Why Be A Democrat

Hat tip to Scott Sipprelle

• Tweet

PBA Goes After Rible

By Art Gallagher

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.

• Tweet

Sweeney: Republicans Voted To Put People To Death

By Art Gallagher

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.

• Tweet

State Education Funding: The Numbers

The State of New Jersey will send $7.7 billion dollars to school districts in the 2011-2012 fiscal year, an increase of $839 million.

A county by county breakdown of the funding ( I refuse to call it aid, as aid implies that it is not our money to start with) can be found here.

Funding amounts for Monmouth County school districts can be funding here.

• Tweet

New Jersey’s Comeback Has Begun

The New Jersey Republican State Committee is launching a radio advertising campaign to promote the accomplishments of the Christie admiministration. 

Here’s the ad:

• Tweet

Kyrillos: “Is it Ever Enough for Trenton Democrats?”

Majority’s Rhetoric Ignores Increased Funding for Vulnerable New Jerseyans

Trenton– At the close of Day Two of the Senate Majority’s attempt to hoodwink New Jersey taxpayers ahead of the November elections, Senator Joe Kyrillos (R- Monmouth/Middlesex) said that only to a Trenton Democrat could funding increases in key programs for vulnerable and needy New Jerseyans constitute “cruel” funding reductions:

Democrats still have not given us a source of funding for all of the added spending they’ve voted on in the last two days that doesn’t require taxpayers to close their eyes and make believe.

After all, it’s far more effective on the campaign trail for the Democrats to make outlandish promises the taxpayers cannot possibly keep, pass a budget that is nearly $1 billion in the red, and then all anyone who dare be responsible and support balancing that budget cruel and mean-spirited.

Despite having to clean up the Democrats’ mess, Governor Christie increased funding over Governor Corzine’s last budget for schools by $804 million, Medicaid by $982 million, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families by $47 million, hospitals by $31 million, senior property tax relief by $58 million, adoption subsidies by $16 million, and the list goes on and on.

The only people who put funding for those in need in jeopardy were the members of the Majority by supporting a budget that spent hundreds of millions of dollars more than the state takes in. A fantasy budget that promises the world but cannot deliver is the cruelest act of all.

• Tweet

Governor Chris Christie Announces Education Allocation Plan Which Increases School Funding for Every District in New Jersey

Trenton, NJ – Furthering Governor Christie’s commitment to providing the resources and reform to improve education for every New Jersey child, the Christie Administration announced today the allocation plan for $850 million in new aid authorized for New Jersey schools in the Fiscal Year 2012 Budget. This commitment to education includes the Governor’s initial $250 million increase for all school districts, as well as an additional $450 million for the Abbott districts, and an additional $150 million for non-Abbott districts. With this new funding, total state aid to education will be higher in Fiscal Year 2012 than it was when Governor Christie took office.

“This year, New Jersey increased state aid to school districts by $850 million over last year, restoring every dollar of the cuts we were forced to make last year and increasing aid by an additional $30 million. We are keeping faith with our commitment to New Jersey’s children and families, spending more money per pupil on New Jersey’s students than almost any other state in the country,” said Governor Christie. “Now is the time to complement the dollars spent with real education reform to bring a focus on student learning, accountability and results.”

Today’s funding includes an additional $450 million for the 31 Abbott districts, which fully funds them under the School Funding Reform Act formula, and an additional $150 million for non-Abbott districts, doubling the increase that the Governor had already approved in February as part of his Fiscal Year 2012 Budget. This increase in education aid will provide important property tax relief to New Jerseyans as the state increases its support for local schools.

“Being able to provide additional education funding to districts this year further affirms this Administration’s commitment to ensuring each and every child in New Jersey receives a quality education,” said Acting Education Commissioner Chris Cerf. “It is now time to focus on aggressive education reform, concentrating on improving standards, assessments, and curriculum; strengthening the use of performance and accountability data; improving educator effectiveness; and investing in innovative models of educational delivery.”

Governor Christie is committed to making 2011 the year of education reform. He has put forward a Reform Agenda that brings necessary and long overdue changes to the public education system that focuses on accountability, makes teacher effectiveness and student achievement the driving forces behind public policies and practices, empowers parents with greater school choice, and expands high quality public charter schools in New Jersey to ensure that every child in our state has access to a quality education and achieves the results they deserve.

The county and school district allocation lists can be viewed at: http://www.state.nj.us/education/stateaid/1112/

• Tweet

LaRossa and Gallagher: Real Jersey Guys On The Radio

By Art Gallagher

I need your help MMM fans and foes.

I got a message from my radio partner Richard LaRossa that he might miss the show this afternoon…he’ll be calling in from a train if he makes it.

Richard arranged for Lon Hosford to be our guest for the hour.  Hosford ran for the GOP nomination for Congress in the 7th congressional district against Leonard Lance.  I don’t know that I can sustain a conversation with him for an hour and I haven’t prepared an hours worth of material for a solo show.

So please MMM, call into the show.  The number is 609-447-0237.

We can talk about what ever you want to talk about. 

The show is sponsored by Repatriot Radio and is broadcast on WIFI AM 1460.  You can listen via the Internet here.

The show is takes place between 5PM and 6PM.

• Tweet

Drinking With Democrats

Our friends at Politickernj have gone old school in the new media age.   They are using a long abandoned journalistic tool to find out what their subjects are really thinking:  Alcohol.

Last week Max Pizarro got some tipsy Democrats to reveal what they really think of President Obama:

“But I’m at the point with Barack Obama where I don’t like him,” the source added – then whispering under the bar buzz – “I hate him.” 

“He’s not a leader,” a second high-powered Democrat groaned. “Say what you want about Christie, but he knows how to wield power. Barack doesn’t.”  

“He’s very thin-skinned,” said the source. “He can’t deal with criticism, that’s why he’s going to Africa with his family on a safari. Is he nuts? A safari in this economy?”  

The Democrats Pizarro drank with think Obama is still a lock to win New Jersey’s 14 electoral college votes handily next year.    That is the conventional thinking.  However, I bet those same Democrats thought in 2008 that the equally disliked Jon Corzine was a lock for reelection.

Turning their attention to New Jersey gubernatorial politics, Politickernj’s Back Room got blank stares from two “Democratic Party bigshots” drinking on condition of anonymity when asked to speculate who would challenge Governor Christie in 2013.

Newark Mayor Corey Booker?  “Newark is too much of a wreck,” and “his time has come and gone.”  Congressman Bill Pascrell?  Would have been great “ten years ago.”   Senator Barbara Buono?  “We need someone outside of Trenton,” like Christie was in 2009.

Looking outside of Trenton, the drinking Democrats see Congressmen Frank Pallone and Rush Holt:

“If Frank gets banged up in redistrcting he may be the best guy to do it,” said the first source. “He’d be ticked enough, angry enough, he could easily unite the progressive wing of the party. He’s got the money. Obviously, he has no strong friends among the bosses. That could be a problem. The question goes to whether he would want to be governor. I’ve always heard his primary interest is senator.”

MMM hereby throws its unequivocal support behind Pallone for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2013.  We’d love to see him get “banged up” in redistricting….like putting Long Branch into Chris Smith’s district…setting up a race between the two most senior members of the New Jersey congressional delegation that Smith would win easily, assuming Pallone chose to compete.   Given the choice of running against Smith for congress or retiring and launching a gubernatorial bid, we think Pallone would challenge Christie.  After losing his first statewide race against Christie, Pallone could launch his 2014 U.S. Senate campaign, assuming Frank Lautenberg retires again.

Holt for Governor?   We hope those guys had a designated driver.

“Yes, I admit he’s not the world’s greatest speaker, but he’s gotten better,” said the second source. “Plus, he’s a good campaigner. Rolls up his sleeves. He gets it. He realized he had a legitimate challenge from Scott Sipprelle (last year), and he rose to the occasion.”

• Tweet

Nothing Of Significance Happened In Trenton Today

By Art Gallagher

Senate President Steve Sweeney called the upper house into session today…it can’t honestly be said that he called it “to order”…to vote on 15 of Governor Christie’s 39 line item vetoes in the State Budget.

There was grand standing, name calling, yelling and screaming, but in the end all of the override votes failed, just as everyone knew they would before the show started.   Only Senator Jennifer Beck broke partisan ranks to vote with the Democrats to increase Planned Parenthood funding by $7.5 million.  The measure still failed.

Tomorrow the Senate will repeat the process.

Nothing real will happen until Governor Christie returns from vacation on Friday.

• Tweet