Ken Dixon's Blog-O-Rama

Thursday July 31, 2008

Yesterday, if there was a theme during the day-long legislative hearing on Gov. Jodi Rell’s budget cuts, it was Democrats complaining about their effect.
It rang kind of hollow, however, since the majority lawmakers, who rule the House 107-44 and Senate 23-13, were the ones who agreed to no revisions to the second year of the biennial budget, which took effect July 1, saddling Rell with the responsibility to make $150 million in cuts to the $18.4 billion bottom line.
Bob Genuario, who as secretary of the Office of Policy and Management is Rell’s budget chief, met with Capitol reporters after the hearing and got about as close as he could get to calling the Democrats whiners.
“The Legislature made a conscious decision not to cut because they knew that action was going to be difficult,” Genuario said.

Wednesday July 30, 2008

Yes, truth is stranger than fiction. The Blogster just received notice that so-called Connecticut Young Democrats will “honor” U.S. Sen. Chris “VIP” Dodd at their annual dinner Friday night in Cromwell’s Crowne Plaza Hotel.
Dodd’s scheduled to receive the group’s Robert F. Kennedy Award, honoring the legacy of the lamented Democratic presidential candidate who was shot down back in 1968.
“The dinner provides an opportunity for Young Democrats to mingle with elected officials and key political operatives in the state’s Democratic Party,” says the release announcing the event.
But who needs advice on how to snare a 4.23-percent mortgage MORE than Young Democrats?
Since Dodd hasn’t exactly been forthcoming with the electorate about his “Friend of Angelo” status, maybe he’ll come clean with those fawning Young Democrats, whoever they are. It’s almost intriguing enough to make the scene at the Crowne Plaza.

Monday July 28, 2008

It’s noonish and Gov. Jodi Rell just finished presenting awards to more than a dozen state companies and agencies for promoting car pooling as part of the 15-month-old “Tri-State 5,000,000 Mile Rideshare Challenge.”
“I am very proud of the accomplishments that Connecticut commuters and businesses have achieved,” she said. “Over the last year Connecticut commuters reduced their driving by 3.4 million miles, which is equal to having every major road and highway throughout the state being completely empty of cars for 1 hour. In addition commuters also saved 153,000 gallons of gas, the equivalent of 17 tanker trucks worth over $600,000!”
Commuters can join the program NuRide, an online ridesharing service.
During the event in the Capitol, new DOT Commissioner Joesph Marie, a Massachusetts guy, was already showing signs of wear and tear in the state’s unwieldy bureaucratic behemoth.
“When I started this job two weeks ago, I had no grey hair and I didn’t wear reading glasses,” joked the grey-haired commissioner, reaching for his glasses.
Another Massachusetts person, Gina McCarthy, DEP commissioner, accepted an award from Rell, who in mock aspiration noted “Another Red Sox fan.”
Marie, already talking sass to the boss noted: “You picked us” to the 60 people gathered in a Capitol meeting room.

Friday July 25, 2008

Just in case you thought that things are all better in the state Department of Motor Vehicles following the arrival of Bob Ward, former House minority leader, as the new commissioner, Blog-o-rama has received a report to the contrary.
Yes, it’s the state auditors’ new 62-page study of the DMV for the fiscal years 2005 and 2006, where the sublime and the ridiculous are nestled together like the lion and the lamb.
Yes, there’s the nearly obligatory finding that DMV employees are using agency computers for downloading “inappropriate material from the Internet” on state time.
But there’s also the more worrisome finding that the DMV isn’t keeping very good track of folks driving around with uninsured vehicles, or penalizing them.“Lapses of up to 14 days were not being pursued by the Department,” the auditors found. “Registrants were permitted to avoid the penalties by turning in license plates, despite the lack of a corresponding statutory provision.”
In layman’s terms, that means DMV employees are MAKING UP THE LAW.
Bob Jaekle of Stratford, one of the two state auditors, just told the Blogster that the 28 recommendations amount to a lot.“It shows that Bob still has some work cut out for him at the department,” Jaekle said, adding that he couldn’t find out on a summer Friday what the downloading issues were, recalling last year’sDEP audit that found one agency worker downloaded russianwives.commore than 2,000 times.
Jaekle said that on the insurance issue, the DMV is on the verge of enacting an Internet-based information exchange with companies that write commercial-vehicle policies.“They hope that will be up and running soon,” Jaekle said.
Bill Seymour, spokesman for the DMV, offered some boiler plate response a few minutes ago.“Overall we welcome their comments,” Seymour said. “We are going to take all the recommendations they made, give them to our bureau chiefs who are members of the commissioner’s executive team and have them review the recommendations and find the best way to implement the recommendations.”

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Speaker of the House Jim Amann formed a task force today to review health and security issues in state prisons.
He may get some added support for his gubernatorial exploration too, but the Blogster doesn’t want to question his motives, which were more likely provoked by a recent stare-down he had with an inmate at the bad-ass super-max Northern Correctional Institution.
Amann, D-Milford, admits he lost to a look of “evil” that an inmate gave him from behind a cell door during his recent tour with other lawmakers. “I couldn’t wait to get the hell out of there,” Amann said.
During his news conference this morning, the speaker recalled a late-1970s-era spring break in Florida, which he hinted as life changing.
“I was down once in Fort Lauderdale and my uncle was a correctional officer and brought me through,” Amann said. “He probably took me through there first making sure that I didn’t want to end up there at night.”

Wednesday July 22, 2008

Today Blog-o-rama asks how far away we might be from Gov. Jodi Rell’s PR staff telling us to eat more broccoli and to be sure to swath ourselves in sun screen.
Yesterday Rell ignored her famous “Do One Thing” campaign to save energy, when she took the state limousine one whopping block to the Office of Policy and Management, where she had a news conference seeking bright ideas from state employee.
Too bad she didn’t save some gasoline and walk the 200 yards down Capitol Avenue.
The Blogster gets the feeling that if new ideas have to be SOLICITED from state employees, management and labor must not get along very well among the 50,000-member state workforce and that morale must not be very high.
The new Innovative Ideas Initiative – “the I³Program” – for State Employees is aimed at asking current and former state employees for new ideas and “strategies.” She’s offering “cash awards” and public recognition” for the best new ideas.
Shouldn’t state employees be doing this already, in exchange for their steady, assured pay checks, their gold-plated benefits and state-backed pensions?

From the ridiculous, we go the sublime Chris Healy, chairman of the GOP State Central Committee, who just lashed out, again, at U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd, he of the sweet 4.23-percent refinancing deal courtesy of the evil Countrywide Mortgage.
Healy just sent this screed to state reporters and the Blogster cleaned up some of the typos:It’s a full-blown rant that shows Healy’s need for a proofreader and an oxygen tank, as on-the-money as he may be.

“In an attempt to generate debate and comment, I am putting to each media outlet a question or two on Sen. Dodd’s lack of candor and disclosure concerning his four loans with Countrywide Financial given hisimportant role as chairman of the Banking and Urban Affairs Committee. I am also concerned that the lack of interest by Connecticut media to follow this story does not serve the public interest. First, as a news matter, with the exception (of) a few print stories, two TV reports, two editorial cartoons in the Courant, one tepid editorial,there have no substantive follow up or questions raised by Connecticut reporterson the nature of these transactions. There has been more coverage in national periodicals (Wall Street Journal, Washington Post) and electronic media giving one the impression that Sen. Dodd is somehow above inspection here at home. I would suggest had Sen. Dodd had an (R) rather than a (D) after his name, the tar would be boiling throughout the Connecticut print and electronic world. Since his press conference on June 16th, it has been further disclosed by Conde Nast’s portfolio.com that there are now four loans, rather than the original two, that came over a one-year period – in 2002 and 2003 that the Dodd’s consummated with Countrywide Financial. Originally, Sen. Dodd’s office had said the first loan was in the late 1990’s. These loans were obtained through its VIP program for important government decision makers – Democrats and Republicans alike. Robert Feinberg, the Vice President for Countrywide has appeared on CNBC to clearly state the VIP was aggressive in providing special discounts and rates for those decision makers like Sen. Dodd. Despite these very convincing claims (Mr.Feinberg is not suing Countrywide or appears to have an ax to grind). Sen. Dodd or his office have said nothing to dispute or refute his statements.Feinberg was also interviewed in the Conde Nast article which appeared last Thursday. But let us look at the conflicting statements since the originalstory brokein Conde Nast around June 12th. Sen. Dodd has first said he received no special treatment in a statement issued from his office on June 13. Then at a Capitol Hill press conference, he acknowledged that he was aware of being qualified for a VIP program. Feinberg said the waiving of the fees amounted to a few thousand dollars and $70,000 in savings over the course of the loan. Sen. Dodd said he would release documents at the appropriate time. We are now in Day 40 of this stonewall. Sen. Dodd said he thought he was receiving it because he was a good customer, but then followed by saying that he and his wife, had”shoppedaround” and got the best rates. Sen. Dodd didn’t say what other firm could have given him a comparable rate,but it doesn’t make sense to say on the one hand, I found out aftersearching far and wide, that “I am a preferred customer” – based on what criteria – an existing loan, a high credit rating, timely payments? The loans in questions came within one year of another. Agreeable financial accommodations had to be made for the loans to work in 2003 since many refinancing deals involve fees. But again, we don’t know because Sen.Dodd has not released any information for examination. Hypocrisy in general and especially in politics is always news worthy.Sen.Dodd should have known that when anyone approaches an elected official andsays you are a VIP, one’s antenna should have gone up, especiallysomeonewho has been quick to judge Republican elected officials over theyears -Robert Bork, President Ronald Reagan, President George HW Bush,PresidentGeorge Bush and former HUD Secretary Antonio Jackson to name a few. It was Dodd who called for Jackson to resign in a letter to President Bush for Jackson’s alleged ethical misconduct and Jackson also received loans from Countrywide under the VIP program. I am sure if you researched Dodd’s statements over his career, you would find him quick to judge and ask for investigation on a variety of legitimate ethic’s matter. Why does that standard not apply to him? Didn’t this standard on media pressure apply to say Gov. John Rowland, when he refused to disclose the many gifts and work that were done on his cottage in Bantam? I recall there being a flurry of speculation and reports pressuring Gov. Rowland to do that, Again, there has been nothing offered on Sen. Dodd’s conduct. Rowland at the time dismissed the work and other gifts as minor. The media persisted through various papers and uncovered the truth and the rest is history. Doesn’t anyone find it interesting that Sen. Dodd is submitting personal information for vetting before Sen. Obama’s Vice Presidential search committee, but he won’t share that same data with the people who electedhim? If Sen. Dodd is willing to be a Vice Presidential candidate and submit to a forensic inspection, it would seem the height of arrogance they (sic) he wouldn’t simply unveil those same documents to reporters in Connecticut and Washington. Again, no reporter I am aware of has asked that of him orthrough his office and written about it. And how about the simple politics of this issue. Why has not one elected Democrat, except for State Sen. Edith Prague, commented on this situation concerning Sen. Dodd? There hasn’t been a comment from Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, who sold the Washington D.C. apartment to Sen. Dodd, no rfrom the rest of the delegation, the State Party Chairman or any of three National Committee members. Isn’t that a story? It used to be. Sen. Dodd’s lack of candor is only one part of this story. There areotherlegitimate questions about his lack of leadership on the Senate Banking and Urban Affairs Committee during the meltdown of the mortgage andbankingindustry. We have raised questions since last year about his prolonged absences from his job in Washington as he waged his unsuccessful campaign for President. We issued release after release about his move to Iowa and focus on winning there while many of these financial institutions began toshow disturbing losses and trends toward insolvency. When he returned this year and spring, Dodd rushed through a $300-billion mortgage bailout, that would pick up many bad mortgages of dubious qualityand allow banks to park much of their bad loans at taxpayer’s expense. One of those banks would be Bank of America, which bought Countrywide Financialand all its assets, including Dodd’s mortgage. Dodd said last year that banks that commit predatory lending should be prosecuted criminally? Well,Countrywide is one of those banks accused of that. Is it not hypocritical to go after a bank that gave him a generous loan to ask that they besent to jail for giving another loan to someone else under different circumstances.Again, the only challenge comes from a partisan hack like myself. Then as late as July 11th, Dodd made a public statement assuring the marketsand anyone else that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were solvent and had plentyof capital to sustain any losses. The following Monday, the US Treasury announced it was bailing out Fannie and Freddie. Again, what changed fromFriday to Monday and who gave Sen. Dodd that assurance? Was the U.S.Treasury? Could it have been the lobbyists from Fannie and Freddie,whose employees have given close to $100,000 to Dodd’s Senate and Presidentialcampaigns. Again, we don’t know because no one from the print or electronic media wantsto be bothered. Or maybe there is something else at work here. Sen. Dodd is an icon.Schools are named after him and his father and he deserves the respect of someone who has served his state since 1974. And while we disagree with his policies at times, one must afford him that. But that doesn’t insulate him from legitimate questions at a time where the integrity of the nation’s financial institutions are at stake since no other time since the Great Depression. I would hope we can have that inspection and see where it leads us. Thanks for your time.
Christopher Healy Connecticut Republican Chairman”

Tuesday July 22, 2008

Back from counting clover in upstate New York, Blog-o-rama returned to the Capitol this morning to see how little has changed.
Republicans, sensing a tasty election-year issue, held another morning news conference to ask for a special legislative session to create a cap on the hidden wholesale tax on gasoline called the Gross receipts Tax.
It’s the fourth or ninth time they’ve asked for it, as if the 107-44 Democratic majority in the House and the 23-13 majority in the Senate could still be persuaded.
Speaker of the House Jim Amann, D-Milford, has called the special session proposal a “farce” among other things. Reminded of that opinion, Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, R-Fairfield, likened Amann to the wife of the late former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos.
“I love the speaker,” McKinney said, “but he’s put his foot in his mouth so many times that, you know, Imelda Marcos doesn’t have enough shoes for that.”
During the 1986 coup, Imelda fled to Hawaii with tons of gold and more than 1,000 pairs of shoes.
A few hours later, given a chance to take a slap at McKinney, Amann said only “He usually leaves half the story out, but that’s okay.”

Friday July 11, 2008

A few minutes ago, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal told reporters that U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd is the Barack Obama’s best candidate for vice president.
Blumenthal formerly supported Hillary Clinton for president, so this is at least mildly interesting, If Dodd were to get a new job, Blumenthal could finally run for Senate in 2010, although Republican Gov. Rell would appoint a successor if Dodd were to leave before the end of his term.
Of course this is an academic exercise because Blog-o-rama believes that Dodd’s sweetheart 4.23-percent refinancing rate from the tainted Countrywide Mortgage means Connecticut’s senior senator is out of the Veep picture and maybe anything of substance if the Democrats don’t self destruct as usual and win the presidency.
Toward the end of the event, an unrelated news conference with Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, Blog-o-rama was just about ready to leave when he decided to ask a final question.
Blogster to Blumenthal: “Dick so among all the pluses would be he could get everyone a lower rate for a re-fi, right?”
Blumenthal didn’t answer.