Christie’s off to Wall with education fairness plan

photo via Governor’s office

By Art Gallagher

Governor Chris Christie is back on the Town Hall circuit…now he is calling them forums…as he meets New Jersey voters on Tuesday in Wall Township to promote the school funding formula that he announced last week.

The “Fairness Formula Forum” will take place in the Wall branch of the Monmouth County Library, 2700 Allaire Rd., Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.  The doors open at 2:15 p.m and seating his first come first served.  RSVPs are encouraged for planning purposes to  [email protected].

Christie is saying that he wants a referendum in 2017 to amend the State Constitution so that State education funding is distributed equally to all school age children throughout the New Jersey.  He says that the State would contribute $6,500 per student.  Currently roughly 75% of State funding goes to 31 school districts, formerly referred to Abbott districts for the landmark Abbott vs Burke NJ Supreme Court decision that mandated that the State subsidize poor and urban districts.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

No Proof $1+ Billion Gas Tax Increase Is Necessary

By Senator Mike Doherty (R-23)

With a $1.3 billion gas tax increase proposed by some in the Legislature, it’s more important than ever to understand New Jersey’s transportation spending.

More than a year ago, I called for the state to create a “State Transportation Cost Analysis Task Force” to conduct a methodical analysis of the factors that contribute to New Jersey’s road costs, compare our costs to those of other states, and provide recommendations to complete projects more cost-effectively.

While many would consider this legislation to be a matter of common sense, it has failed to advance in the Democrat-controlled Legislature.

I initially introduced S-1888 in response to a study by the Reason Foundation that found Garden State roads to be the nation’s most expensive to build, operate and maintain.

According to that report, New Jersey’s state-administered highways cost taxpayers $2 million per mile, which the Reason Foundation claims to be 12 times the national average, three times the cost in the next highest state and four times the cost in New York.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Opinion: Democrat primary voters should nominate Ashford and Fulton for Freeholder

By Art Gallagher

The Republican presidential nomination has been decided.  On the Democrat side, Bernie Sanders and the FBI are still nipping at Hillary Clinton’s heels.  A a national level, like most presidential years, the New Jersey primary will make little difference. However, this year Democrat voters have an important choice to make locally.

In addition to their presidential choice, voters in the Democrat primary next Tuesday, June 7, will choose two nominees for Monmouth County Freeholder.

Running on Hillary Clinton’s ticket with the support of Monmouth County Chairman Vin Gopal are Belmar Mayor “Lawless Matt” Doherty and Brenda Sue Fulton of Asbury Park.

Running on Bernie Sanders’ ticket are Laury Wills of Little Silver and Angelica Ashford of Manalapan.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Memorial Day Reflections

By Steve McEnery

Memorial Day has become the traditional beginning of summer. Originally,
and more importantly (Decoration Day) was established to commemorate the
Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. By the 20th
century, Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who died
while in military service. Unfortunately, it’s not taught in school the
way it once was.

Today, the flag is burned, stepped and danced on and spit upon, totally
disrespecting it; and the men and  woman who have died defending this
Country, our Flag and the rights of those that defile and disrespect
this great symbol of freedom.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Road to the White House, 2016: Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio

By Alan J. Steinberg

I have had a rather poor prediction record in this year’s presidential primaries, as I vastly underrated Donald Trump’s appeal.  I remain intrepid, however, so the following is my initial Electoral College 2016 projection.

In order to be elected president, a candidate must win states giving him or her a total of at least 270 electoral votes.  I believe that Donald Trump will carry all the states won by Mitt Romney in 2012, giving him a base of 206 electoral votes.

I classify seven of the states won by Barack Obama in 2012 as swing states in 2016.  These states are the three double digit electoral vote states of Florida (29 electoral votes), Ohio (18), and Pennsylvania (20), and the four single digit electoral vote states of New Hampshire (4), Iowa (6), Colorado (9), and Nevada (6), for a total of 92 electoral votes.  Hillary Clinton is likely to carry all the other states won by Obama in 2012, giving her a base of 240 electoral votes.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Blasting the myths and making the case for reasonable speed limits

By Declan O’Scanlon

The Asbury Park Press editorial board recently took a position AGAINST setting speed limits based on engineering criteria and FOR setting limits based on the hunches of unqualified elected officials and bureaucrats.  The position is so fundamentally flawed, so based on decades-old defunct myths, so devoid of any basis in actual fact, that it’s hard to decide where to begin.

My speed limit initiative is a simple one – set speed limits based on sound engineering criteria.  I would remove uninformed or profit-motivated elected officials and bureaucrats from the process. Traffic laws shouldn’t be based on the random hunches of any of us. Setting any law by hunch only diminishes the public’s confidence in ALL laws. That’s not a way to enhance safety anywhere. Why should the public take a 25 mph school speed limit seriously when we randomly post such speed limits all over – including stretches of roadway that should be posted at 40?  Don’t even get me started on the damage random limits have on the image of our police – who become the face of these arbitrary laws.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

America’s front row seat at the transgender freak show

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2016 – In 1897, journalist William Fitzgerald described America as a “land of real humor, of ingenuity, of resource. When some important political or other event agitates that great country, topical side shows spring up with amazing promptness.” P.T. Barnum with Tom Thumb. Fitzgerald was referring to the lusus naturrae (freaks of nature)… Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Bruce Springsteen, Will You Support Asbury Park Gays Against Bigotry and Refuse to Play There, Too?

By Tommy DeSeno

Greetings, Bruce!

I hail from the City of your choosing, Asbury Park New Jersey.  A fan since you named your first album after our fair city; I’m one of your loyal “kids huddled on the beach in the mist.”  We’ve met on those nights you thrill the locals with impromptu performances at the Stone Pony, which made that venue famous.

I’ve noticed your occasional forays into politics, including your concert cancellation in North Carolina to protest laws about who gets to use what bathroom, and who gets to sue for discrimination.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

The Wisconsin landslide propels Cruz in California – and New Jersey

By Alan Steinberg

Ted Cruz did not just prevail in Wisconsin Tuesday night – he won a landslide.  And that has major positive ramifications for him in the primary finale of the campaign in both New Jersey and California on Tuesday, June 7.

A bit of context is in order.  The California GOP primary is presidential winner take all three delegates in each of the 53 Congressional districts, plus 10 at-large delegates to the statewide winner plus three Republican National Committee delegates (state GOP chair plus national committee man and woman), a total of 172 delegates.  In New Jersey, all 51 delegates are bound to vote for the presidential primary winner on the first ballot.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Bonnie Prince Donnie Wants to Thwart the Will of the Voters

By Tommy DeSeno

Call him Bonnie Prince Donnie.

In the 18th century, Bonnie Prince Charlie, aka Charles Edward Stuart, was the last Jacobite Pretender to the throne of England. The Bonnie Prince thought the English throne was his birthright, so he traveled the countryside picking fights with anyone who disagreed.

Donald Trump, our current Bonnie Prince, acts very much the same. His intemperance and penchant for vengeance is manifest in response to any challenge to him, with no crack too lowbrow, be it McCain’s heroics, Carly’s face or Megyn’s menstrual cycle. Only a Jacobean sense of entitlement could bring a Wharton grad into the gutter. Even Jeb knew the Presidency had to be earned, not inherited or claimed.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet