$100k Pension Club Includes 299 State Retirees

Posted on Jun 29, 2010 in Accountability and Transparency, Research HARTFORD – The number of retired state employees collecting annual pensions of more than $100,000 has risen to 299 people, a new analysis by the Yankee Institute shows. Of those, 81 individuals receive more than $120,000, or at least $10,000 a month. The top ten biggest pensioners in 2009: Name Employer Position Amount Veiga, John F UCONN Professor $257,362.21 Blechner, Jack N UConn...
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Perez’s Patronage Payback in Hartford DTC

Posted on Jun 24, 2010 in Press HARTFORD – The conviction of Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez on corruption charges brings attention to the practice of trading political support for government jobs. A Yankee Institute review of members of the Hartford Democratic Town Committee reveals that 32 of the Committee’s 69 members (46 percent) have government jobs or draw taxpayer-funded pensions. The Yankee Institute conducted the study...
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What is the Overton Window?

Posted on Jun 15, 2010 in Press The Overton Window – the title of Glenn Beck’s new political thriller novel – is a concept of political theory developed by a scholar at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Joseph Overton. From Mackinac: Joseph Overton observed that when public policies in a given area, such as education, are arranged from freest to least free, only a relatively narrow window of options will...
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How Much Does Each Diploma Cost?

Posted on Jun 14, 2010 in Education, Research HARTFORD – The average Connecticut high school graduate cost taxpayers about $133,000 from kindergarten through senior year, according to new research by the Yankee Institute. For high school graduates in the city of Hartford, which has the state’s most expensive graduates, that figure climbed to just under $200,000 per graduate, the data shows. Using data from the Connecticut Department of...
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