On September 27, the House of Representatives passed a bill introduced by Rush Holt to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Muhammad Yunus in recognition of his developing the concept of microcredit, or the extension of small loans to the poor. Due to the vision of Dr. Yunus, the World Bank estimates that microfinance institutions now serve 160 million people in developing countries.These loans have enabled impoverished people in developing countries to start businesses, achieve independence, hire employees, bring new products and technologies to remote markets, foster accountability and give borrowers the pride of running a business. For this, Dr. Yunus is deserving of praise.
Well, Rush Holt doesn’t have to go all the way to Bangladesh to find lenders willing to risk their capital to spur economic development. Despite the monstrously vindictive 2,000 page financial reform bill that Holt voted for but didn’t read, hundreds of Holt’s constituents do the same thing everyday. One of these constituents is responsible for extending loans to hundreds of local businesses through his interests in the Bank of Princeton. Loans extended by the Bank of Princeton have enabled entrepreneurs to open businesses and existing businesses to continue to meet payroll despite being under vicious assault by Holt.
If Rush Holt finds it fitting to honor a man whose vision has spurred lending in almost every place outside of New Jersey’s 12th Congressional district, then the application of logic requires Holt to honor one of his own constituents who is risking his own capital when making loans to spur economic development in central New Jersey.
The local resident that Holt should honor is Scott Sipprelle. If Holt declines to honor Sipprelle, then Holt will prove his hypocrisy.
(HIGHLANDS, October 1) – Republican congressional challenger Anna Little – continuing to highlight the vote by her opponent, 22-year incumbent Washington fixture Frank Pallone, to adjourn Congress and return home to campaign without first holding a vote to extend the current tax rates – today pointed out that for the average family in the 6th Congressional District, that translates to a $1,862 per year tax hike.
“Frank Pallone seems to think the average family in our congressional district can afford a $1,862 per year tax hike,” said Little. “Maybe that’s what he gets for staying in Washington so long. After 22 years living the high life with the lobbyists, it’s clear he’s forgotten his roots.
“These aren’t numbers someone is making up out of thin air. According to the Tax Foundation, failure to extend the current tax rates would mean the average family in New Jersey’s 6th Congressional District would see its federal tax liability rise from $6,768 per year to $8,630 per year – that’s a hike of $1,862 per year, and represents a 27.5 percent increase,” continued Little.
“Two days ago, Nancy Pelosi and her liberal allies like Frank Pallone decided they’d be better off campaigning without first taking a vote to increase taxes on America’s job creators,” continued Little. “So they just decided to leave town without doing their jobs. In doing so, they effectively chose to vote for a tax increase – because everyone knows they’re far less likely to feel constrained after the election, in a lame duck session, than they would have BEFORE the election, when voters could have punished them for voting for a tax increase.
“In other words, getting out of town now translates to higher taxes later.
“But there’s a way to stop it – and that’s for the American electorate to rise up and say, ‘Enough!'”
“When I get to Congress, I’m determined to fight with everything in my power to see to it that NO American taxpayer faces a tax hike – and especially not when we’ve still got an economy teetering on the brink of a double-dip recession.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – you cannot change Washington without changing the PEOPLE in Washington.
“The good news is, there’s an election in 33 days!”
(HIGHLANDS, October 1) – Jim Martin, chairman of the 60 Plus Association, will present Republican congressional challenger Anna Little with the association’s “Honorary Guardian of Seniors’ Rights” award at a press event to be held MONDAY, OCTOBER 4 at 4:30 PM at the Keansburg Senior Center at the Bayshore Senior Day Center. The event is open press.
The 60 Plus Association, which calls on more than 5.5 million seniors for support, is considered “the conservative alternative to the AARP.”
WHO: Congressional Candidate Anna Little
60 Plus Association Chairman Jim Martin
WHAT: Presentation of 60 Plus Association “Honorary Guardian of Seniors’ Rights” award
WHERE: Keansburg Senior Center
Bayshore Senior Day Center
100 Main Street
Keansburg, NJ 07734-1725
WHEN: Monday, October 4
4:30 PM
Posted: October 1st, 2010 | Author:Art Gallagher | Filed under:Anna Little | Tags:Anna Little | Comments Off on Little To Receive Seniors’ Award in Keansburg
Governor Chris Christie was joined by Geoffrey Canada, President of the Harlem Chrildren’s Zone during an Education Town Hall meeting yesterday afternoon at the Elysian Charter Schoolin Hoboken as Christie continued to introduce his Education Reform Agenda to the public.
Christie’s message: Education is the civil rights issue of today. Failure is no longer an option in New Jersey’s school’s—any of them.
Canada’s message: Educational excellence is possible through accountability, innovation and empowering good teachers. He’s doing it and has been for decades. Canada and his schools are the inspiration for the movie Waiting for “Superman” which opens today at these theaters throughout the country.
Video of Christie’s and Canada’s presentation can be viewed in four segments here.
The following two videos are clips of each gentleman’s remarks:
Canada Preview:
Christie preview:
After the town hall meeting I ran into Hoboken School Board member Maureen Sullivan who introduced me to her daughter Julia, a parochial school student who attended the town hall. Julia said about Christie, “He talks gooood, real good.”
Phoney Palloney Is At It Again, Asbury Park Press Falls For It (Willingly?) Again
By Art Gallagher
The United States Department of Justice announced their Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grants on Thursday. They awarded $298 million to fund the hiring and retaining of 1,388 state, local and tribal law enforcement officers by 379 police and sheriffs departments in 49 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The funding will be administered by the department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), and is being awarded under the COPS Hiring Program.
Phoney Palloney told the Asbury Park Press about the grant and they wrote a storythat made it sound like Pallone had something to do with Neptune getting the grant.
New Brunswick, also in Pallone’s 6th congressional district, got almost $1.6 million in COPS funds. That amount wasn’t mentioned in the APP article, nor did Gannett’s outlet that covers New Brunswick, mycentraljersey.com mention it. Pallone must have polling data that tells him he needs free press support in Monmouth, but not in Middlesex.
Just as we saw with the coverage of Pallone’s Fish Tales , his $400 million fish counting stimulus that will never be passed by congress, the Asbury Park Press is in the tank for Frank Pallone. They’re not fair and biased. They’re just biased, pretending not to be. They’re unfair and biased.
Congress leaves Washington without voting to extend the Bush tax cuts. Who was responsible for casting the deciding vote, none other than Congressman of CD6, Frank Pallone, who by the way mimicked Nancy Pelosi’s vote once again!
With our economy being in the fragile state it’s in, this is the worst possible news for America. What this means for us is this, the two major tax-cutting bills, the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, and the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 will be phased out come December 31st. According to Forbes Magazine, these two laws cut taxes across the board for earned income, long-term capital gains and dividends. The law also expands the child tax credit, eliminates the “marriage penalty” by giving couples filing jointly twice the deduction, and many taxpayers will lose as much as 80% of their itemized deductions depending on their income. Democrats like Frank Pallone would like us to believe that only the top two brackets will face higher taxes should the Bush cuts laps, but this couldn’t be further from the truth! The reality is, rates will go up for everyone including the lower and middle class, bringing greater havoc to our economy. This is Frank Pallone’s agenda and it proves he is dangerous for America.
In a September 30th article titled, Little: Pallone Cast Deciding Vote To Adjourn, Before Acting To Prevent Massive Tax Hike, Republican Congressional challenger Anna Little, sharply criticized her opponent, Frank Pallone. She states, “Today Frank Pallone showed why it’s time for him to leave Congress. With an economy in the ruts, his deciding vote will lead to continued uncertainty about the nation’s job creators, and will make job creation that much more difficult in the weeks and months to come.”
It is time for Americans to take a stand! The voters of Congressional District 6 should ask themselves; do we want more of Frank Pallone’s economic progressive agenda or do we want a candidate who knows fiscal responsibility and truly cares about Americans? On November 2nd we must get out the vote for Anna Little. The only way to rid ourselves of the existing scourge is to vote them out of office! This is the power granted all Americans by the Constitution. Unlike the Healthcare Bill, it is a relatively short document but it speaks volumes. This is the wonderful, democratic process we live by, WE THE PEOPLE…
Editors Note: When I relaunched this blog on September 7 I announced that dissenting views were welcome, in the comments and via submissions. Until now, only my friend Vin Gopal has taken me up on a submission.
This piece was sent to me by “NJ Team Obama” and written by “Danny Democrat”
A 2003 study published by the American Psychological Association concluded that political conservatism is rooted in “fear and aggression, dogmatism and the intolerance of ambiguity” and other psychological factors.
According to the article, “Political Conservatism as Motivated Social Cognition,” four researchers who culled through 50 years of research literature report that the core of the right-wing ideology is the resistance to change and a tolerance for inequality. http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/07/22_politics.shtml
The emergence of the Tea Party movement has ignited passion among the most extreme adherents of conservatism in Republican politics, a phenomenon ending the careers of many longtime GOP establishment politicians.
Terror management is another psychological factor that influences conservatism, along with a need for certainty and cognitive closure. These primal instincts help define what makes a political conservative at a time in history when human survival probably depends upon a greater adherence to logic and reason.
Research has shown that people in a state of distress by nature are prone to the allure of charismatic leaders but it’s hard to imagine what would have happened if unbridled emotions drove the Kennedy white House in October 1962 instead of cool intellect. http://library.thinkquest.org/11046/days/index.html
Tea bag conservatives reject science as part of their blind loyalty to discredited anti-intellectual ideas and self-righteous faith-based morality, because by not allowing facts to dillute their perspective, they achieve the certainty they prize. http://silentmajority09.com/2010/09/24/conservatives-assault-science/
The leading tea baggers exhibit ultra-conservative craziness that seems to be overlooked by many voters who would normally object the their agenda: Ken Buck, Christine O’Donnell, Rand Paul, Sharron Angle,Carl Paladino, Mike Lee, Joe Miller, Marco Rubio and others. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/15/september-14-primary-elec_1_n_717242.html
Republicans advocate a regressive 30 percent sales tax on everything you buy – which they call ‘the fair tax’ — while cutting income taxes again for the richest three percent of the people, tax breaks for multinational corporations that export American jobs. http://www.factcheck.org/taxes/unspinning_the_fairtax.html Regressive taxes make the poorest pay higher rates than the wealthy so Republicans are entirely disconnected from the American people, even if some Democratic incumbents have disappointed many people.
Republicans want to repeal President Obama’s Wall Street reforms, repeal the new rules that stop insurance companies from dumping sick children, repeal changes helping America’s war veterans — and then they want to tie down the administration with subpoenas and investigations that will preclude the president from solving any real problems facing Americans. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20011464-503544.html
Most of these ideas are well outside the main stream but if Democrats keep pushing for health reform, jobs creation, restrictions on Wall Street and credit cards — essentially all the things they stand for — then they could be in for more than a political fight.
The bizarre policy positions are weighted with even more extreme anti-government craziness. According to a Sothern Pverty Law Center report: “U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) said she feared that the president was planning ‘reeducation camps for young people,’ while U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.), evoking memories of the discredited communist-hunter Sen. Joseph McCarthy, warned of 17 ’socialists’ in Congress.” http://www.splcenter.org/images/dynamic/main/The_Second_Wave.pdf
The same report stated:
[Fox News host Glenn] Beck is just one of the well-known cable TV news personalities to air fictitious conspiracies and other unlikely Patriot ideas. CNN’s Lou Dobbs has treated the so-called Aztlan conspiracy as a bona fide concern and questioned the validity of Obama’s birth certificate despite his own network’s definitive -debunking of that claim. On MSNBC, commentator Pat Buchanan suggested recently that white Americans are now suffering “exactly what was done to black folks.” On FOX News, regular contributor Dick Morris said, “Those crazies in Montana who say, ‘We’re going to kill ATF agents because the U.N.’s going to take over’ — well, they’re beginning to have a case.”
The insane ideas are being backed up by action. The Second Wave includes a chapter outlining 75 right-wing terrorist plots, conspiracies and racist rampages since 1995, when conservative Republican Timothy McVeigh bombed the Oklahoma City federal building, killing 168 people, including 19 children in a day-care center, and injuring another 500. http://www.splcenter.org/images/dynamic/main/The_Second_Wave.pdf
In March 2010, after the report was published, nine Hutaree militia members were arrested in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana, for alleged involvement in a plot to murder a law enforcement officer and then attack police officers at the funeral using illegal explosives and firearms in order to incite revolution against the government. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hQlDq4d5Js2bVnV83z7R1ORbsZPA
People who make up the Tea Party movement are largely conservative and get their news from Fox; they’re generally old and of moderate to low income; and they’re fairly convinced that their taxes are going to rise in the next few years, even though they won’t. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/01/tea-party-survey-old-cons_n_522336.html
“It’s the type of group that would likely benefit the most from Democratic governance, with commitments to Social Security, Medicare, and middle-class job creation,” said that report.
Tea baggers also have exceedingly poor views of President Obama. In the aforementioned poll, 81 percent disapproved of his job performance.
The scientific research identified the paranoia and obsession with certainty associated with conservatism but here are some hard examples of how they depart from reality and embrace delusion:
Such lunacy is not being immediately rejected by voters. Crazed tea baggers won Republican nominations for seven U.S. Senate seats, for New York governor and for dozens of seats in Congress. They are all over the place on ballots for city council, mayor, plus county and state offices.
The Harris Poll of 2,320 adults surveyed online between March 1 and 8, 2010 finds that large numbers of Tea Party supporters have not just extremely hostile opinions of President Obama but believe many of the false statements about him circulated on cable news and the internet.
The numbers among Tea Party supporters are scary, indeed: 67% believe the President is a socialist, although Harris didn’t do anything to verify that respondents knew what that word meant. More than half believe he is a Muslim,
The Republican leadership’s willingness to flirt with ideas like the birth certificate conspiracy, or their insistence that health care reform is an “apocalypse,” paints all Republicans as unhinged loons and obliterate conservative credibility.
If you are still thinking about voting Republican, please see a mental health professional at once.
