Speaking of the members of the cultural elite blogging - Jon Corzine has hired Matt Stoller for his Corzine Connection website. Doesn’t it make you wonder why a person from outside New Jersey was chosen for this job? It’s hard to believe no one in the Garden State had the necessary qualifications.

Frankly we’re surprised Stoller was chosen by the Corzine campaign. You see Matt Stoller has been on the losing side of every issue and political race he’s touched. Perhaps it’s Matt’s prep school and Harvard University background that impressed someone, because it can’t be his knowledge of New Jersey’s issues, his political insight or writing skills.

Take a look at his previous projects:Wesley Clark for President, The Blogging of the President, Blogging at the DNCC, Simon Rosenberg for DNC Chairman. Somehow we think Stoller will be exposed for the for the self-aggrandizing, condescending, social climber that he most certainly will be exposed to be, sooner or later

And Stoller appraently also has a penchant for dissinforamtion:

ENJOYtheDRAFT.com is the latest creation of DC-based Internet gadfly John Aravosis, 40, and top liberal bloggers Matt Stoller, 26, of BOPNews.com and Kyle Shank, 20, of AmIPatriotic.com. The site is a hard-edged satirical effort to jump start a nationwide debate about the draft, and in the process get out the youth vote for John Kerry.

I've been doing a great deal of messaging work for www.ThereIsNoCrisis.com. The site's been successful, mostly because (a) there is in fact no crisis and (b) people are desperate for reasonable content surrounding Social Security.

So who is Matt Stoller? Well let’s take a look at Stoller on Stoller:

I went to St. Paul's School, a snobby little outfit in New Hampshire with an illustrative history and smart alumni.

Matt Stoller is the producer and cocreator of the Blogging of the President web project, an interactive media series on the ongoing digital transformation of politics and media. The nationally syndicated radio component, broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio in late January, was one of the first attempts to bring the conversation in the blogosphere directly into the broadcast media.

Matt has worked in software product management, holds a BA from Harvard University, and has curly hair and both a love and a fear of dogs.

Stoller on Blogging

Being interesting isn’t easy. You have to have a unique perspective, interesting sources, or the willingness to take risks and pick fights.

One of the things about being brought into the inside, as I would say is happening to me in some small way on the left, is that you can say less of what you know, but you know a lot more. Or, to put it more gently, you have to put out what you know in more narrowly targeted forums. And an email is not quite a Google search away, yet.

Stoller’s Political Insight

How to leverage the fact that Democrats are right on everything. It’s pretty clear that the left is correct on most of the policy issues of our time; we’re smarter, fairer, more thoughtful, and more republican (little r) than the right-wing.

Matt Stoller, who unsuccessfully approached Kerry's campaign in 2003 about creating an online movement, then migrated to the Draft Clark movement and now helps produce a radio show called The Blogging of the President, blames Dean's loss in Iowa on obnoxious supporters wearing signature orange Dean hats.

Matt Stoller — a 2000 Harvard grad who publishes the daily online newsletter the Clark Tribune — kept working to download Clark’s announcement. "He’s really a profound thinker," said Stoller, who seemed slightly out of breath. "His vision and ideas really do motivate the spirit of what works in this country."

I'm fascinated by intrablack politics. As far as I understand it, the civil rights movement was largely a middle class to wealthy affair.

Not Sold on Obama - Barack Obama came in and gave a little speech to the bloggers at the Blogger breakfast. To be honest, I don't get the big deal. I've seen him speak a few times. He seems very charismatic, but I have yet to cross that bridge with him where I feel like he's saying anything really interesting or useful. He's a lot like Edwards - charismatic and demographically useful for the Democrats. But is there there there?

While I didn't have numbers, I was on record two years ago as saying Bush was finished.

Stoller on Republicans

Stoller's Law: No matter how unethical you expect the Republican Party to be, they will not only be worse, but they will shock you with how they exceed your expectations.

The underlying criminality of the right-wing is the most galling component for the left-wing to accept.

Stoller‘s Thoughts on the Rich

While tech millionaires from Google strike me as A-OK, I f*cking hate rich Texans with their fur coats and preening Rolexes wandering around DC for the inauguration. Ugh. T-O-O-L-S!

As you can see, I'm basically a spiteful yet good-natured person. I write angry, and edit happy. And one thing that makes me angry is people who don't deserve immense amounts of wealth and power having it heaped upon them, to both our and their detriment. Yet, it's not that being rich is bad, for it's not. People that build or do cool and innovative and/or productive stuff should be rewarded. Americans know this.

What I actually dislike is not rich people, but elitists in any form. So why not switch from calling it a 'tax cut for the wealthy' to a 'tax cut for the business elite'. Who likes the business elite? No one. So how about it, Democrats? Let's get back to Jacksonian populism, and start attacking their elites.

Stoller On the Issues of the Day

My Chat with George Soros - George Soros is intensely frustrated. I was privileged to be on a conference call with him today.

The Pakistanis have lessened their hunt for bin Laden. Awesome.

I just bought the url www.ChristianTaliban.com. What should I do with it?

On the 2004 Election Results: F*ck the world.

Another stolen election - I think it's time to start realizing that this election was stolen as well.

I'm at the state directors meeting here in Orlando, getting ready to watch the various people give speeches on where they want to take the party. My agenda is to find out what their plan is to get rid of all the dorks in Young Democrats.

I want some amendments to the Constitution. Here are my amendments:

• No American citizen should ever be allowed to be put to death by the state.
• American citizens have an inherent right to privacy from the state or corporate bodies.
• American citizens have the right to a free high school and college education pending sufficient demonstration of public service.
• The public airwaves must be used to further a diversity of media, and the government must provide universal internet access to all citizens.
• The electoral college should be abolished in favor of the direct election of the President and Vice President.

We will be back to posting once Blogger gets back to normal

Business 2.0 reports that Arianna Huffington, will soon launch the Huffington Report, a webzine that will host a group blog manned by the cultural and media elite. The first member of the group blog mentioned is none other than Senator John Corzine, candidate for Governor of New Jersey.

Huffington, the conservative-turned-liberal author, pundit, California gubernatorial candidate, and bona fide blogger, is adding "media entrepreneur" to her list of titles with a new online publishing venture, the Huffington Report.

Based in New York and staffed with a full complement of editors, the Huffington Report appears to be a culture and politics webzine in the classic mold of Salon or Slate. It will have breaking news, a media commentary section called "Eat the Press," and its most interesting innovation, a group blog manned by the cultural and media elite: Sen. Jon Corzine, Larry David, Barry Diller, Tom Freston, David Geffen, Vernon Jordan, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Harry Evans and his wife, Tina Brown. That's just to name a few, and Huffington is still recruiting.

It looks like the Star-Ledger has finally figured out that high federal income taxes favored by Jon Corzine and the other New Jersey Democrats disproportionately hurt New Jersey taxpayers.

The paper also managed to point out the hypocrisy of Assemblyman Reed Gusciora for blaming New Jersey’s 57¢ return on tax dollars on President Bush, rather the Democrat controlled New Jersey congressional delegation.

Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, D-Princeton Borough, criticized President Bush for the 57 cents New Jersey gets back for every $1 it pays in federal tax money. That ranks the state last in the nation, but states with higher per capita incomes pay more in federal taxes because the income tax is progressive.

Gusciora didn't blame the state's Democrat-dominated congressional delegation, most notably senior Sen. Jon Corzine, the Democratic nominee for governor. Gusciora also forgot to lambaste President Clinton. The state's federal return ranked at the bottom during his administration, too.

Knowledge is one of the few things that can be given to others without reducing the amount you have left. -- Thomas Sowell

A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. -- George Bernard Shaw

Unquestionably, there is progress. The average American now pays out twice as much in taxes as he formerly got in wages. -- H. L. Mencken

A government that is big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away. -- Barry Goldwater

A society of sheep must in time begat a government of wolves. -- Bertrand de Jouvenal

The High Cost of Illegal Immigrants in the United States

The costs of illegal immigration to the taxpayer are numerous, but the largest costs are education of their children, health care and incarceration for those arrested for crimes.

Despite being ineligible, some illegal aliens also get welfare the same way they get jobs: with identity documents falsely identifying them as U.S. citizens. In addition, if they have U.S.-born children, they may collect welfare assistance in the name of those children.

The annual net cost of illegal immigrants (after subtracting their tax payments) to the American taxpayer is likely to be more than $45 billion.

New Jersey’s Immigrant Population

The increase in the foreign-born population during the 1990s accounted for 75 percent of the New Jersey’s overall population increase during the decade. Foreign-born residents now comprise 18 percent of the total state population, higher than the national average of 11 percent.

About 2.4 million people in New Jersey are immigrants or the children of immigrants, 29 percent of the state’s population. Demographers estimate New Jersey has between 300,000 and 500,000 illegal immigrants, mostly Mexicans. Only a handful of states -- including California, Texas and Florida -- have more.

The average immigrant household in New Jersey consumes more public services than it pays for with taxes, incurring a 37 percent higher state fiscal deficit than natives and a 59 percent greater local burden.

New Jersey’s Immigrants Burden Taxpayers

Education Costs

In some states, the amount of money spent to educate illegal alien children accounts for a substantial portion of the state budget shortfall; in New Jersey, for instance, it accounts for 28 percent of the total state budget deficit. Estimates range from a high of one-half billion dollars to $359 million spent educating illegal immigrants in New Jersey.

The growth in federal grants for special language programs has more than doubled, from $157 million in 1995 to $460 million in 2002.

Bringing ELL-enrolled children up to the grade level of same age non-ELL-enrolled children has been estimated to increase costs by an additional 10 to 100 percent over usual per pupil costs.

Bringing students characterized by both poverty and limited English proficiency up to average levels of achievement increases average costs by a larger amount—about 30 to 200 percent over average per pupil costs.

Between 1990 and 2000, school enrollment in the United States increased by 14 percent. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the size of the student population will almost double by 2100.

Between 1990 and 2000, New Jersey’s elementary and high school enrollment increased 21 percent—a rate even the state Department of Education did not predict. Yet without school-age immigrants and the children of immigrants school enrollment would not be rising at all.

School capacity to absorb new students is an issue because overcrowded facilities are related to growth in enrollments which in turn leads to additional costs for enlarging or construct new schools, placing an additional burden on taxpayers.

Health Care Costs

Health care costs and insurance premiums are rising, due in part to burgeoning levels of uncompensated care.

One out of every four uninsured people in the United States is an immigrant. Immigrants and their children accounted for 59 percent of the growth in the size of the uninsured population in the last ten years

When immigrants receiving insurance through publicly funded Medicaid are factored in, almost half of immigrants have either no insurance or have it provided to them at taxpayers' expense.

New Jersey is considered among the top 10 states in the nation for the costs of caring for illegal immigrants. The NJHA estimates that New Jersey’s acute care hospitals alone spend at least $200 million annually caring for illegal immigrants without Medicaid or insurance.

The Star-Ledger recently highlighted the example of an uninsured illegal immigrant treated at Trinitas Hospital in Elizabeth at cost of more than $4 million.

High Public Health Risks

Because illegal immigrants, unlike those who are legally admitted for permanent residence, undergo no medical screening to assure that they are not bearing contagious diseases, the rapidly swelling population of illegal aliens in our country has also set off a resurgence of contagious diseases that had been totally or nearly eradicated by our public health system.

Crime and Incarceration

The cost of incarceration of illegal aliens in state prisons has also risen rapidly. In fiscal year ’02, the Department of Justice’s State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) distributed $550 million to the states to help defray their expenses, but this was estimated to cover only about one fifth of their outlays.

Employment and Income

Labor groups say the presence of illegal aliens can siphon jobs away from legal workers because the aliens will work for less. A Harvard University economist told Time magazine last fall that immigration from 1980 to 2000 reduced the average salary of native-born men by $1,700 a year.

Quality of Life

Immigration-driven population growth is taking a serious toll on New Jersey, bringing traffic, overcrowded schools, pollution, and lack of affordable housing to the state, decreasing quality of life and straining water and other vital natural resources.

Congressional Record on Immigration

Check out our congressional delegation’s report cards on immigration here.

For an in-depth look at the immigration related votes cast by your elected representatives in Washington click on the links below.

Corzine, Jon (Senator) - View
Lautenberg, Frank (Senator) - View
Andrews, Robert (District 01) - View
Ferguson, Michael (District 07) - View
Frelinghuysen, Rodney (District 11) - View
Garrett, Scott (District 05) - View
Holt, Rush (District 12) - View
LoBiondo, Frank (District 02) - View
Menendez, Robert (District 13) - View
Pallone, Frank (District 06) - View
Pascrell, Bill (District 08) - View
Payne, Donald (District 10) - View
Rothman, Steven (District 09) - View
Saxton, Jim (District 03) - View

This is the third in our series of posts analyzing the information, positions and promises found on Jon Corzine for Governor - Join Us New Jersey – campaign website. Our first, Who Is Jon Corzine – Fact check, may be read here and the second, Jon Corzine’s New Paradigm For New Jersey, may be read here.

As part of his Blueprint for New Jersey's Economic Growth Corzine has outlined the following steps to be taken immediately to rein in government spending in our state:

• Examine more efficient ways to administer the State Health Benefits Program, which cost $220 million more this year than last year.
• Lower the cost of state-supported prescription drug programs through bulk purchasing of high-cost items like prescription drugs.
• Consolidate administrative functions in state agencies and cut their PR budgets by 50%.
• Save millions by upgrading technology platforms help state agencies work more efficiently.
• Reduce the number of political appointees in state government.

Senator Corzine doesn’t tell us how much money the state would save with these initiatives but, we are all for reducing state spending. Corzine should use his considerable clout to push for the enactment of his proposals now before this year’s state budget is finalized. The Democrats currently control the governor’s office, the state senate and assembly, so there is no need to wait until a new Governor is elected next year to begin saving taxpayers money.

The Democrats in Trenton are supposedly pulling their hair out trying to find ways to continue the popular property tax rebates. Why not adopt Corzine’s ideas now and use the spending reductions to help save the program? The voters of New Jersey should learn pretty quickly if the Democrats are all talk and no action and whether the Corzine proposals will bring about meaningful savings.

Last week ABC News said it had obtained a "GOP talking points" memo on the Terri Schiavo case that predicted political benefit for conservatives who worked hard on this issue.

The Washington Post reported:

"An unsigned one-page memo, distributed to Republican senators, said the debate over Schiavo would appeal to the party's base, or core, supporters. The memo singled out Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), who is up for reelection next year and is potentially vulnerable in a state President Bush won last year. "This is an important moral issue and the pro-life base will be excited that the Senate is debating this important issue."

The New York Times chimed in with:

“White House officials insisted that politics played no part in the president's decision, even though Republican senators were provided with talking points, apparently by Republican aides, that characterized the Schiavo case as "a great political issue" that resonates with Christian conservatives.”

Meanwhile Powerline, In the Agora, Fishkite and a number of other blogs began to question the source and authenticity of the memo. The almost identical language used in the "GOP talking points" memo and an earlier post on the Traditional Values Coalition website raised some red flags.

As we noted on Friday, this didn’t stop Frank Lautenberg's call for an investigation into the distribution of the memo:

"Those who would attempt to influence debate in the United States Senate should not hide behind anonymous pieces of paper," wrote Lautenberg. "In light of this troubling incident, I am writing to request that the Rules Committee conduct an investigation of the attached document, its source, and how it came to be distributed."

In the Agora blogger gave Lautenberg’s office a call and reports:

“I've just spoken with Sen. Lautenberg's office which claims there is plenty of evidence to support Republican authorship, or those close to Republican leadership. Lautenberg's staffer specifically cited the numerous uses of Ted Bundy in Senate speeches as evidence that the talking points are genuinely Republican.”

The Democrat’s echo chamber continued to reverberate with Newsweek's Eleanor Clift writing:

“The Republicans might want to rethink that memo of talking points they circulated last weekend about how intervening in the Terri Schiavo case is a “great political issue.”

Clift repeated the same charges on the Sunday morning talk show the McLaughlin group.

Now we learn Senator Lautenberg may get his wish:

Very quietly, Senate Republican leadership aides to both Sen. Rick Santorum and Sen. Mitch McConnell, as well as the Senate Republican Policy Committee, have been using the Senate recess break to reconstruct the purported distribution of a document that media outlets, including ABC News, the New York Times and a number of regional newspapers, identified as Senate "GOP talking points" on the Terri Schiavo fight.

Republican leadership staffers now believe the document was generated out of the Democratic opposition research office set up recently by Sen. Harry Reid, and distributed to some Democratic Senate staffers claiming it was a GOP document, in the hope -- or more likely expectation -- that it would then be leaked by those Democrats to reporters. In fact, the New York Times stated that it was Democratic staffers who were distributing the "talking points" document.

Other Republican staffers blame not only Democrats but also the mainstream media which once again put out a story to embarrass Republicans before checking all the facts first.

Republican Senate staffers point to Nathan Ackerman, a member of Senator Harry Reid’s “war room” as the source of the memo. Now it all begins to come together when we recall this article from The Hill:

Reid earned media attention around Washington when he created a communications “war room” to launch aggressive attacks on Republicans. “We will use every tool and innovative avenue available to us to get our message out,” he vowed in a November 2004 statement.

An aide to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was arrested on the West Front of the Capitol for disorderly conduct during President Bush’s inaugural address last week.

The aide, Nathan Ackerman, is a television producer on the Senate Democratic Communications Committee — an organization that was folded into Reid’s new communications “war room.” Ackerman previously worked for ABC News in Los Angeles.

About 20 minutes into Bush’s speech, Ackerman, 36, and another man held up a sheet that said “No War.” According to a Capitol Police report, Ackerman and another suspect “were blocking the view of the audience and they were engaged in a verbal dispute with members of the audience.”

The report states that Capitol Police officers told Ackerman and the other suspect to relinquish the sign or be arrested but that “neither complied and both were placed under arrest.”

Fred Barnes in his Op Ed piece: A Mystery Memo, Biased Reporting, and the Usual Suspects, writes:

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist never saw it. Neither did the Senate Republican whip, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. The number three Republican in the Senate, Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, didn't get a copy. Nor did the senator with the closest relationship with President Bush, Judd Gregg of New Hampshire. And the senator with the familiar Republican last name, Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, didn't see it or read it. The same is true of Senator Mel Martinez, the rookie Republican from Florida.

The only basis for blaming Republicans was the unsubstantiated allegation that the memo was spread among Republican senators. Yet no senator stepped forward and said, "Yes, I got that memo." Now consider what would have happened if a damning memo had been distributed to Democratic senators, saying the Schiavo issue could be used politically against Republicans. Would anyone in the mainstream media have jumped on it? I doubt it. Only right-wing bloggers would have.

So rather than an example of aggressive reporting, the memo story turns out to be yet another instance of crude liberal bias, in this case against both Republicans and those who fought to have Schiavo's feeding tube restored.

Naturally the memo had a second life when the story was picked up by other news outlets, pundits, and columnists. How did ABC and others get wind of the memo in the first place? It came from "Democratic aides," according to the New York Times, who "said it had been distributed to Senate Republicans." Not exactly a disinterested source.

Clearly someone is not telling the truth in this saga. As the Left Coast blog said:

“The task before liberals, Democrat or otherwise, is to find ways to convince the electorate to spot lies and reject the liars.”

“That may not be as easy as it sounds. As a people, social science researcher Paul Eckman suggests, the evidence is "that most people do poorly in catching lies... ." One reason Eckman gives that I find convincing is, "we generally prefer not to catch liars, because a trusting rather than a suspicious stance enriches life, despite the possible costs." Another is that "we often want to be misled; we collude in the lie unwittingly because we have a stake in not knowing the truth."

We couldn’t agree more. The leftie bloggers are catching on. Now if only the MSM would take this advice, maybe we'd be getting somewhere.

The Passaic County prosecutor's office is still probing the Feb. 8 murder of senior chemist Geetha Angara, 43 — whose assaulted body was found at the bottom of a 35-foot water tank — at a Totowa, N.J., water plant.

Angara may have been incapacitated by the attack, according to Passaic County Prosecutor James Avigliano, though he did not offer details on the nature of the attack. Before dying in the icy waters, her killer assaulted her with his bare hands, leaving marks on her body, said the prosecutor, who would not elaborate.

“We do not believe a weapon was used. We believe it was a confrontation that turned physical, and possibly the individual panicked at that point in time and the murder ensued," Avigliano said.

Authorities believe the assailant opened one of two 50-pound steel panels set in the concrete floor above the one-million-gallon tank and shoved Angara through while she was still breathing.

Investigators have narrowed the list of suspects to three male co-workers all, like Angara, professionals, sources said "This was not a maintenance-type person.”. Several plant employees were grilled two or three times — included two lab workers who worked under Angara and a "high-ranking supervisor," a plant insider said

"Based on the interviews and based on the time frame, these are people who did not have a good alibi as to where they were when she was killed, or they have, in multiple interviews, said different things as to where they were," investigators said.

Investigators have yet to disclose a motive for the killing. One theory is that professional jealousy or a workplace argument was to blame, but Avigliano said no evidence had been uncovered to support that conclusion.

As the probe continues, tensions at the plant have risen to the point where one employee was suspended for threatening to "smash the head" of a co-worker. The incident occurred as the investigation dragged into its sixth week.

Dominick Gallone, an electrician at the Passaic Valley Water Commission plant, told another electrician in a dispute about overtime on March 10 that "he should take him off the grounds and smash his head in," Totowa police said. The threatened employee complained to bosses, who suspended Gallone. Co-workers did not file criminal complaints, and Gallone was not arrested..

We can see “Four Minute Workout” centers springing up all over:

In the amount of time it takes to change into your gym clothes and lace up your sneakers, Paul Bahder, a local doctor who practices preventative medicine and homeopathy, says you can have a complete workout.

Dr. Bahder is part-owner of a new business called The Four Minute Workout, which employs a ROM — Range of Motion — machine at its Montgomery Professional Center location.

By requiring more muscle cells to mobilize, Dr. Bahder said, less time needs to be spent working those muscles. The machine, Dr. Bahder said, engages the three aspects of fitness — aerobic, strength and flexibility. It is the equivalent of 20 to 45 minutes of aerobic exercise, plus 45 minutes of weight training, topped off with 15 to 20 minutes of stretching, said Dr. Bahder.

The doctor describes the machine as looking like a "cross between a middle-age torture machine and a Harley Davidson motorcycle. It is the only machine of its kind in the tri-state area available for public use”, Bahder said.

Here’s an idea from our friends in Minnesota:

Governor Tim Pawlenty and State Rep. Philip Krinkie today unveiled the most important advance in government accountability in years.

Dubbed “Taxpayer Satisfaction Surveys,” Krinkie and Pawlenty’s proposal would give a voice to struggling property taxpayers who now often feel victimized by a confusing tax system. The satisfaction survey would be attached to the current Truth in Taxation statements, and would replace the current hearings that are sparsely attended.

Local taxpayers would be surveyed regarding the level of their tax increases; if 20% or more express dissatisfaction, a vote would be called to approve the level of taxes.

“This is a crucial reform to the property tax system, and will be our number one legislative priority this year,” said David Strom, President of the Taxpayers League of Minnesota.

“Who could object to giving citizens a voice in the level of their property taxes. Many legislators have complained that property taxes have been going up, and this measure would help ensure that citizens can make their feelings known to local government officials.

“This is not an anti-tax measure so much as adding accountability to the property tax system. Citizens will get a voice, and be given a choice. That is the essence of democracy,” Strom added.

The Taxpayers League is Minnesota’s largest taxpayers advocacy organization.

Senator Frank Lautenberg is at it again:

In an effort to get to the bottom of how Republican lawmakers obtained talking points urging them to use the tragedy surrounding Ms. Terri Schiavo for political gain, United States Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) today asked the top Republican and Democrat on the Rules Committee to conduct an immediate investigation.

Media reports suggest the anonymous talking points (attached) were circulated on the floor of the Senate chamber.

"Those who would attempt to influence debate in the United States Senate should not hide behind anonymous pieces of paper," wrote Lautenberg in his letter (attached) to Senators Trent Lott (R-MS) and Christopher Dodd (D-CT). "In light of this troubling incident, I am writing to request that the Rules Committee conduct an investigation of the attached document, its source, and how it came to be distributed."

No politics involved here, just another example of Frank Lautenberg working hard for the people of New Jersey. We hope the Senate gets to the bottom of this crisis. We wonder what Lautenberg will say when the source proves to be a Democrat dirty trickster.

From Powerline:

Meanwhile, the memo's contents deserve a second look. It is alleged to be a "talking points" memo, and some of its entries are consistent with that description. But other entries--the very ones that reporters and Democrats are pointing to as significant--do not. A reader named Andrew makes the point very well:

I used to work on the Hill too, and have worked in journalism and public relations. That so-called GOP talking points memo obtained by ABC News is perhaps the most poorly worded TP memo ever written.

The whole purpose of a TP memo is to provide compelling arguments to officials to use when addressing the media and public. And these arguments are usually presented in descending order of effectiveness.

Are we to believe that two of the most compelling talking points in favor of the Schiavo legislation are that: a) "the pro-life base will be excited" and b) "this is a great political issue" and "a tough issue for Democrats"?

Are these the sorts of things that a Hill staffer would suggest a senator mention to reporters when questioned about this matter?

So, to sum up: The memo itself contains no clue as to its origins. That in itself is suspicious; the memo's contents are hardly appropriate for an anonymous communication. The fact that the memo appeared in Senators' offices (or, for that matter, at ABC News) proves nothing, as anyone, including a Democratic dirty trickster, could have distributed it.

Mike Allen of the Washington Post says he knows something he can't tell us, but his only argument for why the memo is authentic--some Senators had it--is silly. Further, the content of the memo is highly suspicious. Why would anyone mix political strategy points--the ones the Democrats want to talk about--with talking points for Senatorial argument? A competent staffer preparing a talking points memo wouldn't do that, but a Democratic dirty trickster would.

More here, here and here.

Update: Michelle Malkin posts on Lautenberg’s demands

Howard Dean said, ''I've been called worse things than a liberal. The reason the Republicans call names is because they have nothing to say about balancing the budget, creating jobs or doing anything about health care or education.''

We agree with Howard Dean, people without constructive ideas and logical arguments often resort to name calling. Perhaps that's why Chairman Dean called Republicans “brain dead”, Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) compared Republicans to Hitler and Senator Jon Corzine (D-NJ) likened the Vice President, Dick Cheney to Saddam Hussein. Those are some exceedingly convincing ideas for balancing the budget, creating jobs, improving education and reducing health care costs.

It’s interesting that Dean admits the word liberal has a negative connotation. Especially when he says: `The majority is on our side.” Apparently the Chairman believes the majority of the American people are brain dead because the majority failed to vote for their side this past election. (Interesting choice of words “brain dead” with the Terri Schiavo case so prominently in the news)

Beyond referring to someone as a liberal, can anyone give even one example of a major Republican politician calling a Democrat a derogatory name? We can’t think of any but, we’re sure our friends on the left will help us out if we are mistaken.

For all the great teachers out there, please don’t think we are picking on you. But we just couldn’t pass up this from today's opinion Journal - Great Moments in Public Education. Read the whole article, the story it's beyond belief.

"A Bronx teacher who repeatedly flunked his state certification exam paid a formerly homeless man with a developmental disorder $2 to take the test for him," New York's Daily News reports:

The illegal stand-in--who looks nothing like teacher Wayne Brightly--not only passed the high-stakes test, he scored so much better than the teacher had previously that the state knew something was wrong, officials said. . . .

Brightly, 38, a teacher at one of the city's worst schools, Middle School 142, allegedly concocted the plot to swap identities with Leitner last summer. If he failed the state exam again, Brightly risked losing his $59,000-a-year job.

The News notes that the test has a 95% pass rate, which makes the inaptly named Brightly's repeated flunking--and the school system's failure to fire him long ago for incompetence--all the more appalling.

Our reader Socrates asked us at about 11:00 pm tonight if we would “care to comment on the speech Corzine just made, and the plan he's set out. What's good and what is bad?” He provided two links Economic Blueprint and NJIT Speech. Due to the late hour, we only have had time to scratch the surface of Corzine’s Economic Blueprint. We promise to continue our analysis over the coming days. We think it is probably better for us and our readers if we take this a bit at a time.

Jon Corzine will bring a different set of experiences to the office of Governor. He will move the state from a pattern of tax, borrow and spend, to a new paradigm: invest, grow and prosper.

Anyone would bring a different set of experiences to the office of Governor and Jon doesn’t identify those experiences that make him uniquely qualified. We have previously written why we believe Corzine is not the right person for Governor of New Jersey and our most recent post on the subject may be read here.

Corzine promises to move the state to a new paradigm (a buzz word beaten to death in the ‘90’s) of invest, grow and proper. The socialist philosophy is not aligned with ours and we believe socialism has long since proven to be a losing economic model. We are not looking for the State (government) to invest, grow and prosper. We want the people of New Jersey to be free to invest, grow and prosper.

Invest, is a euphemism for spending taxpayer’s money, so there’s nothing new there and our concern remains how much more tax money Corzine would like to “invest;” grow, state government is already growing at an unsustainable rate, the people of New Jersey can’t afford any more state growth; prosper, in our book state employees are prospering quite nicely without any additional help from Mr. Corzine.

Corzine believes that growing New Jersey’s economy and creating good-paying jobs cannot and will not happen unless we achieve four important things first: (We will pick up our analysis with the four important things in a later post)

The government is incapable of growing an economy or creating private sector jobs - good paying or otherwise. The state can create good paying government jobs, but these jobs do not create wealth, they subtract from the capital available for wealth creation. Every communist government has tried this approach, as have the socialist countries in Europe with disastrous results. So there’s no need to repeat those mistakes in New Jersey.

The government can create a climate that ranges from hostile to favorable towards business and economic growth. A look at Corzine’s Senate record and ratings by various business and consumer groups complied by Project Vote Smart, do not inspire confidence in Corzine’s philosophy or record for economic growth.

Corzine received 27 ratings ranging from a high of 50% to a low of 0 %. We believe this would be considered an “F’ under anyone’s grading scale, even in New Jersey. There is nothing in Jon Corzine’s record to suggest he would be successful in growing New Jersey's economy or as we would say, creating a pro growth climate in the state.

Small business is the great job creating engine in the United States. For the years 2003-2004 the National Small Business Association rated Senator Corzine 0% (zero) and the Small Business Survival Committee gave Corzine a 20%. (We will continue this area of research and report any additional information.) To date, here are the findings:

2004 U.S. Chamber of Commerce 47 %
2004 Small Business Survival Committee 20 %
2003-2004 National Association of Manufacturers 9 %
2003-2004 National Federation of Independent Business 0 %
2003-2004 Business-Industry Political Action Committee 4 %
2003-2004 National Retail Federation 12 %
2003-2004 Associated Builders & Contractors 10 %
2003-2004 National Small Business Association 0 %
2003-2004 National Restaurant Association 14 %
2003 National Retail Federation 12 %
2003 Associated Builders & Contractors 0 %
2003 Business-Industry Political Action Committee 4 %
2003 U.S. Chamber of Commerce 27 %
2003 National Federation of Independent Business 0 %
2002 National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association 36 %
2002 American Coalition for Ethanol 0 %
2002 U.S. Chamber of Commerce 50 %
2001-2002 Associated Builders & Contractors 22 %
2001-2002 National Federation of Independent Business 25 %
2001-2002 Small Business Survival Committee 0 %
2001-2002 Business-Industry Political Action Committee 0 %
2001-2002 National Association of Manufacturers 0 %
2001 National Federation of Independent Business 17 %
2001 U.S. Chamber of Commerce 36 %
2001 National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association 40 %
2001 Small Business Survival Committee 0 %
1999-2004 National Ready Mixed Concrete Association 20 %

Have you noticed the elephant in the living room that the liberals keep trying to ignore even as they lose election after election? It's the huge "idea gap" between conservatives and liberals. While conservatives are open about what we think and our reasoning, liberals often try to obscure what they believe in or worse yet, publicly run from it. This is why -- as USA Today reported -- Americans think the Democratic Party is out of gas intellectually.

Yes, we have noticed that trend. Senator Jon Corzine has turned obfuscation, duck and run into an art form in his quest to become Governor of New Jersey. Lacking ideas, Corzine along with his fellow Democrats, substitute trite phases, obstruction and name calling for serious political debate and solutions to problems. Here’s a prime example from yesterday:

U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine supports publicly funded stem-cell research, but likes the California model compared to anything he has seen. If you want to know his stance on other hot campaign issues important to New Jersey, you're going to have to wait.

"There will be plenty of time for that later," the gubernatorial candidate said Monday.

They're [Republicans] asking Corzine to explain how he plans to solve the state's nearly bankrupt financial status and property-tax crisis. They're also asking for his perspective on issues like gay marriage and the governor's proposed slashing of property-tax rebates.

The Republican candidates answered most of those questions at length last week during a debate in northern New Jersey.

He did, however, offer a slight explanation of the $37,000 his mother donated to Bergen County Democrats even though she lives in Illinois.

"I've answered that question already," he said. "My mom and my family have always tried to help each other out. It's ridiculous. We're here to celebrate Frank Lautenberg's career."

Since acting Gov. Richard J. Codey announced in early February that he would not challenge Corzine for the Democratic nomination, Corzine has not said much.

After a reporter asked him two questions, Corzine refused to answer any more.

"You're not going to get anything out of me that you haven't already gotten," he said.
And what about Republicans accusing him of staying silent on issues?

Campaign manager David Wald stepped in and said, "We're not saying anything else."

Jon Corzine has a new campaign website - Jon Corzine for Governor – Join Us New Jersey.
We have no idea what “Join Us New Jersey” is supposed to mean. Perhaps it will come to us upon further reflection. Anyway, we are happy to see the Senator has decided to provide us with some information about his campaign.

To keep Senator Corzine honest, we thought we’d start fact checking his boasts. Today we will begin with the “Who Jon Is” web page - starting with his first, middle and last boast on the page. (He certainly does have a way with words – “who Jon is”?)

Jon Corzine was elected to represent the people of New Jersey in the United States Senate in November 2000. Since that time, he has established a record of accomplishment for the state, from securing federal funds to protecting open space and water reserves in the Highlands to protecting New Jersey’s PAAD and Senior Gold programs from federal charges that would have hurt New Jersey.

Jon Corzine grew up on a small family farm in central Illinois. After graduating from college in 1969, he began his financial career at the Continental Illinois National Bank in Chicago. In 1970, he enrolled in business school at the University of Chicago, first attending classes at night. He earned his MBA in 1973. In 1975, Corzine and his family moved to New Jersey after being recruited by Goldman Sachs, where he eventually rose to become CEO. Now he is working to bring his independent thinking, business expertise, and integrity to New Jersey as the state’s next Governor.

In 2000, Jon entered public service and brought his leadership skills to bear on some of the toughest challenges we face. He has fought for New Jersey, taking on the chemical industry to make us safer. He has also stood for corporate reform, using his Wall Street experience to craft laws cracking down on corporate abuses. Jon is known in the Senate and in New Jersey as a tough, principled leader who rises above partisan politics to do what's right for the state and get things done.

Corzine Boast: Record of accomplishment for the state - securing federal funds.

Fact: Worst record in securing federal funds - for every dollar of income tax New Jersey taxpayers send to the federal government New Jersey receives 57¢ in return, the lowest return in the nation.

Corzine Boast: Rose to become CEO Goldman Sachs.

Fact: Became CEO of Goldman Sachs in the Fall of 1994 and fired at the end of 1998 when his executive-committee colleagues unanimously voted to remove him from his post as CEO. It’s hard to believe any CEO of a Wall Street firm could have been fired during the go-go years of the 1990’s. A firm on auto-pilot would have raked in the dough.

Corzine Boast: Principled leader who rises above partisan politics.

Fact: Digging all the back to yesterday for an example: In a conference call with reporters Monday (March 21, 2005), Sen. John Corzine, D-NJ, one of the leading opponents of the president's plan, said Cheney had "a virtual career of disdain for Social Security," and compared his appearances to sending Saddam Hussein to campaign for democracy in Iraq.

If this is Corzine’s idea of a principled leader who rises above partisan politics, we don’t want to be around when things get ugly

New Jersey's finances are in such a mess that even Acting Governor Codey is admitting it will take years to put the state back on solid footing. What is a major cause of our State budget nightmare?

Codey puts a lot of blame on generous pension and benefit packages for state employees and retired teachers that squeeze New Jersey's budgets. If anything, we've got to pull back from these entitlements that are strangling the taxpayers of New Jersey.

The tax receivers will be out in force pressuring the Democrats to maintain the status quo and to place their interests above all others and especially above the taxpayer’s. State and local government can not continue the lavish spending on government employee benefits and retirement packages.

Why should people that can’t afford to pay for their own health care insurance or to fund their retirement be forced to pay for benefits not available in even the most generous private sector programs?

The fall back position of tax “the rich, aside from being unfair, is not a long term solution to covering these escalating costs. There are not enough “rich” taxpayers to soak and rich is currently defined as those making $70,000 a year.

The $2.2 billion annual state price tag for teacher and public employee health insurance and retirement benefits is expected to triple in just five years. At the current pace, those costs will soar to $6.7 billion by the time the state budget is drafted in 2009, and account for more than one-fifth of all state spending.

Make your voice heard and tell your State Senator and Assemblyman to take action now. If they fail to act on behalf of the taxpayers, we do have the power to elect replacements this November that will understand their job and will act on their responsibilities.

Call attention to problems and seek solutions in order to save a collapsing ponzi scheme called Social Security and you’re likened to Saddam Hussein. Name calling is usually a fall back position when you lack facts and logical arguments. Jon Corzine is certainly bereft of facts and solutions to problems facing the country or New Jersey.

In a conference call with reporters Monday, Sen. John Corzine, D-NJ, one of the leading opponents of the president's plan, said Cheney had "a virtual career of disdain for Social Security," and compared his appearances to sending Saddam Hussein to campaign for democracy in Iraq.

"He's certainly not being sent on the road to convince Democrats, moderates or Baby Boomers," Corzine said.

Hold a different opinion than Jon Corzine and he compares you to a ruthless dictator. Not just any dictator, but Saddam Hussein, a sworn enemy of the United States who tortured and killed anyone that dared to express a different opinion. How open minded, how statesman like.

This little temper tantrum hardly makes Corzine a poster boy for democracy in action. Of course Corzine may have a point – Chaney isn’t trying to convince Democrats, moderates and Baby Boomers about Social Security, the majority already have been convinced. Perhaps this is why the Senator is pouting and acting like a child, he is losing the argument.

Like it or not Senator Corzine, Dick Cheney is the Vice President of the United States and deserves respect for the office he holds. You owe the Vice President, the country and the people of New Jersey an apology. You have disgraced the office you hold.

Update: Thankfully other blogs have picked up this story and are posting on this outrage. Read more here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

Update II: Bret Schundler says : ’That’s about as ugly a thing as you could say, and it’s far beneath the level of discourse New Jerseyans have a right to expect from their leaders.

“Jon Corzine should immediately apologize – to the Vice President, to New Jerseyans he represents, and to his own mother, who must surely be aghast at her son’s foul mouth.”

The case of Terri Schiavo is a troubling and an upsetting one on many fronts. Much has been written on the legal aspects of this case and we will leave it to those with expertise in those areas to comment.

Our problem with this case doesn’t revolve around who has the right to make the ultimate decision for Terri – her husband, her parents, state courts or federal courts. This can and will be decided. Our problem comes with how this procedure is carried out, if her husband’s right to make this decision on Terri’s behalf prevails.

In this instance, the state has allowed Terri’s life to end naturally, by removing her feeding tube. This begs the questions, is removing the feeding tube without consequence beyond her death and is it natural? Does Terri feel pain?

Is it natural and humane to deprive someone of food and water whether it is by glass and plate or by feeding tube? Is the method for providing sustenance the key factor in answering the question and ultimately the one upon which the decision should rest?

Terri isn’t being kept alive by mechanical means, her heart beats and she breathes on her own. We believe the decision to remove Terri’s feeding tube is merely a hands off approach to killing her. It is a way for us to pretend that a life was not taken, but rather that a life was lost. We would not wish to live in Terri’s circumstances but, we would not wish to die as she might.

Deprived of food and water, will Terri feel no pain, will she not suffer? How can we ever be certain of the answer to these questions? Did Terri require anesthesia when she was operated on to insert and remove the feed tube? If the answer to that question is yes, that leads us to conclude her doctors believed she is capable of feeling and reacting to pain.

To absolve ourselves from the guilt of taking a life, we take refuge in the natural consequences of our inaction. It is not what we give Terri that will kill her; it is what she is unable to give herself that will. Somehow we’re off the hook when we remove her feeding tube, sinners if we provide medication that puts her to sleep and then to death.

So whose interests are we really deciding in this case? Some say Terri’s parents are selfish for fighting to keep her alive. They aren’t fighting for Terri, they're fighting for themselves. Other’s, including Terri’s husband, claim they are fighting to let her die as she would have wanted under these circumstances. In the latter case, perhaps the ends aren’t selfish, but the means to that end protect their interests and not Terri’s. Does anyone believe Terri would have chosen to die a slow and painful death?

Why the need to remove Terri’s feeding tube? Wouldn’t she die just as surely if nutrients were no longer administered to her through the tube? No, the tube was removed to ensure her death. So let’s stop pretending this is a natural and acceptable way to end a life. This is a selfish way to bring about death. More intervention was required to remove Terri’s feeding tube than to give her a shot that would have quickly ended her life.

If we are willing to take on life and death decisions, then let’s also be willing to take on the burden of ending a life in a manner that is as quick and as painless as possible. If we are not willing to take on this responsibility, than let’s stop dehydrating and starving a person to death, it is cruel and unnecessary. Withholding sustenance or injecting a lethal substance, death comes at our hand either way – it is a distinction without a difference. If it is for us to choose death, may we at least act with mercy?

Jayson at PoliPundit has this to say about the Republican Party:

We don’t have the built-in advantages enjoyed by the Democratic Party.

Unlike the Democrats, we don’t have CBS, NBC, ABC, NPR, CNN, MSNBC, Time and NewsWeak, USA Today, the Associated Press, Reuters, and the overwhelming majority of big-city newspapers, out there, running around, chanting our talking points, and carrying our political water for us.

And our voters are all live persons who only cast one ballot a piece.

So, it was with great interest that I perused this report, concerning the GOP’s recent fund raising activities.

Glad to see the Republicans are raising money, we just wonder if any of it will make its way to New Jersey, because unlike other states, we have Democrat Jon Corzine running for Governor, $20 million is chump change to him.

Jon Corzine likes to refer to himself as “among his party's chief economic and finance experts” and in recent months he has promoted himself as “one of the nation’s foremost experts on the economy and financial markets”.

Senator Corzine is such a wiz with all things financial, he was able to offer “prebuttals” to President Bush’s State of the Union and to Alan Greenspan’s Senate testimony on the economy and Social Security. No need to actually hear the speech or the testimony, he’s way ahead of everyone on these matters.

When it comes to our nation’s budget, the very day the President submitted his 2006 budget to Congress, Corzine was able to release a statement to the press proclaiming the budget was bad for New Jersey. The next day he was denouncing the budget, after his preliminary analysis, as representing fiscal irresponsibility.

Now Corzine is running for Governor of New Jersey and three weeks after Acting Governor Codey unveiled his proposed state budget, Corzine is incapable of offering any specific comments or proposals.

Asked what he would do about the state budget, Corzine said it was "premature" for him to offer specific proposals because all the details of Codey's plan, including numbers and assumptions, had not been released.

What are we to make of this Corzine statement to the press? It wasn’t worth his time to familiarize himself with the budget and the state’s finances. He hasn’t bothered to give any thought to the subject. The State’s budget and finances are so complex that it’s beyond his expertise. Or maybe Corzine just doesn’t want to let the public in on his ideas about New Jersey spending and tax policies.

Lazy, disinterested, incapable and hiding positions on major issues from voters are not qualities most people are looking for in a Governor, even when the state is New Jersey. How long is the press going to let Corzine get away with nonsense? Yea, we know the Senator is rich but, is that the only qualification for the office?

Have you seen Sirk Production teaser trailer for Anytown, USA? The film features Steve Lonegan, Mayor of Bogota, two political challengers and citizens behaving badly. People never tire of presenting New Jersey in the worst possible light and if the trailer is representative of the movie, a new wave of ridicule will be coming our way.

Sirk Productions website provides this description:

This feature documentary film gives viewers a look into a local election in the small town of Bogota, New Jersey. With its quirky characters, dilapidated infrastructure and impassioned citizens, Bogota presents a stark contrast to the sterile, slick, professional campaigns at the state and national levels. The film provides an uncompromising look at local politics, warts and all.

We’ll give you a teaser of our own. Watch Democrats whip themselves into a frenzy as they rip up Lonegan campaign signs, throw eggs at his signs in protest and …

Now that we have you on the edge of your seat, take a look.

Who says there is no money in blogging? Henry Copeland of Blogads gives hope to legions of bloggers with the dream of turning their hobby into some extra cash. Copeland in an interview says:

I think the numbers will continue to grow at LEAST until bloggers get 0.1% of the total US annual advertising spend, $250 billion. That may take 3 years or it may take 18, but it is inevitable. Bloggers understand their subjects and their audiences better than anyone else in media AND they've got the lowest overheads. After all, pajamas cost much less than suits.

When asked how many bloggers do you see reaching the "earning a living" threshold over the next few years? Copeland said:

I'd be thrilled to reach 500. But 5000 is possible. And if things go really well 50,000.

Quite a range isn’t it? Well, best of luck to our blog buddies that hold this dream – we’re just hoping to enlighten a few folks and change a few minds.

We couldn’t help but notice that the Daily Kos tops the list with an estimated $6800 per week in Blogad revenue.

Isn’t it amazing the “champions of the little guys” often seem to lead the league in the money making department? The rhetoric from the left invariably paints Republicans as the greedy, idle rich and the Democrats as members of working families, struggling under the domination of those on the evil right.

Can we lay this meme to rest? Just thinking of Jon Corzine and Frank Lautenberg should do the trick for most people. John Kerry, anyone?

We can’t imagine the Democrats putting up a worse candidate than Jon Corzine for Governor of New Jersey. Corzine’s political philosophy is really a throw-back to the period of the 60’ through the 80’s. – universal health care, universal preschool, universal college and a whole litany of other social programs – all paid by taxpayers. The country is moving into the era of the “ownership society” and Corzine is stuck in a “great society” time warp.

Given the State’s financial situation and the property tax rebellion brewing, Corzine is really not a good fit for Governor, especially under present circumstances. Corzine wants to cast himself as the champion of the little guy – with his mind set, do you think he could bring himself to actually cut spending? His inclination is to expand and create new social programs – it makes him feel good, we suppose. Whether it’s his personal philosophy, guilt over his financial success or a need to buy people’s approval – he is predisposed to spending.

Just think of the money Corzine has spent to win a Senate seat and to capture his party’s nomination for Governor. A person that just wanted to “give back” to the country (state, community), that “gave him so much”, could have spent the +$75 million actually helping people. Think how many homes he could have built, children he could have sent to school, the medical research he could have funded – you get the idea. He didn’t do that – why?

That’s our beef with Corzine and the money he has spent on his political ambition. He didn’t spend the money to help people; he spent the money so that he could take credit for helping the little guy with other people’s money. Quietly helping folks with his own money, getting an occasional mention in the news about his good works, was not enough.

Corzine was stung when he was fired by Goldman Sachs and he needed a way to heal his bruised ego – to regain recognition and status. As luck would have it, Frank Lautenberg had decided to retire from the Senate and opportunity knocked. Corzine needed a job with status and the Democrats needed a candidate with bucks - the stars were aligned. The rest is history.

So how can you judge Corzine’s potential actions as Governor? He can’t tell you or you wouldn’t vote for him. So he’ll continue to hide in the Senate, playing the demagogue and doing nothing for the people of New Jersey. And why not - he’s gotten by with it so far.

That's what we like, a man with a plan and facts to back up the talk. No guessing how you'd make out with Schundler's property tax reform - he's got it figured out to the penny.

You choose your county, enter your house number and zip code - hit enter - find your name and address then hit the button. Your property tax reduction under the Schundler plan in black & white. Check it out.

Bret Schundler's Property Tax Calculator

We wonder how Jon Corzine's property tax reform plan compares to Schundler's? Oh, that's right, Corzine is waiting until after he's elected Governor to tell the citizens of New Jersey his plans. Probably in a press release.

Boy, things are really heating up and New Jersey’s race for Governor has barely begun. What's up with the name calling by the commenter over at Jersey Style? A small taste of what’s to come, we suppose. We’ll stick to the issues for the time being and support Patrick – he didn’t deserve the nasty comment.

State finances and taxes are the major issues facing New Jersey. Social issues are important to some voters, but neither party will upset the status quo – regardless of which wins the governorship.

Now the courts are another matter. It is the judiciary, at the federal and state level that has imposed its will on the people - social policy right on through to the crazy school financing edicts that have led to the current property tax crisis.

Let’s face it, abortion law can not be changed at the State level, so why get all bent out of shape trying to pin someone down on the issue. It may make someone feel good to vote for a candidate that is strong on national defense, is pro life, etc. - but a Governor has no impact on these issues. We think it makes more sense to concentrate on the issues the Governor can impact.

We like Bret Schundler because he really changed government in Jersey City – a city that was only about 6% Republican when he ran for mayor. Just winning the mayor’s race was an amazing accomplishment, and once elected he wasn’t complacent in office. He has a record of innovation, of cutting spending and holding down taxes. They must have liked Schundler in Jersey City, they elected him three times. He has provided information about his reform agenda and his position on property taxes. If we’re looking to do more with less in New Jersey, we believe we’d have a better chance with Schundler as Governor.

As for Doug Forrester – everyone seems to find him dull. We don’t know enough about the man to make a judgment at this point. He ran for the Senate in 2002 and probably would have won had Torricelli not quit the race at the last minute amid a corruption scandal. The New Jersey court stepped in, rewrote the law and Lautenberg was resurrected. Forrester seems suited for the Senate and we were clear on his positions for that job. At this point he has not laid out his positions and ideas for solving New Jersey’s fiscal problems as Governor. However, he clearly recognizes the major issues facing the State and raising taxes is not his answer to the State’s woes.

Honesty, political record, truthful explanation of agenda and ideas for solving the State’s problems, demonstrated ability to lead and effect change, and a willingness to represent and treat all New Jersey citizens equally, are the factors we will use to determine our vote for Governor.

We hope all candidates will be candid and present detailed positions and plans – press releases, vague platitudes, demagoguery and slick campaign ads just won’t cut the mustard. Are you listening Mr. Corzine?

Did you ever just want to smack someone? We are not violent by nature and would never raise a hand to anyone – but in our mind we can just picture ourselves slapping this woman right across the face. Actually, we feel that she slapped us first.

Rumu DasGupta is not a U.S. citizen, but she is an American in her mind.

"I'm not a citizen, but in many ways I grew up in this place," DasGupta, who now lives in Freehold Township [New Jersey], says in one of the classrooms at Georgian Court University, where she chairs the sociology department. "When I came to this place, I was 20 years old."

DasGupta, now 54, still has not decided whether to formally pledge her allegiance to this country.

To abandon her heritage and become a citizen of the United States is a difficult proposition — especially for a political activist who protests what she believes is government abuse.

"I have very strong feelings about being identified with the United States, especially because I feel so strongly American foreign policy is destroying the rest of the world," she says. "It is not an easy decision."

DasGupta may be an American in her mind, but she certainly is not in ours. She is a smug college professor that has lived a privileged life in the United States, wrapped in the cocoon of academia.

Why would she want to live in a country that is “destroying the world”? She should be encouraged to move, either back to her country of origin or to one that better reflects her values. We'll even help her pack.

Ken Adams at Sadanek has been after us to install TrackBack. After much trial and error we believe the feature has been installed. We have retained the Blogger comment component and have just added the HaloScan trackback feature. It remains to be seen if trackback will actually work and how we will use our new toy.

We understand the trackback concept. How in the world you actually use it is another matter. Very embarrassing but, Jim at Parkway Rest Stop was willing to admit to he is a techno-chicken.we can own up to being a techno-ameba if our trackback doesn't work.

Here’s an update on the New Jersey property tax Constitutional Convention. We noticed the tax receivers are debating the parameters for the convention; taxpayers are never to be consulted on these matters.

Lawmakers and lobbyists debated over changing New Jersey's property-tax system, as an Assembly committee voted to support a constitutional convention different in some key ways from recommendations made by a state task force.

One change would delay the election of convention delegates until April 2006, rather than this November, when the convention question would be on the ballot. Critics said an April vote assures a low turnout and makes it easier for interest groups to influence the results.

The delay means the convention, which would be at Rutgers' New Brunswick campus, would start in May, not December, and wrap up in August 2006. Its recommendations would still be on the November 2006 ballot.

Nothing like kicking the State’s problems further down the road. On the other hand, if we can be members of an interest group that will influence results – we just might come to appreciate the delay.

New Jersey has the highest property-tax rates in the nation, 50 percent higher than the national average, according to Assembly Majority Leader Joseph J. Roberts, D-Camden, a sponsor of the convention plan.

"The convention would not be looking at spending," said Roberts.

Roberts apparently believes there is no connection between government spending and taxes or he thinks we are stupid enough to go along with this reasoning.

Not dealing with spending concerned Michael Carroll (R-Morris). He asked the bill's supporters how they could come up with a way to stem rising property-tax bills without addressing state expenditures.

Carroll also asked why a convention, and not the Legislature, had to decide on reforms. "Isn't that what we are paid to do?" Carroll said.

Those few quotes pretty much sum up the difference between the Democrat and Republican Parties. However, it is not safe to vote the party line; members of both parties have been guilty of profligate spending.

So here are a few tips to help voters choose an Assembly candidate come November: Vote for the candidate that agrees with Mike Carroll’s opinion –members of the Assembly are responsible for fixing the State’s spending and tax problems.

Don’t vote for any candidate that shares Robert’s view - which apparently amounts to admitting he is not up to the job and prefers to have a convention that will recommend raising taxes through amendments to the State’s Constitution.

Should the legislature fail to act on our behalf, then let’s have a Constitutional Convention and as Mr. Roberts recommends, prevent delegates from recommending any changes to New Jersey’s Constitution related to spending. Instead delegates can ask voters to amend the Constitution by abolishing the property tax and replacing it with a fee for government services used model. That ought to please everyone.

The Democrats will be pleased that spending wasn’t addressed, homeowners will no longer be taxed out of their houses and people will be free to consume and pay for as much and as many government services as they choose.

Any calls for us to serve as delegates to the convention?

Which political party was the third largest vote getter in last year’s race for U.S. President? If you picked the Libertarian Party – you’re right. Michael Badnarik the party’s nominee garnered 0.3% of the vote in the 2004 Election. That’s three times more than the Green Party with 0.1% of the vote.

Julia Gorin in Opinion Journal writes:

Most of us have heard at least vaguely the party's [Libertarian] guiding principles, which usually center on a "government out" ideology that says the government has exactly two functions: to protect citizens from foreign attackers, and to create and defend a body of law that protects citizens' property rights and physical safety. There is also an emphasis on personal liberty and individual responsibility.

Can you imagine such a wacky philosophy? How could anyone vote for a party that espouses such extreme ideas? We hazily remember learning about this ideology in school. Ah yes, we remember now, it was in the U.S. Constitution. Sad isn’t it - the ideas in our country’s founding documents - our Declaration of Independence and Constitution – are no longer considered “mainstream”.

Gorin goes on to say there’s a bit more to the Libertarian Party than the guiding principles noted above:

Libertarians generally bill themselves as fiscally conservative but socially liberal. But that's the straight-faced answer. When those who still haven't quite grasped the nature of this political party or its adherents ask, "So what's a Libertarian, anyway?" it can be summed up with any or all of the following quips:

• A conservative with an unhealthy preoccupation with sex.
• A Republican with a wild side.
• An amoral Republican.

Comedian Jeff Jena defines a Libertarian as a Democrat who wants to own a gun, or a Republican who wants to smoke pot.

Guns and pot aside, we believe there are a good number of people, calling themselves Republicans, who whole-heartily agree with the Libertarian Party’s guiding principles. The call for limited government and a judiciary bound by the Constitution’s original intent and meaning is an appealing message.

If only we could encourage more politicians to embrace this philosophy. Unfortunately, an abrogation of government and judicial power is not popular with the ruling class. But we can keep working to convince our fellow citizens that there is a better way. Just imagine the day when the two major political parties in the country are the Republicans and the Libertarians. We should live so long - but sometimes it’s nice to have a dream.

Gee, here’s a surprise – School leaders are poorly educated:

The principals and superintendents who run the nation's schools are unprepared for their jobs by education colleges, where training ranges from inadequate to appalling, according to research by a leader in higher education.

Yet most graduate education programs that train these school administrators are deeply flawed, suffering from irrelevant curriculum, low standards, weak faculty and little clinical instruction, he said. Many programs are doing little more than dishing out higher degrees to teachers who are trying to qualify for salary increases, Levine said.

The next time an “educator” tries to explain why their salaries should be commensurate with other professions, they like to point to doctors, lawyers, engineers and other professionals, let’s just remind them of this story. Those unparallel benefits and pensions are looking rather uncalled for as well.

Now this is a surprise via DynamoBuzz:

You know the deer problem in New Jersey has gotten out of control when environmental groups are in favor of deer hunts to trim the size of the herds. That's exactly what happened yesterday when the New Jersey Audubon Society came out in favor of hunts, hired guns and just about any other measure to reduce the NJ deer population, currently estimated to be an all-time high of nearly 200,000.

The problem is that the deer are eating all the low lying shrubs and flowers in the state along with many of the leaves from bushes and trees. Native plant species are being eliminated, and birds and other critters are losing their habitats.

It’s the destruction of the native habitat that’s pushing the environmental groups. When it was merely the death of motorists and the destruction of millions of dollars in suburban landscaping, it was a yawn. Now when can we get a permit and a gun!

This is about the fifth blog template we’ve had for Enlighten-New Jersey, which averages out to about one new template per month. We were never quite comfortable with any of our previous layouts, as each seemed to lack a clean, easy to read look we had hoped to present. Hopefully this template will last a bit longer, before we get sick of looking at it. There are still some things we’d like to change, but right now we’re worn out on the project.

Isn’t it amazing how much time you can waste choosing colors and a layout for a simple thing like a blog? Hours and hours spent reaching a consensus, only to discover that each monitor and browser displays the colors and layout differently. We know there is a small issue with the dividing line between the header and the main body of the page – it looks fat in Firefox, fine in Internet Explorer. We finally gave up trying to fix the problem. If anyone has any ideas for a fix, please let us know.

Should you notice any other problems, please keep it to yourself – the thought of messing around with this template for one more minute, is more than we can stand right now. Just kidding, if you come across any bugs, we would appreciate it if you would let us know. Now as to which of the technically challenged Enlighten gang will fix it, is a topic for later discussion.

We’ve spent so much time changing this damn thing that we haven’t had time to post. We have been keeping up with all of the must read Jersey blogs and will post our thoughts on some of the highlights later.

Every Wednesday PoliPundit hosts Victory Wednesday in support of Republican candidates running for office across the U.S. PoliPundit provides a list of blogs that have joined the effort by asking their readers to donate to an important Republican campaign. Each week a different Republican candidate is chosen for Victory Wednesday support.

The following is a list of blogs currently participating in Victory Wednesday.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Bloggerman
Reagan Country
Jarhead Journal
Davidson's Law
The Mind of Mike
MarkRoxberry.net
Radio Free Roider
Entropy Manor
PBS Watch
CaribPundit
Argghhh!
The Conservative Edge
The MANTIC Pundit
AlphaPatriot
a_sdf
The Longhorn Mafia
Feste...a foolsblog
Bush-Cheney 2004 (unofficial blog)
The Conservative Vampire
Mark Kilmer
A Rice Grad
asisaid.com
Southern Conservatives
Imaginary Conversations and Random Thoughts
JPerspective.Com
Spot On
TryOnTheGlasses.com
The Countertop Chronicles
Scared Monkeys
The Jogging Blogger
Boycott the Left
GOP union man
Jilly M
The Black Republican
Gateway Pundit
toothdigger's comeback
Republican Sentinel
Stanistan.com
The Bully Pulpit
The Ole Miss Conservative
Riehl World View
Army of One
Passionate America
The Right Side
Regarding Good and Evil
Polish Immigrant
My Little Corner of the World
Progressive Conservatism
Backcountry Conservative
Strategy Revolutions
Redneck Infidel
Right Wing Ruminations
Quotes, Thoughts, and other Ramblings
Blogging For Bush (unofficial blog)
The Permanent Revolution
The Political Teen
Further Right Than Middle
Curiouser and Curiouser
Planet Parmasan
All The Right Stuff
The Hedgehog Report
Pajama Jihad
The World of Tomorrow
Democrats Give Conservatives Indigestion
Dummocrats.com
euphoric reality
Eternal Rebels
Aaron's Rantblog
William Webb
The Michigan Partisan
West Virginia for Bush
Harig Report
Viking Pundit
It Is What It Is
VikingSpirit's political musings
She Who Will be Obeyed
My Domestic Church
The Rinse Cycle
Democrats for Bush
watersblogged!
Right Wing Drummer
Chuck's Daily Blog
IlliniPundit
Bush 2004 (unofficial site)
MySearchForTruth
PoliPundit
The (vast) Right Wing Conspiracy
I am Right
Mediocre but Unexciting
Transcended.net
Boxer Watch
Peace for Our Time
Slublog
WILLisms.com
Louisiana Conservative
Election Projection
eTalkingHead.com
Kilabe's Hive
RobBernard.com
Ramblings of a Jackhole
My Pet Jawa
Winning Again!
Viewpoint Journal
Rice's Ruminations
The Physics Geek
Strike Thee With Curses
GOPInsight.com
Between the Coasts
Conservative Eyes
Patriot Blog
Blogs For Blackwell
Jim "Big Dog" Gerkin's Weblog
Miss O'Hara
Fox Watcher
Random Thoughts
Joshua's Place
On the Right Track
BUSH over Kerry
Sneakeasy's Joint
Junto Boyz
Matt Margolis
Nickspace
Right Journal
DANEgerus
Slings and Arrows
You're in the Right Place
The SHEEP'S CRIB
Stephen Blythe
Brandon Speaks
Ryne McClaren
Everything I Know Is Wrong
La diosa del lago
Pennsylvania for Bush
LifeLike Pundits
The Daily Diatribe
Krotchety Kegler
Clearing Datum
Red, White And Right
Nuts and Dolts
Ben's World
Chance Clay
King of Fools
BushBlog.us (unofficial blog)
Avoiding Evil
Disintegrator
Left and Right
Resistance is futile!
This is War.info
ExPostFacto
Erika for President
Stars 'n Stripes
Bowling for Howard Dean
A Redder State of Mind
Urth:The Drowned Land
Flyover Country
Ohio For Blackwell
Drink this...
Miller's Time

Heathblog
Left Coast Conservative
Conservative Dialysis
The Coliseum
Conservative Nation
Rizzay?s Ramblings
Pencil In Your Hand
Of The Mind
*2Flower* To You
The American Patriots
J. Alexander Lollie
Don's Attic
epollarity
North Georgia Dogma
The SmarterCop
Cao's Blog
The Galvin Opinion
Dharma Pundit
Confessions of a Political Junkie
The Conservative Republican
Pennsylvanian in Exile
Breaking News At Ten
Down Range
My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
Captain Mainline
Pop Politics
Malarchuck Rants & Raves
Jeremy Kissel
The Young Conservative
The Chapin Nation
SarGardoon
The Irish Lass
The Urban Grind
Neophyte Pundit
Pardon My English
Obiter Dictum
Patriot Paradox
Two Rights: Conservative Political Discourse
Amarok's Blog
Right-Wing & Right Minded
Let the Voice be Heard
All-encompassingly
The Vatican of Liberalism
Random Numbers
Marlo's Musings
Young Pundits
The Fighting Gamecock
sisu
Republican Senate
The Open End
OkieMinnie Me
BatesLine
Rightward Bound
Coldheartedtruth
Proud Veterans
The Templar Pundit
The Hedgehog Blog
The Commons
Apologies Demanded
Mind of Mog
Blogged & Dangerous
Freedom of Thought
Small Town Veteran
The Political Influentials
mu?si?cal?i?ty
Matt's Rants
Dingo's Calzones
Boots and Sabers
Confederate America
BIRD
Opinion Times
Right on Red
American Liberty Journal
Tomfoolery of the Highest Order
Decision '08
Calblog
Six Meat Buffet
Deep Thoughts...or not?
Blogs for Bush
Back and Forth
Brain Shavings
Alamo Nation
Patriots for Bush
Right Wingin-It
Atlas Shrugs
Daily Inklings
Gribbit's Word
TheDanPage.com
Ace of Trump
Go Dubya!
Joefish's Freshwater Blog
Dagney's Rant
The Politicker
Clay Calhoun
Dayton v. Kennedy
Civil Commotion
Stranded On Blue Islands
NIF
Truth, Lies & Common Sense
The Patriette
Jarhead
RightGuys.net
Unfinished Architecture

We’ve posted before about the retirement and benefit packages publice employees receive that far exceed those offered to employees in the private sector. As we noted earlier, if our representatives in Trenton don’t bring these benefits in line with the private sector the state will be in fiscal crisis every year

New Jersey State Senator, Nicholas Asselta said,” those who make their careers as teachers, police officers or public employees often consciously decide to accept modest public paychecks in return for the job security and retirement benefits government offers. They made a deal when they got into public service for us; now they're being blamed. “

Here’s an example of a public employee’s modest paycheck that will be used to calculate one guy’s pension. State pensions are calculated based upon the employee’s last year of pay and so many of our public servants collude with their supervisors to rack up as much overtime as possible.

One officer who made about $226,000 in base and overtime pay actually took home nearly $287,000, according to pension records.

Overtime pay has been a big issue for the Port Authority, which is funded largely by Hudson River bridge and tunnel tolls and user fees at its four airports in New York and New Jersey. In 2000, the Port Authority's 1,300 officers logged nearly 400,000 hours of overtime, costing the authority more than $20 million.

After the terrorist attacks that destroyed the World Trade center in 2001, killing 37 Port Authority officers, overtime costs soared to $86 million in 2002, as officers were forced to work 72-hour weeks in order to maintain heightened security at bridges, tunnels, airports and the trade center site.

Overtime numbers declined in following years as work schedules returned to normal for most officers. But last year, officers logged 653,370 overtime hours, costing the Port Authority more than $30 million.

We received this post in an email today and thought it was worth sharing with our readers. The writer has certainly done his home work when it comes to Jon Corzine and the negative impact his actions had on U.S. businesses and our economy as an executive with Goldman Sachs. Mr. Corzine stands right at the Center of the ENRON scandal and the Wall Street practices that led to the NASDAQ meltdown at the beginning of this decade.

It has been clear to us from the beginning that Senator Corzine’s priorities are self-aggrandizement, not helping the “little guy”. He uses people as a means to his end –power. We believed the Democrats were making a big mistake when they rushed to endorse Corzine for Governor, his money clouding their judgment. The ENRON debacle, the burst of the high-tech bubble, “laddering”, and other dubious schemes practiced by Goldman Sachs had not fully come to light when Jon Corzine ran for the Senate in 2000.

Today we know the full story. We know the big winner was Jon Corzine and the losers were the “working stiffs” he so passionately pretends to speak for today. Can Senator Corzine’s money divert the voter’s attention from his record, it remains to be seen.

Normally I don’t e-mail much of anything, but as I am getting so disgusted with both parties, probably more with the Dems at this point lets talk about our potential next governor Jon Corzine and his relationship to Goldman Sachs:

“Once upon a time,” (this story does not have a happy ending)…..Goldman Sachs & Co. was hyping Enron stocks past $90. No investment bank on Wall Street “earned” more underwriting fees from Enron since 1986 than Goldman Sachs. And, no other investment bank was more bullish on Enron for a longer period of time than Goldman Sachs.

In 1993, Goldman Sachs “invented” a security that offered Enron Corp. and other companies an irresistible combination. It was designed in such a way that it could be called debt or equity, as needed. For the accountant, it resembled a loan, so that interest payments could be deducted from taxable income. For shareholders and rating agencies, who look askance at overleveraged companies, it resembled equity.

To top officials at the Clinton Treasury Department, the so-called Monthly Income Preferred Shares, or MIPS, looked like a charade - a way for companies to mask the size of their debt while cutting their federal tax bill. And guess who was CEO at the time? When Treasury resisted, a letter, signed by Jon Corzine, then chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs, portrayed the Treasury as attempting to draw “completely arbitrary” lines between debt and equity. Of course, MIPS would make failing companies look better on the books and Goldman Sachs more money. Eventually, the federal government acquiesced to the arrangement.

I wonder if Mr. Corzine ever thought to apologize to all the workers at ENRON who lost their jobs and their retirement savings when the company went under. The lobbying efforts of Mr. Corzine enabled ENRON to hide its debt while its corporate officers lined their own pockets as the corporation went bankrupt- of course, without the knowledge of ENRON workers who were fraudulently induced…or required to purchase…or intimidated…to hold on to worthless stock by the selfsame corporate officers. And they blame Bush for ENRON….that’s funny as funny can be…..if anyone can be considered the “architect” of ENRON, it is Mr. Corzine. Not that I don’t have my own problems with the President, but let’s give credit where credit is due.

Thus, ENRON employees and outside investors were left with nothing while Corzine reaped a windfall of hundreds of millions of dollars when he left Goldman Sachs. Blood money from blue and white collar workers, many of whom too old to be able to restart their careers and attain the same wages and retirement security they once had. If you are a working man in New Jersey and expect some help from this guy, you can forget it. You might as well live in Sudan, where it is alleged Goldman Sachs helped prop up the institution of slavery by its activities there. Now that’s what I call guaranteed permanent employment and job security for employees. ‘Way to go, Mr. C.! Must be some sort of a nostalgia issue with the black vote you get I guess.

Goldman Sachs was a target of class-action lawsuits and accusations by a former broker who complained to the Securities and Exchange Commission that the investment house engaged in a scheme to force unwitting investors to pay artificially high prices for certain stocks. Corzine said he knew nothing about such schemes when he ran the firm from 1994 to 1999. “I don’t believe there is ever going to be anything that sticks about us at Goldman Sachs forcing anybody to buy anything,” Corzine said in an interview. “Goldman Sachs never forced anyone to buy anything when I was chairman, I can tell you that.”

But Nicholas Maier, who was syndicate manager of the Wall Street firm Cramer & Co. from 1996 to 1998, told SEC investigators that Goldman Sachs routinely forced him to buy stocks at inflated prices if he wanted to purchase shares of an initial public offering (IPO). “Goldman, from what I witnessed, they were the worst perpetrator,” Maier said. “They totally fueled the [market] bubble. And it’s specifically that kind of behavior that has caused the market crash. They built these stocks upon an illegal foundation - manipulated up, and ultimately, it really was the small person who ended up buying in.”

For example, Maier told the SEC that Goldman Sachs would offer him shares of a new company’s IPO at the initial, low price of $20 per share only if he agreed to purchase “aftermarket” shares of the same company at $100 each. In turn, he would sell the shares of the higher-priced stock to small investors. “None of these aftermarket orders had anything to do with what I honestly valued a company to be worth,” Maier said. “Goldman created the convincing appearance of a winner, and the trick worked so well that they seduced further interest from other speculators hoping to participate in the gold rush. The general public had no idea that these stocks were actually brought into the world at unnaturally high levels through illegal manipulation.”

Corzine retired from Goldman Sachs in 1999 after taking the firm public and receiving at least $320 million worth of its stock. He ran for the Senate in New Jersey in 2000, spending more than $60 million of his fortune to win the seat. The bubble of high-priced technology stocks began to burst in March 2000. In August 2000, the SEC issued a warning against aftermarket sales, also known as “laddering.” “I’ve never even heard the term ‘laddering’ before,” Corzine said.

However, Maier said it happened on Corzine’s watch. “For Corzine not to know of a common practice being utilized to generate and manipulate stock prices would be surprising,” Mr. Maier said. “He was obviously there during this time. I definitively saw his company engaged in illegal activity. They (the SEC) expressed to me that laddering is a trickier thing [to prove],” Maier said. “I will say it. They did it. They laddered. Whether the SEC can construct a case is a different story.”

A class-action lawsuit filed in April 2001 accused Goldman Sachs and others of engaging in “laddering” on the initial sale of stock of NetZero, driving up the company’s share price to artificially high levels. In another class-action suit, shareholders of Buy.com accused the firm and its underwriters, including Goldman Sachs, of engaging in a laddering scheme in its IPO in February 2000, after Corzine left Goldman. And investors of defunct online grocer Webvan.com filed a similar suit in federal court concerning that firm's initial public offering in November 1999. Another class-action suit filed said that underwriters, including Goldman Sachs, manipulated several IPOs since 1997, including at least six when Corzine was still at the helm of Goldman.

EToys sued Goldman Sachs for mishandling its 1999 initial public offering. The suit, filed in New York State Supreme Court, alleged that Goldman, one of the leading underwriters of IPOs, intentionally underpriced eToys’ offering and received kickbacks from its customers who profited when the shares soared. Goldman priced eToys’ IPO at $20 a share, and the shares closed at $76.56 in their Nasdaq debut on May 20, 1999, after hitting an intraday high of $85. Subsequently, shares of eToys traded on the Pink Sheets- akin to a minor league exchange for companies booted off the NASDAQ or New York Stock Exchange- at less than a penny a share.

There are many other examples of Goldman Sachs atrocities that can be found just by surfing on the internet, but it would be redundant at this point to recite them, except to point out that clearly, Corzine was a great fit for the organization. How many investors has he sold down the tube, how many lives of normal, hard-working people has he destroyed? And this is the person the Democrats want to be the next governor. God help us. God help the working man in New Jersey. So much for an honest days work where you can support your family and help your community without fleecing and hurting others.

I used to suggest that the politicians in this state were immoral, but at this point I think I would be wrong. They are basically amoral, i.e., individuals like Corzine, McGreevey & Codey, simply do not seem to have any understanding as to what constitutes right or wrong in the human sense of the term. Regardless of what they say in public, they don’t. With their ghetto mentality, they take what they want and do what they want without any hesitation, whether it’s raising taxes or engaging in or promoting legal corruption. They don’t care who they hurt by their actions. They don’t care that us working stiffs can’t meet our bills. It’s like explaining what a color looks like to blind man. They just don’t know any better and, like a developmentally disabled child, it’s impossible to explain it to them. And most of them, unfortunately, are morally developmentally disabled.

Maybe one of the two Republicans might be a somewhat better choice at this point. I don’t see how they could be much worse. As to the Democrats, I wish they would find someone else. But what do I know, if this was the middle ages, I would probably be the village idiot- gazing down at my navel and playing with my toes in the village square.

Investigators said Friday that they are focusing on a group of six to eight male co-workers in their narrowing search for the killer of Geetha Angara, a New Jersey water-treatment-plant chemist.

Professional envy or a workplace grudge may have sparked an argument that authorities surmise preceded Angara's drowning last month in an underground storage tank in Totowa, Passaic County Chief Assistant Prosecutor John Latoracca said.

“Angara’s killer was likely someone she had fairly regular contact with in and around the Passaic Valley Water Commission lab where she was senior chemist, Latoracca said. Authorities said she worked with three other chemists and four lab technicians.

Latoracca said that of the small group of professionals under scrutiny, "there are two people in particular that need to be ruled out as suspects or not, based on the statements they provide. Either they're good guys or they're bad guys."

Angara's promotion to senior chemist last year came just before completion of a $70 million upgrade of the plant's purification system, which is now ozone-based. In an interview this week, an acquaintance recalled the Holmdel woman's thrilled expression during a rededication tour - in contrast with several downcast faces.

"It struck me that she was in such a fabulous mood and the other people around her weren't," the acquaintance said, requesting anonymity

Whoever forced the 5-foot-5, 175-pound Angara into the deep tank would have had to lift a 50-pound aluminum covering from a 4-foot-wide opening - possibly during a struggle. Authorities say that is in part why they suspect a male co-worker.

More of the report here.

Jersey Style has an interesting post on the Stevens Institute of Technology located in Hoboken, NJ. It seems as through the private college’s bond ratings and endowment have had an inverse relationship to the salary of Hal Raveché, the President of the Institute.

Patrick links to an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education that explains Raveché’s total compensation in 2002 was $696,965 -- making him one of the 10 highest-paid college presidents in the country.

Raveché also has received three low-interest loans from the university with an outstanding balance of more than $1.2-million. All three loans are classified as mortgages, with an interest rate of about 2 percent.

Mr. Raveché, who lives in a handsome brick colonial owned by Stevens, explains in an interview with The Chronicle that he owns two other houses. One is near the Jersey shore and the other is in Vermont's Mount Snow Valley. "The three mortgages were to acquire those homes and to do renovations on those homes, so that's what it's about," he says.

"I do work for the university in both homes," he says. "I've had many fund-raising events at these homes. Many."

The institute's annual report showed a deficit in 1999, but since then the reports have displayed only surpluses. For the 2003 fiscal year, the most recent for which data are available, the report shows an operating surplus of $464,123. But for the same period, the Institute's audited financial statement shows an operating deficit of $8,503,914.

The drop in Stevens’ bond ratings, the conflicting financial reports and four different CFO’s employed by Stevens since 2000 have raised questions about the propriety and credibility of the Institute's financial management. Raveché’s compensation and loan arrangements have compounded the speculation.

Stevens’ professors are calling for a comprehensive external review of the university's finances and management practices. The faculty is expected to vote on such a motion by secret mail ballot this week.

Very interesting you think, but why should we care? Well, according to the Chronicle’s article, U.S. Congressional appropriations for Stevens, including those it has shared with other institutions, totaled about $50-million from 2000 to 2003.

In addition, the State of New Jersey also contributes to Stevens. For example, the school’s new Lawrence T. Babbio, Jr. Center, named for Verizon executive and Stevens Institute Board of Trustees Chariman was built in part with contributions from the State. Lawrence T. Babbio is also Chairman of the Institute’s Compensation committee, the one that gave Raveché a 42% raise in 2002.

Have we peaked your interset now?

Jim over at Parkway Rest Stop alerts us to the good news that Jersey Blogger, Kate of KateSpot has been interviewed by Candy Crowley of CNN for a piece that is scheduled to air on March 18th at 10 PM. Kate has a picture of the CNN crew filming her blogging from home. Click on over there to see what all the excitement's about.

We have written numerous times (here, here, here, here, and here) about the negations between the State of New Jersey and the New York Giants over a new stadium in the Meadowlands. We reached the conclusion that the best possible outcome for New Jersey taxpayers would be for the Giants to break their lease and let the team move out of the state.

Now that the Giants are threatening to do just that, New Jersey is suing the Giants to prevent their move out of the State.

With the New York Giants dangling the possibility of leaving New Jersey for the proposed West Side stadium in Manhattan, state officials went to court on Thursday to show that they will not allow the team to break its lease in the Meadowlands, which runs through 2026.

On a more positive note, the State has finally figured out that our current agreement with the Giants, calling for the taxpayers to maintain Giants Stadium in “state of the art” condition, is onerous and unfair. We wonder why the State hadn’t figured that out when they agreed to those terms in the 1995 deal that extended the Giants lease to 2026.

Lawyers for the state filed papers in Bergen County Superior Court, saying the Giants' proposal for the new stadium was "onerous and unfair" to taxpayers and asking a judge to clarify the extent of improvements necessary to make the Giants' current stadium state of the art, as the lease requires.

Giants officials have said that to meet that standard, the state must make $300 million in improvements to build luxury boxes, club seats and other amenities. State officials say less than $100 million in renovations will be required. In its filing, the state asked the judge to clarify the meaning of "state of the art" and asserted that the team and the National Football League should pick up part of the cost of any renovations.

Apparently the State has taken our advice. We wrote, “If the Giants raise the scepter of the cost for stadium updates, put your lawyers to work. The government finds a way to get around every promise and agreement with taxpayers, there must be a way to void agreements with tax receivers.”

We wish the State had taken the position that the cost of upgrading the stdium, at any cost to the taxpayers, was onerous and unfair. The improvements the Giants seek are not in the intrest of public safety, but are aimed to increase revenue for the teams’s owners.

A contract is a contact, so the State is now going to haggle over the meaning of “state of the art” and whether it will take $100 million or $300 million to achieve this standard. State of the art is ever changing, with each new or improved stadium setting that standard, the Giants will be able to come back to the State year after year until 2026 demanding taxpayer financed improvements. The only hope for the taxpayers to get out from under this burden is to let the Giants break their lease.

The negotiations come at an important time for Mr. Codey, who has had to propose a harsh series of program cuts and tax increases to cope with a projected budget deficit.

In the State Legislature, some lawmakers are leery about the state cutting deals that will benefit wealthy sports team owners at a time when Mr. Codey has proposed eliminating popular property tax rebates.

Note that the Acting Governor and the State Legislature are leery about the stadium deal because of budget deficits and the proposed elimination of the popular property tax rebates. The original Giant’s stadium deal, the 1995 extension deal and all the deals floated for a new stadium were lousy deals for New Jersey taxpayers. A bad deal is a bad deal regardless of New Jersey’s financial position.

Even at the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, some board members said they believed that the current proposal benefits the Giants at the expense of taxpayers. The Giants would cover the cost of demolishing the existing Giants Stadium and building the new one, and the new stadium would relieve the state of the expense of renovating the existing stadium. But the state would agree to spend $30 million to extend sewer lines and make other infrastructure improvements.

And state records show that the $6.3 million rent the Giants would pay for the land beneath the new facility is $10 million less than New Jersey now receives annually from the operation of Giants Stadium.

Keep in mind the State of New Jersey was willing to go along with those terms. Not to mention the burden of paying off the $117 million dollars in debt the taxpayers still owe on the “old” Giants stadium; $700 Million to build a new stadium financed through tax-exempt bonds issued by New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority; building and maintaining 30,000 surfaced parking spaces; giving the Giants 90% of the parking revenue from those spaces; full control over all events held at the stadium, including all stadium revenue generated for all events; and control over the companies that may advertise at the new stadium, Continental Airlines Arena and the Meadowlands Racetrack. The details may be found here.

Sounds like a pretty good deal for the Giants doesn’t it? So what caused the deal to break down? Read on.

State officials refused to guarantee that there would be no special taxes imposed on stadium revenues in the future. The state also insisted that the team give its immediate approval to the Xanadu entertainment and retail complex to be built near the stadium.

Apparently the Giants are familiar with New Jersey’s tax policy and history. The Giants have every reason to be fearful. The State has shown it is more than willing to force people that benefit from only the most basic government services, law enforcement and roadways, to pay ever higher taxes and an ever increasing portion of the State’s tax burden. Imagine the tax treatment the Giants would receive given the fleecing the State would suffer if the deal went through. The Giants owners saw the likely tax scenario and backed away from the deal. Smart move.

So to the State of New Jersey we say, don’t waste taxpayer dollars suing the Giants to stay, send them over to talk to NYC’s Mayor Bloomberg. Let the Giants break their lease and be thankful we are only stuck with the $117 million in old debt.

Now as to suing on the basis of proposals and programs being “onerous and unfair to taxpayers”, we’d like to see that role taken on by our proposed Department of the Taxpayer Advocate. We’re happy to see New Jersey officials finally recognizing the concept that State spending can be onerous and unfair to taxpayers. It’s a start.

U-S Attorney Christopher Christie has been a man on a mission. Watch out Tom Kean Jr., this guy is a Republican, you know.

Fighting Crime – 29 Most Wanted Arrested
In two months since a new task force started pursuing fugitives in Camden, New Jersey, authorities say 29 of the city's 50 most wanted people have been arrested. Twenty-four fugitives who were not on the top-50 list have also been arrested by the task force.

The task force began work in January as one of several new approaches to reducing crime in the city that one study last year called the most dangerous in America. The 16-member fugitive task force includes federal marshals and state and local police. They have made arrests in Camden, Puerto Rico, New York City, Philadelphia, Trenton and Penns Grove, New Jersey.

Fighting Government Corruption:- 3 More Arrested In Monmouth County Corruption
The FBI arrested a former Far Hills councilman and two Monmouth County contractors this morning on money laundering charges stemming from the "Operation Bid Rig'' undercover investigation in Monmouth County that netted 11 government officials two weeks ago.

Charged were: former Far Hills Councilman and police commissioner Thomas A. Greenwald, 52; Stephen Appolonia, 52, an officer with International Trucks of Central Jersey; and James B. Ingram, 54, of JBI Limousine of Avon.

Greenwald and Appolonia are charged with laundering $350,000. Ingram was charged with laundering $100,000. In some cases, the defendants, the cooperating contractor and undercover officers were recorded interacting with other unnamed Monmouth County public officials, according to the criminal complaints.

U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie said in a statement: "This is another step in the Monmouth County corruption investigation and we expect more progress.''

Immigration Fraud - Seven Charged In Cash For Green Card Scam
Seven people, including the owners of two immigration services companies, were charged Wednesday with "massive" immigration fraud, the U.S. attorney said. Among those arrested was Bemba Balsirov, 48, of Howell, N.J.

The indictment claims the two business owners conspired with the others to submit hundreds of false documents to the U.S. Department of Labor and other government agencies. The documents were submitted for certification to allow aliens to work in Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey, even though the jobs cited in the documents did not exist.

The indictment also names as an unindicted coconspirator who pleaded guilty to related charges in July 2004 and admitted he received $211,000 to sign false documents. The owners of the immigration services companies were also charged with money laundering and tax-related charges for allegedly keeping cash they received from illegal aliens in a safe rather than a bank account. The indictment claims aliens were charged tens of thousands of dollars to in exchange for U.S. visas.

Polipundit says: It looks like the Republicans have finally caught a recruiting break for the 2006 Senate races! State Senator Tom Kean, the son of former Governor Tom Kean, has decided that he will seek the Republican Senate nomination in 2006. Since no member of the congressional delegation is expected to seek the nomination, it is almost certainly his for the asking.

It’s nice to see one of the “big time” blogs writing about New Jersey. Whether or not we have caught a break for the 2006 Senate race remains to be seen. Right now our minds are focused on the New Jersey Assembly and Governor races.

The New York Giants football team is once again trying to put the screws to New Jersey taxpayers. The Giants are threatening the State and Codey is running around begging the Giants to return to the negotiating table. Is there any wonder why the taxpayers always come out on the short end of these deals?

The state’s negotiating with the Giants over a deal for a new football stadium is just another example of government getting involved in something outside of its area of responsibility. The State never should have gotten mixed up in the entertainment business in the first place and now the Giants are threatening taxpayers unless they get a lopsided deal for a new stadium.

The Giant’s lease calls for New Jersey to pay for "state of the art" updates to the current stadium, estimated by the Giants to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The Giants have also threatened to move out of New Jersey by partnering with the Jets in a proposed new stadium on New York City's West Side. These are the threats the Giants hold over our head unless they get the deal they want for a new stadium.

Here again we find taxpayer's interests at odds with those of tax receivers. The various deals the State has made with the Giants over the years have clearly favored the tax receivers, in this case a New York football team.

Take a look at the original deal for a new stadium the Giants proposed to New Jersey. As far as we can tell the only concession the Giants have been willing to make involves an increase in rent payment to the State from a $1 to $6.5 million per year. Such a deal. New Jersey taxpayers still owe $117 million dollars on the “old” Giants stadium built in 1976.

So, what was the State demanding that led to the present impasse with the Giants – a proposal that would give future governors the right to collect taxes from luxury box and ticket sales; and an ultimatum that the team accept an existing agreement with developers of Xanadu, a $1.3 billion entertainment and shopping venue planned for the sports complex.

That’s right, the Acting Governor's concerns were for taxing authority and protection for a developer and other tax receivers. No matter how this whole saga ends, the taxpayers will come out on the losing side. Our only hope is for the New York Giants and the New York Jets to con the taxpayers across the river into building them a new stadium.

We’d still be stuck with $117 million in debt, but at least we won’t get sucked into a new agreement that would place greater financial burden on us for the next 30 or 40 years. It’s time for the New York football teams to go home – they’ve worn out their welcome.

Unfortunately, we think the Giants are bluffing. So Governor Codey, call their bluff, demand the Giants payoff the $117 million and hold out for a deal that benefits the taxpayers. If the Giants raise the scepter of the cost for stadium updates, put your lawyers to work. The government finds a way to get around every promise and agreement with taxpayers, there must be a way to void agreements with tax receivers. Who knows this approach may be the start of good things to come.

More here, here and here.

Economist Timur Kuran has developed a theory called preference falsification to explain why some government policies and social practices go on for such a long time and then can suddenly, and dramatically, change.

In his book Private Truths, Public Lies: The Social Consequences of Preference Falsification, Kuran suggests that when individuals have private preferences about a public matter they often falsify their preferences about the subject out of a desire to maintain acceptance and respect. Individuals often display positions or attitudes that they do not really favor. Or they may remain mute, refraining from expressing positions on issues they really feel strongly about. Either way, when this happens the individual is said to falsify his preference.

Glenn Reynolds provides us with an excellent example. He asks us to remember after 9/11 when people were amazed at the ubiquitous display of American flags and other demonstrations of patriotism. Had Americans suddenly become more patriotic? Probably not. More likely, they always have been - they just didn't realize that it was okay to show it.

The scorning of patriotism after the Vietnam era may have been a case of "preference falsification". A process in which social pressures cause people to express sentiments that differ from those they really feel, such as when patriotism began to be treated as uncool. People, who wanted to be cool, or at least to seem cool, stopped demonstrating patriotism, even if they felt it.

People tend to read social signals about what is approved and what is disapproved behavior and, in general, to modify their conduct accordingly. Others then rely on this behavior to draw wrong conclusions about what people think, and allow those conclusions to shape their own actions.

When this happens, other people are influenced by example in what's known as a "preference cascade." Other people go along with the trend, perhaps without even fully realizing it. The result is a situation in which a lot of people's behaviors don’t really match their beliefs, but merely their beliefs about what is considered acceptable.

Such situations are unstable, because a variety of shocks can cause people to realize the difference and to suddenly feel comfortable about showing their true beliefs and thinking.

Reynolds cites the "preference cascade" as a plausible cause of the seemingly swift collapse of totalitarian regimes. Think of the Berlin Wall, the Soviet Union, the Ukraine and now the events in the Middle East. Through the example of others, people began to realize that they had a choice, they were not alone in their thinking, others felt much the same way, and that change was possible. They began to take action.

We believe the same may be be true of our own political situation in the United States and especially in a state such as New Jersey. We have written about “the club” tax receivers and Democrats have used to keep us in line. Aren’t most of us are afraid to question government spending on programs for what the politicians call the “most vulnerable”? One mention of the children, the elderly, the poor, the disabled or the mentally ill and we are putty in a politican’s hands.

People do not like to think of themselves as mean, cold hearted, greedy, cruel, racist and evil. And they certainly don’t want others to see them in this light. We may secretly question the amount of money spent or the effectiveness of a good many government programs, but we are silenced by “the club”. We go along and are too intimidated to go against what we perceive to be the opinion of our fellow citizens.

Now push has come to shove in New Jersey. People are being forced to move from their homes because they can no longer afford to pay the ever rising property taxes. They worry about their ability to pay their monthly bills, to save for their children’s future, their family’s health care needs and their retirement. They work hard and seem to be getting nowhere – taxes take an ever increasing chunk of their income. Taxpayers have become the most vulnerable and pressure is building for a solution.

Income taxes, sales taxes and any number of other taxes are created or are increased to pay for larger and additional programs for what we have euphemistically called “the tax receivers”. Perhaps we have reached a tipping point where people are quietly beginning to question those that profit from “public service” and the taxpayer’s dollars.

Quietly we begin to ask, have we no right to our own money and to provide for our families with the fruit of our own labor? Why is it selfish for us to care about our own welfare? Is their no limit on the financial sacrifice we are expected to make in the name of “helping” others.

So maybe it’s time to speak out against the tyranny of “the club” and make it safe for others to be honest and speak their mind. Let’s make people aware of alternative views and solutions to society’s problems. Let’s provide hope to others that things can change and that united we can make it happen.

We can get out from under “the club” and still remain decent and compassionate people. We have been patient, we have made considerable sacrifices, but we have not seen the results the politicians have promised. It’s time for real reform and leaders with the capacity to break out of the failed thinking that has gotten us to this horrendous mess we call New Jersey government.

Join the revolution, let the "preference cascade" begin!

Enlighten-New Jersey tries to remain focused on Garden State issues and our own politicians, but the following quote from Senator Joe Biden caught our attention. The quote concerns John Bolton, recently nominated by President Bush as Ambassador to the U.N.

We got to thinking perhaps Biden’s frank appraisal of John Bolton provides us all with a unique window into the thought process of Democrats. It also might explain a certain preference Democrats seem to have when selecting people for “public service”.

Four years ago during Bolton’s confirmation hearing for Undersecretary of State, Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) had this to say to the nominee:

"My problem with you over the years is that you've been too competent. I would rather you be stupid and not very effective."

We had a sneaking suspicion Democrats preferred stupid, incompetent and ineffective “public servants” and now we know that at least one prominent Democrat has been truthful enough to admit it. Explains a lot doesn’t it? We also have the gnawing feeling Democrats would prefer a voting public that fits the same description.

The $2.2 billion annual state price tag for teacher and public employee health insurance and retirement benefits is expected to triple in just five years. At the current pace, those costs will soar to $6.7 billion by the time the state budget is drafted in 2009, and account for more than one-fifth of all state spending.

Sen. Nicholas Asselta (R-Cumberland), a member of the committee and sponsor of a bill that increased pension benefits by 9 percent in 2000, took issue with projections presented by Fred Beaver, director of the state's Division of Pensions and Benefits. The bill Asselta sponsored to boost pensions by 9 percent added $4.2 billion to the state's long-term pension cost.

Asselta said those who make their careers as teachers, police officers or public employees often consciously decide to accept modest public paychecks in return for the job security and retirement benefits government offers. "They made a deal when they got into public service for us; now they're being blamed. “

We believe police and firefighters deserve special consideration – they put their lives on the line for all of us – that is true public service. The other categories of public employees do not deserve retirement and benefit packages that far exceed those offered to employees in the private sector. We don’t blame public employees for these out of control costs; we blame our representatives in Trenton - starting in this case with state Sen. Nicholas Asselta.

The Republicans better start looking for a candidate to replace Nicholas Asselta because he apparently thinks he represents the tax receivers and not the tax payers. The Democrats already have that constituency pretty well covered and so there is no need for a Republican on the ballot representing the same positions.

Asselta can not be trusted to spend the people’s money wisely and should not be reelected. Asselta thought process is exactly what is wrong with our representation in Trenton. He exhibits a mentality of job security and entitlement that has gotten the taxpayers of New Jersey into a financial nightmare. Sen. Nicholas Asselta should have been run out of office, not promoted to the state senate in 2004.

The entire world is waking up to the fact that the “Bush Doctrine “ is working and Jon Corzine puts out a press release criticizing the President’s foreign policy and his nominee for Ambassador to the UN.

“I am deeply disappointed by the nomination of John Bolton to be Ambassador to the UN. He is responsible as much as any member of the Administration for the needless confrontations with the rest of the world and for the international isolation that plagued President Bush’s first term. Now, when bridge-building and strengthening of alliances are so critical to our national security, he is a poor person to serve as a conciliator at the United Nations."

Senator Corzine’s thinking is stuck in the group think of his party’s left wing and he seems utterly incapable of understanding the transforming effect the Bush Doctrine has had on the world.

When foreign publications such as the U.K.’s Guardian and Germany’s Der Spiegel, neither known for their admiration of President Bush, credit U.S. foreign policy and the Iraq invasion as having intensified pressure for democracy in the Middle East, you know something historic is underway. From Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, the Ukraine, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia to Egypt - freedom is on the march.

National Review credits Bush with inspiring the democratic Arab streets; Newsweek proclaims recent events have vindicated the President’s policies; The New York Times admits the Bush administration is entitled to claim a healthy share of the credit for heartening surprises - each one remarkable in itself, and taken together truly astonishing; and Jon Corzine spouts left over lines from the failed Kerry campaign.

“I was going to say, because a lot of foreign policy experts are hailing the Bush Administration's policies, and saying the Bush Doctrine, of spreading democracy throughout the world, there's clear evidence that it's working. You agree with that assessment?” -- Katie Couric, Today Show March 7, 2005.

Yes Katie we agree, now will someone please explain it to Jon Corzine.

From National Review Online - RevolutionFreedom, our most lethal weapon against tyranny
Following 9/11, the revolution was brought violently to the periphery of the Middle East, in Afghanistan. It swept through Iraq, taking time to liberate Ukraine and now threatens Syrian hegemony over Lebanon, if not the Syrian regime itself, and has forced the Egyptian and Saudi regimes to at least a pretense of democratic change.

The Cedar Revolution in Beirut has now toppled Syria's puppets in Lebanon, and I will be surprised and disappointed if we do not start hearing from democratic revolutionaries inside Syria — echoed from their counterparts in Iran — in the near future.

Many of the brave people in the suddenly democratic Arab streets are inspired by America, and by George W. Bush himself.

From the latest issue of Newsweek - What Bush Got Right
Freedom's march: The president has been right on some big questions. Now, if he can get the little stuff right, he'll change the world.

The other noted political scientist who has been vindicated in recent weeks is George W. Bush. Across New York, Los Angeles and Chicago—and probably Europe and Asia as well—people are nervously asking themselves a question: "Could he possibly have been right?" The short answer is yes. Whether or not Bush deserves credit for everything that is happening in the Middle East, he has been fundamentally right about some big things.

Der Spiegel - Could George W. Bush Be Right?
Germany loves to criticize US President George W. Bush's Middle East policies -- just like Germany loved to criticize former President Ronald Reagan. But Reagan, when he demanded that Gorbachev remove the Berlin Wall, turned out to be right. Could history repeat itself?

And maybe history can repeat itself. Maybe the people of Syria, Iran or Jordan will get the idea in their heads to free themselves from their oppressive regimes just as the East Germans did. When the voter turnout in Iraq recently exceeded that of many Western nations, the chorus of critique from Iraq alarmists was, at least for a couple of days, quieted. Just as quiet as the chorus of Germany experts on the night of Nov. 9, 1989 when the Wall fell.

Just a thought for Old Europe to chew on: Bush might be right, just like Reagan was then.

New York Times - Mideast Climate Change
Still, this has so far been a year of heartening surprises - each one remarkable in itself, and taken together truly astonishing. The Bush administration is entitled to claim a healthy share of the credit for many of these advances. It boldly proclaimed the cause of Middle East democracy at a time when few in the West thought it had any realistic chance. And for all the negative consequences that flowed from the American invasion of Iraq, there could have been no democratic elections there this January if Saddam Hussein had still been in power

NBC Today Show, March 7, 2005
NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR BILL RICHARDSON (D): on the Today Show – “ I believe the Bush Administration deserves credit for putting pressure, and saying that authoritarian regimes have to go.”

KATIE COURIC: I was going to say, because a lot of foreign policy experts are hailing the Bush Administration's policies, and saying the Bush Doctrine, of spreading democracy throughout the world, there's clear evidence that it's working. You agree with that assessment

BILL RICHARDSON: Well, it is working. The President, in talking about freedom and democracy, is sparking a wave of very positive democratic sentiment that might help us override both Islamic fundamentalism that has formed in that region, and also some of the hatred for our policies of invading Iraq. So, this is not only bringing a good result in the Middle East, potential democracy and full elections, but also it is helping our security, perhaps making us safer, by having less Islamic fundamentalism--

KATIE COURIC: Right.

BILL RICHARDSON: ...because democracy provides an outlet against it. And also, younger Arabs that are fueling this discontent throughout the Arab world, becoming pro-US, which is a good sign for the future.

U.K. Guardian - The war's silver lining
We need to face up to the fact that the Iraq invasion has intensified pressure for democracy in the Middle East

The big prize - the one the prime minister was so keen to show off at his London conference yesterday - is progress in the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. After four years of stalemate and worse, the Palestinians are now led by a man who describes those who murder Israeli civilians as "terrorists" and who seems serious about putting the Palestinian house in order. Meanwhile, the Israelis are led by a man who, whatever his past, is now ready to risk his life to pull out of Palestinian land.

The combination of Abu Mazen's embrace of the reform agenda demanded of him yesterday and Ariel Sharon's iron determination to pull out of Gaza - even in the face of a growing and credible threat of assassination - has made the prospects for their two peoples brighter than in years.

The New York Times - Lessons of Libya
Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair are entitled to claim a large share of the credit for Libya's surprising announcement. To an extent that cannot be precisely measured, the fate of Saddam Hussein, who was ousted from power by the American military with British backing after endless prevaricating about Iraqi weapons programs, must have been an important consideration in Libya's decision.

This year, the United States will spend about $500 billion dollars, that’s one-half Trillion dollars, on elementary and secondary school education, about 8 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

Between 1991–92 and 2000–01, total expenditures per student enrolled in public elementary/secondary education in the U.S. increased by 25 percent in constant 2000–01 dollars. For this the United States has the distinction of having the poorest outcome per dollar spent on education.

The average reading scale score of 4th-graders in 2003 was not significantly different from that in 1992. The annual high school drop out rate has remained unchanged for all income groups. Twenty-eight percent of students entering postsecondary education as freshmen in fall 2000 were required to take some remedial coursework.

Among 18 industrialized nations, the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)., found the United States ranked dead last in the literacy of 16- to 25-year-old high school graduates who did not go on to further study. Six in 10 of the high school graduates read below a level considered minimally necessary to cope with “the complex demands of modern life.”

It hasn’t always been that way. An OECD analyst noted that 30 years ago, the United States was the “undisputed leader” in educating its people. Now, it’s the literacy laggard among developed nations.

So how does our state stack up? New Jersey ranks number 1 in terms of expenditures per student, 4th in average teacher salary and ranks 29th in student achievement. Is this a satisfactory level of performance? Not for our money and not for our children.

Prepare yourself for the state’s educators to raise the “money for the children” club as Acting Governor Codey’s budget is debated. It’s time for New Jersey’s education establishment and other associated tax receivers to take some responsibility for schools and children that don’t achieve minimal standards.

Let’s take the clubs out of their hands. Let’s turn the table. If the tax receivers’ concern is for "the children" and not themselves, then they won’t mind helping to balance the budget with salary and benefit cuts and freezes.

Should they baulk at this suggestion, then their hypocrisy should be evident to all, the money isn’t for the children, it’s for them. And don't accept the line "well they're your children" - the majority of taxpayers don't have children in school. We have all contributed our fair share, it's time for some reciprocity from the tax receivers.

In too many cases we have rewarded incompetence and mismanagement of our tax dollars for education. It’s time for some radical changes.

When it comes to taxes and how government spends our money, there are special categories of funding that may not be questioned. To do so risks being labeled mean, cold hearted, greedy, cruel and evil, just to name a few. Government spending in these categories and the people purportedly helped by them, are among the politician’s most potent and effective weapons.

All a politician needs to say is “this money is for the children, the elderly, the poor, the disabled or the mentally ill” and we are all suppose to say “well in that case, by all means, spend away.” Anyone that dares question a program aimed at helping the “most vulnerable” is clearly a horrible person. End of discussion.

This is a very effective club that is used time and again to cut off any debate concerning a social welfare program’s actual need or effectiveness. Does a program funded by taxpayers actually work as it was intended or does it really just enrich the providers of the goods and services? Questions of this sort may not be asked in polite circles. Try it and invariably you’ll be met with - What are you some kind of _______? Fill in the blank with your pejorative of choice.

All this said in a lead up to this question. Is $300.8 million in Acting Governor Codey’s budget necessary to “educate” 29,000 preschoolers (children 3 and 4 years old)? This works out to be $10,621 per child and does not include the additional federal funds the state will spend to supplement the state’s $300.8 million.

This $300.8 million in Codey’s budget sounds like a lot for preschool education but it’s only the beginnning. A second form of preschool funding - Early Childhood Program Aid, Codey recommends spending an additional $330.6 million for preschoolers in high poverty districts around the State. Once again this amount does not include the federal funds the state will also spend for the same purpose.

And for good measure, in fiscal 2005, a new category of early childhood state aid, the Early Launch to Learning Initiative (ELLI), was introduced. The $4 million recommended for this program in the fiscal 2006 budget “will increase access to high quality preschool for four year-olds by creating new or expanded preschool programs in districts with low-income students.”

Acting Governor Codey is recommending New Jersey taxpayers spend $635.4 million dollars to educate preschoolers. Again, this does not count the additional federal funds the state will spend on these same programs. Clearly someone is benefiting from all this spending – but who? Is it the children and by extension the taxpayers? As they say, there are some things you just can’t measure. Apparently this is one of them.

The Goldwater Institute, a research organization has argued for years that there is no statistical evidence to support the idea that Head Start kids perform any better in elementary school than poor children who weren't enrolled.

Head Start and other government subsidized preschool education programs in New Jersey have not produced results and the State can not point to any record of success. New Jersey in the past has measured success of preschool education in terms of the number of children enrolled and money spent. We wonder who came up with these measures of performance. We’ll go out on a limb and submit it wasn’t the taxpayers.

Now the federal government has stepped in to require states to measure progress and accomplishments of children enrolled in these programs. This requirement has been met with the immediate howls and protests of preschool “educators”.

Some early childhood experts are blasting the test as a "high-stakes" exam that is deeply flawed, poorly constructed and may do more harm than good.

Local Head Start directors, such as Morris County's Eileen Jankunis, say they are wary that the test results will be used to dismantle the 39-year-old program. The testing emerged at the same time as debates in Congress on the Bush administration's controversial proposals for changing the program's funding structure and oversight.

"I think they've lost sight we're talking about 4-year-olds," Jankunis said. "They've forgotten they're 4-year-olds, they're babies. The nature of a 4-year-old is that if they've woken up in a bad mood they may not answer a question at all."

We wonder why Jankunis would be fearful the test results will be used to dismantle the 39 year-old program? Could it be that she has a good idea what the results will reveal? Is there something wrong with eliminating an expensive program that hasn’t worked?

Of course the tax receivers have the excuses all set to go - the test is flawed and after all the kids are just “babies”. You know the same thought crossed our minds - $635.4 million dollars to educate babies? Why has this become the responsibility of taxpayers and if by some twisted logic it is, aren’t we entitled to measurable results?

Thomas Sowell has said: “The Head Start program is a classic example. Anyone who expresses any skepticism about claims Head Start is a great success will be denounced as someone who doesn't "care" about the low-income and minority children that this program supposedly helps. One of the great propaganda tricks is to change questions of fact into questions of motives.”

Jankunis and her colleagues need not worry. Those in her industry and the politicians dependant upon their vote wield a mighty big club. The tax receivers have gotten away with hiding behind “the most vulnerable” for decades, jumping out to club anyone to death that dares question a nickel spent on “essential programs.”

It’s time for New Jersey taxpayers to take the club away. We have a right to limit or eliminate special interest government spending and to demand our money be spent wisely. We must stand together and let it be known that bankrupting the state and making taxpayers into villains is no longer an acceptable model for political success.

What you won’t read in the newspapers from an email we received:

Today Schundler field staffers were up at the crack of dawn for the Bush rally in Westfield… Mind you… the only campaign staff tough enough to brave the elements. While other campaigns’ staffers were warm in bed, Schundler’s top notch field staff campaigned for their boss and rallied for President Bush..

We're happy to know somone seeking the Governor's office supports the President. When all we read and hear is:

Among those addressing the crowd was Rep. Robert Menendez, D-Hudson County, who blasted Bush's proposal to allow workers under 55 to establish private investment accounts with a portion of their payroll taxes.

"He comes like a traveling salesman," the congressman said. "If he had a good product we'd welcome him. But he's selling snake oil.

Social Security is the biggest ponzi scheme of all time and Menendez has the nerve to call President Bush a snake oil salesman.

The following is from a U.S. Government website on ponzi schemes. Isn’t this a completely accurate description of Social Security?

Decades later, the Ponzi scheme continues to work on the "rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul" principle, as money from new investors is used to pay off earlier investors until the whole scheme collapses. For more information, please read pyramid schemes in our Fast Answers databank.

Now if we could only get the Democrats to tell the truth maybe the country could get down to the business of fixing this whole mess. Don't hold your breath, their power is tied up in controlling our money.

Hossam Armanious, a 47-year-old Coptic Christian; his wife, and their two daughters, ages 8 and 15, were found bound and gagged with puncture wounds to their throats on January 14.

Today, Edward McDonald, 25, who rented a second-floor apartment above Hossam Armanious and his family, and Hamilton Sanchez, 30 pleaded not guilty to four counts of murder. Both men were ordered held on $10 million bail.

"I didn't kill nobody. I didn't kill nobody, man. I didn't kill nobody, people," Sanchez said as he was led from the courtroom.

Bad Hair Blog was on this report early this morning and Little Green Footballs and their readers are all over this story.

There’s no point speculating about these horrendous murders – let’s just wait and see how this whole saga unfolds. Keep in mind that the men that used the ATM cards are not necessarily the killers. If the pair are guilty of stealing the money via the family’s ATM card and the murders, then justice can not come soon enough for these animals. The two should be poster boys for why New Jersey needs to reinstate the death penalty.

Should the pair be guilty of theft and not the murders, it’s still good news. McDonald and Sanchez will be talking like crazy about the source of the stolen ATM cards. Either way, it looks like this tragic case will be solved. A small amount of comfort to the Armanious’ family and friends. Your heart breaks when you think about what the slain family members went through before their deaths and the pain those surviving their loss must be going through today.

ABC online headline via the AP: Bush Helping Two Vulnerable Republicans - Bush Helping Two Vulnerable Republicans Who've Become Targets on Social Security.

The ABC headline and the entire AP article that follows is an exercise in news distortion. Here is one of the best examples:

“Bush was traveling later Friday to South Bend, Ind., and both stops were meant to shore up the electoral prospects of Republican lawmakers Mike Ferguson of New Jersey and Chris Chocola of Indiana who are getting heat over the issue.”

The article leaves you with the impression that the two Republican Congressman called on President Bush to come to their rescue to help bolster their popularity within their districts. Somehow a visit by the President was ”meant to shore up the electoral prospects” of two men that were just sworn into office two months ago.

Rep. Ferguson has yet to take a position on Social Security reform, although he has been the target of an AARP and an American Federation of Teacher’s telephone smear campaign that has been going on for over a month.

What the AP should have reported was that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is running a disinformation campaign against President Bush’s plans to reform Social Security. As part of the Democrat’s campaign, the DNC runs hit ads against Republican Congressman to coincide with the President’s visit to their state.

Here’s a transcript of the radio ad the DNC began running as President Bush came to Westfield New Jersey today:

This week President Bush brought his risky plan for Social Security to New Jersey — a plan that would end Social Security's guaranteed benefits and tie our retirement savings to the ups and downs of the stock market.

How does President Bush plan to pay for this risky scheme you ask. First, he'll borrow $4.5 trillion from foreign countries. Then he'll cut benefits by up to 40%.Cutting benefits and borrowing trillions from foreign nations won't solve Social Security problems - it WILL make them worse.

Call New Jersey Congressman Mike Ferguson at 908-757-7835 and tell him you do not want your benefits cut.

Call Congressman Ferguson and tell him to oppose President Bush's risky scheme that would put in jeopardy our social security benefits here in New Jersey.We cannot afford to be silent.

Paid for by Democratic National Committee. This communication not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. The DNC is responsible for the content of this advertising.

We suggest you email, call or write ABC News, the Associated Press and the Democratic National Committee and tell them what you think of about their campaign of distortion and out right lies about Social Security reform.

ABC News – email: support@abcnews.go.com, Address: 7 WEST 66th Street, New York, NY 10023, Phone number: (212) 456-7777

Associated Press: - email: info@ap.org, Address:450 W 33rd St, New York, NY 10001-2603, Phone: (212) 621-1500

DNC – Form for email: http://www.democrats.org/contact/, Address: 430 S. Capitol St. SE,:, Washington DC 20003, Phone Number: 202-863-8000

The Governor’s budget is recommending $2 million be spent to re-establish the Department of the Public Advocate for New Jersey.

“The Public Advocate will provide a cabinet-level presence for children, the elderly, the poor, the mentally ill, and other “voiceless” citizens who often lack the influence to effectively press their case.”

“Though the Public Advocate will be empowered to legally compel other State agencies to bring about change, it will first seek to maximize cost effective techniques, such as alternative dispute resolution, which actually reduce or eliminate costly litigation.”

Eighty-eight percent of New Jersey’s budget is spent on these “voiceless” citizens. Do we really need to hire and pay people to advocate for more spending on their behalf? Note the Public Advocate is “empowered to legally compel” other State agencies to bring about change. The Advocate won’t be looking for pocket change; he’ll be looking for big bucks. That’s his job.

Taxpayers are expected to fund a department whose sole responsibility will be to sue the state (taxpayers) for more money on behalf of “voiceless citizens”. Codey does give us a break, because if we’re willing to cave in through dispute resolution we “can reduce or eliminate costly litigation.” Such a deal.

We think it’s time to establish a Department of the Taxpayer Advocate to provide a cabinet-level presence for the citizens of New Jersey that actually pay the tab for government. It’s clear, it is the taxpayer that lacks influence to effectively press their case. We’ll take the job without pay.

What’s with New Jersey’s Attorney General Peter Harvey and movies. Harvey charges theater chain with failing to aid visually impaired and investigates Blockbuster's new no late fee claim.

What's wrong with the new [pay-to-play] bill, which Codey has vowed to sign into law? The New York Post explains:

For one thing, it only bans pay-to-play at the state level. That leaves plenty of well-paying county and municipal contracts up for grabs — and Codey has shown no interest in extending the ban.

It also doesn't address the process known as "wheeling," in which contractors launder their donations by making them to local committees — which then transfer them, without restrictions, to county and statewide parties.

Nor does it affect subcontractors, who are free to get work after making contributions on any level. Some "reform."

To their credit, Senate Republicans tried to hold up the bill, noting its significant flaws and loopholes. In the end, though, they ended up supporting it, even while holding their noses.

The danger now is that Codey & Co. will rest on their laurels, claiming they've done their part to clean up Garden State political sleaze. Par for the course, across the Hudson.

We posted on February 20th about Fred Hagmann of Livingston, NJ that died without friends or family to bury him. He left behind an estate in excess of $250,000 and yet the Essex County administrator hired to oversee his estate and burial didn’t see fit to purchase a headstone for the man’s grave. The State of New Jersey will be the beneficiary of the man’s entire estate.

Well, here’s the good news, thanks to Katie Wang's Star-Ledger article and the good people of New Jersey, Fred Hagmann will have a grave marker. Without Wang’s excellent reporting, no one would have known the difference. The entire article here, snips below.

In death, as in life, there were to be no traces of Fred Hagmann.

The 76-year-old Livingston man, who was dead almost a year before anyone noticed, is buried between two plots in a Union County cemetery. Both those plots have markers telling who rested there, but his burial space was to remain unmarked.

Now it won't be.

A plaque will bear Hagmann's name, the names of his parents and the dates of his birth and his death, Howard Waxman, the Essex County-appointed administrator for the estate, said yesterday.

An article in The Sunday Star-Ledger detailed Hagmann's life and the months leading to the discovery of his body Sept. 7. More than 100 readers called or sent e-mail messages to the newspaper, many offering to buy or raise money for a marker or tombstone.

Many were angry the state of New Jersey -- which annually buries 100 people who have no family, often in unmarked graves -- would take Hagmann's assets, including more than $235,000 in uncashed Social Security and pension checks, but not pay for a plaque or a sign for his plot.

"Mr. Hagmann is not going to be in potter's field in an unmarked grave," said Waxman, a Newark attorney. "Mr. Hagmann will be given a fitting memorial." Waxman said that when he made the funeral arrangements, he did not know how much money Hagmann had. He realized only recently, after he sifting through Hagmann's paperwork, that the man was modestly wealthy.

In addition to the uncashed checks, there was money left from insurance policies purchased by his parents, Charlotte and Valentine, who predeceased him. Waxman did not disclose how much those policies are worth. "There is sufficient monies to pay" for a marker, Waxman said.

The marker will not be laid down for weeks because the soil needs to settle, said Ted Lytwyn, the funeral director in Union County who handled the services. Hagmann did not have any siblings. No one responded to an ad looking for relatives, and police could not find any.

Over the weekend, cleaners hired by the county cleared out Hagmann's house, said John Petrullo, who lives next door. "It looks like they were gutting the whole house. Christmas cards and albums were thrown away," said Petrullo. He said he also saw large model airplanes being tossed out. Hagmann was a model-airplane enthusiast who built planes and also collected magazines about them, said police.

Hagmann's body languished in the medical examiner's office in Newark for months before he was buried. Waxman said he did not bury Hagmann with his parents because at the time he did not know where they had been buried -- East Hanover.

"I was not aware of any plot or anything else," he said. Waxman said yesterday that he has received many calls from people who are interested in buying the house at 1 Springbrook Place. Hagmann purchased the house in 1961 for $11,500. He also said one person called saying Hagmann might have been a relative.

"He lived for Schering and for his parents," said Bob Bokelman, a former colleague from Schering-Plough, where Hagmann worked for 40 years. "There are a lot of old-timers who remember him well."

Acting Governor Codey has submitted his austere budget of $27.4 billion for next year and the majority of New Jersey citizens yawn. New Jersey will just have to get by on a shoestring until Jon Corzine is elected Governor.

But to keep things in perspective, Codey's proposed state budget will be about 80% more next year than it was in 1998. We’ll bet you earn 80% more than you did in 1998. No, huh? Well if not, you’re just not working hard enough.

What’s that? Yes, New Jersey did spend $18.4 billion in property taxes last year and will spend even more this year. But we are not prepared right now to listen to you whine about how your property taxes that have doubled or tripled over the last few years. We’re strictly talking state budget.

There's no point in getting into the $13.4 billion in federal funds that will be received and spent by the state next year. Yes, that’s right – the $27.4 billion state budget is less than half of the total New Jersey will spend in taxes next year. But please don't confuse the subject at hand, we're talking state budget.

Well, if you insist - add it all up and government in New Jersey will spend more than $60 billion dollars for FY 2006. Feeling better now? We thought so.

Do you remember Senators Lautenberg and Corzine complaining about the federal funding formula for Homeland Security and the resulting cuts to New Jersey? The two were practically upset that funding to Newark would be cut by 17% amounting to $12.4 million.

At the time we noted the bill the Democrats rushed to pass was not a good bill and was not in the best interests of New Jersey. The Senators each voted for the law and then immediately began to blame Republicans for the loss in Homeland Security funding for our state.

As we have previously noted, President Bush had requested Homeland Security funding be allocated to the states based upon risk assessment. The Democrats were beating the Republicans over the head for not passing the new intelligence and Homeland Security bill while at the same time obstructing passage of a bill with logical funding. The Democrats held out for a funding formula written by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) that ensured funding would be spread around to all states, regardless of risk. The Republicans caved and the Democrats got their wish. More here, here and here.

Now we learn from John Murphy, Republican candidate for governor, the City of Newark recently purchased 10 garbage trucks for $1,748,040 with Homeland Security funds. How is this allowed to happen? This wasteful use of Homeland Security funds is a perfect illustration of financial mismanagement by the Democrats. Did you hear any complaints from Corzine, Lautenberg or Codey about Newark's misuse of Homeland Security funds? Of course not - such hypocrisy!

Is there any wonder the state is in such fiscal crisis. The cities that soak up and waste money in New Jersey are run by Democrats. The School Construction Corporation (SCC) has blown through billions for urban school construction and now needs billions more to finish the job mandated by the courts. This group has spent as much as 84% and has averaged 45% more than what local districts spend for school construction. Why not, they are not paying for it.

While more and more money is being dumped into the Abbott school districts, the rest of the state suffers. It's quite clear these state education funds are being mismanaged and yet there are no repercussions for those responsible for the waste. The taxpayer just has to work harder and make more sacrifices for the politician's incompetence and indifference.

These officials have shown nothing but utter contempt for New Jersey taxpayers. As the City of Newark demands ever greater amounts for education and school construction from tax payers, the city chooses to spend $210 million of its own money on an ice hockey arena. They've made their priorities clear and it's not their children and as the Democrats like to say, the most vulnerable.

It's time for the taxpayers of New Jersey to demand change. We need to do whatever it takes to stop this insanity - new representatives in Trenton, new laws and amendments to the state's constitution. The tax receivers will all squeal, let them - they have been sticking it to the taxpayers long enough.

We're glad to hear there may be some progress in the Armanious family murder investigation. Use of the family's ATM card was caught on bank surveillance tapes after the killings. Somehow we don't expect the users of the ATM card will prove to be the killers. The killers probably sold the cards off to others but, the card users may be able to lead the authorties to the killers.

Surveillance videos from an automated teller machine may lead authorities to the killer of the Armanious family, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said Tuesday.

The suspect used the Bank of America card at ATMs in Jersey City and midtown Manhattan starting on Jan. 15, the morning after the four were found stabbed to death inside their home, and continued for five days, DeFazio said.

The prosecutor said Tuesday investigators were able to identify the make and model of a car that drove up to an ATM in Jersey City, and were working on reading the license plate number from the ATM video.

"I think we're going to get someone with this, I really do," DeFazio said.

Acting Governor Codey’s budget overview states that: “only 12% of the state of New jersey’s spending is related to the operating budgets of the 16 State departments and the majority of this amount is spent on public safety (e.g., State Police, courts, and prisons), institutions for veterans, mentally ill and the developmentally disabled, highway maintenance, etc.”

This means that 88 percent of state spending is for the redistribution of money from the taxpayers to the tax receivers. Twelve percent of the state’s revenue is spent for the benefit for all New Jersey citizens and 88 percent is spent on favored groups within the state.

Unbelievable isn’t it? And just think your local government spending is no different. Have we reached the “tipping point” yet guys?

How does Codey’s budget balancing act shake out? Well, let’s first look at the favored groups that receive an increase in state spending:

• $289 million increase for Medicaid including long term care services
• $204 million for local teacher fringe costs including pensions, post retirement medical and social security taxes paid by the State
• $140 million for salary increases for State employees as a result of contractual obligations
• $102 million for State employee health benefits, including retirees
• $94 million for child welfare reform and other increases for the Office of Children Services (which includes DYFS)
• $84 million for increased costs for school construction
• $64 million for Higher Education fringes and salary funding
• $59 million for Education Opportunity Aid for Abbott Districts and the expected Abbott Preschool enrollment increase
• $53 million to address the gap between federal TANF funds and ongoing welfare program commitments
• $36.8 million to meet rising costs for the General Assistance and Supplemental Security Income programs
• $26.8 million to increase funding for community mental health funding in the Department of Human Services
• $25 million increase for the senior/disabled property tax freeze program
• $23.4 million to expand and annualize prior year commitments for the Developmentally Disabled
• $20 million for State employee pension increases
• $9.5 million for Higher Education Tuition Aid Grants

Now take a look at how the governor intends to pay for the increase in spending. As Acting Governor Codey says, “only $505 million of this amount will come from increases in taxes paid by individuals and businesses.” Of course the Acting Governor doesn’t count the $1.2 billion tax increase caused by the elimination of the property tax rebates to the majority of people. Did someone say fuzzy math?

• $1.2 billion reduction to homestead rebates/SAVER based on program changes and under-spending of current year appropriations ($140 million)
• $275 million will be realized from modifying the State sales tax to provide a more equitable tax treatment of similar products and recognizing the erosion of the sales tax base due to the impact of technology and a movement to a service economy
• $130 million from eliminating the existing property tax deduction for those taxpayers with incomes above $200,000 and from eliminating the exclusion for up to $20,000 in retirement income for taxpayers with over $100,000 in income
• $50 million will be generated from a 2% gross receipts tax on the cable industry which will be structured to achieve equality in consumer services offered by the telecommunications industry
• $25 million from a change in the Transfer Inheritance Tax structure
• $25 million from a proposed change in the Realty Transfer Tax.

This one line from Acting Governor Codey's budget address pretty much sums up New Jersey's finances: “The good news is, we're not bankrupt. The bad news is, we're close.”

Taxpayers and Tax Receivers

When it comes to taxes, there are really just two groups – taxpayers and tax receivers. A person’s philosophy and position on government tax policy and spending often depends upon which group the individual belongs.

Tax receivers are people that are net beneficiaries of tax policy - people receiving more from government than they pay in taxes. This group also includes people that earn their living in the public sector – those whose income, benefits etc. are dependent upon taxes.

Keep in mind, all politicians are tax receivers – the very heart of their power stems from their ability to take from taxpayers and give to tax receivers.

Tax payers, on the other hand, are those that are the net losers under tax policy – people paying more in taxes than they receive in goods and services from the government.

The country is quickly reaching the point where tax receivers will out number taxpayers. As it stands now, roughly 122 million Americans or 44 percent of the U.S. population pays no federal income taxes. How easy to call for higher income taxes when you pay none personally.

In the current fiscal year about 47 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, is going directly to government at all levels - federal, state and local. This figure does not include regulatory and compliance costs or other off-budget items, which if included would push the number closer to 50 percent.

So government soaks up nearly half of the income produced by the nation and yet for some this isn’t enough. The state of New Jersey spends about $42 billion a year and the citizens of the Garden State will send in an excess of $ 91 billion in taxes to the federal government annually. That is a total of $133 billion dollars. How much is enough?

The bulk of this tax revenue is not spent for legitimate functions of government, national defense, ensuring public safety, building bridges or roads or other programs designed to benefit all citizens. In fact government spending does not create wealth in our society; it merely redistributes it to others.

An ever higher rate of spending for government is not sustainable. The more we spend on government, the less wealth created for all to share because it robs businesses and consumers of spending power. The more money spent on government, the less money available for the creation of more goods, services and jobs.

Ken over at Smadanek shows how the growth in government jobs in New Jersey out paces the growth in our population and that this rate of increase is triple the national average. This is no way to solve the state’s fiscal crisis and certainly no way to grow the economy. Clearly the tax receivers are wining in New Jersey to the detriment of the entire state.

When will our elected leaders figure this out? It will be interesting to see where one of the nation’s foremost experts on the economy, Jon Corzine, comes down on this debate. Can he get away with only representing the interests of tax receivers and still win the governorship? Taxpayers of New Jersey unite!