Art,
Thanks, I think, for the post on your website about my new skill, pundit/comedian. We need some levity around here. However, if you read my post, I said it appears the Kochs would like Christie to get the GOP presidential nomination. And if Christie goes all the way to the Oval Office, then Lonegan, part of the Koch team as head of AFP in NJ, would probably get their backing for the gubernatorial nomination in 2013. One thing we know about politics is that there are no certainties. I did not predict Christie would win nor that Lonegan would be the next governor. I just wrote about what apparently is in the offing, Christie’s entry into the presidential race.
Four years ago, the pundits predicted a Giuliani/Clinton presidential contest. So much for the experts. There is a “lifetime” between now and the first caucuses and primaries. Yesterday, the FL straw poll results add fuel to the Christie for President bandwagon. Bachmann is toast, Perry is toast, and the others are marking time. Santorum and Gingrich had their egos stroked from yesterday’s results but they are going nowhere.
Cain is the latest “flavor” of the week. But he in not going anywhere either. He wants even bigger government than Obama as DiLorenzo points out today on the LRC blog. Ron Paul benefited enormously from the results yesterday. He was right there with the other candidates. In short, he is not a fringe candidate as much as the MSM would like to portray him as such.
One more thing; The title of my post: Is the fix in? Not, The Fix is In as in your post. Big difference.
Regards,
Posted: September 25th, 2011 | Author: admin | Filed under: 2012 Presidential Politics, 2013 Gubernatorial Politics | Tags: Chris Christie, Herman Cain, Koch brothers, Murray Sabrin, Ron Paul, Steve Lonegan | Comments Off on From the comedian…
By Marianne Longobardi, Candidate For Marlboro Council
There have many people asking me why I decided to run for town council? I’ve been a nurse for almost 30 years, raised four children with my husband, and a grandmother of 11 grandchildren, many whom attend Marlboro public schools- so why would I decide to run now? Well, the question really should be is why shouldn’t I run? After a rewarding career as a registered nurse, I felt it was time to give back to my community and continue my dedication of service to others.
So, when I hear and read statements and allegations that are applied to me, or my running mates that are factually incorrect, I have no choice but to make the record clear.
First and foremost, I and my running mates believe that raising taxes continually over the past 4 years while raiding the town’s surplus and encumbering our children with the responsibility for paying back all the debt that we have amassed is wrong. Additionally we believe that we must strengthen our efforts to preserve open space, this goes a long way towards making Marlboro a well desired community to live in. Any program that unnecessarily takes over open space or allows a builder to be awarded a deal that does not require them to pay property taxes for 35 years is outrageous and something we will fight against.
We have an administration that has allowed tens of thousands of dollars in engineering fees although we have an “in-house” engineer, hundreds of thousands of dollars for lawyers- yet the majority of the COAH lawsuits against the township are still active- and has awarded thousands of dollars in no-bid contracts for a sitting council member’s husband.
That is why I am running; to correct what is wrong with our local government and current administration. I expect my opposition to spin their record to make them look good, but what I don’t appreciate is my (our) platform being misrepresented or fabricated by sitting elected officials who have nothing but themselves and higher office aspirations in mind.
Posted: September 25th, 2011 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Marlboro | Tags: Marianne Longobardi, Marlboro | 8 Comments »
As an Independent Candidate for Monmouth County Freeholder this November, I hope to bring a sense of urgency to the position and take immediate action to help our fellow residents during these difficult economic times. Monmouth County Government has become too expensive.
My platform:
15 objectives for Monmouth County Freeholders in 2012 and beyond
Lower county taxes for Monmouth County residents. Tax increases are unacceptable. Our government has become unaffordable. Sounds obvious, but we need to commit to this objective.
Stop using Monmouth County reserves to balance the budget. Using $43 million of our surplus to balance the 2011 budget was an action of fiscal irresponsibility. We cannot continue to simply hope the economy will turn around. Using our reserves leaves us in a “weakened” position and shows residents that our government is overspending.
Stop hiring people who are already “retired” and receiving government pensions in excess of 60K annually. Many of our residents are are struggling and are looking for work. Monmouth County is experiencing a 9% unemployment rate. Hire our residents who do not have the benefit of a large government pension.
Move to a Higher Moral Ground. Stop nepotism/favoritism in Monmouth County government hiring. Demand accountability at Brookdale and at all our county departments. Change the culture in Monmouth County government to become more responsive to its citizens.
Apologize to the students of Brookdale College for the “planned 2011 tuition” increase, and the unethical practices of its leadership. Continue to examine all areas of spending at the school and hold the Brookdale Board of Trustees accountable. How can we consider raising tuition, when the Brookdale president was given a large salary, SUV, money to send his kids to private college, and a credit card for entertaining? Where was the oversight?
Move to outsourcing services where appropriate. Monmouth County government has become too expensive. Let our private sector handle more government functions. County government should provide essential services directly. Golf courses, nursing homes, marinas, etc. are just some of the areas we need to let our private sector handle.
Cut spending. Cut spending. Cut spending. Do not assume the NJ economy will get better. Because if you are wrong, you will leave Monmouth County with another large budget deficit. Many of our residents are cutting their spending due to economic conditions. Follow their lead. Do not hope for the best, then hit residents with another tax hike. S&P has just placed Monmouth County on credit watch; so the stakes are high.
Bring QUALITY jobs to Monmouth County. Committees, job fairs and “toolkits” are nice ideas, but we need much more that. I am committed to creating jobs and by reaching out to Fortune 1000 firms. Monmouth County is a great place to do business. AT&T, Lucent, BRAC are all gone. Monmouth County has now become our second largest employer. This is a recipe for disaster. Our young people will continue to move out of the county, due to lack of viable career opportunities available.
Make sure the county government does the basic things well and does not make excuses. Plow county roads in a timely manner. Ensure that utilities can provide our residents with reliable electricity. Make county government offices more responsive to its residents. Providing essential services is what residents are paying taxes for.
Make Monmouth County government relevant and more appreciated by its residents. Provide services that benefit most Monmouth County residents, and reduce those, that benefit few. Many of our residents, do not have a clue what their county government does for them. That is not a good sign, given we are spending $500 million annually. We need to take step back and engage with our towns to see how they want their county taxes spent. County government needs to serve its residents in a manner they desire, and not be beholden to special interests.
Reduce government borrowing. The $43 million in surplus the Freeholders used to balance the budget , would have been better spent paying down Monmouth County’s $500 million in debt. Our debt service expense has become a major drag on the budget. Monmouth County’s large debt, combined with struggling state and federal budgets, is a recipe for financial disaster. Our borrowing costs will continue to increase, as S&P has already put us on credit watch. Brookdale University is also on credit watch.
Demand shared sacrifice. We cannot ask taxpayers to continue to bear the brunt of our fiscal shortfall, without asking our employees and service providers to make sacrifices also. We are all in this together, and “all” does not mean just property owners. Rising property taxes are driving both commercial and residential real estate prices lower. We also need to continue to raise revenues from alternative sources, other than property taxes.
Encourage Monmouth towns to embrace shared services; for the benefit of their financial future. We can make a difference for our towns, without threatening their independence. This cannot be a hobby for Freeholders, but a mission. Local expenses continue to rise and with over 50 municipalities in the county, we need to become for efficient.
Set priorities when it comes to spending. Monmouth county’s budget is approximately a half a billion dollars. We need to prioritize each line item in the budget. Areas such has helping disabled children and adults, would be a high priority expense that should be protected. Spending on fringe benefits, like the ones given to Brookdale’s president would be low priority item. It is safe to say there are many areas that will be low on our list, and will be targeted for removal. It’s not the Freeholder’s money. It’s OUR money.
Establish a sense of Urgency, and stop wasting time making public appearances. We need to get to work for the taxpayer. Every day we are not addressing our budget deficit, is moving us closer to financial disaster. Make Monmouth County lead the state in fiscal responsibility and job growth.
In the end, I am sure that many of the candidates support some parts of this platform. The more relevant question is can they execute? Do they have the urgency, the desire and the ability to get the job done. Or are they simply going to hope the economy recovers, and then tell us they need to raise taxes?
This is a detailed platform, that I am putting in writing, so residents understand my objectives. The major parties have endorsed their candidates, and are asking you to trust their choice and wisdom. Much like the Obama administration, there is no plan. With a half a billion dollar budget, Monmouth County residents deserve more than public appearances and Facebook postings. Todays’ hard times, demand action, courage and urgency, not old-time politics.
Regards,
Tom Markowski
Posted: September 25th, 2011 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Monmouth County Freeholders, Tom Markowski | 14 Comments »
By Olivia Nuzzi
As noted here, six of LD11’s seven legislative candidates have come out in support of gay marriage. They include Democratic Senate candidate Ray Santiago, Democratic Assembly candidates Vin Gopal and Kathy Horgan, and independent Assembly candidate Dan Jacobson.
Also on the list are Republicans Senator Jennifer “Romney” Beck and Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini, both of whom pledged – Angelini after significant hesitation – on September 18th during an interview with Garden State Equality at Monmouth University, to override Governor Christie’s veto of a same sex marriage bill should the opportunity arise in the next legislature.
Conveniently, Caroline Casagrande, Beck and Angelini’s running mate, could not attend the event at Monmouth because she was busy with a “family commitment.” I suspect her family committed to travel far, far away from anyone asking her about gay marriage, an issue she has refused to take a stance on.
One of the many jobs of a public figure is to know a thing or two about public relations. Everybody, public figure or otherwise, knows that “no comment” is, more or less, always a confirmation. Evidently, no one forwarded that memo to Caroline Casagrande who has adopted a strict policy of “Don’t Ask me about gay marriage and I won’t Tell You a bunch of evasive nonsense.”
Her refusal – while inexcusable – is understandable, given that without question, there are a significant number of voters in newly formed LD11 who are not going to agree with, accept or respect a politician who opposes gay marriage. However, no one can respect a coward. A coward, as it stands now, is precisely what Caroline Casagrande is.
If you want to be a social conservative, go ahead and be one – your base will revere you for it, and your ideological enemies will have no choice but to respectfully disagree.
Instead of taking a stand, Ms. Casagrande has skirted around the issue of gay marriage, going as far as to employ Senator Sweeney’s regrettable history as a cop-out.
By asking the “tough” questions that anybody who knows anything about the fight for marriage equality already knows the answer to, she is doing the best she can to make this seem complicated. “What about protections for religious institutions?” she challenged, as if the Big Bad Gays are planning to storm into Sunday mass to force the congregation to Vogue in unison.
Ms. Casagrande is attempting to slide under the radar. She is hoping that this massive insult to the intelligence of those that she hopes to represent goes unnoticed. In adopting dishonesty as her policy, she has succeeded in fooling no one, she has merely made a fool of herself.
You could call her running mate, Senator Jennifer “Romney” Beck, many things (a lobbyist or a liar, for instance), but a cowardly ideologue she is not. Ms. Beck at least had the guts to flip-flop as soon as LGBT-supportive Asbury Park and Ocean Grove became her problem. Maybe it’s just me, but I prefer the audacious displays of dishonesty to the panicked whispers… I’m a romantic, what can I say?
Beyond embarrassing herself with her stunning lack of bravery and admission (however fabricated) that she cannot comprehend a simple issue, Ms. Ummmmm? also managed to miss an opportunity to follow the wide path of Declare and Defend set by her Messiah, Governor Christie. Aw shucks, what a shame.
We elect people who we believe possess the skills necessary to handle the many issues that NJ faces at once. If Ms. Casagrande can only handle one issue at a time, perhaps it is time for us to reevaluate her competence to serve. I say this only because I care about her well-being. After all, it would be cruel to continue to overwhelm her with the many complex legislative responsibilities that rest on her shoulders in Trenton.
Olivia Nuzzi is a student from Middletown and an intern for the District 11 Democratic campaign. MMM welcomes her fair and biased contributions.
Posted: September 25th, 2011 | Author: admin | Filed under: Olivia Nuzzi | Tags: 11th Legislative District, Carolinie Casagrande, Chris Christie, Dan Jacobson, Garden State Equality, Jennifer Beck, Kathy Horgan, Mary Pat Angelini, Olivia Nuzzi, Ray Santiago, Vin Gopal | 20 Comments »
My friend Murray Sabrin is trying to give Joey Novick some competition in his role as comedian/blogger.
If you’re not familiar with Novick, he’s a liberal Democratic lawyer and stand up comedian that makes up stuff about Republicans in his column at Politickernj. Sometimes Joey makes up stuff about Democrats too. He wrote that Carl Lewis was going to appeal to Judge Judy to get back on the LD 8 ballot as a Senate candidate. Joey thinks he’s funny.
Sabrin writes funny stuff too. Only Murray doesn’t think he’s being funny. Murray wrote that The Fix Is In. The Koch brothers have arranged for Chris Christie to be elected president in 2012 and that Steve Lonegan will be elected governor of New Jersey in 2013.
That is funnier than anything that Novick has ever written.
Joey and Murray should create a joint act, The Liberal and the Libertarian.
Posted: September 24th, 2011 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: NJ Media | Tags: Chris Christie, Joey Novick, Judge Judy, Murray Sabrin, Steve Lonegan | 5 Comments »
Obama responds by outlawing asthma inhalers
Newsmax is reporting that Governor Chris Christie is reconsidering his decision not to be a presidential candidate in 2012 and will make his new decision within days.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is reconsidering his decision not to enter the 2012 presidential race — and he says he will let top Republican donors know within days about his plans, Newsmax has learned.
During the past few weeks, several leading Republican donors and fundraisers have been urging the popular Republican governor to reconsider his decision not to run and to enter the GOP primary.
These Christie supporters note that significant GOP support has remained on the sidelines of the primary fight. Many leading fundraisers have yet to commit to any current primary contender, including frontrunners Rick Perry and Mitt Romney.
Newsmax has learned that the effort to draft Christie culminated in a hush-hush powwow held in the past week with Christie and several notable Republican billionaires.
A source familiar with the meeting suggested that Christie seemed inclined to enter the race but said he needed more time.
Christie promised to make a final decision “within two weeks,” the source said.
Another source involved in GOP fundraising tells Newsmax that that uncommitted fundraisers and donors have been receiving phone calls from top political aides to Christie, seeking their feedback about his possible entry into the race.
President Obama must have gotten word of Christie’s secret meetings with billionaire Republicans. The Obama Administration’s EPA is set to ban over-the-counter asthma inhalers.
Christie suffers from asthma and uses an inhaler.
Mike DuHaime, Christie’s chief political strategist, has not responded to MMM’s inquiry as to the accuracy of the Newsmax story.
UPDATE
Christie confidant and advisor Bill Palatucci says, “Newsmax is wrong,” according to the Star Ledger’s Mexican reporter Ginger Gibson via twitter.
Posted: September 23rd, 2011 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: 2012 Presidential Politics, Chris Christie | Tags: 2012 Presidential Politics, Barack Obama, Chris Christie | 15 Comments »
By Carolee Adams, President, Eagle Forum of New Jersey
Governor Rick Perry is not this Jersey Girl’s candidate – and the primary reason concerns his softness about illegal immigration.
We need thousands of boots on the ground – and – a wall with electronic surveillance at our borders. Governor Perry supports only the former and, to what degree, I have not heard.
We cannot encourage more illegal immigration by granting tuition breaks to those who are not citizens as Governor Perry has done in Texas.
On my radar screen this morning came a report about Governor Perry’s attempted hush hush visit to the Inwood section of Washington Heights in New York. That’s part of Rudy Giuliani’s sanctuary city, by the way. Perry met with Latino leaders – in particular, of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers. Politically, it’s not problematic to reach out to the Latino community and those who are discouraged by the Obama administration that attacks their livelihood. However, traditionally, that community represents a large Democratic voting block. They might be helpful to a nominee in the General Election, but not in the GOP Primary that Perry must win first. His visit is curious.
Rick Perry’s candidacy dies with his stubborn stance on illegal immigration that he strongly defended in the debate last night. Even the Northeast is withering on the vine because of illegal immigration. Reports indicate a minimum cost of over $3 Billion to New Jersey taxpayers alone to subsidize illegal alien activity in hospitals, schools, jails, and more. Illegal immigration cannot – must not – be tolerated or encouraged – particularly by any candidate hoping to win the GOP nomination for President of the United States of America.
Posted: September 23rd, 2011 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: 2012 Presidential Politics | Tags: Carolee Adams, Eagle Forum, Rick Perry | 10 Comments »
In last year’s municipal election in Neptune Township, Republican candidate for township committee Warren Lapp did not have a running mate. He publicly encouraged voters to cast a “bullet vote” just for him, even though there were two committee seats open with candidates on the ballot.
The Neptune Democrats responded by calling Lapp un-American for suggesting such a thing.
Now Neptune Matters, the Republican leaning blog from the township is calling on Neptune Democrats Randy Bishop and Eric Houghteling to denounce Dan Jacobson, the 11th district Independent candidate for Assembly for asking voters to bullet vote for him. Neptune Matters says that Bishop and Houghteling should call Jacobson un-American, but that they won’t because a bullet vote for Jacobson helps the Democratic candidates in the 11th.
Posted: September 23rd, 2011 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 11th Legislative District, Dan Jacobson, Erich Houghteling, Neptune Matters, Randy Bishop | 18 Comments »
By Senator Jennifer Beck, also published in the September 22 edition of the triCityNews
Senator Jennifer Beck, Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini and Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande
Last week I was treated to a column that the TriCities’ very own publisher (and Independent District 11 Assembly candidate) Dan Jacobson said he’d been ‘itching to write’. I’m not surprised that Dan was feeling a little itchy and uncomfortable prior to writing a column dramatically misrepresenting that I might endorse Dan in his latest political foray. I guess we can take some solace that at least Dan felt a little uncomfortable while knowingly misrepresenting my position! And I know it was intended to be tongue-in-cheek – just like the headline of this column and the made-up Dan quotes below. He did get some things right….Dan and I have indeed been friends for many years, and he is certainly correct that he was a supporter of mine from way-back when I was running for my first term on the Red Bank Borough Council. But I’m friends with a lot of folks that, despite our being friends, don’t receive my endorsement for political office.
I do appreciate Dan’s permitting me to use this space this week to set the record straight and offer my official endorsement for this year’s elections. I’m proud to run with, and support, my two outstanding running-mates: Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini from Ocean Township and Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande from Colts Neck, a new demographic for Dan to reach.
Endorsing candidates is something I do not take lightly, and I make sure to hear from all sides before issuing any declaration. On that note, I did not just blindly support my running-mates. I made sure to also reach out to Dan and hear from him on what he’d like to do in his upcoming term if he is elected to return to the Assembly from his 18 year exile.
“Number one, I look forward to raising taxes again on everyday items, just as I did in my first term. Additional taxes on toilet paper, light bulbs, and eggs were such a resounding hit my first time around, I plan on doubling-down in my upcoming term!” Dan told me earlier this week.
Now, of course that’s not a real quote from Dan, just like his “quotes” of me endorsing him weren’t accurate in his column last week. But at least I got the facts straight – Dan did indeed vote in favor of all those taxes back when he originally served in the legislature. The residents of New Jersey couldn’t vote Dan and his legislative mates out of office fast enough then, so sorry Dan, as much as I value our friendship, it would be foolish of us to risk going down that path again. Actually, I should make clear that the “killing puppies” headline was a total fabrication. At least as far as I know.
But back to the choices you have in this election. If you agree that we need less taxation, limited government, leaders in property tax reform, and true accountability in the state legislature, the choice is clear. Both Mary Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande have been vocal leaders in the Assembly, standing up for taxpayers throughout Monmouth County, and the State. My running mates and I have proven track records, having led the way on the historic reforms enacted over the past two years. While Dan may be a good friend, he can’t claim to have been a very effective legislator during his first term. Not honestly anyway.
We are proud to run as Republicans, but both myself and my running mates are extraordinarily deliberative and don’t always just vote the party line. And unlike Dan Jacobson, when we decide to take a stand that some in our party may be opposed to, we don’t resort to physical altercations with our fellow legislators! It’s bad enough the cast of the TV show Jersey Shore make it appear as if we New Jerseyians regularly settle our disputes that way – we don’t need the legislature lending credibility to the portrayal!
Dan is right that our friendship will not be affected by his independent run for the Assembly, and even when Mary Pat and Caroline are re-elected in November, I will still let him pick out the drapes for our legislative offices.
So I guess you heard it here first, Senator Jennifer Beck supports her running mates, Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini and Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande for the Assembly – emphatically and enthusiastically!
I’m glad I could clear things up. After all, I’m your Senator, I’m here to help!
Posted: September 22nd, 2011 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: NJ State Legislature | Tags: 11th Legislative District, Caroline Casagrande, Dan Jacobson, Dead Puppies, Jennifer Beck, Mary Pat Angelini, triCityNews | 15 Comments »
