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Chris Smith Saves the Day
By Matt Rooney | August 21, 2008
Constituent services are an important part of a congressman's job, but did your congressman ever rescue you from a war zone? That's because your representative in Congress isn't Chris Smith.
This week, Rep. Smith (R, NJ-4) went to war-torn Tbilisi, Georgia to rescue two Monmouth County sisters summering with relatives. The Courier-Post recounts the details:
Constituent services are an important part of a congressman's job, but did your congressman ever rescue you from a war zone? That's because your representative in Congress isn't Chris Smith.
This week, Rep. Smith (R, NJ-4) went to war-torn Tbilisi, Georgia to rescue two Monmouth County sisters summering with relatives. The Courier-Post recounts the details:
As of this writing, the girls have been successfully reunited with their father. Some pundits have predictably adopted a cynical attitude towards Smith's mission. However, we at Save Jersey respect any public official willing to risk their lives for constituents. It would have been easy for Smith to send a strongly worded letter to the State Department, visit the family for a photo opportunity and call it a day. Smith instead decided to risk his life in a hot war zone. In a day and age when politicians do so much to forsake public trust, it's refreshing to see someone in the business for all the right reasons.This week, Smith, a New Jersey Republican who has been involved in human rights efforts around the world for decades, flew to Georgia to seek help getting them out. Fournier was willing to help. Traveling with members of an aid group, he reached them around 8 a.m. local time Thursday. The passage back to the capital included about 10 checkpoints and took six hours, Fournier said. At the checkpoint where they were stalled, the ambassador started working his phone. "We were calling military, diplomats, everybody," he said. Finally, he said, a Russian general called and gave them permission to pass.
Shulman Campaign Attacks Save Jersey
By Matt Rooney | August 20, 2008
Apparently, the good folks over at Shulman for Congress aren't fans of Save Jersey. I received this e-mail in one of my inboxes earlier Wednesday afternoon:
The over-taxed people of New Jersey are simply tired of extremist environmentalist interest groups preventing our energy independence and supporting absurd regulations that engender $4 gasoline. The free market has come a long way towards cleaning up the fossil fuel extraction and refinement process, and continued extremist objections no longer hold any weight.
New Jersey demands a balanced approach to solving the energy crisis! Such a program, as proposed by Senator McCain, would include the development of alternative fuels along with untapped traditional resources. Barack Obama seems to also now approve of a such a diversified approach, but the Senator from Illinois changes his mind daily so any potential agreement is grounded in pure speculation. What we don't want is socialist, Kyoto Protocol-style legislation that drives industry and taxpayers out of the state. The high-minded elitists that operate special interest groups can afford to rant about carbon footprints and toilet paper conservation. Hard working Americans have to worry about affording the trip to work.
It's up to you, Save Jerseyans. Tired of the same old, special-interest driven, preachy, liberal elitism resulting in $4 gasoline? E-mail/call/mail the Shulman campaign and let them know that New Jersey wants energy independence now:
Evan M. Johnston
Eastern Bergen County Field Director
Shulman for Congress
167 Terrace Street Haworth, NJ 07641
ejohnston1980@gmail.com
Office: 201-338-4072
Cell: 551-486-2634
If you get a response, show us in a comment to this post!
Apparently, the good folks over at Shulman for Congress aren't fans of Save Jersey. I received this e-mail in one of my inboxes earlier Wednesday afternoon:
Shulman Supporters,
Scott Garrett has recently received a lifetime rating of 8% on environmental issues from the Environment New Jersey group, and a right-wing blog actually congratulated him on it!
Let Scott know what you think! Click here to view the blog and you can vote on its (un)impressiveness, as well as submit a comment.
Regards,
Evan
--
Evan M. Johnston
Eastern Bergen County Field Director
Under normal circumstances, I would thank Mr. Evan Johnson for helping drive traffic to Save Jersey and leave it at that. However, the criticism of the Shulman folks really perplexes my simple conservative brain. Since when is calling for energy independence a "right-wing" position? Last I checked, a strong majority of New Jerseyans favor drilling and expanding our use of traditional energy resources. It's certainly not that New Jersey or Rep. Garrett opposes a healthy environment. No one seriously wants to choke on smog or swim in sewage. I would gladly, if it were possible, run my automobile on Skittles and sunshine.Shulman for Congress
The over-taxed people of New Jersey are simply tired of extremist environmentalist interest groups preventing our energy independence and supporting absurd regulations that engender $4 gasoline. The free market has come a long way towards cleaning up the fossil fuel extraction and refinement process, and continued extremist objections no longer hold any weight.
New Jersey demands a balanced approach to solving the energy crisis! Such a program, as proposed by Senator McCain, would include the development of alternative fuels along with untapped traditional resources. Barack Obama seems to also now approve of a such a diversified approach, but the Senator from Illinois changes his mind daily so any potential agreement is grounded in pure speculation. What we don't want is socialist, Kyoto Protocol-style legislation that drives industry and taxpayers out of the state. The high-minded elitists that operate special interest groups can afford to rant about carbon footprints and toilet paper conservation. Hard working Americans have to worry about affording the trip to work.
It's up to you, Save Jerseyans. Tired of the same old, special-interest driven, preachy, liberal elitism resulting in $4 gasoline? E-mail/call/mail the Shulman campaign and let them know that New Jersey wants energy independence now:
Evan M. Johnston
Eastern Bergen County Field Director
Shulman for Congress
167 Terrace Street Haworth, NJ 07641
ejohnston1980@gmail.com
Office: 201-338-4072
Cell: 551-486-2634
If you get a response, show us in a comment to this post!
The Taxmen Cometh
By Matt Rooney | August 20, 2008
Check out this new web ad from New Jersey Democrats for McCain.
Can you believe that Barack Obama would actually consider Jon Corzine for Treasury Secretary?
What's next- Sharpe James for Director of the FBI?
Check out this new web ad from New Jersey Democrats for McCain.
Can you believe that Barack Obama would actually consider Jon Corzine for Treasury Secretary?
What's next- Sharpe James for Director of the FBI?
Translating a Zogby Poll
By Matt Rooney | August 20, 2008
It looks like Americans have embraced the call for "change," but unfortunately for Barack, it's not the kind he was accounting on. New polling indicates that Barack Obama really is, as predicted, in serious trouble. Check out the latest Reuters/Zogby poll, showing Senator John McCain with a statistically significant 5 point lead over Senator Obama. In the battle of public perception, messiahs CANNOT afford to appear anything but inevitable.
Consider another angle to this story. John Zogby is, for those of you who aren't nerdy enough to know these things, a big-time Democrat. His polling usually over-samples Democrats or under-represents Republicans. Therefore, John McCain's lead might be even more impressive than the modest 5 point margin demonstrated in this poll.
Let's take a moment to decipher some more of John Zogby's "liberal-ese" and find out where this presidential race really stands:
"There is no doubt the campaign to discredit Obama is paying off for McCain right now."
- TRANSLATED: Voters are deciding that they really don't like Obama and his elitist attitude. Which is weird, because I like Obama and have an elitist attitude.
"This is a significant ebb for Obama."
-TRANSLATED: Huh? Obama should be up by 10 points. Uh-oh...
"That hairline difference between nuance and what appears to be flip-flopping is hurting him with liberal voters."
-TRANSLATED: I guess even liberals who voted for Clinton can't stomach a liar this big
"Conservatives were supposed to be the bigger problem for McCain. Obama still has work to do on his base. At this point McCain seems to be doing a better job with his."
-TRANSLATED: Hillary is off my Christmas card list.
"There were no wild swings, there isn't one group that is radically different than last month or even two months ago. It was just a steady decline for Obama across the board."
-TRANSLATED: ...except, of course, for publicly-subsidized liberal college professors who "experienced" the 1960s. Obama is still kicking some serious butt with that demographic.
It looks like Americans have embraced the call for "change," but unfortunately for Barack, it's not the kind he was accounting on. New polling indicates that Barack Obama really is, as predicted, in serious trouble. Check out the latest Reuters/Zogby poll, showing Senator John McCain with a statistically significant 5 point lead over Senator Obama. In the battle of public perception, messiahs CANNOT afford to appear anything but inevitable.
Consider another angle to this story. John Zogby is, for those of you who aren't nerdy enough to know these things, a big-time Democrat. His polling usually over-samples Democrats or under-represents Republicans. Therefore, John McCain's lead might be even more impressive than the modest 5 point margin demonstrated in this poll.
Let's take a moment to decipher some more of John Zogby's "liberal-ese" and find out where this presidential race really stands:
"There is no doubt the campaign to discredit Obama is paying off for McCain right now."
- TRANSLATED: Voters are deciding that they really don't like Obama and his elitist attitude. Which is weird, because I like Obama and have an elitist attitude.
"This is a significant ebb for Obama."
-TRANSLATED: Huh? Obama should be up by 10 points. Uh-oh...
"That hairline difference between nuance and what appears to be flip-flopping is hurting him with liberal voters."
-TRANSLATED: I guess even liberals who voted for Clinton can't stomach a liar this big
"Conservatives were supposed to be the bigger problem for McCain. Obama still has work to do on his base. At this point McCain seems to be doing a better job with his."
-TRANSLATED: Hillary is off my Christmas card list.
"There were no wild swings, there isn't one group that is radically different than last month or even two months ago. It was just a steady decline for Obama across the board."
-TRANSLATED: ...except, of course, for publicly-subsidized liberal college professors who "experienced" the 1960s. Obama is still kicking some serious butt with that demographic.
"A Brutal, Brutal Budget" in Evesham Township
By Matt Rooney | August 20, 2008
"Shame on you. We're making decisions now from what we were left with."
- Evesham Mayor Randy Brown, chastising taxpayers at a public hearing. The mayor criticized residents for not holding previous administrations accountable for poor fiscal practices. (The Courier-Post, 8/20/08)
New Jersey's municipalities are tightening their belts following deep statewide cuts in municipal aid. Some towns, such as Burlington County's Mt. Laurel Township, have avoided raising taxes by reducing municipal spending. Other municipalities, including Mt. Laurel's neighbor Evesham Township, have raised tax rates to cover shortfalls.
On Tuesday, Evesham elected officials announced their decision to hike takes from 14.9 cents per $100 to a whopping 69.7 cents per $100 of assessed property value. That's an additional $220 per year for every Evesham household.
To his credit, Mayor Brown did return his mayoral salary in 2007 and this budget does represent numerous substantive municipal spending cuts. Nevertheless, recent allegations of pay-to-play abuses in Evesham should make taxpayers weary of where their tax dollars are really going.
The Courier-Post conveyed the sentiments of resident Charles Hoeltje, who remarked "I keep hearing about the $1.2 million in cuts, but all I see is that the bottom line is going up. There should be an effort made to reduce spending below the 2007 limits."
We agree.
"Shame on you. We're making decisions now from what we were left with."
- Evesham Mayor Randy Brown, chastising taxpayers at a public hearing. The mayor criticized residents for not holding previous administrations accountable for poor fiscal practices. (The Courier-Post, 8/20/08)
New Jersey's municipalities are tightening their belts following deep statewide cuts in municipal aid. Some towns, such as Burlington County's Mt. Laurel Township, have avoided raising taxes by reducing municipal spending. Other municipalities, including Mt. Laurel's neighbor Evesham Township, have raised tax rates to cover shortfalls.
On Tuesday, Evesham elected officials announced their decision to hike takes from 14.9 cents per $100 to a whopping 69.7 cents per $100 of assessed property value. That's an additional $220 per year for every Evesham household.
To his credit, Mayor Brown did return his mayoral salary in 2007 and this budget does represent numerous substantive municipal spending cuts. Nevertheless, recent allegations of pay-to-play abuses in Evesham should make taxpayers weary of where their tax dollars are really going.
The Courier-Post conveyed the sentiments of resident Charles Hoeltje, who remarked "I keep hearing about the $1.2 million in cuts, but all I see is that the bottom line is going up. There should be an effort made to reduce spending below the 2007 limits."
We agree.
Diary of a Shoobie: The Scarlet Knights Wear the Scarlet Letter of Corruption
By Alex Smith | August 20, 2008
The Rutgers corruption investigation just got uglier.
Internal audits released by Rutgers University yesterday reveal a long train of abuses within the state schools, including reports of no-bid contracts and clandestine deals. The review was done about six months ago, and mainly criticized the hundreds of thousands of dollars in spending that was not included in the Rutgers budget. The audit, which was obtained from a source by The Star Ledger after the University refused to release it, especially singled out the athletic department's lack of oversight for its spending.
According to The Star Ledger:
"Auditors found the athletic department subsidized the travel costs of boosters and other VIPs who accompanied the Scarlet Knights on charter flights to post-season bowl games the past three years, at a time when the university was hiking tuition and cutting academic budgets. It also discovered that the department understated its expenses for those games in reports to the administration and concluded the athletic department lacked the ability to collect and reliably report critical financial information "to the president, CFO, the board and the public."
The audit also focused on the university's partnership with a sports marketing company that had exclusive rights to handle radio and television advertising and promotions, funneling millions of dollars into the athletics department."
It's unfortunate that a team that has slowly become a source of hope for a better Jersey has now become the latest target in the corruption that infects the Garden State. A massive misuse of taxpayer dollars involving a bunch of college kids just trying to play ball-- only in New Jersey.
You know, as a Philly fan (Eagles, Phillies, you name it), I am well-acquainted with the concept of post-season blues. Too bad Rutgers' nearly 50,000 students and fans will know that feeling before the first game is even played.
The Rutgers corruption investigation just got uglier.
Internal audits released by Rutgers University yesterday reveal a long train of abuses within the state schools, including reports of no-bid contracts and clandestine deals. The review was done about six months ago, and mainly criticized the hundreds of thousands of dollars in spending that was not included in the Rutgers budget. The audit, which was obtained from a source by The Star Ledger after the University refused to release it, especially singled out the athletic department's lack of oversight for its spending.
According to The Star Ledger:
"Auditors found the athletic department subsidized the travel costs of boosters and other VIPs who accompanied the Scarlet Knights on charter flights to post-season bowl games the past three years, at a time when the university was hiking tuition and cutting academic budgets. It also discovered that the department understated its expenses for those games in reports to the administration and concluded the athletic department lacked the ability to collect and reliably report critical financial information "to the president, CFO, the board and the public."
The audit also focused on the university's partnership with a sports marketing company that had exclusive rights to handle radio and television advertising and promotions, funneling millions of dollars into the athletics department."
It's unfortunate that a team that has slowly become a source of hope for a better Jersey has now become the latest target in the corruption that infects the Garden State. A massive misuse of taxpayer dollars involving a bunch of college kids just trying to play ball-- only in New Jersey.
You know, as a Philly fan (Eagles, Phillies, you name it), I am well-acquainted with the concept of post-season blues. Too bad Rutgers' nearly 50,000 students and fans will know that feeling before the first game is even played.
Is McCain Floating Ridge to Set-Up Romney?
By Matt Rooney | August 20, 2008
There's been a lot of buzz, especially in the past 72 hours or so, surrounding the possibility of Senator McCain tapping Tom Ridge for Vice President. The conventional wisdom has been that the McCain people are testing the Republican base's reaction to a hypothetical pro-choice nominee. I'm not convinced.
The real motive might be to pave the way for Mitt Romney. Romney allayed the fears of many conservatives by the end of his primary candidacy, but the truce came too late to salvage Romney's 2008 presidential aspirations. Nevertheless, many religious-right leaders still harbor dark suspicious regarding Romney's Mormon faith and "impure" pro-life record. As ridiculous as these concerns may be, reality is what it is and a Romney nomination would certainly benefit from a forced contrast. Most social conservatives, terrified over the prospect of a pro-choice vice president, would likely view Romney as an acceptable compromise. McCain's advisers may be counting on such an outcome.
There's been a lot of buzz, especially in the past 72 hours or so, surrounding the possibility of Senator McCain tapping Tom Ridge for Vice President. The conventional wisdom has been that the McCain people are testing the Republican base's reaction to a hypothetical pro-choice nominee. I'm not convinced.
The real motive might be to pave the way for Mitt Romney. Romney allayed the fears of many conservatives by the end of his primary candidacy, but the truce came too late to salvage Romney's 2008 presidential aspirations. Nevertheless, many religious-right leaders still harbor dark suspicious regarding Romney's Mormon faith and "impure" pro-life record. As ridiculous as these concerns may be, reality is what it is and a Romney nomination would certainly benefit from a forced contrast. Most social conservatives, terrified over the prospect of a pro-choice vice president, would likely view Romney as an acceptable compromise. McCain's advisers may be counting on such an outcome.
Congratulations to Scott Garrett
By Matt Rooney | August 19, 2008
Save Jersey extends a hardy congratulations to U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-5) for a strange accomplishment.
A state environmental group, "Environment New Jersey," has ranked New Jersey's congressional delegation based on "issues such as reducing global warming gases, protecting air and water, and increasing mileage standards for vehicles." The organization tabulated a percentage rating utilizing, for example, votes on 10 different Senate issues.
In New Jersey, Rep. Garrett came in dead last. He netted a mighty 8% score. The national average, if you're curious, is around 58%.
Don't misunderstand- we're all for "clean energy" and exploring a variety of solutions for our energy needs. John McCain is right to call for a balanced combination of new oil exploration, clean energy development and alternative fuel research. Without a doubt, protecting New Jersey's environment is key to our state's medical and economic health. However, most of these environmental groups take hard-left positions and regularly cross the line from supporting "clean energy" to demanding absurd and costly restrictions on American industry and commerce. It won't matter how clean the water is if New Jerseyans can't find work or afford to drive to their jobs.
Our first priority is to make sure New Jersey is an affordable place where families can live and prosper. Scott Garrett agrees, so we gladly salute his courage and independence in the midst of global warming hysteria.
Save Jersey extends a hardy congratulations to U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-5) for a strange accomplishment.
A state environmental group, "Environment New Jersey," has ranked New Jersey's congressional delegation based on "issues such as reducing global warming gases, protecting air and water, and increasing mileage standards for vehicles." The organization tabulated a percentage rating utilizing, for example, votes on 10 different Senate issues.
In New Jersey, Rep. Garrett came in dead last. He netted a mighty 8% score. The national average, if you're curious, is around 58%.
Don't misunderstand- we're all for "clean energy" and exploring a variety of solutions for our energy needs. John McCain is right to call for a balanced combination of new oil exploration, clean energy development and alternative fuel research. Without a doubt, protecting New Jersey's environment is key to our state's medical and economic health. However, most of these environmental groups take hard-left positions and regularly cross the line from supporting "clean energy" to demanding absurd and costly restrictions on American industry and commerce. It won't matter how clean the water is if New Jerseyans can't find work or afford to drive to their jobs.
Our first priority is to make sure New Jersey is an affordable place where families can live and prosper. Scott Garrett agrees, so we gladly salute his courage and independence in the midst of global warming hysteria.
NJ Gas Stations Gouging Motorists
By Matt Rooney | August 19, 2008
A Morris County real estate blog is reporting a statewide gas gouging scam. Recently, The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs investigated 1,023 gas stations and fined 350 for violations. Illegal practices cited by the state included pumping less gas than customers were paying for! It's all too easy to get scammed, since most of us are in a rush and paying with debit cards.
Check out the linked blog post for a complete list of NJ gas station violators. I've also re-posted the appropriate phone numbers, by county, to report suspected scams below:
A Morris County real estate blog is reporting a statewide gas gouging scam. Recently, The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs investigated 1,023 gas stations and fined 350 for violations. Illegal practices cited by the state included pumping less gas than customers were paying for! It's all too easy to get scammed, since most of us are in a rush and paying with debit cards.
Check out the linked blog post for a complete list of NJ gas station violators. I've also re-posted the appropriate phone numbers, by county, to report suspected scams below:
N.J. State Office: (732) 815-4840
Atlantic County: (609) 345-6700, x.2477Bergen County (201) 336-6424
Burlington County, (609) 265-5098
Camden County, (856) 374-6001
Cape May County, (609) 463-6475
Cumberland County, (856) 453-2203
Essex County, (973) 395-8363
Gloucester County, (856) 384-6855
Hudson County, (201) 319-3820
Hunterdon County, (908) 788-1249
Mercer County, (609) 989-6579
Middlesex County, (732) 745-3872
Monmouth County, (732) 431-7362
Morris County, (973) 285-2955
Ocean County, (732) 929-2166
Passaic County, (973) 305-5750
Salem County, (856) 935-7510
Somerset County, (908) 231-7125
Sussex County, (973) 948-5464
Union County, (908) 654-9845
Warren County, (908) 453-2828
OBAMA (MAYBE) PICKS EVAN BAYH FOR VP
By Matt Rooney | August 19, 2008
The DC-based blog Wonkette is reporting an interesting situation that, if true, must have Barack Obama's blood boiling.
According to Wonkette, an Obama intern accidentally sent out a draft VP announcement e-mail to 400 Obama supporters. The CNN article was promptly taken down. Interesting, huh? If the announcement was genuine, Obama's chosen running mate is Indiana Senator and long-time Clinton ally Evan Bayh.
Stay tuned...
The DC-based blog Wonkette is reporting an interesting situation that, if true, must have Barack Obama's blood boiling.
According to Wonkette, an Obama intern accidentally sent out a draft VP announcement e-mail to 400 Obama supporters. The CNN article was promptly taken down. Interesting, huh? If the announcement was genuine, Obama's chosen running mate is Indiana Senator and long-time Clinton ally Evan Bayh.
Stay tuned...