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Fri Feb 25, 2011 at 03:53:29 PM EST
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When you hear someone call union members lazy or selfish, greedy or spoiled, point out this picture and remind them of who they're dsiparaging.
These brave men and future hero were in Trenton today to remind Chris Christie and the rest of the country what union members look like.
Photo courtesy of Soraya Gardner, CWA 1038 - Trenton, NJ
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Fri Feb 18, 2011 at 08:38:23 AM EST
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A Republican governor is elected in a traditionally "blue" state on the platform of restoring fiscal sanity. Upon taking office, he declares war on the public unions, including the teachers' union, firefighters, police. He scapegoats public sector workers and attempts to turn public opinion against the state workers, because, after all, their outrageously bloated salaries, benefits, and pensions are to blame for the state's fiscal woes.
Outraged, teachers, police, firefighters, and other public workers storm the State Capital by the tens of thousands, protesting the governor's attempts to balance the state budget on the backs of public sector workers.
The whole world is watching! Why is the Liberal Media not in Trenton covering this?
Because it's not happening in Trenton, it's happening in Madison, WI. Unlike their brothers and sisters in NJ, the state unions in Wisconsin decided not to wait. Perhaps they looked east and saw what happens when you have a governor run amok, storming the state, and now the country, ramrodding his anti middle class agenda and getting fawning coverage by the press while he's at it, and the people do nothing. The story in Wisconsin is fluid and it remains to be seen how this will play out. However, I'm certain there will be no "Scott Walker for President" movements anytime soon.
Barbara Keshishian, are you listening?
Hetty Rosenstein, are you listening?
The people of Wisconsin took a lesson from the complacency in New Jersey and decided to fight back now.
It's time the people of New Jersey take a lesson from Wisconsin
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Mon Feb 14, 2011 at 07:56:07 PM EST
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Well, glad to see Gov. Christie's getting some mileage out of his self-serving videos at taxpayer expense. - promoted by Rosi Have You Written to Your Elected Officials Lately? I have. Recently I wrote to the triumvirate who represent my Legislative District, #4: Senator Fred Madden (D), Assemblyman Paul Moriarty (D), Assemblyman Domenick DiCicco Jr (R), along with Washington Twp Mayor Matthew Lyons (D). The subject was the growing number of once-thriving, now vacant, retail properties in the Township (which will be a topic for a future diary). I received two responses: one from Mayor Lyons, who thanked me for my concerns and suggested that I attend the next planning meeting . The other was from Assemblyman DiCicco, the sole Republican Legislator in my District, who expressed that he shared my concerns, and included the usual Republican boilerplate about making NJ more business-friendly. I believe he was sincere. I am disappointed by the silence form the two Democrats who represent my District, especially Mr. Moriarty, who is a Township resident and former mayor. At least Mr. DiCicco had the decency to respond. Perhaps he is the only one who realizes that he is up for re-election this year, and re-election is not a given. I also wrote to the Governors office, one sentence: "When can we expect the Governor to unveil his 2012 budget proposal?" his reply below
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Sat Jan 22, 2011 at 03:35:08 PM EST
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My blood pressure would shoot up off the charts any time I heard about the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) protesting at a funeral. They started at funerals of soldiers killed in the line of duty, but have now branched out to others, like Elizabeth Edwards and Christina Green (although they were gracious enough to avoid the nine-year-old girl's funeral in exchange for air time on Phoenix and Toronto radio, how nice). I swore that if they ever set foot in New Jersey I would be there.
Unfortunately I got the opportunity, when 23 year old Benjamin Moore of Bordentown, NJ, was killed by an IED in Afghanistan on January 12. The WBC announced they would be there. I decided I would be there too. I learned through a Facebook Group that people were planning on surrounding the area in order to shield the grieving family from the "God Hates Fags" protesters.
When I arrived in Bordentown at around 7:00am, Farnsworth Ave was relatively quiet. I asked a police officer what he knew about the possible appearance of the WBC. He told me there was a designated spot for them and "they would be dealt with accordingly".
I parked my car and joined a small gathering of people at the corner of Farnsworth and Crosswicks St, all there for the same reason. A woman walked by and passed out American flags, provided by an anonymous donor.
Later I walked over to the church where a large crowd had gathered and lined up along Farnsworth: police, firefighters, military, veterans, and civilians. By that time every road surrounding the church had been cordoned off and there was no sign of the WBC people. The people I spoke with mentioned that the WBC had tried to check into some local hotels but were turned away. I also heard that they were at the firehouse. I walked around the area to see if I could find them, but could not. By 10:00 I got back in my car and drove around the surrounding area, past the firehouse, and still saw none of them.
It was apparent by then that the outpouring of support from the community, including people from all over the state, had succeeded in keeping the WBC away. I learned when I got home that the WBC arrived, saw their designated area, didn't like it, and left. They then headed for the cemetery, didn't like their designated area there either, and left for good. Most of us never saw them. I did not get the photo op I had hoped for, but this time I was not at all disappointed.
This time, the Westboro Baptist Church picked the wrong state to mess with. Law enforcement and firefighters from all over the state, veterans and active military, and ordinary folks like me had all played a part in keeping these monsters away. Bordentown's fallen soldier had the dignified send-off he deserved. May he rest in peace.
There were no incidents, other than the swift departure of the Westboro Baptist Church. Good riddance.
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Fri Jan 21, 2011 at 06:37:58 PM EST
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Concerned citizens will gather tomorrow to form a human wall to shield the grieving family of US Army Spc Benjamin Moore, from the Westboro Baptist Church protesters, at 08:00am at Trinity Church 300 block, Farnsworth Ave, Bordentown, NJ. (thanks to deciminyan for tipping me off to this story) As if it weren't bad enough that NJ lost another soldier in Afghanistan - U.S. Army Spc. Benjamin Moore, 23, of Bordentown, was one of three soldiers killed in an IED (improvised explosive device) attack in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province on Jan. 12. Now comes the disturbing news that the Westboro Baptist Church is planning to protest Spc Moore's funeral in Bordentown, NJ tomorrow, Saturday, January 22. Regardless of your religious or political beliefs or affiliations, no person on this planet, with the possible exception of members of the Phelps family, could possibly justify the despicable actions of these monsters. If there can be any good news here, the community has mobilized and and is planning a non-violent demonstration to shield the family of Benjamin Moore from the presence of the WBC protesters. The following is from the Facebook wall of William Brown, of Mt Laurel, one of the leaders of the protest: Hope I see you Saturday morning at 0800 at Trinity Church 300 block, Farnsworth Ave, Bordentown, NJ. Westboro Baptist church is planning one of their despicable protests at the funeral of Ben Moore, who passed away in Afghanistan last week. Let's join the non-violent blockade of that piece of crap who desecrates our heroes funerals and honor our brother Ben Moore and his family. There is always the possibility that the Westboro Baptist Church is bluffing, or will change their minds and not make the trip to Bordentown. But if they do, New Jersey will be ready and waiting. 
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Tue Jan 18, 2011 at 07:37:11 AM EST
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promoted by Rosi No, it's not too soon, considering:
1.) Christie began running for re-election the day he was inaugurated (as do all incumbents)
2.) No potential Democratic candidate (as far as I know) has stepped forward
3.) We can draw important lessons from 2009 and the shoddy campaign run by Jon Corzine, as illustrated by my experience with a clueless Corzine campaign worker:
Late in 2009 gubernatorial campaign, a Corzine canvasser knocked on my door. I answered, and told him right off the bat we had five registered Democrats in my household; no need to give me a sales pitch. However, I told him three of us would be out of town on Election Day, myself on business, and two of my sons away at college, and we needed absentee ballots.
The canvasser told me about NJ's new vote-by-mail option, and had a stack of applications in his hand. I asked for three forms, and the canvasser refused to give them to me. I asked for the website so I could download my own, he said, no, he did not know the website. Just as I was telling him to get lost, as he was no use to me, he asked if I wanted a yard sign. I said, sure, put as many as you want on my lawn.
As soon as I slammed the door, I immediately fired off a nasty-gram to the campaign, informing them of the behavior of the canvasser and his refusal to help me out with absentee voting. A few days later a representative called me, apologizing, and explaining that this particular canvasser "doesn't believe in vote-by-mail" (!) and that is why he refused to give me the applications. I asked, how can you expect anyone to vote for your candidate if this is how you are running your campaign. I then asked if it was possible to vote at the County Store, and the person said no (this turned out not to be true). I also asked where's my yard sign and was promised I would get one (I never did).
County Stores, by the way, are these nifty one-stop shops for just about any government service. The service is friendly and effective. We have them in most malls in South Jersey. I am not sure if every County has one.
Infuriated, and despite my temptation to sit the election out or vote for a third party candidate, I went to the County Store at the Deptford Mall, held my nose, and voted for Corzine,
I have a feeling I was not alone in my disappointment with the way the Corzine campaign was run, and Christie did not so much win as Corzine lost. He broke the cardinal rule of any job-hunter: Act like you want the job.
Let's not let this happen again.
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Wed Jan 12, 2011 at 08:40:06 AM EST
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(Today's roundup is compiled by guest writer Jeff Pickens. - promoted by deciminyan)
Of course the big news is yesterday’s State-of-The-State Message
Read reactions from the Bergen Record, Asbury Park Press, Star Ledger (Mulshine), the Inquirer (Riordan), NJ Dems, and our own Deciminyan.
And, high praise from the other side.
What was Michelle Rhee doing there?
More snow
Up to a foot expected in some parts of the state, old hat by now. At least we know the Governor is in the State. Let’s see if he can do what he said he could have done from Orlando, but didn’t.
New Jersey Assembly to vote on film tax credits
Could this mean the next season of “Boardwalk Empire” will be filmed in New Jersey?
Meet the NJ Republican Party’s new state chairman
Saddle River Mayor Sam Raia, sworn in last night.
Who should pay for the $1.25B Christie squandered on the ARC tunnel?
Not the toll-payers, say the Democrats
Privatize the PATCO line?
Why mess with something that works?
Making college less affordable
Christie says he wants to do away with the 4 percent cap in tuition increases at the state's public universities, and let the market determine tuition.
Upcoming Events
Governor Christie Town Hall Meeting
Thursday, January 13
Paramus Elks B.P.O.E. 2001
200 Route 17 North
Paramus, NJ
Doors open at 10:00am
Public hearing on the impact of Gov Christie’s state education cuts
Hosted by Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex)
Thursday, January 20
6:00pm - 8:30pm
Edison High School Auditorium
50 Boulevard of the Eagles
Edison, NJ
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Sat Jan 08, 2011 at 03:09:02 PM EST
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Marie Corfield, a teacher from Flemington, is more effective than her union has been communicating the impact of the Christie approach to education on teachers and students.
Unless you have been living on Mars the past week, as a Blue Jersey reader by now you know of Flemington, NJ teacher Marie Hughes Corfield, who acquiited herself and did all NJ public servants proud on The Ed Show (friendly territory) Monday, and Fox & Friends (enemy territory) Saturday. Now, since Oprah Winfrey has involved herself in NJ's public affairs, the obvious next talk show appearance for Marie should be the Oprah Winfrey Show. How about an email campaign to the Oprah Show's producers, urging them to air the NJ teachers' side of the story? CLICK HERE to contact the show. Here is what I wrote: Now that Oprah Winfrey has injected herself into NJ politics and NJ public education (the two are inextricably linked) by giving a forum to Governor Chris Christie, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, on her show, she ought to give voice to the teachers themselves. Marie Hughes Corfield, the Flemington, NJ teacher who was famously smacked down by a belligerent Christie at a town hall meeting, has been making appearances on talk shows to defend her profession and debunk Christie's notion that the fiscal woes of NJ are directly attributable to public servants. Please have Ms. Corfield on your show to give her the opportunity to present her side of the story.
Thank you. Feel free to plagiarize, or write your own pitch as you see fit. But please, do it!
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Sun Jan 02, 2011 at 10:30:14 PM EST
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Here is why I believe Chief Yonaguska Holloway of the New Jersey Sand Hill Band of Indians and why I DON'T believe Claire Garland of Neptune who claims to be Sand Hill, despite the plaintive cries of her Ramapough defenders. In honor of Claire, who loves photos, here is some evidence:
Photos of Chief Crummel, Lone Bear Revey and real members of the Sand Hill taken in the 1940's, around the time the Smithsonian wrote that they were the only continuously operating tribe of Lenape left in NJ.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/1...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/1...
You may remember, Chief Crummel is the Great Grandfather of Arleen Richards - The Chief Justice and Attorney for the New Jersey Sand Hill Band of Lenape and Cherokee Indians. Why would Arleen Richards defend Holloway in his case unless she was protecting the history of her very own great grandfather and her myriad family who are members of the New Jersey Sand Hill Band of Lenape and Cherokee Indians? In the photos you can also spot Lone Bear - who received his Indian name LONG before he became Chief and was hardly all by himself. After Lone Bear became Chief he appointed Sam Beeler to succeed him shortly before his death in 1998. Upon Chief Lone Bear Revey's death, Sam Beeler was installed as Chief by Tribal Council. This was BEFORE the Indian Commission seated the current crop of characters there now.
Claire Garland actually knew Sam Beeler personally when she stood before the NJ Indian Commission and swore up and down she didn't know who he was. If she had been sworn in - she could be nailed for PERJURY. Here is the PHOTO of Claire Garland with Sam Beeler at an event. Perhaps if this case is allowed to go to trial someone WILL swear Claire in and she will come clean. God knows she was sweating profusely when she appeared and denied knowing Beeler in front of the Commission.
http://flic.kr/p/5nALrq
From Claire Garland's newsletter summer 2006 when she was just a lady starting a little club to talk about Indians. In black and white, in her own newsletter, Claire Garland openly and proudly acknowledges Sam Beeler as CHAIRMAN of the Sand Hill Band of Indians TRIBAL COUNCIL based in PATERSON (not Monmouth). This was BEFORE she got amnesia and forgot who Sam Beeler was and trashed him at a NJ Commission meeting. What I want to know is, who hit her in the head and gave her amnesia?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/1...
This is how Claire started her own little "tribe" established in 2006 - A membership form for a HISTORICAL ORGANIZATION asking for money to join. From the same newsletter where she touts Chief Sam Beeler in 2006:
http://flic.kr/p/5nvguB
Apparently, for 10 bucks, Claire will let just about anyone join her "tribe". Why would a real Lenape Indian Chief "negotiate" with this woman?
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Mon Dec 27, 2010 at 07:17:24 PM EST
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"Vince Lombardi would be spinning in his grave", said Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell, in an on-air rant about the NFL's decision to postpone the Vikings/Eagles game, scheduled for Sunday night, to Tuesday. Rendell and Fox-29's John Bolaris even went at it about the actual number of inches of snow (paging Dr. Freud) that actually fell on and around Lincoln Financial Field, the home of the Eagles.
Here in the Mid-Atlantic states, a major snowstorm is almost always a no-win situation for local government and their limited resources. Places like Buffalo experience storms like this on a regular basis and are able to justify ample snow-removal capabilities in their budgets. In places like the Philadelphia area, it is impossible to predict, on a winter-by-winter basis, what the snow removal needs will be, so they do their best when budgeting for snow emergencies.
On Sunday morning, after careful review of all the meteorology available to him, Mayor Michael Nutter urged the NFL to postpone the game. NFL diehards immediately cried "wimp!", but the Mayor's decision, in this writer's opinion, has merit. Imagine the outcry if the full force of Philly's snow removal efforts was focused on getting ready for a football game, while the neighborhoods were neglected, snowed in, and residents were unable to get out of their homes.
It would not only have been necessary to clear all the snow from the parking lots and surrounding roads, but every flake would have had to be removed from the inside of the stadium. Did we really need another spectacle of snowball-throwing Eagles fans on national TV?
Here in New Jersey, such a decision did not need to be made, as the Jets and Giants were both away on Sunday. NJ State Senate President and acting NJ Governor Stephen Sweeney, who is currently holding the position after the Governor and Lt Governor both got out of Dodge for simultaneous vacations, called a state of emergency in NJ due to the blizzard. What will the powers-that-be do in the event of a blizzard on Super Bowl Sunday 2014? Will we see every plow, salt truck, and every other snow removal device in the state clearing out the New Meadowlands, or will we see the face of the newly re-elected Governor Christie on TV, telling us "we don't have the money"? Back to the Eagles - Interesting that they are scheduled to play the Vikings, a team from a city well-prepared to deal with snow emergencies, except when the roof collapses on their domed stadium. The Birds managed to clinch the NFC East title anyway, thanks to the Giants' horrific loss to Green Bay Sunday.
And so, after more than a bit of griping, Eagles fans will head to the Linc or tune in to NBC-TV Tuesday night to enjoy the game, with visions of an NFC Conference title once again dancing in their heads. And life will go on.
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Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 10:05:57 AM EST
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(What do you think, Blue Jersey? Should Sweeney stay in the sidelines or use this as an opportunity to do some "mischief"? - promoted by deciminyan)
Talk about "below the fold".
On Christmas Day, 1:00pm, when most people were not reading the Star Ledger or NJ.com, came the news that Governor Chris Christie and Lt Governor Kim Guadagno are both taking vacation out of state, leaving Senate President Stephen Sweeney as acting governor while both are away. Maybe I missed something, but wasn't the position of Lt. Governor created to provide for continuity in the NJ Executive branch while the Governor was unavailable to discharge his duties? How do they get away with leaving the state at the same time?
While we know that the Governor will be in Disney World in Florida with his family, it has not been released (not to this writer, at least) where Lt Gov. Guadagno will be, other than that she will be out of state. Perhaps she will be in Disney World with the governor, standing behind him, gazing longingly, Nancy-Reagan-like, while Christie hob-nobs with Mickey and watches his kids enjoy the rides.
According to the Star Ledger:
"Theoretically, Sweeney could sign legislation Christie hasn’t acted on or even file nominations Christie would never dream of filing. Sweeney could even re-nominate former state Supreme Court Justice John Wallace Jr. to the bench, whose pass-over by Christie in favor of attorney Anne Patterson angered Sweeney. But he won’t. Sweeney's reply below the fold
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Sun Dec 19, 2010 at 07:24:06 AM EST
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You would not know it from the 60 Minutes website, but thanks to my friends at Blue Jersey I learned that Governor Chris Christie will be featured tonight. When I went to the site to check for information, there was nothing there about an appearance by the Governor of NJ. The featured preview was a story called "The Gift of Endless Memory" (interesting juxtaposition).
The good news is, ever since the "Heidi Bowl" (for those of us old enough to remember), we do not have to worry about the Steelers/Jets game being cut-off in favor of 60 Minutes while the Jets are in the throes of yet another nail-biting comeback. However if you're not quick enough on the channel changer after the game you may catch an unwanted glimpse of the bloviations of the Great Reformer of NJ, repeating the same platitudes in response to whatever softballs are lobbed his way. (Who would be best to interview Christie: Anderson Cooper? Katie Couric? I wonder if he can answer a hard-hitting question like "What do you read"?).
As an apprentice contributor to Blue Jersey, I am on self-appointed Christie-watch, so I will be watching, and taking notes. CBS News is good at timely posting of transcripts so anyone who cannot watch (or bear to watch) can read all about it the next day.
So, what do you think? Will this be the usual hagiographic puff-piece that the Governor has become accustomed to, or will our interviewer hit him with some real questions, other than his fandom of Bruce Springsteen and his "YouTube moments"?
I am not optimistic but I hope 60 Minutes surprises me and proves me wrong. After all, I'm still going through Boardwalk Empire Withdrawal.
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Wed Dec 15, 2010 at 07:18:27 PM EST
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Facebookers: Have you seen this: "Most people have 1000 wishes for Christmas; a cancer patient only has one,to get better. I know 97% of you won't repost this to your status, but my friends will be the 3% that do. In honour of someone who has died, or is still fighting, or survived cancer, copy this to your status." Or this: "Change your facebook profile picture to cartoon from your childhood. The goal? To not see a human face on FB till Monday Dec 6. Join the fight against child abuse. Copy and paste to your status and invite your friends to do the same." "Slacktivism": Defined in the Urban Dictionary as "The act of participating in obviously pointless activities as an expedient alternative to actually expending effort to fix a problem, The search for the ultimate feel-good that derives from having come to society's rescue without having had to actually gets one's hands dirty or open one's wallet." Now, I have nothing against fighting cancer or child abuse. In fact, I ride every year in the Philadelphia American Cancer Society Bike-a-thon, and contribute to others who participate in similar events. As for the cartoon character thing, I was taken to task by my otherwise sensible friends for not participating. My take: if you want to fight child abuse, do something about it, beginning with taking care of your own kids. I am currently the administrator of a Facebook page called NJ against Chris Christie. How I became administrator was by accident. I came across the page in March, when I was angered by some of the items in the 2011 budget proposal, and wanted to engage in some slacktivism of my own. I contacted the creator of the page, exchanged some emails, and he made me the administrator. My duties consist of finding interesting news items and comments to post on the page, to spur some lively debate. Membership has grown to over 43,000, up from 60 in March. This is all well and good, but not much gets accomplished except complaining and arguing. Very few members have actually attended any Christie Town Hall Meetings (I have). Very few have contacted the Governor or their State Legislators to air their grievances (I have) or attended a budget hearing in Trenton (I have). I am ready to hand control of the NJACC page to someone else willing to preside over complaints and fat jokes. I am happy that my inaugural post to Blue Jersey was so well received and look forward to being a more regular contributor. I'm also teaming up with some friends on a special project which will be unveiled soon. There is a great deal to be done in NJ politics in the near future: the next budget battle and State Legislature elections in 2011, keeping the White House and Senate Democratic in 2012, as well as gaining back the House majority, and of course, replacing the Current Occupant of Drumthwacket in 2013.
The next time someone asks you to join a Facebook group, "like" a page, join a cause, or sign an e-petition, ask them: "What are your DOING?"
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Mon Nov 08, 2010 at 09:49:28 PM EST
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Chris Christie's spin machine has been at it again since Election Day, doing everything it can to try and claim some kind of mandate for or validation of the Governor's politics and governing philosophy. In trying to do so, he's tied himself in rhetorical knots. Amazingly, the press has given him a free pass on this one.
Here's what New Jersey's Chief Executive Spinner had to say after Election Day (video courtesy of NJN):
I really felt like we needed to bring some balance back to the congressional delegation, and I saw [the 3rd Congressional District race] as the best opportunity for us to do it...That's why the Runyan/Adler race was to me the most important.
So the 3rd Congressional District was the most important race to him, where the candidate he endorsed and campaigned for won. Quite an interesting statement, especially considering he sang a very different tune only the day before Election Day:
"Brought in by the Jersey anthem "Born to Run" but his accent now distinctly twanged from his tumbleweed campaign tour of the country, Christie repeatedly staked his name on hometown Hamiltonian Goodwin.
"I said from the beginning that the most important race was Tom Goodwin in the 14th District," said the governor. "He's been the hardest working candidate in New Jersey this year, and that's why he's going to win."
Christie's "guy," of course, lost in LD14, so he clearly needed to change his "most important race" to suit his political agenda. The question I have is, where's the media on this? They've been almost eager to find validation of the Governor's politics, but you'd have to think even this brazen attempt to change facts would be subject to some basic reporting.
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Thu Oct 21, 2010 at 10:11:35 AM EDT
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Edited to include a link to johnleesandiego's vivid 10/15 account of the Straten Town Hall meeting he mentions - and - wow, Bret Schundler appearing with Straten sounds like a big deal to me. - promoted by Rosi
With nary a fortnight until the critical midterm election the biggest man in Republican politics seems absent in the race for New Jersey's 8th Congressional District. But Bret Schundler will be there.
The 8th congressional district spans portions of Passaic and Essex Counties and included communities a braod sprectrum of communities including Montclair, Wayne, Paterson, and Nutley. The district is currently represented by Democrat William Pascrell Jr who is seeking his eighth term in office. His Republican challenger is small business owner Roland Straten.
After attending an eye-opening Town Hall meeting sponsored by the Straten campaign (where same-sex marriage was viewed as a threat to national security and the false claim of illegal immigrants beheading people in Arizona was made) I attempted to find out more about Straten and came away with more questions that answers.
Later this week the Straten campaign is scheduled to hold an event with "special guest Bret Schundler". Schundler as you may recall is the former education chieft who left his position after the Christie adminitration flushed $400 million of federal education funding down the crapper. Its a pretty fair assumption that Christie and Schundler are not going to exchange Christmas cards this year.
So my questions are, if Christie, whose popularity in the GOP is only dwarfed by dancing sensation Bristol Palin, is the biggest man in conservative politics, why do we see someone he fired stumping for Straten? Does Christie view the 8th District as unwinnable? Or is Christie aware of the racially charged views of other "special guests" of the Straten campaign? (Of course Christie may have made a statement somewhere along the way but with Bristol stealing all the headlines maybe I missed them)
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Wed Sep 15, 2010 at 03:15:21 PM EDT
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There's a rally being planned outside the State House. Noon, Monday September 20th, the day of the veto override. More later. - promoted by Rosi
Blue Jersey, it's been a while since my last post here--too long, really--but I'm writing today on an issue I know you'll agree is of the utmost importance to our state. On September 20th, the state Senate will vote on whether or not to override Governor Christie's veto of life-saving women's health care funds.
You all know the statistics associated with this funding. $7.5 million. 136,000 patients served. $150 million in savings to the state last year. $9 in federal funds brought in for each state dollar spent.
But this issue is about more than statistics. It's about people.
Keep reading below
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Tue Sep 07, 2010 at 02:31:57 PM EDT
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Assembly Race to the Top hearing is still going on. Listen here LIVE.
Prepping for Labor Day's morning News Roundup, I pulled a lot of great national Op-Eds about labor and the world of work. Mother Jones' profile of Mother Jones. AFL-CIO's Richard Trumka reminding me of the "greeters" at Wal-Mart. Later in the day, Michael Moore hit us (and Rahm Emanuel) with humor, and Roger Ebert & Open Left provided the soundtrack.
But I only linked the national stuff when I gave Google "Labor Day + NJ" I got mostly weather. Beach traffic. So, here I am.
Where are the great New Jersey labor writers?
Look, I admit ignorance here. My father was a union organizer, back when that got you blacklisted, and tracked by Sen. Joe McCarthy. My mother, in a teachers union. But I have never been a union member, despite my sometime nickname Norma Rae. And I frankly think the days of Which Side Are You On? have grown more complicated in this suburbanized state where a union-busting governor pits the rest of us against union workers and tells us they're our trouble. More complicated because sometimes unions are, as E.J. Dionne, Jr. points out (in a post outing himself as a union romantic), union movements can have failures; corruption, undemocratic action, some union contracts excessive, "solidarity" that can turn into intimidation.
This site is dedicated decoding the political zeitgeist, but I'm convinced we're not telling the whole story. The issues, problems, and victories of work, of working people, and of unions? Women's wages. Immigrant working conditions. Cooperation/struggles between unions. Successes. Failures. Challenges. Stories.
Who is staying up late nights thinking about this? Who wants to write about that here? Drop us a line.
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Sun Aug 29, 2010 at 10:27:53 PM EDT
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For any info or questions regarding this story, please email runstream@aol.com
This is crossposted at Daily Kos http://www.dailykos.com/story/...
On June 30, 2010 Judge Katherine Hayden ruled that she will NOT allow the last Lenape tribe in NJ to use most of the evidence, facts and data that proves their case. Things like Title VI, the 14th Amendment, the Ku Klux Klan Act, the Non-Intercourse Act, State contract law, Federal laws protecting burial grounds & artifacts, and enforcement of treaties. Essentially EVERYTHING - laws, facts, precedent, that would result in the oldest Indian Tribe in NJ winning their case.
Before the tribe was represented by legal counsel, Chairman Ronald Holloway, Red Chief in a long line stemming from the original Lenape Blood Chiefs, addressed his tribe's right to water rights, natural resources, hunting rights and the over 3000 acres of land that from 1758 to 1802 was known as Brotherton Reservation. Chairman Holloway did this in nearly 100 pages of documents that referenced Indian cases from across the nation and long accepted and understood Federal law.
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Thu Aug 19, 2010 at 09:16:15 AM EDT
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For July the BLS reported, NJ unemployment was at 9.7%, a slight increase over both last month and the same month last year, and above the national average of 9.5%. Realty Trac reported home sales in NJ declined precipitously by 55%, from 7,206 in June to 3,196 in July. This is bad news for New Jerseyans, but does Governor Christie care?
On Tuesday the governor signed into law the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority. In a press release Assembly Majority Leader Cryan said, "Quite simply, this is all about jobs for New Jerseyans." In the governor's press release the word "jobs" is not mentioned once. Instead it refers to loftier notions of "investment, continuity and economic growth." Does he care that NJ unemployment is higher than the national average? Does he care about jobs for New Jerseyans?
In order to help people buy homes and reduce current unsold inventory, Assemblyman and Budget Committee Chair Louis Greenwald sponsored a bill to establish a New Jersey Homebuyer Tax Credit Program. Christe vetoed it saying "It would undermine our 2011 budget." Does he care that home sales fell 23% in May, 27% in June, and 55% in July? Does he care how this impacts New Jerseyans?
In the Quinnipiac poll released today Governor Christie is presented as "winning the hearts and minds of NJ voters who approve 51% - 36% of the job he is doing." Christie, however, seems remarkably detached from the lives of real people. He couches so much of what he says in terms of costs, finances and the budget, and he seldom talks about the impact of his actions on individuals. His single-minded focus on budget cutting and reducing the size of government satisfies his limited and short-sighted approach to governing. But does it satisfy those who are un-or-underemployed, concerned they might become un-or-underemployed, unable to sell their house or unable to buy a house. How many others are worried about not receiving a rebate, increased public transportation costs, smaller class sizes, or fewer municipal services? Do you get any sense he sympathizes with these people? When will New Jerseyans from the "Real World" strike back at "Christie's World?"
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Mon May 10, 2010 at 12:07:54 PM EDT
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Chief Ron Yonaguska Holloway met with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, James Anaya on April 23, after giving a speech at the UN on April 20 regarding his case.
In that speech, it was revealed that this is the first time that a state (NJ) in the US is being held accountable for the actions of its leadership regarding Native Americans. That fact drew much attention the week of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The Sand Hill Tribe is the last continuously operating Lenape tribe left in the state of New Jersey. It is one of the last "first contact" tribes left on the Eastern seaboard. The stakes are enormous.
When Chairman Holloway met with the Special Rapporteur, he was informed that the UN is willing to represent Chairman Holloway and his Tribe - The NJ Sand Hill Band of Lenape and Cherokee Indians, and will reach out to the US Leadership to set up a meeting to negotiate a settlement. The Rapporteur also promised to represent Chairman Yonaguska Holloway and his tribe, if necessary, at the Hague.
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