Looks like the Garden State is taking center stage in the education world. Two of the biggest stories in the nation around schools are happening right here.
After receiving reports that his son had become prone to violent outbursts, Stuart Chaifetz sent autistic 10-year-old Aikan to Horace Mann Elementary School with a recording device.
Akian came back with 6.5 hours of tape filled with verbal and emotional abuse from his classroom aide and teacher. Stuart Chaifetz documented the tape and published it in a YouTube video.
According to Collingswood Patch, Chaifetz replays portions of audio with his son's special education teacher Kelly Altenburg and aide Jodi Sgouros. In the recording, voices tell Akian that he is "such a bastard," order him to "shut his mouth," and tell the child "no" when he asks for reassurances that he will see his father soon.
Stuart Chaifetz has started a website, a Facebook page, and placed a petition on Change.org asking New Jersey legislators to enact a zero tolerance policy for bullying by teachers or educational staff. "I've gotten dozens of emails from parents in smiliar situations," he said, according to babble.com. "Special needs adults are contacting me about teachers bullying them in school."
Cherry Hill Public School District spokesperson Susan Bastnagel said that the incident is a "personnel matter that the district took seriously and handled appropriately," according to the Huffington Post. The aide was reportedly fired, but Altenburg was moved to another class.
According to Fox 8, Chaifetz has no plans to sue, but he would like to see the teachers in the video make a public apology and resign. Recent early research suggests that more than 60 percent of American children with autism spectrum disorders have been bullied, and 47 percent of students from fifth-grade have faced bullying.
Akian Chaifetz has been transferred to another school and is doing quite well, according to reports.
I listened to the audio on Chaifetz's YouTube post, and it is disturbing. It's hard to see how any of what's posted could be justified. But the Cherry Hill school district has given what I consider a measured and reasonable response:
"That is a man who is obsessed with raising taxes. Taxes can't be high enough for Lou Greenwald." - Gov. Chris Christie
on Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald
That's not the way we're running this state. Not gonna happen on my watch. And I'm more than happy to have that debate and discussion with the Democrats - any time they want. - Christie - watch him say it
On Monday, Lou Greenwald had a letter delivered to the Governor, inviting him to have the kind of debate and discussion Christie said he was ever ready for, and suggesting a time, a place, and a venue: NJTV's "On the Record" program, with Michael Aron as moderator.
And now, Star-Ledger is calling on Christie to accept that challenge. After all, Christie said he was ready to debate. It's put up or shut up time. And so far, Christie, who usually likes to be the biggest blow of hot air in any confrontation, is uncharacteristically quiet. Greenwald:
"The governor himself said he was willing to debate this issue 'any time they want, but now he is hiding behind a spokesman. This is a simple question, Governor. It deserves a straight answer. Is it a yes or is it a no?"
"Greenwald's right that Christie's income tax plan helps the rich while doing little for New Jersey's biggest problem: property taxes. In fact, the governor has left the average family saddled with a much larger overall tax burden, thanks to his sharp cutbacks on rebate programs.
Christie opposes Greenwald's plan to provide property tax relief for the middle class because it's partially funded by a "millionaire's tax," which the governor has vetoed twice. But if he's going to stick with that approach, Christie shouldn't be afraid to publicly debate their competing tax plans.
The honorable thing would be to either back down and concede the argument, or accept the challenge. Which will it be, Governor?"
Christie has everything to lose if he has to stand behind his tax plan in a debate. He should do it, anyway. As he likes to remind us, he's the governor.
A funny thing happened on the way to the forum. Three candidates for Congress in the 5th CD agreed to participate in tonight's event sponsored by Bergen Grassroots at Teaneck's Ethical Culture Society: Marine veteran Jason Castle, Teaneck Deputy Mayor Adam Gussen, and LaRouche Democrat Diane Sare. Then yesterday Adam Gussen abruptly backed out of the forum. Two calls to his office asking why he will not attend have received no response.
NortherJersey.com reports, Gussen said he was notified last minute of a work meeting. Gussen said he had no choice. "I'm not ducking or dodging anyone." Paul Eisenman, Chair of Bergen Grassroots, sponsor of the event, said this morning Gussen's explanation "strains credulity." Upon learning yesterday that Gussen said he would not attend, Eisenman sent him an email saying, "Since you are presenting this as an occasion that 'would jeopardize my ability to provide for my family,' I now conclude that your employment can make demands upon your time on a weekday at about 7:30pm and you only get to know about that demand 36 hours in advance of the occasion. I'll report that to our audience tomorrow evening. Our many Teaneck members will undoubtedly not be surprised by this behavior." And while providing for one's family is all-important, one wonders whether seeking the office of Congressman would not be sufficient for being excused from one night's work.
Jason Castle responded to the sudden withdrawal, saying, "This primary is an opportunity for voters to meet the candidates, learn about the issues, and decide who will be the strongest candidate in November and the best advocate in Congress. To win this district, our nominee will need the dedication to spread the message, meet the voters and present a clear contrast with Scott Garrett when they debate."
While Jason Castle earned the Democratic Party Line in Sussex and Warren Counties, Adam Gussen won the uncontested Bergen County line which represents the majority of voters. Nonetheless, Adam Gussen's candidacy has no official website nor active facebook page and has filed no financial report with the Federal Election Commission. Also with little apparent campaigning, Gussen is relying perhaps on the Democratic Committee of Bergen County's endorsement and their efforts to carry the day for him.
Another funny thing happened on the way to the forum. Paul Eisenman when planning the event initially invited the two commonly known candidates - Jason Castle and Adam Gussen - and he was unaware of Diane Sare's candidacy. Her LaRouche supporters vociferously demanded that Sare be included in forum. Eisenman said, "It's a distraction to include her. How on earth can a person who believes President Obama is a clone of Adolph Hitler seek a position on the same ballot with Obama? Nonetheless, as a worshipper of Voltaire's philosophy, I have no recourse but to welcome her as an equal to the forum."
In a further comment Castle added, "I hope and expect there will be a time for Adam and I to stand next to each other and each present our case for the honor and responsibility of this nomination." Alas, such will not be the case tonight, where there will be an empty seat on the podium. For further information on the event go here, although it may not be updated to reflect the absence of candidate Gussen.
In just six weeks the CD 10 Special and Regular primary will determine the November election outcome as no Republican can win in this district. Of the four key Democratic candidates, the most progressive is West Ward Councilman Ronald C. Rice. He is in a tough battle against Newark Council President and Essex County Freeholder Donald Payne, Jr. who has the Essex County party line, State Senator Nia Gill (Montclair) who has the Hudson County party line, and Irvington Mayor Wayne Smith. In Union County there will be an open primary.
You can attend tomorrow night's reception at The Spring Lake Manor in Spring Lake, hosted by Monmouth County's Vin Gopal. An open bar will be available for donations including Supporter ($150), Friend ($300), and Co-Host ($500). RSVP to vin.gopal.2008@gmail.com or call 732-299-5625.
Another event will be held on May 1 at Rio Rodizio, 1034 McCarter Hwy. Newark. Honorary Chairs of the event are Senator Dick Codey and Newark Senator Ronald L. Rice (father of Ron Rice.) The requested minimum donation is $150 at the door or online here. For further information you can send an e-mail to info@ron-rice.com.
During these critical weeks Ron Rice needs your help. In this race with four veteran Democratic elected officials, and county Democratic machines promoting their own favorites, Ron needs more volunteers and donations. According to the Federal Election Report through March 31, neither Payne nor Smith has filled a financial report, but Senator Gill has raised more money and is outspending Ron Rice. You can visit his campaign office at 845 Sandford Avenue, Newark to volunteer. You can donate to his campaign here. You can visit his website.
A certain governor has recently been exhibiting unaccustomed humility when the question of Romney's choice will be. But it's always been hard to take him seriously when he demurs, because the time he spends courting big-money GOP contributors (while he's supposed to be working for you), outta-state GOP campaigning (ditto), and executing star turns on the international stage in Israel (like I said) speaks louder. Still it's likely that Christie has calculated that Obama will win in November and being Mitt Romney's sloppy second in 4 years is a less attractive proposition than being every Republican's favorite fresh meat after 8 years of a Democrat in the White House.
Then there's the question of whether Christie even helps Romney take New Jersey ... so who's it going to be? Favorite son? Or somebody else's favorite son? Daughter?
Make your pick in the poll after the jump & let us know your thinking in the comments.
A Blue Jersey commenter has repeatedly written what I consider insulting remarks about residents of South Jersey and Mississippi. I want to believe that his comments were not meant to be insulting, but nevertheless, that’s how I interpret them. There are many fine and decent people both in South Jersey and in the Magnolia State who don’t deserve such disparaging remarks, regardless of their political affiliation.
I love New Jersey. I live in South Jersey, used to live in Central Jersey, and have close relatives whom I frequently visit in North Jersey. The state offers a tremendous amount of diversity – not only in its residents, but in what it has to offer. Most people I know from out of state envision the Garden State the way it is portrayed in the opening scenes of The Sopranos – a series of dirty highways littered by oil refineries and crumbling infrastructure and nice homes occupied by crooks and thieves. But anyone who has lived here knows we’re more than that.
So I decided to have some fun with our commenter’s proposition. What would happen if he had his way?
With Bruce as our hero, "The Wrecking Ball Tour" in progress, always "The Boss" and in our dreams our future governor:
Let us know which is your favorite Springsteen song.
In the poll below the fold 24 choices are listed, but you can also select "Another song."
Let us know what you selected and why.
The Boss and New Jersey Trivia Quiz
Which of his songs is about:
(1) The former Giants Stadium?
(2) "stuck in the mud somewhere in the swamps of Jersey"?
(3) "goin' out where the sand's turnin' to gold"?
(4) "Frankie's Diner's over on the edge of town, Neon sign spinnin' round"?
(5) "Sleeping in that old abandoned beach house"?
(6) Bonus question: Gov. Christie reputedly fell asleep last week at MSG as this song (about sleeping) started? The answer to each appears in the poll with the question number next to the song.
It has taken me two full weeks to write this diary. Forgive me if it wasn't worth the wait.
In 2008, New Jersey democrats got to participate in the historic Presidential Primary between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. The energy and excitement that primary created was extraordinary, and belied all the usual complaints about how terrible primaries are for the party. Still, it's been over 6 years since I wrote Primaries Benefit Democracy (and don't hurt candidates), and our 2008 experience did little to change the general consensus that primaries are bad, bad, bad. While primaries may be legal, in New Jersey they remain politically unsafe and rare.
But, a funny thing happened on the way to Presidential-Primary-free 2012: suddenly, we've got a bunch of primaries! Each with unique circumstances, but all competitive affairs that beg the question: with so little experience engaging in primaries, do progressives even know what to do when we have them?
This June 5th, courtesy of redistricting, the Democratic Party will be experiencing the unusual: multiple competitive primaries. In many cases, the primary will have the effect of determining who will ultimately be elected in November. From CD-9 to CD-10 to the special election in LD-16, and some others, democrats have the rare opportunity to actually choose from among ourselves who we want to serve.
Sure, it's easy when there's a bad guy involved, or a crook. We can just support the good guy/gal. No problem! But, what happens when there are multiple "good guys" (and women) running? Primaries are so very rare in our party, some democrats and many progressives would rather sit it out, and just focus on November.
UPDATE:Ledger now featuring this story along with a fresh quote from Christie: "We've only used it for business purposes. When I have to use it for political purposes, we make sure we pay it back."
(Huh? Why does he ever have to use state resources to further his own political position? And why is he allowed to borrow against state resources for political purposes?) Bloomberg/Business Week put some numbers to Chris Christie's routine commandeering of the $12.5 million state police helicopter this morning. Ordinarily, we might trust a governor to make his own decisions about how to motor around. But this is New Jersey. We've had a governor who nearly killed himself speeding without a seat belt. Now we have one who squires around in a chopper, frequently using that 55-foot Homeland Security resource - designed for emergencies and to transport critically injured people - for political or family events. And that's something the public should nose into, particularly when the governor in question styles himself fiscally responsible, and tells other public workers to tighten their belts and seems to think his constituents laze around waiting for government cheese (which offends us and Tom Moran, too.
Christie choppers to announce WrestleMania (Feb. 16):
36 minutes
Cost: about $1,500
Time saved: about 36 minutes
Other Christie copter trips same week: to NYC for speech to pro-Israel group, Super Bowl rally for NY Giants, Caldwell "Town Hall" where he urged towns to cut costs.
"Christie, 49, a first-term Republican who has slashed lawmakers' spending requests and criticized officials who abuse taxpayer-funded perks, has more than tripled his use of state helicopters since June, when Democrats chided him for using the aircraft to get to political and personal events." -Bloomberg
Christie use of state chopper over 9 months:
64 trips total (reported) = about 1 every 4 days
5 stops to Mendham home or vacation house (each, 50 mi from State House)
Crew has to fly anyway. But chopper operating cost = $2,500/hr
Half the flights: bill signings, announcements, swearing-in events, speeches, "Jersey Comeback" events. Trips for Hurricane Irene = 3. NYC trips for interviews, receptions, meetings = 9. Trips to comfort family of soldier killed in Afghanistan = 2 (same soldier, arrival of body, then funeral)
Total cost of Christie state helicopter use since taking office: $217,000.
Christie actions taken during this time:
Asked public workers to cede negotiated benefits to trim government
cut out $1B added by Dems in $29.7B budget for schools, police & tax credits for working poor
What Christie did that makes people pay attention to the chopper
Flew it to his kid's high school ballgame (riding 300 yards in a SUV (taxpayers) instead of the deluxe golf cart made available (free), then Princeton for Iowa GOP bigwigs.
Below the fold Fun facts! GOP ponies up (not much, only after public outcry).
Well, my plan today was to post for your consideration a clear winning in the unintended-irony sweepstakes, this item from the Hunterdon County Democrat as our Headline of the Day:
"Flemington Borough Council meeting a day later; special closed session is on openness in government"
Gov. Christie: Nation turning into 'people sitting on a couch waiting for their next government check'
After you're finished recoiling from this headline, for the sheer assault of your governor's buy-in of the GOP thought-bubble that most of us are sitting on our asses waiting for government cheese to rain from the sky:
1. Pay no attention to the guys in the boardroom chairs waiting for their next tax loophole: With his corporate welfare buddies, Christie's in a shaky position to lecture anybody on entitlements.
2. Thanks Gov, but you killed my job: Some of the workers Christie paints as lazy would have good jobs right now if he hadn't pulled the plug on the ARC Tunnel, a public works project with documented need, the cost of which independent congressional investigators now find (surprise!) Christie exaggerated as he was building his national rep.
3. Really? You said this at a George W. Bush 'conservative conference' Conservative? Let's see. Doubled federal spending inside of 8 years. Privatized war (including the one based on a WMD lie) to the tune of billions and billions of our money to his buddies. TARP bank bailout requiring little if any responsibility back to the public. Whatever Christie says to a gathering of people still impressed by George W. Bush should be held in contempt.
Neither Ledger's Megan DeMarco, who wrote the story under the headline or the desk editors who probably supplied it used it to mislead the readers about what Gov. Christie said. THAT's what makes this so alarming.
Mike Drewniak, commenting on his personal version of the GAO report accusing Governor Chris Christie of "misstating" facts about the ARC tunnel:
"The bottom line is that the G.A.O. report simply bears out what we said in the fall of 2010 and say to this day: the ARC project was a very, very bad deal for New Jersey," Drewniak told the N.Y. Times.
Calling these groups' assertions "completely ridiculous," Gov. Chris Christie cited nationwide policy discussions as sources of inspiration in critical issues such as education reform. He also cited common sense - which is decidedly lacking among the well-funded forces arrayed against ALEC and its 2,000 state legislator-members.
Actually, he said it was completely ridiculous that people said he had ties to the group, not that others were attacking the group. And clearly it's just inspiration and common sense dontcha know, not connections and contributions. I also like how they point out it's the well funded forces against them, not their well funded effort that is the real problem. They continued:
While Christie's excellent leadership has much in common with ALEC's principles, it is true that New Jersey legislators and his office have little involvement with ALEC. But perhaps New Jersey could improve in areas if these elected officials learned more, not less, about ALEC's policy ideas
You see, they believe Christie has excellent leadership (which magically happens to be identical to ALEC's agenda at times), he still has no clue who they are, really. And even though diaries at Blue Jersey have documented all the close associates of Christie with ties, ALEC believes it would be better if officials just learned more about them:
ALEC has never introduced a bill in a legislature, has never signed one into law and has never lobbied for passage of legislation. Instead, it provides a forum for 2,000 state legislators to discuss solutions to policy challenges.
Now that was my favorite part of the whole piece. They're not responsible for anything except for providing a "forum" for discussing solutions. It just so happens those solutions come with contributions and draft legislation that others can introduce, sign and lobby for. Now that's some good spin on what they do, or say they don't do.
The founders of Tikun Olam, a proposed Hebrew-language high school, and the founders of Hua Mei, a Mandarin Chinese language high school, both bowed out of this application cycle after multiple attempts to earn state approval.
"We are happy," said Highland Park Superintendent Fran Wood, who has been a staunch opponent of charter school growth in the small town. "We feel there is not a need for the charter in this or surrounding communities."
Wood and a group of vigilant parents and teachers from the affected communities argued charter schools would steer money away from the high quality public schools already in operation.
This may not be over; it certainly isn't over for other districts that have no say in whether or not charters can be shoved down their throats. But the parents in Highland Park have demonstrated how the destruction of public schools will stop: when parents, educators, politicians, and the community come together and say, "Enough."
Save Our Schools NJ deserves great credit for organizing the resistance; Julia Sass Rubin of SOSNJ has been a tireless critic of unchecked charter expansion. However, if the parents of Highland Park ever decide to erect a statue to the woman who saved their schools, it will bear the likeness of Darcie Cimarusti. Tough, relentless, and fearless, Darcie is proof that one parent can make all the difference.
Julia, Darcie, Chris Rodda, Julie Woestehoff of PURE in Chicago, and parents all over the country - including, of course, the invaluable Leonie Haimson of Parents Across America - are showing the way. They refuse to be spoon-fed the pablum served up by the reformy movement. They resist giving into the parents-vs-teachers war the Billionaire Boys Club wants to wage.
The win in Highland Park is a victory for them all - and it's merely one of many to come. This one's for you, parents:
Assemblyman Anthony Bucco (R-Boonton) said a speech Tuesday by birther advocate Jerome Corsi in Morristown -- coordinated by Tea Party activists and endorsed by the Morris County Republican Party -- left him in doubt over whether Obama is currently a citizen and the authenticity of the birth certificate the White House released last year. Bucco said the information presented came from Corsi's new book, "Where's the Birth Certificate?" "I haven't really dug down deep, there was some important points raised," Bucco said of the birth certificate issue and Corsi's speech.
What a responsible Legislator. He hasn't dug deep, but he'll just throw that ridiculous claim out there. But he wasn't done yet:
Bucco said it is not his place to determine whether or not Obama is a citizen. "I am not in a position to say what he put up on screen is demonstrative of evidence; that is for the court of law," Bucco told HuffPost. "This issue has not resolved itself. It won't until some higher authority is involved."
Ah, exactly. It's not his place to determine, but it is his place to speculate without any knowledge at all? Someone should ask Chris Christie if he agrees with Bucco, or if he's willing to be that "higher authority" as a leader in the National Republican Party to put this nonsense to rest. Remember, Bucco is Christie's Assemblyman, so technically he is representing Christie with these comments.
For someone who has never heard of an organization, Governor Christie sure has a lot of close friends that are connected to it. Lets recap the ties of Christie associates to ALEC, the right wing corporate funded legislation writing group out of Washington:
Those are just the people we know of, but you have to wonder who else in the Administration knows of ALEC that has been pushing these bills to GOP legislators, as they themselves say is being done.
With all these connections being exposed in New Jersey, we aren't the only state where there are issues with ALEC. In Wisconsin, an ethics complaint was filed against 43 Republican legislators alleging inappropriate gifts. Let's not forget, reports say ALEC behind they were also behind the Stand Your Ground law that has made so much news recently in Florida. And on top of that, Coca-Cola pulled its support from ALEC over voter restriction efforts they have been pushing around the country.
Well when you look at that, if I were Christie I might try to get away with saying I don't know who they are either. The question is, will the New Jersey media?
We now know which individuals have filed with the State as candidates in the June 5 primaries. In the Presidential Primary the Democratic candidates are incumbent President Barack Obama and Randall Terry (pro-life). The four Republicans who have been entertaining us as they try to out-far-right each other all managed to file petitions: Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, and Ron Paul.
For U. S. Senate the only Democratic candidate is incumbent Senator Robert Menendez. The Republican candidates are State Senator Joe Kyrillos (R-13), David Douglas Brown, Bader Qarmout, and Joe Rullo.
There will be no Special Primaries for State Senate. For the General Assembly there will be three Special Primaries:
Fourth Legislative District: Camden (part) - Gloucester (part) Counties
Democrat: Gabriela Mosquera - Blackwood (incumbent)
Republican: Shelley Lovett - Somerdale
Sixteenth Legislative District: Hunterdon (part) - Mercer (part) - Middlesex (part) - Somerset (part) Counties
Democrat: Marie Corfield - Flemington
Democrat: Sue Nemeth - Princeton
Republican: Donna M. Simon - Whitehouse Station (incumbent)
Twenty-Sixth Legislative District: Essex (part) - Morris (part) - Passaic (part) Counties
Democrat: Joseph Raich - Parsippany
Republican: Betty Lou DeCroce - Morris Plains (incumbent)
Republican: Anthony Pio Costa - Towaco
For more information on the above filings as well as those for party delegates, go here. Any thoughts or other surprises?
Transcript of recorded conversation Office of Freeholder xxxxx xxxxx County of xxxxx, NJ April 3, 2015
Hello?... Joey, hey how are you?... Good, good... Yeah, I got your email... OK, let me see if I got this right:
You've got a councilman who needs a favor for his niece: she's an artist... yeah, young people, what're you goin' do?... and she needs a job, and is thinking about teaching. No training as a teacher, no education degree... yeah, don't worry, that's fine, we'll get her into an alternate route thing...
And then you've also got this "friend" who's been "generous." He's got a kid who wants to be a bowling coach. We could make that happen, but why don't we make him a teacher too; then he can coach during the season, and teach during the rest of the year. Is he good at anything?... You think he's OK at math?... Yeah, I think we can do something...
How can I hook them up? OK, here's the deal: in the last election, we managed to get several of our friends on one of the local school boards. And since the Ruiz bill passed back in 2012... yeah, the TEACHNJ Act... that's right, since it passed, we can make a lot of things happen that we couldn't make happen before. So here's what our friends on the school board are telling me...
Let's start with the niece. The local union vice-president is an art teacher, and I gotta tell you, Joe - she's a big pain in the ass. Tough negotiator, always active in union business, always making a big stink about working conditions, calling out incompetent administrators... yeah, you know the type. I'll tell you, there are quite a few people on the board who'd be happy to see her go who aren't even our "friends," you know?
Well, now that the Ruiz bill is in place, it only takes one bad review to rate her as "ineffective," which she got last year. Yeah, her principal and the superintendent are sick of her, so they'll gladly write her another bad review, and it doesn't even matter if they don't know the first thing about teaching art...
Yeah, you're right, there is another teacher who sits on a committee that oversees her evaluation. But you know what? The bill didn't clearly define that committee's power. And the teacher who sits on it doesn't want to lose his job; he'll play along...
How long will this take? Joey, that's the beauty of this thing: she was rated "ineffective" immediately. There wasn't an appeal, there wasn't an outside source to confirm anything... and because she's an art teacher, there weren't even tests to show if her kids were learning. She's going to lose her tenure, she won't get a new contract, and she'll be gone by the end of June. Tell the councilman to have his niece put together her resume right now... Yeah, it's just a formality, but we've got to keep up appearances, you know?
OK, the bowling coach... yeah, I know just the spot for him. We've got the 7th Grade math teacher who's... well, let's just say he's "different" than most other folks in the rest of the town. You know what I mean?... Yeah, he would kinda stand out if he showed up at the next church social...
The board made sure the superintendent gave him some challenging students again this year... yeah, his test scores won't be so great. This has been going on for a couple of years now, so he's going to be rated "partially effective" for another year...
No...no, you gotta understand this: he doesn't get a hearing. He doesn't get to explain his situation. He's just gone if the principal says so; and if the superintendent says so, the principal says so; and if I say so, the super says so. You understand? Yeah... yeah, exactly: there's no more oversight outside of the district. As long as our people run the board, we make all the decisions.
So let's get this kid the math job, and then we'll make him the bowling coach at the high school... The current coach? Joe, do you think he's gonna make any waves about this? Or the athletic director?... Exactly - everybody's running scared now. No one's standing up for themselves anymore, just how we like it...
Yeah... yeah, I never thought we'd be able to have this much juice in the schools. Gotta hand it to Elizabeth: they paved the way. We've got all these teachers under our thumbs, making contributions to campaigns, working the polls, scared of losing their jobs if they don't... yeah, it's going to be great at the next election...
What's that? How are the students doing?
(Pause)
Oh, you son of a... (laughter) oh, you dirty... (laughter) ...you had me going there for a second!... (laughter) ...I thought you were serious!...
OK... yeah, OK, let me know when you need another favor... No, you can email me at my county address. Yeah, it's fine: this is now all perfectly legal... yeah, say hi to the senator for me. So long...
Now I know how folks felt the first time they met the young Barack Obama. The young Marine I met last Wednesday and spoke with for over 2 hours is destined for big things. At 30 years old, with two little girls aged 3 and 1 and lovely wife named Tara, who teaches elementary school, this Iraq war veteran and technology expert, has a winning smile, polite military bearing and a desire to serve his country. You can't help but like Jason Paul Castle immediately.
It is rare to get a chance to speak one on one and at length, with a candidate for Congress. But I was granted the opportunity in Teaneck last week. And I was not disappointed.
It became evident that although Jason Castle looks young - he has seen quite a lot in his 30 years. Growing up in a single parent home after his mother escaped an abusive situation while he was a toddler, he was given the best education because his mother was determined that he succeed. During his Junior year at Norwich University military academy in Vermont, he witnessed the World Trade Towers collapsing on TV and in a terrifying moment thought he had lost the mother who had so carefully shepherded him through school, because she was scheduled to be there that very morning. Thankfully, she was unharmed, but that day made him realize he had to help his country in some way. He wanted to be a "moral, patriotic, and useful" citizen. He enlisted immediately in the Marines, graduated top of his class and was selected to serve on Presidential detail at the White House, Pentagon, and in the Silent Drill Platoon for 2 years. He then was stationed at Camp Lejune, and deployed to Iraq as a ground combat infantryman where he first helped evacuate US nationals from Lebanon and then was sent to Iraq.
Apparently while I spent the day (literally most of - The Day) in budget hearings, things heated up in the Democratic political environs. I hope my respected Democratic colleagues on all sides of this issue will stop the rhetoric, over the top name calling, and predictions about the demise of the Democratic party. I hope the Governor will concentrate on actually presenting a complete restructuring plan rather than joining in uninvited. I hope others are not continuing to create this or any other opportunity to drive a wedge in our party.
That's my "hope", but here's what I know:
Senate President Steve Sweeney has assured me (as the Majority Leader) and also assured folks who asked at our town hall meeting that:
Any decisions about "The Merger" are decisions of the legislature, not executive orders by the Governor. In fact, I asked an opinion of the Office of Legislative Services on this subject and was told just that.
We must be given a complete plan along with details, and costs. with all the pieces in place.
We must be sure that there continues to be a successful functioning hospital that guarantees its core mission continues.
The effect of "The Merger" on the City of Newark and its residents must be a major consideration and their input is paramount.
The effect on the current and future law students at Rutgers/Camden and the inequities of funding at all our colleges are also extemely important.
In fact, once "The Merger" is actually presented in full, then stakeholders, residents, students and the public at large must be given time to weigh in.
So I agree with and applaud Assemblywoman Connie Wagner's diary that Senator Lautenberg, Connie, me, South Jersey leaders or any other citizen has and should be given the right to question or give input to what is so far a "vague" outline at best. In fact to call it "a plan" is a complete misnomer. As an aside, according to the Treasurer, there is also no money in Gov. Christie's budget to support such a merger. Minor oversight?
We all have questions about what the proposed restructuring will mean to the entire state. Will we be planting the seeds to grow world class institutions which will make our State a center for investment of research dollars, with world class medical centers and universities, and resulting economic development? Will all our senior public colleges and community colleges also get the support which has been sadly lacking for too long? I believe they must be equally important in any future plans.
The sideshow of the last day or two has been a complete distraction. And the north/south split is another inappropriate distraction. If "The Merger" is appropriate, it will affect the entire state of New Jersey and our collective future. Though South Jersey legislators can join together as they see fit to speak up for their residents, it is inaccurate for us to reduce this statewide "proposal" for restructuring to some geographic split. And others should not exagerate that. It is too important.
So ask away - and let's see if we get answers which include the actual dollars needed to reach that reality. Ask the questions of the Governor who is proposing the plan, and let's give legislative leadership the time to get those answers from the executive. I am sure that leadership in both houses will fulfill their commitments and responsibilites to do just that. And I will be doing my part to make sure that we live up to that commitment.
A new report issued by the State Comptroller exposes waste and mismanagement at the Delaware River Port Authority. And it also exposes an apparent kickback scheme being run by Boss Norcross. Philly.com:
Boxer also exposed an insurance payback deal allegedly orchestrated by George E. Norcross III, the South Jersey insurance executive and Democratic Party power broker who is chairman of the board of Cooper University Hospital in Camden.
(snip)
The Norcross insurance arrangement provided $455,000 over seven years to Norcross' insurance company and an insurance broker designated by Norcross.
.gif)
