Saturday, February 28, 2009

Milfords New Independent Party

Politics and Entropy have much in common in Milford. When everything and everyone is an elected Democrat, critics of the Milford Independent Party have invoked the spoiler theory. Let's say the critics are right and this new party does adversely effect incumbent Republicans that would mean a single party controls our town.

This would be very good news for the "out" parties, because in time as things go awry in politics (and they always do) the dominant party will receive its comeuppance by having frustrated their voters. We could expect their future votes being split in equal parts in more common three way races. No one will likely ever get over 50% in the years to come.

The Milford Independent party will be spending time looking for qualified candidates to fill every Independent seat in the next Nov. municipal election.

The Milford voters are expected to be the big winners and hopefully embrace more choices. Ultimately Milfords citizens will decide who the victors are, not the parties. Thus far the only challenge to the newly formed party is the light showing of former Democrats.

The Independent party is expected to build the Democrat minority in the years to come, by advocating those values that unify both parties and solidify our community. Much work remains, and at the moment Myself and Peter Spaltoff are independently working toward a platform that unites our community in an Independent way. The great showing at the first meeting has all but guaranteed our future success and strong momentum.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Predatory Banks Go Agressive On Fees


With the credit markets dried up, and losses to banks mounting to the tune of 9000 foreclosures a day, banks are getting more aggressive. One of the ways I personally experienced banks raising money is on their "fee income." These fees come in the form of Late Fees, Unavailable Funds Fees, Over Draft Fees, Service Fees, Etc.. These banks could also care less that you are unemployed, on welfare, or just lost your home.

No fee, however is more profitable than the predatory Bank Fee, and employees at at branches are being trained in public combat. When the public complains about a Fee often bank tellers have a system of keeping their money down pat, it's called "No, No, and No" again and again to any refund of their predatory fees.

My personal experience at my own bank had to do with a check that was bounced to me, due to an honest mistake by a friend of mine. The unmentioned bank I no longer deal with, has a policy of maximizing their predatory fees. They do so by clearing the bigger checks first and then ratcheting up lots of overdraft fees on all the smaller checks that did not make it.

Sadly the photo above is true I ended up paying an exorbitant amount for a simple pizza. That aside, keep in mind that banks expect us all to be perfect. They know this is impossible, so they take advantage of our mistakes, they embarrass you, and then keep even more of your money. Peoples, bank keep in mind, recently lost many of their customers personal information and you got nothing for their mistake.

Anyone who feels their bank has been abusive does have some recourse by contacting the Banking Commissioner in Hartford. If your bank is desperate for money and has begun criminal and unethical fee practices call the Banking Commissioner and file a complaint.

Click HERE for the official website.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Milford Mall Threatened By Ailing Giants

Reports arriving from Howard Davidowitz of Davidowitz & Associates. As more Americans save and spend less, it’s clear there’s too much retail space. Just visit Web site deadmalls.com and track retail’s growing body count. And luxury retailers? They’re on "life support," Davidowitz says.

Just about every super retailer in the Post Mall in Milford is bleeding money at unsustainable levels. Layoffs are common, and an estimated 220,000 stores will be shut down this coming year. This marks real bad news for mall owners who already lost many jewelry stores and toy stores. In Milford this is especially bad news because the Post Mall is our towns largest taxpayer.

The super Retailers are dubbed the "Anchors" of the retail model at malls. When anchors fail, as they did at the Bridgeport mall back in 1990's the entire system soon collapses as foot traffic dies off to virtually every store.

While I hope their is something spectacular about our mall, it is important to note that when a giant chain fails it fails everywhere not just in one particular place or state. The time is now here to wait and see what happens to our mall.

Hear the warning by clicking HERE

Failed Malls So Far In Connecticut:

Bristol Centre Mall: Bristol, CT
Chapel Square Mall: New Haven, CT
Charter Oak Mall: East Hartford, CT
Farmington Valley Mall (now Simsbury Commons): Avon, CT
Hartford Civic Center / Hartford 21: Hartford, CT
Lafayette Plaza / Hi-Ho Center: Bridgeport, CT
Meriden Mall: Meriden, CT

CT POST ARTICLE

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Independent Party Meeting Announcement

The Milford Independent Party will be hosting a meet and greet reception on Thursday February 26 th at the office of Shoreline Mortgage-26 Broad Street Milford . The meeting is open to everyone and will begin promptly at 7:00PM. The purpose of the group, it's goals and objectives will be discussed at the meeting along with any other issues to be brought forward.

Space is somewhat limited (55) it would be greatly appreciated if you could e-mail me to confirm your attendance. In that way if I know more than 55 are coming I will make other arrangements for the meeting.

Thank you
Peter Spalthoff

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Thursday, February 19, 2009

Rosa Delauro Takes $200,000 Flight

Amid these difficult times, and under the powerful congressional scrutiny of Americas ailing industry, our Congresswoman Rosa Delauro boarded a taxpayer airplane for Italy. This plane, a U.S. government charter plane contained a contingent of house Democrats, who according to Lou Dobbs were visiting museums and enjoying what amounts to an expensive vacation in Italy.

As the United States is faced with its most challenging economic period since the Great Depression, and wealthy Auto executives are being chastised over the use of corporate jets on short domestic flights, Rosa Delauro and gang are going to Italy. The plane they took costs about $10,000.00 per hour to operate. The flight to Italy a 20 hour flight. The first 200 grand is just the opener because the Democrats still have time left to submit the rest of their bill to the taxpayers.

This disgraceful trip is now center stage news and has served to rightfully humiliate Rosa Delauro and her Democrat "buddies". My view on this besides its massive carbon pollution...speechless...with leaders like Delauro it's no wonder the country is in a ditch.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Rell Will Attempt To Reconcile Budget Deficit

Gov. M. Jodi Rell said Tuesday that while she believes the budget she presented to the General Assembly earlier this month was balanced she will have her budget office get together with the legislature’s budget office and the state Comptroller’s office to see if they can agree on the budget deficit.

Rell’s budget office had projected a $6 billion budget deficit for fiscal years 2010 and 2011, while the legislature’s budget office projected an $8.7 billion budget deficit for those same two years.

“I put together a budget based on the facts I had at the time,” she said. “I think we all agree the budget deficit continues to grow.”

In an emailed statement, Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney, D-New Haven, said he is encouraged by Rell’s announcement.

“It is apparent that the budget that Gov. Rell proposed two weeks ago will not put our fiscal house in order,” Looney said. “I appreciate Gov. Rell’s willingness to revise her projections and trust that when new deficit numbers are agreed upon, that she will work with the legislature to find solutions.”

At the moment Rell said she still won’t entertain any talk of tax increases until the legislature can put some spending cuts on the table. “I’m not talking revenue until we talk cuts,” she said.

“I’ve said from the very beginning we need to make budget cuts,” Rell said. “I’m the only person that has put budget cuts on the table.”

In addition Rell said she was still working on her fiscal year 2009 budget mitigation plan to help reduce the more than $1 billion deficit this fiscal year. She has asked the legislature to take a vote on the package, which she has yet to unveil, on Feb. 25.

Along with her budget mitigation plan, Rell’s staff will be meeting with legislative leaders Wednesday morning to talk about a retirement incentive package for state employees over the age of 55.

In a press release sent out on Friday, Rell urged the Democrat-controlled legislature to come up with a retirement incentive package, also known as a RIP, to offer qualifying employees before April 1. “It is my hope that we can trim the payroll through a plan like this,” Rell said in the press release.

Jeff Beckham, spokesman with the Office of Policy and Management, said Tuesday that the governor could negotiate a RIP directly with the unions or the legislature can pass a law providing for it.

Speaker of the House Chris Donovan, D-Meriden, said in a phone interview Tuesday evening that he was under the impression that a early retirement package was being negotiated by the state employee unions and Rell.

“That’s where this proposal belongs,” Donovan said. He said it’s not the legislature’s job to negotiate with the unions. “She needs to put a proposal together and present it to us,” he said.

Rell has asked representatives from all four caucuses to meet with her and the Office of Policy and Management to come up with an early retirement package.

Donovan said he will not be sending anyone from the House Democratic caucus to the meeting Wednesday morning.

Derek Slap, spokesman for the Senate Democrats, said Tuesday that the governor’s office has yet to lay out specifics of the RIP.

How would it work? And who would qualify? These are all details that have yet to be spelled out by the governor, Slap said. He said while the Democrats are open to the idea they would like to see who would be leaving and on what terms.

“Clearly this needs to be done strategically,” he said.

C. Stewart

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Milford's Lambert Speechless on Losses

Jim Amann touted in his 2007 legislative update the great progress he made in Hartford. One of those accomplishments was the court house annex, and another was the boardwalk connecting the beaches together in Milford.

These are all eerie reminders of the past, and a true testament that our new State Representative Barbara Lambert is holding true to her word. This is something she said to to the Milford paper a few months ago. Lambert was quoted and used the word "intimidating" when referring to the atmosphere at the state capitol.

Should we be surprised that she has not spoken out against the very things that her predecessor Amann touted as his successes? For one I am personally thrilled that the courthouse suffered a defeat, as I see the downtown courthouse project as being minimally beneficial to local business. The downtown courthouse is little more than a hang out for angry, depressed miserable people. This is something I would love to see replaced with a Maritime Museum or something more happy. Perhaps the courthouse can move to an industrial area where misery will not negatively impact our community.

That digression aside the defeat of the courthouse and the boardwalk was certainly to be expected in these financially troubled times. What was not expected is Lambert's Silence on this issue. Her silence suggests to me that she is making a defacto statement that she, is either asleep, or does not see this loss as worth commenting over. Whatever the case I believe she needs to make a statement about her position and what she intends to do about it.

These Amann achievements now undone or "shelved" for a while what next for the future development of Milford? What legacy, or accomplishments will she bring in these lean times? and What should we expect her to deliver to Milford?

Certainly more than the undoing of what previous Democrats have touted as accomplishments for our town. This blog is a reminder that a hypocritical silence exists at the state level in Milford, a silence that is "intimidated" and remains silent as her parties accomplishments are being all snatched away.

While I say "good riddance" to the "court house annex" and the "Boardwalk" what say those who must feel betrayed by the ease of which they were reneged from our community? Do Democrats even bother to criticize or fight to hold on to that which they deem a success? Apparently not because Lambert appears to too scared to fight for her constituents!

Friday, February 6, 2009

Some New Voices in Milford

This Blog is from Tina the Realtor, although most of what is posted is not current, there are a lot of great photos from around town. These photos show the fun stuff that was going on in and near Milford throughout 2008.

This is Tina the Realtor's Blog.

http://activerain.com/blogs/realtor_tina

Monday, February 2, 2009

Reading Newspapers Can Be Frustrating

This is no disrespect to the great journalists who have been reporting the cold hard facts about local and state politics, but what I find particularly frustrating is the protectionism of these reporters. What I mean when I say "protectionism" is that these people rarely name names or assign blame to any one individual/s unless their crime was so egregious i.e Bernie Madoff, that it is irrefutable main stream news.

Reading the paper today, for example, I was once again livid with the big banks who not only accepted Trillions of dollars at the expense of American workers, but refuse to hire them because we will not work as cheaply as an imported foreigner.

The Connecticut Post who investigated this hurtful practice, said that Americans were not considered for these jobs because Foreigners come with " a better education, and are willing to take less pay." The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service confirmed that tens of thousands of H1 visas were being requested by the banks to import these workers.

Banks manipulate the system by using the "Equal Pay" requirements of less technical positions and then upscale their imported employees into jobs that are a misrepresentation of the "dummed down" paperwork submitted to the INS. Rarely does the INS even enforce this because there is too much collusion between all parties involved.

Americans still seem to be asleep, and the President of the United States Obama is still planning to respond to the threat of "total economic collapse" if he fails to remit another 890 Billion to the "banksters". But in reality this is really 1.3 trillion when we add the interest demanded by the privately held Federal Reserve Bank.

While our leaders in Washington are up in arms over the lack of transparency of the first 350 Billion, an amount that was surpassed by nearly 1.7 Trillion according to a lawsuit filed by Bloomberg and MSNBC, the "Banksters" continue to ruthlessly extort the American people without conscience.

Executive pay raises and bonuses are being paid to the tune of billions, and of course they cannot return it after the fact that would no be right! This is the prevailing philosophy of our "reasonable leaders" who ironically have been the recipients of millions of dollars in contributions from these banks.

Clearly the blame for this fiasco should be laid on Bush, Bernake, Paulson, Sen. Dodd, Sen. Frank, and now Obama for choosing to allow this corrupt system to prosper. This is a system that was enacted in 1913 under the Federal Reserve Act and has given Americans a year over year hidden tax by way of inflation. Our U.S. dollar from 1913 to present day has devalued by nearly 98%! This devaluation accelerated when Richard Nixon scrapped the Gold Standard making the Federal Reserve notes in our pockets and bank accounts nothing more than paper and ink and computer entries.

Americans have no choice but engage this system, because there is no other legal median of exchange. As long as the U.S. government can continue to control us, and the military with with this "paper and ink" system, the country will continue its slide into deeper recession and economies will not prosper.

China has called U.S. debt "noncollectable" and their dollar reserves are viewed as somewhat of a joke. Oil producing nations, are protesting the Dollar as the basis of exchange for oil because they anticipate it will be worthless in the not so distant future. These countries are so upset with the dollar that they protest at the risk of military invasion by the U.S. who sees these nations as an "axis of evil."

The public has dramatically driven up the price of Gold over the last few years to as high as $1,000.00 per ounce. Some investment firms in the public sector have been feverishly calling people with a very persuasive argument that the over printing of U.S. dollars will cause Gold to skyrocket to as high as $2,000.00 per ounce in the not so distant future.

According to Ron Paul, who along with every Republican in Congress voted against the Obama plan, said it is riddled with "Pork" and will not help solve anything with our economy. Ron Paul said Americans need to be protecting the value of the Dollar not funding the same "banksters" that created the collapse of our economy in tandem with the politicians who forced American workers to compete with global wages.

Americans are FED UP with this and they are waking up at an alarming rate. Gold sales are up, gun sales have gone off the charts and when the time comes to fight back we could expect people to defend our country one home at a time. This is truly one of the saddest periods in American history with the greatest level of betrayal the American public has ever seen. There is a reason why Congress has a 9% approval rating, its because 91% of Americans see Congress as the Terrorists who are destroying our country one "Bill" and one "Trade Agreement" at a time.

If you are fed up with this system, buy a Gun, buy Gold, buy Storable Food and Water and demand nothing of a bank. Destroy your Credit Cards, avoid writing checks, pay off your loans, refuse loans, and keep a minimal amount of cash. The sooner you understand that Banks are the enemy, the better off you will be.