The 11th district Democratic team of Ray Santiago for Senate, Marilyn Schlossbach and Vin Gopal for Assembly are planning on making marriage equality a key plank of their general election platform.
According to the “Our Plan” page on their website, the candidates “strongly support” full marriage equality for all Americans. They also plan to create more jobs in the 11th district and protect the shoreline by opposing off shore drilling and working with Clean Ocean Action.
This afternoon, former Rhode Island Congressman Patrick Kennedy, 44, married Amy Pettigout, a 6th grade teacher at the Northfield Communtiy School in Atlantic County. The couple lives in Absecon and is rebuilding a home in Brigantine, according to The Press of Atlantic City.
The opposite sex nuptials took place at the Kennedy family compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer officiated.
Kennedy is the youngest son of the late U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy and the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy. He retired from congress after nine terms in January of this year.
During his political career, Kennedy publicly struggled with addiction. Since his retirement from congress he has been an advocate of One Mind For Research, a non-profit dedicated to brain research.
At only 44 years of age, Kennedy could easily decide to re-enter politics. If he did, he would shake up the career plans of several New Jersey politicians on both sides of the aisle. His name should be mentioned along with Frank Pallone, Robert Andrews (who introduced him to Pettigout) and Steven Rothman as possible Democratic candidates for U.S. Senator in 2014 should Frank Lautenberg retire again.
PBA #314 President Joe Tuohy has jumped into the fray over the PBA charges against Assemblyman Dave Rible over at Jim Hogan’s blog.
Tuohy disputes some of the figures Jim used in his post and says he supports the PBA action against Rible.
Police unions complaining like this is really unseemly. Even with the recent reforms, New Jersey police officers have an extremely enviable deal.
I admit…I’m envious! A high school buddy of mine retired from a NJ police force a little over a year ago. His take home pay from his pension is $20 per month less than he was taking home when he was going to work every day! I wish I had a deal like that at 52 years old. If my friend lives to be 82 he’ll collect over $2.5 million. That doesn’t count the cost of his health care.
Even with the recent reforms, I’m concerned about the economic sustainability of such a system.
Worse, we’re laying off police officers in high crime areas while we are paying able bodied men and women not to “protect and serve.” That is why, “people are going to die,” as Senate President Steve Sweeney said. They’re not going to die because of Governor Christie’s budget cuts.
By Dan Jacobson, also published in the July 14 edition of the triCityNews
So I’m running as an Independent for the state Assembly in the 11th District. Got a letter the other day from NJEA President Barbara Keshishian inviting me to submit my views on public education. Apparently, the teachers union has begun to consider candidate endorsements. Here’s what I sent:
Yes! I do want the endorsement of the NJEA. Of course!
First, let’s dispense with some unpleasantries.
I want school vouchers tried in poor urban school districts. If successful, I’d want vouchers expanded statewide to develop an alternative education system competing with the public sector. I also don’t believe government employee unions should use mandatory dues for political purposes.
And I support the recently-passed pension and health benefits reform bill as a step in the right direction, although its supporters overstate its impact. (Of course, the bill – surprise, surprise – leaves unstated who will pay the taxes that it clearly requires. Wow, what courage. No wonder the pension system has been underfunded for 15 years.)
Since 1999, I’ve published the triCityNews weekly newspaper – with the largest readership in the 11th District – and I’ve followed one rule: We call it like we see it. We respect our readers enough not to pander to them, even if it pisses them off. And that’s exactly what I’m doing with voters. Same with this letter, which I’m publishing verbatim in my paper.
Contrast that with the NJEA’s recent experience. The Democrats told you everything you wanted to hear to get your support, and you demand almost 100 percent adherence to your agenda. Of course, they don’t believe in any of it. All they believe in is getting elected. You saw the results when Democratic leaders stabbed you in the back on the pension bill. Now all sides look like fools.
The Republicans? Governor Christie claims he has no problem with the teachers – only with your union. He’s full of shit. The Republican Party is purposely demonizing public school teachers to gain political advantage. They’re communicating to voters that widespread teacher incompetence is a major problem in the education system.
It’s not. Although widespread incompetence among lawmakers in Trenton is certainly a major problem. Issues like teacher testing, tenure reform and seniority reform are all bullshit. They have nothing to do with containing costs or radically transforming the way education is delivered in our state. They have everything to do with getting Republicans elected by trashing teachers. Watch for a push on those issues before the November election.
For me, it’s all about school vouchers giving parents a choice. School vouchers set up a system where the public and private sectors compete against each other. That means peak performance by everyone. Let the teachers, administrators and union in each public school figure out for themselves how to retain and attract students. They’re talented enough to do so. If not, parents will send their kids elsewhere, and the school will close. It’s what we face in the private sector every day. What am I missing?
The best teacher testing? It’s whether a parent will send their kids to a particular school. That’s the best test. Not a state bureaucracy pushing teachers to make students do better on standardized tests. Especially if test results are linked to teachers getting merit pay. That all seems a bit weird to me.
If school vouchers work, the competition will make every school provide the best education it possibly can. Those that don’t – either public or private – will cease operations. And those teachers displaced will seek jobs at new schools or those expanding. In fact, you’ll likely see entrepreneurial public school teachers go out and open their own private schools. The world is changing, and our system of education must change with it.
The last thing you want is the dead hand of government in the middle of all this competition, regulating the classroom and teachers in the public schools. That defeats the whole purpose. Let the teachers and the NJEA suggest the changes in the law they need to compete in a voucher system. Not impose it on them.
Call me crazy, but I think the NJEA should come out for vouchers in some poor urban school districts to see if it works. Why not take a broadly defensible position for a change? Why not say you want to compete? And if successful, vouchers should be responsibly implemented statewide, like over a decade, so any problems can be flagged. That’s not going to kill teachers in the system today. And who says the public schools can’t compete? This all should have been done 20 years ago.
When parents have a choice – and they then voluntarily choose the public schools – the NJEA will win the public’s support the old-fashioned way: by earning it. It’s what we do in the private sector, and there’s nothing more rewarding.
So why endorse me?
Because I’ll tell you the truth. Unlike the bullshit you’ve been getting from both parties, this candidate believes in the professionalism of our state’s teachers. My positions indicate that. My differences with the NJEA involve financial constraints, and how to build a transformative system of education to better respond to society’s needs.
But without at least trying vouchers, even I’d eventually have to go for the highly flawed alternatives: teacher testing, merit pay, and tenure and seniority “reform” (the last two which risk politicization of the hiring and firing process). At least I think I would. What a dumb scenario that would all be: The dead hand of government flopping around trying to improve the education system to deal with the many challenges – both economic and social – that we face.
So there you go, NJEA! A candidate who truly respects your membership and tells you the truth.
When do the teachers arrive to start picketing my house?
Dan Jacobson
Independent candidate for the State Assembly
11th District
(The 11th District where I’m running includes: Asbury Park, Long Branch, Red Bank, Ocean Township, Neptune, Neptune City, Interlaken, Deal, Allenhurst, Loch Arbour, West Long Branch, Eatontown, Shrewsbury Borough, Shrewsbury Township, Tinton Falls, Colts Neck, Freehold Township and Freehold Borough.)
Our guest was Lon Hosford, a Tea Party activist who challenged Leonard Lance in the NJ CD7 GOP primary last year.
My partner/co-host former Senator Dick LaRossa shocked me when while introducing Hosford he referred to Lance as a RINO that is “unfortunately our 7th district congressman.”
As much as I disagree with some of Lance’s votes, most notably his votes for “cap and trade” and “cash for clunkers,” I think the RINOplasties that much of the right wing of the NJ GOP and the Tea Parties often engage in is counter productive. Especially while we are in a minority, conservatives damage our ultimate cause of reducing the size of government when we are aggressively intolerant of Republican office holders and candidates who are too moderate for our liking.
Many of us need to learn Politics 101 from the NJ Democrats. Three weeks ago the NJ Democratic Party was deeply divided over the pension and benefits reform bills. Their coalition of unions and progressives were enraged with the legislative leadership and those “turn coats” that joined with the Republican legislators to pass the bills. There was some talk of leadership challenges to Senate President Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver.
Less than ONE WEEK later they were united against their common “enemy,” Governor Christie and the Republicans. Blue Jersey ran an anti-Sweeney ad, which is now gone from that site, urging progressive not to support Sweeney should he run for governor. There was no movement to challenge Sweeney’s reelection to the Senate.
New Jersey Republicans, particularly ideological conservatives and Tea Partiersdon’t have that level of maturity and sophistication. Many of us would rather purge those who don’t pass our ideological purity test and potentially lose an a “safe” seat to a Democrat than do the work required to educate and pursuade our friends, families and neighbors to vote for Republicans.
You can probably imagine that we had an interesting debate on the show. You don’t have to imagine. Listen to it:
During the second half hour of the show Dan Jacobson, publisher of the triCityNews, MoreMonmouthMusings contributor, and Independent candidate for Assembly in the 11th legislative district called in. Dan made some excellent points about the damage conservatives have done historically, particularly in 2006, by sitting out elections and letting Democrats take over. Dan also had some surprisingly nice things to say about the Tea Party.
During the last 20 minutes of the show Hosford, LaRossa and I talked about the difference Tea Parties can make and the power of using social media to do so.
I hope you tune in next Tuesday from 5PM-6PM for the LaRossa and Gallagher: Real Jersey Guys On The Radio Show sponsored by Repatriot Radio. The show is broadcast on WIFI 1460 AM and on the Internet at wifiam1460.com
The Asbury Park Press is reporting that Michael A. Deroian of PBA Local 314 of the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office has issued union charges against Assemblyman Dave Rible.
Derion says Rible’s vote for pension and benefit reforms violated his PBA oath:
“… and I do further promise – and declare I will not – by word, deed, sign or token – injure a fellow member of this Association.”
Rible retired on disability from the Wall Township Police Department in 1998. He remains a member of the union.
It seems to me that Derion’s charges do more to injure Rible than Rible’s vote to save the pensions did to injure any PBA member.
I’m a supporter of the police, but I find that oath scary.
Senate President Steve Sweeney said his Republican colleagues in the Senate voted to put people in urban areas to death when they failed to vote for the Democrats attempt to override Governor Christie’s line item veto of $139 million in transition aid to the cites, according to a report in The Star Ledger.
“They just voted to basically put people to death in urban areas by not funding these programs,” Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) said after Republicans blocked an attempt to restore $139 million in aid to 21 cities and $50 million in funds for public safety in 150 municipalities.
Will Sweeney let those people die when Governor Christie offers to restore all or part of the aid to cities in exchange for Sweeney’s support of his education reforms and the rest of the property tax “tool kit?”
Will Christie get all that he wants from Sweeney or will he settle for a compromise?
July and August are usually a quiet time in Trenton, especially in a year with legislative elections. That is not likely to be the case this year.
