Are extreme tax hikes during a recovery brave or foolish?

CT Governor Dannel Malloy has released his budget and it is a doozy. In an attempt to close the budget gap, he is proposing huge tax increases on nearly everyone and everything.

In one of the largest and most wide-ranging tax increases in Connecticut history, taxes on income, cigarettes, alcohol, gasoline, and estates would all increase under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's budget proposal to be unveiled Wednesday.

The current 6 percent sales tax would also rise for the first time since the state income tax was created in 1991 - to 6.25 percent...Malloy is also seeking to eliminate the sales-tax free week, which is popular among families as it is held in August for back-to-school shopping. Overall, Malloy is proposing more than 50 different tax changes in a package that would increase taxes by $1.5 billion in the first year and $1.34 billion in the second year.

The taxes are so wide-ranging that they would touch anyone who earns a salary, drives a car, gets a haircut, buys clothing, sleeps in a hotel, takes yoga lessons, pays for a manicure, smokes cigarettes, drinks alcohol or takes a poodle to get a haircut.

I am not sure what to think of the governor at this point. On the one hand, this is a courageous move in the era of the Tea Party. While CT is about as blue as they come, there are plenty of anti-tax protesters ready to come out in force. On the other hand, this seems sure to stifle any nascent economic recovery in the cradle and drive businesses out of the state altogether.

Then again, "brave" and "foolhardy" are not always mutually-exclusive terms. Here's hoping the CT Congress can moderate these terms into something the state can live with. Otherwise, it may be time to think about checking out job opportunities elsewhere.

Cost-of-Living can sink Employment

State legislators tend to think employers are privileged to be able to do business in their state. But the fact is that the decision of location is like any other for a company - cost vs benefit. And recently the CEO of Aetna (based in the state of Connecticut) had some hard words for CT Governor Dannel Malloy.

In short, the Hartford-based health insurer could add workers anywhere around the globe as it grows its health-technology business. Forty percent of Aetna employees today work from home full-time.

"We've done the analysis, and, quite frankly, Connecticut falls very, very low on the list as an environment to locate employees . . . in large part because of the tax structure, the cost of living, which is now approaching, all in, the cost of locating an employee in New York City," he said.

As states consider how to resolve their budget deficits, they need to keep in mind that it is not a problem solved in isolation. Businesses can and will relocate. And it is the best solutions that will keep and gain business tax revenue.

CT Health Care Reform Backlash

Do you remember when President Obama promised that his Health Care Reform plan would bring down the costs of health care for all Americans? Those of us in Connecticut are wondering how he will explain the latest move by insurers who now want the ability to raise rates by over 20% in 2011.

Aetna asked earlier this summer for an average 24.7 percent increase over last year for small-group HMO plans. State regulators approved an average increase of 18 percent for all of Aetna's small-group plans and 14.2 percent for large-group and middle-market plans, according to Aetna and an initial review of documents provided to The Courant by the state Insurance Department...

In what might appear to be an oddity, companies are citing a huge range of effects that the health care reform mandates will have on plan prices — from near zero to well over 20 percent...

ConnectiCare is seeking an average 22.2 percent hike for its individual-market HMO plans, according to a filing with state regulators...Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut, by far the largest insurer of Connecticut residents, said in a letter that it expects the federal health reform law to increase rates by as much as 22.9 percent for just a single provision — removing annual spending caps...

Somehow, I suspect suddenly health care will return to be a #1 issue in the Fall elections... at least in my home state.

CT Town Legalizes Ice Cream Trucks

When you think about the various threats to our way of life, what do you think of? Terrorism? Drugs? Silly Bandz? I am guessing nowhere in your list is the humble Ice Cream Truck. In fact, typically it is a staple of the childhood experience - the saccharine-sweet jingle sounding from its speakers, the stampedes of hungry kids clamoring for a rocket pop, the parents looking on sadly knowing their waistlines can't withstand another sugary assault until swimsuit season is over.

But for Stratford, CT - a neighboring town to two Mod-Bloggers - Ice Cream Trucks have been illegal for 27 years. Why? No one seems to know. Perhaps someone in 1983 feared Communists were attempting to undermine America with doctored fudgesicles. Either way, we're glad to see the law is being repealed and "pop goes the weasel" will soon be playing in Connecticut neighborhoods again.

Share the Road.Org

I posted a few weeks back that Connecticut is not a good place to bike.  The fact is, riding the trails is great, but the issue is riding the roads.  For years, cyclists have tried to get the CT DOT to improve roads, create bike lanes, and put programs into place to increase awareness among drivers.  I have one friend who has faced irate/aggressive drivers here, who has been run off the road no less than a dozen times.  (One time, by a soccer-mom who saw it as her civic duty to "teach him a lesson" that bikes were not allowed on roads.)

Finally, Connecticut is starting to get serious about cyclists and encouraging bikes as alternative transport.  To that end, they have created a new website which collects the rules of the road, and reiterates the important principles for cars and bikes to share the road.  Combined with an bus-ad campaign, hopefully this will make it better to roam on two wheels in the Constitution State.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from The Bike Nomad

Google confirms capture of Wifi Data in CT

The Google Wifi scandal - where Street View cars captured data from unsecured wireless networks as it mapped locations - is now officially not just a European issue. CT attorney general - and senatorial candidate - Richard Blumenthal has announced that they have admitted collecting the same kinds of data in Connecticut.

Google told Blumenthal’s office it “believes” it started collecting WiFi data in Connecticut in 2008.
“Google’s acknowledgement that it vacuumed up data from unencrypted wireless computer networks in Connecticut is disturbing and demands additional inquiry,” Blumenthal said. “Google grabbed information -- which could include emails, passwords and web-browsing -- that consumers rightly expect to be private. Google needs to better explain how this practice happened, exactly when, where and why.
“We will consider the legality of Google’s WiFi collection practices. Google’s actions raise troubling and profound questions about privacy and whether laws need to be clarified or changed,” Blumenthal said.

This is also a good reminder to secure your network as even a very simple password in WEP or WPA security would have foiled the attempt to snoop. If you're not sure how to set up security on your router, please contact the manufacturer.

It begins - CT has its bond rating cut

My home state is the first, but it won't be the last. Ratings agencies are beginning to cut the bond ratings for the state. This will make it much more expensive to raise funds in the future

Connecticut is preparing to borrow $956 million to close a budget gap in the fiscal year beginning July 1, after borrowing money last year to cover a deficit of $947.6 million. Not good. Fitch has reduced the states credit rating from AA+ to AA.

Blumenthal lied about Vietnam?

Richard Blumenthal has served as Connecticut's Attorney General for many years - and is widely respected - but recently he took the podium at a ceremony regarding veterans and apparently misrepresented his own service in the Vietnam era. This apparent lie has been exposed by the New York Times, and some are arguing it may lead to the end of his political career.

“We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam,” Mr. Blumenthal said to the group gathered in Norwalk in March 2008. “And you exemplify it. Whatever we think about the war, whatever we call it — Afghanistan or Iraq — we owe our military men and women unconditional support.”

There was one problem: Mr. Blumenthal, a Democrat now running for the United States Senate, never served in Vietnam. He obtained at least five military deferments from 1965 to 1970 and took repeated steps that enabled him to avoid going to war, according to records.

This will be an interesting one to watch. Mr. Blumenthal is running to replace Senator Chris Dodd. If he should fall, is there a Democratic candidate who can step in to fill the gap, or is this one seat that the GOP can mark as "safe" for 2010?

Explosion in Middletown, CT

It is not very often that there is big news in my home state of Connecticut. But today, there was a natural gas explosion at a local plant. Early reports are that the plant's stack went up while they were cleaning it. Fatalities have been confirmed, but not yet enumerated.

Teens disrupt Trumbull Mall

Yeah, I admit it. This is only posted because it happened nearby my own location. But it is proof of what happens when you combine high unemployment with rainy weather - teens with nothing to do will find something to occupy themselves. "Idle hands are the devil's tools."

Hundreds of teenagers became embroiled in a melee and were ejected Saturday night from the Westfield Trumbull mall after harassing customers and exhibiting "rowdy and disruptive behavior."

That resulted in a 17-year-old Bridgeport youth being stunned by a town police officer after charging and knocking the officer to the ground outside the mall, police said.

Here's hoping 2010 is a better year for the economy, so these kids can have better things to do with their time.

Ned Runs for Governor

Millionaire businessman Ned Lamont will announce Thursday that he is running for Governor of Connecticut. Lamont is best known for wrestling the Democratic Senatorial nomination away from Joe Lieberman in 2006. Lieberman still went on to win as an Independent. If Connecticut trends like Tuesday's Governor races, then Lamont will be too Liberal to be elected.

Things Do Change

This Winter


Today

Kiteboarders at Long Beach

I had no idea, but apparently there is a whole club in Stratford, CT that meets at Long Beach pretty much every week. I shot this on my iPhone 3GS.

Mod-Blogger gets a mention

The fireworks videos were mentioned by the Valley Independent Sentinel Newspaper!

http://valley.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/thousands_watch_derby-shelton_fireworks/

Maybe this will mean a little good publicity for Mod-Blog.

Connecticut Weirdness: The Ballroom Polka

I remember with dismay my elementary school years when my teachers tried to get me to memorize such trivia as the state bird, state flower, and state instrument. How, I wondered, could anyone care about this kind of stuff? It must be a relic of a bygone age, right? Not so much - apparently, some Connecticut residents are trying to get the state government to designate a "state polka". The supporters seem quite passionate about it. Personally, I never knew "passionate" and "polka" could be placed in the same sentence. The candidate polka is in the YouTube video below. And I will grudgingly admit it is impressive, and somewhat catchy.

Same-Sex Marriage to become law in CT

It appears the CT legislature is poised to make same-sex marriage the law in the Nutmeg State. There was significant resistance from religious groups fearful of the lack of exceptions for faith-based organizations, but it appears that the legislation has been amended and now the bill is likely to pass.

"Obviously the Supreme Court decision in 'Kerrigan' has made same sex marriage the law of the state of Connecticut," said Senator John McKinney. "What we're trying to do is make sure that there are protections for religions and religious organizations with respect to the performing of marriage ceremonies and celebrations of marriages."

"It appears that the religious liberties issues are being addressed and that's a very good thing," said Pat Korten of the Knights of Columbus. "Obviously, the bill that came out of committee had virtually nothing of that sort. This is major progress."

This has been coming for a while, and I think it is inevitable that same-sex marriage is essentially law of the land in the USA. I disagree with the philosophical arguments, but they are not incoherent. Now is the time for Conservatives to honestly assess what same-sex marriage in all (or at least most) states means for them. And how they want to explain this move to the children.

CT Church Government Bill dies

The bill reported on by CRChair and I over the last couple of days which would have given the legislature the power to regulate church government, is apparently dead. The uproar appears to have been more than the bill's authors expected, and even after the bill was shelved there are protests planned in Hartford.

CT Representatives respond on Church Government Bill

CRChair reported yesterday on a bill being considered by the Connecticut legislature to mandate church governmental forms, especially Catholic churches. In the last 24 hours, several CT Mod-Bloggers contacted our state representatives on the subject and we got back some responses!

Thank you for your notes on Raised S.B. No. 1098 AN ACT MODIFYING CORPORATE LAWS RELATING TO CERTAIN RELIGIOUS CORPORATIONS.

I agree that this legislation is an inappropriate invasion of religious freedom. I will actively oppose this bill and any other attempt of the state to interfere in the internal affairs of the Catholic Church or any religion.

I do not believe Connecticut should dictate to any religion how they should govern themselves, nor give the state broad investigatory powers whenever any allegation is brought forward. Religious freedom is one of the cornerstones of our democracy, and SB-1098 clearly violates the separation of church and state. All religions should have the right to govern themselves as their clergy and parishioners see fit—not have decisions forced on them by politicians in Hartford.

I am happy to report that following days of public pressure, the chairs of the Judiciary Committee have decided to table the bill and postpone a scheduled public hearing. However, given the late notice of the postponement and the importance of the issue at hand, Republican legislators will be holding an informational hearing of our own tomorrow (Wednesday March 11th) at 12:00pm in room 2C of the Legislative Office Building.
I encourage you to attend this informational hearing. Sign up will begin at 9:30am in the lobby of the Legislative Office Building at 300 Capitol Avenue in Hartford. Attending legislators will allow members of the clergy to testify first and then open the hearing for public comment.


-Dan Debicella, CT State Senator

And yet another for your consideration.

Thank you for reaching out to me on this extremely troubling bill
before the legislature's Judiciary Committee. First and foremost,
please know that I support you and the Church 100%. You have my
commitment to oppose this bill.

Why the legislative majority of the State of Connecticut thinks it's ok to dictate how the Catholic Church must govern itself is beyond comprehension. I believe that the legislature has no right to interfere in the structure of the Church and though this bill is directed only at the Catholic Church today, as Bishop Lori has pointed out, it could be forced on other denominations in the future. This is, at best, unconstitutional. At worst, it's an underhanded attempt to silence the Catholic Church. The state has no business controlling religion.

You should send your thoughts to Judiciary Committee Co-chairs, Senator Andrew McDonald and Rep. Michael Lawlor. They need to know how people feel about what they have proposed.

As you may already be aware, the Judiciary Committee public hearing scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday, March 11th) on S.B. 1098, AN ACT MODIFYING CORPORATE LAWS RELATING TO CERTAIN RELIGIOUS CORPORATIONS has been canceled. However, in an effort to give the people who have contacted us an opportunity to express their concerns with this bill, many of which we share, the members of the House and Senate Republican
Offices, will be going forward tomorrow with an informational hearing on this bill starting at 12:00 pm. The hearing will be held in room 2C of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford and overflow rooms will be available.

Sign up for the hearing will start at 9:30 am in the first floor lobby of the Legislative Office Building. We will hear from Church officials first and then open it up for public comment. We are inviting anyone who has contacted us on this bill so we can let them know they can be heard on this issue tomorrow. We will also be inviting our Democrat colleagues to join us. If you have any questions please let me know.

- Jason Perillo
State Representative
113th District - Shelton, CT

And yet another

As you may already be aware, the Judiciary Committee public hearing scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday, March 11th) on S.B. 1098, AN ACT MODIFYING CORPORATE LAWS RELATING TO CERTAIN RELIGIOUS CORPORATIONS has been cancelled. However, in an effort to give the people who have contacted us an opportunity to express their concerns with this bill, many of which we share, the members of the House and Senate Republican Offices, will be going forward tomorrow with an informational hearing on this bill starting at 12:00 pm. The hearing will be held in room 2C of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford and overflow rooms will be available.

Sign up for the hearing will start at 9:30 am in the first floor lobby of the Legislative Office Building. We will hear from Church officials first and then open it up for public comment. We are inviting anyone who has contacted us on this bill so we can let them know they can be heard on this issue tomorrow. We will also be inviting our Democrat colleagues to join us. If you have any questions please let me know.

Sincerely,

Rep. Lawrence Miller, CT State Representative

Talk about Bad Timing!

This last week, the local high school in Shelton, CT was upbraided by the CT state Fire Marshall for not complying with the fire code. The local Fire Marshall had been dismissive of the non-compliance, first claiming they had a waiver and then saying that no waiver was needed. Overall, the state felt the school was out of compliance because of lack of sprinklers and external exits for many classrooms. The state is expected to order soon that the school be brought into compliance.

Well, before such an order can be given, an explosion and fire has been reported at the high school during a Freshman girl's basketball game.

Updated 9:01 PM: Here is the video of the story.

Shelton closes the path by the Dam

This summer, when we started biking, Archer took us down to the Shelton river and showed us a great little path down by the Hydroelectric Dam. It was a 1/2 mile long gravel-paved walkway and bike path which was great for us as beginners. It ran along the Housatonic River, giving pretty views, but was straight, flat, and simple. It was a wonderful resource to discover and we used it a lot until we had build up our experience and strength to take on longer rides and city streets.

But that option is no more. The developer who owns the area, who has been pushing the city of Shelton to buy the land, has closed the area to public access, for good. The given reason is liability. The area was originally an industrial area, so the only people on that path were people who went out of their way to find it. Now, high density condos are being built nearby, and the developer claims the path could be dangerous when the dam's spillways are in use. To my ears, it sounds more like this is a tactic on the part of the developer to force the town to buy the land.

Either way, it is bad that this is being taken away from the public. And worse that it appears to have been done without giving the public any say in the process.