Tag Archives: Connecticut

April 14, 2013 · 5:25 pm

Connecticut Governor Posed In Embarrassing Picture

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Remember when you used to look at the kid’s page in the newspaper and there would be a picture puzzle and the question would be what is wrong with this picture?  Well this is a picture released by Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy to announce, celebrate and commemorate the UCONN Women’s National Championship Basketball Team visiting his office.

Is there something wrong with the picture or is there something else wrong in the Governor’s office?

For starters the lamp that normally would be on the desk is on the floor and the Governor’s chair found on the right is perfectly set for gazing into outer space out the window.  Note, if the governor actually sat at the desk as it is set up all the doors and drawers of the desk would be facing the visitors to his office and not accessible to him.  On the other hand if he sits on the side of the desk with the drawers his back is to the door and his writing area is blocked by other items on the desk. 

It is obvious to even the casual observer Governor Malloy has done little or no work with this desk set up.  Is there any wonder why the Connecticut state budget and economy are in such a shamble?  

Here is some advice to the Governor:  Turn the desk around, put the chair at the desk so you can work, pick up the lamp so you can see what is happening and put note in the drawer that says debit to the left, credit to the right.

Oh there is one more item for the Governor to consider, OSHA and the State Fire Marshal would never approve of the lamp cord running across the direct path of foot placement.  It’s time for the Governor to get his act together, the State is in a financial malaise and there is work to be done.  The voters must consider we have a man in the office that can’t even set up his desk to work.   Sad isn’t it?

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February 24, 2013 · 9:02 am

An Eye On Ackert, Part 5 Bullies, Traitors and Tea Parties

ackertThe American Revolution started largely because of tyranny and oppression fostered in the name of a King.  Today we have oppression fostered by the school yard bullies in the State Legislature in the form of unfunded mandates upon the municipalities.

Emboldened with a sense of power and self-assurance the legislature has continually piled more unfunded mandates on local budgets requiring taxpayers to fund requirements unsupported by State resources.  State Representative (R) Tim Ackert has never been fond of bullies in the school yard and he is not too happy about the unfunded State mandates.

The State has mandated a “prevailing wage” be paid on municipal projects which has discouraged some contractors from bidding on work and requires taxpayers to pay more for the work than would be paid for the same labor on another job.  This creates an artificial market with limited competition and hence unnecessarily increases add to the cost of construction projects paid for with local tax funds.

Representative Ackert is taking action calling for some changes.  He has propose two measures, the first being HB-5962, An Act Concerning State Contributions To Municipalities And The Prevailing Wage.  The proposal would exempt municipalities from the prevailing wage laws unless the state contributes twenty-five per cent or more of the total cost of the municipal project.

While a better solution would be to remove the mandate or at least require the State to fund more than half, this is a first step in the right direction.  The reality is with so many Democratic Legislators beholden to the special interest of union labor even this small step would be a huge win for the taxpayers of Connecticut.

The second proposal being offered by Rep. Tim Ackert is, An Act Increasing The Prevailing Wage Threshold known as HB-5964.  This proposal would increase the threshold amount for construction projects to require prevailing wage to five million dollars for new construction and on million for remodeling.  The current requirements call for $400,000 and $100,000 respectively.

Once again Ackert is stepping in the right direction attempting to find an island of common ground with recalcitrant Representatives willing to put the wants of a special interest above the welfare of the taxpayers.  Finding an island of commonality however, could prove to be more difficult than holding back high tide on Long Island Sound.

Doing the right thing for your constituents can be difficult when facing a political majority willing to protect their political supporters with public tax dollars.  When a majority of our legislators are will to openly and proudly destroy an open and free market while instituting higher taxes to pay for prevailing wages and unfunded mandates they are not serving their constituents they are oppressing them.

These two proposals like the Boston Tea Party of 1773 are sending a message; it is time to fight back in the name of the taxpayers.  If he keeps marching in this direction Mr. Ackert could become known as “Tea Party Tim”.

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February 22, 2013 · 9:35 am

An Eye On Ackert, Part 3, Education A Risky Proposal

ackertThere is no question as to State House Republican Tim Ackert’s interest and dedication to education.  He is the Ranking Member for his party on the Education Committee and his resume shows a history of involvement with education.  Tim has a strong desire to improve educational opportunities but his latest proposal (HB-6178) needs some scrutiny.

We have all heard the expression, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”.  So let’s take a look at the path Mr. Ackert wants to walk, as he offers what is no doubt a proposal of good intention.

HB-6178 is An Act Establishing A Tax Credit For Donations To School Districts it is Tim’s proposal and his alone, with no co-sponsors.  Tim is asking to amend State Statutes to provide a tax credit to individuals and businesses that donate money, supplies or equipment to local or regional boards of education.  On the surface this sounds wonderful but below the surface the idea has trouble written all over it.

This is not a tax deduction proposal, it is a tax credit, and there is a major difference.  A deduction allows for the donation to be deducted from calculations to determine the amount of money from which taxes will be paid.  A tax credit on the other hand is a direct deduction from the amount of taxes due.  The impact could be enormous and devastating to some communities and equally devastating to state government.

This proposal opens a “can of worms” a “Pandora’s Box” when it directly diverts tax dollars to a specific line item without a vote of the community but rather by the actions of individuals.  It would allow for special interests to divert tax dollars to special causes.  If we applied the same thinking to other issues we could see diversion of funding for hunting, political races or environmental protection.

To illustrate the danger let me provide a scenario.  The Town of Coventry votes in May on a budget that is developed largely from Dec. to March.  If the budget were to pass in May it would be based on anticipated tax revenue to be collected starting in July.  If however, a tax credit were to be allowed where you could donate money directly to Boards of Education in lieu of taxes the amount collect could be substantially altered.

In many towns the largest employer is the Board of Education, like it or not those employees are a special interest group that could easily wait until the budget is passed then divert a huge percentage of tax dollars to their employer.  This action could severely harm the general government budget and in fact require layoffs and major cuts in services.

The problem gets exacerbated if other top taxpayers decided to also follow suit.  Major companies could as a public relations matter suddenly decide not to support government at all and divert all tax money to educations.

There is more to government than education, we still need, roads, bridges, fire and police departments not to mention other vital services.  While the example above points out the problem if a tax credit is allowed on local taxes the same holds true for state taxes.

This proposal is a case of good intentions with risky actions, potentially opening the door to financial disaster.  Opening a door to diversion of tax dollars by individuals and businesses, while well intentioned, is not good policy.  The allocation of tax dollars should continue to be a matter voted on by the taxpayers and or their representatives.

This series will continue with the next Opining Quill

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February 21, 2013 · 7:15 am

An Eye On Ackert, Part 2 – Inmates, Taxes and More

ackertYesterday our eyes were on State House Representative (R) Tim Ackert as your voice in Hartford.  Today we’ll take a look at some of his ideas concerning the treatment of the psychiatric disabled, revisions for the gasoline taxes and the treatment of prison inmates.

The price of gasoline has again been sky rocketing upward.   Yesterday I passed at station in CT selling gasoline at $3.97 and I later purchased in Rhode Island at $3.69.  That makes me wonder, what is Tim doing about the price of gasoline?

Years ago Connecticut had a single “motor vehicle fuels tax” collected on every gallon of gasoline pumped at the local station.  Then in 1981 a second tax called the “gross earnings tax” was add. The original legislation imposed a 2% gross earnings tax on any wholesale and retail dealers in this state. The act included a provision prohibiting companies from passing the tax on to consumers, but that provision was just a political smoke and mirrors trick later struck down in the courts as illegal.  The tax remains today at 7% and is scheduled to increase to 8.1% this coming July.

Rep. Ackert has proposed an amendment to combine the taxes (HB 5871).  This would make the tax more transparent for consumers and reduce cost of collections.  While this proposal falls a bit short of reduction in taxes most people would want, even this idea has almost no chance of passing into law this year.

While Connecticut taxpayers pay higher taxes on gasoline than other states it is not the only area we excel, we also pay higher costs for operation of our prison system.  Tim is offering a practical solution to lower the cost.  He proposes, (HB 5945) to place any inmate sentenced to a term of incarceration of eight years or more to serve that time in an out-of-state correctional institution whenever such placement is possible.

Now that is not a bad idea, but he may want to include a proviso of economic advisability.  Government often does things that are possible but not always economically so let’s make sure the taxpayers are protected against an increased burden in the future.

Tim has also shown his concern for those suffering from psychiatric disabilities and wants to expand treatment and care for them.  His proposal (HB 5992) would permit health care providers access to the records of patients in a psychiatric facility for their treatment and also allow persons involved in formulating the patient’s discharge plan to communicate with the patient’s family members concerning the plan.

This is a worthwhile attempt to expand treatment and Tim also recognizes and considers the restrictions of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act in the wording of his proposal.  Protecting and caring for the disabled is a compassionate role of government.

In the next installment of “An Eye On Ackert” we’ll take a look at a good idea that may be bad, but that judgment will be left to the readers.  Come back to see what Tim has in mind for education.

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February 20, 2013 · 8:52 am

An Eye On Ackert, Your Voice At The Capital Part 1

ackert

Representive
Tim Ackert

Tim Ackert is a second term Republican State Representative serving the towns of Coventry, Columbia and a portion of Tolland and Vernon.  Representative Ackert is a member of the legislature’s Education Committee, Higher Education & Employment Advancement Committee, and Human Services Committee.

Tim acts in a role of leadership as the Republican Ranking House Member of the Education Committee.  Education is the largest component in every local budget and this makes Ackert’s leadership all the more important to constituents.

While committee participation is important it is not the only work or contribution a Representative makes to our government.  Committee work is often an exercise in cooperation, concessions and compromise.  It is the individual proposals written by any Representative that give us an idea of their priorities, direction and desires.  So it is there we shall look for some insight into our voice in government, Representative Tim Ackert.

Each proposal is called a Bill and each is assigned a number.  The number preceding the information below is the Bill Number, useful if you would like to track the Bill or communicate to your Representative interest in the Bill. The following are some of the proposals put forth by Rep. Ackert for this session of the General Assembly.

Some of the Bills are self-explanatory such as Bill HB-5414 which would eliminate hunting fees for bow and arrow hunters who are sixty-five or older.  Bills of this type are often a direct result of a constituent request.

In some instances Tim has identified a problem and taken action to correct the situation for the betterment of all citizens.  Bill HB-5447 is just such a case it is an act to require to require the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles to mail each registered motor vehicle owner’s motor vehicle registration renewal application and such owner’s notice of emissions testing requirements in a single envelope.

It is a bill designed to save postage fees and to reduce the amount of late fees being paid by drivers across Connecticut.  According to Rep. Ackert “In 2005 the state didn’t collect any emission late fees, a few years later it was a couple hundred thousand dollars and in fiscal year 2012 the state collected more than $3.4 million in late fees,” Ackert said. “It’s obvious that the state is not clear enough in the emissions testing notification. The fee has gone from a penalty for a few to a source of income for the state. That can’t continue.”  A public hearing on HB-5447 will be held today.

Sometimes Representatives work together on an issue and such is the case on HB-5772 where Rep. Ackert joined with Rep. Miller from the 122nd District to co-sponsor a Bill to prohibit the imposition of new unfunded state mandates on municipalities for a period of two years.  This would be particularly helpful as local communities struggle to control tax increase in current weak and harsh economy.

This is only the first look at Tim’s proposals in the next posting we shall look at proposals for the treatment of persons with psychiatric disabilities, revisions of gasoline taxes and the treatment of prison inmates.

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February 17, 2013 · 7:04 pm

Good People And Bad Apples

???????????????????????????????There comes a time when standing up for what is right and just may not be popular, but it is the right thing to do.  President John F. Kennedy wrote about such individuals in his Pulitzer Prize winning book “Profiles in Courage”.   Kennedy chronicled the acts of integrity and bravery of eight U. S. Senators that suffered criticism and losses in popularity because they desired to do what was right at the time.

Today in our community there are a lot of men and women that serve their neighbors bravely and are having their integrity and character besmirched by association.  They are not U. S. Senators they are local volunteer firefighters, providing serve to their community for all the right reasons.

Make no mistake; this is not a defense, excuse or vindication for the alleged moral misconduct that may have taken place at the department or by “bad apples” within the department.  If proven guilty, their actions are abhorrent, not only to the standards of our community but also to the moral and ethical standards of our fire department.  These allegations are repugnant and repulsive not only to the citizens of Coventry but especially to our friends and neighbors that serve as members of either fire department in town.

Does it take a special dedication to serve on a volunteer fire department?  You bet it does, there are hours and hours of special training, drills and loss of family time, and it takes real dedication and commitment to do the job right.  The value to the community is enormous and members deserve to be recognized for their contribution and not denigrated and stigmatized by the guilt of association when a “bad apple” begins to rot.

The Opining Quill is not a fire fighter and has not always supported the all the goals of the fire departments in the past.  In fact, the Opining Quill opposed the construction of the newest fire house and the alteration of the fire study prior to the presentation to the public.  Those are honest differences of opinion and I stand by those opinions but, I will not stand with those that choose to vilify and ridicule the dedicated morally upstanding citizens that do serve on our volunteer fire departments.

I have heard the term “brotherhood” negatively tossed about when listening to folks talk about our local fire fighters.  Is there “brotherhood”? There better be or we don’t have a good department.  These individuals are called upon in times of need to work together as a team depending on one another to ensure the job is done and everyone returns home safely to their families.  Call it a “fraternity” or “brotherhood” but without that level of trust lives are at risk and it could be yours.

It is precisely the trust of “brotherhood” that makes the current allegations so painful to so many members of our departments.  When the betrayal of trust comes from members in a leadership position it is all the more painful to endure.  The pain is exacerbated when guilt by association is weighing heavily on the minds of members.  Some fire fighters may choose to lessen the pain and walk away, and frankly I can understand. They have been unfairly criticized, denigrated, abused and vilified by their neighbors.  I am hoping that they reconsider such action and believe the vast majority of Coventry citizens will continue to hold them in high regard.

Today I am asking my fellow citizens of Coventry to join me by standing in support not for “bad apples” but for fine men and women dedicated to serve as fire fighters in Coventry for all the right reasons.  Let them know you appreciate their service and you value their contribution to you and to our community.

Now is the time to show your own “profile in courage”, now is your time to stand up.  When we as citizens call upon our fire fighters in times of need, they have always responded.   Now they have a need.  They need to know that you support their efforts and believe in their character and integrity.  Please stand up and join me here on the Opining Quill by writing a comment below to show them your support.

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February 14, 2013 · 1:26 pm

The Hand Of Justice Or Public Scandal

Old State HouseHartford, CT

Old State House
Hartford, CT

In every society there is some form of justice, some more equal than others.  In America we like to believe we have the most impartial justice system in the world and that justice shall prevail.  There is some measure of punishment within every system, and some measure of compassion within ours.

The criminality and our perception of the criminal are not always as equal as our dream of justice.  One need only remember back to the announced verdict for O. J. Simpson to see glee and disdain at the results of justice.

To be sure, there are no perfect members of society among us and transgressions of societal standards are abhorred by decent members of society.   It is justified to feel that horror but it is wrong to celebrate in the failure of humanity.

Society will never be strengthened with a glow of pride or announcement, over the moral failure of a weaker neighbor.  To be sure their moral failures are not to be glorified or justified, it is proper that we be mortified.

The shadow of public shame for moral failure falls from a perpetrator upon the innocent, the friends, family, and at times the victim.  The humiliation of association is increased when there is an atmosphere of public scorn and wagging tongues of gleeful gossip.

There is weakness in humanity and weakness in society, however we are a stronger community when we recognize the failures and trust that justice will prevail without a tongue flogging in the public square.  We no longer have the public stocks and dunking seats of old New England punishment and we need not bring them back in modern form.

Our justice system has ample time and space to handle our transgressors.  The guilty will be dealt their hand of fate within our system.  We can only weaken the strength of ourselves and our community with scandalmonger about neighbors.

There is some measure of weakness in all of humanity, we must recognize and deal with it.  As a civilized society we have chosen a judicial system away from the court of public opinion.  We must abide by and trust in our system to protect us and to provide some justice in times of transgression.  It is not for us to judge our neighbors lest that we be judged.

Human failure is found in every community, how the community responds to it says more about the community than the moral failure of our neighbor.  One or two criminals can be an anomaly to a community or a reflection of a community, but it is the reaction of the community to their criminality that will decide the issue.

I say we are stronger when we take individual responsibility for our own emotions and own rejections of a moral breakdown without fostering an atmosphere of a public hearing outside a courtroom.  At a time when your neighbor fails step back and let the hand of equal justice prevail.

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January 23, 2013 · 11:31 am

Coventry Boondoggle A Monument For Government Waste

Coventry's small wind turbine

Coventry’s small wind turbine

The Coventry demonstration wind project has become the Coventry Boondoggle.  Boondoggles have been described as “a project that is considered a useless waste of both time and money, yet is often continued due to extraneous policy motivations”.

That definition describes the situation with the wind turbine located at Coventry High School.  There it sits inoperable, broken down and wasting.  Gone are all the promises of government.

Coventry was one of four (4) towns selected to receive a small wind turbine in 2009 after being selected from a field of 35 communities applying to become a host site.  At the time Town Council Chairwomen Elizabeth Woolf said, “This will also count towards the Town’s commitment to reduce energy use by 2010.”  The project never lived up to that expectation in fact it became a series of delays, false promises and ultimately a failure.

According to Town Council meeting minutes the turbine had the potential to generate from 5,000 to 15,000 kilowatts of power per year.  Councilwoman Woolf reported this “would result in an electricity savings of $5,000 to $7,000” per year.  The plan was to locate the turbine near the high school and that would allow students to learn about the technology.

During the application process it was disclosed that Coventry had a teacher familiar with the technology and council members believed this was a plus for our community to operate and maintain a small wind turbine.  The expectation as it turns out may have been beyond the realm of reality; Councilwoman Lisa Thomas called the project, “a phenomenal partnership between the Town and the schools.”

The turbine was originally installed in September of 2010 but was not operational.  There were representations of near term operation but break problems and other delays resulted in no operation during 2010.  There was no production of electricity or saving in 2010 as expected.

The turbine was finally placed in service in January of 2011 but it did not perform nearly as well as expected.  From the start date until 4/1/12 it did produce some small amount of electricity, but never reached the lofty totals that were represented.  Today the turbine still sits broken and useless producing only a small amount of shade and a place for birds to perch and watch students at play.

Where the money came from for this project is not the issue, if we spent the money from local or state funds it was still taxpayer money.  The taxpayers of Connecticut already have a high burden of taxation to live with and sitting by silently and watching our dollars wasted is not responsible government with transparency.  It is disheartening to the taxpayers to see such waste and it erodes confidence in the management of our tax dollars.

If students learned anything from this project perhaps more was learned about government than science.  The most important lesson may be that Coventry High School has what can only be described as a boondoggle on campus.

What are the future plans of our Town Council for this small wind turbine?  So far the Town Council has chosen to ignore the issue, and so it sits like a monument to government waste.

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January 15, 2013 · 10:23 am

Robin Scoops Ground Hog, Legislature Takes Action

First Robin of 2013

First Robin of 2013

Yesterday, there he was right in the front yard the first sign of spring, a Robin.  Then I gave it some thought, what do I really know about this creature?

First, the real full name is the American Robin and actually it is a migratory thrush.  So you may wonder why we call this Turdus migratorius, a Robin rather than a thrush.  Well, we have to look back in our history to our early English colonists.

Apparently our ancestors were not exactly the best ornithologists but they did have memory of the robin red-breast of Europe, which as it turns out, is not even closely related to the bird we now know as the American Robin.  The most widespread thrush in North America did have similar markings as the beloved birds remembered from life in England, so our settlers called them robins and never let the facts of science prevail.

In 1943 the Connecticut State Legislature, in the middle of World War Two decided that a most pressing issue of our time was the need for an official State Bird.  I seem to remember in our history books stories of gas and food rationing, carnage and sacrifice but that was all put aside to spend legislative time and resources on the selection, and designation of an official State Bird.  So it was in 1943 our Legislators voted to honor the thrush known as the American Robin as our official State Bird.  (Kind of makes you wonder about the slur, “bird-brained legislature” but let’s save that for another day)

Today even our school children are taught to recognize our State Bird, but what was taught long ago, you may ask.  The Native American mythology taught that the red breast of our robin came from the day the bird saved a man and his boy by fanning the dying flames of a campfire.  (Now doesn’t that make you wonder about grandpa’s stories of an old flame and the fan dance stories of vaudeville?)

Was it really a sign of spring to see a robin?  We all grew up with the idea that the first sign of spring was a robin on the front lawn.  Hence the picture above, I figured it was important to catch the event when it happens on January 14th, heck the ground hog will have to read this just to know what to do in February.

Another myth shattered, yesterday when I found out that it is common for robins to spend the entire winter here in New England.  Yes, they remain in the swamp areas, roosting in evergreens and feeding on winter berries.  I guess that makes sense since even the early bird can forget about their summer diet when frozen ground protects the earthworm from a ravenous robin.

Thinking about robin food did you ever wonder how a robin finds the worms for dinner? Now this is interesting; a Robin uses auditory, visual, olfactory and maybe vibrotactile cues to find dinner.  While most often the hunt is visual they have the ability to hunt by hearing.  Frequently you will see a Robin take several quick hops and then cock their head side to side or forward as a method to detect movement of their prey. So it is dinner time for the Robin, a hop, skip and jump that worm.

Yup, it was warm yesterday and maybe spring will arrive early, at least the Robins are here ready for the worms.  So there you have it, the Robin has been seen and photographed. (see above photo)  The second guessing on the arrival of spring by the ground hog will be held on February 2nd.  For now I say bring it on and the sooner the better.

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January 5, 2013 · 8:22 am

State Representative Poked With Quill

Stephen D. Dargan

Stephen D. Dargan

There’s nothing like the knee jerk reaction of a politician to bring forth shallow thinking and poor legislation in reaction to most anything.  Sometimes it seems they are in competition to pander to the least common denominator of thoughtless emotional reactionaries among us.

Legislation can have long term and unintended consequences.  Take for example the reaction to a truck accident on Route 95 that resulted in the removal of interstate tolls.  Now the same legislators are spending a great deal of time and effort debating the placement of gateway tolls on the very same highway.

For years our legislators debated the death penalty just when they seem to have the votes to eliminate that punishment we had the Cheshire home invasion crime.  Suddenly some of those staunch supporters were swayed by the heinous event to delay the change for a year to exempt the perpetrators and leave them eligible for the death penalty.  How would those same legislators react to the Newtown shooting if the perpetrator were captured, would they suddenly be calling for the death penalty?

Today we have Democratic State Representative Stephen Dargan reacting to the tragedy in Newtown.  Mr. Dargan is not a new legislator he was first elected in 1990 so he should have some understanding about the importance of his actions.  His latest knee jerk proposal is to reverse a 20-year old decision by state lawmakers to exempt personal and confidential information concerning gun ownership from exposure under the state’s Freedom of Information Act.  This would allow the name and address of every gun owner to be published.

Representative Dargan said he his intention was not to cause acrimony between citizens it was, to quote Mr. Dargan “to get a broader discussion going on gun issues and mental health in the state”.  The proposal has nothing to do with mental health unless of course we are going to talk about the mental health of Mr. Dargan.  Planning for a broader discussion while sponsoring a narrow, ill thought, poorly conceived bill for consideration is irrational, disingenuous or incompetent and not what Connecticut needs.

His proposal is as rational as a published list to include the name and home address of each State Legislator with an asterisk to indicate gun ownership for family protection or a target to indicate the occupants are not protected.

His same irrational thinking could be extended to heroin.  In the name of protecting every neighborhood from the actions of drug induced crime we could publish the names of every person legally using heroin.  Oh, so you think that would make those homes, many of which are occupied by our weakest elderly citizens, targets for criminal drug addicts?

Knee jerk legislation is dangerous, emotions are not the seeds of wise legislation and pandering is no replacement for rational thinking.  Mr. Dargan should stop and THINK about the consequences and logical extensions to his proposals before he takes action.  Knee jerk headlines may provide him with political exposure to enhance his career but they will do little toward the public safety for the citizens of Connecticut.

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