[WouldLoveTo]

Originally Posted by synchem

Northern CT River Valley was an awesome place to grow tobacco in the summer months (Amazon developments are now having them tear down all those nice looking red tobacco sheds). The leaves were used for fine cigar wrappers.

The entire CT River Valley! It's still grown in Glastonbury and other towns.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by synchem

Northern CT River Valley was an awesome place to grow tobacco in the summer months (Amazon developments are now having them tear down all those nice looking red tobacco sheds). The leaves were used for fine cigar wrappers.

Unfortunately the market for Connecticut grown tobacco has contracted and there isn’t the need for vast fields like there used to be. That’s why all these field are no longer need. Keep in mind though that there are field you don’t easily see along the Connecticut River. Those are in the flood plain for the River so it makes more sense for tobacco to be grown there since not much else can be done with that land. Jay

[JayCT]

WOW! Why isn’t this in the headlines? Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASML will invest $200 million over two years to expand its operations in Wilton and create more than 1,000 new jobs. This is in addition to the 2,000 the company already employs there. Great news. Jay

https://www.ctinsider.com/business/a...e-17219016.php

[robr2]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Unfortunately the market for Connecticut grown tobacco has contracted and there isn’t the need for vast fields like there used to be. That’s why all these field are no longer need. Keep in mind though that there are field you don’t easily see along the Connecticut River. Those are in the flood plain for the River so it makes more sense for tobacco to be grown there since not much else can be done with that land. Jay

Cranberries or rice??

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by robr2

Cranberries or rice??

No, the fields flood in the spring but dry out in time to plant them. A lot of our local produce is grown in those fields. Jay

[JayCT]

Connecticut Republicans have presented a proposal to cut state taxes by an additional $746 million! They are proposing to cut the state sales tax from 6.35% to 5.99%; permanently reduce state income tax by 1 percentage point, within certain income limits; Expand home energy assistance program for more middle class families; suspend diesel tax, with aim to provide 25-cent per gallon relief; repeal heavy truck mileage tax; and eliminate the 1 percent meal surcharge tax.

It sounds nice but I do have to wonder if this deep of a cut is sustainable. It seems more of an election year ploy to pander to voters than a workable realistic proposal. I’m concerned that they want to cut the advanced pension payments from over $5 billion to just $2.6 billion. Given the size of our pension obligations I’d feel much better if they were more modest in their tax cuts and retained the higher advanced payment. What do you think? Jay

[BobNJ1960]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Connecticut Republicans have presented a proposal to cut state taxes by an additional $746 million! They are proposing to cut the state sales tax from 6.35% to 5.99%; permanently reduce state income tax by 1 percentage point, within certain income limits; Expand home energy assistance program for more middle class families; suspend diesel tax, with aim to provide 25-cent per gallon relief; repeal heavy truck mileage tax; and eliminate the 1 percent meal surcharge tax.

It sounds nice but I do have to wonder if this deep of a cut is sustainable. It seems more of an election year ploy to pander to voters than a workable realistic proposal. I’m concerned that they want to cut the advanced pension payments from over $5 billion to just $2.6 billion. Given the size of our pension obligations I’d feel much better if they were more modest in their tax cuts and retained the higher advanced payment. What do you think? Jay

Excellent ideas. Diesel would somewhat reduce the worst tax-massive inflation. Our state income tax rates are far too high! The net/gross pay % lost is crushing on the lower middle and middle class. The meal surcharge tax should NEVER have existed IMO. Why punish those dining out and one industry-restaurants?

I would hardly call $2.6 billion in pension funding less than quite generous. Are we to become what the D3 automakers of Detroit were, when analysts correctly called them Insurance providers for millions of retirees who happened to make a car now and then? Does the Ct private sector exist solely to sustain Ct government employees, cradle to grave?

In short, if it takes $5 billion, I question our long-term ability to sustain that. We need to be questioning every expenditure, just as the productive private sector does. No sacred cows.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Connecticut Republicans have presented a proposal to cut state taxes by an additional $746 million! They are proposing to cut the state sales tax from 6.35% to 5.99%; permanently reduce state income tax by 1 percentage point, within certain income limits; Expand home energy assistance program for more middle class families; suspend diesel tax, with aim to provide 25-cent per gallon relief; repeal heavy truck mileage tax; and eliminate the 1 percent meal surcharge tax.

It sounds nice but I do have to wonder if this deep of a cut is sustainable. It seems more of an election year ploy to pander to voters than a workable realistic proposal. I’m concerned that they want to cut the advanced pension payments from over $5 billion to just $2.6 billion. Given the size of our pension obligations I’d feel much better if they were more modest in their tax cuts and retained the higher advanced payment. What do you think? Jay

I like all of it, especially the meal surcharge tax, which was a money grab by the Connecticut Democrats.

I think it’s sustainable - they’re not touching income tax, or vehicle tax, both which (while I hate them) would cause serious issues locally and statewide if done overnight - which they’ve touted in the past.

Well done. Now make it happen.

[SteveM85]

Originally Posted by JayCT

WOW! Why isn’t this in the headlines? Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASML will invest $200 million over two years to expand its operations in Wilton and create more than 1,000 new jobs. This is in addition to the 2,000 the company already employs there. Great news. Jay

https://www.ctinsider.com/business/a...e-17219016.php

Yep, 1000 high paid techy and manufacturing jobs coming to the region. CT is winning!

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by SteveM85

Yep, 1000 high paid techy and manufacturing jobs coming to the region. CT is winning!

Yes, it is but where are the front page headlines touting this? You bet if it was a company cutting 1,000 jobs or even a tenth of that, it would be the lead story on EVERY media outlet. Just shows where the media is on this. Jay