Beck, Casagrande & Angelini: Fictitious Fiscal Conservatives
By Olivia Nuzzi
It is impossible to disagree with the Tea Party’s fierce insistence that budget reform is necessary. It is no secret that New Jersey is in dire financial straights. While our impressive near-$33 billion debt has the stains of many administrations, it cannot be ignored that Senator Jennifer “Romney” Beck and Assemblywomen Caroline Casagrande, Mary Pat Angelini and their cronies have made decisions which have halted progress and placed enormous, unwarranted burdens on tax payers.
This is not fiscal conservatism, this is political theater. The Twisted Sisters have saved the state money for their own sake by taking it directly out of the pockets of those they claim to protect.
With February marking our second credit downgradesince 2008 at the hands of Standard and Poor’s, the only way to ignore the fact that poor is rapidly becoming our new standard would be to bury your head in Asbury Park’s tourist-friendly sand.
While balancing the budget is important, effectively stepping on the necks of residents by forcing local governments, schools districts, and individual taxpayers to shoulder additional costs defeats the purpose of spending cuts. The “tough choice” Ms. Beck made in order to keep that budget of ours balanced was the choice to advance her own political career, even if it meant harming the very voters that allowed her to have one at all. I’m sure she lost a lot of sleep over that.
Budget cuts are indeed necessary. Even destructive budget cuts may be justified if they effectively do what they are intended to do: lower taxes. But the cuts that Ms. Beck, Ms. Casagrande and Ms. Angelini advocated for have increased property taxes significantly. If you were worried that New Jersey’s status of having the highest property taxes in the country was going someplace, breathe a sigh of relief. So long as the Three Blind Legislators are in office, you can be confident that we will retain the title.
Here’s the rundown:
– Freezing Senior Freeze: Program that freezes property taxes for seniors so
they don’t continue to increase over time. Beck, Casagrande and Angelini
voted for the budget that gutted it and against the budget that restored it.
– Cutting School Aid: Cutting billions in aid to schools – including $50 million in aid to District 11 schools alone – has resulted in serious budget holes that have been closed by raising taxes, cutting programs altogether, forcing students to pay for previously funded extracurriculars, and in some cases going as far as to force student teaches to pay a fee to work.
– But! A few districts will receive more aid this year than under Corzine’s last
budget. One of those that did is Colts Neck, Caroline Casagrande’s
hometown, which is patently absurd, considering the average family income
in Colt’s Neck is $109,190, while the average family income for the state is
$55,156. Why, instead of providing that aid to a district that needs it – a
middle class district for instance – is that aid being given to one of the
wealthiest communities in New Jersey?
– Slashing Property Tax Rebates: The average citizen now receives 75%
less in property tax rebates than they did under the previous administration.
– Cutting Municipal Aid: This has resulted in serious budget holes which
have been closed by catastrophic cuts and paralyzing tax hikes.
A political parade of careless cuts results is nothing more than the violent trampling of taxpayers. Ms. Beck, Ms. Casagrande and Ms. Angelini have not only run over their constituents, they have proceeded to back up over their bodies before running over them again. Ms. Beck, of course, is driving.
Olivia Nuzzi is a student from Middletown and an intern for the District 11 Democratic campaign. Her opinions are her own and not those of MoreMonmouthMusings or the District 11 Democratic campaign. MMM welcomes her fair and biased contributions.
More from my site
What if we held an election and nobody cared? Part 1, 11th district
Casagrande’s Cowardice
BECK, ANGELINI AND CASAGRANDE RECEIVE ENDORSEMENT OF NEW JERSEY BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
Is Gay Marriage A Simple Issue?
NFIB Endorses Beck, Angelini and Casagrande
Long Branch Mayor Adam Schneider Endorses Republicans Beck, Angelini and Casagrande
Dan Jacobson Kills Puppies!
BECK, ANGELINI AND CASAGRANDE TO SEEK RE-ELECTION- Female Legislators Endorse DiMaso For Freeholder
- Beck, Angelini, Pledge Gay Marriage Support
And the Dims plan to restore fiscal sanity is…………………………………
Brian:
Stop advertisin’ your ignorance!! Do you want higher local taxes and less state taxes? How do you think the debt is going to get paid off? Even Greece’s debt won’t magically disappear.
Very nice Olivia. Not only are they fictitious fiscal conservatives, there championing and advocating against fraud, waste, and abuse by having constituents report such activity on a web site, was nothing more than a publicity stunt.
I reported the fraud at the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Department to that web site without as much as an e-mail, or telephone call. I later contacted Jennifer Beck via her Facebook site only to be banned from writing on it. She doesn’t care about the fraud–it implicates her friends Guadagno and Golden!!!
I have to give a pass on Mary Pat, because she was not involved in this matter.
No fraud; No problem, No Beck.
Dump State Senator Jennifer Beck
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dump-State-Senator-Jennifer-Beck/181295051917672
Art, I think there is some problem with your host; the same boring, old comments and stories keep repeating lately.
🙂
The madness has to stop. the virus is spreading and people are drinking the Sage koolaid. Jennifer beck is porbably the best legislator in the state. She once was considered for lt. governor. My friend and I even had a disagreement. She has drunk the koolaid and believes him. He is from what i see hurting Jennifer big time because of a dispute from years ago. This is spiraling out of control. The tri-team of fine ladies will represent the district just fine. Lets make sure this new district is the only district represented by these 3 fine ladies. Vote for my dear friends Jennifer Beck, along with Caroline and Mary Pat Angelini
Hey Sage, after all of your bellyaching, if there was actually something to your charges about the Sheriff’s office’ something should have come of it.
There’s nothing there, other than your bellyaching…
Olivia, WE know that Beck and crew are not fiscal conservatives, but then your crew isn’t either.
Quit your bellyaching.
Hey freespeaker, Vin Gopal supports reforming unemployment insurance, opposes obamacare and is a businessman who makes payroll. He’ll get my vote along and I’ll at least give him a shot before voting him out in two years.
He is very socially liberal though, supports gay marriage, for stem cell research, against death penalty is pro abortion but how i see it now, SO IS BECK AND ANGELINI so what the hell is the difference between the bunch? at least i’ll give my vote to the guy that knows how to make payroll.
Along with Cassagrande i mean. I’m voting for Gopal and Cassagrande or Cassagrande and Jacobson. I don’t know yet – Gopal makes me nervous with his union endorsements. Jacobson is right on the issues
Sage lives in Marlboro, not Beck’s district, yet he ignores the abuses mentioned by the Longobardi article where the Mayor gives a builder a 35 year tax abatement on 250 rental apartments and continues to bellyache against someone who doesn’t even represent him anymore.
Sounds like the same old axe to grind.
If you were legit you would attack the wrong by the administration in your town.
I wish Beck, Angelini and Casagrande were Democrats. Then any negative comments about their politics, positions, issues would be considered misogynystic, sexist, discriminatory and in general hate speech.
Fred:
What do you have against unions? If you hate them so much, go work seven days a week!! If you like your five day work week, know that unions are responsible for that.
Olivia? Did you really say that Republicans “halted progress and placed enormous, unwarranted burdens on tax payers”? The Democrats have controlled NJ government for more than 10 years. “Students” like you should really learn to check facts. Why the name calling? It’s not a grown up thing to do.
It’s no surprise to me that the 11th District Democratic Campaign is already resorting to name-calling and mud-slinging. They are using a “student” who lives outside of the 11th district and works as a democratic campaign “intern” to do their dirty work. Shame on them all.
They should be teaching students like you respect and honest debate. They shouldn’t endorse your name-calling and cyber-bullying. If these are your words and you can’t control your anger, I think it would be best if they removed you from their campaign.
Republican Sen. Beck, Asw. Casagrande and Asw. Angelini are three unique, independent voices in our government. They have served all of us justly and honorably. They are all very respected by Democrats and Republicans alike and are sitting NJ Legislators. Respect seems to be a trait absent in many young people nowadays.
Your insults do not make you clever. In the words of Alfred Fripp, “If we cannot be clever, we can always be kind.”
Poor Olivia – a typical naive, airheaded student who probably pays no property taxes, lives with mommy and daddy, and waves to the Obama “Hope and Change” poster on her way out of her room every day. Ok sweetie, here’s a reality check for you. The socialist Democrats support prevailing wage, union giveaways, increasing taxes on business and unfettered social program giveaways. Where do you think “school aid” comes from – the Easter bunny? That’s money confiscated from the taxpayers and poured down the NJEA rathole. Tax rebates? What a joke. A pointless, expensive way to give people back a sliver of their own money. Olivia, do everyone a favor – stick to tweeting about Justin Bieber and spare us your naive, liberal warblings. Anyone who votes for a Democrat at any level is voting for union excess, welfare expansion and socialist representation.
Hey Fred,
It would make me physically sick to vote for a Democrat that supports Obama The Job Killer.
So, maybe I might just write myself in or vote for Dan Jacobson.
NOT!
Freespeaker1976:
How many net jobs were produced under W.’s watch? I’ll give you a cookie for the correct guess.
Proud Republican:
Confiscated? Are you proudly religious too? If so, I suppose you know what was said about taxes and rendering unto Caesar what was Caesar’s. Also, too, taxes are the price you pay for living in a civilized society. And if you hate New Jersey so much, why not go Galt already? But we already know the answer. You are just like the Republicans you love. You talk the talk, but never walk the walk.
Phil perspective – another liberal who needs a reality check. Where did I say anything about hating New Jersey? How do you make the leap from not wanting the socialist Democrat stormtroopers to tax us out of existence to hating this magnificent state? And please, stop with the lame attempt to justify the Democrat tax grab with Biblical passages. You see, when challenged about your obsession to tax people mercilessly and redistribute to those who are leeches on our society, this is what you come up with. Sorry pal, ain’t working. You and your illegal alien coddling, welfare-grubbing, union thug fellow Democrats have driven this state into the ground and forced many people out. This November – vote every socialist, ultra-liberal Democrat out of office.
No @olivianuzzi, you are a cyberbully (at the very least) because of your history of postings on…
http://twitter.com/olivianuzzi
http://winglessnews.tumblr.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wingless-News-Youth-Politics/191432780925965
http://winglessnews.blogspot.com/
…not just because I called you a cyberbully.
You have a very long history of bullying for your relatively short time on this planet. Read your own posts. You mock Christians with a picture of Jesus dying on the cross carrying shopping bags because you have no respect for people or their beliefs. You only care that you don’t believe in God.
You make fun of people who are overweight, you call people ugly, retarded and a host of other insults. All to belittle them to promote yourself or your friends.
You are the worst kind of bully Olivia. I didn’t give you that title. You earned it.
I think it has a lot to do with your age. You’re still quite young. It’s not surprising that so many young people kill themselves to escape the constant taunting that you and people like you promote online.
It’s never to late to stop Olivia. Some bullies act this way because they too were bullied. Did that happen to you? It’s a viscous cycle, I guess. You should really meditate to release your anger. If you oppose a fact or opinion, use your mind to search for healthy topics to debate without personal attacks. Attacking can really dumb a person down.
You are a beautiful young lady Olivia but your mind is very unattractive.
Regarding state aid to schools:
In 10-11, many districts in Monmouth County and throughout the state had their state aid cut by an amount equal to 5% of their TOTAL budgets. So for instance a district with a $40 million budget that was receiving $8 million in state aid, had that amount cut to $6 million (or a reduction of $2 million from 09-10 levels.)
In the Gov’s original 11-12 budget, those districts had 20% of the amont that had been cut, restored. Using the above example, that district had $400k restored and would receive $6.4 million in 11-12 which is still a recution of $1.6 million from the 09-10 level.
In the revised budget, another 20% of the amount cut was restored. So the above district would receive another 400k for a total of $6.8 million in state aid for 11-12. While its an increase over 10-11, its still $1.2 million below the 09-10 level.
While I have heard the Gov say numerous times that the amount of $$$ the state is putting towards state aid has increased, it’s important to note that those districts like the above that had their aid cut by an amount equal to 5% of their total budgets are nowhere near being back to 09-10 aid levels.
It’s going to surprise you people to learn that young people are much less naive now than they used to be. Just because we are young, does not mean we are ignorant. I know some 18 year olds that have more brains in their heads than some of you so-called “adults”.
I’m 22 years old but before you start calling me naive, you should know that I’ve been an EMT for 6 years and a firefighter. I’ve saved lives and seen people die in front of my eyes. I’m 22 but I’ve seen more in my “short life” than you people probably have sitting on your couch yelling at the television and computer. Don’t count out young people as naive and ignorant just because you can. That’s an easy out for people like you but not in any way fair or accurate.
Age no longer begets wisdom. It’s time to realize that there are young people are learning and are capable of being just as competent as you are.
It seems to me like it’s these “adults” are the ones that need to grow up and give us young people the benefit of the doubt.
Proud Republican:
Ultra-liberal? Like who? Socialist? It’s obvious you have no idea what the term means, at least according to Merriam-Webster. Everyone to the left of Governor Christie is not an ultra-liberal Socialist. Why don’t you try to listen to someone other than a drug addicted pedophile(Limbaugh). And taxed mercilessly? Really? Have taxes stopped you from buying anything you intended to? I doubt it. I’m just curious. How do you intend to fund Government? Do you want clean drinking water? Clean air? That doesn’t come free.
Jersey Bob:
Do you listen/watch Hannity, Glenn Beck, BillO the Clown or Limbaugh? And like clockwork, there is one thing Conservatives are good at, besides being a mark for the super rich. It’s called projection.
Mike from Middletown,
I believed that when I was your age.
You all need to lighten up on Olivia.
Her brain isn’t all there.
“The evidence now is strong that the brain does not cease to mature until the early 20s in those relevant parts that govern impulsivity, judgment, planning for the future, foresight of consequences, and other characteristics that make people morally culpable….” — Ruben Gur, MD, PhD, Director of University of Pennsylvania Medical Center
Quote taken from “Adolescence, Brain Development and Legal Culpability”, via The American Bar Association.
http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/publishing/criminal_justice_section_newsletter/crimjust_juvjus_Adolescence.authcheckdam.pdf
Anonymous @ 11:58,
I’m just curious of something. Even if we grant your premise, which I don’t because age is just a number, what do you call clowns like Glenn Beck, Hannity, BillO the Clown and Rush Limbaugh?
PP,
Wow. What a bizarre non-sequitur.
I’m inclined to cut you a break,
…’cuz I get the feeling your brain’s not all there.
Anonymous 11:58,
How is it? You made a blanket statement. I countered by pointing out that supposed adults(BillO, Beck, Hannity & Limbaugh) act a lot more like emotionally stunted children. But then critical thinking was never a Conservative strong suit, especially not the last fifteen to twenty years. Not when you can blather on about nonsense like Kenyan, Muslim Socialism.
@Proud Republican:
“Poor Olivia – a typical naive, airheaded student who probably pays no property taxes, lives with mommy and daddy, and waves to the Obama “Hope and Change” poster on her way out of her room every day. ”
Really?! It’s people like YOU that keep youth out of politics. The growing civic engagement gap is because of people like you who find the need to use cheap attacks against youth. If you really think her post is so “air-headed” why do you chose to respond with one that is JUST as, if not more? Being degrading doesn’t make your point clearer or more acadmic. It makes you look like someone who has no stronger points than attacking a middletown student.
Listen, if insulting the inteligence of a young girl makes you feel better, the least of our problems is a young person voicing their opinion. Why don’t you cut the crap and perhaps disagree with her on intellectual grounds and avoid the insults.
It’s people like you that make people avoid politics.
With my “Hope and Change” banner,
John
Mr. McCarthy:
@olivianuzzi has a history of bullying that is apparent from most of her postings. I’d like to think she wasn’t a bully in school but her postings tell me that the chances are good that she was.
How can Olivia expect to be treated nicely when she stoops to ridicule others to advance her positions? Her mistake is thinking that insults and embarrassing names directed at her opponents makes her seem educated when in reality the opposite is true.
Tyler Clemente’s roomate
Mr. McCarthy:
@olivianuzzi has a history of bullying that is apparent from most of her postings. I’d like to think she wasn’t a bully in school but her postings tell me that the chances are good that she was.
How can Olivia expect to be treated nicely when she stoops to ridicule others to advance her positions? Her mistake is thinking that insults and embarrassing names directed at her opponents makes her seem educated when in reality the opposite is true.
Tyler Clemente’s roommate thought that hiding a camera in Tyler’s room and broadcasting his private moments was funny. That simple act was instrumental in Tyler’s death. Olivia’s personal attacks on others are no different.
Olivia, and others like her, kill people like Tyler by maintaining a barrage of insults that are fueled by other harmful bully bystanders. There is no real way to know what comment or act will drive a fragile mind to take their own life.
Ryan Patrick Halligan was teased from many different cyber-angles that included email that called him “gay” and teased until he hung himself. He was in eighth grade.
My point is we have to help identify bullies in all forums and not protect them because they agree on one political ideal or another. We also shouldn’t let our friends get away with such tactics. When people realize hat bullying isn’t socially acceptable, then it will end.
For example, a blogger, @monmouthmouth, recently berated a sitting NJ Senator for reversing her position on gay marriage. Why attack or even care what the Senator’s reason was for her reversal? Why not be happy that a lawmaker agrees with this basic human right to marry the person you love. Wouldn’t the blogger’s time be better spent trying to convince others about the importance of equality. Why would any other lawmaker reverse their decision knowing that their bravery would result in similar insults. It just seemed to me that @monmouthmouth has other motives.
In one of her Twitter blogs, @monmouthmouth took the time to compare Sen. Beck to an animal and made a host of other childish insults to her and others. Then, to make matters worse, a D11 Democratic candidate (Gopal) commented on her blog and thanked her for her endorsement.
What a great opportunity Mr Gopal had to speak up and denounce these hurtful comments. An opportunity lost.
We all need to respect one another while we debate. When we insult or demean others, we prove we have no argument, or common sense.
In Olivia’s latest post about Gov. Christie, she demonstrates that she can write something thought-provoking and interesting without personal attacks. I’m glad I was able to help her.
Now let’s see if Olivia’s D11 Democratic campaign colleagues are willing to sacrifice her reputation as a journalist (and human being) to further their political agendas.
Mr. McCarthy:
@olivianuzzi has a history of bullying that is apparent from most of her postings. I’d like to think she wasn’t a bully in school but her postings tell me that the chances are good that she was.
How can Olivia expect to be treated nicely when she stoops to ridicule others to advance her positions? Her mistake is thinking that insults and embarrassing names directed at her opponents makes her seem educated when in reality the opposite is true.
Tyler Clemente’s roommate thought that hiding a camera in Tyler’s room and broadcasting his private moments was funny. That simple act was instrumental in Tyler’s death. Olivia’s personal attacks on others are no different.
Olivia, and others like her, kill people like Tyler by maintaining a barrage of insults that are fueled by other harmful bully bystanders. There is no real way to know what comment or act will drive a fragile mind to take their own life.
Ryan Patrick Halligan was teased from many different cyber-angles that included email that called him “gay” and teased until he hung himself. He was in eighth grade.
My point is we have to help identify bullies in all forums and not protect them because they agree on one political ideal or another. We also shouldn’t let our friends get away with such tactics. When people realize that bullying isn’t socially acceptable, then it will end.
We all need to respect one another while we debate. When we insult or demean others, we prove we have no argument, or common sense.
In Olivia’s latest post about Gov. Christie, she demonstrates that she can write something thought-provoking and interesting without personal attacks. I’m glad I was able to help her.
Now let’s see if Olivia or her D11 Democratic campaign colleagues are willing to sacrifice her reputation as a journalist (and human being) to further their political agendas. I hope not.
@Jersey Bob: To clarify, I have not ever mocked a public figure’s (or anyone else’s) weight, nor have I referred to a public figure (or anyone else) as “retarded” unless my comments were in reference to a statement in which they used the word themselves.
I suppose whether or not I’m a “bully” or “cyberbully” is subjective, so I won’t try to convince you otherwise.
I don’t believe common ground will be reached through a back and forth on a blog, however you have brought up a number of interesting points that warrant further discussion.
If you’d like to discuss the points you’ve made in your comments with me, I’d be happy to speak to you. My email is on my Facebook page (which you posted earlier), feel free to contact me.
Lighten up JM – the reason that young people are not more engaged in politics is because they are uber spoiled and would rather watch Snooki stumble out of a bar, than learn about a candidate (like the Muslim community activist in the White House) before they blindly vote for him. Olivia is one of those delusional products of some garbage liberal university who thinks because she memorized the DNC talking points she is now qualified to lecture and berate anyone who doesn’t share her immature, reckless left wing views. Do yourself a favor and read her posts on other forums. She deserves a major time out from mommy and daddy.
PP,
Kid, I don’t know what voices you’re hearing in your head, but you know full well I said nothing of the kind in my comment.
Now then, son, I’m not interested in interacting further with someone’s pet troll, so I suggest you move on.
Wow you sure told me anon 11:58. The fact is, these kids who feel they can lecture everyone just because they don’t have to use fake proof anymore, but haven’t ever paid property taxes, sent kids through college, survived a job layoff and so on, need to be put in their place in a big way. Look upon my posts as the 17th grade for little Olivia.
Proud Republican,
My comment was directed towards “PP” (PhilPerspectiv). I apologize for any confusion.
before poor Sage’s same-old, same-old rants get him banned from blogging on the Nudniks’ blog, is there, today..give him credit, though, have never seen such a one-hit wonder remain so focused for so long, on an unrealized undersheriff positon at the county- had his guy won and he been in there, it’d be continual credit and praise for the “5-star acredited facility” the R’s always point to!..
“@Jersey Bob: To clarify, I have not ever mocked a public figure’s (or anyone else’s) weight…”
What about this one Olivia?
Funny? Funny Like a Clown Funny? Christie: The Venus of Willendorf
by Wingless News: Youth & Politics on Monday, September 12, 2011 at 1:44am
Saturday, July 9th, 2011
“Governor Chris Christie’s weight is not simply a superficial matter. His weight is emblematic of everything that is wrong with this country, everything that is wrong with our political system. Mass over-consumption and a lack of self control got us here. ”
Really Olivia?
“Everything you need to know about the Governor you can see. Christie wears his faults.”
Really Olivia?
“…nor have I referred to a public figure (or anyone else) as “retarded”…”
@Olivianuzzi
I wonder what type of vaccine caused Bachmann’s mental retardation.
15 Sep
Twitter
Really Olivia?
Here are a couple more vile things that you have written in an attempt to be “cute”:
@Olivianuzzi
Wouldn’t it be hilarious if Nancy Reagan dropped dead during the debate?
7 Sep
@Olivianuzzi
The Tea Party seemed friendlier when they were just the good ol’ KKK.
14 Sep
I really don’t want to spend any more time exposing you for what you are. People now know and the D11 Democrats should shun you…unless they agree with you. I’m getting the feeling that they do.
I’ve archived your writings and will continue to do so. Just in case you ever decide to run for office or stain any other campaigns.