The Assembly Education Committee approved A2421, a bill that would allow schools to survey students without the written consent of their parents. Surprisingly, there was Republican support for the bill with Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce and Assemblyman David Wolfe voting yes. Only Assemblyman Scott Rumana voted no.
In June of 2011, thanks to Carolee Adams of The Eagle Forum, we were able to alert our readers of a bill in the state legislature that, if it becomes law would allow schools to survey children about the political, religious, sexual, medical and economic activities and beliefs of their families, without written parental consent.
That hasn’t stopped the sociological strip searchers from trying again and again. The legislation was reintroduced in the current legislature and passed the Senate last year. It is on the docket of the Assembly Education Committee this afternoon. Thanks for Adams for staying on top of this intrusive legislation and bring it to our attention again.
Here’s a small sample of questions that schools would allowed to ask their students, without written parental consent, compiled from surveys already in use in other states, according to Adams:
Are you bisexual, homosexual, heterosexual, or not sure?
Have you had sex with males or females, or males and females?
Do you use contraception when you have sex?
How many people have you had sex with?
Did you drink or do drugs before having sex?
Have you seriously considered suicide?
Do you plan to attempt suicide?
How many times have you attempted suicide in the past?
And, incriminating questions such as these:
How many times have you stolen something from a store?
Have you damaged property just for fun?
Have you used heroin, opium, morphine, PCP, Angel Dust?
If you don’t want New Jersey’s schools to be allowed to conduct such surveys of their students, without written parental consent, NOW is the time to contact members of the Assembly Education Committee:
The scrutiny that his relationship with Dr. Salomon Melgen was getting didn’t keep U.S. Senator Bob Menendez from using his power as an advocate for his benefactor last month.
Menendez intervened with the Department of Homeland Security in January, asking that they not provide port security equipment to the Dominican Republic. Menendez was concerned that the advanced screening equipment would undermine the efforts of Melgen’s company that has a $500 million contract with the DR for port security operations. Dominican customs officials have been trying to cancel the contract with Melgen, citing its excessive cost, over the objections of Menendez.
Melgen has been a friend and contributor of Menendez’s for over 20 years. After being caught failing to disclose flights to the Dominican Republic on Melgen’s private plane, Menendez paid Melgen $58,500 in January for two flights that occurred in 2010. Melgen’s eye care clinic was raided by the FBI in January. Media reports say the eye doctor is being investigated for $8.9 million if Medicare/Medicaid fraud and that he owes the IRS $11 million.
Menendez has also intervened with federal health care officials regarding Medicare/Medicaid billing on behalf of Melgen.
What would the Act do? If passed and signed by the Governor, it’d impose a brand new five cent tax on every single paper or plastic grocery store bag in the Garden State.
No one outside of Trenton likes the damn thing. A recent Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll discovered 56% of registered New Jersey voters opposed the bag tax while less than 40% approved
It’s not hard to see why. The economics of such a tax are ugly…
U.S. Senator Bob Menendez told The Star Ledger last night that he will not step down from his new appointment as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as the NY Times has called for him to do.
“I have no intention of doing that whatsoever because I don’t believe anything rises to the need to do so,” Menendez said tonight at a ball for D.A.R.E. New Jersey.
Menendez said he forgot to pay the $58,500 for two flights on his friend Dr. Salomon Melgen’s private jet because he was busy.
He said his intervention with the State Department on behalf of Melgen’s Dominican port security company…..he held a Senate Sub-Committee hearing for Melgen’s company…was no different than his advocacy on the port security issue domestically and abroad.
“The bottom line is I was advocating for ports to have screening just as I’ve advocated and helped pass amendments here in the United States,”
Menendez said his intervention on Melgen’s behalf with federal health care officials was a matter trying to clear up ambiguities on the governments part in how Melgen’s eye care clinic should submit bills for Medicare and Medicaid patients.
On the Medicare billing, Menendez said he was telling officials “there are ambiguities in the process by which you are telling providers what you should or should not do.”
“I would just also note that nothing of the questions that have been raised ended up being of any benefit – of any benefit – to the doctor.”
Melgen is accused of defrauding $8.9 million of government health care payments and owes the IRS $11 million.
The Senator said that the allegations that he had sex with prostitutes and teenagers at Melgen’s Dominican Republic mansion were politically motivated “smears.”
“It is no coincidence that it was being pedaled before the elections. No coincidence that it gets pedaled again as I assume the chairmanship. No coincidence that we have someone who’s never willing to meet anyone in the press or otherwise… You have to question what is the nature of the drive,” said Menendez.
Another Star Ledger article posted early this morning outlines how Melgen’s political contributions to Menendez coincided with the senator’s actions on behalf of his friend.
In a scathing editorial that did not mention the prostitution and pedophilia allegations against U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, The New York Times has called for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to remove New Jersey’s junior senator from his newly acquired post as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Senator Robert Menendez was never a distinguished choice for chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the position he ascended to this month by virtue of seniority. Concerns about that quality gap have sharply escalated amid new disclosures about Mr. Menendez’s use of his position to advance the financial interests of a friend and big donor. Instead of trying to protect Mr. Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, needs to remove his gavel, at least pending credible resolution by the Senate Ethics Committee of the swirling accusations of misconduct.
The editorial goes on the summarize how Menendez abused his power as a Senator on the behalf Dr. Salomon Melgen, his friend and benefactor. Menendez held a Senate Sub-Committee hearing, where he was the only senator present, to pressure the State Department to prevail on the Dominican Republic to enforce a contract for port security with a company that Melgen has an ownership interest in. In 2009 and 2012, Menendez contacted federal health care officials to question their rulings that Melgan had over-billed the government $8.9 million in Medicare and Medicaid payments to his Florida eye care clinic.
The editorial concludes,
It appears Mr. Menendez has learned little from his own previous ethics issues or from the fall of a former New Jersey senator, Robert Torricelli, who decided not to run for re-election in 2002 amid allegations that he had inappropriately aided a big donor and accepted expensive gifts. It is unclear whether the Senate Ethics Committee has initiated a formal inquiry into Mr. Menendez’s conduct, but a prompt and thorough review is surely called for. In the meantime, Mr. Menendez needs to relinquish his leadership role, at least temporarily.
Reserve seats now for February 18th private showing at AMC Lowes-Eatontown
Melissa Zimmerman of Red Bank is looking for at least 63 more people to join her for a private showing of Honor Flight, a heartwarming documentary about four World War II veterans and a MidWest community coming together to give them the trip of a lifetime to the WWII Memorial in Washington, DC.
63 more tickets must be pre-sold in order for the private showing to occur. Tickets are $12 and proceeds will benefit Honor Flight Network, the nonprofit organization that has flown over 100,000 WWII vets in their late 80’s and 90’s to Washington, DC to be thanked and honored for their service.
If you’re not attending the Monmouth GOP Lincoln Day Dinner, this would be a good way to spend Presidents Day evening.
Former Congressional candidate is seeking Democratic nomination for Freeholder. Democrats still looking to fill their Monmouth County slate
Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden, Freeholder Director Tom Arnone and Deputy Freeholder Director Serena DiMaso announced yesterday that they are seeking the Republican nomination for their offices and re-election as a team. There is no known opposition to the incumbents for the GOP nomination. The party will award the organization’s “line” for the June primary at its nomination convention on March 23.
Freeholder Director Tom Arnone, Deputy Director Serena DiMaso and Sheriff Shaun Golden
In a joint statement the team cited the county’s reduced spending, its response to Superstorm Sandy, and the positive business climate as the accomplishments of their first terms. Golden and Arnone are completing their first full term in office. DiMaso was elected by the Republican County Commitee in January of 2012 to fill Assemblyman Rob Clifton’s seat when Clifton moved to the Assembly. She was elected by the voters last November to complete the term.
Former Monmouth County Sheriff Joe Oxley’s nomination to the Superior Court was confirmed by the State Senate this afternoon after having been unanimously approved by the New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee earlier in the day.
Four of the other nominees confirmed today will be joining Oxley on the Monmouth County bench. Angela White Dalton of Howell, a former Township Councilwoman, Katie A. Gummer of Rumson, Arnold L. Natali, Jr of Little Silver and Mara E. Zazzali-Hogan of Shrewsbury are each expected to be confirmed by the Senate today. Zazzali-Hogan is the daughter of former NJ Chief Justice James R. Zazzali. Zazzali was Chief Justice for seven months, October 2006 until his mandatory retirement in June of 2007, after being nominated for the top post by Governor Corzine. He became an Associate Justice in June of 2000.
Monmouth County Assignment Judge Lawrence M. Lawson told MMM last December that the Court has been operating with six vacancies. Kathy Sheedy of Cream Ridge was nominated by Governor Christie on Monday to fill the final vacancy.
Lawson was not available when MMM called this afternoon to ask what the assignments will be for the new judges.
Monmouth County Senators Jennifer Beck and Joe Kyrillos issued the following statement praising the New Jersey Senate’s confirmation of five Monmouth County residents to be judges of the Superior Court:
“Monmouth County, like counties across the state, has had a number of judicial vacancies that have caused backlogs in our court system. We are pleased that the New Jersey Senate has finally taken action to confirm qualified nominees. By filling judicial vacancies, we can ensure that all kinds of legal proceedings, from criminal trials to divorce proceedings, can be heard in court in a timely manner.”
UPDATE and CORRECTION 2/8/13
Judge Lawson told MMM this afternoon that despite his Monmouth County residence, Natali will be assigned to the Middlesex County Vicinage. If Sheedy is confirmed by the Senate, the Monmouth Court will still have a vacancy.
A second vacancy will occur if Judge David F. Bauman is confirmed as an Associate Justice of the State Supreme Court. Bauman and Board of Public Utilities President Robert Hanna were nominated to the Supreme Court by Governor Christie on December 10, 2012. Senate President Steve Sweeney said this week that he wouldn’t be rushed into holding confirmation hearings for the two Supreme Court nominations.
Lawson said that the new Monmouth Judges will be assigned in either Family Court or Civil Court. He has yet to determine who will be assigned where.
