Building New Jersey's future

by: AnthonyBastardi

Thu Dec 22, 2011 at 03:21:18 PM EST

When companies are allowed to compete in a free an open marketplace, everyone wins. Companies bring resources to bear in a competitive market that might otherwise be used elsewhere. To compete for consumers, businesses must build facilities, expand services and offer competitive pricing. The net result is lower prices and better service for consumers and job creation for New Jersey.

Government also has a role to play. When over-regulation prevents fair competition, investment from the private sector is slowed. This in turn slows the roll-out of new services and cripples job growth. When regulations become obsolete or outdated, it is the job of government to modernize these rules.
Sadly, New Jersey's existing rules pertaining to cable and telecommunications providers are grossly out of date. These rules, created decades ago before the iPhone, laptop computer or the Internet were even dreamed of, hamstring the communications marketplace and prevent competitors from operating on a level playing field. As it stands, government red tape is slowing innovation and preventing communications providers from creating jobs in New Jersey.

That is why Senator Raymond Lesniak introduced legislation earlier this year to reform New Jersey's outdated laws. S. 2664, the Market Competition and Consumer Choice Act, removes bureaucratic red tape and decades-old rules in the communications and video industry, but maintains important protections such as LifeLine service for seniors and other vulnerable populations. This important legislation will open New Jersey to new investment.

Cable and telecommunications providers operate at a national level. Like any business, their resources are not limitless. If outdated rules and regulations prevent open competition in New Jersey, cable and telecom companies will chose to invest their resources elsewhere. This makes New Jersey less competitive in the region, stunts job growth and hurts the vendors and suppliers working in the communications sector. That is why I support this important legislation.

The State Senate has the opportunity to pass S. 2664 before the end of the year. I hope they do. We need this legislation so that New Jersey can break loose from the past and begin building its future.

Anthony Bastardi is the Chairman of the Board of New Jersey Foundation for Public Broadcasting

Too late for Oliver

by: defendcom

Tue Sep 20, 2011 at 06:33:08 AM EDT

The Christie-crat has a new mascot!

by: defendcom

Thu Aug 25, 2011 at 07:28:31 PM EDT

Fighting Christie and the Christie-crats

by: defendcom

Sat Aug 20, 2011 at 10:33:13 AM EDT

How NJ is Different From Wisconsin

by: huntsu

Tue Aug 09, 2011 at 03:11:00 PM EDT

Sweeney, Fajardo, & the Ed Task Force

by: Jersey Jazzman

Mon Aug 08, 2011 at 06:55:10 PM EDT

State Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3) today urged the NJ Election Law Enforcement Commission to investigate the Elizabeth Board of Education to demonstrate, in Sweeney's words, that the state will not condone any political activity that threatens the delivery or education or the integrity of teachers.

"I would like to bring to your attention a matter of concern involving the unlawful solicitation of campaign contributions from employees of the Elizabeth Board of Education ('Board of Education')," wrote to Executive Director Jeffrey Brindle. "I believe the seriousness of this allegation requires an immediate investigation and, if warranted, sanctions to punish all misconduct."

"Several individuals with close ties to the Board of Education have allegedly targeted school employees to donate to political causes.  Significantly, these solicitations occurred on school property in violation of State law.  It is believed that a number of individuals, including Annie Rooney, Pablo Muñoz, and Olga Fajardo, used public resources to engage in political fundraising and actually approached school employees at work to buy or sell tickets to campaign-related events. There is some indication that these fundraising tactics involved coercion.  In addition, Rafael Fajardo, Jerome Dunn, Carlos Cedeño and Tony Monterio allegedly authorized or supported Rooney, Muñoz and Fajardo's political activity. I believe an investigation would identify others who were involved in this campaign finance scheme or facilitated this reprehensible conduct."

Pension-Benefit Realities

by: brendanod

Sun Aug 07, 2011 at 12:15:08 AM EDT

To me the question is, what is the value of this law and union busting to the general economy?  The issue of health insurance and its ever increasing costs is where the answers lie, the real ideological difference between left and right.  Should the ability to see a doctor for a reasonable cost be a human right, or should it be a privilege for those fortunate enough to participate in a for profit health insurance scheme?  The answer is obviously that Christie and Sweeney believe that perpetuating a privileged, for profit health care system is the America they would prefer to see.   The cost of health insurance is where they decided to target, they could have chose a Massachusetts style reform, or expanding the SHBP by making public employers mandatorily participate and increasing the negotiating power of the state.  The governor and legislature chose perpetuating the current broken, privileged, for profit system of delivering health care.

The economy is another ideological difference here.  Any economist will tell you, and history will prove that government should spend during a recession, not curl into a ball and let things fall apart.  Christie and Sweeney took this opportunity to pursue their ideological fantasies to screw public sector unions.  Each public sector employee will now take a multi-thousand dollar pay cut, money that will not be spent on cars, home improvements, and flat screens.  The lack of spending will reduce commission paid to sales people and sales tax paid to the state of NJ.  Some may not be able to afford their homes any longer, adding more stock to available real estate, thus pushing real estate values lower and decreasing the value of real estate taxes.  As day care, fuel, electricity, and food costs continue to rise this will further diminish purchasing power of the middle class.  Increased cost of living combined with legislated pay cuts to the public sector will further decrease sales tax revenues.

The Christie/Sweeney pension and benefit reform may produce some short term relief for municipal budgets as the public sector is now required by law to take a pay cut.  I question if taxes will really go down as government is subject to the same uncontrollable costs as every other citizen.  Real, long lasting reform could have been accomplished by fixing real problems (like our broken health care system).  The pension-benefit law will do more harm than good.  It fulfills an ideological hatred for government and its employees.  The damaging effects of this recession and its impact on those most vulnerable creates a real need for competent government.  Shrinking government when those who need it most is insane.  Perpetuating a broken system on the backs of the middle class is insane.  Legislating a pay cut that will further damage a weak economy is insane.  It may take decades to correct the Christie legacy, if we are lucky enough to make a correction.

New Jersey Betrayal

by: EndTheIllusion

Sat Aug 06, 2011 at 11:14:57 AM EDT

In an admirable bipartisan spirit, Governor Chris Christie (Republican) has worked closely with Senate President Stephen Sweeney (Democrat) and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (Democrat) to forge a Pension-Benefits Reduction Bill that will restore solvency to the pension system. This bill will hold those who have not paid their fair share responsible for restoring solvency to the system through additional deductions, reduced health care benefits, no cost of living increases for pensioners, the establishment of a board that would offer plans with fewer benefits as well as increased co-pays and prescriptions and most importantly the stripping of the unions' right to negotiate their health-care insurance coverage and contribution levels.

THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH THE ABOVE PARAGRAPHS IS THAT THE ROLES ARE EXACTLY REVERSED AND IT WAS THE STATE THAT WAS PAYING ZERO FOR 11 OUT OF THE LAST 15 YEARS. THE WORKERS WERE PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE DURING THIS ENTIRE TIME! Unfortunately it is the workers who have been responsible all along that are now the victims of this bill.

So again, why should those who have been paying their fair share be made to bear the burden of the irresponsibility of those who did not?  The pensioners will no longer receive cost-of-living increases until the system is "determined to be solvent".  These are people who paid faithfully into the system their entire professional lives. While this might sound like a reasonable concession on the surface, if you look deeper, it will devastate this group.  According to a well respected data site, shadowstats.org, the current annual inflation rate is 12% and is climbing. This means that pensioners will lose half their buying power in 4 years. In 8 to 12 years they will be living in poverty!

During the courtship of Governor Christie, Senator Sweeney and Sheila Oliver failed to strong arm their Democratic Caucuses to support the bill and were not successful at getting a majority to do so. However, in North Jersey (Essex area) and in Southern New Jersey, the very powerful party bosses were able to order enough Democrats to betray their principles, so that when combined with the Republican minority in both houses, the Pension-Benefits Reduction Bill was able to pass.

In a cynical move, to protect themselves from the inevitable backlash for their betrayal, the vote on this Pension-Benefits Reduction Bill was purposely withheld until after the primary elections had been completed and the deadline had passed for adding names to the coming election ballot.

This betrayal of organized labor by the South Jersey Democrats has ignited a firestorm among this core constituent group as well as others who recognize the injustice of making some pay for the irresponsibility of others. Meetings were called and the NJ Progressive Democrats of America (no affiliation to the Democratic Party) charted a strategy.  During these meetings the Democratic legislators who betrayed their constituents were renamed "Christiecrats".

These Christiecrats claim that they are looking to make the fund solvent, but where were they during all the years the Democrats controlled the Senate and Assembly and the state was not making its contributions into the fund? Their silence was deafening.

On Monday, August 8, at the War Memorial in Trenton, the NJ Progressive Democrats of America will be starting a petition drive for the removal of Stephen Sweeney from the Senate Presidency and Sheila Oliver from the Assembly Speakership.  The petition will be presented to NJ State Democratic Committee chair John Wisniewski.

In these times when public workers are under increasing attack by the corporate controlled media, it is important to remember that:

1. it was not the public workers who instigated multi $trillion bond fraud on Wall Street
2. it was not the public workers who lobbied for financial deregulation
3. it was not the public workers who gambled in derivatives with other peoples' money
4. it was not the public workers who accepted $billions in bailouts
5. it was not the public workers who paid themselves huge bonuses
6. it was not the public workers who brought the economy to its knees

Remember, the media will try to redirect your anger away from the Wall Street aristocracy. In a classic case of divide and conquer they will try to turn you against other middle class workers, and then place the question in your mind, "why does the bus mechanic who works for the state have full benefits?" WRONG QUESTION! You should be asking why you do not have them.

http://endtheillusion.wordpres...
http://www.endtheillusion.org

FRED @ BARNEY= Christie and Sweeney

by: defendcom

Thu Jul 14, 2011 at 06:18:13 AM EDT

Can You Tell The Difference?

by: Couch Potato Politics

Tue Jul 12, 2011 at 11:04:15 PM EDT

If I'm Not a True Democrat...

by: Jersey Jazzman

Fri Jul 08, 2011 at 02:05:30 PM EDT

... and really mad at Chris Christie...

... may I be struck down by lightning!

Lightning Almost Hits Christie Foe On TV: MyFoxPHILLY.com

Is Anyone Else Noticing a Pattern?

by: Jersey Jazzman

Tue Jun 28, 2011 at 05:00:00 PM EDT

- When Democratic Senate President Steve Sweeney forced through the public worker benefits reform bill - without the backing of the majority of his party - he tried to include a provision to do away with the state-run State Health Benefits Plan: a plan that saved towns millions of dollars. If he had succeeded, he would have enriched his patron, South Jersey Democratic boss George Norcross.

- In the final writing of the bill, Sweeney tried to include another provision, this one forcing public workers to stay in-state for health care (and precluding them from seeking care at world-class hospitals like Sloan Kettering or Children's Hospital of Philadelphia). It has been widely reported that this provision would also have benefitted Norcross, this time because he is also the chair of Camden's Cooper Medical Center.

- Ray Lesniak, Democratic power broker from Union County, has proposed a bill that would provide taxpayer-funded subsidies for the building of luxury condominiums.

- Steve Adubato, Jr., television producer and son of Northern Jersey Democratic boss Steve Adubato, Sr., has brokered a deal that many say effectively "gives away" the New Jersey Network (NJN) to New-York based WNET. Adubato Sr. worked closely with Chris Christie to pressure the Senate to allow the deal to proceed. Adubato, Jr., pays himself $341,000 a year to produce programming for NJN.

- Democratic Mayor of Camden Dana Redd stood side-by-side with Governor Christie to announce a new program that would give money to private contractors to run schools - despite the fact that all available evidence shows that privatizing school administration does not work. Attending the announcement: George Norcross, speaking about how he wants to use Cooper to run charter schools.

Understand: I am a loyal Democrat. But is anyone else sensing a pattern here?

Because I'm beginning to wonder just when the hell my party is going to get back to standing up for working people, and when it's going to stop concentrating on enriching the already wealthy and powerful.

Not Getting What You Paid For

by: Jersey Jazzman

Sat Jun 25, 2011 at 06:00:00 AM EDT

What's especially sad is that these same Democrats have been happy to fuel their campaigns with public employee unions' money. For example, they were glad to take the voluntary contributions teachers made to their campaigns in 2009 (by law, dues can't be used to fund campaigns). But when the teachers needed them, they stabbed them in the back, costing them thousands of dollars.

What follows is a list of all of the Christiecrats who voted with the governor for slashing teacher pay, followed by how much money they received from the NJEA in the last election cycle. Teachers, read it and weep:

Welcome to NJ Public Service, Best and Brightest!

by: Jersey Jazzman

Thu Jun 23, 2011 at 11:18:19 PM EDT

Yes, I know you bright, ambitious, industrious young people could have pursued careers on Wall Street or Madison Avenue or K Street. But you've looked at the high regard in which our political class holds public workers tonight, and you've signed on for a career of serving the people of New Jersey! You won't be disappointed!

We want you to know that we value your service! We know that when you run into a burning building, or answer an armed robbery call, or teach a child in poverty to read, or build a bridge, or counsel the old... that we value you. We respect you.

So much that we will cut your pay by 10% at the drop of a hat.

So much that we will take away the small dignity you enjoy in retirement by making your pension's cost of living increases subject to the whims of politicians.

So much that your governor will turn to your fellow taxpayers and blame you for the fiscal mess created by sellouts to corporate interests.

Yes, young people, you'll enjoy all of the benefits of lower pay and reduced benefits and derision and disrespect and condescension. You'll get to be sold out by lackeys of the wealthy who claim to share your roots. You'll get all the security that comes from having promises made to you tossed aside like a dirty sock whenever the political climate changes.

Welcome to the police forces, firefighter squads, schools, hospitals, towns, counties, and state offices of New Jersey!

Uh...

Hey...

Hey, where are you going?

Uh...

What Does The Reward For Betrayal Look Like?

by: Couch Potato Politics

Wed Jun 22, 2011 at 04:30:44 PM EDT

Sweeney, Christie and the 3% Red Herring

by: Couch Potato Politics

Wed Jun 22, 2011 at 12:08:06 PM EDT

As it turns out, the 3% was an invisible carrot.
The 3% plan offered was so undefined that the union was being asked to agree to nothing. The union would have been agreeing to a plan that had no details. They would have agreed to let Sweeney, the Christie administration and company "Fill in the blanks" for thousands of members' crucial health insurance.

The deal offered was a 3% cap on a completely undefined healthcare plan. There was no information given about co-pays, deductibles, in-network vs. out-of network coverage, eligibility, nothing.

There was no guarantee that the plan would not have been a bare bones, catastrophic plan with huge deductibles that would have amounted to no health insurance at all. All that would be decided after CWA took the deal. And who would decide the plan then?

A board of 5 union representatives and 5 administration representatives with a 13th deciding vote held by the state treasurer. The board would have created the plan, after the deal took place, but if there was a challenge by the union's side of the board and the board was split, the state treasurer (appointed by Chris Christie) would have decided what the plan would have been.

There was no guarantee that the treasurer and the governor would support anything more than catastrophic emergency coverage with huge deductibles.

The deal that CWA rejected was essentially nothing but a promise that something would be created. They had every reason to believe that it would not have been a viable plan for anyone.

AND the union was told they had 5 minutes to take or leave the deal!

Now we are hearing and reading dishonest and distorted stories of how CWA walked away from a lucrative deal, when in fact, the deal was far from lucrative and would have endangered lower income workers with crucial health care needs and created an even more unequal and unfair expense for workers.

You Might Be A Christiecrat

by: Couch Potato Politics

Tue Jun 21, 2011 at 11:12:10 AM EDT

The Bully's Puppets

by: Couch Potato Politics

Mon Jun 20, 2011 at 10:32:44 PM EDT

What does treason look like?

by: Couch Potato Politics

Sun Jun 19, 2011 at 02:06:14 PM EDT

Feel free to caption!

Ledger Logic

by: Jersey Jazzman

Sat Jun 18, 2011 at 03:07:32 PM EDT

The problem is that Moran's piece is full of illogic, botched facts, and self-contradiction.

Let's start with this:

Inside the Statehouse, within earshot of the rally, senators on the budget committee cast a vote that amounted to a punch in the gut. Public workers would pay more for less, bringing their health and pension benefits back to earth.

Wow - those benefits must be outrageous! We should cheer that we're getting these fat-cat public employees back under control!

Or, you know, not (from the same article):

"What do we do now?" asked Edward Pierce, a CWA member, one of hundreds at the rally wearing the union's trademark red t-shirt. "I think we need to take a more creative approach. They're coming after us."

That people like Pierce will lose health and pension benefits is no cause for celebration. He takes care of the disabled at a developmental center. He is no millionaire. He is not the greedy thug of the governor's imagination.

Well, Tom, which is it? Are middle-class public workers saddling the taxpayers with out-of-this-world benefits, or are he and his fellow workers not "greedy thugs"?

Then there's this: