A Triad Multiplying Wealth for the Wealthiest and Leaving the Rest in the Dust

by: Bill Orr

Mon Dec 13, 2010 at 03:00:00 PM EST

America's slow, steady slide toward economic oligarchy has been neither beyond human control nor bereft of resistance.  It is about how the "Have-It-Alls" have managed to restructure the economy to shift the risks of their economic playground downward saddling Americans with greater debt, tearing new holes in the safety net, and imposing broad financial risks on workers, investors and taxpayers. We find that most Americans experienced extremely modest gains over the last 30 years in which the rewards at the top multiplied. From 1979 until the eve of the great recession the top 1% received 36% of all gains in household income. In 2009 at the 38 biggest financial companies investors and executives earned $140 billion." - WINNER TAKE ALL POLITICS: How Washington Made the Rich Richer and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class by Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson (Simon & Schuster - Sep. 2010)

Policy research and setting, the first leg in the triad, does not easily grab the attention of the general public or the media, but its influence is everywhere. The anti-gay marriage policy and talking points were framed in part by the NJ Family Policy Council and used throughout the debate. David Evans, Advisor to Drug Free America Foundation sent out a mass email on proposed policies to make the medical marijuana law even more restrictive, and his arguments and talking points were used word-for-word by people testifying during the legislative resolution hearing. The Tax Foundation develops NJ financial data which has been used for a variety of causes benefiting the wealthy.

There's more about special interest groups, governmental institutions, how the correct path is not always clear, and the trend remains unabated.  

Epic diversity fail for the anti-equality all-stars

by: Rosi Efthim

Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 11:48:32 AM EDT

And in a stupid move that ends up revealing more than they want you to know about who they really are, NJ's most virulent anti-gay leaders chose today to stage a press event 11:30am at the State House opposing marriage equality. Yeah. This narrow little bunch, who claim broad religious support, obviously doesn't have it or someone might have suggested that Yom Kippur isn't a great day to attract attention to yourself. So much for their diversity.

My own (shoot me now) Sen. Mike Doherty leads today's anti-equality squad, which also includes Alison Litell McHose, Steve Lonegan, Richard Merkt, Gerald Cardinale, Steve Oroho, Gary Chiusano, and Carolee Adams of the Eagle Forum of NJ. They must be feeling the tide turning on them.

New Jersey Family Policy Council, led by Len Deo, is there too, with their mission to restore public opinion, attitudes, and behaviors to reflect a Judeo-Christian worldview.

And yet, today's news conference is being held on a holiday unsurpassed in its solemnity for the Jewish people.

That, from our own Jeff Gardner, who is also GSE's Vice-Chair. Chair Steven Goldstein is unavailable, observing Yom Kippur.

Among the 50 states, NJ has the second-highest percentage of Jewish citizens, behind only New York. Two-thirds of NJ's 21 counties rank in the top 100 counties in the size of their Jewish population. GSE stresses they don't expect all public figures refrain from public events today. But there's an obvious inconsistency in claiming religious support while not recognizing a major holy day.

Goldstein said yesterday: It is appropriate for me, in these hours before Yom Kippur, to wish everyone well. But that's too generous for me. I say New Jersey's anti-equality gang has more than enough sins to atone for, and they ought to head home, STFU, and give that some thought.

Right Wing Group Confirms: NJ Marriage Equality just "a couple legislators short"

by: Juan Melli

Mon Dec 03, 2007 at 09:35:19 AM EST

In an email to supporters, Len Deo of the NJ Family Policy Council - a right wing group trying to impose it's extremist theocratic agenda on New Jersey - said that their "own contacts confirm support for the same-sex "marriage" bill is a couple legislators short."

That huge admission must be discouraging to his followers, but Deo assures them "we will continue to fight the good fight," a political euphemism for "we're going to lose."

Anti-Gay Groups Jump the Gun

by: Juan Melli

Thu Nov 29, 2007 at 12:05:42 PM EST

Here's the deal. After November's election, the makeup of the legislature shifted to be considerably less reactionary and more pro-equality than it is now. An email from Garden State Equality chairman Steven Goldstein to some core supporters explained:

In the 2007 elections, we picked up four votes for marriage equality in the Senate, vital in a relatively small body.  By our count, in the incoming Senate, before we even start lobbying, we'll be 19 Senators who are solid "yes" votes or leans "yes" votes, with our needing 21 votes to win.  In the incoming Assembly -- where vote counts in a larger body can vary more -- we can project at least 39 solidly "yes" votes or leans "yes" votes, with our needing 41 votes to win.  We can also project clearing 41 votes in the incoming Assembly, but the worst thing in lobbying is rose-colored glasses.

"At this point, they're just wasting their money with the phone calls. Somebody's giving them bad information," Codey said. "It's jamming our phone lines and we can't do our work here."

Quite frankly, it would be a snap for us to gin up three times the calls and emails to legislators that the right-wing is doing now.  We've done that time and again over the past couple of years, to the point where legislators have called us begging us to stop.

The difference, of course, is that our calls and emails are really from New Jerseyans, and not from professional right-wing activists from places like Utah.  The right-wing is in free-fall panic because the failure of New Jersey's civil union law to provide equality to same-sex couples -- as marriage would -- is moving new legislators to our side all the time. [...]

Friends, polls can gauge horse-race numbers, where we do well in New Jersey, but they cannot gauge intensity.  The fact is, opponents of marriage equality in New Jersey aren't anywhere near as intense as we supporters in our socially progressive state.  That's why our opponents have to bring in out-of-state ringers to do their calls and emails.

We've made a conscious decision to rope-a-dope the right wing now.  Let the right-wing exhaust itself silly during this lame duck.  We'll turn the burners back on high after lame duck.

The bill is as desperately needed, yet as noncontroversial as can be -- we haven't met anyone who opposes it.  The state's hate-crimes law hasn't been updated in years, and an FBI report just came out ranking New Jersey #2, tragically, in the number of hate crimes among all U.S. states.

  This isn't merely an LGBT bill, it's a bill to help all minorities affected by hate crimes.

Save Yourselves

by: Juan Melli

Mon Oct 15, 2007 at 11:11:58 PM EDT

Follow closely, because unless you have the particular brand of wisdom endowed upon Mr Deo, this won't make sense to you either...I found out today, that if the gays are allowed to marry, not only will they be miserable, but my own life will be in danger, too:

"If marriage in New Jersey is redefined into almost complete oblivion, which is what same-sex marriage advocates really want, it is going to have a radical impact on every home in our state..."

I assume many of Blue Jersey's readers sent similar requests for help, clogging the internet tubes even more. Even if they have responded, we probably won't receive those internets for days. So as a public service to all our frightened readers, I am sharing with you the results of my research on how best to protect yourselves from the radical impact of the gay. Lucky for us, it turns out the federal government has a one-stop website devoted to gay-proofing your home:

Run, don't walk, to the nearest hardware store now, and pick up an extra roll of duct tape for Mr Deo.