The next time you hear a politician exclaim; "It's just a tax cut for the rich!" Ask yourself what does that really mean? Let's put tax cuts in terms everyone can understand. Perhaps this little story will help clear up the issue.

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for dinner. The bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh $7.
The eighth $12.
The ninth $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, the ten men ate dinner in the restaurant every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement. Then one day, the owner of the establishment decided to give the steady customers a break.

"Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily meal by $20." So, now dinner for the ten only cost $80.

The group still wanted to continue paying their bill the way we pay our taxes. So, the first four men were unaffected. They would still eat for free. But what about the other six, the paying customers? How could they divvy up the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share'?

The six men realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being 'PAID' to eat their meal.

So, the restaurant owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the percent of their normal contribution toward the tab, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay. And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).
The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to eat for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

"I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man. Pointing to the tenth man saying,” but he got $10!"

Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than me!"

"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only $2? The wealthy get all the breaks!"

"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. This system exploits the poor!"

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up. The next night the tenth man didn't show up for dinner, so the nine sat down and ate without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

Moral of the story – Keep requiring more and more taxes from the most productive, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up at the table anymore.

Let’s hope the ATM machines had surveillance equipment that captured the images of people using the family’s bank card. Let’s also hope investigators strategically decided not to place a stop on the family’s account in an attempt to identify suspects or gain leads to the actual murderer(s). Star-Ledger article here, summary below

Hossam Armanious, 47, his wife, Amal Garas, 37, and their daughters, Sylvia, 15, and Monica, 8, were found stabbed to death inside their Jersey City home on Jan. 14. Investigators believe the family was killed the night of Jan. 11, although their bodies were not found until Jan. 14. That delay, authorities say, has made tracing the killers extremely difficult.

Each victim had been bound, gagged and stabbed in the throat. Investigators have determined they were killed with a knife that had been kept in the family's home. The family's furniture drawers had been rifled through, Armanious' wallet was found
empty near his body and the pocketbook of Sylvia Armanious was empty, authorities have said.

Yesterday, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said someone withdrew "thousands" of dollars from Armanious' bank account using his ATM card and secret password. The ATM card was used on "a number of different occasions" at banks in the Heights section of Jersey City, where the family lived, and in Midtown Manhattan.. The withdrawals continued for several days after news of the slayings was broadcast and splashed across front pages throughout the region.

Thousands of dollars were withdrawn from his account, though DeFazio would not disclose the exact total, the number of transactions, nor the banks involved. He also would not comment on whether investigators believe the person using the card was the same person, or people, who killed the family.

Many ATMs are equipped with video cameras, but DeFazio declined to say whether investigators had obtained photos or video of the person, or people, who used Armanious' card.

Church leaders and others in the Coptic community have speculated about a religious motive, saying they believe Armanious was targeted by Muslim extremists for criticizing Islam in Internet chat rooms.

"We have not been able to corroborate this Internet ... speculation," DeFazio said. "So I'm not going to say for sure that that is not involved, but I am going to say that we haven't been able to corroborate it and we have corroborated this monetary motive." Asked specifically about possible religious motive, DeFazio said, "It could still be. It could be a hybrid."

Authorities say the killers left behind no hate messages not did they desecrate Coptic Christian artifacts in the home or the traditional cross tattoos each family member had on their wrists.

DeFazio said investigators remain "guardedly optimistic" the killer or killers will be found.

This can't be good:

Going against a tradition among New Jersey governors that dates back to the early 1980s, acting Gov. Richard J. Codey has declined to release his income tax returns, according to a published report.

A spokesman for Codey said according to the terms of blind trust set up for the acting governor's insurance firm, the Olympic Agency, Codey does not even know when his tax return is filed.

We wonder if this a cover to allow Jon Corzine not to release his tax returns. We can hear it now, "not all candidates and Governors have released their tax returns"

Conventional wisdom has it that New Jersey is a “blue state” – both U.S. senate seats, majority of representatives in Congress, Governor and both houses of the state legislature – all controlled by the Democrats. The state even went for Kerry in the last presidential election.

Now we wonder, are the people of New Jersey happy with how the state is being run and how well they are represented at the federal level? Are Democrats doing an effective job for all New Jersey citizens? We would answer no, the state is not being represented or managed well.

New Jersey has a $4 billion budget deficit; highest property taxes in the country; far too many failing schools, even with the highest per student spending in the nation and receives 57¢ for every federal tax dollar sent to Washington – ranking dead last in the entire U.S.A.

How can we spend so much and have such meager returns? How is it possible for the people of New Jersey to return the same people or party's candidates to office, over and over again? It just doesn’t make sense.

Perhaps there are other measurements people might use to determine the effectiveness of New Jerseys' Democrat leaders – we’d like to hear them. There has got to be some reason for New Jersey’s “blue state” status.

Maybe the majority of the folks in New Jersey just “feel” the Democrat Party better reflects their positions, values and beliefs. It’s hard to believe and sad to think the majority of our fellow Jerseyans “feel” aligned with a party represented by Howard Dean. Here are just a few quotes from the new Chairman of the Democrat Party from the last several weeks. Does this man represent the beliefs of the majority of voters in New Jersey?

Dean told a crowd of party faithful in New York, “I hate the Republicans and everything they stand for….”

Dean told a group at a Hiebert [Kansas] fund-raiser that, “moderate Republicans can't stand these people (conservatives), because they're intolerant.

They don't think tolerance is a virtue," Dean said, adding: "I'm not going to have these right-wingers throw away our right to be tolerant." And concluding his backyard speech with a litany of Democratic values, he added: "This is a struggle of good and evil. And we're the good."

Is Dr. Dean a model of Democrat Party tolerance? Does he represent the thinking of Senators Corzine and Lautenberg, Governor Codey and all the other Democrats in the state? You read that last sentence about the struggle of good and evil – and we’re the good, you’d think he was referring to our country’s terrorist enemies. He’s not, Dean’s talking about those that don’t agree with him, non-Democrats. He’s talking about us.

It’s one thing to disagree about issues, policies, problems and solutions but, isn’t this going a bit too far? What the heck have we (non Democrats) done to drive the Chairman of the Democrat Party to consider us evil and to hate us? This level of hostility from a fellow American and we’re intolerant?

At some point don’t the Democrats need a little more to their play book than hurling insults, trying to “stop things”, a desire to spend more and raise taxes? Just sticking with the facts, can someone please explain how this agenda helps the majority of people?

Let's all pray New Jersey is able to get rid of the "blues, assuming that it is still allowed.

Patrick Ruffini weighs in on the 2006 New Jersey race to replace Jon Corzine in the Senate. We hope this implies Corzine will lose his bid to become Governor in 2005 and will then retire from “public service” when his term expires.

We don’t see Lisa Beamer or Debra Burlingame running for the Senate and we can’t imagine the boys of New Jersey being open to the idea of stepping aside. We don’t know enough about either woman to know if they would make a good Senator but, it is not possible to represent New Jersey any less effectively then Corzine and Lautenberg.

The Republican nominee for U.S. Senate needs to be someone who can capture and own this sentiment in 2006. State Sen. Tom Kean, Jr. and Rep. Mike Ferguson are certainly capable alternatives, but would they shake up the race? Would they bring a single-minded focus to the issue of defeating terrorism, which is the prime mover in New Jersey?

That's why the GOP might consider drafting Lisa Beamer or Debra Burlingame, who have proven to be two of the most poised and graceful representatives of the 9/11 families. Beamer is the widow of Flight 93 hero Todd Beamer, and the author of her own book Let's Roll! In a 2002 interview, she discussed the role her faith played in bringing her family through this wrenching period.

AARP bills itself as”a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization for people over 50.” Now check out the AARP’s blog roll – entire roll shown below.

The AARP has been attached to Jon Corzine’s hip as he has traveled around the state on his Social Security disinformation campaign. Nonpartisan? Who are they kidding?

Daily Kos
Donkey Rising
Dude, Where's my retirement?
Eschaton
Talking Points Memo
The Left Coaster
There Is No Crisis

Jon Corzine will be on Face The Nation tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. to discuss President Bush's proposal for private Social Security accounts.

We wonder who CBS will have on the show to correct the disinformation Corzine will undoubtedly spout to his follow citizens. We also wonder if CBS will provide equal time to a New Jersey Republican running for governor.

Jon Corzine’s press releases have gone from saying Corzine is “considered among his party's chief economic and finance experts” to calling himself “one of the nation’s foremost experts on the economy and financial markets.”

From here on out we will refer to Enlighten-NewJersey as one of the nation’s foremost authorities on Senator John Corzine (D-NJ), the former C0-Chairman of Goldman Sachs.

Today, family and friends of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing victims will dedicate a temporary memorial on the 12th anniversary of the terrorist attack. The previous memorial was destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks. Rescue workers managed to recover a piece of the original memorial, which was used to make the new one.

On February 26, 1993, a car bomb was planted in an underground garage below World Trade Center Tower One. The bomb, planted by Islamic terrorists with ties to Al Qaeda, exploded at 12:17 p.m., opening a 30 meter wide hole through 4 sublevels of concrete. Six people were killed and at least 1,040 others were injured.

Killed were Bob Kirkpatrick, 61, Steven Knapp, 47, and Bill Macko, 57, mechanical supervisors for the Port Authority and Monica Rodriguez Smith, Macko's secretary. The fifth and sixth victims were Wilfred Mercado, 37, who worked for the Windows on the World restaurant atop the North Tower and was checking in food deliveries in the basement, and John DiGiovanni, 45, a dental salesman who was in the parking garage when the bomb exploded.

More here, here

Let’s not forget the Iraq - al Qaeda connection to the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.

"There's no question Saddam Hussein had al Qaeda ties." U.S. intelligence officials, meanwhile, have confirmed that fact once again. Abdul Rahman Yasin, a suspect in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was being harbored in Iraq; documents recently found in Tikrit indicate that Saddam provided Yasin with monthly payments and a home. According to federal authorities, the Ramzi Yousef-led terror cell that carried out the 1993 bombing received funding from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, alleged mastermind of the 2001 attack.

President Bush has scheduled a town hall-style gathering in Westfield, N.J., to discuss his Social Security plan, this coming Friday at the Westfield Armory at 10:40 a.m.

We were so disgusted with the latest political corruption in New Jersey, we couldn’t even bring ourselves to do a post. It really wasn’t necessary given the great coverage by the Jersey blogger gang. Read the posts by DynamoBuzz, JerseyStyle. MisterSnitch, ParkwayRestStop, SluggoNeedsANap, more Sluggo, and Smadanek.

The second chapter in this story was just too Soprano like to pass up:

He called himself "Duke" and drove around in a flashy black Cadillac with two beefy guys. He hobnobbed with elected officials and government workers in Monmouth County, telling them he owned a demolition company, and did some illegal loansharking to boot.

Authorities say he eventually handed out envelopes of cash in return for the promise of government contracts.

But Robert "Duke" Steffer was actually cooperating with the FBI in its corruption investigation of public officials. In fact, when a reporter from The Star-Ledger of Newark knocked on the door of his Florida home Wednesday, Steffer answered it wearing a blue baseball cap with the letters "FBI" on the front.

Boy these guys running the New Jersey School Construction Corp are really taking cost cutting seriously. This is the agency that is supposed to mange an $8.6 billion budget to make repairs and build new schools for certain districts.

Jack Spencer, chief executive officer of the Schools Construction Corp., has already blown through $5.7 billion of the budgeted $8.6 billion and says he needs at least another $6 billion to get the job done. More on the subject here and here.

So now we learn the SSC is cutting costs to the bone - they're eliminating a $2 million advertising campaign. We suppose a "look what we're doing for you" campaign was to be mounted just in time for the elections in November. Are these people good stewards of taxpayer money? In the private sector these people would have been fired long ago. So few people pay attention and so it's business as usual - spend with abandon.

The School Construction Corp in charge of doling out $8.6 billion to build and improve schools in New Jersey - particularly in poor districts - is cutting its costs.

Officials at the SCC announced Wednesday that they would eliminate a $2 million advertising campaign and take other steps to reduce expenses. The agency on Wednesday approved an operating budget of $34.6 million for 2005 - $5 million less than last year.

Just thought you'd like to know:

Noon. NEW BRUNSWICK-ROUTE 18 REHABILITATION-New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner Jack Lettiere holds a briefing on the state's largest rehabilitation project this year, the $200 million rehabilitation of Route 18 in New Brunswick.
Location: New Jersey Turnpike Authority Headquarters, Board Room.

1:30 p.m. BRIDGEWATER-ROUTE 22 FUNDING-U.S. Reps. Rodney Frelinghuysen and Mike Ferguson announce $3 million in federal funding for the Route 22 improvement project.
Location: Former PNC Bank, 1130 Route 22 E.

We've begun a new feature on Enlighten-New Jersey - Quote Of The Month. All readers are invited to submit quotes about New Jersey or statements made by a citizen of the Garden State. Quotes must have been made within in the past 30 days and be submitted with a link to a legitimate source for consideration.

All submissions must be posted in the comments section or sent to enlightenj@excite.com by no later than 11:59 pm of the last day of the month. All quotes including the name of the person or blog submitting the quote will be published the first day of the following month. The winner will be recognized with a special Enlighten-NewJersey award.

To kick things off, reader "Not Throwing Stones" has submitted the following quote.

"We cannot balance the budget on the backs of the traveling public and small-business people."
-- Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), in a letter to President Bush criticizing a federal proposal to raise airline ticket fees by $3.

The NJ Assembly passed a bill requiring NJ Transit to take over the Hudson River Ferry service should the private operator go under (no pun intended) and “reasonable” fares be maintained. The bill now goes to the NJ Senate for consideration.

Can New Jersey afford to take on transportation projects that serve so few people? Is it cost effective? The article excerpted below states the ferry serves 15,000 riders. That’s not correct – the ferry provides 15,000 rides. Most of them round trips, meaning about 7,500 people are using the ferry service.

Remember the River Line, where riders pay a one-way fare of $1.10, and New Jersey taxpayers pay $35.00. A reasonable fare, reasonable to whom?

Commuters who rely on ferries to get back and forth to work would be shielded from excessive fare increases or sudden service disruptions under a measure passed Thursday by the Assembly. The measure empowers NJ Transit to assume control of the New York Waterway ferry services if private ownership fails to provide New Jersey commuters with satisfactory service.

The bill, which now heads to the Senate, was prompted by a near shutdown late last year of the Hudson River ferry service, used by 15,000 daily riders. "We must ensure that as many people as possible have access to a comprehensive mass transit system at a reasonable price, and a quality ferry operation needs to be part of that equation," said Assembly Speaker Albio Sires, a co-sponsor of the bill. "A contingency plan needs to be put in place in the event new private ownership of New York Waterway ferries results in burdensome fares or less than optimum service for commuters."

The other side of the story:

NJ Transit may give NY Waterway a break on the lease payments that the struggling company has agreed to make on the new $53 million ferry terminal being built in Weehawken, officials said.

The Port Authority had been charging NY Waterway $50,000 a month. But the agency agreed to revise the payments as part of a deal that shifts the Hoboken Terminal routes to William Wachtel, a well-connected Manhattan lawyer.

Wachtel, who is buying 16 ferries from NY Waterway for $19.1 million, would have to pay less than half the current fee under the deal that may be approved by the Port Authority at its meeting Thursday.

A reader’s email got us to thinking again about the term “working families”. Politicians love this term, especially the Democrats. So what does this term mean?

When we first heard the phrase we thought in literal terms. Working families meant exactly that – families in which everyone works, kids included. Good hardworking people - mom and dad with full-time jobs and the kids, flipping burgers, working at the mall, etc.

However, somehow we knew we really hadn’t grasped the real meaning of the term, because when a Democrat spoke of “working families” there always seemed to be a sad story implied by the phase. Someone (usually a Republican) was hurting “working families”. So, we realized the term had to have a more specific meaning, because in our “working family” it was usually a Democrat behind the government policies that were hurting us.

We gave up on trying to figure it out, just put it out of our minds until a reader contacted Enlighten-New Jersey. Our reader tells us that about three weeks ago he sent an email to Senator Jon Corzine asking him for a clarification on the term “working families.” As of today, the Senator has not bothered to reply, not even an auto respond. When you read what he sent, you’ll understand why.

Dear Senator Corzine (Or Staff Member receiving this email),

I hope I’m not bothering you with what may seem like a trivial question. Last night a group of friends got to talking about Senator Corzine’s support for working families. During the conversation someone asked “What does the term “working families” mean? We all recognized we had heard the term often. We’ve heard the Senator and others use the phrase, but our group could not agree upon a common definition.

So my question - what does the term mean, at least what does the Senator mean when he speaks of working families? I’ll give you some examples of the confusion among my friends.

The group all decided I would not be included under their definition. I’m divorced and have no children – therefore, they believe I don’t fall within the working family category. Some believed there had to be at least two people in the household, some thought at least one person in the home had to be a child. Some thought retired couples didn’t count – no longer working and others thought you couldn’t make more than “X” amount of money. Most thought that at least one person in the home had to work and earn a paycheck.

I volunteered to email the Senator to clear up the confusion. Oh yea, my friends agreed on one other thing – the Senator’s staff would be too busy to answer our dumb question. So I now have $50 riding on the side I will receive more than a thank you auto respond. I hope you won’t let me down.

Thank you in advance for your reply.

P.S. I do work for a living.

Now we know the real reason George Bush lead the nation to a war on terror and then expaned the mission into Iraq. Forget what you’ve heard about blood for oil, Haliburton, revenge for Poppy Bush, did we say Dick Cheney’s Haliburton - all wrong. Walter F. Roche Jr., investigative reporter for the LA Times, has uncovered the real reason. Bush’s “Uncle Bucky”.

Yep, you read that correctly. President Bush cooked up the whole war thing at a family reunion in Texas. The story begins in 2000, before “W” was elected.

Step one was to have “Uncle Bucky” wrangle a spot on the board of a company that supplies armor and other material to U.S. troops. Step two was to steal the presidential election. Step three was to antagonize the Muslim world to bring about a horrendous terrorist attack on the country. Step four was to keep the war going with “whatever it takes” – on into Iraq.

With the help of Karl Rove step five was launched – the creation of a hoo-ha over the lack of armor for the troops. Once everyone, including the press, was clamoring for more armor, Bush directed the Pentagon to purchase the material from “Uncle Bucky”. Orders flew in and “Uncle Bucky” was able to cash in some stock options, netting him a cool $450,000, because of the “war-related” profits that trickled down to ESSI. Now at long last we know the truth. Time to start a Congressional investigation.

Original Article via the Newark Star-Ledger

The Iraq war helped bring record earnings to St. Louis-based defense contractor Engineered Support Systems Inc., and new financial data show that the company's war-related profits have trickled down to a familiar family name -- Bush.

William H.T. "Bucky" Bush, uncle of the president and youngest brother of former President George H.W. Bush, cashed in on ESSI stock options last month with a net value of more than $450,000.

"Uncle Bucky," as he is known to the president, is on the board of the company that supplies armor and other material to U.S. troops. The company's stock prices have soared to record heights since the run-up to invasion, benefiting in part from contracts to rapidly refit fleets of military vehicles with extra armor.

William Bush exercised options on 8,438 shares of company stock Jan. 18, according to reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He acknowledged in an interview that the transaction was worth just over $450,000.

In an earnings report issued yesterday, the company disclosed net earnings for the first quarter ending Jan. 31 reached a record $20.6 million, while quarterly revenues hit $233.5 million, up 20 percent from a year ago. As a result, the company boosted its projected annual revenues to a range of $990 million to $1 billion.

William Bush, 66, a one-time St. Louis bank executive and head of an investment firm, joined the board in 2000, eight months before his nephew won the White House.

The president's uncle said in an interview that he never used his family connections to help the company win contracts.

"I don't make any calls to the 202 area code," he said, referring to Washington, D.C. He also said he sought legal advice before accepting appointment to the ESSI board to be certain there would be no problems.

Dan Kreher, vice president of industrial relations for ESSI, said Bush was one of several people added to the board about five years ago and was selected because he had "a long history of involvement in the local business community. We've known him for a long time."

"Having a Bush doesn't hurt," said Kreher, who acknowledged that the company is routinely engaged in Washington lobbying efforts. But, he said, Democrats, including a party fund-raiser, also serve on the panel.

We don't watch the show The Simple Life and don't suppose we ever will. Of course we have heard of Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, even here behind the pinhole. There is no accounting for other's taste, but could someone explain how these two idiots and their producers thought an internship in a funeral home would be funny? Better yet, why would an owner of a funeral home open his doors to such tackiness? Really adds to New Jersey's reputation doesn't it?

Several viewers are horrified by Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie's latest internship on "The Simple Life." Hilton and Richie worked at the Kohler Funeral Home funeral home in Wood-Ridge, NJ.

They spilled what seemed to be ashes on the floor and vacuumed them up, they filled in a grave while wearing fancy clothes and held a fake funeral. One viewer says it was "totally tacky." She tells the Record of Bergen County that her father's casket
was in the same room as the mock funeral.

Another woman says her "knees were shaking" while watching Hilton and Richie help an old couple shop for caskets.

According to John Podesta, the owner of Kohler Funeral Home a disclaimer at the end of the show said no human bodies were used in any of the scenes, but that failed to appease some viewers.

Podesta said he has received few complaints and would not have participated if he thought the episode would hurt the funeral home's reputation. He said the funeral home was not compensated for hosting the show's taping.

The water treatment complex in Totowa, where chemist Geetha Angara was found murdered earlier this month has no internal monitoring or security systems. Once an individual passes through a 10-foot-high gate, a uniformed guard and a surveillance camera, security measures stop. All employees have access to all buildings, with no doors requiring pass cards and no indoor video capturing their movements, workers and borough officials said.

"There are no secure doors. There's no card access. Even visitors from the outside can go anywhere," said Allen Del Vecchio, Totowa's fire marshal and emergency management coordinator and one of the first to respond to the missing persons call. "We walked that entire site without any problem at all."

That freedom of movement and lack of surveillance have complicated the work of detectives seeking to explain how senior chemist Geetha Angara wound up dead in an underground water tank - apparently at the hands of one of her co-workers.

Commission officials declined to say if security changes are planned for the site. A spokesman said PVWC, which directly supplies water for 17 North Jersey communities, has invested $70 million in recent years "to ensure the safety and security of our water supply."

Normally, a 50-pound, aluminum plate covers the tank opening. The plate is kept in place with about a dozen screws, Del Vecchio said. But he and several officers who went to search for Angara found the screws either broken off or missing, he said."There's no way that thing was screwed down," Del Vecchio said. Among conflicting points in the investigation is whether the panel was found in place or dislodged when workers first began searching for Angara.

Nothing about Angara's life has suggested any reason why someone would want her dead, investigators say. There is no evidence that she had any enemies or a secret relationship. As senior chemist, she had no hiring or firing privileges, co-workers said, so workplace grudges seem unlikely. And with no signs of drug use at the crime scene, detectives consider it unlikely she came across a wayward addict.

Other than saying that Angara drowned and was not sexually abused, authorities have refused to disclose autopsy results. Co-workers say she was hard-working, friendly and never boasted about her credentials. "She didn't even want to be called 'doctor,' " one plant supervisor said."She didn't bring it up that she had a Ph.D. She just wanted to be 'Geetha."

More here.

Yesterday we posted about Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, the 23 year old charged with conspiring to assassinate President Bush and conspiracy to support the Al Qaeda terrorist network. We also noted Abu Ali was a U.S. citizen and the valedictorian of his high school class.

Well, as they say, here’s the rest of the story. Abu Ali’s father has worked at the Saudi Embassy in Washington for more than 20 years in computer operations. The high school Abu Ali graduated from, at the head of the class, was the Islamic Saudi Academy, a private school in Alexandria, Virginia subsidized by the Saudi government.

After studying engineering briefly at the University of Maryland, Abu Ali moved to Saudi Arabia in 2000 to study the Koran at the Islamic University of Medina. Tuition at the university is free and 8590 of the total enrolment has been allocated to non-Saudi students.

"After the devastating terrorist attack and murders of Sept. 11," said Paul J. McNulty, the United States attorney in Alexandria, Mr. Abu Ali "turned his back on America and joined the cause of Al Qaeda."

More here and here

The sheer volume of craziness going on in New Jersey, not to mention in the country, has left us in a state of paralysis, along with a bad case of writers block. This after our blood pressure was high enough to cause the casual observer to assume we had returned from vacation with a bad sunburn. A closer look revealed throbbing veins popping from our neck on up and nails being spit out every time we opened our mouths. This state is not conducive to writing.

Calm down and be rational, but where to begin. We start a post on one issue and twenty more catch our attention. We begin research on one, which leads us to another and the next thing you know we have become completely overwhelmed with about 20 posts in various states of readiness. So here we are, sitting in front of the keyboard alternating between mumbling to ourselves and ranting to anyone unlucky enough to pass by.

Instapudit once said "there are two downsides to blogging. One is that it can fill up your time, one five-minute chunk after another. The other -- much worse -- is that it forces you to pay attention to the news, which is usually depressing, infuriating, or frightening, or some combination of all three." Glenn Reynolds has captured our thoughts and mood precisely.

We have an acquaintance that does not follow the news and therefore, believes it would be inappropriate to vote, so she doesn’t. When asked about her lack of interest, she says she is much happier not knowing. In other words, ignorance is bliss. We happen to agree, people without a clue on issues or candidates should not vote. We wish every potential voter that hasn’t bothered to educate themselves would stay away from the polls. We’d all be much better off.

We also realize, more importantly, if no one paid attention to what’s going on we’d all be in real trouble, the kind that no one, no matter how hard they tried, would be able to ignore. It really is our duty as citizens to pay attention. This is the reason we started this blog, to force ourselves to pay attention and hopefully to provide information to others lacking the time to sort through all the clutter.

With that in mind, for at least the time being, we will keep blogging. If nothing else, we're learning a lot. Now, if we could only learn to clam down. Any tips or suggestions would greatly be appreciated.

Ahmed Omar Abu Ali was charged today with conspiring to assassinate President Bush and conspiracy to support the Al Qaeda terrorist network. The indictment said that in 2002 and 2003 Abu Ali and an unidentified coconspirator discussed plans for Abu Ali to assassinate Bush. Abu Ali is charged with six counts and would face a maximum of 80 years in prison if convicted.

Abu Ali had been arrested and detained in Saudi Arabia after the May 2003 bombings in Riyadh, which killed 23 people, including nine Americans. A recent demand by the U.S. government to the Saudis to either charge Abu Ali or release him to the U.S, led to the transfer of custody.

Federal prosecutors have previously alleged Abu Ali had a relationship with some members of what has been called the "Virginia jihad network," whose members were charged with providing material support to a terrorist organization.

More than 100 supporters of Abu Ali crowded the courtroom and laughed when the charge was read aloud alleging that he conspired to assassinate Bush.

Abu Ali, a 23 year old U.S. citizen, made an initial appearance today in U.S. District Court. He claimed that he was tortured while detained in Saudi Arabia since June of 2003 and offered through his lawyer to show the judge his scars. Ali was a former high school valedictorian in Virginia.

More here, here, here and here

We’ve been working on a post about Jon Corzine and his sudden interest in political ethics and ending pay-to-play in New Jersey. But someone else with far superior writing skills has covered the subject much better than we ever could. Just a little bit of our opinion before you get to the good stuff.

Typically when you give campaign contributions you choose a party or a candidate that supports your position on the major issues. Some give contributions in the hope a candidate’s position can be influenced through the donation. Wouldn’t you think with all the money he’s spent on “party building” Corzine could have pushed for some ethics reform if he really cared about the issue?

Of course it might have been a bit awkward for Corzine to buy their support and then demand they abandon their pay-to-play ways. Now that he looks a bit compromised on the issue, he’s all over it. We are discovering that the Senator is not very sincere in his public pronouncements. But you already knew that didn’t you?

Read Charles Webster’s column - Corzine cribbing from GOP’s playbook in the Trentonian. Snips below.

Corzine says he wants to clean up New Jersey politics and he insists he is the only man that can deliver.

Ol’ Jonnie is shopping a plan to put a stop to influence peddling, contract swaps for campaign donations and other assorted schemes better known as pay-to-play.That’s what voters in the Garden State want, but they have been looking for it to happen for a long while now.

The big news is that Corzine’s ideas are nothing new. In fact, Corzine’s ideas are ripped right out of the Republicans’ playbook.You got it! Corzine stole GOP ideas and is now shopping them around as his own.Call it stealing, call it plagiarism, call knowing a good idea when he sees one, but don’t forget to call it exactly what it is -- and that’s downright dishonest.

Republican lawmakers Rick Merkt and Michael Patrick Carroll already have a bill introduced to create a new elected office of state comptroller. If Corzine is sincere about wanting to see that post created he needs to get Assembly Speaker Albio Sires and Assembly Majority Leader Joe Roberts off their collective duffs and tell them to post the bill for a vote.

By the way, Jon, If you can’t find the bill on that long list of "ideas," reference it as ACR 55.And as for that pay-to-play ban you say you want to see in place, well, same thing applies here. There are already bills introduced in the Legislature to get the dirty deed banned, but they’re collecting dust over in the Democrats’ Twilight Zone.

Bill Baroni, Kevin O’Toole and Tom Kean, Jr. all have bills pending that will stop pay-to-play dead in its tracks. But good old boys Sires and Roberts keep moving the bills to the bottom of the pile.You want to be the Democrats’ leader in New Jersey? Well, get those guys in line first, everything else will fall into place.

So Jon, it’s nice to see you’re finally playing the ethics reform card.But I’m sorry to inform you that you’re a little late in the game. Eight million dollars in donations from you and Mommy over the last five years does buy you a bye. If you want to be governor, you’ll have to come up with a sharper game plan.In the meantime, the Republicans are waiting to see their bills passed. All you have to do is make the call.

In a speech Friday night Bill Keller, the executive editor of the NYT, provided his opinion on bloggers and the reason the public’s trust in journalists is at its lowest point in decades. Read the summary below, the entire article here.

Funny we thought bloggers and blog readers were among the largest consumers of news. Oh well just for fun - as you read this summary of Keller’s remarks, substitute any derivation of the word “blog” with the “New York Times” and make the same substitution with the word “public”. Any ring of truth? More of our attempt at humor here.

Bill Keller, executive editor of The New York Times, gave a speech this past Friday that focused on the struggle of print journalism to maintain its relevance in the face of constant cable news updates, increased blogging, and failures in credibility.

Keller noted that, according to a recent opinion poll, the public’s trust in journalists is at its lowest point in decades. He attributed this in part to the increasingly polarized nature of the American public, who look to the press for support of their viewpoints.

Keller also sees “blogging,” or online writing that blurs news and commentary, as a mixed blessing. While he celebrated the blogger’s ability to uncover breaking news, he noted that a blog’s inherent bias might be detrimental to the reader. “A blog is still a view of the world through a pinhole,” he said, noting that it can sometimes fall as low as being a “one man circle jerk.”

“There is a pressure to feel well informed without ever confronting an opinion that confronts your prejudices,” he said of blog readers.

Apparently Jon Corzine has come around to our evaluation of his performance as Senator. Admitting he has accomplished nothing during his time in the Senate, he has decided to redefine success. Corzine says, "Sometimes the things you stop are more important than the things you do". Okay, so how did the Senator do at “stopping things”? According to the Star-Ledger, even by this measure Corzine’s a failure.

Most of Corzine’s efforts have “been spent opposing President Bush on economic, social and foreign policy. He voted against the administration's tax cuts, the war in Iraq, the constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, the ban on partial birth abortion and the Medicare prescription drug bill.” So, we can safely say Corzine is not very effective at “stopping things.”

Corzine has said he’s been against Bush's tax cuts, preferring smaller, more targeted tax reductions for the middle class and the poor. That’s interesting because the “poor” aren’t paying any federal income taxes. The most recent Bush tax cuts increased the number of tax filers paying zero federal income tax by 3.8 million, to a record 40 million.

Nearly 10 million tax filers have been taken off the tax rolls because of the last three Bush tax cuts. Nearly 30 percent of the roughly 133 million tax filers this year will pay no income tax. In addition to these income tax filers that pay no tax, 14 million individuals or households do not earn enough to file a tax return. Overall, some 58 million households pay no federal income tax.

In fact, low-income families not only pay no federal income tax, they receive checks back from the government as a result of the "refundable" portion of the child credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). While most Americans think of a "refund" as getting money back because you overpaid your taxes to the IRS, in the case of low-income families, it means you get a check back because you don’t owe any tax.

We also wonder about Corzine’s identification of the middle class requiring “targeted tax reductions.” What income level places a person or family in the middle class in the mind of Senator Corzine? An income starting at $68,000 places you in the top 20% of all federal income taxpayers in the United States. In New Jersey, $68,000 doesn’t go very far given the state’s high cost of living, the state’s gross income tax and of course the highest property taxes in the nation.

As we have written before, Jon Corzine’s federal income tax philosophy hurts New Jersey taxpayers more than those in any other state. Thankfully, Senator Corzine was a failure at “stopping things” or the taxpayers in New Jersey would really be in a world of hurt.

Do the citizens of New Jersey really want a man with Jon Corzine’s tax and spend voting record and philosophy as Governor? Imagine the plans a Governor Corzine might implement to “solve” New Jersey’s budget gap and property tax woes. Hopefully voters will learn the facts before they vote for another disaster in the making.

There is hope. In a recent survey, 20 % of New Jerseyans believe Corzine has no major accomplishments and 45 % credited the Senator with minor ones. Survey’s have also shown New Jersey voters give Corzine a 59 % approval rating, apparently thankful that he has not accomplished anything on his agenda in the U.S. Senate.

The following is a summary of the Star-Ledger report referred to above. The entire article may be read here.

During four years in the U.S. Senate, New Jersey Democrat Jon Corzine has compiled a voting record that places him firmly in his party's liberal wing. The National Journal, a respected weekly magazine that covers Washington politics, recently rated Corzine's voting record as the fourth most liberal in the Senate.

But the liberal label may not be a major handicap in a state that in recent years elected Jim McGreevey Governor returned Frank Lautenberg to the Senate and voted for John Kerry for President.

Corzine received 100 percent rankings from NARAL Pro-Choice America, the National Conference on Civil Rights, the Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence and the AFL-CIO. He also received an 84 percent ranking from League of Conservation Voters and 95 percent from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

Corzine's positions have brought him low ratings from conservative and business-oriented interest groups. In 2003, he received zero ratings from the Christian Coalition and the National Federation of Independent Business. He received a 27 percent score from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 17 percent from the National Taxpayers Union and 15 percent from the American Conservative Union.

But the liberal label may not be a major handicap in a state that in recent years elected Jim McGreevey governor, returned Frank Lautenberg to the Senate and voted for John Kerry for President.

Much of Corzine's energy since January 2001 also has been spent opposing President Bush on economic, social and foreign policy. He voted against the administration's tax cuts, the war in Iraq, the constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, the ban on partial birth abortion and the Medicare prescription drug bill. He is now a leading critic of Bush's plan to partially privatize Social Security.

"There are very few senators who have voted more consistently against President Bush. He is in very select company with Sens. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts and Barbara Boxer of California -- people who are on the party's left wing," said Rutgers political science professor Ross Baker, an expert on the Senate.

Corzine said he has been "consistent in trying to work for the state" on a variety of issues including housing, education, transportation and health care by "taking a thoughtful approach" and "not trying to demagogue things."

The senator said he is "most proud" of his vote against the Iraq war, and many of his other votes against Bush policies he believes were not good for the country. Sometimes the things you stop are more important than the things you do," he said.

Throughout his tenure, Corzine has been a vocal opponent of Bush's tax cuts, saying he would prefer smaller, more targeted tax reductions for the middle class and the poor while putting money into increased aid for state governments and shoring up Medicare and Social Security.

However, only 16 percent of those surveyed credited Corzine with major accomplishments as a Senator, while 45 percent said he had minor ones and 20 percent said he had no real accomplishments.

Corzine, in fact, devoted considerable time during 2003 and 2004 to an unsuccessful effort to win back Democratic control of the Senate. He recruited candidates and raised $86 million as head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, but the Republicans ended up increasing their majority from 51 seats to 55 in the November elections.

While state issues such as the budget gap, rising property taxes and calls for government reform may dominate this year's gubernatorial race, Corzine's record in Washington likely will become campaign fodder, New Jersey Republican Party Chairman Tom Wilson said.

"I am hard-pressed to find anything he has done in Washington to improve the life of the average New Jerseyan," Wilson said.

George Washington's Biography

We’re from the government and we’re here to help. Just ask the residents of Pleasureland, NJ how government help is working out for their community. [Summary below, article here]

An Army Corps of Engineers' project to reduce flooding along the Ramapo River now causes an inch or two of rain to flood the homes and streets of Pleasureland. Last month, 1.2 inches of rain caused the worst flooding the area has seen since Hurricane Floyd.

What’s causing this to happen? Several years ago, the Army Corps of Engineers began a $21.6 million, three-phase project to reduce flooding along the Ramapo. The federal government contributed $19.6 million, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection chipped in $2 million.

Phases 1 and 2 of the project called for widening and deepening almost two miles of the Ramapo River and creating an eight-acre wetland in Potosh Lake. Once those phases were complete, the Army Corps started phase 3, installing flood-control gates last year at the Pompton Lake Dam.

Most of the overflow coming through the dam had to be obstructed to accomplish that task. Since then, water traveling downstream reverses when it hits the restriction at the dam. It's called a backwater effect. "The lake essentially moves upstream," said John O'Connor, project manager for the Army Corps of Engineers. This little snag causes the flooding in Pleasureland.

Pleasureland Councilman Jim Geraghty told residents the corps miscalculated when it constructed a model of the project. He said that led the agency to falsely assume there would be little to no flooding during the dam work, despite the widening and deepening of the river beforehand. "The model does not reflect reality," Geraghty said.

"We're now at a crisis situation," said Lew Levy, chairman of the flood commission and a resident of Lakeview Drive. As the snow melts and the spring rains come, "it's going to be catastrophic," he said. Levy says the Corps has been less than responsive to residents' complaints. "When they started [the project], a lot of us said, 'It's backwards. Don't move the water here first."

The Corps is considering several options, but won't have an answer until the end of the month. The options include using existing water supply facilities or modifying the spillway. In the meantime, Oakland's Office of Emergency Management is developing an evacuation plan for the area - something that hasn't been needed in the more than 50 years that Pleasureland has existed.

When it comes time to evacuate, a borough-owned dump truck would be used to shuttle residents to higher ground. Then they would board a bus and be transferred to the first-aid squad on Ramapo Valley Road. At that point, residents would be on their own. Emergency personnel said that residents should arrange ahead of time for friends or family to pick them up at the first-aid squad.

It will be interesting to see Acting Governor Codey‘s priorities in the budget he unveils for the state of New Jersey next month. Be prepared because it won’t be pretty and the usual battle between the taxpayers versus the tax receivers will truly get underway.

Business as usual, but wouldn’t you think basic government services, such as road maintenance and construction, would escape the cost cutting axe? Apparently government programs that benefit all citizens are not priorities for Codey and his fellow Democrats.

Based upon a Star-Ledger report, Acting Governor Codey is willing to slash $120 million for improvements to local roads and bridges from his new budget. This action would cost New Jersey Taxpayers an additional $120 million in lost federal matching funds. Thankfully the law requires the state to set aside a minimum of $30 million dollars for local roads; otherwise nothing would be allocated in Codey’s budget for these projects.

New Jersey should be maximizing opportunities for federal matching funds for necessary state infrastructure projects. Instead we expect to see Acting Governor Codey’s budget increase funding for projects that benefit special interest groups and add a whole laundry list of new programs he deems far more important than investing in critical infrastructure.

Desperate to find money for major projects, the New Jersey Department of Transportation may eliminate $120 million earmarked for improvements to local roads and bridges, state officials say. Cutting those "local aid" grants also would jeopardize $120 million in federal matching funds for towns and counties, unless local governments were able to put up the cash themselves.

"If they pull the plug on this, the only way these projects would get done is through the local property taxes," said Peter Palmer, chairman of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority and a Somerset County freeholder.

The DOT's preliminary $2.6 billion capital budget includes $270 million for local aid projects. About $30 million of that total is set aside under state law and cannot be reduced. But $120 million is provided by the state transportation trust fund, and that allocation is not protected by law. The rest of the local aid money comes from the federal government, which has agreed to match the $120 million provided by the state.

Dr. Esha Khoshnu, a New Jersey psychiatrist traveling to San Diego to attend a conference apparently became frustrated with airport personnel. While changing planes in Phoenix, Khoshnu got testy at a Mesa Airlines ticket counter, saying, "If I had a bomb, you wouldn't find it."

Airport personnel responded by detaining Khoshnu for questioning. After questioning the Doctor, FBI investigators reportedly cleared her to take a later flight to San Diego. Unfortunately, her suitcase got past security and was loaded onto Khoshnu’s original flight.

The airliner containing Khoshnu’s suitcase made a routine landing at Lindbergh Field in San Diego but, the pilot was instructed to taxi to a remote area of the airport, where about 35 passengers were taken off the plane and escorted onto two buses.

Members of the San Diego Fire Department's bomb squad searched the plane but found no explosives, officials said. They removed the woman's suitcase and inspected it in an open area on the grounds of the airport, finding nothing suspicious. But taking no chances, they blew up the bag with an explosive charge and then doused it with water.

Authorities in Phoenix said Khoshnu is not going to be charged with a crime but that she may have to pay for the search and destruction of her luggage, which could cost about $10,000.

Dr. Khoshnu has been practicing psychiatry since finishing training at Yale University in 1993 and has extensive training/experience in crisis intervention. She has long-term interests in recognizing and treating the special needs of women. More on the story here and here.

Former Governor Jim Florio may have been voted out of office, but that hasn’t kept him off New Jersey’s payroll. Shortly after leaving office, Florio has been listed as a full-time employee of Rutgers University at annual salary of $90,947, plus a generous state benefits package. As an added bonus, his state pension will be boosted by his time at Rutgers.

Florio moonlights at Rutgers downtown New Brunswick campus as a "university professor", teaching one class, with 10 students, that meets for just under two hours on Mondays. Part-time instructors at the state university make about $3,300 per course and receive no benefits.

James W. Hughes, Dean of the university's Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy says “Florio provides full-time value for the school, smoothing the way and otherwise making introductions when the school needs to deal with state agencies and corporate donors.”

In addition to his Rutgers job, Florio is chairman and CEO of Xspand, a tax-lien collection firm with several lucrative municipal contracts in New Jersey. The former Governor also is associated with the New York law firm of Fischbein Badillo Wagner Harding, known for its lobbying prowess.

This is an incredibly sad story of a Livingston, New Jersey man dead in his home for over nine months before he was discovered. Unable to find any relatives, Essex County appointed an administrator to oversee Fred Hagmann’s estate and to provide the man a proper burial. The proper burial did not include a plaque or tombstone to mark Hagmann’s burial spot, even though the State of New Jersey absorbed all of his assets.

This is complexly outrageous and unacceptable. How dare the state take the man’s estate, apparently in excess of $250,000, and not buy an appropriate grave marker for the man’s burial plot. We hope if you are as outraged as we are, you take some action to have this ultimate injustice rectified. Here is the web page for Essex County and a Google search produces this result for Attorney Howard Waxman with an office in Newark.

A summary of the story below, the entire article here.

Fred Hagmann, 76 had been dead for at least nine months when he was found by police in his home in Livingston, New Jersey. No one missed him. He had no relatives and no friends. He didn't even bother to leave home to cash an estimated $235,000 worth of Social Security and pension checks police found scattered around the one-story Cape Cod he bought in 1961.

Police believe Hagmann died around Christmas of 2003, judging from one of the last pieces of mail he opened -- a greeting card from Thomas Green, a former colleague at Schering-Plough. Green, 85, has not spoken to Hagmann for years, but sent Christmas cards every year because he felt indebted to the man. On a snowy night in December, 1960, Hagmann drove through a storm to be by Green's side after his youngest daughter died unexpectedly.

"He was one of the first ones to come to the house and tried to be of assistance to me," said Green, a Scotch Plains resident. "He was like that with everybody." Hagmann, he said, was a very quiet man, but he was well-liked because of his work ethic. He worked at Schering-Plough for 40 years and was a chemical foreman when he retired.

Police tried to track down relatives, but their search was futile. Hagmann was an only child whose mother died in 1996 and father died in 1998. He never married nor did he father any children. Essex County appointed an administrator, attorney Howard Waxman, to oversee Hagmann's estate. Waxman has to settle any outstanding debts, including the $400 electric bill that accrued while Hagmann was dead. The house and all other assets will be absorbed by the state.

Waxman also was responsible for giving Hagmann a proper burial. On the afternoon of Feb. 4, Hagmann was laid to rest without ceremony in Graceland Memorial Park in Kenilworth. It took about 20 minutes to dig the hole and lower his casket in. There were no tears, no eulogy, no mourners. The sole attendant, the funeral director, said a prayer. There are no plans for a plaque or tombstone to mark his burial spot. It will soon be covered with fresh grass.

The TV show ' "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" recently filmed a scene inside a Passaic Valley Water Commission plant last year that included a body floating in a tank of water, commission officials said Friday. The show was filmed in the same water treatment plant where chemist Geetha Angara was found murdered February 9th.

"This is certainly an unfortunate coincidence," commission spokesman Ernie Landante said. [Ed. Boy is that an understatement.] "My guys [detectives] looked at the video and said it [the plot] had nothing to do with this case," Passaic County Prosecutor James F. Avigliano said.

Avigliano would neither confirm nor deny a published report that investigators had identified three plant employees who "could have had the opportunity to commit the crime." "The people in my office deny telling anyone that there were three suspects, and I certainly didn't say it," Avigliano said. "If somebody gave out that information, they would certainly be subject to disciplinary proceedings." Totowa Police Chief Robert Coyle said he knew nothing about such a suspect list.

New Jersey must control the cost of state government and business as usual in Trenton will not bring about necessary change. The people of New Jersey need to pass an amendment to the state’s constitution limiting state spending to the rate of inflation plus population growth. Our legislators need to look no further than Colorado’s TABOR amendment to find a successful model for this initiative.

The chart below shows the dramatic reduction in spending that would have been possible had all states adopted this “bill of rights for taxpayers”.

Ten days after Geetha Angara drowned in a subterranean tank on the grounds of a water-treatment plant run by the Passaic Valley Water Commission, authorities say the 43-year-old chemist's death remains a riddle. It is a homicide certainly, authorities say, but one with few clues.

There is more behind the homicide designation, but Prosecutor James Avigliano said he cannot discuss it. Asked if Angara's body had suffered trauma that might suggest she was murdered, the prosecutor responded: "The cause of death is drowning. Drowning does not give rise to a homicide (designation), so obviously, there was something else."

Angara mainly worked in a lab inside the commission's Totowa water-treatment plant, but her job often took her down to a pair of frigid tunnels in the basement, where she calibrated water-monitoring equipment and collected water specimens from hoses along the wall for testing.

Avigliano said investigators do not believe Angara committed suicide. Nor do they believe it was an accident, in part because someone replaced the steel access panel separating the tunnel floor from the mammoth tank.

Geetha Angara was the perfect mother, the perfect wife, the perfect scientist. She was not the perfect murder victim. "That's what's bizarre about this whole thing," Avigliano said. "There's no indication she was disliked. If she was a target of something, you'd at least have something to go on, but here you have this innocuous case of a woman just doing her job."

Angara, a native of India who was cremated in a Hindu funeral ceremony over the weekend, was married with two daughters, 19 and 8, and a son, 13. Angara, who earned a doctorate in organic chemistry from New York University, went to work for the Passaic Valley Water Commission 12 years ago. Relatives said she loved her work, and she was rewarded for doing it well. Last year, she was promoted to the position of senior chemist.

More than month ago the Armanious family was found brutally murdered in their home and police have still not announced a suspect. Police have suggested the murder was for money. But almost no one in Jersey City's Coptic community is accepting that. Because, rightly or wrongly, there is a real fear in this tightly knit immigrant community of Egyptian Christians that police don't want to find the real perpetrators of this crime.

After the murder, a photo of Hossam Armanious and his wife was posted on a radical Muslim Web site Barsomyat.com, with this message: "This is a picture of the filthy dog, curser of Muhammad and a photo of his filthy wife, curser of Muhammad. They got what they deserved for their actions in America. They were slaughtered along with their children as a punishment from the heavens to those who curse the most divine of all who were created."

Investigators recently told a New Jersey newspaper that they still believe the murders were about money, even though relatives of the victims said the Armanious family did not have hidden wealth. Police say the house was ransacked and money was taken, but relatives said almost nothing was taken.

Ayman Garas is Mrs. Armanious’ brother. He said, "It's out of the discussion if you even say robbery. This is not acceptable. It's not robbery, no." Family members also wonder why, if it was robbery, did Amal Armanious still have a $3,500 ring on her finger when her body was found?

But some are wondering if there is political pressure to somehow turn an anti-Christian hate crime into a robbery. Coptic Christians said they came to America to be protected from Muslim extremism. But many now feel as if America is letting them down. One woman said, “Our families in Egypt are under this type of threat every single day. Keep this story alive. Remember these people, these people were normal human beings asleep in their homes."

Did anyone see Jon Corzine on Fox News Special Report tonight? He was interviewed by Jim Angle about his views on Social Security reform during a short segment. We were struck by his inability to articulate his opinions, but we shouldn’t have been surprised given his rambling performance during the Senate Banking committee hearing with the Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan this past week.

Frankly, we expected more from the Senator with the modesty to describe himself in his own press release as: “Corzine, who is considered one of the nation’s leading experts on the economy and financial markets …”

Tip: To finding a word on a web page. Left click "edit" on your browser bar. Select "find on this page" option on the drop down menu. This will bring up the “find” dialogue box. Enter the word(s) you wish to locate on the page in the space next to "find what". Click on the "find next" button to be taken to the first occurrence of the word(s) on the web page. You may also use the short cut Ctrl+F to bring up the "find" dialogue box.

Investigators yesterday identified three suspects in the drowning murder of a New Jersey water-treatment chemist, with roughly 40 of the woman's co-workers left to be interviewed.

A fellow employee shoved Geetha Angara, 43, into a dark, 35-foot-deep well at the Passaic Valley Water Commission plant in Totowa last week, authorities said. Because the plant closely monitors who comes and goes, only a co-worker could have committed the murder

"We have now interviewed about half of the 85 people who worked with her," said Passaic County Prosecutor James Avigliano. A law-enforcement source said that only three of those already questioned "could have had the opportunity to commit the crime."

Meanwhile, the family of tragic mom of three, who came to New York from India in 1984 for a better life, are urging a sweeping review of security procedures at the supposedly ultra-secure plant, which supplies water to Passaic, Clifton and Paterson.

Where does Jon Corzine stand on federal spending, income tax policy and the deficit? A review of his recent actions in the Senate and his statements to the press may help us to identify his positions. All quotations cited in this post have been made by Senator Corzine since February 1, 2005.

As part of his prebuttal to President Bush’s State of the Union, Senator Corzine said:

“… the President has a responsibility to offer a real road map for deficit reduction which does not place the burden on New Jersey’s working families.”

Reducing the federal deficit can only occur if taxes received by the federal government are increasingly greater than federal spending. How can this be achieved? One way is to grow the economy in order to raise taxpayer income that in turn increases tax revenue to the government. Another is to cut federal spending below present levels and of course the government can raise taxes. A combination of increases in tax revenues and spending cuts will also do the trick.

How would Senator Corzine achieve a reduction in the federal deficit? The Senator never proposes a road map, but perhaps we can infer from his Senate record and press releases his position. Criticizing the President’s budget proposal Corzine said:

The President’s priorities are skewed and are wrong for New Jersey, as it became clear that the President’s spending proposal would have significant and negative impacts on delivering services at the local and state level.

New Jersey priorities simply are not met in this budget and, as such, I will fight to protect our state’s priorities and values as deliberations on the budget unfold.”

Corzine in the same press release goes on to cite a number of examples of cuts proposed in the Bush budget that he believes would negatively impact New Jersey:

“President Bush’s budget also denies 32,822 kids in New Jersey a safe place to go after school by cutting New Jersey's funding for after school programs by $24 million.”

New Jersey residents stand to lose $45 million just from the Community Development Block Grant, cut. In effect, President Bush has proposed a property tax increase of at least $45 million on the people of New Jersey with this cut. (New Jersey received $113 million last year under the CDBG program).

Senator Corzine doesn’t provide alternatives to these or other proposed budget cuts. Significant cuts in the federal budget do not appear to have a major role in a Corzine deficit reduction plan. As a great man once said, “a litany of complaints is not a plan.”

In recent weeks Senator Corzine has sponsored or co-sponsored a number of bills that would increase federal spending. The spending measure he announced today caught our attention.

New Jersey Democrats Sen. Jon Corzine and Rep. Frank Pallone introduced bills Thursday to establish a global tsunami warning system and called for long-term assistance and relief for victims of December's catastrophe in South Asia.

The bills would earmark $38 million in the next fiscal year for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to expand the early warning system now in place in the Pacific Ocean to include the coastlines along the Atlantic and Indian oceans, and the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean and European waterways. After the system is in place, the bills would provide $32 million annually to maintain it.

Expanding the U.S. early warning system is a worthy and charitable goal, especially in light of the recent tsunami devastation in south Asia. But why is it the sole responsibility the United States to pick up the tab? Certainly the cost of a project that benefits the entire population of the earth could be shared. Is spending on this project a priority of the United States?

Is this global project more important to Jon Corzine than the $24 million for after school programs the Senator complained would be lost under the President’s proposed budget? Would Corzine rather spend $38 million to expand the warning system and $32 million a year to maintain it, than fund Community Development Block Grants for New Jersey? Is Corzine proposing a property tax increase of at least $38 million on the people of New Jersey with his spending proposal?

We think Senator Corzine would say that he is not suggesting one program take precedence over the other and he is not proposing a property tax increase. More than likely he would answer by saying, we can and we should pay for all these important programs. However, doesn’t opposing budget cuts and calling for increased spending place the Senator in somewhat of a dilemma? How it is possible to oppose budget cuts, increase spending and bring about deficit reduction without placing the burden on New Jersey’s taxpayers?

This leads us to question Senator Corzine’s sincerity in his call for federal deficit reduction or his seriousness about not wishing to place the burden on New Jersey taxpayers. Perhaps he isn’t genuinely concerned with either objective. We do know from his voting record that he opposes income tax cuts and that he favors rolling back the income tax cuts of the President's first term. Corzine has made it quite clear, with a choice between budgets cuts and tax increases, he’d opt for tax increases.

Denouncing the President’s budget proposal Senator Corzine said:

“And, while the President is fighting to extend tax cuts to those who need them the least, this budget is cutting programs designed to give a hand up to those who need the help the most.”

What happened to Senator Corzine’s cry for not burdening the taxpayers of New Jersey? Whose side is Jon Corzine on – certainly not the taxpayers of the Garden State? New Jersey has the lowest federal spending-to-tax ratio of any state at 57¢. That means for every dollar of income tax we send to the federal government, the citizen’s of New Jersey receive 57¢ in return, the worst return in the nation. This is not a new phenomenon, high cost of living states like New Jersey have been on the losing side of federal tax and spend policy for decades.

Clearly, federal income tax cuts are most beneficial to states that are net losers - those that receive less than a dollar back from Washington for every income tax dollar sent to the IRS. And New Jersey taxpayers, the biggest losers in the country, have more to gain from federal income tax cuts than taxpayers from any other state.

So much for not wanting to burden New Jersey taxpayers. A Senator that truly represented the interests of the state would be calling for greater income tax cuts and less federal spending. But that’s not Jon Corzine’s opinion – he’s already told us what he believes. “The President is fighting to extend tax cuts to those who need them the least.” Apparently Senator Corzine believes the people of New Jersey need federal tax cuts the least, the facts prove otherwise. Thank God New Jersey has a friend in the Whitehouse.

We’ve seen ads for this eye surgeon on T.V. and there is currently a click through ad on Nj.com. for the Doc. The whole thing is scary when you learn an insurance company for prominent Bergen County eye surgeon, Dr. Joseph Dello Russo, must pay $15.3 million to cover malpractice claims made by 16 former patients.

After years of budget raids and record unemployment payouts, the state trust fund set up to pay benefits to jobless workers has dropped below $1 billion for the first time in 20 years, sparking talk about whether emergency action is needed to bolster it.

More New Jersey School construction projects out of control.

We can just imagine the folks in Trenton working on Acting Governor Codey’s budget proposal for New Jersey – looking for anything to close the $4 billion budget gap. Developing the budget in our state must be an extremely difficult task, because strategic planning in New Jersey is almost non-existent.

The state does not have a statewide strategic plan and there is limited agency planning. There is little evidence of a state and agency-wide formal process to produce and use performance and cost information during the budgeting process. So lacking any plan, costing models or data to evaluate program effectiveness, we guess they just “wing it”. Little wonder New Jersey is in such a fiscal mess.

That reminds us, what ever happened to the BEST commission? In FY 2003, Trenton appropriated $250,000 for the Budget Efficiency Savings Team (BEST). This commission was established by Executive Order No. 2 of 2002 to undertake a “complete comprehensive and thorough examination of all aspects of the state’s spending practices to identify areas of waste, mismanagement, abuse, and unnecessary spending.”

The BEST Commission was supposed to provide the Governor with a list of recommendations and was supposed to issue a final report of its findings. So far, no report has been issued and this is not the only report the New Jersey's executive branch has failed to prepare over the years.

It makes you wonder what became of BEST and their report. Was the $250,000 spent? Was the report completed but, the findings just too embarrassing to be shown to the public? Was a decision made not to undertake the project because its mission wasn’t a priority to the leaders in Trenton?

Can you believe McGreevey and company raised state spending by double digits after writing this document.

WHEREAS, the State is confronting a severe fiscal crisis caused by a pattern of profligate spending and irresponsible borrowing practices;

WHEREAS, these fiscal practices have been exacerbated by increasing statutory spending obligations and declining tax revenues;

WHEREAS, the State has heretofore failed, even in the face of mounting evidence that the State would confront tremendous and debilitating budget deficits in Fiscal Years 2003 and 2004, to implement timely remedial actions such as implementing significant budget freezes, cutting costs and ending unnecessary discretionary spending.

WHEREAS, the denial of the magnitude of the fiscal problems confronting the State and the consequent failure to take sufficient and timely corrective actions have placed the State in fiscal jeopardy, causing the leading rating agencies to downgrade New Jersey's creditworthiness;

WHEREAS, the unprecedented scope of the fiscal dilemma has impaired and will impair the ability of the State to provide necessary programs to its citizens;

WHEREAS, as Governor, I have a responsibility to ensure a balanced budget, manage the operations of State Government effectively and efficiently, and maintain necessary government programs and assistance to the public;

WHEREAS, N.J. Const. (1947), Art. VIII, §II, ¶2, requires that State government expenditures do not exceed available State revenues....

An Irvington school teacher and his wife, who is a police officer, were arrested today as part of an undercover operation to crack a gun trafficking ring that included the teacher's brother-in-law, authorities said.

William Mayes, a ninth-grade teacher at Success Academy, part of West Side High School in Newark, and his wife, Irvington police Officer Cynthia Owens-Mayes, were arrested at their Irvington home. The Newark school district has suspended William Mayes with pay.

It’s hard to believe a grand jury would be the least bit surprised by anything involving a New Jersey politician. The Democrats had a banner year last year, as chronicled in this post. It’s just more of the same – corruption, corruption, corruption.

We think it’s time for the honest Democrats to step forward and do a complete house cleaning – their party is completely out of control. Can anyone think of a single reason the people of New Jersey should entrust running the state to the Democrats? Read about the latest scandalhere, snips below.

A state grand jury is hearing testimony into allegations that former State Police officials and a former state senator conducted a covert operation that used confidential files in an effort to smear Republicans and help James E. McGreevey run for governor four years ago.

The grand jury investigation began in September, 10 months after the accusations were detailed in The Star-Ledger and only weeks after McGreevey announced he would resign as governor because of a sex scandal. The probe, which has been conducted in secret so far, is focusing on the alleged theft and misuse of confidential State Police records, according to two state officials with direct knowledge of the case.

"They granted me immunity," Bellaran said. "I testified three times. Once they asked me a question, I started spewing. ... These people (on the grand jury) had their mouths agape."

Bellaran said he took grand jurors through the key points he had already made both in sworn statements and in interviews with The Star-Ledger. Bellaran said that between 1999 and early 2002, he and Lt. Col. Cajetan "Tommy" DeFeo took confidential information, including personnel orders and medical records stored under lock and key, from State Police files, with the aim of damaging state Republicans and helping McGreevey, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, in the 2001 race.

Bellaran said the operation was orchestrated by McGreevey's longtime mentor and ally, then-state Sen. John Lynch (D-Middlesex). Some of the information was passed to Lynch for use in legislative hearings into the State Police practice of racial profiling, Bellaran said. Other information was passed to newspapers in an attempt to generate stories aimed at humiliating people close to then-Gov. Christie Whitman.

Lynch denied any knowledge of such an operation and said he was unaware of the grand jury probe.

Three ranking officials familiar with the investigation confirmed a probe was opened after months of private reviews inside the Attorney General's Office. Bellaran first made the allegations in a deposition in a civil lawsuit in September 2003.

We have noticed a few references about a potential windfall to the state’s treasury from the conversion of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, a not-for-profit company, into a public corporation. Should Horizon make this conversion, the new, “for profit” entity would be required to repay New Jersey an estimated $1 billion to $ 3 billion for decades of tax exemptions.

The infusion of cash, under these circumstances, would not come in a lump sum, but would be paid to the state of New Jersey over a period of years, in keeping with federal securities law. See references here and here.

Should New Jersey be the fortunate recipient of this windfall, we suggest the folks in Trenton not include the anticipated payments by Horizon as part of the State’s operating budget, found money to be used for additional spending or pet projects. In our opinion the money should be used for retirement of State debt.

Using nonrecurring revenue to fund ongoing state expenses merely kicks the budget problems down the road and doesn’t solve the underlying issue – spending that is greater than normal revenue streams received by the state. We realize Acting Governor Codey is hoping he may be able to save property tax rebates with the windfall but this is not a prudent financial decision.

Casting about for ways to generate new revenue for the state is not the answer. This is just a typical Democrat knee-jerk reaction – raise taxes. Leasing the state’s turnpike to a foreign firm is not an answer. But the fact a company believes it can give Trenton a big bag full of money, run and maintain the turnpike and make a profit, speaks volumes. New Jersey is just not run efficiently, it hemorrhages money due to mismanagement and it wastes money on programs that are not effective. Fraud and corruption in the state only add insult to injury.

Codey is a lame duck, but he has the power of the veto and he should use it to the advantage of all taxpayers. He should submit a balanced budget to the legislature that does not include a single tax increase. He should vow to veto any bills containing a tax increase and we think he’d have enough support within the legislature to sustain his resolve. If he doesn’t have the guts, then we will just need to wait for the new Republican Governor in 2006.

We know this post has nothing to do with New Jersey, but the story did grab our attention. You see Blogger has been eating our posts lately, so we went searching for a possible explanation and came across a report claiming life had been discovered on Mars.

Space aliens are often cited as a possible cause of any number of strange and weird occurrences, so we wondered could it be that newly discovered life on Mars was responsible for our posts vanishing into the ether? It turns out no, life may exist on Mars, but no “grays” or “little green men” were found. Our problem remains a mystery.

Scientists Carol Stoker and Larry Lemke of NASA’s Ames Research Center told a group of space officials at a private meeting on Sunday, they have found strong evidence that life may exist today on Mars. Life that may be hidden away in caves and sustained by pockets of water.

So have the scientists actually found life on Mars? Not exactly. What Stoker and Lemke have found is not direct proof of life on Mars, but methane signatures and other signs of possible biological activity remarkably similar to those recently discovered in caves here on Earth.

New Jersey’s property tax is 33% higher than it was five years ago. The politician’s response to the out of control tax hikes was to increase property tax rebates. A political gimmick, costing who knows much to administer, which provides minimal tax relief. The whole program should be scrapped and real property tax reform should be enacted.

Least you think we are willing to give up the tiny bit of relief taxpayers enjoy, more than likely rebates this year will be greatly reduced or nonexistent according to this Star-Ledger report.

Acting Gov. Richard Codey said yesterday the state's looming budget deficit could force him to slash property tax rebates, just one year after lawmakers boosted them by raising the income tax on New Jersey's richer residents.

In an hour-long interview with the editorial board of The Star-Ledger, Codey said middle-class homeowners who were eligible last year for a maximum $800 rebate may end up with checks of $300 or less. He said seniors and disabled people would see their maximum rebate drop from $1,200 to $800. The acting governor will propose his budget March 1.

We hope the authorities are able to get to the bottom of this horrible crime. It certainly gives you pause when you think about a murder committed at a water treatment plant and the potential reasons and suspects. Unfortunately the crime scene may have been compromised, complicating the investigation.

A senior chemist whose body was found at the bottom of a tank at a water treatment plant last week drowned, and her death has been ruled a homicide, Passaic County Prosecutor James Avigliano said yesterday.

Geetha Angara's was apparently killed as she went about testing water at the massive Passaic Valley Water Commission complex in Totowa, NJ. Investigators plan to question all 85 employees who worked on her daytime shift for clues.

However, investigation into the mysterious death was compromised by scores of employees and police walking through the scene and possibly moving evidence before detectives arrived, according toPassaic County Prosecutor James Avigliano

Corzine, Schumer, Reed Challenge Greenspan on Social Security, Debt Prior to Fed Chairman’s Appearance before the Senate Banking Committee - Senators Pre-but Fed Chairman’s Likely Support for Private Accounts

Nothing like keeping an open mind. How effective are these preemptive strikes by Corzine and his fellow Democrats? Pre-buttals to Bush’s Inaugural address, his state of the Union speech, Social Security reform and now to a highly regarded expert‘s testimony.

It seems to us the only way Corzine; et al could correctly anticipate Greenspan’s testimony, is if they know what he will say under oath is correct and will logically bolster the President’s call for Social Security reform.

Corzine Votes to Confirm Chertoff as Homeland Security Chief - Even Corzine couldn’t buck the tide of a unanimous senate vote

When we originally came across this report on Sunday evening we had decided to ignore it. Just one more case of Senator Corzine and his Democrat pals pandering to the latest group of “victims”.

Speakers at an annual Islamic brunch on Sunday called for greater understanding and tolerance, saying Muslims face constant threats to the kind of everyday existence that other Americans take for granted.

Among the speakers were U.S. Sen. Jon S. Corzine, D-N.J.; Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-Paterson, and Assemblywoman Loretta Weinberg, D-Teaneck.

"The American Muslim community has never felt so insecure and apprehensive due to discrimination and intolerance," "Our government's actions following 9/11 have impacted and continue to impact tens of thousands of individuals in ways which seriously violate our Constitution. They include ethnically and religiously based interrogations, detentions, raids and closures of Muslim charities."

Though the event came just one month after the slaying of four members of a Coptic Orthodox family in Jersey City, that incident was hardly mentioned. After the killings, a police source said that one of several leads being pursued was the possibility that the deaths were carried out by religious extremists.

Of course this report reminded us of the killing of the Armanious family in Jersey City. It also called to mind this quote from Ahmed Shedeed, director of the Islamic Center of Jersey City. His remark apparently prompted in response to the fear and speculation growing among the city’s Coptic Christians that the killings might have been religiously motivated.

"We Muslims living in America are getting sick of this crap," he said. "Why should we have to apologize for or make a defense of something we had nothing to do with? There is no proof at all that Muslims had anything to do with this, yet we are taking the blame again. Is Islam on trial, or is a killer on trial?"

One month later the Armanious case has not been solved, but this is what we know based upon today’s report by North Jersey.com

We do know that a Coptic Christian husband, wife and their two young daughters were savagely murdered.

Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio still won't discuss the intricate details of the case or explain why investigators are leaning toward a financial motive for the killings. But he did provide a glimpse into the probe, which has included assistance from an FBI profiler.

One investigator familiar with the case said, the extent of Hossam Armanious' injuries suggests a substantial effort was expended and that the killers likely spent a "considerable amount of time" inside the house. Armanious clearly suffered the worst of the injuries, including numerous stab wounds. Each member of the family was found bound by duct tape, a bag over their head and all appeared to have suffered "ritualistic" injuries that included holes bored under each victim's neck.

DeFazio conceded: "This was a savage, savage attack. Whoever did this are not humans." However, he insisted the injuries aren't consistent with those in ritualistic homicide.

One theory holds that the victims were significantly wealthier than their modest home indicated and the killers were trying to gain access to the hidden money. Although there was evidence of robbery, a large amount of jewelry remained untouched, authorities said. Several religious symbols - including cross tattoos on each family member's wrist - weren't damaged.

Investigators were still pursuing court orders to gain access to family records. DeFazio wouldn't say which, nor would he discuss the family's finances, other than to say, "They didn't live hand to mouth."

"Do you think if it was financial they would not take the gold and a ring from my sister's finger?" said Ayman Garas, the dead woman's brother. "Do you think if Hossam had a lot of money he would have complained about his job not giving him enough hours? "I mean, he never complained about money, but he wasn't rich." Armanious was laid off from the catering job about six months ago and Amal Garas had recently gotten a job with the U.S. Postal Service, said Rafique Iscandar, a family friend.

"There's a lot of confluence in this case, I'll give you that," said DeFazio, who has been studying writings about the Quran, the Muslim holy book, to gain knowledge about Islam.

A mitigating factor in how many Coptics view the killings is a deep mistrust of the Egyptian government, which many accuse of systematic discrimination. Many Copts fled Egypt to America in the 1980s and 1990s to avoid what they perceived as growing Islamic fundamentalism and an increase in tension between the Muslim majority and the Christian minority.

"Americans are stupid and naïve," Iscandar said. "They don't understand the Middle East."

The report goes on to recount Hossam Armanious searching for the deposed Bishop of Luxor during a trip to Egypt this past summer and that Mr. Armanious found him in a monastery in the desert. We learn the FBI has gone to Egypt to investigate and that it is not known whether Armanious' trip or visit with the bishop had any connection to the homicides. No matter how you look at this case, it is not your run of the mill robbery, mass murder.

So what’s our point? Every time we read one of these stories about Muslims complaining that they live under constant threat in the U.S. because of their religion, we want to scream. We could spit nails every time an American politician falls in line with this Muslims are victims meme.

Those complaining never point to any actual facts or provide substantiated cases in which Muslims have been harmed in the United States because of their religious faith. Instead we get vague references to the impact of the Patriot Act on the Muslim population, purported treatment of Muslims in violation of the U.S. Constitution and tales of unfounded raids on Muslim charities.

We think it is a testament to the tolerance of the American people that Muslims living in the United States have not been subjected to a major backlash by the American people after the Islamic terrorist attacks of 9/11.

When will non-Muslims be afforded religious tolerance by Muslims? We are sick of living under a constant barrage of Muslim threats. The never ending threats that come from the audio and video tapes of Bin Laden and Zawahir; the barbarous acts we witness committed by jihadists around the world in the name of Islam and the hate and violence incited by Muslim leaders against the infidel in American mosques, as well as those around the world.

Americans have shown our tolerance and compassion towards Muslims in the outpouring of sympathy and charitable donations to the Asian tsunami victims and through our military action to save Muslims from being slaughtered in Bosnia and Kosovo. Recent actions by Americans that occurred before and after 9/11. If there has been a reciprocal expression of tolerance by a Muslim group, we’ve missed it.

We are all for religious tolerance and recognize that you can’t judge a whole people based upon the actions of the few. However, we think Muslims might cut the rest of us a break the next time someone gives them a “dirty look” in light of their 300 million calling for our death and destruction.

For some reason we can’t imagine Jon Corzine volunteering to serve his community as John Murphy has for the past 22 years. Corzine talks about Homeland Security, John Murphy provides it.

Murphy says “for greater accountability, there should be one authority responsible for New Jersey’s Homeland Security programs and dispensing grants, versus the current “scattered shot” approach whereby programs are administered and funded by several departments. This function should be within the New Jersey State Police where there is the leadership and know-how to do the job right and effectively.”

We posted on this out of control spending on school construction back in November. We are glad to see Doug Forrester calling for an immediate investigation of the New Jersey SCC.

Doug Forrester says, "one has to seriously wonder why the School Construction Corporation (SCC), pays as much as 84% more than what local districts pay for school construction. “The SCC was supposed to provide students with school buildings conducive to learning, but instead it is lining the pockets of politically connected vendors and government bureaucrats.”

Forrester called for an immediate investigation by U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, for the dissolution of the SCC and the resignation of SCC Chairman Jack Kocsis. Attorney General Peter Harvey sits on the SCC board, and therefore, cannot objectively investigate waste, fraud and abuse at the SCC.

“The SCC has blown through nearly $8.6 billion and hasn’t even come close to finishing the schools for our children,” said Forrester. “This is why New Jersey needs an independently elected auditor general to root out the fraud and abuse that is wasting hundreds of millions of New Jersey families’ hard-earned dollars every year.”

Senators Corzine and Lautenberg plan to oppose Peter Sheridan, a senior partner with the Trenton law firm of Graham, Curtin and Sheridan, President Bush's latest nominee for a federal judgeship in New Jersey.

Sheridan, a graduate of St. Peter's College and Seton Hall Law School, represented Republican Senate candidate Douglas Forrester in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent Lautenberg from replacing former Sen. Robert Torricelli on the ballot after the legal deadline in the 2002 campaign.

Bret Schundler wants you to join his property tax revolution. According to this Daily Record column Schundler's message is simple:

Forget about the proposed constitutional convention. Instead, let's just amend the Constitution to mandate that government spending cannot increase above the cost of living.

He wants binding caps on state, county, municipal and school spending that can be only exceeded with voter approval. He also talks about returning more state dollars to towns to reduce the "percentage of school and municipal costs borne by local property taxpayers."

Schundler argues that if his plan were in place today, the average property tax bill would be 12 percent lower. And since his caps would be below the cost of living, he argues that property taxes would continue to fall. They may not get to zero, but Schundler said that under his plan it may reach a point where property taxes will be low enough to cease being an issue.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) may be the least popular elected official in New Jersey but, he is currently ranked the hottest U.S Senator on a web survey according to this Philadelphia Inquirer report.

The 81-year-old politician last week veered a little off topic as he addressed a meeting on the state's transportation funding woes. The snowy-haired Democrat had just learned that he had been rated second-hottest U.S. senator, trailing only Illinois' Barack Obama. Lautenberg told his slightly bemused audience that he was delighted" with his sexpot status. As of yesterday, Lautenberg had surged ahead of Obama, with a score of 7.8 out of 10. [Ed - As of today Lautenberg maintains his lead.]

Corzine Roiled by Amtrak ‘Plan’ – Writes letter to complain

Senator Corzine has been a strong supporter of full funding of Amtrak and has written or co-signed five letters of support to New Jersey’s Governor, congressional appropriators, and the Bush Administration.

In an effort to demonstrate the priority he places on curbing statewide political corruption- Corzine calls for the election of a State Comptroller in 2007.

For too many years, New Jerseyans have come to believe that instead of government of, by and for the people, we have a government of, by and for political contributors*, lobbyists and those who, at every level, pay to play," Mr. Corzine said in his address to undergraduate and graduate students at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.

* Can you believe he has the nerve to say this in public with a straight face?

When Jon Corzine traveled to Indonesia in January, to see first hand the devastation caused by the tsunami, we wondered how much money he donated to the victims. We concluded that because no party bosses or voters would be influenced by a Corzine donation, none would be made.

We think there’s something to be said for the old adage - charity begins at home – and Corzine certainly adheres to that concept. Free to spend his money as he chooses, Corzine chooses to make donations to those that can help further his political ambitions.

Thus far Corzine has spent at least $100 million dollars to win a senate seat and to secure his party’s gubernatorial nomination. You have to wonder about a man so consumed with the quest for power – the ultimate pay to player. It really doesn’t seem healthy – for Jon Corzine or the people of New Jersey.

Snips below from today’s Star-Ledger article - How Corzine's giving keeps on giving back to him:

The Jon Corzine Foundation, with Corzine as its only trustee, has showered charities with more than $32 million since Corzine entered the political arena five years ago.

Those charitable contributions -- on top of $8 million Corzine has donated to Democratic causes and candidates during the same period -- are another illustration of how Corzine's enormous personal wealth has transformed politics in New Jersey.

Much of the giving the past five years, one of every six or seven dollars, went to New Jersey charities with political connections, according to a Star-Ledger analysis of annual reports the foundation files with the Internal Revenue Service.

We finally have our comment function working again. Thanks to all that were kind enough to email us about the problem and to offer suggestions. We greatly appreciate your help.

We played around with our template so much to fix the comments component, we just hope we haven’t messed up ten other thing in the process. If we have and you notice something else has gone awry, please let us know.

Trentonian.Com headline “Corzine focuses on gangs” from an article on a Jon Corzine’s appearance at Mount Zion AME Church last night.

From the same article, a quote from a person attending the church meeting after listening to Corzine’s talk: “It was clear he hasn’t given the gang issue deep thought in terms of policy, but I wouldn’t expect a senator to have a remedy."

Sluggo thinks there may be a move afoot to bring back a blast from the past to run for Governor of New Jersey.

Ken Adams has observations on the GOP candidate’s responses to the Record.

ParkwayRestStop has a story on Newark Airport security and the butcher knife.

Om Malik says Verizon has big plans for rolling out fat fiber-optic pipes in New Jersey. We hope he’s right.

A North Jersey newspaper, the Record, asked the seven GOP candidates running for governor eight questions concerning the reasons for their candidacy and their ideas for solving problems currently facing New Jersey.

We have rearranged the Record’s reporting format, grouping questions and answers by candidate rather than the Record's random order. We have created one post for each candidate. Quick links to each post below:

Todd Caliguire :: Paul Digaetano :: Doug Forrester :: Steve Lonegan

John Murphy :: Robert Schroeder :: Bret Schundler

Todd Caliguire: Why I should be governor as reported in the Northern New Jersey Newspaper – The Record

1) Why are you the best candidate?

I am the only candidate with a record of fighting for reform, even against the interests of my own party. As a Bergen freeholder, when the county was under Republican control, I fought to award contracts competitively, not on the basis of political favoritism. It was the right thing to do then - it is right now.

2) What do you think is the state's most pressing problem and what would you do to address it?

New Jersey residents pay too much in taxes - we have too much government at every level, and it operates in the era of gray metal desks, not the Internet. We need a 21st-century government that does the basics well, including ensuring that children under its protection are not abused like those kids in Newark and Camden.

3) What would your first executive order be?

My first executive order would ban the awarding of government contracts to political contributors at every level of government. No loopholes.

4) What would you do to combat high property taxes?

First, we should cap state spending at the inflation rate and return any excess revenues to taxpayers as property tax relief. Second, we should use county government as a vehicle for sharing services between towns and school districts. If county government does not do this effectively, we should consider eliminating county government.

5) How would you balance the budget? Which, if any, taxes would you raise? Which, if any, spending would you cut?

Taxes should not be raised to balance the budget - they are already too high. The answer is to cut spending. Every program and department should be subjected to a performance audit. Waste and inefficiency must be eliminated, and spending prioritized based on the real needs of New Jersey residents.

6) How would you replenish the Transportation Trust Fund?

Too much money from the Transportation Trust Fund has been siphoned off to pay for administration, consulting fees and interest. The fund should pay for transportation projects, not bureaucracy and politically connected consultants. Additional monies for the fund should be earmarked as a priority from existing revenues, with more projects done on a pay-as-you-go basis.

7) What would you do to improve state government's image in terms of ethics and campaign financing?

If we prohibit all trading of government contracts for political contributions, strictly limit the amount of such contributions, eliminate pension abuse by politicians, impose term limits on elected officials and ban dual office-holding, we will improve the state's image.

8) What would you do to end the bitter partisan fighting in New Jersey and the nation?

The way to end the bitter partisanship is to end the personal attacks that have become so commonplace in campaigns. It has been said that if airlines competed the way politicians do, no one would fly. Is it any wonder that the number of people who vote continues to decline?

Steve Lonegan: Why I should be governor as reported in the Northern New Jersey Newspaper – The Record

1) Why are you the best candidate?

New Jersey needs a conservative change. In Bogota, I led Republicans to repeated victories in a town both Bret Schundler and Doug Forrester lost. We froze spending, reduced debt and kept taxes below inflation. No other candidate can match my record of standing up for small business and suburban taxpayers.

2) What do you think is the state's most pressing problem and what would you do to address it?

An alleged $4 billion deficit and billions more in unauthorized debt. New Jersey must reduce spending in areas that have seen the most growth in recent years, including urban school aid. I will line-item veto any appropriation to repay debt not approved by voters as required in the state Constitution.

3) What would your first executive order be?

It should be illegal to ask anyone's race on a job application, college admissions form or other government document. As governor, I will immediately sign an order prohibiting state agencies from asking this intrusive and personal information that has no bearing on an individual's ability to do a good job.

4) What would you do to combat high property taxes?

Trenton is the problem, not the solution. We must end project labor agreements mandating excessively high wages on municipal and school construction or maintenance projects. Public employee contracts whose total cost exceeds inflation should be placed on the ballot and state income tax proceeds must be distributed according to population.

5) How would you balance the budget? Which, if any, taxes would you raise? Which, if any, spending would you cut?

New Jersey needs a governor with the guts to eliminate literally billions of dollars in unnecessary liberal social welfare programs and income redistribution schemes. I would end the phony "tax rebate" program funded by borrowed money and make large reductions in a bloated and out-of-control state payroll.

6) How would you replenish the Transportation Trust Fund?

I oppose increasing gasoline taxes. The Transportation Trust Fund has been a failure, with monies diverted for staff salaries, consulting contracts and other non-highway projects having nothing to do with serving motorists. Road and bridge projects must be funded on a "pay as you go" basis to avoid further debt.

7) What would you do to improve state government's image in terms of ethics and campaign financing?

Our bad image is based on overregulation and high taxes more than anything else. We are ranked one of worst states for business. My victory will send America a message that New Jersey's assault on suburban homeowners and small businesses has ended, and that will attract more jobs and lower taxes.

8) What would you do to end the bitter partisan fighting in New Jersey and the nation?

As a mayor, I've worked with members of both parties to put taxpayers first and will continue this policy as governor. I helped North Arlington's Democrats control taxes and get spending under control and will do the same for any other local officials ready to fight for taxpayers.

Robert Schroeder: Why I should be governor as reported in the Northern New Jersey Newspaper – The Record

1) Why are you the best candidate?

I run in a primary filled with professional politicians. It's a challenge to take on the career pols, but it has allowed me to distinguish myself from the pack. As a father, husband, fireman, local official and businessman, as governor I intend to bring the real-world perspective of regular New Jersey citizens to Trenton. I plan to utilize my battle-tested business sense to offer practical solutions to the problems facing our citizens.

2) What do you think is the state's most pressing problem and what would you do to address it?

My plan, Saving New Jersey Seniors, dedicates a large portion of that new revenue, created in a strong economy without raising taxes, to eliminating school property taxes on the first $200,000 of assessed home value for those 65 and older. The plan is phased in over five years, with approximately a 20 percent reduction each year. When the program is fully implemented, the average senior homeowner will realize a school tax savings of about $3,500.

3) What would your first executive order be?

After taking the oath of office as governor next January, I will immediately send my Saving New Jersey Seniors program to the Legislature. That will be my first action as governor.

4) What would you do to combat high property taxes?

Details of my plan, Saving New Jersey Seniors, can be found at www.SavingNJSeniors.com. I encourage everyone to visit the site and learn more about my revolutionary and realistic plan to cut property taxes.

5) How would you balance the budget? Which, if any, taxes would you raise? Which, if any, spending would you cut?

As governor I will not propose, nor will I support, any measure that will raise taxes on the hard-working people of New Jersey, ever. The fiscal health of our state government in Trenton is desperately in need of solid business management principles. As governor, I will work to generate increased revenue - not the old-fashioned Trenton way by raising taxes - but by luring new businesses to New Jersey and helping existing businesses to add jobs.

6) How would you replenish the Transportation Trust Fund?

First, let me state that I will not raise the gas tax. Second, the return on federal tax dollars that New Jersey residents send to Washington is a disgrace. Given our location between Boston and New York and Philadelphia and Washington, our roads are heavily traveled by out-of-state motorists. As governor, I will do everything in my power to bring more federal money back to the Garden State.

7) What would you do to improve state government's image in terms of ethics and campaign financing?

Our founding fathers could never have envisioned the cycle of political abuse and greed that has allowed special interests to hijack state government and hand taxpayers the bill. Most important, I plan to take a hard line against the political corruption and abuse that has run rampant in the current administration by prohibiting political contributors from obtaining no-bid government contracts.

8) What would you do to end the bitter partisan fighting in New Jersey and the nation?

As governor, my door always will be open to people, no matter their political stripe, interested in doing what's best for New Jersey. No party has a monopoly on good ideas. I will work to cross party lines and build a consensus on popular and practical reforms. Frankly, the power of our ideas will encourage Democrats as well as Republicans to fight for my legislative program, such as the Saving NJ Seniors plan.

John Murphy: Why I should be governor as reported in the Northern New Jersey Newspaper – The Record

1) Why are you the best candidate?

I am the only candidate with a detailed reform plan so that the politicians in Trenton are finally accountable to taxpayers. My reform plan is the most aggressive and comprehensive among all the candidates. It includes an elected state auditor general and elected state attorney general, two important, independent officials whose No. 1 responsibility would be to root out fraud, waste and abuse.

2) What do you think is the state's most pressing problem and what would you do to address it?

Making politicians accountable for the tax dollars they spend is New Jersey's No. 1 problem. Right now, there is no real accountability in state government. This leads to the financial mess we're in today. New Jersey during the 1990s was the economic engine of the Northeast, creating more new jobs than either New York or Pennsylvania. Our economic growth was driven by reducing taxes and onerous regulations on business.

3) What would your first executive order be?

I will call for an elected auditor general, but I realize that this change requires an amendment to the state Constitution and an election thereafter. Over the years state government has thrown good money after bad with no accountability. The auditor general will make an independent review of the current budget and will identify funding for programs that can be eliminated or reduced.

4) What would you do to combat high property taxes?

In my first year as governor, I would fight to increase property tax rebates by 50 percent because property taxes are spiraling out of control and taxpayer relief is needed now.
Long-term, systemic financial discipline has been sorely missing in New Jersey state government. I will fight to put into place the necessary controls and reforms to ensure 100 percent accountability for our taxpayer dollars.

5) How would you balance the budget? Which, if any, taxes would you raise? Which, if any, spending would you cut?

Balancing the state budget will require more than the desire to cut spending because the Democrats during the past three years have hidden pork-barrel programs and wasteful spending throughout the budget.

The Democrats have raised more than 50 taxes and fees in three years, making New Jersey one of the least business-friendly states in America. That's no way to encourage jobs growth and business development.

6) How would you replenish the Transportation Trust Fund?

The Transportation Trust Fund was raided beginning in 1990, a bad precedent that has not been corrected in the 15 years since. Every cent collected from the gasoline tax should be dedicated to the Transportation Trust Fund and not diverted to the general fund. In addition, 100 percent of federal Highway Trust Fund dollars to New Jersey must be dedicated to this fund and not diverted to other purposes.

7) What would you do to improve state government's image in terms of ethics and campaign financing?

Improving the state's image means enacting systemic, lasting reforms that establish true accountability for our tax dollars. We must make campaign finance more transparent to voters and lower the reporting threshold from $300 to $100. We must end the practice of "wheeling" campaign donations and we must lower the maximum allowable amounts of contributions to state and county political party committees and legislative leadership committees.

8) What would you do to end the bitter partisan fighting in New Jersey and the nation?

Partisan bickering has been part of American politics since George Washington's first inaugural. Healthy debate on the issues, while heated at times, is good tonic for this country and this state. But in recent years we have seen vicious attacks against our president. Through comprehensive, systemic reform the politicians will be more accountable to the public. This will force politicians to worry more about governing than campaigning.

Paul DiGaetano: Why I should be governor as reported in the Northern New Jersey Newspaper – The Record

1) Why are you the best candidate?

As a blue-collar conservative who believes that a smaller, more efficient government works best, I can relate to the family that worries about making ends meet. That is why I have consistently won reelection in heavily Democratic areas. I have the leadership, knowledge and experience that money just can't buy.

2) What do you think is the state's most pressing problem and what would you do to address it?

Spending in Trenton is simply out of control. That is why we need to cap state spending. To paraphrase President Ronald Reagan, we don't have a deficit because we haven't taxed enough, we have a deficit because we spend too much. Controlling spending will control tax increases as well.

3) What would your first executive order be?

I would establish an elite unit within the State Police to work on matters of port security. Protecting citizens is a vital function of government, but maintaining working ports are as well. Working with shipping companies, this unit would protect our citizens while ensuring the free flow of commerce.

4) What would you do to combat high property taxes?

I would implement my spending cap plan that will return excess state revenues directly to taxpayers. Government cannot spend taxpayers' dollars if it doesn't collect them in the first place. By limiting the money government can spend, we can control spending, control taxes and eliminate the reliance on borrowing.

5) How would you balance the budget? Which, if any, taxes would you raise? Which, if any, spending would you cut?

I would not support any tax increases, period. My plan to cap state growth will force departments to spend only the funds allotted. If the Democrats didn't increase spending by $4 billion last year, New Jersey wouldn't have a deficit. By controlling spending the state can avoid future deficits.

6) How would you replenish the Transportation Trust Fund?

The state needs to fulfill its required obligation of $380 million to the fund annually. This has not been done in three years. Second, dedicate the remaining portion of the gasoline tax not already dedicated to the trust fund. Third, remove administrative costs from the bonds issued for this program.

7) What would you do to improve state government's image in terms of ethics and campaign financing?

I would enact the pay-to-play reform drafted under my direction as the Assembly Republican leader and currently sponsored by Sen. Kean. The current executive order signed by former Gov. McGreevey fails to address leadership PACs, is riddled with loopholes and does not affect candidates at the local level.

8) What would you do to end the bitter partisan fighting in New Jersey and the nation?

As Assembly majority leader I built a reputation for reaching across the aisle to work with Democratic leaders. As governor I would restore respect and civility in Trenton to find common ground with the Democrats willing to make New Jersey a better place to live, work and raise a family.

Doug Forrester: Why I should be governor as reported in the Northern New Jersey Newspaper – The Record

1) Why are you the best candidate?

I have the character, courage and conviction to restore fiscal sanity to state finances and root out the culture of corruption that has overrun Trenton. I will use my experience as a conservative businessman, state pension director, assistant state treasurer and mayor of my hometown to restore integrity in state government, balance the budget and provide quality services to those who need it most.

2) What do you think is the state's most pressing problem and what would you do to address it?

Eliminating waste, fraud and abuse in Trenton will be my No. 1 priority so that we can provide real property tax relief to hard-working New Jersey families. Corruption is one of the primary reasons for the out-of-control spending that has produced excessive taxation and debt. I am going to end the culture of corruption in Trenton by demanding that elected officials represent the public's interest and not their own.

3) What would your first executive order be?

I will implement an order to provide immediate property tax relief to the hard-working families of New Jersey by immediately reducing state spending.

4) What would you do to combat high property taxes?

I will make government fiscally responsible by eliminating wasteful spending, requiring localities to do the same and by creating viable incentives and alternatives for the consolidation of generic services to provide more bargaining power for counties, municipalities and school districts.

5) How would you balance the budget? Which, if any, taxes would you raise? Which, if any, spending would you cut?

New Jersey needs a budget that is truly balanced - not one that relies upon fiscal gimmicks, one-shot revenue enhancers and debt. I will not raise taxes, and I will institute measures to make New Jersey's government smarter and more efficient.

6) How would you replenish the Transportation Trust Fund?

Sens. Corzine and Lautenberg have failed to ensure that New Jersey gets its fair share of transportation funding. As governor, I will fight for the federal dollars we deserve while making sure that our funds are being used to pave roads rather then line the pockets of politically connected contractors.

7) What would you do to improve state government's image in terms of ethics and campaign financing?

By creating an independently elected auditor general's office to root out waste, fraud and abuse; by putting an end to no-bid and sole-source contracts that benefit career politicians and their contributors; by passing meaningful pay-to-play reforms to ensure that tax money is spent to benefit citizens, not to line the pockets of Trenton insiders and their contributors; and by banning the practice of dual office-holding, which creates inherent conflicts.

8) What would you do to end the bitter partisan fighting in New Jersey and the nation?

We must unite across the aisle with one singular goal: to serve the citizens of New Jersey. As governor, I will work with anyone who is willing to put the interests of the taxpayers above the interests of politicians. It is time to elect leaders who have the character, courage and conviction to take on the special interests and put the people first.

Bret Schundler: Why I should be governor as reported in the Northern New Jersey Newspaper – The Record

1) Why are you the best candidate?

By empowering the people - instead of trusting politicians in Trenton - I will take the lead and offer a real plan to dramatically and permanently reduce property taxes. Through a citizen's initiative we will bring a fair share of your tax dollars back to your local schools and towns.

2) What do you think is the state's most pressing problem and what would you do to address it?

The property tax crisis is our most pressing issue. The continuous expansion of state spending, pay-to-play politics and ill-advised pet projects have hampered New Jersey with a budget crisis that has led directly to increased property taxes.

3) What would your first executive order be?

My first executive order would be to reduce executive-level salaries across the board - just as I did in Jersey City - in order to demonstrate my commitment to spending reform. This would include my own salary, of course.

4) What would you do to combat high property taxes?

My property tax reform plan calls for reasonable spending caps on state government. It will require the state to cap spending at 1.3 times the rate of inflation and to send the savings achieved back to towns and school districts that also control their spending. Dramatic and permanent reductions will be achieved.

5) How would you balance the budget? Which, if any, taxes would you raise? Which, if any, spending would you cut?

As governor I will not propose, nor will I support, any measure that will raise taxes on the hard-working people of New Jersey, ever. The fiscal health of our state government in Trenton is desperately in need of solid business management principles. As governor, I will work to generate increased revenue - not the old-fashioned Trenton way by raising taxes - but by luring new businesses to New Jersey and helping existing businesses to add jobs.

6) How would you replenish the Transportation Trust Fund?

This state needs to stop using the Transportation Trust Fund and other trust funds as a piggy bank to cover wasteful spending. When state spending is brought under control, the fund will be replenished. I'll restore the meaning of the word "trust" in trust fund. And I will not raise the gas tax.

7) What would you do to improve state government's image in terms of ethics and campaign financing?

It is time to make pay-to-play reforms more than just a mirage. Governor McGreevey and the Democrats promised to change the system, but instead they left it more broken and more corrupt than before. I will fight to bring true reform to Trenton and to restore our state's credibility.

8) What would you do to end the bitter partisan fighting in New Jersey and the nation?

Simply put, my Reform Now! agenda asks each and every state legislator to show their support for my legislation to return the money to taxpayers - or to face the consequences of publicly opposing meaningful reform. As a result, I will reach across party lines to find the true reformers in both parties, while simultaneously assuring the citizens of New Jersey that reform will come their way sooner, rather than later.

Thanks to all those emailing to let us know our comments section is not working. Blogger apparently made a change to Blogger comment functionality causing the problem. We’re working on a fix and hope to have comments back up and running soon.

If anyone has a suggestion for a fix, we would greatly appreciate your help. Please email us at enlightennj@excite.com

Sluggo has a post about a column, written by a New York Times correspondent, containing a solution for New Jersey's budget problems. Sluggo wasn’t napping when he wrote this one, check it out. Like he says, it’s all a matter of courage.

Enlighten-New Jersey also has a solution for bridging the $4 billion budget gap – roll back New Jersey State spending to the 2002 level and voilà budget surplus. Better yet, for those calling for a rolling back of income tax rates to the higher levels of the 1990’s - let’s roll back state spending back to 1990’s levels instead.

New Jersey’s going broke, our citizens are being crushed by the highest tax burden in the country and our state and cities, controlled by the Democrats, are wasting taxpayer money on sports facilities. Acting Governor Codey has made a new Giants Stadium a priority since taking office and Mayor Sharpe James has made a minor league baseball park and now a new Devils’ ice hockey arena a priority for Newark.

The Newark $36 million baseball park, plagued by poor attendance and few sponsors, costs Essex County taxpayers a million and a half dollars a year in debt service. Now Newark plans to spend $210 million dollars, about 30 percent of the city’s annual budget, on a new arena.

Anyone still under the delusion that government investment in sporting complexes is a net plus for taxpayers should read Field of Schemes: How the Great Stadium Swindle Turns Public Money into Private Profit.

Anyone still under the delusion that Democrats place a priority on education and “the children” should think about this challenge from Assemblyman Joe Pennacchio.

Assemblyman Joe Pennacchio (R- Passaic/Morris). today called on Democrats in Newark to justify the recently approved $310 million dollar ice hockey arena in Newark. On the same day of the arena announcement the Department of Education released its annual public school report card – and Newark did not make the honor roll.

“The numbers that Newark schools produced were abysmal,” stated Pennacchio “In eighteen elementary schools and eight high schools less than half of the students passed their reading and math proficiency tests. Where I come from 50% does not make the grade.”

“Newark plans on investing $210 million dollars of public money in an arena while their children cannot read nor do basic mathematic equations,” Pennacchio explained. “Where are their priorities?”

The Assemblyman went on to explain that, due to the Supreme Court decision in Abbott vs. Burke, between 1991 and 2004 New Jersey gave over $5.5 billion to school districts in Newark. They received over $459 million last year alone.

The funds were meant help improve the quality of education in Newark schools and level the playing field with other schools across the state. After nearly fifteen years of state aid Newark schools are still failing - the money was poured in, but performance has not improved. Now as the schools in Newark continue to flounder the City has decided to spend on a sports arena.

“It would appear that the Democrats are more interested in a risky money-making scheme than a fair education playing field,” Pennacchio concluded. “If Newark wants to invest in something maybe it should invest in the future of their children and not in an ice rink for a sport that right now looks like it might not play another game.”

The New York Giants football team is demanding a new stadium in the Meadowlands. The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which operates the Meadowlands sports complex where the New York team currently plays, appears ready to cave into the Giants' demand. The two sides have been working for months to seal a deal to make a new stadium a reality. More posts on the negations here, here , here and here.

Taxpayer alert. The two sides seemed closer to a deal this week when Carl Goldberg, chairman of the NJ authority began to accept the Giants contention that the Giant’s owners and the new stadium deal should not be burdened with the authority's concern about paying off $117 million in debt on the existing 28-year-old stadium. The Giants insist that the stadium is owned by New Jersey and the debt associated with it should be paid off by New Jersey.

New Jersey still owes $ 117 million dollars on the old stadium and now the state is willing to blow it up to make way for a new one. How it is possible that after 28 years of operation New Jersey still owes anything on Giant’s stadium, let alone $117 million? Can the taxpayers of New Jersey afford any more sports facilities? What do the taxpayers of New Jersey possibly have to gain by agreeing to any new stadium deal? We’ll answer the question - absolutely nothing.

The Giants play in the largest sports market in the country and we’ll bet they don’t want to leave this lucrative market. The people of New York are against building a football stadium in Manhattan and we’re not aware of any other cities or states begging for the privilege of hosting the Giants. There’s always Los Angeles – just ask the Raiders and Rams how that city worked out. Wouldn’t you think New Jersey would have the upper hand in deal negotiations with the Giants?

It’s time we told the Giants if you want to play you’ve got to pay. New Jersey is famous for this arrangement; it’s time we put it to use in the taxpayer’s favor.

We suppose you know you’re getting old when you start thinking about the “good old days.” The days when the first people you turned to for help were members of your family, friends, neighbors, your community. Now your “first call for help” is to the government. How did this happen and does it matter?

These questions got us to thinking about the book Bowling Alone. In a nutshell, the book argues that civil society is breaking down as Americans became more disconnected from their families, neighbors, communities, and the republic itself. The organizations that gave life to democracy are fraying.

As the book’s author Robert Putnam points out, “Our growing social-capital deficit threatens educational performance, safe neighborhoods, equitable tax collection, democratic responsiveness, everyday honesty, and even our health and happiness.”

We think Putnam has a strong point, one that immediately came to mind when we came across this account:

"Faced with a dramatic increase in the number of agencies and help lines, people often didn't know where to turn,” said Fran Palm, the executive director of First Call for Help. A new statewide help line for New Jersey residents seeking information from social service, government or community sources was launched this past week to help alleviate the confusion.

In 2002, the state Board of Public Utilities designated the NJ 211 Partnership, a subsidiary of United Ways of New Jersey, with the task of making the national 211 information line operational throughout New Jersey.

"211 is a single, simple, statewide phone number that all residents can use to get information on any number of social services, governmental services and community resources," said State Health and Senior Services Commissioner James Davy. "211 can provide the 'where-to-go' and 'how-to-apply' for such programs as food stamps, New Jersey FamilyCare, substance abuse assistance and homeless shelters.”

Free and confidential, the 211 service is available via landlines and cell phones throughout the state 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Information also is available via TTY/TTD services and in various languages, including Spanish.

The program, including the United Way's 10 regional call centers, is funded through the Department of Human Services, the state's United Way organizations and corporate donations from Verizon. The state contributed $600,000 toward the program this year.

News Flash – Jon Corzine’s A Liberal
Corzine's liberal votes could appeal to N.J. values, so says Herb Jackson. Senator Corzine has not hidden his liberal leanings since he emerged as a candidate in 1999. But exactly how far left he leans was brought into new focus by the latest National Journal ratings, which are published in today's issue.

Only two members of the U.S. Senate Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) and Jack Reed (D-RI). have lifetime voting records that are more liberal than the one Jon Corzine has built since 2001, a new analysis by the National Journal shows. The data show Corzine voted the liberal line more often than Massachusetts' Ted Kennedy and New York's Hillary Rodham Clinton.

No Press Releases Today
Senator Corzine did not release a statement to the press today. Apparently basking in the glow of the fantastic liberal ranking from the National Journal and the media putting the best “values” spin on the news for him, led his PR team to conclude no statement was required.

Record Of Accomplishment
As of today, Senator Corzine has not accomplished anything for the State of New Jersey.

Imagine a guy making $89,000 a year in 2002, getting a bump in salary to $140,000 by February of 2005. Now imagine that this same lucky fellow is eligible for an annual retirement pension of $98,500 -- about $36,000 more than he would have received had he retired just one year ago. Oh, and the same lucky guy can retire at age 55 and receive this full pension of $98,000 per year.

The lucky fellow is real and his name is Robert Codey, Acting Governor Codey’s brother. You can read all about it in this Jersey-Style post based upon this Star-Ledger article. Is this a case of nepotism, currying political favor or a political payoff – who knows? But one thing is for sure, the pension benefits for state workers are out of control. You see all state workers have their pensions calculated on their last year of earnings and can retire as early as their late forties. This in addition generous medical benefits.

This is a prime example of why the people of New Jersey are so ill served by the Democrats, unless of course you are a government employee. It’s no secret that trial lawyers and government employees are the two largest financial backers of the Democrat Party and their candidates. The Democrats are especially beholden to these special interest groups and can be counted on to protect them at all costs. Unfortunately, the taxpayers pay the costs so that the Democrats can dole out the goodies.

Senator Corzine would have you believe his wealth puts him beyond the reach of special interest groups. But Jon Corzine can’t afford to alienate state workers if he hopes to become the next Governor of New Jersey. Corzine will buy the votes of government employees, not with his money, but with yours. A candidate in the pocket of teachers and other state workers can not bring real reform and fiscal sanity to Trenton. Especially one like Jon Corzine with political ambitions beyond the Governor’s mansion.

The Democrats are spending the entire state into the ground and they show no signs of letting up. Last year they went on a spending spree that saw state spending increase more than 17%. “Tax and spend liberals” may be a worn out slogan, but it perfectly describes the Democrat s in New Jersey.

Now with New Jersey more than $4 billion dollars in debt, the Democrats fall back on their tried and true answer to all fiscal problems - raise taxes. They never consider the other side of the equation – cut spending. The citizens of New Jersey are the most heavily taxed in the country and still the Democrats don’t think we are taxed enough.

The Democrat’s cry is “tax the rich” but Ken over at SmadaNek has figured out, to the Democrats. “rich” is everyone with an income above $18,750. The Bad Hair Blog predicted the Democrats would continue to lower the definition of “millionaire” to the point of absurdity and we believe that day is fast approaching. We can do something about this, it's called educated voting.

More about the state pension system crisis and the Democrat’s reckless plans to put us all further in the hole from Tom Moran’s article – Reckoning day nears for pension funding .

Four years ago, when the stock market was booming, the state's pension funds were so stuffed with cash that Trenton raised the benefits it offers government retirees by about 9 percent. That gave the teachers, police and other government employees an even cushier deal than they already had. The private sector abandoned such cushy arrangements long ago, for the most part. But this kind of deal is still common for public employees.

But now the system has spun off the rails. The pension funds are supposed to be replenished regularly, but no one in Trenton has bothered. We haven't contributed new money to the major pension funds since 1997. In the current fiscal year, we were supposed to contribute nearly $1 billion. That's what the impartial accountants who review the books recommended. Instead, we contributed nothing. Which is hard to justify when you consider the orgy of spending that took place last year in Trenton. Overall spending jumped 17 percent.

The shortfall in the pension funds was about $14 billion at least count, a number that is sure to rise with the next actuarial report.. Yet, the Legislature shows no sign that it's ready to face the problem. In fact, several pending bills would deepen the crisis by offering more generous pension benefits.

The biggest come from Assemblyman Louis Greenwald, a rising power in the Democratic Party from South Jersey and the chairman of the budget committee. He has sponsored two bills that would increase the cost-of-living adjustments for pensioners, adding about $1.7 billion in long-term costs for the state and local governments.

This one is like the Social Security problem in Washington: The longer we wait, the deeper the hole will get, and the more difficult it will be to climb out.

The Jon Corzine and Charles Kushner partnership seems to have made its way down the memory hole. Kushner you may remember is the Jim McGreevey backer that pled guilty last year to 18 federal crimes that included: making illegal campaign contributions, lying to the Federal Election Commission, tax fraud, hiring prostitutes and using videotapes to try to entrap his brother-in-law to stop him from cooperating with the Feds.

Senator Corzine was “teaming up“ with Kushner, as late as last year, to buy the New Jersey Nets basketball team. Senator Lautenberg was mighty chummy with Kushner too, based upon this account from USA Today.

Democratic Sen. Jon Corzine is teaming up with a prominent developer on a potential bid to buy the New Jersey Nets basketball team to keep it from relocating to New York, according to Corzine's home-state Senate colleague [Frank Lautenberg].

In a phone conversation with developer Charles Kushner on Tuesday, New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg said the real estate mogul confirmed that he and Corzine were exploring the purchase of the team.

"They'd be excellent owners, both Jon Corzine and Charlie Kushner," Lautenberg said. "The biggest protection for us is to have owners who are committed to (keeping) the team."

Obviously the Corzine – Kushner partnership came darn close to becoming the owners of the Nets.

Bruce C. Ratner, the developer who wants to move the New Jersey Nets to downtown Brooklyn, reached an agreement yesterday to buy the team for $300 million, defeating a similar offer by Charles Kushner and Senator Jon S. Corzine, the team said.

Let's hope as the 2005 campaign gets underway, the MSM will remind the voters about Corzine's ties with Kushner and the other corrupt Democrat Party leaders. Okay hope springs eternal.

Senator Frank Lautenberg must be in competition with Senator Corzine to see who can churn out the most press releases. We think ultimately Corzine will win that race, but Lautenberg wins our vote for making the most ridiculous statements to the press. With all the issues facing the United States, this guy has this stuff at the top of his agenda?

Lautenberg Introduces Measure to Ensure Sportsmanship in Hunting – We wonder how this major problem came to his attention?

Senator Lautenberg Introduces Legislation to Provide Comprehensive Sex Education in Schools – The thought sends shivers up the spine – can you imagine learning about sex from “the Mummy’?

Lautenberg Requests All Documents From White House Relating to Discredited "Journalist" James D. Guckert, A.K.A. Jeff Gannon – No word on an effort by the Senator to launch a probe involving discredited “journalist” Dan Rather, A.KA. Gunga Dan.

Today the Senate passed a tort reform bill by a vote of 72-26. All 26 nays were from Democrats, including Senators Corzine and Lautenberg. We’re waiting to see how the two will spin their “no” votes. We’ll predict it will have something to do with protecting “working families”, children, senior citizens, minorities, the disabled, etc. that are victimized by “cold-hearted big business.” Of course the vote has nothing to do with protecting the largest donors to the Democrat Party – trial lawyers. Always looking out for you those two.

The tort reform bill requires class-action suits be heard in federal court if less than one-third of the plaintiffs are from the same state as the primary defendant. It also restricts lawyers' fees in "coupon settlements" - cases like the Madison County judgment against Poland Springs bottled water in which plaintiffs were awarded discounts on future purchases while plaintiffs' attorneys received $1.35 million.

Barack Obama, D-Ill., said: "When multimillion-dollar settlements are handed down and all the victims get are coupons for a free product, justice is not being served," he said. "And when cases are tried in counties only because it's known that those judges will award big payoffs, you get quick settlements without ever finding out who's right and who's wrong."

The Senate bill had eight Democratic co-sponsors, among them Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Chris Dodd, D-Conn. They called it a needed reform to known abuses.

Corzine Opposes Extending Runway at Philly Airport – You must look at this press release. Corzine has taken to writing hieroglyphics.

Corzine, Center for American Progress Unveil Report on Market Risk of Bush Privatization Plan - This Corzine press release says the Senator is unveiling a new, groundbreaking report on the market risks associated with President Bush’s Social Security privatization plan.

The true ground breaking aspect of this report is that it analyzes something that doesn’t exist – President Bush hasn’t submitted a Social Security plan to the Congress. Rather, the President has called for the Congress to work in a bi-partisan fashion to reform Social Security.

Corzine Remains Ineffective - As of today, Senator Corzine has not accomplished anything for the State of New Jersey.

Jersey Style – Stuff Taxed
More on the pressure to increase New Jersey’s gas tax, here. Makes you wonder where all the money goes, doesn’t it?

Jersey Style – Tax Money Spent
We’ve posted on this unbelievable waste of taxpayer money before, but it still makes us want to scream every time we receive an update. McGreevy can pretend, (boy can he) that he didn’t leave the Governor’s mansion two steps ahead of an arrest warrant for corruption, but we know better. Can you say Machiavelli? Could someone please tell us why this man deserves one nickel of our money? Hello Trenton, there is no law that says you have to.

Nearly halfway through a six-month, taxpayer-financed transition period, Jim McGreevey has spent about 15 percent of the $500,000 allotted to outgoing governors. The $73,800 spent as of last week included the down payment on an official state portrait, state Treasury Department spokesman Tom Vincz said.

Jersey Style - Tax Money Saved
Faced with a $4 billion deficit for the next fiscal year, acting Gov. Richard J. Codey's administration is casting a wide net for savings and has sent a memo to New Jersey's 15 governmental departments asking them to hold down spending. For example, the memo calls for holding on to worn-out office furniture, suggesting chairs could be reupholstered by inmate labor through the Department of Corrections. [Ed - Governor Codey see item above]

We greatly appreciate John Behan, author of the Commonwealth Conservative blog, mentioning Enlighten-New Jersey in his "the other governor’s race" post. John seems to think the deck is stacked against those opposing Jon Corzine in the Governor’s race this year in New Jersey.

Sometimes it does seem that the deck is stacked against the average person – the hard working folks that watch as their incomes are taxed away by politicians. Politicians that take credit for what the taxpayer makes possible and then turn to denigrate the very taxpayers that contribute the most. Voters allow politicians to pit one group of people against another and quietly sit back while these “public servants” pick winners and losers. We think it’s time for this game to end.

Jon Corzine may bet his own bankroll in the upcoming campaign – but only so that he can win control over all of ours. As we have said before, we believe Senator Corzine should be free to spend his money any way he chooses; we just don’t think he has the same right with ours.

Mr. Corzine could have accomplished much good with the $75 or so million he has spent thus far on his political ambition, instead he has chosen to spend it on himself. Remember that the next time you hear him speak of his devotion to helping the poorest and weakest amongst us. Remember his priorities with each Corzine ad you see and commercial you hear – it’s all about Jon and not about you.

As commuters that slog into NYC, our ears always perk up when we hear about a NJ Transit plan to speed the daily grind of our commute. Is the “The” project an answer to our prayers? No typo – “THE” stands for Trans-Hudson Express. We hope if the project goes forward someone can up with a better name.

More to the point. When the government touts projects as job creators you know you had better secure your wallet. You might recall New Jersey’s River line project, another job creator, that was initially supposed to cost $314 million dollars and ending up setting taxpayers back $1.1 billion. The project was a complete fiasco. The projected number of riders on the River Line never materialized and New Jersey’s taxpayers are stuck with $70 million a year tab. Each round trip costs the commuter $2.20 and the taxpayers $70. You can read more about the River Line in our post here.. Hey Governor Codey, here’s a way you can help close the budget gab. Close the River Line and sell the trains.

New York loves the idea of “THE” with 75% of the jobs created projected to be located in New York. Anything that brings more New Jersey residents into the “Big Apple” to work, the better – all that income tax received from folks that don’t live in their state. Taxation without representation - don’t get us started.

Snips from the AP report below the entire article here.

NJ Transit hopes to get its plan for a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River on track, touting it as a job creator and time-saver for thousands of commuters.

A study released Wednesday says the proposed Trans-Hudson Express tunnel, known as the "THE," would immediately double rail capacity into and out of New York, meet NJ Transit's needs for at least 20 years, and help support development along the west side of Manhattan as well as in New Jersey.

There's just one problem: Getting the $5 billion or so it would take to build it.

The study said the tunnel would generate $10 billion in new economic activity in the region and add $480 million to its tax base over the next 20 years. It also projected 44,000 new jobs created in the region over the next decade because of the new tunnel, nearly 16,000 in New Jersey and 28,000 in New York.

Of those, it estimated, 7,450 would be created in Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Passaic counties; 4,400 in Middlesex, Somerset and Union; 2,150 in Morris, Sussex, Hunterdon and Warren; and 1,800 in Monmouth and Ocean. If funding is approved, officials estimate that construction could begin in 2006 or 2007, and could be completed by 2014.

U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine, D-NJ, the presumptive Democratic nominee for governor. "Our region's economic health and our quality of life is tied tightly to this project. Getting more commuters off our roads and on to trains will lower emissions and result in cleaner air. Shorter commuting times will result in increased labor productivity and increased leisure time."

Tort Reform
Confused as ever, Corzine would like to amend the entire tort reform bill before the Senate and then once he’s “accomplished “amending the bill, he’d like to vote against it. Quote from The Hill below, the entire article here.

Democrats “probably don’t have the votes,” admitted Sen. Jon Corzine (D-N.J.), who said he would “like to amend the whole thing and vote against it.” Asked why Democrats weren’t mounting full-scale opposition, Corzine responded, “I think people know how to count votes.”

New Jersey Fire Departments Receive Federal Grants
Nothing like taking credit where credit isn’t due – didn’t he vote against this bill?

United States Senator Jon S. Corzine announced today $1,833,594 in Federal Emergency Management Administration grants to 18 New Jersey fire departments. The grants are part of an on-going effort to fund first responders at the local level.

Corzine Continues Losing Streak
As of today, Senator Corzine has not accomplished anything for the State of New Jersey

John Behan over at CommonWealthConservative has a post about the impact bloggers can have on the political races in their home states. His home state of Virginia has the only other major race in the country this year and like New Jersey, the Governor’s seat is up for grabs.

Speaking of home state blogs:

Dynamobuzz went into a mild state of shock when reading the Star-Ledger’s Death by Nickel and Diming op-ed piece that criticizes Acting Governor Codey call for eliminating the 401k deduction. Roberto calls the Ledger out for opposing tax increases only when they threaten the political future of democrats in Trenton.

JerseyStyle says that Jon Corzine’s nine page press release condemning the President’s budget is just fluff. Patrick says Bush should get a chuckle out of a Democratic senator from a state in a fiscal crisis condemning his budget proposal.

ParkwayRestStop covers Jon Corzine campaigning in Newark for Governor and is able to report on the Senator’s secret weapon for drumming up support.

Here’s some support from blogs outside the state:

Daly Thoughts has two posts, one on the state of our gubernatorial race and the other on why the selection of Howard Dean as head of the DNC may be a plus for Republican candidates in New Jersey.

The Hedge Hog Report has started a Poll Watch page for the New Jersey Governor’s race, saving us the extra work – thanks!

The press releases are coming faster and faster, Corzine must be running for something. The latest below.

Corzine Denounces President’s Budget - A second statement with denoucements on the budget. When it appears all the denoucements are in we will fact check.

Lautenberg, Corzine Introduce Homeland Security Bill - the need for this homeland security bill was discussed in our post here.

As of today, Senator Corzine has not accomplished anything for the State of New Jersey.

Middlesex County Democrat John Wisniewski, chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee, called for bipartisan support to raise the tax on gas from 14.5-cent-a-gallon tax to 29.5 cents. The increase would more than double the $2.2 billion in federal and state funds available to keep up with annual highway, bridge and transit maintenance and improvements.

Building and maintaining public infrastructure such as highways, bridges and transit we believe to be a legitimate role of government. We also believe taxing people in a manner that maintains a direct relationship between the amount of public services used by the individual and the taxes they pay, is a fair system. A gas tax, is a flat tax, the same rate applies to everyone. The more gas used and miles driven the more a person will pay. What system could be more fair?

What’s the alternative – get someone else to pay for the services you use? You’re all for tax the other guy - but not me? Is that a fair plan? As long as the politicians use the revenues generated from the gas tax strictly for roads and related transpiration infrastructure, he have no problem with a gas tax increase. Public infrastructure should be self-financing through tolls, fares, and other transportation related consumption taxes.

We couldn’t help but notice Alfred Doblin’s column - Quick, stop the presses, Corzine's rich! So, we decided to deconstruct his column – enjoy. Doblin begins:

Five years ago, Corzine's wealth was a campaign issue. The former grand poobah of Goldman Sachs was a political unknown and he spent a record $63 million on a successful run for the U.S. Senate. That money bought Corzine media time and a lot of notice. It was a very expensive invitation; it was not a bribe. Yet, there is renewed media outcry that Corzine bought the election. New Jersey voters were not that stupid.

Granted, spending $63 million to finance a campaign is not a bribe and we don’t recall anyone referring to his record breaking spending as such. It is however, rather hypocritical for Corzine to strongly support campaign finance reform that limits the amount others may legally contribute to the candidate of their choice. That places Corzine and others with vast personal resources at a distinct advantage over nearly everyone else.

We believe Senator Corzine should be free to spend as much money as he pleases on his campaign. We also believe everyone should have the right to spend as much as they choose to support the candidate of their choice. Campaign finance reform that lifts spending limits and requires full public disclosure, of all campaign contributions, would help level the playing field. That’s not the type of reform Corzine favors.

Here’s what Senator Corzine had to say back in April, 2001 on the passage of the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Bill:

Today, the Senate took a historic step towards loosening the grip of special interests on our public policy debates. The passage of McCain-Feingold will not only help clean up our campaign finance system, but also give us a real chance to pass meaningful health care reform, an equitable tax cut and greater access to the American promise for all Americans.

We need clean money to fund clean campaigns. While this bill is not perfect, it goes a long way towards making our campaigns about our constituents – rather than about those who seek to gain influence. The past two-week debate and the amendments added to the bill improve and enhance the overall initiative.

I certainly hope that the House of Representatives and the President will join with the Senate to secure the enactment of this legislation. We need to act expeditiously – before another election cycle goes by and the agenda of the people is once more colored by the agenda of the special interests.

The bill passed the House and was signed into law by the President. The country’s been through two election cycles, record amounts of money have been spent and in our opinion, special interests groups seem to have an even tighter grip.

But one thing that didn’t change under McCain-Feingold - Mr. Corzine’s ability to bank-roll his own campaign. If spending $63 million in an effort to win a Senate seat isn’t spending money to gain influence, we would appreciate hearing a better example. If Corzine believes thus far, his campaign for Governor has been about his constituents, then his constituency is a mighty small group - Democrat Party bosses. Corzine’s grip on public policy debate within his party is so tight, he can make sure none take place.

Now back to that line about New Jersey voters not being that stupid. Maybe, but how does Doblin figure the citizens of New Jersey got into the mess he describes so glibly as follows:

Codey followed the train wreck known as McGreevey. But Codey was in the same train station as McGreevey for 30 years. It is impossible to separate the acting governor from the Trenton that made New Jersey overtaxed, drowning in debt and incapable of reforming public education or protecting children under its care.Codey is not solely responsible for this mess, but he was in a leadership position long before McGreevey discovered that he was "a friend of Dorothy's," code for being gay.

Doblin sure has us beat in his way the words, but his logic escapes us. The majority of New Jersey voters put the train wreck and other assorted disasters into office and have been doing so for quite some time. Doblin can fault the Wizard of Oz if he likes for the mess we’re in, but we think the voters of New Jersey are to blame. Now as to whether the voters of New Jersey are “that stupid”, we will withhold judgment until after the elections in November.

More on Doblin stupid voter theory. He doesn’t think New Jersey voters are “that stupid”, but he must think they’re not “that bright” either. In his mind, people are smart enough to see a connection between Codey and the elected officials that brought us the disaster in Trenton, but apparently are too stupid to see a connection between the man that spent over $8 million dollars to help elect the majority of the ill-fated Trenton train crew. Perhaps it’s only Doblin that can’t make the connection.

And if Corzine’s interests are on the side of the people of New Jersey, why did he spend so much money to elect these people? Why back people with a proven track record of failure, with clouds of scandal and corruption hanging over their heads? His interest in helping New Jersey and party building? Two other explanations come to mind. Corzine’s either too stupid to figure out those responsible for the mess in Trenton or he doesn’t care about the state’s residents. We lean towards the Corzine doesn’t care about anyone, except himself – getting himself elected at any cost – his and ours. However in fairness to Senator Corzine, we will keep open the possibility his lack of brain power is to blame.

Doblin goes on to describe the reason he believes Corzine won his Senate seat and why he is so popular today:

Voters liked what they heard and put Corzine in the Senate. Today, polls show Corzine is the most popular elected official in the state. That's not because Corzine is incredibly rich, but because New Jerseyans are happy with what Corzine has done.

Oh really? Does anyone believe Corzine would be Senator today if he wasn’t incredibly rich? The Senator has not been too embarrassed to claim his wealth is the major reason we should elect him Governor. He recognizes his money was the key to his successful Senate campaign and his best qualification for Governor. Why pretend otherwise?

But Doblin may have hit upon the root cause of the state’s problems. The voters don’t have an opportunity to hear a variety of opinions or to learn much about other candidates.

Perhaps the voters liked what they heard from Corzine because they didn’t hear much of anyone, but Corzine. The television news programs and the major broadsheets reaching New Jersey voters are Democrat Party echo chambers. Add $63 million worth of Corzine’s invitations and it’s a wonder anyone ever heard his competitor’s name. Do remember his name? Don’t fault your memory, you just didn’t hear it often enough for it to stay with you.

Declaring Corzine the most popular elected official in New Jersey is a great example of the media echo chamber we just mentioned. When people “hear” that others think he’s popular, it makes Corzine sound great. When people “hear” he’s popular because their fellow citizens are happy with the job he’s doing in the Senate, he sounds better still.

Quick, name another statewide elected official? So Corzine is more popular than Frank Lautenberg. What are we to make of that - Frank Lautenberg is the least popular elected official? We can see the headlines tomorrow. (We assumed former officials; those having resigned in disgrace; presently embroiled in a scandal or currently under indictment were not included in the poll.)

So let’s be honest, how many people have heard (there’s that word again), the name of an elected official outside of their own town or district. So we think it would be fair to say the poll measured name recognition. Important in any political race, but at this stage of the campaign, merely the echo chamber attempting to plant the inevitability of a Corzine win in the minds of the voters.

Now concerning the happiness people feel at the sound of the name Corzine - we wonder if it’s really because Senator Corzine has done a good job or if it’s because the people of New Jersey are thankful he hasn’t been arrested or required to resign for any number of reasons. Let’s face it, our track record with New Jersey politicians has caused us to set the bar pretty low in terms of what we consider to be a good job.

Quick, tell us something you know about Senator Jon Corzine? Beside the fact he is incredibly rich. Name one thing Jon Corzine has done for New Jersey during his time in the Senate? Well, we’ve heard people are happy with the job he’s doing, you must be able to rattle off at least one accomplishment. Go ahead ask your friends, neighbors, anybody you run into and tell us what you hear in response to the question. We’ll bet you won’t “hear” anything.And for a good reason.

To continue with Mr. Doblin’s column:

Now enter Corzine with enough money to self-finance a campaign and he is criticized for buying an election. A candidate beholden to special-interest groups is bad. A candidate with enough money to remain independent is bad. Who does that leave to run for office? Corzine quickly has lined up important endorsements. Some say that is unfair to Codey. What's so unusual about a candidate shoring up support?

We hope this is just more of Doblin humor, because he can’t be serious. Is it possible for someone to buy an election? We believe the term is just a figure of speech. But if forced to give an example of what is meant by the term - John Corzine’s campaign for the senate in 2000 would probably fit most people’s understanding of the concept.

Yes Alfred, a politician beholden to a special interest is bad. In this case Corzine is the special interest and the Democrat Party bosses are the politicians beholden. Nothing wrong with shoring up support and endorsements. It just seems above board when those bestowing endorsements and support claim it’s because of the candidate’s accomplishments, his ideas for governing, his plans for the fixing the state’s problems. Did you hear any of those reasons for their support, we didn’t?

Time for another reality check. How did Corzine shore up support and endorsements? How did he manage to secure his party’s nomination so early, no primary required? Clearly he must be a very special candidate, heads and shoulders above all others. A slam dunk, no need to answer any questions, he’s our man. Doesn’t that sound a bit unusual? What might we attribute this amazing loyalty? Does Corzine’s money fill that piece of the puzzle in for you? No?

Then what’s even more unusual is that a candidate so fantastic and qualified found it necessary to contribute $8 million to Democrat party organizations and candidates over the last several years. Even more interesting is the timing of all this generosity – Corzine’s “party building” interests began at the same time as his political ambition. Merely coincides with his recent fascination with politics you say.

Okay, why did the beloved and independent candidate for Governor, Corzine find it necessary to give $342,000 to Democrat county organizations this past October? Why did his mother, living in Illinois, contribute $37,000 to the Democrat party in Bergen County? Alright, the legal maximum of $37,000 explains the amount, but why her sudden interest? Nothing unusual there. Then again, this is New Jersey.

See if this explains everyone’s behavior. Corzine was insecure in his ability to win people’s support on the basis of his singular popularity, qualifications, record and plans for the state. He gave large campaign contributions and promised there was more to come in exchange for party boss support. Doblin sites other reasons for this amazing support, but we’ll save them until the end. You can be the judge of the most plausible explanation. Ours or his?

Doblin continues his defense of Corzine with:

Now Corzine wants to be governor and some pundits are seeing red, the color of acting Gov. Richard J. Codey's hair. Corzine is the big, bad wolf who pulled Red Riding Codey off the path to an elected term as governor. Codey: "What a big checkbook you have, Corzine? Corzine: The better to eat your lunch with, Codey."

There were rumors that Corzine would have challenged then-Gov. James E. McGreevey in 2005 before McGreevey announced he was a "gay American." Once McGreevey announced his intention to resign, the push was on for a Corzine candidacy.

In August of 2004, no one was concerned that Corzine was incredibly rich. No one was concerned that Codey would actually want to run for an elected term as Governor. Things change.

Where to begin. We do enjoy Mr. Dublin’s ability to weave references to children’s stories into his column. We are also grateful for his defining what it meant to be “a friend of Dorothy's”. Remember how we picked right up on the Wizard of Oz connection. Odd though for Alfred to came up with the Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Hiding Hood analogy if he didn’t think it fit the facts. Does it fit, you decide?

On to rumors and a push for a Corzine candidacy. Spreading more than $8 million bucks around, courting party bosses and telling the press of your potential run for Governor, seems a bit beyond the rumor stage. The only folks pushing for a Corzine candidacy before the McGreevey revelation were the people in Corzine’s PR firm.

And what does the lack of concern over Corzine’s being incredibly rich in August of 2004 have to do with present concerns over his method for locking up the Democrat nomination in January 2005. Things change alright.

Almost to the end – Doblin continues:

It's true voters don't know how Corzine will fix the state's finances. Voters also don't know how the myriad of Republican candidates will fix them either. That's why we have campaigns and debates.

How did the Republicans get mixed up with Corzine’s method of shoring up the support and endorsements needed to avert a primary? Dublin’s right the voters don’t know how Corzine or anyone for that matter will fix the state’s finances. Who said they should at this point in the race? The major complaint seems to be that the party bosses endorsing Corzine don’t know and apparently don’t care. Cause for concern? You be the judge.

We were very happy to learn that Doblin believes voters should wait until the campaigns are underway and after they have heard the debates before making a decision. We hope the media takes his advice – so many have already proclaimed a Governor Corzine as a foregone conclusion. We’ll go out on a limb here and say the media didn’t base, its nearly unanimous, conclusion on anything except the fact Corzine is an incredibly rich Democrat.

We told you Doblin provided reasons for Corzine’s amazing popularity and ability to lock up the Democrat’s nomination - here they are:

In the Senate, Corzine has advocated for immigrants. He traveled to Darfur in the Sudan to bring more attention to the genocide, and he has been a loud voice in Congress on the subject of protecting our ports and chemical plants against terrorists. Maybe Corzine is popular because many New Jerseyans think those issues are more important than the heft of the senator's checkbook.

Corzine’s advocated, traveled, spoken in a loud voice and has released zillions of statements to the press. Great, but what has he accomplished? We’re sure if Corzine had any successes in the Senate, Mr. Doblin would have listed them to bolster his case. Instead he has chosen to provide a rather thin list of topics he associates with the Senator – hardly the major issues on the minds of most New Jersey voters. For some reason we doubt the Senator’s popularity derives from this record.

To be sure, the issues cited are more important than the heft of Senator Corzine’s checkbook. The fact that Corzine is rich is not the concern. It’s how and why his checkbook is considerably lighter that raises a few eyebrows.

We’ve been working on a post that led us to the startling fact that Senator Frank Lautenberg is the most unpopular elected official in the state of New Jersey. It’s not as bad as it sounds - former officials; those having resigned in disgrace; presently embroiled in a scandal or currently under indictment were not included in the poll.

Recognizing that we have not devoted as much screen space to the junior Senator as we should, we thought it only fair for us highlight Frank Lautenberg’s work on behalf of the people of New Jersey.

Please note the following Lautenberg press releases are not our attempt at humor. If in doubt, click the links and see for yourself.

Lautenberg Outraged Over Bush Administration's Decision to Participate in Conference with States that Sponsor Terrorism (No he is not referring to the U.N.)

Senator Lautenberg Blasts Bush Administration for Backing Increased Air Pollution

Press Statement- Corzine Says Bush Budget Bad for New Jersey
Hopefully a member of the press or another blogger has analyzed the contents of this gem. We’ll try to find links that will provide you with the facts. If none can be found, we will do our research and post over the next several days.

As of today, Senator Corzine has not accomplished anything for the State of New Jersey.

Better late, than never - Corzine, Lautenberg seek to tie terror funds to risk. Senators. Jon Corzine and Frank Lautenberg plan to introduce legislation in the Senate that would require all homeland security grants for terrorism preparedness and prevention be given to states based on an assessment of the state's risk, threats and vulnerability to terrorism. Congressman Robert Menendez (D-13th Dist.), whose district includes Jersey City and the ports in Elizabeth and Newark, plans to sponsor the measure in the House. The current formula requires every state receive some funding to fight terrorism.

Before Senators Corzine and Lautenberg move on to their next issue and press release, let’s take a look back at the reasons this common sense legislation is necessary. Let’s try to figure out why this logical approach to funding wasn’t part of the original legislation.

You may recall, back before the November elections and on into early December, the never ending complaints by the Democrats that the Republicans and the President were dragging their feet concerning the passage of The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.

The Republicans and some Democrats argued they would prefer to take the time necessary to get this major piece of legislation right. Even the highly partisan Senator Byrd (D-WV) was calling for a more cautious, methodical approach. Senator Byrd aside, the Democrats charged that by not passing the bill, the Republicans were “putting millions of Americans in greater danger of a terror attack”

The Republicans attacked the bill, in its then present form, on number issues – including federal Homeland Security funding to the states. Republican Senators Warner and Kyl argued during debate on the Senate floor for the inclusion of the administration’s proposal for the preservation of authority and accountability' over funding.

Senator Feingold, a Democrat, also expressed his reservations during this Senate floor debate when he said:

“We still lack a comprehensive homeland security plan with clear priorities, deadlines, and accountability. Without such plans, it is not possible to properly target our homeland security dollars to meet our most pressing needs.”

One point of contention was a provision in the bill requiring a minimum allocation of Homeland Security funds to each state. A provision, no doubt added to attract enough votes for passage. So what role and position did Senator Lautenberg have on this legislation? This is what Senator Lautenberg’s December 1, 2004 press release stated:

Reform bill negotiator United States Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) joined a number of 9-11 family members at Ground Zero today to press the President and the House Republican leadership to listen to the families, the Congress and the American people and take the necessary steps to pass the final conference report on the bill to overhaul the nation's intelligence services.

"I am confident that should this bill be brought to the floors of the House and Senate, it would pass overwhelmingly. But the House Republican leadership is allowing it to be held hostage by two Congressmen," said Senator Lautenberg. "This is not the way democracy should work. It's a slap in the face to the 9/11 families who have worked so hard to make something positive happen in the wake of a horrific national tragedy."

Lautenberg is a member of the Senate-House Conference Committee that negotiated the final measure, and has been involved in the bi-cameral negotiations over the legislation from the very beginning as a member of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. Lautenberg will call on the Congress and President Bush to take action and pass the legislation when Congress returns for a one day session on December 6th.

"By stopping the bill, the House Republicans are putting millions of Americans in greater danger of a terror attack," said Senator Lautenberg. "It is terribly alarming that President Bush cannot control members of his own party in Congress."

There will be simultaneous vigils held in Boston and Los Angeles that start today, December 1st and go through December 5th -- the day before Congress is suppose to convene and possibly take up and pass the final Intelligence Reform legislation.

The Republicans caved and the bill was brought to a vote. Senator Lautenberg, the man involved in negotiations over the legislation from the very beginning, was more than happy to toot his own horn and disparage the Republicans in his December 7, 2004 press release:

Reform bill negotiator United States Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) issued the following statement today on an apparent deal between House and Senate Conferees on the final conference report to overhaul the nation's intelligence services.

"The delay in passing this bill was unnecessary and unwise," said Senator Lautenberg. "Every day the House Republicans dragged this out was a day that made our communities less safe. While the President was eventually able to push this agreement through, it took him far too long." "As a conferee on this legislation, I am proud of what we produced. “

Moving right along to the next day, December 8, the measure passes the House and Senate. True to form Senator Corzine releases a statement to the press, touting his vote in favor of The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.

That very day, December 8th, we published the post Action Required - Corzine Releases Statement To The Press, that said in part:

How long before he [Corzine] criticizes this new bill and laments New Jersey has been short-changed? Does Corzine ever take responsibility or Lautenberg for that matter?

On December 15th, Senators Corzine and Lautenberg were shocked to learn that New Jersey would lose Homeland Security funding, just one week after they had voted in favor of the measure. So what do they do next? You got it; they release statements to the press. You can read all about it our post New Jersey Deserves Better. A few nuggets from their staements to the press below:

Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) was seething after Homeland Security money for Newark plummeted 17 percent, to $12.4 million, while New York City's federal anti-terrorism aid soared 344 percent. Lautenberg said New Jersey got shafted although the stretch of land from Newark's Liberty Airport to the harbor "is the biggest terrorist target in the country. I don't know whether this is a political repercussion of some kind," Lautenberg vented.

Senator Jon Corzine (D-NJ), who is running for Governor, said that if elected, he would work with the congressional delegation to fix the funding formula "to make sure that people in Homeland Security all the way to the top understand the exposure [to an attack] we have here.

Lautenberg points the finger at the Republicans and suggests New Jersey got the shaft because he and Corzine are Democrats or because the state went for Kerry in the presidential election. The press failed to ask him how New York managed a 344 percent increase. New York’s success must be a result of Republican Governor Pataki working with his state’s congressional delegation - because that was Corzine’s response to the problem – make a campaign promise. Elect Corzine Governor and he'll be sure to work with Congress to get the appropriate funding.Why do we put up with this nonsense?

Doesn’t this mess make you wonder how many other unintended consequences may be in that intelligence reform bill? If Corzine and Lautenberg weren’t capable of figuring out the act’s impact on funding, do we trust their analytic abilities concerning the more complex issues? Why the rush to pass such a major overhaul of the federal government when it’s clear they didn’t even understand one of the most basic provisions of the legislation?

You’ll never hear the press ask these questions or tie these events together. Why does it take a blogger, presumably in pajamas, to document this series of events? We’ll leave you to draw you own conclusions. But keep this post in mind the next time you hear or read someone comment on the good job Corzine and Lautenberg are doing in the Senate for the people of New Jersey.

The blog PoliPundit has a post today about the New Jersey's Governor's race. Good to see a blog outside of New Jersey paying attention to our state. PoliPundit is a blog we enjoy and suggest if you haven’t read them before, that you give them a look.

Enlighten-New Jersey has been asked to participate in a project with PoliPundit - referred to as “Calling Congress”. Polipundit and their readers have developed a set of twenty questions they would like to have answered by every member of the House and Senate. Rather than actually calling congress, they have asked for volunteers willing to email the questions to their own Senator or member of Congress to improve the response rate.

Enlighten-New Jersey has agreed to cover New Jersey and so we are soliciting our readers to volunteer to email the questionnaire to their representative in Congress. It would be great if we could get one volunteer for each congressional district. You can read more about the project over at Polipundit with their posts here, here and here. The final set of questions is posted here.

Enlighten-New Jersey will post the results received from New Jersey’s members of congress and Polipundit will consolidate and post the results for the entire country on their site. If you would like to help – email us and let us know the member of congress you would like to contact.

It will be interesting to see the response rate and the answers to the questions.

Just kidding. It’s Super Bowl Sunday – we’re in a good mood, so we thought we’d share a little of Jon Corzine’s humor with you – article here – quips below.

“Frankly, sharing a media market with Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is like sharing a banana with a monkey,” Corzine told the black tie audience. “Take a little bite of it and he will throw his own feces at you.”

Corzine also skated on thin ice with a joke about the sex life of Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.). Combining references to President Bush decrying steroid abuse by athletes, in his State of the Union speech, and Bob Dole’s TV ads for Viagra, he said if anyone in that room was “benefiting from performance-enhancing drugs, it’s Elizabeth Dole.”

We’ll bet Senators Schumer and Dole got a good laugh out of those lines. You can tell a lot about a person from their sense of humor can’t you? Well it’s been nearly a year since “cut-up” Corzine made his little jokes – so perhaps all is forgiven. Then again, there is that little matter of a cut to New Jersey’s Homeland Security funds.

Ever thought to yourself – if I were Governor – I’d ...?

Now’s your chance to put yourself in the shoes of a Governor with a budget problem. This little game on Netscape, courtesy of the AP, gives you a turn at crafting a budget that balances the needs of the people and the constitutional demands for a balanced budget. You'll have to get your budget through a legislature that has its own agendas and constituencies. If you succeed, you'll easily win re-election and the chance to do it all over again.

Maybe the voters could use this game as a screening tool to weed out candidates in New Jersey’s race for Governor.

Hint: If you take the advice we’ve offered our Governor, you’ll be a shoo- in for re-election.

Senator Jon Corzine's personal wealth -- which has been estimated at between $260 million and $400 million -- became a key issue in his self-financed campaign for the Senate in 2000. But more than just running the most expensive state campaign in history, Corzine's wealth allowed him to start building his own Democratic power base in New Jersey by donating to state and county partisans.

During a 17-day stretch in mid-October, as he prepared to declare himself a candidate for governor, Sen. Jon Corzine gave $342,000 of his own money to 16 Democratic county organizations across New Jersey. All told, Corzine and his family have given $9 million to Democratic causes and candidates -- $8 million of it since he left investment banking in 1999 for politics -- according to a Star-Ledger analysis of state and federal campaign finance reports, the most comprehensive examination of his political donations to date.

"It's kind of the ultimate 'pay-to-play.' It's actually to gain office rather than government contracts," said Joseph Marbach, the chairman of the political science department at Seton Hall University.

We’ll let the snips from this Stat-Ledger article speak for themselves. Isn’t it amazing the criteria people use to decide their vote?

U.S. Senator Jon Corzine's name recognition has propelled him to an early 2-to-1 lead over his top Republican rivals in this year's race for governor, according to a new Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers Poll.

When matched up with the two leading Republican candidates, the poll found, Corzine leads former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler by 47 percent to 22 percent and businessman Doug Forrester 46 percent to 23 percent.

"Corzine starts out in clearly better shape than either of his two top potential Republican opponents, who still have a tough battle ahead in the Republican primary," said Jeffrey Levine, the poll's director. "Voters are familiar with him, and there is a general sense that he's a good guy doing a good job."

"I've seen Corzine on a few television shows, he speaks well, and I guess I'll have to vote for him. He's got no money problem. That's for sure. Who are the other guys again? I don't know a damn thing about them," said Anthony Valvano, a 68-year-old retired salesman and independent voter from Lyndhurst.

Fifty-one percent of voters say eliminating corruption is an "extremely important" task for the state's next governor, topping even the 47 percent who say the same of protecting the state from terrorist attacks.

Also on voters' list of concerns: improving education and access to quality health care, each cited by 42 percent; the ever-present concern over property taxes -40% the looming state budget crisis (38 percent) and reducing crime - 36%. Auto insurance, long a top issue in the state, was rated "extremely important" by just 35 percent.

Bob Morrison, a 43-year-old independent voter from Warren Township, said those issues are important, but the honesty and ethics of public officials elected to tackle them is paramount.

Corzine showed most strongly on traditional Democratic issues such as increasing access to quality health care, protecting the environment and improving education.

Some people rate a reply from Senator Lautenberg, others don’t. Read the Senator's letter posted below and decide if his financing method for fixing the “challenges” facing Social Security would be in the best interest for the majority of his constituency. We will post our opinion in a later post.

Until then, just a few observations:

If anyone’s “doomsday rhetoric is overblown”, it’s Lautenberg’s

Some folks must be ashamed to associate themselves with New Jersey. The Giants and Jets come to mind, but the recipient of the Lautenberg letter, indicates she lives near New York City. Must be a prestige thing. Or perhaps she believes her readers haven't a clue where New Jersey is located.

From: Sen. Frank Lautenberg

Subject: Responding to your message

Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2005 16:33:20 -0500

February 1, 2005

Thank you for contacting me with your thoughts about President Bush's proposals to privatize Social Security. Please be assured that I will oppose any attempts to gamble with Social Security money in risky investments.

Social Security has worked extremely well for nearly 70 years to reduce poverty among senior citizens. Without Social Security, half of all seniors would be living in poverty, while today only ten percent are. To risk this safety net on the vagaries of the stock market would be to jeopardize the very essence of the program – providing retirement security in good times and bad. Instead of guaranteed benefits based on an individual's work history and, in part, on need, benefits would vary greatly depending on an individual's investment skills and luck. Economic risks would be borne by individuals rather than shared across society.

While Social Security faces some challenges that should be addressed, the doomsday rhetoric we hear from some quarters is overblown. The current system, without any changes, is projected to be able to cover Social Security benefits for next forty years at the least. I support changes to the program to keep it running for our children and grandchildren, but we must not destroy Social Security under the guise of “saving” it.

Instead of promoting policies which give tax breaks to the wealthy, I support dedicating funds to strengthen and protect Social Security and Medicare; I did so when we enjoyed a surplus, and I still consider it a top priority. I will continue to work toward this goal.

Thank you for your comments.

Thank YOU, Senator.

Corzine was for it, before he was against it. Where have we heard that logic before?

While Democrats in the New Jersey Statehouse showcased their efforts to curb campaign-finance abuses, one key party leader — U.S. Sen. Jon S. Corzine — helped fund a group now fighting to roll back a key government reform.

The other “New Jersey” football team, the New York Jets is having a problem sealing a deal with the taxpayers of New York for a new stadium:

With many critics and civic groups -- and 58 percent of the public -- unswayed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg's cheerleading for a new Jets stadium-cum-convention-center, the team's president, Jay Cross, sent his architects back to their workstations to fashion a more palatable icon.

The result, unveiled Wednesday, has more allure than its predecessor, but still may not be stunning enough to win over those who believe that an urban stadium is likely to be a traffic-thickening, neighborhood-deadening, money sinkhole.

Tip to Acting Governor Codey: the people of New York do not want to get involved with a taxpayer money sinkhole - even when the team bares the name of their city and state. New Yorkers may be on to something. They keep their teams and have New Jersey pick up the tab. Let’s not fall for this scam a second time.

Tip to New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority executives: Point the Giants and Jets to the existing New Jersey football stadium in the Meadowlands and then point them to the non-existent stadium in New York. Ask them where they prefer to play – in a stadium in New Jersey or a parking lot in New York? Wish them luck if they threaten to move to another area of the country.

Tip to the Giants and Jets: There are a finite number of metropolitan areas with a population large enough to support a professional football team. All currently have a team with the exception of L.A. Los Angeles has proven it will not support a team – Rams and Raiders ring a bell? How much is a football team worth if it has nowhere to play? Two football teams looking for a home simultaneously isn’t what we would call a position of strength.

Codey, a sports enthusiast, has made a new Giants Stadium a priority since taking office Nov. 15. The Giants, meanwhile, are eager to review various sites near the current stadium and develop architectural renderings that will keep them on schedule for a transition to the new facility in 2008.

We’ve posted on the Giants deal before – here and here. If the Sports and Exposition Authority negotiators have sweetened the deal to the Giants, we are really being rooked.

New Jersey is staring at a $4 Billion budget shortfall and a new stadium for a New York football team is a priority? Yea, we know the Giants have been playing their home games in New Jersey for 28 years, but for some reason they call themselves the New York Giants.

Would someone please explain to us why the government gets involved in the entertainment business? Did you ever notice the taxpayers never get in on the money making side of these deals, we are always on the money spending side? What’s in it for the New Jersey taxpayer? The prestige of having a football team bare the name of our state? Strike that bit of physic income; it’s the New York Giants.

If building a new stadium was a good financial investment, the private sector would be jumping at the chance to get in on the deal. This is not happening and for good reason – it’s a losing proposition. Do no let anyone try to convince you the stadium won’t cost the taxpayers any money. People will be making money on this deal and it won’t be the State.

Now, exactly why do the Giants need a stadium or the Devils a new arena? New Jersey already owns a world class ice hockey arena and a football stadium. The teams don’t “need” new venues, they “want” new digs so they can make more money. What happens if the teams don’t get what they want? They’ll move? We’re willing to take the risk.

Very slow news day for Senator Corzine - he released no press statements.

As of today, Senator Corzine has not accomplished anything for the State of New Jersey

Acting Governor Codey is considering a rollback of income-tax cuts from the 1990s and the removal of 401(k) tax shelters as options for balancing a $4 billion budget deficit, according to two people involved with the discussions.

What a novel idea – raise income taxes, eliminate the 401K dedication - making it harder for people to save for retirement. We will remind Acting Governor Codey – New Jersey is in a fiscal crisis because it spends too much, not because New Jersey’s taxes are too low.

The Acting Governor should be developing a list of programs to be cut or eliminated to balance the state’s budget. Also, he should not consider any additional spending, as he did in his State of the State address. Any additional spending is irresponsible. Trim back or eliminate all non-essential programs and the state would find it’s treasury in surplus.

We could probably find a billion dollars or so that could be cut from the budget, just from the programs mentioned in our posts over the last several months.

Slow news day for Jon Corzine.

Today Corzine helped write a letter to President Bush - See previous post here.

As of today, Senator Corzine has not accomplished anything for the State of New Jersey

Why are Corzine and Lautenberg so confused about the role of Senator? We remind them again, the Congress decides how much and on what to spend taxpayer dollars – not the President. As Codey has to juggle his role as Acting Governor and State Senate President, we'll just assume he became overwhelmed and confused. Besides, he's not a U.S. Senator yet and can't be expected to know more than the "big boys".

Now to our views on Amtrack. Non-strategic lines that are not self-financing in the Amtrack system should be scrapped. For the lines that could reasonably be self-sustaining – keep them running, but raise the fares and freight charges to equal the costs. Perhaps if the loser lines were eliminated, Amtrack subsidies could be drastically reduced or eliminated.

Not to worry though, Congress won’t take any bold action, Amtrack will continue to lose money and the taxpayers will continue to subsidize the ever growing cost.

From a report in today's Newsday:

New Jersey's two U.S. senators and acting Gov. Richard J. Codey on Friday asked President Bush not to cut federal funds for Amtrak, saying any reduction would have disastrous effects for their state's commuters.

In a letter sent Friday to Bush, Democrats Jon Corzine and Frank Lautenberg urged the president to reconsider his proposal. The railroad has no long-term funding mechanism or trust fund and has to rely on year-to-year appropriations by Congress.

Amtrak has wide support in Congress and it is considered unlikely that lawmakers would agree to eliminate the operating aid. For the current year, Amtrak's capital infrastructure budget, which include maintenance costs, is about $418 million.

Aides said the President will propose $360 million for the maintenance costs of local commuter railroads that are concentrated mostly in the Northeast and use Amtrak lines and other equipment.

A New Jersey solider, Sgt. Stephen R. Sherman who survived an insurgent attack on a mess hall last December has been killed by a homemade bomb near Mosul, Iraq. "He died fighting for what he believed in, and our entire family is proud of his service," his mother, Bernadette Sherman, said in a written statement. "We will always remember Stephen as a hero, and he will forever be missed by his family and his many friends."

Sherman was the 43rd solider or Marine with ties to New Jersey to be killed in Iraq since hostilities began there in March 2003.

We offer our deepest sympathies and are eternally grateful for their sacrifices. Let’s never waiver in the support of our troops and their mission in Iraq.

A fellow Jersey blogger – Dynamobuzzz- speculates that the folks behind this blog are from the NJ state republican party. He goes on to say that:

It's mostly Corzine bashing with the rest of the posts saying nice things about the republican candidates for governor. Hey, I know I also do lots of Corzine bashing, but I mix some other stuff in there too. Like Christie Whitman bashing.

First, let us assure our readers that we are not Republican Party hacks. We have chosen not to provide our names and bios for personal reasons that have nothing to do with political affiliations. We do not seek personal recognition, but rather have started this blog to discipline ourselves to pay attention to the news and issues that impact New Jersey and to highlight news and topics that interest us. To also express our opinions, debate the issues with readers and in a very small way help to enlarge the discourse about New Jersey.

For those of you that live in New Jersey, you know that TV local news coverage about our state is thin. Local news from the major networks comes from either New York or Philadelphia and covers New Jersey as an after thought. New Jersey newspapers leave a lot to be desired in our opinion and the state’s paper with the largest circulation – the Newark Star-Ledger is to the left of the New York Times.

We believe one of the reasons New Jersey has been so prone to political corruption is the lack of investigative and critical reporting from the media about the state. The same holds true of our fiscal crisis - people don’t really know what’s going on in New Jersey. It seems as though most Garden Staters are more aware of what’s happening in the nation, New York or Philadelphia than they are about their own state. At least that was true in our case and we personally decided it was time to change our focus.

We appreciate Dynamobuzzz’s criticisms, but we believe our posting goes beyond Corzine bashing. Right now Corzine is the main topic in New Jersey and we will continue to “bash” him as long as he remains an ineffective Senator, receives a pass from the media and stays silent on his agenda as he runs for Governor of New Jersey.

Right now we are not too pleased, for the most part, with any New Jersey State elected representative – Republican or Democrat. However, we do bring a perspective that the people of New Jersey are over taxed and that spending needs to be cut to bring fiscal sanity to the state. Any candidate unwilling to cut spending and treat every citizen the same, will not win our support, regardless of party. So if we seem to lean Republican, it will only be to the extent that the candidate is in line with those views.

So far we have only posted basic facts about the Republicans candidates for Governor. As the campaign heats up and Republican’s positions on the issues become known, we will compare and critique them along with Jon Corzine’s. No one will get a pass. The same will hold true for general assembly races.

We hope you find our blog a worthwhile read and will provide your views in the comments section after each post. We welcome your ideas and your opinions whether you agree or disagree with our positions.

Our blog is dedicated to the spirit of James Madison’s quote - “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” – because we believe it to be true

We wish Mayor Bell luck in his pursuit of his party’s nomination for Governor. May the best man win

Wesley K. Bell, a former Stafford mayor, announced he is seeking the Democratic Party's nomination for governor. Bell said he wasn't worried about running against Sen. Jon Corzine for the Democratic Primary. "He's ineffective. I think I can do a better job as governor than any of these guys," Bell said. "I can be relied on and people know that."

Bell said as governor, he would cut back on expenditures and reduce taxes. "I'm going to cut back on waste and there's a lot of waste. You walk into state agencies and you see people fooling around and not accomplishing work. The first thing I want to do is repeal (former) Governor (James) McGreevey's tax package. They just keep spending more money and they don't cut back." Bell said.

He criticized Codey's proposed leasing of the New Jersey Turnpike to a foreign interest. "That's absurd, Bell said, adding that he also did not support Codey's idea for building a stem cell research center in the state. "That will cost billions of dollars," he said. "California's building one. Let them handle the cost."

Nidia Dávila Colón returned to the same Newark courtroom yesterday where her longtime political career as a Democrat crashed spectacularly in a 2003 trial that showcased love, betrayal and public corruption in New Jersey.

Back then, she was a five-term Hudson County Freeholder, the state's longest-serving elected female. This time, Colón was just another shackled inmate, pleading for a break on her sentence.

Could someone please explain to us why investing $210 Million dollars to build an ice hockey arena in Newark is a good deal for the taxpayers of New Jersey?

The Devils, when not locked out by the NHL, play at the Continental Arena in the Meadowlands. So what’s wrong this venue for the Devils?

This, "we need a new stadium – arena," thing is out of control.

Today Corzine released three press statements:

Corzine Blasts Bush’s Proposed Cuts to Amtrak - Spending so little time in the Senate, we will remind the Senator that Congress gets to decide how much and on what to spend the taxpayer's money.

Corzine Votes against Gonzales for Attorney General – Ah, yes Judge Gonzales is guilty for asking the Justice department to provide legal opinion on matters relating to enemy combatants.

Corzine Counts Words and Sacrifices – Previously discussed here.

Picture of Corzine and friends after a hard day of reading statements to the press.

As of today, Senator Corzine has not accomplished anything for the State of New Jersey

Looks like some Democrats aren’t so pleased with Jon Corzine as a candidate for New Jersey Governor - From the Star-Ledger article - Politics not going over easy:

"I would have liked a chance to see what those two guys were all about," said Cattano, a retired member of Painter's Union Local 1005. "But regular guys like us don't get a say. That's the way politics works in New Jersey."

Other Democrats asked about the Codey-Corzine tussle were a little less kind in their description, and they're seething about what they see as having been disenfranchised. "If we go to war to give Iraqis the vote, why can't I vote for my candidate of choice?" asked George Skorinko, a retired professor from Berkeley Heights. "Codey would have made a good governor."

"This is not a democracy anymore," Jeannette Myers said as she walked along the sidewalk of the Troy Hills Shopping Center in Parsippany. "With only one choice, I feel like we're under communism."

"For people who want participatory democracy, this is a terribly offensive process," said Ross Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers University. "But this is the way most politics are done in New Jersey. All of this is closed-door stuff."

Zukin and Baker said it's a little different on the Republican side, where the party structure isn't as rigid. It's easier for candidates outside the mainstream party establishment to gain the party's nomination.

The Democrats have always been more machine-dominated, the professors said. To the best of Baker's knowledge, the last candidate to run for governor without the full backing of the Democratic machine was in 1913, when Woodrow Wilson decided he didn't want to entangle himself with the Hudson County bosses.

When are the people of New Jersey going to wise up? Hopefully this November, we will send a loud and clear message from the voting booth - the days of party boss rule are gone, the days of corruption will no longer be tolerated, the days of taxing people to death are over!

The Third Estate posts this:

And on another issue, can I just say that I am becoming truly disgusted with the increasing importance of personal wealth in politics? It looks like the de facto wealth test for office is becoming an ever-higher bar to political participation. I don't have anything against Corzine personally, but this is ridiculous.

I think that any Democratic candidate who does not meet the following standard should face a strong negative presumption: a person who has had to do her own taxes, wash his own dishes, go the grocery store and cook his own meals. I want someone who has actually had to work for a living, who has really suffered, who knows what it is to struggle in this world. The only dynasts who need apply are those who have suffered severe physical or emotional trauma.

Do our liberal friends ever consider such mundane things as: qualifications for the office, accomplishments and voting record in other elected positions, the candidates stand on the issues, their ideas for governing and problem solving, and their ethics?

It would appear that The Third Estate just substitutes one wealth test for another. Oh yes, they do add a special circumstance clause – those with wealth may be considered for a Democrat nomination if they have been physically or emotionally traumatized.

From Corzine’s statement on President Bush’s State of the Union Speech:

“I had hoped the President tonight would be straight with the American people about the costs, risks and sacrifices associated with his proposals, unfortunatley he was not. In a speech that ran more than 5,000 words, the President uttered the word sacrifice but once – a sad state of denial when so many in our society, from working families in New Jersey to our troops serving in Iraq, are sacrfcing so much as a result of the President’s misguided policies.

From Corzine’s statement on President Bush’s Inaugural Address

“In fact, in a seventeen minute address that ran more than 2,000 words, the President used the word sacrifice but once.”

“After the loss of almost 1,400 soldiers in Iraq and with the cost of war soon to exceed $200 billion, the people of New Jersey and the nation want to know what more is expected of them and what sacrifices they will have to make. The families of New Jersey’s active duty service members, National Guard and Reserves want to know how much more sacrifice is expected of them and their loved ones serving overseas. The brave men and women defending our freedoms are serving selflessly and are owed our highest admiration and support. They are also owed a realistic assessment from the President of the road and sacrifices ahead.”

Notice anything about Jon Corzine’s press statement about the President’s two most recent addresses? We mean other than the two misspellings in the first paragraph (unfortunatley and sacrfcing) of Corzine’s most recent statement. And what’s up with Corzine making sure we know how many words the President’s speeches “ran’?

Beyond word count, Senator Corzine also seems obsessed with sacrifice. Certainly our soldiers and their families have made great sacrifices, for which we are ever grateful. We know more than three thousand lives were lost and great sacrifices were made here at home in the wake of 9/11. These sacrifices were a direct result of the government’s failure, in the preceding decade, to form policies and take action that may have averted this tragedy.

Diplomacy, embargos, law enforcement and sanctions, by themselves, proved ineffective against the islamo-terrorists networks and the world’s rogue states. President Bush learned from the country’s past mistakes and took action. His actions included, but were not limited, to a military response. What would Corzine have done in the President’s shoes? Continue with the old policies and hope for the best? Events have shown us the old polices did not work. History will judge those of President Bush.

But beyond these brave men and women, performing job one of the federal government, defending and protecting our country, exactly who else in the Senator’s mind is sacrificing under President’s Bush’s policies?

Sacrifice means the act of losing or surrendering something of value for the sake of one considered to have a greater value or claim. Sacrifice can also be defined as the loss entailed by giving up something at less than its value. In any definition, sacrifice always implies that something possessed by one person or group, is given to another for a specific reason or cause. It is impossible to give, trade or sacrifice something you don’t have.

The federal government is spending more taxpayer money than ever before and more on non-defense related programs than any time in our country’s history. Our sacrifice comes in the form of paying taxes – federal, state and local. So from this standpoint, Corzine is right, the people of New Jersey sacrifice more than others.

However, the President has specifically worked to ease the burden of taxes in his first term with a tax reduction seen by every American that pays income tax and Bush has called for making the tax cuts permanent. Last night the President called for reform of the federal tax code to make it easy to understand and fair to all Americans. The President is working to alleviate the amount of sacrifice required of the American people.

So what are we to make of Corzine’s comments? We have read the Senator’s press releases that ran – never mind, we won’t bother to count the words – and have yet to see a single action he has taken, an idea he might have, or a plan he has formulated to lessen the sacrifices required by the citizens of New Jersey.

In the world of Senator Corzine, apparently inaction is his definition of success and sacrifice is when the government has to give money back to the people that earned it.

Read Michael Carroll’s take on Jon Corzine here.

One of his better lines: Corzine’s accomplishments as a Senator could be written on a matchbook cover, with lots of space to spare. And his platform for seeking the governorship is briefer still. So far as I can gather, he has uttered not one word about property taxes, spending, the structural deficit, or any other issue of importance to New Jersey voters.

Well, just one more: Corzine’s reputation bears no relationship whatsoever to any record of accomplishment. Indeed, from the perspective of the state, and of the nation, Corzine is about as irrelevant as it’s possible for a United States Senator to be.

Perhaps the most popular politician is an invisible one.

Corzine’s worn-out and he hasn’t even campaigned: "Look at my eyelids," he said; responding to a reporter's question about what juggling his Senate responsibilities with his run for governor was doing to his schedule.

Tom Wilson, chairman of the New Jersey Republican Party said; "At a time like this, New Jersey deserves to have a full-time senator. He's already made it clear he no longer wants to be a U.S. senator. . . . He ought to step aside."

Bruce Larson, political science professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University was quoted as saying;” As long as Corzine makes high-profile votes, such as Supreme Court nominations and Social Security legislation, missing some Capitol Hill appearances shouldn't be much of an issue”

Corzine re-introduced legislation that would encourage states to impound the vehicles of drivers arrested for driving under the influence. The legislation is entitled “John’s Law” in reference to a New Jersey state law established after a drunk driver who had been arrested and released hit and killed Navy Ensign John Elliott in 2000.

As of today, Senator Corzine has not accomplished anything for the State of New Jersey.

Meet New Jersey’s Republican candidates for Governor. (The candidates are listed below in alphabetical order.) Read their short biography’s shown below; take some time to explore each candidate’s website to gain an understanding of their records and positions on the issues facing New Jersey; then compare them to Jon Corzine.

Informed comparison complete, see if you agree with this comment recently made by Jon Corzine’s spokesman concerning the Republicans in the race for governor.

“Let's see after they go through their primary what kind of candidate they end up with," Adamske said. "If I had the sorry field of candidates that they have, I would go after Corzine, too."

Doug Forrester - http://www.doug.com/

Doug Forrester is the former mayor of West Windsor, New Jersey and Assistant State Treasurer in former Governor Tom Kean's administration. He also served as Pension Director for New Jersey's 500,000-member pension and healthcare systems.

Forrester was the first senior state official in the nation to properly set aside money for retiree health obligations. And when the career politicians tried to raid New Jersey's pension funds to pay for more wasteful state spending, Forrester effectively fought to protect the security of the retirement funds.

Doug Forrester now heads one of New Jersey's most successful small businesses, BeneCard Services, Inc. Now running for Governor, he was the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2002, initially running against the Democrat incumbent Bob Torricelli and later in the race, the controversial Democrat replacement candidate, Frank Lautenberg.

Editor Note: Torricelli felt forced to drop out of the race stemming from his violation of Senate ethics rules and accepting gifts from campaign contributors. Lautenberg replaced Torricelli on the ballet 35 days before the election and after the legal deadline for candidate replacement.

Steve Lonegan - http://www.loneganforgovernor.com/

Steve Lonegan, a native of New Jersey, is currently the Mayor of Bogota and has been a member of the town council for over nine years, He and his Republican team came to office at a time when taxes were soaring and spending was out of control, after years of control by the Democrats. Lonegan’s strong leadership and principles have enabled him to build a solid record of success for his community, one that has rewarded him with re-elections by double-digit margins.

Lonegan has also worked for the best interests of all New Jersey’s citizens. He led he fight against plans to replace Continental Arena with a stadium in Newark, challenged in court an illegal state bonding that costs taxpayers billions and last year led a successful effort to stop the McGreevey administration from forcing a fifteen cent per gallon gasoline tax increase on New Jersey motorists. Lonegan is also a tireless fighter for New Jersey’s forgotten suburban middle class.

Steve Lonegan grew up Ridgefield Park and graduated from Ridgefield Park High School where he set several high school track records. He earned his B.A. in Business Administration from William Paterson College where he was captain of the football team and an All Conference Division Center. He later earned an M.B.A. from Farleigh Dickinson University and then went on to build and manage successful businesses in the state. Today, Lonegan is a custom homebuilder and state national finance vice president for the National Federation of Independent Business.

John Murphy - www.murphy2005.com

John Murphy is the oldest child of Irish immigrants, who came to the United States over 50 years ago, settling in Morristown New Jersey, where John was raised. Murphy is a dedicated volunteer to his community, having served as a youth football coach and as a member of the Morris Township Volunteer Fire Department, as its chief in 1990 and 1991 and as an active firefighter today.

In 1993, Murphy was elected to the Township Committee in Morris Township. He served as Mayor from 1996 to 1997. During his tenure, he chaired the Open Space Committee and helped restructure the environmental commission. Murphy also helped create the formation of a first responder program with the township's career firefighters, the establishment of a teen and adolescent counseling service and the maintenance of a fiscal austerity program that kept the municipal tax rate stable.

In 1997 Murphy was elected to his first term as a Morris County Freeholder and has been re-elected twice. John served as Freeholder director in 2002 and 2003. As a Freeholder he has helped to preserve thousands of acres of open space and to chart a fiscally responsible course for Morris County that has maintained its Triple A bond rating by Wall Street. John also helped lead the effort to create the Morris County Improvement Authority, which since its creation, has assisted local government agencies and school boards in saving millions of dollars.

Murphy earned his bachelor's degree in business in 1981 from Gettysburg College, where he played football and ran track. Upon graduation John returned to New Jersey and began work in the financial services industry is currently a partner with the financial planning and investment firm of Morristown Financial Group.

Robert Schroeder - www.robertschroeder.com

A lifelong resident of Bergen County, Bob Schroeder has been a volunteer firefighter for over 25 years and has served as an elected community leader in Washington Township for over twelve years. As a Washington Township Councilman, Schroeder has served three terms as Vice President and two terms as Council President.

Bob Schroeder has proven his ability to implement creative solutions for some of the most important issues facing his constituency. His leadership allowed Washington Township to maintain stable property tax rates and to construct recreational facilities using only voluntarily contributed funds and manpower.

Schroeder is a graduate of Westwood High School and Farleigh Dickinson University. He is also a successful entrepreneur, with a thriving business, API Distributors. The Bergen County company produces portable structures used by American troops overseas, as well as by international relief organizations throughout the world.

Bret Schundler - www.bret2005.com

Bret Schundler, a New Jersey native, is the former three term mayor of Jersey City. He become the first Republican since World War I to be elected the Mayor of Jersey City – a city that is two-thirds Black, Hispanic and Asian, and only 6% Republican.

Schundler was a popular and highly effective mayor, enacting sweeping reforms to root out corruption, slash crime, and lower property taxes (including innovative policies that Time Magazine called “a national model for fiscal reform”), Bret was able to provide hope and leadership to his city, resulting in his re-election in 1993 with 69% of the vote – the largest margin of victory for the office of Mayor in that city's history.

In 2001, after a hard fought primary, Schundler ran for Governor as the Republican candidate against Jim McGreevey. He’s running again for the second time, just as most modern Governors of New Jersey have before succeeding.

Growing up in Woodbridge and Westfield, New Jersey, Schundler was a solid student and an All-State football player in high school. This led to him being recruited by Harvard University. Upon graduating from Harvard with honors, and following a semester at the University of Haifa in Israel, Schundler worked for a Democratic Congressman and for Gary Hart's presidential primary. He then embarked on a successful career in finance at Salomon Brothers and C. J. Lawrence.

Bret is currently the Chairman of Empower the People, a citizen’s action organization that is working to help the people of New Jersey take back control of their government

Editor’s Note: Jim McGreevey felt forced to resign the Governorship less than three years into his term amidst charges of ethical violations and political corruption. The time between McGreevy’s announcement of his resignation and his actual departure from office, enabled the Democrats to avoid a special election to replace McGreevey and to allow the Senate President, Democrat Dick Codey to assume the job.

On Monday, Corzine locked up the Democratic nomination before a single vote was cast, mostly by gaining the support of party leaders. Additional snips from this article

We hope this poll is wrong:

Ingrid Reed, director of the New Jersey Project at Rutgers' Eagleton Institute of Politics, said Democratic bosses are dependent on Corzine because polls show him to be the most popular politician in the state and because Democrats want to help Corzine get elected.

This might have something to do with his popularity with the Democrat leaders:

Since 1999 Corzine, has spent more than $4 million* to help get Democrats elected across the state. Much of that money was distributed to political committees run by county chairmen and other leaders.

* Note this figure does not include money contributed by his mother or other Corzine family members or friends.

We don’t have a crystal ball but we think we can predict the answers. Okay you can too!

But how will Corzine show he is independent from the political power brokers he has so heavily funded, and who have helped set him on the path to the governor's office? Now Corzine must show whether his independence is genuine, said David Rebovich, managing director of the Rider Institute of Politics at Rider University.

Noting the state is facing a multibillion-dollar shortfall in its budget this year, wondered whether Corzine will apply his business background to solve New Jersey's fiscal woes.

"In the private sector if you are $5 billion in the hole, you will lay off 5,000 workers, or take some other serious action," Rebovich said. "Can Corzine do that as governor? Or, because that hurts a Democratic constituent group (state employees), will he back off and take another tack? Is he going to cut, paste, and defer hard choices and hope for an economic recovery?"

No wonder our feet hurt all the time. Maybe Corzine can regal us with his heroic toe stepping in Washington. Apparently “stepping on toes” doesn’t translate into effective representation or a record of success in the Senate.

At a news conference yesterday, Corzine said he "stepped on a lot of toes" in Washington and would do the same in New Jersey.

We thought the problem was politicians with their hands in our pockets and folks putting money into the pockets of the politicians. Anyway, apparently the only one allowed to buy politicians in the world according to Jon Corzine, is Jon Corzine.

"We can no longer tolerate having people think that the way you do business in this state is to get into the pockets of a politician," Corzine said.

Does this campaign donation by Senator Corzine’s mother pass your smell test?

Republicans are questioning a $37,000 political donation made to Bergen County Democrats by the mother of U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine, who is also running for governor of New Jersey.

Corzine's mother, Nancy, an 89-year-old retired school teacher who lives in Oak Park, Ill., made the donation on Oct. 14 to the Bergen County Democratic Organization. The amount was the maximum allowed by law.

Tom Wilson, chairman of the state Republican Committee, accused Corzine of giving the money to his mother so that it could be donated. "You can't give someone else money and then have them contribute it in their name," Wilson said. "It is shameful that Mr. Corzine has dragged his mother into his political Ponzi scheme."

Wilson said it is incumbent on Corzine to provide an accounting of where the money came from. If not, Wilson said, the Republican Committee will pursue "whatever action is necessary," including raising the issue with the Election Law Enforcement Commission.

Steve Adamske, a Corzine spokesman, said Nancy Corzine made the contribution on her own and made the proper disclosures. "This is not something we hide from," Adamske said. "She makes contributions, Jon Corzine makes contributions. It's part of the progressive values they believe in. "In politics you don't need to go around attacking someone's family," Adamske said. "If she wants to make a contribution that's her free will."

Update: It gets better (or worse). Newsday has added the following information to their original report.

Nancy Corzine, reached by telephone at her home in Illinois by The Record of Bergen County, declined to answer questions. "I don't like these elections and stuff," she told the newspaper. "I have nothing else to say."

Mrs. Corzine also made contributions to Senate candidates across the country while her son was chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Committee, the newspaper reported. Beginning in December 2003, Nancy Corzine contributed $44,000 to Senate candidates including Tom Daschle of South Dakota, Tony Knowles of Alaska and Ken Salazar of Colorado, according to federal campaign finance reports.

Corzine brings money, fresh perspective:

The double job dipping John Burzichelli, New Jersey Assemblyman and Mayor of Paulsboro, had this to say about his support of Jon Corzine: "I think Corzine is going to bring a fresh perspective, at least from a business standpoint” "He's been around government enough to know how it operates, but he hasn't been there long enough to be overwhelmed by its perceived institutional limitations."

It’s different when Corzine does the buying:

Corzine maintains that his ability to fund his campaign positions him as an independent who cannot be "bossed or bought" by the state's Democratic power brokers.

The absence of a contested primary places Corzine in an enviable position for the next several months. While the Republicans hammer away at one another, Corzine can stay above the fray. He will have time to shore up his Democratic base while appealing to independents through initiatives from Washington.

Corzine Record Remains Unchanged:

As of today, Senator Corzine has not accomplished anything for the State of New Jersey.

Republicans welcomed the likely gubernatorial match-up with U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine, D-N.J., saying the orchestrated pressure he put on acting Gov. Richard J. Codey not to challenge him is representative of the political corruption they are fighting against.

The two leading Republican gubernatorial candidates — Bret Schundler and Doug Forrester —said Corzine’s ability to discourage a Democratic primary shows how serious political corruption is in New Jersey.

“The Democratic Party does not allow the people to vote for a nominee. You have bosses who chose the guy they know will carry water for them,” Schundler, the 2001 Republican gubernatorial candidate, said Monday. “He’s up to his eyeballs with IOUs to them.”

With Codey out of the Governor's race, the Republicans come out swinging. We couldn't have said it better:

"While Jon Corzine says he represents new ideas, the truth is that he lined up Democrat county bosses behind him by spreading around money and working New Jersey's corrupt pay-to-play system of politics with the gusto of a bond trader," Bret Schundler said Sunday.

"With the nomination apparently in hand, it's time Corzine started telling voters what he will do about issues such as pay-to-play and political corruption, said Tom Wilson, the Republican state party chairman. "Of course, how the chief financial officer of McGreevey corruption is going to tell us about fighting corruption remains to be seen."

Now that he is the Democratic top choice, Corzine will not be able to avoid questions about state issues, Rider University political scientist David Rebovich said. "How does Corzine run? Does his very liberal record in Washington raise eyebrows among voters, given the budget deficit?" Rebovich asked. "Senator Corzine will have a lot of homework to do with policy and budget issues."

Corzine's team takes a lame swipe:

"Let's see after they go through their primary what kind of candidate they end up with," Adamske said. "If I had the sorry field of candidates that they have, I would go after Corzine, too."

At least the Republicans will have a primary.

Corzine News Brieflet # 1

Corzine seeks publicity, panders to JCP&L strikers.

How Corzine blitz left Codey in the cold.

Corzine Offers Prebuttal to Bush’s State of the Union Address: It’s not necessary for Jon to hear the speech or to know the facts – just put out the same old canned lines about “working families” and “cutting the benefits of the disabled and elderly.”

As of today, Senator Corzine has not accomplished anything for the State of New Jersey.