You would be hard pressed to find someone who thinks the Delaware River Port Authority has not overstepped its bounds with its "economic development" projects like providing $6 million to build a medical facility at George Norcross' hospital. And you would also have to use convoluted reasoning to conclude that the appointed DRPA Board reflects the voice of the people.
The main function of the DRPA is to run the bridges and ports in South Jersey. And while their recent toll hikes have drawn the ire of commuters, this unaccountable bi-state agency has branched out to include projects, many worthy of consideration, that have nothing to do with the bridges or ports. In addition to the hospital upgrades for South Jersey's political boss, some of the projects include dorms for Rutgers-Camden and improvements in a rowing course on the Cooper River.
Republican elected officials are fond of taking credit for accomplishments they had nothing to do with. Take, for example, Jon Runyan, whose robocalls make it sound like he’s not actively working to dismantle Social Security while he touts a modest increase in payouts. But the self-aggrandizement of the huge Congressman from South Jersey pales in comparison to that of our governor, who plays the false credit game like a pro. And the mainstream media is an enabler that he manipulates masterfully.
In a page 3 article in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer, the reporter opens with:
“More than $147,000 in federal block grant funds has been distributed by the Christie administration to five major New Jersey food banks…”
While this sentence is technically correct, the article leaves the reader with the inaccurate impression that the funds for these grants are due to the generosity of the Christie administration. An administration official is quoted as saying:
“By working together, the Christie administration is giving a healthy boost to people facing hard times”
Nothing could be further from the truth.
The last time I checked, federal funds come from the U.S. government, not Trenton. If the governor wants to take credit for the redistribution of our federal tax dollars, so be it. But the hypocrisy of the statement that the administration is giving a boost to the poor can’t go unchallenged, as it was in the Inky article. The governor eviscerated social safety net programs in this year’s budget while increasing the payouts to his millionaire businessman friends. It would be good if the Inquirer would provide some in-depth reporting instead of just parroting the administration’s press releases.
One of the agencies that is receiving federal funds from this grant is the Food Bank of South Jersey. In these difficult times, I’m sure the $20,000 it is getting will make a difference for scores of indigent families in the area. But in the overall landscape of poverty in the Garden State, this is a drop in the bucket.
In a Blue Jersey Focus interview last week, Valerie Traoré, the CEO of the Food Bank of South Jersey, told us that the Delaware River Port Authority is sitting on $2M in funds that has already been allocated to helping to alleviate the hunger problem in South Jersey. While the governor does not control the DRPA directly, in the past, he has used his humungous bully pulpit to get what he wants from this and similar agencies. He can use his taxpayer-funded twitter geek and his taxpayer-funded web site to pressure the DRPA to release these much needed funds (which were allocated in 2009) to help his fellow New Jerseyans. If he does so, I’ll be among the first to give him credit for doing the right thing.
Some in the GOP are heavily engaged right now in deflecting, diverting, and dismissing. It's "D" week, here in New Jersey! To get you to look OVER HERE at some SHINY OBJECT so you won't think about the loss of nearly half a billion smackeroos to our schools. Or why the Governor's dillydallying on applying for $268 million federal dollars to hire back some of our teachers so class size is more manageable, for those same schools. Or whether all this may represent a fundamental lack of support for public education, and a defunding of same. And while, yes, the government still has to go on whilst an investigation of the events leading up to the Race to the Top "mistakes," it's funny how some people didn't get the memo that New Jersey politicians look ridiculous right now trying to blame the feds for a Jersey bout of incompetence, and how others continue tough-talking, using terms like "reform" with no apparent sense of irony for what and who they're willing to sacrifice for their own "reform". Cases in point:
Even if the administration did everything right, the Obama administration was never going to give the governor a nickel," DeCroce said. "There was no chance he was going to get that money from D.C.
Hearings: They're coming. And they'd better be well-run, with tough questions asked. That's the direction I'm looking in. Screw the shiny objects. Keep your eye on the ball, NJ Legislature.
Each week, Blue Jersey Radio streams LIVE with Jersey's latest political buzz, interviews with newsmakers, and your stimulating calls Number: (646) 652-2773.
Tonight's guest Bob Ingle is senior political reporter for Gannett NJ. He also wrote the bestselling book Soprano State which was made into a movie to premiere later this fall!
He'll update us on that plus share his thoughts on hot topics du jour like Sheriff Speziale's dramatic exit or the scandal-plagued DRPA.
It'll be hot hot hot.
So, tune in tonightand every Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. to laugh so hard you'll get an ab workout. Seriously.
You won't want to miss an episode - and of course, you never have to. Listen to them all on Blogtalkradio, or download any show on iTunes.
Down here in Camden County where patronage flows like the river Jordan, new details have emerged about yet another wellspring of largess. You gotta see this clip from Zachary Fink on NJN.
It's going to cost more going from NJ to PA. Some called on the Governor to veto toll increases proposed by the DRPA, but his press release says he will not:
"The DRPA has shown through a series of public meetings and hearings that this action is necessary to keep the bridges and PATCO trains operating safely and efficiently," said Governor Corzine. "Without this funding the DRPA would be unable to make vital investments in its infrastructure, like re-decking the 50-year-old Walt Whitman Bridge, rebuilding aging PATCO train cars, and completing other important safety and repair projects."
Governor Corzine commended the DRPA for amending the resolution approving the toll increase to state that no proceeds from the increase can be used for Regional Economic Development purposes. "The funds from this toll increase must be used exclusively for transportation infrastructure. If the DRPA attempts to use those funds for economic development projects on either side of the river, I will exercise my authority to veto any such action."
At the very least, I'm definitely glad to see that the proceeds going forward will be used exclusively for transportation infrastructure.
Love it or hate it, PATCO's Speedline is still the best way to get from downtown Philly to south Jersey. I take Speedline all the time. For the price of EZPass fare I can get from the leafy Jersey suburbs to center city Philadelphia in about 20 minutes! Plus, not having to park? Hello! It's all that and a teensy carbon footprint! What's not to love?
But I'm lucky that I live near a PATCO station. There are only nine in NJ servicing ~38,000 riders per day. That's a lot of cars off the road, folks, but it's still a modest number if you think about it compared to north Jersey where the mass transit options are aplenty. But other than a NJ Transit link from Philly to Atlantic City, the Speedline is all we got down here.
With so few choices any news of expansion is good news. Especially given the frosty relations between the two houses of Delaware River Port Authority the past few years. So while it may take a decade to lay it out, there are several plans on the table including one that would lengthen the Speedline through Gloucester all the way to Rowan U. in Glassboro.
John Matheussen, DRPA's executive director and a Washington Township resident, has been an advocate of expanding PATCO's 14.2-mile rail line since he took control of the agency in 2003. To avoid disruption of the proposal, which happened in the 1990s due primarily to community opposition, Matheussen has meticulously followed protocol and conducted more than two dozen meetings in communities where new stations could be built.
"This is the farthest along we have come. Now, we're squarely in the federal process," Matheussen said yesterday after formal signing of project agreements between DRPA and two engineering outfits.
This is one of those issues where it really pays to harass your elected officials. If you think it's good to expand mass transit (especially within a greater context of sound environmental policy) then call them up and let them know. And remember, it's totally cool to be demanding. They work for you after all.
FEMA Administrator R. David Paulison said a news conference in Bound Brook yesterday that he is seeking a disaster declaration from the president "within days." Acting Gov. Richard Codey has estimated the damage from last week's nor'easter to be $180.7 million. Bound Brook schools are still closed, some residents are still in shelters and some are still pumping out water.
Our Fair State (or should I say Our Broke State?) is $33.7 billion in debt, the fourth-worst of the fifty states. That's $3,317 for every person. At least our rate of borrowing has slowed- last year we were third-worst. Woo-hoo.
Gov. Corzine's condition has been upgraded to stable. He will not be running Our Fair State from a hospital bed, and there is no rush to get him back to work because the state is in good hands with Codey, says Corzine chief-of-staff Tom Shea.
Lots of news this week. I'm "shocked" by how many new government plans and reports are being released after the election. No more election news here, but it's worth noting the general sense is that campaigns were positive and the election ran fairly smoothly. Since the previous year involved a defamation of character suit and an election decided by a missing absentee ballot, I don't take that for granted. As always, check out Today's Sunbeam.
Today, Tuesday November 7th, the focus of Our Fair State is squarely on the election- but a few other things are going on:
Three hunting groups are planning to take the state to court to force preparations for the bear hunt to be held on Dec. 4-9. Gov. Corzine has not decided if the bear hunt will go forward and has ordered a revew of the state's Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy by DEP commissioner Lisa Jackson.
Bergen Community College is planning to open a campus in the Meadowlands, specifically to train workers for the new Xanadu complex being constructed there.
The East Windsor Regional School District has canceled today due to threatening letters recieved and the district's wariness about security with polling places in the schools. East Windsor and Middletown Township municipal courts, the Milford Board of Education, and The Times of Trenton all recieved the letters, threatening violence at an unspecified elementary school. Raritan Twp. is investigating a "person of interest" in the case.
Delaware River Port Autority officials are optimistic that a deadlock over the dredging of the Delaware River could be broken by election day. DRPA Vice Chairman Jeff Nash is "cautiously optimistic" that the political posturing will end and a close to the standoff. PA Gov. Ed Rendell is, of course, up for re-election today.
You knew I'd get around to some election stuff, and here it is: Mercer County absentee ballots had the voter's party affiliation on the return envelope, sparking fears that handlers could discard ballots with which they disagree. A few complaints have been recieved and the state's ACLU Voting Rights for All project called the markings "completely innappropriate." (That's putting it mildly!) The county does not anticipate that the envelopes will be marked in the future.
Some voting problems are already being reported in Montclair.
It's probably going to rain today. (NorthSouth) Rain stinks for voter turnout. Grrr.
Remember to be nice, to be respectful, and to say thank you when you get each and every person you can to go to the voting booths! Check back with Blue Jersey all day today for election updates.
Corzine spoke with The Associated Press about the ongoing budget process and how it will guide the property tax debate ahead. Have a cup of coffee before you read it.
The recent wave of crazy weather over the weekend brought flash-flooding to the state and tragedy to a pickup soccer game in Montvale. I dunno about you guys, but the weather seems to be a lot wackier than when I was a youngster. Maybe it's time we start to take to heart the human impact on our increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.
If you've driven to Atlantic City this year, you might have noticed the five 397-foot wind turbines at the sewage treatment plant just north of the Atlantic City Expressway. Those five turbines, which were installed at the end of 2005, are the power behind New Jersey's first wind farm and produce 20 million kilowatt hours of emission-free electricity per year, enough for more than 2,500 homes, according to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU).
It's a start.
For those of you who missed it, Zulima Farber was on NJN over the weekend trying to explain away her actions. Again. This time she's justifying her presence at the scene of a crime allegedly committed by "the man (she) shares her life with." Zulima and her boyfriend have a pattern of breaking the law while behind the wheel. Hardly inspires confidence in the top law enforcement officer in the state. (Note to Miss Zulima: your actions are embarrassing and unseemly. Since you refuse to resign, at least could you hire a driver??)
Not sure if this is news or not, but the Deleware River Port Authority is almost broke. Aparently a toll increase in NOT on the table at present.
Finally, The state has released a guide that offers information about our beaches. The New Jersey Beach Guide includes info about beach fees, handicapped accessibility, parking, rest rooms and lifeguard coverage.
Not sure why this wasn't available in, say, April. Oh well, better late than never.
Am I missing anything? It's my first time doing the news roundup and if I neglected something that's on your mind then PLEASE weigh in under the comments section.
