GOVERNMENT WASTE

- CONNECTICUT -

Date	Individual / State Agency	Who, What, Where?
07/01/06		Senator Lieberman Defends “Good” Pork Senator Joseph Lieberman (Democrat) is likely going to have the fight of his life to retain his seat in the U. S. Senate mainly because of his support for the war in Iraq. Polls showed that his Democratic challenger, Ned Lamont, who is campaigning on a peace platform, is closing the gap. So how did Senator Lieberman respond? He bragged about the $2.5 billion in “pork” he has brought to the state in federal transportation projects, which Lamont challenged. Lieberman counted with, “There are earmarks that are good.” He than challenged Lamont by asking him if he would oppose “good” Connecticut earmarks for Intermodal transportation service and ferry service. Lamont responded with, “I think we should outlaw these earmarks. I think they corrupt the political process,” fully recognizing that the public is fed up with the excesses of “pork.”
08/01/06		Pervert Wants Back Pay for Unused Sick Days Again demonstrating the lunacy of the policies of state governments regarding “extra” payments to state workers, incarcerated former mayor of Waterbury Philip A. Giordano, who is serving 37 years on federal child sex charges, sent a letter to Theresa Caldarone, special counsel to Mayor Michael J. Jarjura, demanding that the city pay him about $61,000 for 13 weeks of vacation, 99 sick days and 27 personal days. Waterbury mayors have never had sick or vacation days. “It’s not authorized in the charter and we’re not obligated to give him sick time, and therefore we wouldn’t even entertain this idea. Vacation, sick, personal days, those actually have no meaning for elected officials. We expect that our elected officials are going to devote a reasonable amount of time to their job. You spend too much time out, you just don’t get back in again.”