Today’s ruling by the State Supreme Court is disappointing, but not unexpected.
There are several reasons why I believe this decision represents everything that’s wrong with how Trenton has historically operated and everything that I am here fighting to change.
First, as a fundamental principle, I do not believe that it is the role of the State Supreme Court to determine what programs the State should and should not be funding, and to what amount.
The Court should not be dictating how taxpayer dollars are spent and prioritizing certain programs over others. The Supreme Court is not the Legislature; it should not dictate policy, it should not be in the business of discussing specific taxes to be raised and it should not have any business deciding how tax dollars are spent. A number of the members of the current Supreme Court agreed with that very position in today’s decision.
Those responsible for making decisions regarding how money is raised through taxes and how it is spent by government are those elected by the people and ultimately held accountable by the people.
Secondly, I believe the Court’s decision is based on a failed legal and educational theory that incorrectly reasons the key to establishing a thorough and efficient system of education is to throw more money at failing schools.
Let me be clear, I do believe funding education is critically important to New Jersey’s future. Even before today’s Court decision, we increased education aid by $250 million to every school district in this year’s proposed budget.
But, we must also acknowledge that money does not equal quality results. And there is now nearly 30 years of evidence that just throwing money at the problem is not the answer.
We should be getting better results with the taxpayer money we already spend and we aren’t which means changing the educational system goes beyond dollars and cents.
However, as Governor of New Jersey, I realize that regardless of my personal beliefs, I must comply with the New Jersey Constitution as interpreted by the New Jersey Supreme Court. In February, I submitted my budget to the Legislature for review and consideration. That is my constitutional obligation. Now the legislature has until June 30th to fulfill its constitutional obligation to pass a final budget.
In the light of the court’s ruling, it is now up to the Legislature to determine how the State is best able to fund the additional $500 million in aid to the Abbott districts specifically ordered in footnote 23 by the Court’s majority while also meeting the State’s other funding priorities as I proposed them. I have complete confidence that the Legislature understands its unique constitutional obligation to send a balance budget to me by June 30th. I am also confident that the Legislature understands its independent constitutional obligation to comply with the Supreme Court’s order in whatever budget they send to me for my consideration by the June 30th deadline.
I fully expect the Legislature will send me in a timely manner for my review and consideration a constitutionally balanced budget that includes how the Court’s order will be met.
My principles remain the same. New Jersey has some of the highest taxes in America. New Jerseyans are already incredibly overtaxed. Therefore, as I have repeatedly stated, I do not believe raising taxes is the answer. That has not changed.
I stand ready to execute my constitutional duties and consider what the Legislature submits as its final budget to me by June 30th.
A divided State Supreme Court ruled 3-2 this morning that New Jersey tax payers must continue to fund the so called Abbott school districts according to former Governor Corzine’s School Funding Reform Act of 2008. The Court’s decision can be found here.
Justice LaVecchia, writing for the court:
The funding to the Abbott districts in FY 2012 must be calculated and provided in accordance with the School
HELD: The Appropriations Clause creates no bar to judicial enforcement under the circumstances presented here.
Funding Reform Act of 2008. Relief is limited to the plaintiff class of children from Abbott districts for whom the
Court has a historical finding of constitutional violation and for whom the Court has had specific remedial orders in
place through Abbott XX.
Justice Albin and temporary Justice Stern concurred with LaVecchia. Justices Rivera-Soto and Hoens dissented.
The Court ordered that the State must increase spending in Abbot districts by $500 million in fiscal year 2012,
Saturday May 21 was a spiritual Judgement Day. God’s judgement and salvation were completed last Saturday, according to Howard Camping, and the world will be obliterated on October 21.
Camping’s radio station will not continue warning listeners of the pending doom, as the die has already been cast for those have been selected to ascend to heaven and those who have not. Instead the station will play Christian music and programs.
God will be spending the next five months readying accommodations for the 200 million new arrivals in heaven.
Former Godfather Pizza CEO Herman Cain is the top choice for the GOP nomination for President, according to an IBOPE Zogby poll released yesterday. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is second.
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s standing among GOP voters improved in this latest Zogby poll which was conducted May 20-May 23. In the previous poll conducted May 6-9, 27% of the respondents said they would never vote for Romney. Only 9% said they would never vote for Romney in the more recent poll.
37% of the respondents believe Romney is most likely to be the nominee. No one else gets more than 6%.
Christie does best in a match-up with Obama, but trails, 45%-44%. Obama leads both Romney and Tim Pawlenty by 45%-40%. Obama is ahead of Cain, 46%-38%.
Maybe it’s gasoline prices. Maybe its the weather. We’re not hearing about it yet in the mainstream media, but among Main Street businesses it seems like everyone is talking about it. In the last few weeks it’s as if a switch was flicked and economic activity was turned off.
I just got off the phone with a friend who has two businesses; a law firm and a retail store. The retail store should have done $50K in sales this weekend. It did $11K. Last month’s sales were off 25% from April of last year. The law firm is quiet. New clients don’t have cash for retainers and long term clients are falling behind on their bills.
Over the weekend my friends with restaurants and hotels were complaining about what a slow start they are having to the season.
Landscapers and contractors are not working because of the weather. They don’t have much of a back log anyway.
My friend with an auto repair shop and a lock smith business offered that there is a great deal of maintenance being deferred on cars, causing major breakdowns for some customers who are paying cash when they have to. There is more cash business than credit cards or checks, even for big tickets.
Hopefully it is just my circle of friends and the slow down we’re alarmed by is not a broader trend that will show up in monthly and quarterly government reports in the next few weeks.
At the GOP finance gala last week I needed change for a $100 bill. I was shocked by how little cash was in the room. I asked 10 or 15 people to break the bill before I found someone who could.
Does anyone have some good economic news to share? Please do so in the comments.
Declaring that no candidates in the current field of Republicans can beat President Obama in 2012, this morning Donald Trump told Fox and Friends that he wouldn’t rule out reentering the race for the GOP nomination for president.
Personally, I think Trump left the race too soon and that his presence in the campaign was positive.
Trump’s unique position in American culture as an accomplished business leader and an entertainment celebrity gives him a voice and a platform from which to criticise the President that no one else can match. Unlike other candidates who could be politically damaged by counter attacks by the Obama campaign and the main stream media, Trump gets stronger and his stature elevated by the counter attacks. He really is biggest threat currently to Obama’s reelection.
By leaving the door open to enter the race late, Trump has taken back the platform he gave up when he said he wasn’t going to run. I hope he keeps using it to weaken the President politically.
The Christie for President buzz has the Obama campaign doing opposition research on the Governor, according to Josh Margolin at The New York Post.
The Corzine campaign already did that. They found that Christie likes Haagen Daz, has received traffic tickets, doesn’t stay at Motel 6 when traveling on government business, and ripped the label off a mattress.
Margolin reports that well-heeled GOP donors in New York are spreading the word that Christie might enter the race if he can get part of his pension reform package passed and score a GOP takeover of one of the Democratically controlled houses of the legislature.
Given the new legislative map, there’s a better chance that Christie will beat Carl Lewis in a 100 yard dash than there is that he will run for president.
In an email to supporters sent early this morning, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels said he would not enter the race for the GOP nomination for president, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The two term governor who worked for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush said his decision came down to family concerns:
“I was able to resolve every competing consideration but one, but that, the interests and wishes of my family, is the most important consideration of all,” he said in an e-mail sent after midnight.
Daniels and his wife Cheri divorced in 1993 and remarried in 1997. During those four years Cheri married a California man. The Daniels’ four daughters, now adults, remained in Indiana with there father. The Governor issued an other statement this morning to the Indianapolis Star this morning defending his wife against growing media scrutiny into their marriage, divorce, remarriage, and the claims by some that Cheri abandoned her daughters during their split:
“The notion that Cheri ever did or would ‘abandon’ her girls or parental duty is the reverse of the truth,” said his statement.
He called the idea “absurd to anyone who knows her, as I do, to be the best mother any daughter ever had.”
With Daniels out of the race, many observers expect the national Republican establishment to step up their efforts to recruit New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to seek the nomination. Christie has repeatedly declared that he will not be a candidate while at the same time establishing himself as a national leader for education reform, entitlement reform and reducing the size of government.
Daniels withdrawal will also increase the focus on former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman. Huntsman, who was President Obama’s ambassador to China, is on a five day tour of New Hampshire. He delivered the commencement address at Southern New Hampshire University and has made 12 campaign style stops throughout the Granite State.
If Huntsman formally enters the presidential race, for the first time two Mormons would be competing for a major party nomination. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the leader in most polls for the GOP nomination, is also a Mormon.
When over 60 surviving members of World War II’s Battle of the Bulge reunite on May 26, 2011 at Middletown’s Thorne Middle School, they will be joined by representatives of Belgium and Luxembourg. Thorne School Principal, Mr. Thomas Olausen, announced today that Mr. Francois Knaff, Consul General of Luxembourg, Mr. Herman Portocarero, Consul General of Belgium and Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Eeecloo, Deputy Military Advisor of the Belgium Permanent Mission to the United Nations, would be attending the event.
The reunion will take place as the World War II Battle of the Bulge Monument, which is presently located at Fort Monmouth, is relocated and rededicated at the Thorne Middle School.
“It is so very appropriate that these diplomats, representing the countries where the Battle of the Bulge took place, be on hand as we honor these survivors of the battle”, Mr. Olausen noted. The Thorne Middle School is named for Corporal Horace “Bud” Thorne, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, who was killed in December 1944 during the battle that the monument commemorates. Surviving members of the Battle of the Bulge, from different parts of the country, will be in attendance. Principal Olausen further stated: “It is a wonderful honor for us to be able to host these members of the Greatest Generation and their families as we rededicate this symbol which honors the sacrifices made by so many. It will be a lasting and productive educational tool for our students as well.”
The event will commence at 9 AM in the school auditorium and the Middle School students will read essays especially prepared for the occasion. The Corporal Thorne Award will be presented to an 8th Grade Student who exhibits the attributes of Pride, Respect, Integrity, Determination, and Excellence, which are the standards of Thorne Middle School’s Character Education Program. The school’s Chorus and Band will participate in the event. The monument will then be rededicated in an outdoor ceremony. Following the ceremonies there will be a reception at VFW Post 2179 in Port Monmouth. Special awards will be given to all of the surviving members of this historic battle who are in attendance. All World War II Battle of the Bulge survivors and their families are encouraged to register for the event.
The Thorne Middle School is located at 70 Murphy Road in Port Monmouth. VFW Post 2179 is located at 1 Veterans Lane, also in Port Monmouth. For more information and to register for the event please contact (732) 233-9443 or (732) 747 0160.
Howley was elected this afternoon at the federation’s semi-annual convention, hosted by the Middlesex Young Republicans at Rutgers University.
Along with Howley, the 2011-2013 NJYRF board slate includes Nikki Lare (Morris) as Vice Chair, Sharon Soon (Essex) as Secretary, Alissa Bengivenga (Middlesex) as Treasurer, Mike Thulen (Ocean) as National Committeeman, Alyssa Canobbio (Camden) as National Committeewoman, Ken Tyburczy (Bergen) as Northeast Regional Chairman, Christine Madrid (Somerset) as Northwest Regional Chairman, Christopher Stark (Monmouth) as Southeast Regional Chairman, Brian McGovern (Camden) as Southwest Regional Chairman, and Ron Filan (Atlantic) as Executive Director.
“We look forward to expanding both the membership of the organization as well as our fundraising efforts,” said Howley, ” the next two years are going to be good years for Republicans in the state, and the Young Republicans are going to be a big part of this success.”
MMM congratulates Tony Howley on his election as Chairman of the