Trenton, NJ – This evening, Governor Chris Christie, Senate President Stephen Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, Senate Minority Leader Thomas Kean, Jr. and Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce released the following joint statement:
“After months of serious discussions, we are pleased to announce that we have reached agreement on legislation to reform our public pension and health benefits systems in New Jersey.
“The legislation to be considered tomorrow by the Senate Budget Committee and Monday by the Assembly Budget Committee protects taxpayers, saves the public pension system for current and future retirees, and enhances fairness and choice in our health benefits system.
“We all fully support this legislation and will work together to assure its passage by both houses of the Legislature and enactment into law no later than June 30, 2011.”
There is a sales technique that scammers and “legitimate” businesses, like your credit card company, use whereby a consumer is offered a free trial of a product or service for a defined period of time after which, if the consumer takes no action, he or she if obliged to pay a monthly fee charged to their credit card.
I vaguely remember falling for one of these scams years ago. I don’t remember what the product or service was but it got me into the habit of responding to those friendly callers who are lucky enough to get through to me by saying, “You are welcome to send me your free trial, but you are not authorized to charge my account unless you specifically hear from me in writing.” Miraculously, I don’t get those offers very much anymore.
Obviously, the marketeers are counting on the fact at a certain percentage, probably a large percentage, of their customers are not going to proactively cancel the product or service, or will miss the deadline to do so. They reap the profits for at least a month or two purely from their customers’ inertia, not from any satisfaction the customers may have with the product or service.
The technique must have a name among the marketeers. If anyone knows what its called, please post it in the comments.
Turns out that our State Legislature is on the verge of authorizing New Jersey’s school districts to employ a similar technique in gathering personal information about their students and their families, i.e., your kids and you.
The information the school districts want to gather includes (1)political affiliation, (2) mental or psychological problems that are potentially embarrassing to the student or their family, (3) sexual behavior and attitudes, (4) illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, and demeaning behavior, (5) critical appraisals of other individuals with whom a respondent has a close family relationship, (6) legally recognized privleged or analogous relationships such has those of lawyers, physicians or ministers, (7) income and (8) social security number.
Back in 2001 there was a bill passed and signed into law that prohibited school districts from gathering such information unless that had the informed written consent of the student’s parent or guardian.
Now the legislature is on the verge of amending that law (P.L.2001, c.364) so that the school districts can gather the information from students so long as the parents have been notified in writing, NOT consented in writing.
I kid you not.
The Senate version of this bill, S1696, passed on May 23, 2011 with a vote of 26-12. I’m told the Assembly version, A3242 will be heard in the Assembly Education Committee Thurday, June 16th.
The rational for amending the law to require parental notification of information gathering rather than informed parental consent to the information gathering, according to the statement included in the bill, is to “mitigate the negative impact” that parental consent has made on “New Jersey’s ability to collect data important to public health and safety issues affecting the State’s student population. Numerous nonprofit agencies and federal grantees have halted their surveys or are seriously struggling to comply with the provisions of P.L. 2001, c.364 (C.18A:36-34)”
You could bet the house that a federal grantee or nonprofit would struggle to get my consent for such a survey to be taken.
Like the marketeers who assume you will be too busy or disinterested to cancel your book club or credit monitoring service, the Legislature and the school districts are assuming that parents are not giving consent to the schools asking about their political affiliation, sexual behavior or embarrassing mental illnesses because they are too busy, don’t care, or haven’t opened their mail.
Maybe parents just don’t want the government prying into their personal lives like that.
Maybe parents just don’t want their kids giving the government that kind of information. Maybe the government, schools and nonprofits are counting on parents being too busy or not getting around to responding to the notifications so that they can scam the information and then come up with new nanny state programs funded by tax payers and the People’s Republic of China’s treasury department.
I wish I could tell you that this legislation is being pushed by the nanny state progressive socialists Democrats in the Assembly. Sadly, it is being sponsored by district 11 Republican Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini.
If you don’t mind the schools, federal grantees and nonprofits having intimate personal information about you and your family, as reported by your children, there is nothing to do.
If you do mind, contact your Assembly members as soon as your read this.
Now that Senate President Stephen Sweeney has agreed with Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver’s proposal that government employee pension and health benefit reforms be temporary and guts key elements of the reforms that Governor Christie and Sweeney agreed to, it seems as though we are in danger of business as usual prevailing in Trenton.
If Governor Chris Christie goes along with this “compromise,” real sustainable reform of New Jersey’s government is not going to happen. “Reform” will just be a short term fix to get us through the tough economic times made with the rosy assumption that the economy will improve to the point where we can afford to bestow free health care and overly generous pensions to our “public servants.”
What I found most alarming about this Star Ledgerarticle was not that Sweeney and Oliver may have outmaneuvered Christie (InTheLobby speculates that the unions have already agreed to the deal despite their public protests to the contrary and that Christie will go along with it), but the fact that the deal effects the state’s 500,000 public workers.
That’s one public worker for every 17 New Jersey residents.
I’m assuming that includes county and municipal workers, as the U.S. Census reports that NJ has 154,000 state employees and 360,000 local government employees. Will legislation currently being negotiated in Trenton override contracts that counties and municipalities already have in place? If so, that would be terrible for Middletown taxpayers where the the governing body got the police to agree to pay 25% of their health care in order to avoid layoffs. How would the 2% property tax cap work if the State makes deals that override better deals that municipal governments have negotiated.
Hopefully the Star Ledger reporter got his figures wrong.
Regardless of the largess we bestow on state and local government employees, 500,000 employees “serving” 8.7 million people seems like awfully big government. And that doesn’t include federal government employees located in New Jersey.
I various government websites for about an hour trying to find how many federal government employees are located in New Jersey. I found that the federal government, with 2,000,000 employees, not including the post office, is the nation’s largest employer. 85% of federal employees are located outside of the Washington DC metro area. But I couldn’t find a state by state break down of the employees. I wonder why that information is so hard to find.
Let’s assume its only 50,000 between Homeland Security, the military, law enforcement and social security offices.
That would mean that in New Jersey, one in every 16 people is on the government payroll.
It is little wonder that New Jersey is rank next to last in freedom.
During the past few days, Michele Bachman has achieved major political milestones.Last night, however, in the New Hampshire Republican presidential debate, I really believe that with her outstanding performance, she eliminated any chance the absent Sarah Palin had to compete for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.Michele now occupies the space Palin covets, that of the conservative alternative to the center-right candidate, Mitt Romney.
Romney also performed well in the debate.Tim Pawlenty failed to establish himself as a dynamic center-right alternative to Mitt.Instead, Pawlenty resembles the late Dallas Cowboys football coach Tom Landry – a national cure for insomnia.As for Newt Gingrich, it is hard to take seriously a man who attributed his extra-marital affair in part to his love for his country.
In fact, I believe the 2012 GOP presidential nomination will in the end be decided in a contest between Romney and Bachmann – with Senator Marco Rubio of Florida being the Republican vice presidential nominee of either candidate.
Michele Bachmann’s political “winning streak” began Saturday, June 11 with her interview by Stephen Moore in the Wall Street Journal.In this article, she established herself as a person of major intellectual competency and issue awareness.While Sarah Palin has been lambasted by liberal media as a person lacking in intellectual curiosity and knowledge of issues, this criticism cannot be made of Michele Bachmann with any credibility.The following is a link to the interview:
Early on Monday, June 13, Bachmann announced her candidacy for the Presidency.She has the most competent team in the race, two members of which have significant New Jersey experience.
In charge of the campaign will be Ed Rollins, who managed Christie Whitman’s come from behind 1993 New Jersey gubernatorial victory over Jim Florio.Notwithstanding Ed’s post-election meltdown, he ran a superb campaign with a superb candidate.He is one of America’s top political strategists.
Bachmann has hired as pollster Ed Goeas, CEO of The Tarrance Group.Ed has handled a number of New Jersey campaigns, including the gubernatorial campaigns of Christie Whitman, and he may well be the best Republican pollster in the nation.
Finally, Michele has hired Brett O’Donnell, advisor to George W. Bush and John McCain.He is considered to be the best debate coach in politics.
Thus, Bachmann brings to the race an A-Team.She also, however, has a most impressive resume and compelling biography as well.
After graduating from high school, Michele spent time working on a kibbutz in Israel.She later obtained the following degrees: a B.A., a J.D., and an L.L.M. degree in taxation.She served as an attorney for the Internal Revenue Service for five years.
Many politicians preach family values.Michele Bachmann practices what she preaches.She and her husband, Marcus are the parents of five children.They have provided foster care for 23 other children.
She also has a made-to-order political base:Tea Party members will vote for her overwhelmingly in the primaries.
Liberal pundits laugh and sneer when the name Michele Bachmann is mentioned.This actually plays into her hands.When debate viewers see Bachmann give an outstanding competent and polished performance, as she did in last night’s New Hampshire debate, they are shocked.Her liberal critics have established a low bar for her, which she can jump over with ease.
I don’t know yet which of the two leading Republicans I will support for the nomination, Mitt Romney or Michele Bachmann.I like them both.It is wrong for people to disparage the Republican presidential primary field when you have two excellent candidates like these.I can support either of these two potential nominees with enthusiasm.
I expect a number of scathing liberal slanderous comments regarding Michele Bachmann to be posted underneath this column.From her point of view, the more the merrier.She handles these attacks much better than Sarah Palin.Michele Bachmann is the most underrated Republican in the nation.
Alan J. Steinberg served as Regional Administrator of Region 2 EPA during the administration of former President George W. Bush. Region 2 EPA consists of the states of New York and New Jersey, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and eight federally recognized Indian nations. Under former New Jersey Governor Christie Whitman, he served as Executive Director of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission. He currently serves on the political science faculty of Monmouth University.
Former State Senator Dick LaRossa and your favorite blogger will have our first radio show Tuesday from 5PM till 6PM on WIFI AM 1460 and here on your computer.
Middletown Mayor Tony Fiore will be our guest. Fiore will address the recent round of labor negotiations in Middletown as well as the pension and benefit reforms currently being proposed in Trenton.
You are invited to call into the live show at 609-447-0236.
CNN’s Piers Morgan came to New Jersey recently to interview Governor Chris Christie. The two men sat at Christie’s high school in Livington and at Christie’s home where Morgan also met the First Lady and the Christie children.
The taped interview will air on Tuesday, June 14, 9PM on CNN
From the getting way ahead of ourselves department, what impact would Joe Kyrillos’ election to the U.S. Senate next year have on the Monmouth County political landscape?
Kyrillos’ entry into the U.S. Senate field is probably an indication that bio-tech entrepreneur John Crowley will not be a candidate. As a former State GOP Chairman and Christie confidant, Kyrillos would not announce an exploratory committee if he had not already explored the level of support he would have with the GOP power and fundraising establishment. Should Kyrillos seek the nomination to challenge Senator Robert Menendez, he will probably get it.
If Kyrillos beats Menendez we will probably also have a new President on January 20, 2013. For Menendez to be beat in 2012, Obama’s showing in New Jersey will have to be weak and without coat tails.
Should that happen, the Monmouth County Republican Committee would elect a 13th district Senator who would serve until a special election in November of 2013. Assembly members Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon would likely seek to move up into Kyrillos’ seat. If one of the Assembly members moves up, the committee would then be charged with filling an Assembly vacancy.
The field for the Assembly seat could be crowded, as there is a deep bench of GOP talent residing in the new 13th district.
Middletown is the largest town in the district and has a wealth of electable talent. Freeholder John Curley, Mayor Tony Fiore and former Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger would all be strong candidates. Scharfenberger would face giving up his job in the Christie administration. Curley, who will probably be Freeholder Director in 2012 with Rob Clifton moving to the Assembly in the 12th district, would have a tough choice between Freehold and Trenton.
If Curley sought and won the Assembly seat, it would set off a county wide race for his replacement on the Freeholder Board, assuming he is reelected next year.
Fair Haven Mayor Mike Halfacre, the only Mayor in history to lower property taxes four years in a row, would be a formidable candidate.
Marlboro, the second largest town in the district would probably be the source of Democratic candidates. Mayor Jon Hornick would have his shot to move up. He would be a strong Senate candidate against Handlin or O’Sanlon. Jeff Cantor could be a Democratic candidate for Assembly. The Marlboro GOP has yet to recover from the splits that contributed to Hornik defeating former Mayor Robert Kleinberg in 2007 or Cantor’s switch to the Democratic party in 2009. Cantor was a GOP candidate for Freeholder in 2007.
Hazlet Mayor Scott Aagre would deserve consideration should he have aspirations for higher office. Union Beach Councilman Charlie Cocuzza is popular and ambitious.
Keyport Mayor Robert McCleod, a former municipal judge who took one for the team to run against Frank Pallone in 2008 could decide that he is better suited to serve in the Assembly than to preside over the rough and tumble of Keyport politics.
Former Highlands Mayor and former Freeholder Anna Little could be a contender depending upon how her 2012 congressional ambitions work out.
If Little doesn’t run, her close ally, Atlantic Highlands Mayor Fred Rast could be a contender.
From the southern part of the new 13th, Oceanport Councilman Joe Irace has made a good name for himself as a strong advocate of Oceanport’s interests with Fort Monmouth and Monmouth Park. However, Irace’s advocacy for Oceanport has ruffled feathers with Republicans in the County, the Legislature and the Christie administration. He would need a strong grassroots organization to move up.
From the Monmouth GOP should have conventions department, if Freeholder Director Rob Clifton is elected to the Assembly this November, the Monmouth Republican Committee will be required to have a Title 19 convention to choose his replacement on the Freeholder Board in early 2012. Should Kyrillos go to Washington in early 2013, the Monmouth GOP could potentially have three Title 19 conventions in early 2013; one to elect Kyrillos’ replacement in the State Senate, one to choose a 13th district Assembly member assuming either Handlin or O’Scanlon moves up to the Senate and one to elect a Freeholder should Curley seek and win the vacant Assembly seat.
It will all be enough to turn Chairman Joe Oxley grey, assuming he is reelected Chairman next June.
America is in trouble. We have a massive debt hanging over us, a tax and regulatory burden stifling job creation and innovation, and a government we can no longer afford but cannot seem to rein in. There is a growing sense that our children’s future prosperity is slipping away.
It is time to prove again what a free and enterprising people are capable of doing. I know we can reverse the precipitous course America is on because we are doing it here in New Jersey today. I have been proud to stand with the Governor to motivate conservative reforms that will make our state stronger and more competitive. We need the same honest, tough-love approach in Washington.
I have formed an exploratory committee to seek out ways to help our great country which may include running for the United States Senate. As the son and grandson of immigrants who moved to this country in search of freedom and opportunity, I know and believe in the power of the American dream. And as a father with a young family, I also know we must put our country back on the path to future strength and opportunity. In the months ahead, I look forward to traveling the state to learn and discuss how we can work together to put America back on track.
State Senator Joe Kyrillos has set up an exploratory committee for a possible U.S. Senate run in 2012 against Robert Menendez or 2014 against Frank Lautenberg, an unnamed source told Politickernj.
An exploratory committee, or “testing the waters fund” may raise and spend over the $5,000 threshold that requires candidate reporting on polling, travel and other activities designed to gauge the level of support for a candidate for federal office, according to the Federal Election Commission.
Kyrillos has yet to respond to a message from MMM to comment on the Politickernj story.
A source with knowledge of Kyrillos’ plans confirmed that Monmouth County’s senior legislator will issue a statement announcing the exploratory committee today.
