Christie’s Increased Suburban Education Funding Won’t Result In Immediate Property Tax Relief

By Art Gallagher

The $150 million in increased suburban education funding in Governor Christie’s budget came too late to impact most school budgets for the 2011-2012 school year, according to an article at NJSpotlight.

When the Christie administration announced the final state education funding figures last week they encouraged districts to use the money for property tax relief.  A follow up memo later in the week included a deadline of tomorrow if the districts wanted to include the extra money in the coming year’s tax levy.   To do so, school boards would have had to publish notices of special meetings on Thursday or Friday of last week and hold those meetings today or tomorrow. 

Most school districts will carry the money in surplus accounts in the coming year.

MMM does not refer to state money for suburban education as “aid” as that implies the money is not ours to begin with. “Funding” is a more accurate term.

• Tweet

Little Campaign Raises No Money

By Art Gallagher

For the second consecutive quarter, Anna C. Little for Congress Inc has reported raising no money to the Federal Election Commission.

In the FEC Form 3 filed electronically by campaign treasurer Jane Frotten, the Little campaign says it spent $216.41 for communications (Constant Contact and Vonage) and bank charges.  The campaign has cash of $1,749.64.  $2,123 is owed to Larry Cirignano for travel expenses and $700 is owed to Little.  The debt cash and debt are carried over from the first quarter report.

Little declared her 2012 candidacy for congress during her 2010 concession speech at the Shore Casino on November 2, 2010.  Since then she has been a fixture at Governor Chris Christie’s Town Hall meetings and at party and candidate fund raising events.  The campaign has a strategy meeting tomorrow, July 19, from 5PM-6:30PM at the Keyport IHOP.

• Tweet

11th District Democrats Making Marriage Equality A General Election Issue

By Art Gallagher

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.

• Tweet

Patrick Kennedy Marries New Jersey School Teacher

Kennedy Family Photo

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.

• Tweet

District Office Of Congressman Frank Pallone On Facebook

A new facebook page from Frank Pallone’s district office showed up on facebook today.

There is no information posted yet and your favorite blogger was the first one to “Like” the page.

Won’t you join me in “Liking” Frank Pallone’s District Office Page?

• Tweet

On The Debt Ceiling Debate

“A Republic, if you can keep it”  ~ Benjamin Franklin

By Bill Spadea

The debt ceiling crisis is an economic and political crossroads for America. We stand on the precipice of losing our economic and personal freedom as Democrats and Republicans in Congress consider raising the nation’s debt ceiling.

Americans are clearly entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – although the interpretation of that seems to be a bit broader outside of the libertarian movement, any system designed to help those who cannot help themselves still has to be affordable and sustainable. Remember that the wealth used has to be created by someone else. Through the raging debate in Washington it seems that the truth about our economic system is being ignored by politicians and pundits – that no system on Earth has provided so much to so many as capitalism.

That said, providing for those who can’t provide for themselves is as worthy goal – and one that should be mostly encouraged on the private side (yes this was on the increase during the Bush years due to tax cuts for wealthier Americans who do most of the charitable giving). Following private charity is the help afforded people at the local level, churches and shelters helping the destitute and the abandoned get back to a stable life. Only in the worst case scenarios should the federal government get involved. It’s simply not the appropriate role and as we’ve seen from the results, when you subsidize it, you get more than you bargained for in the first place.

I don’t know about you but when six figure government workers are afforded a lifetime pension and health care in the name of a social compact and entitlement we’ve got a serious problem. The Democrats have continued to move the bar higher to apply these government handouts at the expense of hard working Americans to dramatically increase standards of living – not to provide sustenance to the destitute.

The Democratic philosophy is to provide service and tangible items for people – give the starving man a fish…the conservative/classical liberal position is to teach him to fish. Not to oversimplify but one reason that the vitriol is so palpable recently is because we’re facing our fundamental philosophical differences and it’s scaring many of the folks in DC. I’m sure you heard that the President lost him temper at the congressional leaders yesterday. This is further evidence of the panic engulfing the political elite as the reality that the power they are so desperately clinging to is only sustainable if the American people continue to allow them to spend us into oblivion.
Sensible-minded leaders are finally standing up and saying enough. Thankfully, Congressional leaders like Ron Paul, Michelle Bachmann and Scott Garrett possess the courage and fortitude to stand up to the weak-minded Republicans ready to collapse on our core principles and the Democrats who are fighting to preserve an ever-expanding and intrusive government. They, along with many of their courageous colleagues in the House and Senate, and millions of working Americans, are finally saying enough of the endless borrowing, enough of the bloated spending, enough of the waste, the abuse and the fraud that has become our federal government.

The change is coming whether we like it or not, the unsustainable welfare state is coming to a close. If we redirect our efforts now to job creation and empowering folks that can be productive to make a better life for themselves and their families we’ll surely reduce the number of recipients for the various entitlement programs. As far as social security – without an ‘opt out’ for younger workers it is essentially a theft of their hard earned money which serves to deny free working people the right to protect their own future. We all know that the system will be broke in a decade or so based on the rising number of recipients compared to the number of earners. It’s a simple math problem. ‘Privatizing’ is a political buzz word intended to create a level of fear among voters. Those voters in turn keep sending the same thieves back to Washington to make the situation worse. Either we face the reality of the dire situation now or later but we’ll face it for sure. If we deal with it now – specifically adopt a plan like the one proposed by Pat Toomey on the Senate side we have a shot at a balanced budget, without shirking our responsibility to debt service, military pay and social security payments. The President is being disingenuous at best when he threatens to skip social security payments. His extreme partisan ideology has given us trillions in new debt and layers of regulation and bureaucracy that are choking the private sector.

The longer we wait to deal with the debt as adults the better the chance we’ll have passed a point of no return when more Americans are living off the work of others – and just as the communist system collapsed in on itself, the American experiment will surely come to a close when the production stops. Congressman Paul Ryan had a very strong message in front of a group in Chicago a few weeks back – essentially saying we shouldn’t be talking about ‘shared scarcity’ – we should be talking about creating a new prosperity – creating jobs and fostering economic growth. The government cannot create wealth – only redistribute what is created in the private sector. We’re at a back-to-basics moment – time to act and force a course correction before we’re all living in shared poverty.

• Tweet

Hogan Strikes a Nerve

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.

• Tweet

Mark Your Calender…

….for next Tuesday’s LaRossa and Gallagher: Real Jersey Guys On The Radio Show on WIFI 1460 AM and on the Internet at www.wifiam1460.com.

Former Senator Dick LaRossa will be off next week.   My guest co-host will be Fair Haven Mayor Mike Halfacre.

So far our confirmed guest for the show is State Senator Joe Kyrillos.  Mike and I are working on another guest or two.

If you follow New Jersey politics and government (why would you be reading this site if you don’t?) you won’t want to miss this show.

The show, sponsored by Repatriot Radio, will be broadcast on Tuesday from 5PM to 6PM.

• Tweet

When do the teachers arrive to picket my house?

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 11^th 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 11^th 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

11^th District

(The 11^th 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.)

• Tweet

RINOS, Primaries, Social Media And The Role Of Tea Parties

Listen to a recording of this week’s LaRossa and Gallagher: Real Jersey Guys On The Radio Show here:

Well this was an interesting show.

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

• Tweet