Top Cop: Christie’s Chopper Flight Didn’t Cost Taxpayers Anything

By Art Gallagher

State Police Superintendent Colonel Rick Fuentes issued a statement to the media this afternoon stating that Governor Christie’s  helicopter ride to his son’s baseball game yesterday didn’t cost that taxpayers money because the Governor’s travel was required flight training for the pilot.

The cost of the actual trip was $2500.

Assemblyman Joe Cryan, the $112,000 undersheriff of Union County said, “but, but, uhm, hmmm.”

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Casagrande Gives Birth To Theodore Charles Chance

Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande and her husband Stephen Chance are proud to announce the birth of a baby boy, Theodore Charles Chance.

The baby was born early this afternoon, measuring 21 inches and weighing 8 lbs., 9 oz..

Mother and child are resting comfortably, while dad and little brother Harrison, age 2, are thrilled at the newest addition to their family.

Rivals, the football recruiting service, immediately listed little Teddy as a five star football recruit in the class of 2032. Neither Asw. Casagrande or her husband would comment on the rumor that Teddy has verbally committed to Penn State University, his parents alma mater.

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NJ’s Supreme Injustice

Court feeds political machines

By Steven Malanga, In today’s NY Post

New Jersey’s Supreme Court ruled last week that the cash-strapped state must send another $500 million in aid to urban school districts — the latest in a long series of decisions disconnected from economic reality and wise public policy.

Over the last 40 years, Jersey’s high court has commandeered tens of billions of dollars of state tax money that has largely been wasted on schools, forced taxes higher and undermined the tax base of whole communities — in the process, driving the state to the verge of insolvency.

Basing its original decision on a vague clause in the state Constitution that says the state must ensure “a thorough and efficient system of free public schools,” the court made the state responsible for funding urban school districts — regardless of whether the money was well spent.

 Courts in other states, including New York, have interpreted similar language to mean that states should provide more aid to urban districts. But Jersey’s high court essentially ruled that schools in 31 poor “Abbott districts” should be funded at a level equal to the states’ wealth iest school districts — making Jersey’s among the most expensive urban school districts in America.

Newark spends $23,000 per pupil; Camden, $22,000; Asbury Park, $27,000. Most of that money comes from the state — 82 percent of Newark’s school budget, for instance.

So residents in many suburban towns essentially pay for two school systems: their own, through local property taxes, and urban schools, through their state taxes — costing state residents a staggering $37 billion since 1998, according to estimates in The New York Times.

Even if this spending produced stellar results, it would be hard to justify this system: The steep property taxes it requires have helped make homeownership unaffordable even to many middle-class residents. But the results have been the opposite of stellar. As the education reform group E3 observes in a study of Newark, “Money For Nothing”: “Given the extraordinary expenditure on schooling, students are not receiving a meaningful education.”

Despite claims that it wanted to ensure “thorough and efficient” schools, the court has done nothing but feed dollars to a patronage-laden Jersey political culture.

For example, when the court ruled that Jersey had to spend heavily to build schools in urban districts, the state floated billions of dollars of debt through a construction authority it created to get around the requirement that voters must approve all borrowing. The court not only allowed the scheme — but when the construction authority proved so corrupt and inefficient that it only finished half the job with the money it got, the court forced the state to spend billions more.

The court has also reshaped the state’s map with decisions known as the Mount Laurel cases, by taking local zoning powers away from towns and cities and requiring municipalities to build affordable housing, often at great cost.

In one infamous case, it ordered the tiny township of Greenwich, with only 520 housing units, to add 810 homes, sending property taxes soaring. The burden fell especially hard on middle-income residents; later court rulings gave big property-tax breaks to the lower-income units.

The latest ruling has spurred Gov. Chris Christie in his pledge to remake the Supreme Court. Last year, he outraged the state’s political establishment by refusing to renominate Justice John Wallace, breaking with a tradition in which Supreme Court justices are automatically reappointed. The Democratic-controlled Senate refused to consider Christie’s nominee for the job, allowing Chief Justice Stuart Rabner to appoint a temporary replacement judge, who was the key swing vote in the decision to spend $500 million more in school aid.

That’s money the state doesn’t have — Jersey can’t even afford to contribute to its severely underfunded state pension system.

New Yorkers, beware. In 2007, the Empire State agreed to boost state education spending by an unrealistic $7 billion over four years in response to a lawsuit brought by the Campaign for Fiscal Equity. But facing a $10 billion budget hole, Gov. Cuomo has cut education aid by $1.5 billion, prompting threats of another CFE lawsuit — even though New York still leads the nation in per-pupil spending.

The courts shouldn’t become a permanent substitute for our elected officials in managing state spending. As Jersey has taught us, when judges seize that power, taxpayers wind up big losers.

Steve Malanga is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute; his new book is “Shakedown: The Continuing Conspiracy Against the American Taxpayer.”

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Tornado Watch

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for 12 New Jersey Counties including Monmouth, Ocean, Middlesex, Mercer, Hunterdon, Morris, Sussex, Warren, Somerset, Burlington, Camden and Gloucester.

The tornado watch is in effect until 8PM this evening.

  URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
   TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 411
   NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
   100 PM EDT WED JUN 1 2011
  
   THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
   TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
  
          CONNECTICUT
          MASSACHUSETTS
          WESTERN MAINE
          NEW HAMPSHIRE
          NEW JERSEY
          SOUTHEAST NEW YORK
          SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA
          RHODE ISLAND
          COASTAL WATERS
  
   EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 100 PM UNTIL
   800 PM EDT.
  
   TORNADOES…HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER…THUNDERSTORM WIND
   GUSTS TO 70 MPH…AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE
   AREAS.
  
   THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 75 STATUTE
   MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 10 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF
   PHILADELPHIA PENNSYLVANIA TO 35 MILES NORTHWEST OF AUGUSTA MAINE.
    FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH
   OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU1).
  
   REMEMBER…A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
   TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
   AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
   THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
   AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
  
   OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 410…
  
   DISCUSSION…SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO INTENSIFY OVER
   PORTIONS OF VT/NY/PA AND TRACK EASTWARD ACROSS PORTIONS OF NEW
   ENGLAND…NY/PA/NJ THROUGH THE AFTERNOON.  A VERY UNSTABLE AIR MASS
   HAS DEVELOPED ACROSS THIS REGION WITH DEWPOINTS WELL INTO THE 60S
   AND MLCAPE VALUES OVER 3500 J/KG.  THIS COMBINED WITH STRONG
   WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT AND INCREASING SOUTHERLY LOW LEVEL WINDS WILL
   POSE A RISK OF SUPERCELL STORMS CAPABLE OF LARGE HAIL…DAMAGING
   WINDS…AND ISOLATED TORNADOES.
  
   AVIATION…TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
   SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
   WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
   500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 28035.

Per TornadoSafety.com:

If a tornado “watch” is issued for your area, it means that a tornado is “possible.”

If a tornado “warning” is issued, it means that a tornado has actually been spotted, or is strongly indicated on radar, and it is time to go to a safe shelter immediately.
Be alert to what is happening outside as well. Here are some of the things that people describe when they tell about a tornado experience:

• A sickly greenish or greenish black color to the sky.
• If there is a watch or warning posted, then the fall of hail should be considered as a real danger sign. Hail can be common in some areas, however, and usually has no tornadic activity along with it.
• A strange quiet that occurs within or shortly after the thunderstorm.
• Clouds moving by very fast, especially in a rotating pattern or converging toward one area of the sky.
• A sound a little like a waterfall or rushing air at first, but turning into a roar as it comes closer. The sound of a tornado has been likened to that of both railroad trains and jets.
• Debris dropping from the sky.
• An obvious “funnel-shaped” cloud that is rotating, or debris such as branches or leaves being pulled upwards, even if no funnel cloud is visible.

If you see a tornado and it is not moving to the right or to the left relative to trees or power poles in the distance, it may be moving towards you! Remember that although tornadoes usually move from southwest to northeast, they also move towards the east, the southeast, the north, and even northwest.

Encourage your family members to plan for their own safety in many different locations. It is important to make decisions about the safest places well BEFORE you ever have to go to them.

IN HOMES OR OTHER SMALL BUILDINGS:

The best places are:

• In a storm shelter specifically designed for that use–within the basement or outside the home entirely. Some companies manufacture pre-fab shelters that you drop into a hole in the ground, and that blends in with home landscaping(some more, some less).
• In a basement, away from the west and south walls. Hiding under a heavy work-table or under the stairs will protect the family from crumbling walls, chimneys, and large airborne debris falling into the cellar. A family in the April 8th, 1998 tornado in the Birmingham, Alabama area survived because a hutch toppled and was held up by the dining room table they were under. That hutch helped deflect the debris that would have struck them. Old blankets, quilts and an unused mattress will protect against flying debris, but they should be stored in the shelter area. Precious time can be lost by trying to find these items at the last minute.
• In a small, windowless, first floor, interior room like a closet or bathroom. The bathtub and commode are anchored directly into the ground, and sometimes are the only thing left in place after the tornado. Getting into the bathtub with a couch cushion over you gives you protection on all sides, as well as an extra anchor to the foundation. Plumbing pipes may or may not help hold the walls together, but all the extra framing that it takes to put a bathroom together may make a big difference. If there is no downstairs bathroom and the closets are all packed with “stuff,” a hall may be the best shelter. Put as many walls as you can between yourself and the tornado. In a pinch, put a metal trash over as much of you as you can. It will keep some flying debris from injuring you. Even that may make the difference between life and death.Wherever it is, the shelter should be well known by each member of the family. If you and your family will conduct annual emergency drills(fire, tornado, etc), everyone will remember what to do and where to go when a tornado is approaching–automatically and without panic. Choose a friend or family member in another part of town or elsewhere to be a “contact person” that will be called by everyone should the family members become separated.
  http://www.hsus.org/disaster/tips.html

  The Red Cross suggests that you assemble a “disaster supplies kit” that you keep in your shelter area. It should contain:

  • A first aid kit with essential medication in addition to the usual items.
  • A battery powered radio, flashlight, and extra batteries.
  • Canned and other non-perishable food and a hand operated can opener.
  • Bottled water.
  • Sturdy shoes and work gloves.
  • Written instructions on how to turn off your homes utilities.

  IN SCHOOLS
  Leave auditoriums, gyms, and other free-span rooms, exiting in an orderly fashion. Go to interior rooms and halls on the lowest floor, but avoid halls that open to the outside in any direction. If there are no interior hallways, avoid those that open to the southwest, south, or west, since that is the usually the direction the tornado will come. Stay away from glass, both in windows and doors. Crouch down, and make as small a “target” as possible. If you have something to cover your head, do so, otherwise, use your hands. Don’t assume that there will always be a teacher or other adult there to tell you what to do–if there is, you should follow their direction, but you need to know these things too.
  Peak time for tornadoes to strike varies from region to region. In some southeastern states, early morning tornadoes are almost as common as late afternoon ones. In western and northern states, peak hours are from 3 to 7 PM, just at the end of the school, but including the hours of afterschool activities.

  http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/~doswell/tstm_camping_safety.html TO AND FROM SCHOOL, WORK, OR AFTERSCHOOL ACTIVITIES:

  If really severe weather is expected, your school may be dismissed early in order that you can reach home before the worst of the weather reaches the area.
  If you are on foot or riding a bike, it is doubly important that you go home immediately, and not linger with your friends. If caught in the open, you should seek a safe place immediately. The chances of encountering falling trees, power lines, and lightning is greater than encountering the tornado itself. The basement of a sturdy building would be best, but lying flat in a ditch or low-lying area may be the only thing available. A culvert in a ditch MAY be a good choice if there is no rain, but if there IS rain, flash flooding may be more dangerous and likely than the tornado.

  If you are in a car, and you can see a tornado forming or approaching, you should leave the car and take shelter as above. You may think you can escape from the tornado by driving away from it, but you can’t know what you may be driving into! A tornado can blow a car off a road, pick a car up and hurl it, or tumble a car over and over. Many people have been killed in cars while they were trying to outrun the tornado, and although it is sometimes possible to escape, it is generally not a good idea. The photo to the left shows you what can happen to a car that encounters a tornado.

  A few years ago a fellow contacted us and tell us his experiences with the Wichita Falls tornado of 1979. When he was a young man, he outran the Wichita Falls, Texas tornado in a car. He survived, but many people that day tried the same thing and were killed.
  You can read his story here.)

  An underpass may seem like a safe place, but may not be. While videos show people surviving under an underpass, those tornadoes have been weak. No one knows how survivable an underpass is in a strong or violent tornado. The debris flying under the underpass could be very deadly… head for a ditch.

  IN HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS:

  Interior rooms and halls are the best locations in large buildings. Central stairwells are good, but elevators are not. If the building loses power, you may be in the elevator for a long time. Stay away from glass walls and windows, no matter how small.

  MOBILE HOMES:

  Most tornado deaths occur in cars and mobile homes. If you live in a mobile home park, you should find out from the manager where you should go in the event of a tornado–but don’t wait until you really need the information–ask him/her on a nice day! Mobile home parks may have a designated tornado shelter, or a steel reinforced concrete laundry room. If they don’t, you need to find another substantial structure that you can reach very quickly. You may have only seconds to get to it. The photo below shows what an 60-80 mph wind can do to to a mobile home. At 100 mph, they may start to disintegrate.
  Two articles that explore the stay in a “mobile home or leave in a car” debate were published recently on the web–one by Dr. Thomas Schmidlin of Kent State University is called Closet, Car, or Ditch? The Mobile Home Dilemma During a Tornado. The other, The Alternate Dilemma: How to Explain and Encourage Counterintuitive Behavior is by Rocky Lopes of the National Headquarters of the Red Cross. They are interesting and informative reading.

  SHOPPING CENTERS, HOSPITALS, AND FACTORIES:

  Go to interior rooms and halls on the lowest floor. Stay away from glass enclosed places or areas with wide-span roofs such as auditoriums, theaters, and warehouses. Crouch down and cover your head. Deaths have occurred in large, single story department stores. They have occurred inside the building when the roof or wide span brick walls, which collapsed. A corner would be safer than the middle of the wall. A bathroom, closet, office, or maintainance room with short walls would be the safest area, especially if it was on the north or east side of the building.

  Is it likely that a tornado will strike your home or school? No. But being ready for the possibility will keep you safer!

  Deaths and injuries from tornadoes have dropped dramatically in the past 50 years. Casualties numbers are holding steady as scientists learn more about tornadoes and develop the technologies that detect them sooner. Forecasters must continue to improve techniques because the population is increasing. The National Weather Service, Storm Prediction Center, and television and radio weather people have taken full advantage of the advancements in tornado prediction to improve warnings.
  In addition, many people generously donate their time and expertise to help protect their neighbors and communities in another way–by tornado and severe storm “spotting.” “Spotters” combine an interest in the weather, a willingness to serve and often, ham radio experience to make tornado prone areas safer for all. Spotting can provide a focus to a person’s interest in the weather, and ham radio helps you meet other like-minded people. It is not often that something that starts out as a hobby can potentially do so much good. If you are interested in Skywarn training and becoming a spotter, check out the National Skywarn page.

  The Tornado Project salutes both the professional and non-professional for their work!

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Busting Christie’s Chopper

By Art Gallagher

The media is making a huge deal of Governor Christie’s use of a state police helicopter to attend his son’s baseball game in Bergen County yesterday afternoon and flying back to Mercer County in time for dinner at Drumwatcket with the presidential recruiters from Iowa.

Naturally, Democratic blowhards in the legislature are blasting the Governor in the hopes they can get their names in the paper.

Christie gave his critics a lay up.  Governors have been criticised for their use of state helicopters for decades.  Christie had to see this coming.

But does the public really care?  Maybe Patrick Murray or the FDU EmptyMind will poll the question.    I wouldn’t be surprised if the majority already thinks that the Governor uses the helicopter to travel the state regularly rather than “occasionally as the schedule demands,” as Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak said.

If Jon Corzine had been in a helicopter instead of a Suburban, trying to get from Atlantic City to New Brunswick to meet Imus and the Rutgers women’s basketball team in 30 minutes would have worked.

Christie’s critics are making a deal out of the fact that he helicopter usage was apparently not for state business.  The Governor’s office is not saying where Christie was before or after the baseball game, but the governor was seen entering Drumthwacket an hour and 10 minutes after leaving the game.

Once again I wonder if the public really cares.  It is a question of Christie juggling his family life and commitments with his job.  Back in December the media and the Democrats had a field day over Christie being in Disney World with his family during the blizzard.   Paul Mulshine was angry that he couldn’t get litter for his cat to poop in, as if that was the Governor’s or Lt. Governor’s  fault, but before long no one cared where Christie was during the storm.

I doubt he will do it, but I would like to see the Governor maintaining a schedule that demands the use of the helicopter more often.  I bet he could outlast the whines from his critics in the media and the Democrats and that most people will think that he’s traveling the way that Governors have always traveled throughout the state.

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Double, Triple Dippers In The Legislature

By Art Gallagher

36 of the 120 members of the NJ Legislature, 9 of them Republicans, hold additional government jobs, according to this piece at NJ.com.

Hudson County Senator Nicholas Sacco is the biggest money maker, pulling in $214,260 as an assistant school superintendent in North Bergen.

Union County Assemblyman Joe Cryan, the majority leader and former state Democratic Chairman makes $111,772 as a Union County Undersheriff.

Of the Monmouth County legislative delegation, only Senator Sean Kean is on the list.  Kean makes “at least” $25,000 per gig as an attorney for Tinton Falls and Howell.  Kean also makes less than $10,000 as an attorney for Union Beach, according the the graphic in the NJ.com piece. 

Kean is the only practicing attorney in the Monmouth County delegation.  Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande is an attorney but is not practicing.  She is a full time legislator and a full time mom.

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Anne Patterson’s Supreme Court Nomination Passes Senate Judiciary Committee

By Art Gallagher

By a vote of 11-1, the New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee approved Anne Patterson’s nomination to the State Supreme Court yesterday, a year after Governor Christie nominated her.  Union County Senator Ray Lesniak voted against Patterson even though he did not attend the her hearing.  Lesniak said prior to the hearing that he would approve Patterson for a lower court where her decisions could be reviewed by other judges.  He said her lack of judicial experience and that fact that most of her legal career was spent in corporate defense work gave her too narrow an exposure to the law.

If approved by the full Senate, Patterson will replace Justice Roberto Rivera-Soto on the Court.  The seat vacated by Justice John Wallace, whom Patterson was first nominated to replace, will remain vacant until March.

Senator Joe Kyrillos , a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, offered the following reaction to Patterson’s confirmation hearing:

“Ms. Patterson said something today that I have never heard from a nominee to our state’s highest court- that she would bring humility to the job. She is to be commended for that promise, as the decisions she will make as an Associate Justice have very real consequences for the people of New Jersey.”

“Anne Patterson showed today not only that she is qualified to be a jurist, but that New Jersey needs her on the Supreme Court. Her testimony and answers to the Committee’s questions were thoughtful, ethical, and demonstrated a piercing intellect.”

“The Majority’s failure to consider her nomination last year was wrong and unprecedented, and ultimately delayed confirmation of an exceedingly qualified nominee. I am, however, pleased that these confirmation proceedings have finally arrived, and encourage all of my colleagues to join me in voting yes on her nomination.”

Senator Jennifer Beck said, “It has been more than a year since Anne Patterson was nominated by Governor Christie  and it is time that she was heard. In her interview in front of the Judiciary Committee today, I found her to be articulate, intelligent and professional. I believe she will make an excellent addition to the New Jersey Supreme Court. Her background in the New Jersey Attorney General’s office under Governor Christie Whitman, as well as the accolades she has earned from her peers in the legal profession, makes her well suited for the bench.”

“I hope that my colleagues will join me in supporting this exceptionally well qualified individual, and in so doing make history by confirming a female majority to this state’s highest court.”

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