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Below is a preview of some of the items that will be on the silent auction block at our Chris Donovan, This is Your Life! special event on December 4th. If you have not already, you can reserve yourself a place at this event online, by clicking here. Full details about the event are here.
CCAG Executive Director Tom Swan originally posted the message below on MyLeftNutmeg.com
On November 4th voters will be given a choice as to whether we should hold a Constitutional Convention to propose amendments to the state Constitution.
The Connecticut Citizen Action Group (CCAG) urges a no vote on the question. As one of the organizations that has lead the fights to open up our political process (Direct Primaries, Campaign Finance and Ethics reforms) we believe a convention would be a waste of taxpayers' money and could be corrupted by the same special interests that our new campaign finance reform laws are designed to protect us from.
Proponents of a convention either do not understand the process or are deliberately trying to mislead the public by saying that the vote on November 4th is about initiative and referendum. If the vote passes it is then up to the legislature to determine the process for selecting delegates to the convention. This will likely be done through a costly special election and primaries. The convention is then convened, which will result in additional costs to the state. The delegates may or may not propose amendments to the constitution, which would be subject to a future popular vote. There is no guarantee that what the proponents of the convention are arguing this vote is about will be included these proposals.
It is plausible that many of the proponents of a convention would mask their real motivation due to the unpopularity of some of their ultimate goals. Connecticut does not want to ban a woman's right to choose or to allow discrimination against same sex couples. Advocates of these and other radical positions realize that they cannot win enough legislative races to accomplish their goals so they are trying to push a convention to create a new avenue for their fight. Their gambit will have significant costs for the state at a time we are facing a huge deficit. I am confident their stealth agenda will ultimately be rejected.
There is a high likelihood that the delegate selection process will be driven by lobbying and other big money interest. It is not surprising that special interests are looking for new ways to exert influence as Connecticut embarks on the first election cycle under our public financing system. The new system has been a smashing success with over 75% of candidates voluntarily participating. It has been praised across the country and will result in a state government more accountable to voters not special interests.
Opening up new mechanisms for the corrupting influence of special interest money is not what Connecticut needs in this post-Rowland era. CCAG is urging people not to be conned about the Constitutional Convention and to vote no.
Below is an abridged version of the 2007-2008 legislative scorecard. First is the The State House of Representatives Scorecard, which lists each representative alphabetically, along with his or her district number and percentage of good votes. After that is The State Senate Scorecard, which lists each senator alphabetically, along with his or her district number and percentage of good votes.
Votes on the following bills were used in the calculation of the scores:
SB333, House Amendment A, An Act Concerning Comprehensive Ethics Reform
SB1484, Emergency Certification, An Act Concerning the HealthFirst CT Authority and Healthy Kid Initiative
HB5536, An Act Establishing the CT Healthcare Partnership
HB7432, An Act Concerning Electricity and Energy Efficiency
SB164, An Act Adopting the National Association of Insurance Commissionors’ Interstate Insurance Product Regulation Compact
HB5601, An Act Banning Children’s Products Containing Lead, Phthalates or Bisphenol-A
HB5145, An Act Concerning Environmental Justice Communities and the Storage of Asbestos-Containing Material
HB5600, An Act Concerning Global Warming Solutions
SB217, An Act Mandating Employers Provide Paid Sick Leave To Employees
If you would like to see how your legislators voted on each of these bills, click here to download the full scorecard in .pdf format. CCAG Members in good standing will receive a printed copy of the full scorecard and newsletter by mail.
Tell Congress to oppose the Bush/Paulson $700,000,000,000 bailout and to:
Take care of Main Street before Wall Street!
TODAY! September 25 - 4 PM - AIG offices - 1 State Street
Hartford, CT 06103
Reckless and unconscionable behavior by America's financial institutions have put our country on the brink of the next Great Depresssion. The Bush/Paulson plan would have American taxpayers buy up bad debt with no accountability. When Congress acts, we need to ensure that any bailout measure would:
Institute Public Oversight and Decision Making.
Protect the Taxpayer.
Impose Strong Regulation and Disclosure.
Invest in the Real Economy.
Hold CEOs and Boards of Directors Accountable.
Aid the victims, Not Just The Predators.
Call Congress NOW 1-800-473-6711 and tell them to:
Please join State Senator Donald DeFronzo and invited guests for the dedication ceremony of the Anthony Tercyak Memorial Bridge in memory of the late State Representative Anthony Tercyak.
Tercyak, a Republican lawmaker, passed away unexpectedly in 2003. He started serving in the legislature in 1994 after a midterm special election to replace the late Stanley Krawiec.
"The last event he attended was a CCAG Fundraiser on the weekend before he passed away" recounted State Representative Peter Tercyak, Anthony's son and legislative successor. "He really loved CCAG and believed as I do that they stood for everything that is right."
"Tony Tercyak voted his conscience and his values" remembered CCAG Political Director John Murphy. "In 1996 he voted for a minimum wage increase that twenty-four Democrats refused to vote for."
He scored 100% on the CCAG legislative scorecard four out the ten years he served and 75% or better in eight out of his ten years as a State Rep.
The bridge dedication takes place at 11 AM tomorrow, Tuesday September 23rd at the commuter parking lot on Hartford Road (Route 71) in New Britain across from Target.
Connecticut foreclosures are on the rise as they are throughout the country. There were 7,747 foreclosure filings in Connecticut in the third quarter of 2007. This represents a 920% increase over the third quarter of 2006. The failure of sub prime loans is affecting markets across the world. This bill is designed to prevent many of the predatory practices and loan terms that created the current lending and foreclosure crises.
HARTFORD, Conn. - A new report says it's easier for the public to learn about state contracts, economic development subsidies and lobbying activities in Connecticut than any other state in the country.
The Washington, D.C.-based Good Jobs First organization released its study of the quality and quantity of state government disclosure on the Internet. The Nutmeg State ranks Number 1.
