Senator Sweeney: "So much for a handshake"

This May Be Good News!!! (4.00 / 2)

Democrats SHOULD fight back and SHOULD offer viable alternatives that comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

Let's see what happens...

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by: Nick Lento @ Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 17:57:23 PM UTC

I'm on board... (0.00 / 0)

Sounds to me like Senator Sweeney isn't happy the governor didn't go far enough. That's a good sign.

"Where ever you go, there you are." - Buckaroo Bonzai

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by: William Weber (WjcW) @ Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 19:19:48 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

More "slash and Burn" (0.00 / 0)

Along with the governor's budget comes an
executive order that says, "until such time as the current state of fiscal emergency is terminated, I reserve the right to take such additional actions, invoke such additional emergency powers and issue such emergency orders or directives as may be necessary to meet the potentially devastating problems presented by this emergency, to protect the health, safety and welfare of the people of this state, and to ensure the continued provision of essential state services." See:
http://www.nj.com/news/index.s...

My well informed, confidential sources tell me that his emergency powers will include waterboarding, suspension of habeas corpus, a 48 month recess for the legislature, closure of the Supreme Court, and termination of free speech.   All hail our Leader!

"The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die." - Sen. Ted Kennedy

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by: Bill Orr @ Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 19:03:41 PM UTC

Analysis (0.00 / 0)

The war on the budget is getting to look like the interminable war on terror.

And NJ is getting to look more and ore like a banana republic,

Seriously, I can't wrap my mind around this.  So, when heads stop spinning, could someone (or many) help me out with an analysis of this usurpation of power?

I know in NJ the Executive has more power than most, if not all govenors.  But can he do this?  Doesn't seem like the "plain meaning" of the term disaster.

Can a legal challenge be put up?

How will this play out with the legislature - prcedurally?

Ever since Adam wrote a diary about busines UI payrolls going up and calling it a tax I've been trying to think about what constitutes a tax.

All the R's say this is a great way of not raising taxes - presumably income and sales taxes.

But isn't raising NJ Transit fares a tax?  Isn't raising tuition at colleges a tax?  I don't understand the K-12 surplus stuff, but my town doesn't seem to have one.  They're fighting over whether to take out a friggin' French class.  Needless to say, anything "frivoulous" like art, music and extrcurricular activities will go. (They briefly considered having students pay fees for said extracurricular activites.)

I imagine more hospitals will close and  more people will die without charity care.

I'm surprised he hasn't cut off funds to food pantries.  Oh wait, he wanted to, but I think Corzine slipped it by him.

I don't have any answers for this budget crunch, but toll roads are looking better and better

Personally, I think sports betting is a disaster.  A better idea would be to nuke Delaware, Pennsylvania and maybe Las Vegas so we son't have so much gambling competition.  OTOH, maybe we should give those states Xanadu and the Sports Authority.

The mind reels.

And thanks, guys for the live blogging and posting pols' responses.

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by: SmartyJones @ Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 19:36:48 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

it's only a tax if you make over $400k a year. (4.00 / 1)

if you make under $400k a year, you are paying for a "service" that needs to be cut. I believe that definition was back in Executive Order 3 or so in case you missed it?

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by: the_promised_land @ Fri Feb 12, 2010 at 00:08:30 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I believe (0.00 / 0)

you are in /snark land; at least I hope so.

You offer nothing to the debate.  

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by: SmartyJones @ Fri Feb 12, 2010 at 14:09:32 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

snark, yes (0.00 / 0)

but I would dispute that this snarkiness offers nothing to the debate, because it is what's underneath a lot of Christie's framing and we need to expose that.

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by: the_promised_land @ Fri Feb 12, 2010 at 18:33:47 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

It's the Bush Doctrine and (4.00 / 1)

he's a dyed-in-the-wool Bushie, so...

As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand.

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by: Jersey Shore John @ Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 19:37:25 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Do we have a constitutional crisis yet? (4.00 / 2)

n/t

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by: Winston Smith @ Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 19:18:59 PM UTC

Buono suggests we are... (4.00 / 1)

Senator Buono comes closest to saying that:

"One must even question the legality of the Governor's executive order.  It would appear that he is using the pretext of a fiscal emergency to try and exceed his executive powers to act as a legislative body and rewrite this year's budget by making school aid cuts; raiding various funds; and authorizing additional spending.  This is akin to imposing martial law, a far cry from his pledge of cooperation on Inauguration Day"

http://www.bluejersey.com/show...

Frank LoBiondo Record and Jon Runyan Watch

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by: Hopeful @ Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 19:37:11 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

This is akin to everything Bush did (0.00 / 0)

while screaming "9/11! 9/11! 9/11!"

As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand.

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by: Jersey Shore John @ Fri Feb 12, 2010 at 13:53:32 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

welcome Republican readers (0.00 / 0)

The NJGOP twittered a link to this post for some reason.   Feel free to cite me more often. :)


Frank LoBiondo Record and Jon Runyan Watch

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by: Hopeful @ Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 20:12:42 PM UTC

Our Modern Governor-General (0.00 / 0)

"I am the very model of a modern Governor-General.
I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral.
I know the U. S. Presidents, and I quote the fights historical
From Bunker Hill to Afghanistan  in order categorical;
I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical.
I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical.
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Governor-General.

In fact, when I know what is meant by truth and subtlety,
When I know more of tactics than a novice in a nunnery,
When I fully rule the land on issues great and small,
And obedient constituents to me bow one all,
In short when my harsh decrees are no longer viewed as mean
You'll say a better Governor-General has never been seen."  
(apologies to Gilbert & Sullivan)

"The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die." - Sen. Ted Kennedy

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by: Bill Orr @ Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 21:37:43 PM UTC