Connecticut Red Cross employees have been working without a contract since their collective bargaining agreement expired in April.
The American Red Cross has taken the stance, behind closed doors at the negotiation table, that the concessions it is demanding are not due to its inability to pay. This nonprofit organization is considerably “top heavy” with corporate positions making rather lucrative salaries. There has been a steady bout of concessionary negotiations throughout recent contracts, yet corporate executives received raises that were comparable to our annual salaries, while bonuses went out to the other management positions. These are not signs of fair bargaining.
The workers have authorized their union leadership to recommend a strike if a just and fair settlement cannot be reached. They have been conducting informational picketing around the state.
Coalition Says Rell Budget Proposal Would Damage Economy;
Calls for Progressive Income Tax, Fair Corporate Taxes
Better Choices for Connecticut, a statewide coalition advocating for state revenue solutions, criticized Governor Rell’s latest state budget proposal as a fundamentally unfair plan relying on cuts that harm middle- and low-income families, while requiring no sacrifices from the state’s wealthiest residents and corporations. The coalition also argued that the Governor’s budget would further delay Connecticut’s economy recovery, add to the ranks of the unemployed, drain public investment from the economy, and pull the rug out from underneath families struggling through an economic downturn. The Coalition instead urged the Governor to adopt a more balanced approach between revenue increases and spending cuts, such as the tax and budget plans adopted by Appropriations and Finance Committees of the General Assembly.
“We need to address our state’s revenue shortfall with a revenue solution and avoid severe cuts that will cause damage to our economy and our struggling families,” said Maggie Adair, Policy Director at the Connecticut Association for Human Services and co-chair of Better Choices for Connecticut. “Governor Rell’s proposal is an anti-stimulus bill that fails to reform our inadequate revenue system.”
The Governor’s proposed budget cuts are in addition to the budget she proposed back in February. Among the dozens of severe cuts proposed by the Governor:
· Cuts in fees paid to health care providers in the state’s Medicaid program, including nursing homes.
· New fees for elderly residents who receive home care services that help them to stay out of nursing homes.
· Reduction in funding to nonprofit providers, resulting in a reduction of services.
· Cuts in financial aid to college students.
· Dramatic cuts to job training and education.
· Closure of two vocational-technical colleges.
· Elimination of programs supporting people with AIDS.
· Cuts to the HUSKY health insurance program for children and parents.
· Suspension of funding for Family Resource Centers.
· Closure of Riverview Hospital.
· Significant cuts in the Department of Development Services, Social Services, and Mental Health and Addiction Services.
“The proposed cuts will further damage our state’s economy and seriously jeopardize the services that are provided to our state’s most vulnerable residents,” said Liza Andrews, Public Policy Specialist at the Connecticut Association of Nonprofits. “Private providers have been underfunded for years and would take further reductions under this budget proposal, all of which will put our state’s residents at risk of falling further into poverty and illness.”
The Better Choices for Connecticut campaign, which was formed by nonprofit providers, public service workers, and community and advocacy organizations, advocates for a plan to balance the state’s budget primarily with targeted tax increases on the state’s wealthiest residents. The group says that other proposals that depend heavily on service cuts will make the state less fiscally sound in the long-run.
The Coalition supports a proposal by the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee for a progressive income tax that will raise rates on the state’s wealthiest earners. The proposal calls for increasing the tax rate to 6% on taxable income for married couples earning more than $250,000, 7% on income greater than $500,000, 7.5% on income greater than $750,000, and 7.95% on income greater than $1 million. Currently the tax rate on married couples earning more than $20,000 is 5%. Connecticut’s middle-income and lower-income families pay much more of their income in state and local taxes than do the wealthiest families. After federal tax deductions, the wealthiest 1% of Connecticut’s families pay 4.7% of their income in state and local taxes. This is less than half the share of income paid in these taxes by the state’s middle-income families (10.2%) or low-income families (10.9%). Better Choices for Connecticut noted that Governor Rell proposed an increase in the income tax in 2007 and urged her to adopt the current proposal.
In addition, the group supports:
· Closing corporate tax loopholes. Flaws in Connecticut’s tax code – “loopholes” – enable many large and profitable corporations to avoid paying their fair share and shift the responsibility for taxes onto in-state businesses and individuals. For example, many multi-state corporations exploit flaws in the tax code that allow them to artificially shift profits to their subsidiaries in other states and avoid paying taxes. Closing these loopholes through “combined reporting” – as at least 22 other states do – would mean that companies could not use creative accounting to shield themselves from taxes.
· Scaling back public subsidies to the entertainment industry. In Fiscal Year 2009, the state will lose an estimated $117.5 million in revenues to the television and film industry through film tax credits. These subsidies far surpass the state’s public investment in any other industry or business activity through tax credits. There is currently no cap on how much revenue Connecticut can lose through these subsidies.
Better Choices for Connecticut is a community coalition working to help Connecticut make better choices on ways to improve the state’s imbalanced revenue system so that it advances opportunity for shared prosperity for all Connecticut residents; preserves services for children, families and the elderly; creates and sustains good jobs; and reinvests in the middle class and our communities.
Obama praised Dodd’s leadership for the reforms, saying, I want to give a special shout-out to Chris Dodd, who has been a relentless fighter to get this done. Chris wouldn’t give up until he got this legislation passed. He’s spent an entire career fighting against special interests and fighting for ordinary people, and this is just the latest example.
“Consumers Can Breathe A Sigh Of Relief”
Consumer Groups were ecstatic with the final result. Tom Swan, executive director of Connecticut Citizen Action Group, said that ―with so many families struggling to make ends meet, we and President Obama are fortunate to have a leader like Chris Dodd on this issue.
Pamela Banks, senior policy counsel with the Consumers Union, said, It has taken 10 years to get to this point…I think consumers can breathe a sigh of relief.
Michael Calhoun, President of the Center for Responsible Lending, commended Senator Dodd and said, We applaud the [Banking] Committee for crafting safeguards for millions of American families at a time when our country is experiencing the worst downturn since the Great Depression.
Nick Bourke, the manager of the Pew Safe Credit Cards Project, said, This is a tremendous victory for the millions of credit card carrying consumers.
“The Economy Depends On It”
News outlets across Connecticut recognized the importance of the legislation. The Hartford Courant wrote,
Help is on the way for credit cardholders who feel ambushed by hidden fees and rocketing interest rates
The Connecticut Post editorialized, Preventing abuses at the first stage of the process is essential. Tightening restrictions on credit card issuers is a vital step … The economy depends on it.
The New London Day wrote
People want relief, and the credit card legislation goes a long way toward restoring fairness and accountability for those who pay with plastic.
“Dodd Should Be Commended”
Leading up to the bill’s passage, the same news organizations recognized Dodd’s leadership on the issue, writing,
He’ll deserve a lot of credit if he can bring the reforms home;
and ―Dodd should be commended for his long-running support.
The Hartford Courant added that Dodd ―deserves credit for being the chief sponsor of this legislation to curb the worst habits of lenders.
Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd is gaining on former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, a possible Republican challenger, and now trails 45 – 39 percent in the 2010 Senate race, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.
This compares to a 50 – 34 percent Simmons lead in an April 2 poll by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University.
In this latest survey, Simmons leads 86 – 5 percent among Republicans and 53 – 30 percent among independent voters, while Dodd takes Democrats 67 – 16 percent, up from 58 – 27 percent April 2.
Connecticut voters disapprove 53 – 38 percent of the job the Democratic incumbent is doing, compared to 58 – 33 percent April 2, his lowest approval rating ever.
Facing another possible Republican challenger, State Sen. Sam Caligiuri, Sen. Dodd gets 41 percent to Caligiuri’s 39 percent, compared to a 41 – 37 percent Republican lead April 2.
Dodd leads Connecticut businessman Merrick Alpert 44 – 24 percent in a Democratic primary while Simmons tops Caligiuri 48 – 10 percent among Republicans.
Voters say 56 – 35 percent that he has strong leadership qualities and 50 – 41 percent that he pays attention to the needs of Connecticut.
Obama, Rell, Lieberman Approval Ratings
Connecticut voters give President Barack Obama a 71 – 22 percent approval rating, unchanged from April 2.
Gov. Jodi Rell gets a 73 – 20 percent approval rating, including 68 – 23 percent among Democrats.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman gets a 46 – 44 percent split approval rating, little changed from April 2.
Well water should be tested annually to reduce health risks to children
Private well water should be tested yearly, and in some cases more often, according to new guidance offered by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health, took a lead role in working with the AAP to develop these recommendations and draft a new AAP policy statement about the things parents should do if their children drink well water. The recommendations call for annual well testing, especially for nitrate and microorganisms such as coliform bacteria, which can indicate that sewage has contaminated the well. The recommendations point out circumstances when additional testing should occur, including testing when there is a new infant in the house or if the well is subjected to structural damage.
“Children are especially vulnerable to waterborne illnesses that may come from contaminated wells,” said Walter J. Rogan, M.D., an epidemiologist at NIEHS and lead author on the policy statement and technical report that appears in the June issue of Pediatrics. The new policy statement, “Drinking Water from Private Wells and Risks to Children,” offers recommendations for inspection, testing and remediation of wells providing drinking water for children.
“With few exceptions, well owners are responsible for their own wells,” said Rogan. Private wells are not subject to federal regulations and are only minimally regulated by states. With proper care, well water is safe; however, wells can become contaminated by chemicals or pathogenic organisms.
Nitrate, which comes from sewage or fertilizer, is the most common contaminant in wells. The presence of nitrates can be a problem particularly for infants under three months who can not metabolize nitrate. Water with a nitrate concentration of more than 1.0 milligrams per liter should not be used to prepare infant formula or given to a child younger than one year. The policy statement suggests using bottled water for infants when nitrate contamination is detected, or when the source of drinking water is not known.
The policy statement and accompanying technical report point out that water contamination is inherently local, and that families with wells need to keep in contact with state and local health experts to determine what should be tested in their community. For example, some parts of the country may have arsenic, radon, salt intrusion or agricultural runoff that may get into the water supply.
“As people move out of urban and suburban areas into areas that are not reached by municipal water supplies, it is more important than ever that people know who to contact in their local health department to get information about local groundwater conditions,” said N. Beth Ragan of NIEHS, who served as consultant on these reports. A compilation of state by state telephone and Web-based resources of local experts is included in the technical report. Approximately one-sixth of U.S. households now get their drinking water from private wells.
The largest study of its kind concludes that long-term multivitamin use has no impact on the risk of common cancers, cardiovascular disease or overall mortality in postmenopausal women.
Six-year vitamin E supplementation decreased mortality by 41% in elderly male smokers who had high dietary vitamin C intake, but increased mortality by 19% in middle-aged smokers who had high vitamin C intake, according to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Taking a combination of vitamins B6 and B12 and folic acid appears to decrease the risk of age-related macular degeneration in women, according to a report in the February 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
If you exercise to improve your metabolism and prevent diabetes, you may want to avoid antioxidants like vitamins C and E…
Exercise is known to have many beneficial effects on health, including on the body’s sensitivity to insulin. “Get more exercise” is often among the first recommendations given by doctors to people at risk of diabetes.
But exercise makes the muscle cells metabolize glucose, by combining its carbon atoms with oxygen and extracting the energy that is released. In the process, some highly reactive oxygen molecules escape and make chemical attacks on anything in sight.
These reactive oxygen compounds are known to damage the body’s tissues. The amount of oxidative damage increases with age, and according to one theory of aging it is a major cause of the body’s decline.
The body has its own defense system for combating oxidative damage, but it does not always do enough. So antioxidants, which mop up the reactive oxygen compounds, may seem like a logical solution.
Researchers…. found that in the group taking the vitamins there was no improvement in insulin sensitivity and almost no activation of the body’s natural defense mechanism against oxidative damage.
The reason, they suggest, is that the reactive oxygen compounds, inevitable byproducts of exercise, are a natural trigger for both of these responses. The vitamins, by efficiently destroying the reactive oxygen, short-circuit the body’s natural response to exercise…
“If you exercise to promote health, you shouldn’t take large amounts of antioxidants,” Dr. Ristow said. A second message of the study, he said, “is that antioxidants in general cause certain effects that inhibit otherwise positive effects of exercise, dieting and other interventions.”
The effect of vitamins on exercise and glucose metabolism “is really quite significant,” said Dr. C. Ronald Kahn of the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, a co-author of the report. “If people are trying to exercise, this is blocking the effects of insulin on the metabolic response.”
The advice does not apply to fruits and vegetables, Dr. Ristow said; even though they are high in antioxidants, the many other substances they contain presumably outweigh any negative effect.
Dr. Kahn said it might be that reactive oxygen is beneficial in small doses, because it touches off the body’s natural defense system, but harmful in higher doses…
CONNECTICUT BILLS CREATE CHOICE OF A PUBLIC HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN
Landmark bills stand as models for national reform
The Connecticut House of Representatives’ passed last night of two landmark bills that would each create the choice of a public health insurance plan in the state, the Connecticut Health Partnership, and SustiNet. The votes underscore the growing momentum at the state level for the choice of a public plan, a priority for reform endorsed by many health care advocates and lawmakers at the national level.
Said Progressive States Network Senior Health Care Policy Specialist Adam Thompson “The passage of these bills puts Connecticut right at the heart of the national health care debate. A focal point of that debate is whether to provide Americans with the choice of a public health insurance plan that competes side-by-side with private plans. Connecticut lawmakers, as well as legislators across the country, are weighing in and saying that public plan choice is an absolute necessity. As the Obama Administration and Congress continue the debate around health care reform, we hope they will continue to look to the states as active collaborators in the drive to extend quality, affordable care to everyone.”
Thirty states currently offer state employees a public option side-by-side with private plans. Last year, Connecticut passed a similar version of the Healthcare Partnership, and similar proposals surfaced this year in Iowa and New Hampshire. Proposals to create public plans are also being debated in Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon, and New York. Many states have created public insurance choice for all children, most notably Illinois’ AllKids program.
The Connecticut Healthcare Partnership, sponsored by Speaker Christopher Donovan, would open up the state employee health insurance pool to small businesses, non-profits and municipalities, and SustiNet, authored by the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, would create a new public health insurance plan choice for residents and businesses.
Progressive States Network is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the work of progressive state legislators around the country and to the passage of state legislation that delivers on issues the issues that matter to working families: strong wage standards and workplace freedom, balancing work and family responsibilities, health care for all, smart growth and clean energy, tax and budget reform, clean and fair elections, and technology investments to bridge the digital divide.
REPORT: FUNDING FOR EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION HAS DECLINED OVER TIME, DESPITE HIGH COST OF CHILD CARE
CT Group Urges Lawmakers to Avoid Child Care Cuts for
Working Families During Recession
Child care remains an unaffordable expense for many working families, but Connecticut’s overall investment in early care and education programs has declined over this decade, according to the state’s first comprehensive report on the state of early care and education. The state has made some progress in expanding funding for early care programs since 2004, but potential state budget cuts could quickly undo this progress.
The report, issued by Connecticut Voices for Children, a research-based policy think tank, found that in 2008, the average cost of child care was $9,100 per child, often the most expensive necessity in the budget of working families. Despite the high costs of child care, the state spent 12% less in inflation-adjusted dollars on early care and education programs in 2008 than it did in 2002.
The Connecticut Early Care & Education Progress Report, 2009 is released as the Governor and the state legislature are considering cuts to a wide variety of public programs in response to the state’s revenue shortfall. Last week, Governor Rell made dramatic and sudden cutbacks in new enrollment in Care4Kids, the largest state program that helps families with the cost of child care.
“At a time when we want to help parents return to work and support our economic recovery, we need to make sure they have a safe and healthy place for their children to learn and develop,” said Cyd Oppenheimer, Senior Policy Fellow at Connecticut Voices for Children and author of the report. “Cuts to quality child care undermine our children’s development and our economic recovery.”
Among the report’s other findings:
· Connecticut’s progress has been uneven between age groups. Three- and four-year-olds have benefited from an expansion of the pre-kindergarten School Readiness program; however, infants and toddlers have not seen a similar improvement in the availability, cost, or quality of early care, despite a wealth of scientific data about the importance of the first thousand days of life.
· Connecticut’s planning and coordination of its early childhood education system is inadequate. The state of Connecticut lacks a public structure with the authority or responsibility to coordinate efforts to ensure that children and parents have access to high-quality and affordable child care and early education. This lack of coordinated planning has produced an array of programs and funding sources from multiple agencies that results in confusion for both providers and parents. As a result, parents apply to a variety of sources for support and providers use a patchwork of funding sources. Also, a lack of key data means that it is not possible to accurately calculate the number of children being served by early care programs, how that number has changed over time, or whether Connecticut children with preschool experience later perform better in school. The state does not collect the data that would allow this kind of evaluation.
· Children from affluent communities continue to outperform children from poor communities. For example, in the 2007-2008 school year, one-third or fewer fourth graders in the poorest school districts met the state goals in math, reading and writing, compared to more than 80% of fourth graders in wealthy towns. Stark differences in school success among grade school students point to the need to ensure that all children are prepared to succeed in school.
“Unlike a road repair, our children’s education and development cannot be temporarily put on hold while we work out our state revenue problems,” said Jamey Bell, Executive Director of Connecticut Voices for Children. “The education and quality child care we provide now will have long-term consequences for our children’s school performance and our economic health.”
To help reverse impacts of the overall reduction in spending, Connecticut Voices for Children recommends that state policymakers should:
· In the short run, maintain funding levels for early care and reject budget cuts that will erase any progress made in the last decade and make it more difficult for families to work during the economic recovery. In the long run, increase the per-child reimbursement rate for all state financed early childhood care and education spaces so that all children receive a high quality and fully funded space, regardless of the program they happen to be funded through.
· Create a system of data collection to track children across programs and over time so that policymakers can evaluate progress and educational outcomes.
· Reform the existing “silo” approach to funding child care and build a more integrated and better planned early care and education system.
Connecticut Voices for Children is a statewide, research and policy organization that works at the state and federal levels to advance strategic public investment and wise public policies to benefit our state’s children, youth and families. For more information on Connecticut Voices, or to read the report, see www.ctkidslink.org.
