Category: Emily Beaver
Budget Proposes Cuts to Rail Service
By Emily Beaver
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 -Eliminating all federal funding for Amtrak in the proposed 2006 budget, the Bush administration is determined to drive the passenger rail system into bankruptcy, Democrats and public transportation officials said Tuesday.
“This administration plays a game of chicken with the congress every year,” Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., said at a press conference. “They’re about to run Amtrak of f the cliff past the point of no return into bankruptcy.”
The Bush administration’s budget proposal would provide no federal subsidies for Amtrak, bankrupting the rail service, unless the Federal Passenger Rail Investment Reform Act is passed.
The reform act, introduced by the administration in 2003, splits the Northeast Corridor of Amtrak rail service from long-distance Amtrak operations. States would contract private companies for train operation.
Edward Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department AFL-CIO, said Amtrak is already under funded and states do not have the money to finance the system.
“They starve Amtrak, and try to kill it with a risky privatization scheme,” Wytkind said.
The proposed budget says Amtrak service is inefficient, with only a 70.7 percent rate of “on-time performance” and drains taxpayer dollars.
“On its current course, Amtrak’s performance will decline and its infrastructure will deteriorate even with well over $1 billion in annual Federal appropriations,” the budget reads.
Proponents of the rail system say ridership levels are at an all-time high and that Amtrak employs over 20,000 workers. According to figures released by Amtrak, the rail system employs 636 workers in Connecticut in 2004 and had 1.3 million riders.
Under the budget proposal, freight and commuter operations in the Northeast Corridor could receive $360 million in funding from the Surface Transportation Board (STB), but only after Amtrak is forced into bankruptcy, Amtrak President and CEO David Gunn said in a statement issued Monday.
James Oberstar, a democrat from Michigan on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said the administration was using the budget to force congress to eliminate Amtrak. Shutting down Amtrak would cause widespread disruption, he said.
“Bankruptcy is not the solution,” he said. “STB has no experience managing passenger rail or freight rail.”
Any change to the budget would not affect service for the next year, but “there’s going to be very little cash left at the end of the year,” Gunn said.
The administration has no proposal of how Amtrak would continue to operate after bankruptcy, he said.
“In a word, they have no plan for Amtrak other than bankruptcy,” Gunn said.
“The answer from this administration seems to be ‘You’re on your own,’” Wytkind said.
Policymakers react to State of the Union
By Emily Beaver
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 -As President Bush called on Congress to save the Social Security program in his State of the Union Address Wednesday, one Connecticut lawmaker hoped the president's cries for reform wouldn't "drown out" other issues.
"I do hope that the Social Security debate will not drown out other pressing domestic issues," Rep. Chris Shays said in a statement Wednesday.
"We still need to preserve and protect our Medicare system from financial ruin. We have a severe energy crisis that must be addressed by reducing our dependence on foreign oil," Shays's statement said.
Although Bush did not address Medicare in his address, he urged Congress to pass his Clear Skies legislation to make America less dependent on foreign energy.
However, preserving the Social Security program for future generations is an important issue, Shays said.
"The President is correct: we need to preserve and protect Social Security benefits," his statement said.
Social Security will soon be "paying out more than it takes in" and will be bankrupt by 2042 if the system is not overhauled, Bush said in his address.
"I recognize that 2018 and 2042 may seem like a long way off," Bush said in his address. "If you've got children in their 20s .the idea of Social Security collapsing before they retire does not seem like a small matter."
Bush outlined a plan to overhaul Social Security by allowing younger workers to invest their payroll taxes in private accounts. Americans older than 55 will retain their current Social Security benefits under the new plan, he said.
" Establishing personal Social Security savings accounts is a viable and responsible solution," Shays's statement said.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman said in statement that some changes may be necessary to sustain Social Security, a program that has been "a terrific success."
"But we must not change our core commitment to provide a safety net for our seniors," his statement said.
Democrats Want to Extend Death Benefits
By Emily Beaver
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1-A plan to increase death payments for U.S. troops killed in combat should include all soldiers who die on active duty, not just those who die in "combat zones" designated by the Pentagon, Democrats argued Tuesday.
The Pentagon announced a plan Tuesday that would increase the payment to families of military personnel killed in combat, also known as "the death gratuity."
Survivors of troops killed in combat currently receive a $12,420 death gratuity payment, and can receive up to $250,000 in life insurance payments. Department of Defense and Senate plans would increase the gratuity payment to $100,000 and life insurance payments to $400,000.
However, some Democrats, like Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida, pointed out "a number of problems with the Pentagon plan" at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday.
The proposal is problematic because it would only cover military personnel killed in "hostile combat zones" determined by the Pentagon, Nelson said.
Sen. Carl Levine of Illinois, a ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said all troops killed in active duty should receive the benefits.
"We have to be careful about making a distinction about the type of service," Levine said.
Defense officials questioned by members of the Armed Services Committee said they opposed making a distinction between hostile and non-hostile combat zones when providing benefits. However, budgeting money for death depends on the amount of hostility troops encounter in the future, said David Chu, Undersecretary of Defense.
According to figures released by the Pentagon yesterday, 1,415 service members were killed in Iraq. Of those deaths, 1,089 were a result of hostile actions.
"There is nothing we can do in a financial sense to replace a lost service member," he said. "Retroactivity is diplomatic."
The death gratuity was $3,000 during the Persian Gulf War in 1991, and was raised $12,000 in 2003. Several members of the Armed Services committee said the death gratuity payment was disproportionate to the payments awarded to the families of victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, which averaged $2.1 million.
"There was an imbalance there that was not acceptable," said Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut democrat.
Chu said the government already provides a number of services for the families of troops killed in combat, including a pension plan that provides "dollar for dollar what the military member was earning on active service."
"The country wants to express thanks for the service and condolence for the loss," he said.
HUD Grants Connecticut $23 Million for Homeless Projects
By Emily Beaver
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 -Two New Britain organizations will receive $1.4 million in grant money from the federal government this year to provide serves for the homeless.
Friendship Service Center of New Britain will receive more than $670, 000 and Community Mental Health Affiliates will receive more than $759,000 in grant money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) this year.
The department announced Tuesday that programs around the country would be granted $1.4 billion for homeless. The "unprecedented" amount of funding for homeless projects is a result of the Bush administration's initiative to reduce chronic homelessness, a HUD spokesperson said.
"The president asked for a record amount of funding, that's where I think it starts," Brian Sullivan said.
Most of the HUD grant will go towards personal support services, such as job training or counseling, for the homeless population, Sullivan said. These services will help to reduce "the revolving door" population of those who are chronically homeless, he said.
"We are targeting those hardest to serve and hardest to house," he said.
The department issues grants to organizations that have realistic strategies for ending chronic homelessness and providing affordable housing, Sullivan said.
HUD will also provide some Emergency Shelter grants for people who are temporarily homeless. New Britain will receive $163,000 in Emergency Shelter funding this year.
Connecticut will receive more than $23 million to fund homeless projects this year. Last year, the state received $20 million in grants, according to statistics released by HUD.
Ellen Perkins Simpson, executive director of the Friendship Service Center of New Britain, said the center will use its HUD funding to purchase and renovate property on Arch Street in New Britain. The property will be used for permanent supportive housing.
Friendship Service Center and the Mental Health Affiliates will discuss their plans for the HUD grants at a press conference today.
The St. Vincent DePaul Society of Bristol also received $348, 000 for homeless projects.
From Norwalk to Washington: Celebrating the Inauguration
By Emily Beaver
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 -After planting hundreds of Bush/Cheney signs on front lawns, organizing rallies and fundraisers, and knocking on doors to campaign for President Bush, three Norwalk Republicans spent a few days in the capital celebrating the inauguration of the president.
"For me, this just completed the cycle of convention, election and inauguration," Art Scialabba said Thursday, standing in front of the ballroom at the Washington Hilton.
Scialabba, who is the chairman of the Norwalk Republican Town Committee, traveled to Washington Tuesday along with vice-chairman Kelly Straniti to attend a number of inaugural events.
Dick Moccia also came to Washington to celebrate the inauguration with Scialabba and Straniti.
Scialabba and Straniti spent months campaigning for Bush. Straniti coordinated a campaign to put lawn signs up in Norwalk and worked on a women's coalition that encouraged female voters to vote for Bush. Scialabba organized a Veterans for Bush fundraiser. Both attended the Republican convention in New York last July.
"We rallied our troops as much as possible to get the vote out for our president," Scialabba said. "It just shows that the hard work that we did paid off."
Moccia has been an active member of the Republican Party for more than 25 years and was selected by the Presidential Inaugural Committee to greet the president when he arrived at the Constitution Ball, one of nine official balls held Thursday evening.
"To meet the president-it's really quite a thrill," Moccia said.
The group watched from the crowd as Bush was sworn into office at the Capitol at noon. Later, they tried to watch the parade move down Pennsylvania Avenue but got stuck in long security lines.
Straniti said the presence of security seemed less noticeable in Washington than at the Republican Convention in New York, where security guards stood outside hotels with guns. However, she said she welcomed the security measures surrounding the inauguration.
"I'd rather spend a few more moments in line somewhere to make sure that we're safe," she said.
Although she enjoyed the inaugural ceremony at the Capitol and sightseeing in Washington, Straniti said she had looked forward to the Constitution Ball the most.
"Its just amazing-it's an honor just to be here," she said Thursday, wearing a silver ball gown and watching as women in sequins and men in tuxedos streamed in and out of the ballroom at the Hilton.
"This is definitely the main event," Scialabba said. "It was definitely worth the effort to get down here."
"I'm going to tell my friends this was unique," Moccia said. "I think this inauguration speaks of the close election.but red or blue, everyone came together on one day and honored our president."
Connecticut Students Question Policymakers in Washington
By Emily Beaver
WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 -Women with fluffy hairdos, men wearing cowboy hats, boy scouts covered in merit badges, and flustered Washington interns acting as tour guides packed the US Capitol building Tuesday morning. Standing in the center of the Capitol, a group of students from East Lyme High School snapped pictures of the historical statues and murals.
"It's so beautiful here in Washington," senior Caitlin Zito said, resting on bench as the students neared the end of their tour of the Capitol.
Jessica Johnston, another East Lyme senior, plunked down next to Zito.
"I'm in heaven right now," Johnston said, gazing at the elaborate columns surrounding her. "Architecture and government are my two favorite things."
Johnston and Zito are two of 11 seniors in a contemporary issues class from East Lyme High School. The class, along with teacher Rose Ann Hardy, traveled to Washington, D.C. Monday. The group planned to meet with policymakers and to see President George W. Bush when he is sworn into office Thursday.
The trip was coordinated through a non-profit organization called Washington Workshops Foundation, which runs educational seminars for high school and middle school students. The group will stay at the Trinity College Campus in Washington until they return to Connecticut on Sunday.
After months of fundraising and planning, the group departed for Washington on Monday. However, their Amtrak train was delayed in Milford for two hours after a man was fatally struck by the train outside the station.
"We could tell there was some kind of obstruction," student Matt Rose said Thursday. "We were stopped for two hours."
Hardy had arranged for the students to meet with U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd and Rob Simmons. When the students arrived at Dodd's office Tuesday morning, they were greeted by aides who offered to answer their questions in place of the senator. Dodd would miss the session due to Condoleezza Rice's senate confirmation hearing, his staff members told the East Lyme group.
The students fired policy questions at two aides: What is the senator's stance on the death penalty? What about abortion and gay marriage? Senator Dodd went to Venezuela last
week to meet with President Hugo Chavez-doesn't that cost taxpayers a lot of money?
The senator is pro-choice and voted against amending the constitution to ban gay marriage, one aide said, but could not answer the other questions. Several of the students later said they were disappointed with the meeting with the aides.
"You never got a straight answer," student Aleks Keser said.
The group got a straight answer from Rob Simmons, however, when student Meghan Purdy asked the congressman about his recent statements about Social Security reform. Simmons was quoted in the Jan. 11 Washington Post as saying "When does the program go belly up? 2042. I will be dead then."
Purdy told Simmons she would still be alive then and asked what he planned to do about Social Security.
Simmons told Purdy the statement she read in the newspaper was a response to a question about the urgency of Social Security. Medicare reform and relief for tsunami victims in Southeast Asia are more urgent priorities, he said. It will be a long time before the Social Security program fails, he said.
"The point I was trying to make was that that is a long time in the future," he said. "Too bad for me for being so candid."
Afterwards, Purdy said although Simmons's answer "sounded kind of suspect," she was satisfied with his response. Purdy said his remarks in the newspaper had concerned her, but she understood that the quote was only part of his statement about Social Security.
In addition to visiting the White House and the Supreme Court, the East Lyme students participated in a Model Congress at Trinity College Wednesday morning.
"We divided into groups and wrote bills about issues like the environment and the military," student Tess Kohanski said.
The group will watch as Bush is sworn in as president today. They also plan to attend the inaugural parade and a Youth Inaugural Ball on the Potomac River. They will return to Connecticut on Sunday.
