Taxes... They Are All Going Up... A Little

Milford's real estate taxes are going up a little only $106.00 for the average homeowner, state taxes well they are going up just a little when we include the increase in the sales tax, gas tax, and the  increased income tax. The average person in our state will have to pay an additional $750.00 a year. Federal taxes, well they are still working on that but we did see a glimpse of their plans, these include new health insurance taxes and carbon taxes.

To make matters more interesting there are thousands of homeowners who live in Milford that are part of Condo Associations, and yes those fees are also sadly going up with all else.

Thus far it would appear that the cost of food and clothing is going up along with the price of gas. Borders bookstore announced it is going into bankruptcy and will be closing its store at the Milford Mall. Connecticut's state unions are being forced into very large concessions and local governments like ours in Milford are still struggling to balance their budget.

The trend is very clear, the government wants more money from the taxpayers, employers cannot keep up and are laying people off or closing stores and more and more people are relying on help from the government.

Energy assistance, unemployment extensions, food stamps, housing assistance, health care for economically disadvantaged kids, and of course transportation assistance as we have seen in the past. These programs included "cash for clunkers," "Home buyers Credits," "cash infusions to big banks" and who can forget the millions of foreclosures and the latest government program "Keeping Americas Homes Affordable Act."

The disconnect between government, at all levels, and the reality that has become the Greatest Recession America has ever seen is crystal clear. The national debt is growing at a staggering pace and is expected to top 15 Trillion by years end, entire states are bankrupt, and municipalities are expected to go into default on government bonds issued under the "Renew America Act."

For the lucky few out there who have lots of savings, you may weather the storm and be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. While no one knows where the "end of the tunnel" is, there are some out there who already see the the light.

Wall Street for some odd reason seems to defy Main Street, this is because as Main Street continues to struggle Wall Street continues to prosper. The index is up nearly 20% since last year but few on Main Street feel that recovery. Why you must be thinking? Over and over again the answer is clear and that is that Americas stock markets represent international companies with international business models. 

Many of the companies represented on Wall Street  are international companies. They do business in emerging and developed markets around the world and have unbridled access to liquid money and investment lending that ordinary Americans do not.

Most people who look at America for investing are immediately concerned with the extensive regulations on business that include employer mandates, environmental regulations, high energy costs, taxes, and according to our President our "D" rated infrastructure that must support their manufacturing operations. What governments fail to realize is that increases in taxes, along with the creation of new laws and regulations can dramatically alter the commercial and economic landscape of a community.

This problem is further exaggerated by treaties such as NAFTA, GATT, EPP, ETC.. these treaties make it possible for our nations corporations to shop every government in the world for economic opportunity and to gain an advantage over their competitors.

This is why so many former U.S. based companies have abandoned America. Our global manufacturing is more often than not conducted in nations that pay very low wages, have little to no regulation, low environmental standards and provide a welcome package for those who boost the quality of life of the once destitute people who lived in those host nations.

The issue of taxes, big government, and jobs will persist so long as we live in a bifurcated world where all levels of government tax without regard to the other. The notion of small tax increases is fine until those small increases, combined with others create an environment inhospitable to conduct business. The bankruptcy of Borders books this week is perhaps a reminder that things need to change if we are to stem the tide of economic decline in America and our state.

I hope those of you who read this today are able to make those decisions that ordinary job seekers cannot make for themselves, those decisions must be aimed at rebuilding the U.S. manufacturing base through tariffs and policies that help rather than hurt American wages and jobs. 

The Final Countdown To Elections Begins

With November 2nd coming upon us like a Lion the time to start learning about our candidates for office is here. This week Jill Dion of the Milford Mirror contacted me and wanted all my readers to know that she is soliciting position statements on the candidates for office. These statements are limited to 300 words so they will offer only a snippet of knowledge.

They are, however, worth reading and will be published in the Mirror from now on. This is the best start on getting a collection of candidate remarks on the numerous seats on the ballot. You may also use google to learn about the candidates, and go back in this blog to read my many postings about the people in the running.

While I am always learning new things about the candidates, I personally suffer the same dilemma that many of you have and that is the paradox of the political pageant here in our state. I call it a pageant because it is a contest, and like the Miss America Pageant we look to our contenders in much the same way. How do they dress, are they well groomed, how did they answer questions, how did the public respond to them. Who is the most favored by the internet community and which one is just losing their edge due to their personal problems.

Sadly the candidates with the most amount of money get an edge because they can buy a bigger parade and push more propaganda to the masses. More often than not this candidate produced material is scientifically prepared to get a reaction out you, its recipient. That reaction lately has been to scare you into believing that the opponents are going to do something terrible to your future.

This duplicity and misdirection makes finding out the truth an enigmatic maze whereby an innocent bystander can be easily tricked by the antics of political scientists. This year I ask that my readers use the last bastion of freedom to get all points of view. Use the internet to aid your decision while taking very lightly the information that originates from the Political Scientists.

Our New Independent Party 2010 Webmercial

118Th Seat Challenged By Independent Party

Independent Party Town Committee Chairman Rocco Frank announced recently that he will run for the 118th District House seat this fall on a platform of protecting the Bill of Rights and increasing state funding for schools.

Rep. Barbara Lambert, D-Milford, is not running for re-election in the district. Frank ran against her and Republican Nanci Seltzer in 2008 for the seat after former House Speaker James A. Amann opted not to run again.

Frank said recently that his previous campaign experience showed him that voters wanted an alternative to Democrats and Republicans.

CONTINUE READING AT CHRIS RHATIGANS STORY AT THE REGISTER

Peter Schiff Comments On Education

The Peter Schiff HQ is off to a great start, and with Dodd out of the race a new playing field in the exciting race for Senate is emerging.

Peter Schiff who opened his HQ in Milford last November has since met up with the Independence Caucus of Connecticut and has begun putting himself on record regarding the issues.

The above clip is one of many now posted on Youtube, but is my personal choice as it pertains to education and school vouchers. There are other videos available and anyone who is interested in learning about the Schiff campaign can visit his website at www.shiffforsenate.com or click on the Shiff banner ad to the upper right of this article.

Peter Schiff is endorsed by Ron Paul, has the unilateral support of the CT Tea Party Movement and the Milford Independent Party. Schiff opened up his HQ in Milford because of the outpouring of support lent to him here.

Thus far to date Peter Schiff has raised 1.4 Million in contributions, dwarfing all of his opponents with the exception of self funded Millionaire Linda McMahon.

To volunteer or lend your support to the Schiff campaign contact Len Greene at (203) 450-8817 or stop by their campaign HQ on Old Gate lane in Milford, CT.

Another Thief Another Business Robbed

The low life criminal in the above photo is yet another pathetic instance of businesses being under assault. If there ever has been a time to get night clerks armed and trained to deter these criminals, now is the time.

The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was not intended to let the criminals have guns, and leave law abiding store owners feeling that guns are a terrible thing. Businesses should have a right to defend their own property and the sooner these thugs see the gun pointed back at them the sooner they will get the message.

Police, once again, have released another video and more photos from two recent Devon robberies. They are again, asking for the public's help in identifying the suspect.

Both businesses robbed this week are, the New Star China Restaurant and the Krauser's Market. Both were conveniently robbed near closing time by a suspect described as white, 5 feet 7 inches tall, with a thin to medium build.

The restaurant, is located at 548 Naugatuck Ave., and was robbed Oct. 27, the convenience store was robbed two days later.

In both holdups, the robber displayed a small, black handgun, police said. Investigators believe that the two robberies may have been committed by the same person.

Once again anyone with information about either case is asked to call the Milford police detective division at 203-877-1465

Nader Writes Letter to Bush on Gaza Crisis

Cong. Barney Frank said recently that Barack Obama’s declaration that “there is only one president at a time” over-estimated the number. He was referring to the economic crisis. But where are you on the Gaza crisis where the civilian population of Gaza, its civil servants and public facilities are being massacred and destroyed respectively by U.S built F-16s and U.S. built helicopter gunships.

The deliberate suspension of your power to stop this terrorizing of 1.5 million people, mostly refugees, blockaded for months by air, sea and land in their tiny slice of land, is in cowardly contrast to the position taken by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1956. That year he single handedly stopped the British, French and Israeli aircraft attack against Egypt during the Suez Canal dispute.

Fatalities in Gaza are already over 400 and injuries close to 2000 so far as is known. Total Palestinian civilian casualties are 400 times greater then the casualties incurred by Israelis. But why should anyone be surprised at your blanket support for Israel’s attack given what you have done to a far greater number of civilians in Iraq and now in Afghanistan?

Confirmed visual reports show that Israeli warplanes and warships have destroyed or severely damaged police stations, homes, hospitals, pharmacies, mosques, fishing boats, and a range of public facilities providing electricity and other necessities.

Why should this trouble you at all? It violates international law, including the Geneva Conventions and the UN Charter. You too have repeatedly violated international law and committed serious constitutional transgressions.

Then there is the matter of the Israeli government blocking imports of critical medicines, equipment such as dialysis machines, fuel, food, water, spare parts and electricity at varying intensities for almost two years. The depleted UN aid mission there has called this illegal blockade a humanitarian crisis especially devastating to children, the aged and the infirm. Chronic malnutrition among children is rising rapidly. UN rations support eighty percent of this impoverished population.

How do these incontrovertible facts affect you? Do you have any empathy or what you have called Christian charity?

What would a vastly shrunken Texas turned in an encircled Gulag do up against the 4th most powerful military in the world? Would these embattled Texans be spending their time chopping wood?

Gideon Levy, the veteran Israeli columnist for Ha’aretz, called the Israeli attack a “brutal and violent operation” far beyond what was needed for protecting the people in its south. He added: “The diplomatic efforts were just in the beginning, and I believe we could have got to a new truce without this bloodshed…..to send dozens of jets to bomb a total helpless civilian society with hundreds of bombs—just today, they were burying five sisters. I mean, this is unheard of. This cannot go on like this. And this has nothing to do with self-defense or with retaliation even. It went out of proportion, exactly like two-and-a-half years ago in Lebanon.”

Apparently, thousands of Israelis, including some army reservists, who have demonstrated against this destruction of Gaza agree with Mr. Levy. However, their courageous stands have not reached the mass media in the U.S. whose own reporters cannot even get into Gaza due to Israeli prohibitions on the international press.

Your spokespeople are making much ado about the breaking of the six month truce. Who is the occupier? Who is the most powerful military force? Who controls and blocks the necessities of life? Who has sent raiding missions across the border most often? Who has sent artillery shells and missiles at close range into populated areas? Who has refused the repeated comprehensive peace offerings of the Arab countries issued in 2002 if Israel would agree to return to the 1967 borders and agree to the creation of a small independent Palestinian state possessing just twenty two percent of the original Palestine?

The “wildly inaccurate rockets”, as reporters describe them, coming from Hamas and other groups cannot compare with the modern precision armaments and human damage generated from the Israeli side.

There are no rockets coming from the West Bank into Israel. Yet the Israeli government is still sending raiders into that essentially occupied territory, still further entrenching its colonial outposts, still taking water and land and increasing the checkpoints This is going on despite a most amenable West Bank leader, Mahmoud Abbas, whom you have met with at the White House and praised repeatedly. Is it all vague words and no real initiatives with you and your emissary Condoleezza Rice?

Peace was possible, but you provided no leadership, preferring instead to comply with all wishes and demands by the Israeli government—even resupplying it with the still active cluster bombs in south Lebanon during the invasion of that country in 2006.

The arguments about who started the latest hostilities go on and on with Israel always blaming the Palestinians to justify all kinds of violence and harsh treatment against innocent civilians.

From the Palestinian standpoint, you would do well to remember the origins of this conflict which was the dispossession of their lands. To afford you some empathy, recall the oft-quoted comment by the founder of Israel, David Ben-Gurion, who told the Zionist leader, Nahum Goldmann:

“There has been anti-Semitism the Nazis Hitler Auschwitz but was that their [the Palestinians] fault? They only see one thing: We have come here and stolen their country. Why should they accept that?”
Alfred North Whitehead once said: “Duty arises out of the power to alter the course of events.” By that standard, you have shirked mightily your duty over the past eight years to bring peace to both Palestinians and Israelis and more security to a good part of the world.

The least you can do in your remaining days at the White House is adopt a modest profile in courage, and vigorously demand and secure a ceasefire and a solidly based truce. Then your successor, President-elect Obama can inherit something more than the usual self-censoring Washington puppet show that eschews a proper focus on the national interests of the United States.

Ralph Nader

Hartford City Council OK's Immigration Ordinance

The city council staked its ground Monday in the immigration debate, unanimously approving an ordinance that bars police from inquiring about immigration status.

The ordinance, if signed by Mayor Eddie Perez, would prevent police from arresting or detaining anyone solely because immigration authorities had issued an administrative warrant for them, which is a civil matter.

The ordinance also prohibits other city employees from asking anyone seeking services about their immigration status.

Councilman Pedro E. Segarra called the decision "bold and courageous" and said he was impressed by the dozens of people in the city who spoke in favor of the proposal at a public hearing last month. There was no opposition.

Segarra said he did not support illegal immigration, but had to respond to the needs of people living in the city. He said that opponents who contacted him since the proposal received media attention lived in the suburbs or as far away as Texas.

"My responsibility as a council person is to the residents of Hartford," he said. "I'm not responsible for securing our borders. I'm not responsible for issuing visas."

Although Perez has said he supports the concept behind the ordinance, it is not clear whether he will sign it.

He has maintained that an order issued by Police Chief Daryl K. Roberts in March that said city police would not make immigration arrests unless there was also a criminal investigation was adequate.

In a letter to the council Monday, Perez expressed concern about "codifying standards for internal police matters in the city code."

Councilman Luis Cotto, who introduced the ordinance, said it was important to pass it so illegal immigrants could be confident they can cooperate with police in criminal investigations without fear of being deported.

Gerry Pleasent, a retired Hartford deputy police chief, opposed the ordinance, saying it was tantamount to usurping the role of the federal government.

"We cannot have each city running around implementing its own immigration ordinance," he said.

Author Contact: Mark Spencer at mspencer@courant.com.