TORRINGTON - Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz will honor more than 40 Korean War veterans Thursday during a 3:00 p.m. awards ceremony at Torrington High School.

"Our Korean War veterans fought courageously on the battlefield in some of the harshest conditions, suffering heavy casualties to protect Democracy and stop tyrannical Communist aggression," said Bysiewicz in a press release. "We want the thousands of Korean War veterans living in Connecticut to know we will never forget their bravery and sacrifice. We honor their service to our country during and after the war, when they came home and continued to do public service in our communities."

Bysiewicz will present each veteran with an award in recognition of their service during the war and invite the veterans to share their stories with friends and families in attendance.

Congressman Chris Murphy will join other local and state officials and candidates at a Get Out The Vote Rally scheduled for this Saturday, October 30th at 12 p.m. noon at Torrington Democratic Headquarters, 40 East Main Street, Torrington.
The public is invited to attend.
For further information contact Torrington Democratic Town Committee Chairman Glenn McLeod at 860-482-2271.

****Event has been cancelled due to rain.****
LITCHFIELD - Republican Senate candidate Linda McMahon will be in Litchfield today.

She will be touring Main St. Litchfield businesses, starting at Kitchen Works at 4:15 p.m.

U.S. Congressman Chris Murphy and his Republican challenger, Sam Caligiuri, will both appear at the Litchfield-Morris Rotary Club meeting tomorrow, and CT-N will be there to tape it.

Register Citizen Managing Editor Emily M. Olson will be introducing the candidates.

The meeting will start at noon at La Cupola, 637 Bantam Road, Litchfield. Tickets are $20, which includes lunch. Rotarians and the general public are welcome.

A press release from the Sam Caligiuri campaign:

The Hartford Courant reports today that Democratic incumbent in the Fifth Congressional District race, Chris Murphy, has pulled his disgraceful ad tying Sam Caligiuri to former Waterbury Mayor Phil Giordano off the air.

“Pulling the Giordano ad off the air is proof that it has backfired on Murphy because it is deceitful. As reported at the time, Sam was an opponent of Giordano and not his “number two.” Furthermore, the agreement approved by the Board of Aldermen stripped Giordano of his power and was the only way the city could ensure that Giordano could never come back to office, which the City Charter at the time would have allowed had Giordano been released from prison. That’s why the agreement was hailed as a success by the residents at the time,” said Tiffany Romero Grossman, spokesman for the Caligiuri Campaign.

“The Democrats attacked Sam the same way in 2006 during his first run for the State Senate. That attack was rejected then and it is being rejected now because it distorts what really happened. The real story here is that Murphy crossed the line and attacked Sam personally because he is desperate to avoid talking about his record of voting with Nancy Pelosi 98% of the time, including on spending trillions of dollars for disastrous legislation such as Cap and Trade, public option health care, and the failed stimulus package,” said Grossman.

The four candidates running for Connecticut's 1st District U.S. Congressional seat will meat for a debate at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 25, at the Hartford Public Library, 500 Main st., Hartford.

It will be moderated by WFSB Channel 3 TV anchor Dennis House.

The following night, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26, at the Ann Antolini School in New Hartford, The Register Citizen and Litchfield County Times will be sponsoring a 1st District debate.

So far, Republican Ann Brickley, Green Party candidate Ken Krayeske and Socialist Party candidate Christopher Hutchinson have all confirmed their participation. We are waiting to hear back from Larson's campaign.

Democratic attorney general candidate George Jepsen issued a press release today touting a big edge in the number of total donors contributing to his campaign.

Republican candidate Martha Dean’s report to the State Elections Enforcement Commission listed 163 contributors to her campaign through September, with the average contribution of nearly $400.

In comparison, more than 1,200 Connecticut residents gave contributions of $100 or less to Jepsen’s campaign between January and July when he qualified for public financing. Also, Jepsen did not accept money came from political action committees, industry or public-interest groups.

“My grassroots support is much deeper and more widespread than my opponent’s. The numbers tell the story. My message appeals to a broader range of Connecticut voters,” Jepsen said. In contrast, Dean has failed to garner much financial support, even from members of her own party.

Jepsen said participating in the Clean Elections Program has allowed him to focus on meeting Connecticut voters and talking about issues that matter, not raising money. It has also kept special interest money out of his race.

1st District Congressional candidate Ann Brickley has donated $200,000 to her campaign. Incumbent John Larson still has 10 times as much in his campaign warchest.

Republican Attorney General candidate Martha Dean is applauding Thursday’s U.S. District Court ruling in Florida that allows a lawsuit challenging a key provision of the federal health care reform legislation to move forward. The current suit – brought by twenty states – challenges the constitutionality of a mandate forcing citizens to buy health insurance.

Dean said, “I am pleased that Judge Roger Vinson decided that it is appropriate to move this important case forward. I look forward to closely following further proceedings in the coming weeks.”

Twenty states say that Congress is exceeding its constitutional authority by penalizing people for not doing something -- buying health insurance. The bill also fails to refer to any penalties it contains as taxes, even though the Obama administration recently argued that the penalties should be considered a tax levied by Congress, thereby giving it the constitutional power to regulate interstate commerce.

Dean added, “Connecticut deserves a strong Attorney General who will advocate vigorously for Connecticut’s citizens’ constitutional rights. My Democratic opponent is too accepting of federal power that goes far beyond what we have authorized constitutionally.”

She continued, “As Connecticut’s next Attorney General, I promise to join the twenty states already challenging the new federal requirement to purchase health insurance.”

Congressman Chris Murphy (CT-5) announced today that Congress will move ahead with legislation to provide Social Security recipients with a one-time $250 payment. The Social Security Administration is expected to announce on Friday there will be no automatic Cost-of-Living-Adjustment for 2011. That means that for the first time ever, 2011 will be the second consecutive year that Social Security retirees, veterans, and people with disabilities will see no increase in their monthly Social Security, SSI, VA Pension and Compensation, and Railroad Retirement benefits. This unprecedented situation is a result of economic conditions, not the result of Congressional or Presidential action or inaction.

“In this economy, seniors living on a fixed income are in a tough position,” said Murphy. “While the formula for calculating Social Security increases doesn’t recognize it, I listen to seniors every day who are hurting. That’s why we’re going to move quickly to pass this bill.

“Seniors who have worked hard all their lives shouldn't have to worry about their Social Security benefits. At a time when private retirement funds have taken a big hit, protecting Social Security is paramount. This measure was included in the budget, is fiscally responsible, and for Connecticut’s seniors, it’s absolutely essential.”

On Thursday, Murphy, along with members of the Connecticut House delegation, sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi requesting that H.R. 5987 be scheduled for a vote. Congress will consider H.R. 5987 immediately upon return to Washington in November.

The COLA is automatically calculated using data on inflation published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). October 15 is the day BLS releases the final economic factor that the Social Security Administration uses to calculate the annual COLA. In 2009, Social Security recipients saw a 5.8% increase in their benefits, the largest since 1982, as a result of rising costs; but in 2010, they saw no COLA at all.

Social Security benefit levels are modest – only $14,000 a year for the average retiree. The median income for senior households is just $24,000, reflecting just how much Social Security means to most elderly Americans. Six in ten seniors rely on Social Security for more than half of their income, and about a third of retirees have little other than Social Security on which to live.

U.S. Senate Candidate Richard Blumenthal will appear at a Get Out the Vote Rally in support of his candidacy at the Torrington Democratic Headquarters on Sunday, October 17th, at 1 p.m. The headquarters is located at 40 E. Main Street, Torrington. The public is invited to attend.

The Register Citizen and The Litchfield County Times are teaming up to sponsor a debate to be held Oct. 26, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., at Ann Antolini School in New Hartford.
Register Citizen Publisher Matt DeRienzo has invited the candidates, incumbent U.S. Rep. John Larson (D-East Hartford), Republican challenger Ann Brickley and Green Party candidate Ken Krayeske.
"We have felt for some time that an event like this was necessary to bring more attention to the race and the candidates in the Litchfield County portion of the 1st District, for voters who live in Torrington, Winsted, Barkhamsted and New Hartford," DeRienzo wrote in extending the invitation to debate.
The debate will be hosted by Scott Benjamin, the political reporter for The Litchfield County Times, who has an excellent reputation for objectivity, and has experience as a debate moderator, including moderation of a Republican primary debate earlier this year in the Fifth Congressional District.
As part of the papers community outreach, questions are being submitted from readers of The Register Citizen and The Litchfield County Times ahead of time.
In the debate, each candidate will get 3-minute opening and closing statements, and will have 2 minutes each to respond to questions, in a rotating order. Each candidate will then have 90 seconds to rebut or expand on their remarks after everyone has responded.
The Ann Antolini School gymnasium seats about 300 people, and the Register will also be livestreaming video from the debate on the Web sites of The Register Citizen, The Litchfield County Times, West Hartford News and Middletown Press.

Congressman Chris Murphy will debate his opponent Sam Caligiuri of Waterbury on Thursday, October 14th, from 7-8 p.m. at Wamogo High School, Litchfield. Thereafter, State Representative Craig Miner-66th District will debate his opponent Bill Zappone of Litchfield from 8:15-9:15 p.m.

The public is invited to attend.

A press release from Connecticut Republican Party ...

NEW BRITAIN - Connecticut Republican Chairman Chris Healy filed an Elections Enforcement complaint Wednesday against 12 year-incumbent Democrat State Treasurer Denise Nappier accusing her of violating state election laws over her promotion of a student loan program within a 60-day window of the election.

The violation concerns promotional activities with the Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET) program, which allows parents to set aside tax deferred funds until they are needed for college tuition. The Treasurer is responsible for managing the funds.

“Treasurer Nappier consciously violated the law when she allowed her staff to use tax payer resources in the Treasurer’s Office to plan and orchestrate a media event designed to promote her reelection,” said Healy. “Nappier allowed her image and printed quotes on materials distributed by The Hartford to the public. Nappier has been in office long enough to know this is a prohibited activity within 60 days of an election.”

During Nappier’s official October 6th press conference announcing “CHET Advisor” Nappier attempted to compensate for the poor performance of the fund as compared to other states by announcing reforms to the program that had long been advocated by both investors and professional organizations.

“Nappier knows that she has been misleading families about the true performance of the CHET program,” said Healy. “This media event and the involvement and the manipulation of The Hartord are an attempt to use a fresh coat of paint to cover the mismanagement and underperformance of her administration.”

The Treasurer’s office should be made to reimburse The Hartford for all costs associated with the publication and distribution of CHET Advisor materials designed to aid in her reelection.”

The 2010 election cycle in Connecticut is dominated by candidates from a small geographic radius in Fairfield County, including three practically next-door neighbor millionaires from the Greenwich area, Senate candidates Linda McMahon and Dick Blumenthal and gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley.

Dan Malloy and George Jepsen, candidates for governor and attorney general, are also from Fairfield County, and have known each other for decades, literally sharing a law office together back in the day.

During her visit with The Register Citizen earlier this week, it was interesting to converse with Denise Merrill, Democratic candidate for secretary of the state.

She is from the sparsely-populated northeast corner of the state - she's represented Storrs in the legislature.

Merrill and her Republican opponent, state Consumer Protection Commissioner Jerry Farrell Jr., are fighting an uphill battle to get voters to pay any attention at all to them or the secretary of the state race in a year when the U.S. Senate contest is sucking all the oxygen out of the room, and you also have vacancies in both the governor's office and attorney general's office for the first time in more than a decade.

But coming from "the other Connecticut," as we in the Northwest Corner know well, Merrill is used to being in a position of being overlooked.

At the Democratic convention, facing two opponents for the secretary of the state nomination, she said that the fight became a coalition of small towns vs. delegates from the cities.

In the Legislature, the same kind of "city mouse vs. country mouse" fights have also played out many times.