Welch: Fully Fund the Pension Fund
(Bristol) Jason Welch, the Republican nominee for the State Senate from the 31st district, today called upon the General Assembly to fully fund the State’s pension obligations and to stop deferring payments to future years.“The General Assembly, including my opponent Senator Tom Colapietro, over the years has voted to approve state employee contracts with employee pension obligations, but deferred making required state contributions into that pension fund.” Welch added, “This has created a massive amount of debt and unfunded obligations, which ultimately puts those pensions at risk and wrongly burdens future generations. With more than $60 billion in current unfunded obligations, each Connecticut resident’s share is about $17,500.”
Welch stated that all pension funds are under-funded and that the time has come for the members of the General Assembly to meet the state’s current obligations and stop deferring the payments. “They need to stop funding their pet projects and fund the promises that they have made to our state employees and retirees,” Welch said.
“As a member of the State Senate, I will not vote for any budget that grossly underfunds current pension obligations.” Welch added, “Our children and our grandchildren should not have the added burden of paying for the promises that we made today, and our state employees and retirees deserve to know that their pensions are intact. Though the benefit structure for new employees ought to be reformed and brought more in line with private sector benefits, which is a part of my plan to control state spending, we need to keep the promises we have made to date.”
Welch’s Democratic opponent, 18 year incumbent Senator Tom Colapietro, is well known for his contention that Republicans are going to gut state government. The reality is that Senator Colapietro has been gutting union pensions to the tune of 100s of millions of dollars (200 million last year alone). Welch has called for a 7-10% across the board reduction of state costs, starting at the top and excluding understaffed and public safety agencies such as Corrections, in addition to other cost savings. That is hardly gutting.
Welch pointed out the irony that Senator Colapietro prides himself on representing the working person, yet he has routinely underfunded the working person’s pension rather than trim the fat in upper-management at state agencies.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
22 comments:
Welch is what we need.I'm voteing for Jason Welch. But he only has a 22% chance of winning.
Welch is an intelligent and articulate man. Change is what we need!
I'm voting for him too. I know he can beat the odds. Colapietro needs to go!
So stop crying and vote for another lawyer/insurance claims adjuster . Just what the country is more people like you rip off artists. You will not rule the world like you think. We voters are a lot smarter than you think. That's why you lose all the time.
Dear Mr. Welch, Colapietro voted the way he did with the blessings of the State employees. Are you saying you are going to cut and at the same time fully fund the state employees pension fund? Trying to insult the state employees too? Tell us all the truth !Or are you just like these naysayers on here.
Jason has conducted, so far, an issue based campaign. It is about time that we have that type of campaigning.
He wants to cut spending and reduce taxes by working in the senate to eliminate unfunded mandates to towns and cities, he is in favor of keeping the death penalty and for Sunday package store opennings. He has let us know his views on these and other issues.
Colopinto is silent onn everything except when he whinnes about Republicans or crows for the unions.
I'd give him a 25% chance of winning. Go, Jason!
7:35 Before I'd show how ignorant I was , if I were you I'd go back to school and learn how to spell first. It looks like a child around 10 wrote this for you. They probably did.
So who cares who you vote for? All three of you aren't voting for Colapietro. So do your thing and vote against Colapietro. This is nothing new it's the same old trash from you three, maybe four.
We'll see. Go Tom Colapietro
Voters aren't as dumb as you think. And they're certainly not as dumb as you guys.
I agree 7:35 AM. Jason's campaign has been straightforward and all about the issues. He is exactly the kind of change we need, and I'm only one of a growing number of people who think so. Vote for Jason Welch!
Oh, I see bad spelling/grammar Colapietro-lover guy is back from vacation. Too bad.
That's a easy way out Jason because you'll never have to vote for a budget. A cop out for sure.
Go Colapietro show these twerps what the real world is all about.
Tom is a good guy, I know him personaly. But I'm impressed with the new guy, Jason. He's a little younger, a little smarter, a little more "with it". I think he'd be a good senator, and I don't like how the state is going right now. I think we have to do something differently, and Tom can't do it, he's been there too long. I have to vote for Jason.
9:31 I think Jason is a good guy too and he would make a good senator from wherever he came from. As far as being with it , what is it?
And he'll get old too and he won't always be cute! I'm not willing to vote for anyone who hasn't done anything for my town.
I agree 9:31 AM. It's time for someone who knows what's going on. Tom just doesn't cut it. I'm another dem voting for Welch!
Talk about stupid How is Welch going to spend all this money to help the environment etc. And cut too?
Thank You 9:31 AM & 1:58 PM
...Great & True Statements...I
Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself! ☺
I'm voting for Tom Colapietro because he doesn't have to make up a wish list and think people ar to stupid too see through it. Like Rowland vote for me and I'll do away with the income tax. I think we still have it.
6:56 You really can't expect a faceless liar to be saying anything that really matters do you?
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