Connecticut.  They always have been and must be accepted for the masses, and those that advocate against this massive cloaked racketeering scheme are vilified.  Connecticut Taxpayers are the slaves supporting this plantation called the Constitution State.  A state that in the opinion of many lacks ethics, morals and true representation of its legal population due to unchecked years of omnipotent, stale and corrupted Democrat Party rule.  Changes are on the horizon since we relive daily the coming of the new war for the precious freedoms that were declared and battled for in 1776. 

 

More Bad Tax News In Democrat Connecticut For Connecticut Taxpayers: Senate Bill No. 999

The news is never good when it comes to taxes and tax policy in Connecticut.  King Ned Lamont The Unaccountable and his Omnipotent ruling Democrat Party are now backing much higher property taxes for Connecticut residents through Senate Bill No. 999, "AN ACT INCREASING THE UNIFORM ASSESSMENT RATE FOR PROPERTY TAX".  This bill would increase the state-wide assessment ratio on property from 70% to 75%, effective with the assessment year commencing on October 1, 2023.  This proposed change will produce immediate tax increases in municipalities across the state by a large amount.

As it stands, Connecticut already has some of the highest property tax mill rates in the country.  In economic terms, this increase in valuation from 70% to 75% allows for municipalities to further increase their tax bases and their tax revenues. Raising property valuations by 5% increases property taxes by 14%, thus ratcheting Connecticut into being one of the top five highest property taxed states in the country in addition to being one of the worst five economically.

It is apparent that the excessive state and local tax burden in Connecticut is already driving out citizens and businesses from the state. Once can also argue successfully that these same high taxes have contributed to Connecticut's poor economic performance for many years now and has kept the state in a virtual, perpetual economic recession with little chance or change for economic growth.  One can also argue successfully that it is economically insane for the state to assess more high taxes and then turn around and give more Connecticut Taxpayer paid for-tax based, economic tax credit incentives, zero percent "sweetheart" loans with sickeningly low interest rates often leading to complete loan forgiveness, and to provide more unjustified giveaways to businesses and individuals for moving their businesses to the state with a false promise of expanding them.  This happened quite frequently with the integrity-bereft Lamont Administration channeling monies to Lamont family hedge fund and related companies such as Sema-4, UNITE US, and Vestwell. 

The Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development ("DECD"), under the guise of secrecy, is the seeming arbiter of the winners and losers in Connecticut's economy.  DECD  does this through bulbous Connecticut Taxpayer-funded tax breaks that have been given with little to no oversight nor ramifications for both the lack of disclosure on their secret "deals" as for the loans and other aspects of the agreements. This situation becomes frighteningly clear when the businesses fail (and/or) move out of the state, most recently seen in the Lamont-based carpetbagging masterpiece known as Sema-4. 

As we have seen in this 2023 legislative session, the Connecticut Democrat Party can not tax Connecticut Taxpayers enough to pay for their socialistic agenda of political nepotism, the taking of personal freedoms, the stripping of personal wealth of the working middle class, the embracing of crime and criminals rights over the rule of law, a total disregard of the state constitution and the brainwashing of the state's young people.  The daily gibberish force fed Connecticut Taxpayer's through a state run media along with the lack of transparency in Ned Lamont's state government should scare both sides of the political aisle along with anyone having a pulse.  Yet it is embraced and rewarded through the corrupted political game called state government.

Higher taxes through this new Senate Bill No. 999 along with the all the other new and higher taxes on energy and other items will all help to cement Connecticut's economic failure for the rest of the decade.  Another lost economic decade is on tap as has been the case in the 90's, 00's, and 10's.  Connecticut still has a mere $150 billion dollars in short and long term debt along with unfunded liabilities that is ignored since those elected officials and state employees who helped to create this nightmare will be long gone out of Connecticut, fleeing to low taxed Republican governed states, when the real economic crisis of bankruptcy falls upon the state in several years.  The state's spending and debt is not sustainable.  Cutting taxes, cutting the waste and fraud in state government is never an option, nor is it ever discussed by the ruling class.  The economic end game of one of the highest taxed states in the country will help to create its bitter and horrific collapse. And we are again at a point in history, both socially and economically, that it is 1776 all over again. 

Crime Free Democrat Connecticut

Connecticut in the opinion of many, is a mess.  It has massive economic issues including, but not limited to, a massive short and long term debt situation along with unfunded liabilities of roughly $150 billion dollars.  It overtaxes its Taxpayers and is ranked as one of the highest taxed states in the country. It still lags in most economic categories, and is never able to get out of its recessionary malaise.  It has a poor business environment, and attracts no business except in the cases of a CT DECD bribe payment being made.  It has a decaying road and bridge infrastructure even though it spends a massive amount of money in supposed and/or redundant repairs.  It has serial and shameless corruption in its state government.  Nor does it have any transparency in its state government, nor does the minority Republican Party have any meaningful input in legislation or the budget process.

Connecticut is truly in a mess when it comes to crime.  I continually refer to Connecticut as "Crime Free Democrat Connecticut" due to the total denial by Ned Lamont and his Connecticut Democrat Party along with its lapdog state run media as to the severity of the crime problems that exists in the state.  Connecticut has massive problems with car theft by juveniles.  Connecticut has massive problems with catalytic converter thefts.  Connecticut has massive problems when women live in fear when they go grocery shopping and when they are pumping gas, with concern that they will be mugged and have their pocketbooks stolen from them in broad daylight.  Connecticut has massive problems with criminals being released from prison before their sentences are up and then going back out committing more crimes.  Connecticut has massive problems with its Pardons and Parole Board.  Connecticut has massive problems with murders committed.  Connecticut has massive problems with an illegal drug crisis and illegal drug trafficking.  Connecticut has massive problems with laws that are not enforced especially concerning crime. Moreover, Connecticut has massive problems with totally ignoring and disrespecting the victims of crimes.  

Why is this happening in Connecticut?  It is happening for a variety of reasons.  Connecticut's major cities of Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven and Waterbury has become cells of crime due to years of moral and social decay.  Connecticut Taxpayer monies for many years has been thrown at these cities with little result in improving the decaying parts of the cities and in improving economic conditions.  Crime is a much more profitable way of life than working at a menial minimum wage job with virtually no hope of escaping the horrific living conditions that are found in these cities.  These same cities all have had years upon years of Democrat rule.  

Another reason has been the Democrat Party's fixation in releasing as many criminals out of prison as fast as possible.  Why?  So they can go back out and commit more crimes?  How many early released criminals have gone back and committed more crimes?  The numbers, if they were advertised would scare law abiding citizens.  The early releases granted by the ostensibly unaccountable Connecticut Board of Pardons and Parole, are astounding.  Yet, as was just the case, the same members of this Board get renominated and continue to serve.  Why? Is it to help create more chaos and stress especially for the crime victims of these criminals that are released early?

Another reason has been the Democrat Party's fixation in not enforcing laws especially when it comes to juveniles and car theft.  Liberal judges seem to abhor the laws and their enforcement that they are supposed to be overseeing.  The idea has been to merely book these juveniles and just let them go free so they can go right out and steal even more.

Are there any solutions?  Yes, there are but they seem to be too logical for King Ned Lamont and his liberal Democrat Party.   Private property laws need to be enforced in the state.    Criminals need to pay their debt to the state for their crimes.  Those juveniles who steal vehicles need to be arrested and be forced to pay back the owners of the vehicles they stole from.  Judges need to enforce current laws not ignore them and disregard them.  Victims of crime need to have more rights than criminals.  Sounds simple?  But of course it never is in Crime Free Democrat Connecticut.

What would happen if victims started suing criminals and their elected officials when a crime took place?  Would things finally change?

Crime Free Democrat Connecticut is what happens when you have over 30 years of omnipotent one party rule in a state. Crime Free Democrat Connecticut happens when there are no longer is any checks and balances in your government.  Crime Free Democrat Connecticut happens when an unchecked and incoherent liberalism rewards criminals while despising their victims.  Crime Free Democrat Connecticut is a nightmare for law abiding and taxpaying legal citizens.  And Crime Free Democrat Connecticut needs to end once and for all.  Law abiding, taxpaying legal citizens need to demand that laws be enforced and criminals be arrested and prosecuted.  They need to shout this daily.  And Ned Lamont and his liberal Democrat Party need to be held accountable once and for all for the mess they have created. 

Enough is enough.  It is 1776 all over again especially in the chaos and turmoil known as Connecticut.

 

The Crucifixion And Resurrection Of President Donald Trump

It is fitting that during Easter Holy Week that Radical Democrat Socialist Manhattan Attorney General Alvin Bragg decided to construct his own law to prepare a crucifixion of former President Donald Trump.  Trump faces 34 illogical, non-legal and otherwise incoherent felony violations that do not rise to the level of a felony.  The 34 violations have been created from the imagination of Radical Democrat Socialist Manhattan Attorney General Alvin Bragg, and are based on taking a single transaction of Trump's repayment of $130,000 to his former lawyer for a Non-Disclosure Agreement made to a 

"Stormy Daniels" .  This payment that took place over a period of time in 2017, and according to Bragg influenced the 2016 Presidential election and caused Democrat Hillary Clinton to lose the election.  It is important to note that Non-Disclosure Agreements such as this arrangement made to Stormy Daniels for an alleged affair that took place in 2006 are not illegal.  It is also important to note that this arrangement was investigated by several governmental authorities and none deemed the payments in violation of any laws within the statute of limitations. Bragg also has no jurisdiction over federal campaign finance laws.  The statute of limitations has expired over these supposed "felonies".  I wonder why Radical Democrat Socialist Manhattan Attorney General Alvin Bragg and the rest of the American Democrat Party have such a hatred of former President Donald Trump?  And why are New York and American Taxpayers monies being spent on this case while New York City has increasing rampant crime and murders of innocent citizens?

Consider all of the time, effort and Taxpayers monies that have gone into trying to destroy Donald Trump.  From when he first announced he was running for President, during the time he was President, and now.  From impeachment, to the "woke" January 6th Commission of hatred, to the raid of Trump's personal residence, and now the assessment of 34 fake felonies.  What is it about Donald Trump that has led the Democrat Party and its apparatchik state run media to hate him so much?  Is it because he has great wealth?  Many elite Democrats including Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont have more wealth than him.  Is it because he did not work his way up through the political system to become President?  Is it because he gave hope and results for the forgotten working middle class of America?  Is it because he made America first through energy independence from foreign sources, a closed border to our country, a robust economy providing economic growth, law and order, minority opportunity, jobs and upward economic mobility for the forgotten working middle of class of America? The Democrat Party has provided Americans with runaway inflation, an open border crisis, an illegal drug crisis, rampant crime and murders, an energy crisis, a loss of personal wealth especially for retirees,  a lost war in Afghanistan,  a lost war with Russia and a banking crisis just to name a few issues currently in our country since the corrupted and feeble Biden Administration took office . This is supposedly better than the prosperity we saw during the Trump Administration.

What does former President Trump know about the Democrat Party of America and its officials and operatives that is so damaging for them to spend now seven long years of excessive, fanatical, obsessive, and tormenting means to destroy this man? What is it?  What does he know?  And why is the Democrat Party of America allowed to break laws themselves and not be prosecuted as we see in the Hunter/Joe Biden scandal.   A scandal that literally can destroy America as we know it with the corruption it entails. No, everything that is wrong with America is Trump's fault, even though it is glaringly obvious that the incoherent policies of the Biden Administration are responsible for the mess we are all in. Rather than taking corrective action, the only Democrat answers are to blame anything bad on Donald Trump.

Thus former President Trump gets crucified on Holy Tuesday of Easter Week.  And once again there will be a resurrection of Trump as has happened time and time again since 2016.  Maybe it is time for the over 51% and more of our country to demand greater accountability from the confused and incomprehensible Democrat Party of America for their ceaseless and incessant hatred of Donald Trump.  The Democrat Party of America has no leadership abilities nor understanding of how to govern. Any blue state or city such as Connecticut is an example of that.  Democrats have accelerated the Second Coming of 1776, all over again.  God Bless America.  And God Bless Donald Trump.

 

The Connecticut Democrat Party Cannot Tax Connecticut Taxpayers Enough

There really is never enough tax revenue for the Connecticut Democrat Party to confiscate and to spend on themselves and their political connections.  Evidence of this comes from four new proposed bills that all raise taxes in one of the most highly taxed states in the country.  All of these proposals come at a time where the state has a $3 billion dollar surplus and/or in other terms has overtaxed its Taxpayers by $3 billion dollars.  The bills include the infamous TCI tax found in the premises of "Proposed S.B. 1145, (stating to) enforce the state's greenhouse gas emissions goals through the establishment of certain sector subtargets and authorize emission standards for certain small off-road engines." This horrific and nonsensical Orwellian bill mandates all sorts of fines and penalties for "emissions" and apparently carbon releases.  The bill will add a large increase to the state's gasoline tax and will force Connecticut into regional emissions programs that will raise the cost of energy overall.  Again Taxpayers were vocal in their objections to this incoherent bill before, and again the Connecticut Democrat Party disregards the public's vehement opposition to the bill.  Connecticut Taxpayer, you be damned.

The premises of Proposed S.B. 774 state that its purpose is "To adjust certain marginal rates for the personal income tax and establish a capital gains surcharge on certain taxpayers."  What does a capital gains surcharge do for any economy other than prevent economic growth and drive innovators and achievers from the state?  It also increases the state income tax rate for the highest income earners.  Why?  Hasn't Connecticut seen a mass migration of the high income taxpayers flee already?  This bill is ironic since we are told that Governor Lamont made $54 million dollars in income, but Connecticut Taxpayers have no idea if he paid a penny in state income taxes since neither he, (nor his SEC-documented connections to offshore tax-havens) are fully disclosed by him.

Proposed S.B. 776 increases the property tax "To establish a state-wide property tax on residential real property with assessed values of more than one million five hundred thousand dollars and to dedicate such revenue to fully fund the equalization aid grants under section 10-262h of the General Statutes".   Section 10-262h is: "For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, each town maintaining public schools according to law shall be entitled to an equalization aid grant as follows: (1) Any town whose fully funded grant is greater than its equalization aid grant amount for the previous fiscal year shall be entitled to an equalization aid grant in an amount equal to its equalization aid grant amount for the previous fiscal year plus sixteen and sixty-seven-one-hundredths per cent of its grant adjustment; and (2) any town whose fully funded grant is less than its equalization aid grant amount for the previous fiscal year shall be entitled to an equalization aid grant in an amount equal to the amount the town was entitled to for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022." (https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_172.htm#sec_10-262h)  What does this convoluted mess of gibberish mean as to where this new tax revenue is going? Let your imagination run wild for a moment.

Proposed H.B. 5673  in part, proposes: "(to) establish a state-wide property tax at the rate of 2 mills on commercial and residential real property with an assessed value of more than one
million five hundred thousand dollars; (8) increase the rate of the corporation business tax to eleven and one-half per cent; (9) extend the imposition of the corporation business tax surcharge and increase the
rate of such surcharge to twenty per cent; (10) require the Department of Revenue Services to hire fifty additional in-house auditors to assist in the closing of the state's tax gap by collecting taxes and assessing penalties and interest as applicable" (https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/TOB/H/PDF/2023HB-05673-R00-HB.PDF).  Thus one can conclude that the state will become even more aggressive and hostile  in squeezing tax revenue out of Connecticut Taxpayers, will lose even more businesses as they flee the state due to new and even higher taxes and will ultimately drive Connecticut to be the highest taxed state in the country and last in all business climate categories.  In other words, it will help keep Connecticut in a perpetual Democrat Party induced recession, with no way out.

The Connecticut Democrat Party with its assorted enablers and facilitators can not tax Connecticut Taxpayers enough. The Connecticut Democrat Party can not tax Connecticut businesses enough.  The Connecticut Democrat Party has no understanding of economic growth and economic development, and is proudly arrogant in its ignorance.  Tax and spend is their drug, a drug that keeps Connecticut on the brink of economic ruin day and night.  To add more insult to injury, the Connecticut Democrat Party has no plan whatsoever to resolve Connecticut's massive short and long term debt along with its unfunded liabilities of $100 to $150 billion dollars.  And Connecticut taxpayers can be sure that this will not be the end to new and or higher taxes as they have seen since 1991.  Next year and the year after and the year after the same story the rich never pay enough taxes, the middle class never pay enough taxes, and there is never enough money for those truly in need.  It is the same incoherent social and economic gibberish the Connecticut taxpayer has been force fed since 1991.  32 years of the same stale rhetoric and lies, with no genuine vision to the contrary, ever.  All for political power and political gain.  Nothing more, nothing less.  And the Connecticut Taxpayer can never pay enough to satisfy the economic cancer and masquerade that is called state government.  It is 1776 all over again especially in the "Constitution" state of Connecticut.