The intrepid Christine Stuart on her CT News Junkie site, has a story featuring Bristol's very own John Leone, former mayor and former chamber honcho, leading the charge against a plan to open up the state's health insurance pool.
Be sure to read the comments, too.
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
25 comments:
If Mr. Leone continues to speak publicly about this matter he will have to register as a lobbyist.
This is lobbying on behalf of his organization. Plain and simple.
There are laws that govern this type of activity and Mr. Leone, for whom I have great respect, must abide by them as all lobbyists must do.
Thank you John Leone. You're an asset to our state and our community, not to mention you're a great planner of parties.
Register as a lobbyist? Are you nuts "April 21, 2009 11:59 AM"?
It's funny how some left wing Democrat who knows Leone through politics (aka April 21, 2009 11:59 AM) thinks Leone should have to "register as a lobbyist" to excercise his 1st Ammedmant right to free speech. How about all the union bosses doing the same thing then? What a ridiculous comment from that person!
It's funny how the Democrat Party works. People like Hillary Clinton want to dispose of the Electoral College in order to make only Democrat urban areas relevent. Hacks like Susan Bysiewicz want children (brainwashed by MTV and their public school teachers and whom have no experience in the world) to be able to vote. Clinton wants felons to vote. The mayor of New Haven wants illegals to vote. Does anyone get it yet?
As far as John Leone's comments go, he's right on. The state can not afford Democrat Leader Donovan's neo-socialist, great society programs. The Democrats in the Legislature are ruining this state and have been for years. It's time to step up and oppose their bad ideas. Thank you John Leone!
Attaboy John Leone,
Talk about "free speech", talk about speaking out of both sides of your mouth.
Is it morally okay to lobby against possible legislation that could cause the Chamber to lose a major part of its revenue, especially when that legislation has the potential to save the Chamber's members a lot of money on health care premiums? What's more important to the Chamber, saving money for its members or making the most money from its members by selling them high priced health insurance? How much of the profits from the sale of health insurance are being used to pay your salary? How much does John Leone or Mike Nicastro have to pay for their health insurance premiums? Does the Chamber pay for those costs?
The Chamber of Commerce does a great service to small businesses by pooling together insurance users so insurance can be purchased at a lower rate (by 10% at the most). Insurance rates are sky-high due not to capitalist greed but due to the cost of healthcare. That cost like most other costs is heavy because of the cost of labor.
Those costs are heavy because of lobbying by the nurses unions in Hartford (to committes, for example, formerly chaired by neo-Marxist Chris Murphy. The Democrats will not allow the cost of healthcare to be decreased because the recipients of the money bank-roll their campaigns.
Here's how to have "healthcare for everyone". Get a job and live within your means.
So who doesn't get in on the gold plated state employee health insurance? Just the larger companies that pay all the taxes and create most of the wealth?
This is just a small step to single payer healthcare for everyone. It's also a scheme by Comrade Donovan to get more of the electorate beholden to the state employee unions.
With the cost of healthcare all this will mean is higher taxes for businesses and individuals. The state is almost bankrupt now paying the benfits for it's state employees, how is the state going to pay for even more people? They need to do something about the cost of healthcare before the state bank-rolls it.
@ April 21, 2009 8:24 PM
YES, anyone who accepts money from a Union for purposes of promoting that Union's position on any issue MUST, under CT State law, register as a lobbyist or face the consequences of not doing so.
http://www.ct.gov/ethics/cwp/view.asp?a=2309&q=428540ðicsNav=|
I mention this only to protect Mr. Leone.
And to answer your question, NO, I'm not nuts, but you, my friend, show signs that you are clearly approaching that point of madness or perhaps you have already arrived. Please seek professional help for your bizarre ranting and raving.
April 22, 2009 8:51 AM:
Well maybe you're not "nuts", just an idiot.
April 22, 2009 8:51 AM:
Whom or whatever you are, your comment in regards to my statements is way out of bounds, inappropriate and immature.
If you really were friends with John, you surely would persoanlly contact him instead of posting anonymously (like the hack you are) on this blog.
John Leone is an experienced, intelligent, politician who undoutably is aware of the laws and corrcet procedures in regards to public statments (in the leadership role he is in) at the capitol.
I'm going to repost this statement I made so anyone interested can read it..
"It's funny how some left wing Democrat who knows Leone through politics (aka April 21, 2009 11:59 AM) thinks Leone should have to "register as a lobbyist" to excercise his 1st Ammedmant right to free speech. How about all the union bosses doing the same thing then? What a ridiculous comment from that person!
It's funny how the Democrat Party works. People like Hillary Clinton want to dispose of the Electoral College in order to make only Democrat urban areas relevent. Hacks like Susan Bysiewicz want children (brainwashed by MTV and their public school teachers and whom have no experience in the world) to be able to vote. Clinton wants felons to vote. The mayor of New Haven wants illegals to vote. Does anyone get it yet?"
Thanks
Actually... I think that 4/21 11:59 is correct. Look at 1-91(k) of the Code of State Ethics (google it). John Leone just may be ... duh duh duh ... a communicator lobbyist required to register with the OSE and who is subject to the campaign contribution ban for state (not municipal) candidates.
Ooh. High drama.
;)
@ April 22, 2009 12:11 PM
"Whom or whatever you are, your comment in regards to my statements is way out of bounds, inappropriate and immature."
Boy, talk about the pot calling the kettle black! I'm sure Mr. Collins and other followers of this blog could point to dozens of your posts that were "way out of bounds, inappropriate and immature"!
----------------------------
"If you really were friends with John, you surely would persoanlly [sic] contact him instead of posting anonymously (like the hack you are) on this blog."
I'm not really "friends with John," just an acquaintance and business associate, but we do have a mutual respect for each other. I wonder, can the same be said for you and him? And what makes you so sure I haven't already alerted him?
Anyway, I notice your posts are getting even more bizarre and repetitive lately. You really shouldn't wait another second, seek help now, Mr. Cuckoo Conservative! Several months under the care of professionals and you should be back to normal, unless, of course, you're beyond repair. ;o)
John Leone for State Senate 2010, 31st Senatorial District.
(if only)
Leone can now join the ranks of conservative boobs on here as well as supporting the friends that sell insurance. They don't really want any competition.
Leone never experienced this depth of idiocy in all of his years in elected office - does this mean that the electorate is becoming more in-tune with politics, more people are completely partisan to their own views or that those disagreeing with any philosophy, other than their own, are being exposed as the "wakos, who we have always thought them to be?
Don't waste a lot of time deliberating on the significance of this thought unless you are bored picking up after your dog on your morning walk.
@ April 22, 2009 9:39 PM
You're wasting your time. You're asking "CC" to provide a rational and logical explanation, which is clearly beyond his/her ability.
Speaker of the House Donovan is a well-respected law maker who has spent a great deal of time on this subject. His initial proposal, which the Governor vetoed, was a good plan. He and his colleagues have now had additional time to refine it. The healthcare plan should be debated again, voted on, then signed by Governor Rell.
How many other viable solutions have been put forward by the Minority party? Zero!
"i would love to hear your explanation for why the high cost of labor is a reasons for healthcare being expensive."
--Apparently you have no idea what drives the cost of a service or a product. What exactly have they been teaching you at West-Conn? Or are you really just plain dumb? You're question is similar to asking why is grass greener over a septic tank or why deos bread come out warm after you take it out of the oven.
What a stupid, ignorant question and what an obnoxious, dillusional piece of garbage from the poster at April 23, 2009 8:27 AM. Donnavan is only respected by liberals because that is what he is. His policies push the state closer to socialism.
@ April 23, 2009 12:20 PM
Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo!
Out of touch and in the minority, sucks for you!
It's simple.
1) Asset (cash, AR) - Liabilities (expenses, labor AP) = bottom line.
When liabilities are great, an organization needs to raise more cash.
2) Socialism = government
assuming the role of the private sector.
-Again, asking why a cost drives up the price (cost) of a product is truely idiotic to me.
Interesting comments, "high cost of labor","get a job and live within your means", "larger companies that pay all the taxes and create most of the wealth", "the State is almost bankrupt now paying the benefits of its employees", sounds like the Concerned Conservative is a Limbaugh loyal listener.
You have a problem with the "high cost of labor" but you have no problem with the extreme high salaries and bonuses that corporate Executives get for running their companies into the ground. You probably think it's perfectly alright for somebody to lie, cheat, steal, swindle, or do whatever to earn as much money they can! Right? You have no problem with the fact that executive salaries have risen 500 times more than their average employee salaries have risen. It's so easy to blame the unions and their members for their high wages because that's more money that can be going into the greedy pockets of executives.
Which segues me into your next comment " get a job and live within your means". This comment really shows your ignorance of the real world around you and your buddies. When the term "affordable healthcare" is used, it is being used by working people, (people that have jobs) and are trying to live within their means to afford health coverage. These people aren't lazy, they work hard for the greedy corporations that want to pay as little as possible in wages and benefits to make a living. There is a real difference between making a living and getting wealthy.
"Larger companies that pay all the taxes and create most of the wealth", pure fantasy!! The true fact is that the larger companies get all of the tax breaks and actually pay less taxes, percentage wise, than an average worker. You probably think that's fair also. As far as creating most of the wealth, they create it for themselves and nobody else. That wealth doesn't "trickle" down to the average working family.
"The State is almost bankrupt now paying the benefits of its employees" is as cute as you must be sweetie!! Fact is that the WAGES and BENEFITS the State pays its employees only amounts to about one third of the total budget. So do the simple math if you can sweetie, you can get rid of every State employee, every service the State provides and you still won't come anywhere close to balancing the budget.
How much healthcare can be had with the Billions of dollars in profits, salaries, benefits, and buildings the insurance companies have raked in? But conservative wackos, such as yourself, see no problem with that. You see a problem with an employee making $20 to $25 an hour. Strange!!!
You probably have no problem with corporations like Walmart paying their employees almost minimum wages and no benefits and then schooling those employees in the way to get on State aid to get their healthcare paid for by the taxpayers, all the while the corporation is raking in BILLIONS in profits.
Your conservative motto of "let the private sector take care of it" doesn't look too promising right now, does it?
Too little regulation, Greed, payoffs, turning of heads and looking the other way, and corruption, are just a few of the reasons that have led us to the problems we now face and must deal with.
A little class envy, 8:30?
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