Connecticut's Problems May Hit Home

When Dan Malloy won the job of our state Governor I was delighted, but not for the reasons that most of his fans and supporters were. While my friends were rather perplexed, and really did not understand my affinity for Mr. Malloy I had to clarify my support of him.

This support was mostly based on my disdain for partisan bickering in Hartford. I personally believe, and have seen, that whenever, a single branch of the state Capitol is controlled by another party the blame is quickly shifted on that branch of government as if they are the cancerous evil that is the demise of society. With the Democrats in firm control over all three branches of government we have addressed the issue of the "Blame Game" and since we are in a Great Recession who is better suited to fire state employees than the people and parties who they lobbied for and spent millions to put in office.

Dan Malloy is making Wisconsin's Walker look like a Liberal, not because Malloy is or is not a Liberal but because he inherited a state that is much like the HMS Titanic after it hit an Iceberg. While everyone on board in the State of Connecticut is going on as if all is well, and some feel that their years of service entitle them to job security, our Governor is swimming in an unbalanced pool of debt that some call an illegal budget. One person in particular challenging this "illegal budget" in court is Republican Tom Scott. The unions are currently panicked, their austerity vote was rejected, and last minute midnight deals and special sessions are in the works to make the impossible possible.

Unions are now blaming their own voting rules for requiring more than 51% to pass a wage measure. The state of Connecticut employs some 48,000 people and the numbers of layoffs have been estimated from as few as 5,000 to as many as 10,000. However in the words of our Independent Democratic senator Gayle Slossberg, she voted against the Malloy budget because it did not seriously address the issue of "New spending" in a serious financial situation.  Slossberg said that the "budget shortfall is so severe that the Governor could lay off all 48,000" employees and still not fill the budget gap. That aside she found it upsetting that the Malloy budget included funds for "the restoration of an Opera house" in the wake of layoffs.

As of yet no state employees have been let go, but the longer the structural deficit issue looms on, the more severe the budget constraints on the state labor unions become. These unions have many reasons to be concerned, not just over their loss of a job, but also over their pension obligations that are also  underfunded and set to fail sometime in the year 2019-2020. Ct not only cnnot afford its employees but it cannot afford their pensions either. The notion that layoffs will fix the problem is also a paradox because unemployment of that many people will hurt the state economy, especially if it accompanies a tax increase during a bad economic period. The state of Connecticut will also need to set aside 100's of millions of dollars to pay all of the expected unemployment claims that could linger on for up to 99 weeks.

Moving forward Milford's city leaders should start taking our wasteful spending issues seriously. There is a very likely event on the horizon that will require us to prepare for the inevitable and eventual cuts to our town. The cuts could entail and include our road improvement subsidies, our manufacturing credits, our grants, our education dollars or anything else they decide to eliminate. The final word of this post today should be to mention that Governor Chris Christie of N.J. is laughing at Connecticut's Solitaire playing legislators and Malloy's reticence to make effective management decisions.

Senate Approves Taking Governor’s Appointment Power, Declines Ethics Rule

by Christine Stuart: The state Senate approved a bill Friday morning 21-12, which would require a US Senate vacancy to be filled by a special election, instead of gubernatorial appointment.

Sen. Gayle Slossberg, D-Milford, said the bill returns the power to elect a US Senator to the people of Connecticut. Since the 1940s the power to appoint a US Senator has resided with the governor, but recent scandals like the one in Illinois over Barack Obama’s vacant senate seat has given the concept of holding a special election more momentum than in previous years. The bill now heads to the House for a approval.

Also Republicans tried to change the rules of the Senate to create a bipartisan committee of ethics to allow for senators to be disciplined by their peers.

The Republican move comes on the heels of two recent election complaints against two Democratic senators who were noticeably absent during the debate and vote Friday morning.

Sen. Thomas Gaffey, D-Meriden, who was fined $6,000 in March for double-billing the state and his own political action committee for expenses related to his attendance at legislative conferences, and Sen. Joseph Crisco, D-Woodbridge, who was fined $4,000 this week for violating state election laws related to his re-election campaign, were both absent.

Sen. Minority Leader John McKinney, R-Southport, predicted that the resolution to change the rules would be defeated, but tried to remind his Democratic colleagues that once upon a time, the concept was something they supported.

Sen. President Donald Williams, D-Brooklyn, said it opens the doors to frivolous complaints against any of the 36 senators. He said it means even if someone believed a rumor was true they couldn’t be held responsible for making a false statement against a senator. McKinney said he met with Williams earlier in the day Thursday and would have agreed to limit who was able to file complaints to the 36 senators in the circle.

The idea of a bipartisan committee on Senate ethics first came up at the end of 2007 when former Sen. Louis DeLuca admitted to asking a man with mafia-ties to beat up his granddaughter’s husband because he thought she was being abused. A six-member panel, three Senators from each party, was appointed to determine whether to recommend a censure, reprimand, or expulsion. DeLuca ended up resigning before the committee made its final recommendation.

Support for changing the Senate’s rules to create a permit bipartisan committee on ethics seems to have faded since.

The bill failed mostly along party lines by a vote of 13-20, with only one Democrat, Sen. Ed Meyer, D-Guilford, voting for it.

Christine Stuart file photo Sen. Gayle Slossberg, D-Milford

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Thought this information regarding the 17th Amendment was very interesting and germain to this post.

http://www.infowars.com/the-17th-amendment-and-the-injury-it-has-caused-to-our-republican-form-of-government/

Protestors, More Irate Than Usual

The economic downturn and pandemic corruption throughout Connecticut is causing a stir around the state this month. In the last few weeks several protests have taken place at the State Capitol in Hartford.

The most recent protests include the Acorn protest over the foreclosure of properties belonging to the elderly, veterans, and our states poor and unemployed. A nursing protest took place over the states budget cutbacks and the church led an angry mob to Hartford protesting the latest news of a bill that would strip churches of its financial authority, a measure they call revenge for their position opposing gay marriage in CT.

Locally in Milford our school media aides led a protest over the budgetary decision to eliminate several of their jobs, and parents, teachers and taxpayers have been in constant conflict over the ever-increasing school budget.

Meanwhile disenfranchised voters and progressive thinkers have formed a third party in Milford that has drawn thirty plus individuals from both parties (and all walks of life.) This party has threatened the local balance of power enjoyed by Republicans and Democrats and will yield an impressive status of deciding which party wins an election. Independent Conservative candidates could potentially sink Republican races, and Independent Liberal candidates could also sink Democratic races.


Many citizens are coming to an epiphany, finding the economic climate, and its effects on government enlightening and humbling as more and more people begin to realize how much we depend on the government for just about everything. The largest employer in Milford is the city itself, and the state of Connecticut and the Federal Government also fear that despite the economic downturn layoffs of government jobs will accelerate the economic downturn and stir more social unrest.

Many economic experts have predicted a "summer of rage" in America and as it stands Connecticut is off to a good start. But to cap this story off with something to be proud of, Connecticut is ranked highest in the nation as a provider to the poor and homeless, this record is largely thanks to the states churches (under attack) and the associated state grants rendered to them.

A Novel Solution To The State Deficit

Some time ago about a year ago today to be precise I said that the economy and local businesses would falter. As our clueless leaders balk at the balanced budged amendment to the state constitution, they shutter at the thought of eliminating yet another 3 billion dollars from our state economy.

The impossible mission is to balance the budget and still have friends show up to your party at the local club. With the new legislature expected to arrive into session in the coming weeks, baptism by fire is apropos in lieu of the burgeoning budget catastrophe. But perhaps there is hope, and in times of turmoil it is always good to think "outside the box" something I think I may be good at.

But here is the big idea, and this idea is based on all the technology that I find so annoying. These include texting on your cell phone, X-Box, and like gaming consoles, dollar menu garbage food, game shows, Facebook, Myspace and of course the I-Pod and all those annoying musical devices that cloak people into the matrix of technology.

Safe to say that these technologies have become, in my opinion, as irritating as people who smoke near others, and drink until they have no friends and a reputation for drunkenness. This brings me to the point, how many people would object to being ejected or "taxed out" of the technology matrix.

The countless hours people and kids spend disconnecting from reality is really a disgrace, and on occasion I could personally say that I have witnessed the "looneyness" of texting friends and relatives in the same house. The cellular companies are getting wealthy with this trend alone, and the music industry is cashing in a good sum by selling 99 cent songs, the video game industry is already in "hot water" and is being forced to label their games, and even have recalled some like "San Andreas" a version of a killer road rage game called "Grand Theft Auto."

With our state leaders calling for a "balanced budged" i.e. Gov. Rell and Cafero, who wish to achieve this without raising taxes, should at least consider implementing a win/win tax approach to the financial malaise now at hand.

Nothing would give me more pleasure than to see a new tax implemented against the digital matrix of society. This in my opinion would be a blessing, a tax that makes gizmo's more of a luxury than a commodity. This of course could be thinly disguised as the lifeline our state so desperately needs. Why not tax it into the abyss? And as a last note stop sending "weed" smokers to prison for years and years shorten their sentence these people are "stoned" and the punishment does not fit the crime 3-6 months is plenty. Lots of savings there at $55,000.00 P/Y per prisoner.

Rocco Frank

Post Election Notes

Thank you to everyone who believed in the Independent party, and thank you to the 10% of the people in Milford's 118Th district who agreed with me that the two party system is a failure. It is very hard to argue with the general population of our town who overwhelmingly voted for the two parties. This merely tells me that there is more trust and faith in the Republican and Democratic party than I thought.

The voter turnout was impressive, and the people of our district got the government they voted for. There is no one to blame this election than the newly elected unchallenged super majority in Hartford. Connecticut's legislature is comprised of enough Democratic leaders to say that they have attained power equalled to that of the one party system in Communist China. Rell's vetoes are more meaningless and reversible in the wake of a super majority, and with the Constitutional convention voted down, the people of Connecticut are powerless until the next election.

The Independent party, however did score a victory here in Milford, 10% of us told our local leaders that we have no faith in their parties and Independents can now register as Independents and not Unaffiliated.

We have also defined the very definition of insanity, going back to the same old two party system and expecting a different result. With the state mired in a Billion dollars in debt and the people of this state tapped and fleeing, the Liberals up in Hartford are going to have to put all their promises on hold.

Obama gave every Democrat in America a great push into many seats, and this Christmas the Grinch will end up being the Democratic super majority that profited from his "godlike" success. The Democrats in America have made more promises than the state has money. Their friends at their charities throughout the state are surely to be disappointed when our representatives roll around with an "empty hat" and a whole lot of unfunded promises. For this reason the Independent party has adopted the unpopular platform of making no promises and telling the truth about what the government can deliver.

This message was sent to our leaders thanks to the great many of you who were smart enough to recognize that when politicians say they have a "plan" that they have no "plan." That when they tell you they bring about "change" the actually just end up assimilating and nothing "changes."

With the dramatic events that are predicted to unfold in the coming years, those events that are so horrible as Biden and Obama says that he will be driven to "hard choices," it is safe to say that the Government is putting us all out to "pasture" in the coming months and years. My final message to all of you is to remember that God takes care of those who take care of themselves so prepare accordingly because we have no idea about how bad the "hard unpopular choices" are going to be.

The most scary thing about the Obama election is that his predictions nicely unfold "Conspiracy Fiction" into well documented fact.

Connecticut Sues To Keep Lights On

TEN Company, a subsidiary of Energy East, also involved with UI in our Devon Power Plant project, is trying to shut off the electric on ten of our government office buildings.

These buildings include important government facilities such as the Legislative Office Building, State Supreme Court, our Armory, our Dept of Environmental protection, and six others.

The reason for the "shut off", according to Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, is because of a pricing dispute. Blumenthal alleges "Fraud," a claim TEN denies, on the part that they are taking advantage of its monopoly on energy. Blumenthal has taken this matter before the court seeking an injunction to halt the shutdown of energy to the affected state office buildings.

Blumenthal decried to the media "we will not let Connecticut be held hostage by this company." The issue before the court is wether or not the state was fradulently overcharged 14 Million since the early 90's.

Rohback the attorney representing TEN in court offered the entire heating and piping systems up for state purchase. He alleges that the state contract is not that profitable and is willing to put them up for sale.

In lieu of this lawsuit the TEN Cos. prefer not to do business with the state and are aiming to withdraw service, or render it to another provider.

My personal opinion to bring this home, goes along with what I said in earlier posts about the greed, and antics of corporate energy in CT. I would much prefer choice and free enterprise when it comes to energy, but unfortunately we have a monopoly in town. Thankfully, that is changing if anyone would like to see emerging energy alternatives click This Link.