Fri Mar 19, 2010 at 07:53:31 AM EDT
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| Adler digs his heels in, resists pressure, and says no to health care reform
Adler will vote NO.
Tom Moran: And yet, you can't help but feel that he's about to make a career mistake. His detractors in New Jersey say he's always been too timid. And if he runs for cover now, his Democratic base back home might start to think of him as a skinny version of Runyon. Why vote for that?
Football Republican Jon Runyan officially enters race. Runyan to Adler: 'you can run but you can't hide' Sigh.
Rothman gets the "Obama lied, freedom died" people.
Coming soon to a town near you
Layoffs, including police and fire, and service reductions - that's what many munis are looking at right now. Says William Dressel of NJ League of Municipalities: "Mayors, generally speaking, are in shock at the magnitude of the cuts." Dressel says Christie's promised "toolkit" to help towns in areas like union negotiations won't help if the new laws aren't passed before the cuts take effect.
Details of the Christie's $275M cut in state aid to municipalities. Look up your town's state aid cut.
Christie's Statewide Belligerence Tour
The governor's racing around the state on a victory lap, before he has a victory. He predicts the final budget the Democratic-controlled legislature agrees to will be "very close" to his plan. But he will not raise taxes on the wealthy or on businesses to offset $1 billion that unfairly hits poor and middle class people: "I don't care. I don't care about this rhetoric. They send it to my desk, it's coming back," says the governor. Wisniewski called it "clairvoyant," if not "presumptuous," for the governor to declare his plan practically passed on arrival.
NJ property tax bills rise as rebates face the ax.
CWA out in force.
Common sense
Star Ledger: Deep cuts to N.J. schools are unavoidable without income tax surtax on the wealthy. Quoting: Now the trade-off is clear: In the name of small government, Gov. Chris Christie is moving to deliver a powerful punch to the jaw of New Jersey's public school system. His insistence on lower taxes for the state's wealthiest families is forcing deep cuts that will do real damage.
School custodians, first in the crosshairs to be cut, their work privatized. Prompting concern from parents who don't want to give up trusted custodians for shipped-in replacements.
State school board group ask Christie to suspend school budget elections.
Surprise!
Christie leaves charter school budget untouched. Vows more and more charter schools are coming, despite the state's economic problems. Christie: " In fact, I've held charter schools harmless in this budget because you already pay enough."
Back to the Supremes
Stop, in the name of Love.
Couldn't make the Marriage Equality news conference? Here's Jay's video.
Assembly Appropriations approves 5 bills changing state pension & benefits
Bills downgrading public worker pensions and health care benefits made it through Appropriations and are now headed to the larger body, with Christie itching, and promising, to sign them into law. Unions point to the many years the state skipped or greatly reduced payments, and say it's time lawmakers stop blaming government workers.
John Wisniewski on Christie's fare hikes
25% fare hike will be devastating to commuters & working families, says the Assembly Transportation Chair. But the impact goes further; higher fares means a rider from Woodbridge has less money to put back into local economy, money that never makes it into the coffers of NJ businesses. Multiply that by 10's of millions of monthly riders, it adds up fast and could result in NJ businesses cutting back on inventory, withholding raises, instituting hiring freezes, firing employees or even closing entirely.
Christie vetoes NJ Turnpike Authority contracts
Saying the deals - totaling over $5 million - were higher than those proposed by other highly-ranked firms competing for the same contracts, the governor vetoed contracts for supervision of construction services & environmental remediation projects.
The all-black-people-outta-here-Wal-Mart
Yeah, it looks like they had publicly-accessible phones hooked into their public address system. Wal-Mart: Save money. Live better. And get the hell out.
Christie flies over North Jersey
And promises engineering help to solve recurrent flooding problems, prompting complaints that he didn't get out of the helicopter and talk to people.
But do you think the BurlCo GOP "gets" sarcasm?
Kevin Riordan: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Burlington County Hot Air Committee (HAC). Please step off the drawbridge.
Warren Wilentz dies at 85
Gov. Brendan Byrne: "Warren Wilentz was from one of New Jersey's most distinguished families," he said. "Warren himself had an outstanding career, tragically cut short by the accident. He was my friend. He was a fellow prosecutor. He was a treasure." |
| Rosi Efthim :: News Roundup & Open Thread for Friday, March 19, 2010 |
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