Governor Chris Christie called an Corzine era law that would help low income seniors and the disabled pay their cable TV bills “a dumb idea.”
“It was a dumb idea in my opinion,” Christie said. “To have the taxpayers of New Jersey pay for cable TV, I mean seriously, has cable TV become a constitutional right now we are going to pay for, in this time of budget constraints?
The Corzine administration implemented the tax on cable bills to fund the program, but never got around to implementing the distribution of the funds. The Christie administration used the $9.2 million generated by the tax to plug the budget deficit last year.
Wall Township Committeeman George Newberry has sent a letter to County Committee members seeking their support for the GOP nomination to run as Freeholder Lillian Burry’s running mate this fall.
A full size copy of Newberry’s letter can be found here.
Manalapan Mayor Andrew Lucas and Spring Lake Councilman Gary Rich are also expected to compete for the nomination. Former Middletown Committeeman Tom Wilkens, who narrowly lost the nomination to now Freeholder Tom Arnone last year, will not be a candidate this year.
The Monmouth GOP’s Annual Lincoln Day Dinner is the traditional kickoff for candidates seeking county and legislative office. With Republican incumbents seeking reelection for the legislature, surrogate, and Burry seeking a third term as freeholder, the nomination for Democratic Freeholder Amy Mallet’s seat is the only race that is expected to be competitive in the screening process.
The Lincoln Day Dinner is this Sunday evening at the Shore Casino in Atlantic Highlands. For information on reserving your seat, download the reservation form here.
The Asbury Park Press, aka The Neptune Nudniks really needs to teach their editorial staff how to use google or they need to hire a fact checker who knows how to use google. In this information age there is no justification for getting the facts wrong as often as the Nudniks do.
In editorial published yesterday about the Live Action video depicting a Planned Parenthood employee in Perth Amboy coaching Live Action activists posing as a pimp and underage prostitute how to avoid being caught trafficking underage sex slaves, the APP editorial board inaccurately defended Planned Parenthood They said:
To its credit, Planned Parenthood said it had promptly notified law enforcement authorities after the visit, and it also announced it had fired the clinic employee for violating some of the organization’s policies.
Planned Parenthood also said at least 12 of its clinics across the country had been visited by Live Action undercover operatives claiming to be sex traffickers. None of the clinics’ employees at the other sites took the bait.
Emphasis added.
That’s not true. The Planned Parenthood clinics’ other employees, at least some of them, did take the bait. Live Action released four more videos on Friday morning that show employees in four Virginia clinics cooperating with activists posing as sex traffickers.
If the Asbury Park Press editorial board didn’t know that, they should have. At the very least they should have known that LiveAction was going to release more video footage. They said they were going to.
Incidentally, this is why, in part, that I’ve been critical of Live Action for releasing their videos without including an acknowledgment of the fact that Planned Parenthood’s leadership reported their visits to the authorities a full week prior the video releases. The mainstream media is both lazy and strapped financially. Their “news” is increasingly nothing more than regurgitated press releases and sound bites. It’s a shame that their editorials are as well.
On a much lighter note, APP sports writer Steve Edelson started his latest blog post with the cliche “You can’t make this stuff up.”
Edelson’s post was about a Dr. Scholl’s Super Bowl commercial featuring Jets coach Rex Ryan and his wife Michelle of foot fetish video fame.
The press release about the commercial that Edelson received was made up.
We appreciate the efforts of the Legislature and in particular the Monmouth County delegation, on behalf of protecting horse racing.
Horse racing is an important and vital cog in not only Oceanport’s economy and the economy of Monmouth County but the entire State of New Jersey as well. Horse racing contributes 7,000 jobs, $110 million in federal, state and local taxes, and 57,000 acres of working agricultural landscape and open space to our “Garden State.”
Our own Oceanport Task Force on Monmouth Park has continued to maintain the position that VLT’s, slot machines, or an all out gaming casino in the Meadowlands is the only way to protect horse racing in New Jersey. All the surrounding states of New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland now have some form of gaming at their race tracks. This uneven playing field enables our competitors to lure New Jersey horseman out of State with larger purses and better quality horse racing.
In addition to A-2926 authorizing “exchange wagering,” and the enactment of S-2229 to permit racetrack permit holders to provide a single pari-mutuel pool for every horse race; We applaud the Governor’s signing of the bipartisan bill, S-11, approved in the New Jersey Senate and Assembly, that would enable horse racing to not only survive, but to thrive. The bill includes a $ 30 million allocation to horse racing, to be phased over a 3 year period; $15 million in 2011, $10 million in 2012 and $5 million in 2013.
Last year Monmouth Park’s “Elite Summer Meet” raced 71 days. Purses almost tripled-about $20 million came from a now expired casino purse supplement-and total pari-mutuel handle increased $123 million on the year. This was a significant return on the investment made toward the purses. As of Jan. 24 no action had been taken on the status of Monmouth Park’s 2011 racing schedule. By law, the New Jersey Racing Commission awarded Monmouth 141 Thoroughbred dates.
The Governor’s announcement this week that the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority would issue in the near future a Request for Proposals for the sale of Monmouth Park, including assignment of additional off-track wagering operations comes as no surprise to the Oceanport Task Force. Representatives have maintained an open dialogue with the Hanson Commission, the NJSEA, the Thoroughbred Horsemen and others that will likely play a key role in preserving horseracing at Monmouth Park.
The Oceanport Task Force on Monmouth Park
Chair Michael J. Mahon, Mayor Co.-Chair Gerald Briscione, Former Council Member
Sen. John O. Bennett
Sen. S. Thomas Gagliano
Hon. Caroline Casagrande, Assemblywoman
Hon. Lillian Burry, Freeholder
Hon. Clem Sommers, Former Mayor & Freeholder
Hon. Joseph Irace, Council Member
Mr. Peter Geronimo, IBEW 400 Business Manager
Mr. Alfred DeSantis, Public Member
Mr. David Gruskos, Owner and Member NJTHA
Mr. Bernard Dowd, Veterinarian and Member NJTHA
Mr. Bert Lynch, Public Member
Mr. Joseph Marinaro, Public Member
Mr. James Ryerson, Trainer and Member NJTHA
Mr. Robert Kelly, Public Member
Mr. William Finley, Turf Writer
Mr. Thomas Galligan, Public Member
Contributing:
Mr. Dennis Dowd, Former NJSEA and Monmouth Park Race Official
Mr. Jerold Zaro, Former NJSEA Commissioner
Mr. John Forbes, President NJ Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association
Last week’s 12th anniversary edition of the triCityNews was no where to be found in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands by Friday evening last week. I wondered if officers of the Highlands Republican Club grabbed them all so no one would read it, but all the positive feedback I received through out the week indicates otherwise.
This week’s issue, Volume 12 + Issue 13, was still in Foodtown in Atlantic Highlands tonight. There’s a full page of TriCity>Mail dedicated to calling me a self serving bloviator! Is there any other kind?
I’d link you to the letters, but Dan Jacobson doesn’t publish on the Internet. You’ll have to pick it up.
Actually, I can link you to one of the letters. Dan published HRC President Louis Croce’s letter banning me from Republican Club meetings which I published here the day I received it. Here it is in case you missed it.
In another letter, the Sergeant-At-Arms of the HRC writes about 600 words on how irrelevent I am. I doubt he sees the irony in that. I guess, as Sergeant-At-Arms, it will be his job to take “appropriate measures” to have me removed from the HRC meeting on Monday night should I attend. Should I show up? Dan wants pictures if I go. Rhoda?
The other letter is an anonymous email from someone who looked up MMM’s stats on alexa.com and reasoned that the 70% growth in MMM traffic is because I’ve been picking on the former Mayor of Highlands.
My page is entertaining, but the best reason to pick up this week’s issue is Dan’s column about the epic failure of the Asbury Park Press, Frank Pallone and those who destroyed Jim Wassel’s effort to redevelop Fort Hancock on Sandy Hook. I wish I could link it for you. It’s really good. Pick up the paper.
Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini is encouraging her friends and supporters to take part in a blood drive for injured Asbury Park firefigher Jason Fazio who was severely burned in a fire last month. Fazio is undergoing a series of skin grafts at Saint Barnabas Burn Center.
The blood drive is being held tomorrow, February 5th, from 9am to 2pm at the Asbury Park Fire Department on Main Street and Asbury Avenue. All blood types are needed
Monmouth County Democrats are getting to work early in defending their only remaining Freeholder seat.
Last night at the Bella Vista Country Club in Marlboro, Democratic Freeholder Amy Mallet held a campaign kickoff/fundraiser hosted by Vin Gopal, co-owner of Communtiy Publications, and co-hosted by Marlboro Mayor Jon Hornick, County Chairman Vic Scudiery, and former Freeholder John D’Amico. Middlesex County Senator Barbara Buono, a potential 2013 gubernatorial candidate, was the Special Guest Speaker.
Gopal announced that the event raised over $10,000.
Mallet and Republican Freeholder Lillian Burry are both up for reelection this fall.
Burry opened a facebook page on Tuesday and is hoping to have 50 fans by the end of the week. As of 10:30 this morning she has 17 fans. I think MMM readers can produce 100 fans for Burry by the end of the day today. Click here and “Like Lillian“.
Last week’s 12th anniversary edition of the triCityNews was no where to be found in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands by Friday evening last week. I wondered if officers of the Highlands Republican Club grabbed them all so no one would read it, but all the positive feedback I received through out the week indicates otherwise. 