THE DAGGETT FACTOR

This year's gubernatorial race looks to have become a three man race, featuring the Bozo-coiffed incumbent governor Jon S. Corzine, our GOP standardbearer Chris Christie and Independent candidate Christopher J. Daggett.
But is it a three man race?
In fact, there are no fewer than twelve gubernatorial candidates this fall. The other nine are Jason Cullen, Libertarian Kenneth Kaplan, perennial candidate Joshua Leinsdorf, Alvin Lindsay, Jr., David R. Meiswinkle, Socialist candidate Greg Pason, Kostas Petris, Gary T. Steele and Gary Stein. In addition, there are at least three declared write-in candidates, including "Uncle" Floyd Vivino.
Sooooooo, why all the attention on Daggett?
Having kicked back here at The Blog Cabin and watched last week's gubernatorial debate and seeing him in action, as well as hearing what the pundits and pundints have been saying since, it's obvious. Chris Christie has consistently run ahead of Corzine in the polls. Corzine has had little traction, but he can count on a solid base of support among minorities, public employee unions, academia and other liberal constituency groups who would elect a Cow Chip as long as it were running as a Democrat. This base, however, does not put Corzine over the finish line.
Corzine must either (1), win over Christie supporters or (2), divide the anti-Corzine vote among other candidates besides Christie. Remember that he need not get 50% + 1 to win, he just needs to have the most votes. If he can do that with 40% or even 35%, if that's more than Christie gets, Corzine's got four more years.
Since it is unlikely that Corzine will win over many Christie supporters he must divide the opposition and conquer the state. Now, we're not saying that Daggett entered the race at Corzine's behest, indeed it would seem that his Republican credentials are solid. He was involved in the gubernatorial campaigns of both Raymond H. Bateman and Tom Kean, Sr., as well as the presidential campaign of George H. W. Bush. He worked as a regional administrator of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency in the Reagan Administration, and worked as DEP Commissioner under Gov. Kean.
Still, his campaign, while appearing to stay "above the fray" as a populist reformer, is essentially that of a liberal Democrat. Pro-choice and pro gay marriage, Daggett proposes to offset property taxes by "expanding" the sales tax to items now exempt. Now, that sounds good on the surface, but both Corzine and fellow Democrat Jim Florio already did that. (remember the Toilet Paper Tax?) And the State Income Tax, instituted by Democratic Governor Brendan Byrne, was supposed to offset, you guessed it, property taxes! If it ever did it doesn't now, we now have the highest property taxes in the nation and among the highest income tax rates to boot. So expanding the sales tax is a non-starter.
As a former DEP Commissioner, Daggett comes from (he ran it!) the very regulatory apparatus that has helped slow down New Jersey's business climate. No business, no jobs.
Daggett is the darling of the media. After the debate, many mainstream media pundits were singing the praises of Daggett, while continuing to call Christie "vague" even when he is specific on issues.
While one would hope that most if not all readers of this blog would support Christie, we must reiterate that whatever his personal reasons for running may be, Daggett has become a stalking horse for Corzine. Knowing that Daggett will not pull off a "Jesse Ventura" and win on an independent candidacy, we must be concerned that he will pull off a "Ross Perot" and act as a spoiler, ensuring the reelection of Corzine.
We must prevent the reelection of Corzine, not only for the sake of having a Republican governor, but also for the sake of stopping the Democratic überbosses like George Norcross and others from increasing their already immense power.
New Jersey depends on it.

CONSOLIDATION OR CENTRALIZATION?

Various forms of municipal consolidation have been proposed by both parties for New Jersey as cost saving measures. These range from shared services between existing municipalities and school districts to the actual merging of small towns into large ones.
Back in May, DynamoBuzz ran a post which explored the issue in-depth. Roberto points out, "And if big means more efficient, explain why New Jersey’s biggest cities (Newark, Paterson, Jersey City, Elizabeth) spend twice as much on schooling, emergency services and government as smaller towns, many of which have volunteer fireman and low paid town officials?" A very valid point.
This past week, the Bozo-coiffed Governor Jon Corzine weighed in, opining that mergers would help eliminate corruption. A report on NJ 101.5's website states:

"Mr. Corzine said the primary source of corruption in New Jersey is too many layers of government, often referred to as "home rule." He said the best way to remove the possibilities for bribery and bid-rigging is for municipalities to consolidate and share services."

I fail to see the connection. The source of corruption is greedy people and lax or absent enforcement of the law. It doesn't matter whether a municipality is large or small. Indeed, would the merger of Jersey City and Hoboken have prevented anything? Would Sharpe James have been more honest if only Newark were larger, say if it absorbed East Orange, Irvington and Nutley? Probably not.
As to cost savings, the problem is property taxes, not the size of municipalities. Until property taxes are no longer the basis for municipal finance and especially school funding, New Jerseyans will continue to pay more. While the regionalization of school districts (and the elimination of overlapping "sending districts") is in many cases warranted, consolidation of municipalities could potentially be nothing more than a power grab by political bosses.
The Founding Fathers wanted to decentralize government as much as possible to avoid a repetition of the tyrrany they had fought. It is why they improved on the English model and went with three branches of government, with a bicameral Congress, all to diffuse the power of government and those running it. That is why we have states instead of one central government. It is why, on the state level, government was again diffused among the state, counties and municipalities. Each level originally had its functions and jurisdiction, and the system was set up to make the consolidation of power as difficult as possible.
Is there room for improvement here in New Jersey? There sure is. But the public should not fall for the panacea of "merge the towns and everything will be OK". While consolidation may be appropriate in certain cases, it is not a cure-all. Do not fall for the snake oil salesmen who would tell you that it is.
What is needed in New Jersey is to continue imprisoning corrupt politicians, and serious reform of our repressive property tax system.
Now that will bring savings.

SITYS

"You heard it right: If you want to work in Monmouth County, you have to ask Union County first."
...Freeholder Robert D. Clifton

SITYS. See, I Told You So.
Readers of this blog will know that for the last few years I have been writing about the Monmouth County Democrats' connections with Camden and Union Counties.
It's come full circle.
In my last post I revealed how County Commissioner-elect Amy Mallet, a George Norcross acolyte, had received a contribution of thousands of dollars from a Camden County assemblyman. Now it comes out that they have asked Assemblyman Joe Cryan (D-Union), a wheeling supporter of theirs, to help them in filling at least four top appointments in county government.
Let's take a look at the county. Back in the days of Director Harry Larrison, positions were filled based upon party loyalty, as well as personal fealty to Harry. Often a job would go to members of a local governing body so as to augment their pension. We had people like Ray O'Grady (Middletown Township Committee), Tom Broderick (Marlboro Township Committee), and Tony Palughi (Long Branch City Council), as well as others. County Commissioner John "Flippy" D'Amico voted for Palughi based on a blank application.
Since the Bid Rig days, with new Republican freeholders, the county has attempted to get away from that. Department heads are now chosen based on their resumé. Often people who have worked their way up from entry level are now promoted from within, as in the HIghway and Bridge departments.
Recently, the Republican freeholders were criticized for turning over hiring authority to County Administrator Robert Czech. Democrats, with the assistance of the Asbury Park Press, accused them of attempting to "burrow in" GOP loyalists. It now looks as if the freeholders were more interested in preserving the reforms of the past four years and protect the Monmouth County taxpayer from outside Democratic interests.

As Freeholder Clifton said: "That tells us that not only are the Democrats eager to begin instituting an expensive and outdated patronage system here in Monmouth County, it appears they are looking in to burrow in these loyalists with civil service titles as quickly as possible."

Get ready for a long, bumpy ride, campers. This could get ugly. Fast.

G-MAN CHRISTIE RESIGNS

The Asbury Park Press reports that U. S. Attorney Christopher Christie has resigned his federal post effective December 1.
A former Morris County Freeholder, Christie has served as U. S. Attorney for New Jersey since 2002. Among other achievements, Christie has convicted over 130 corrupt politicians of both parties, notably those caught in the big Bid Rig sting. His office is also prosecuting the Fort Dix Six.
Some Democrats have criticized Christie as partisan, saying he unfairly targeted Democratic officials for prosecution. That criticism would appear, however, to be nothing more than an attempt to discredit Christie should he seek the Republican nomination for Governor. Too, the Democrats have a nasty habit of circling the wagons when one of their own gets caught doing wrong.
Many (Not all) of the Bid Rig felons were Republicans, as was Mayor Matt Scannapieco of Marlboro. And need I mention that both Paterson Mayor Martin G. Barnes and Essex County Executive Jim Treffinger were Republicans.
Maybe Christie indicts and prosecutes Democrats because there are simply more of them. Maybe there are simply more of them who are corrupt. Maybe the Democrats should be careful of their whiny criticism of Christie, lest they bring attention to the corruption in their party. Maybe Christie indicts and prosecutes Democrats because no one else will.
It has long been suspected that Christie is interested in a run for Governor. (He would join former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan in that category) So far, he has made no announcement. He is somewhat of an enigma politically, as his Federal post has limited his ability to take public stands on issues. Those blanks should soon be filled should he run.
It is uncertain who the Obama Administration would appoint to replace Christie. As U. S. Attorney is a political appointment we would expect it to go to a Democrat. At publishing time we have no ionformation as to whether Peter Harvey, Zulima Farber or Hamlet Goore are interested.

DON'T IT MAKE MY RED STATE BLUE, OR, WHO LOST NEW JERSEY?

Our State of New Jersey is often characterized as a "blue", or Democratic state. And, to be truthful, the Democratic Party has dominated the state in recent presidential elections, most recently with President-elect Barack Hussein Obama's carrying the state over Sen. John Sidney McCain III. Many pundits speak of this as if it were a foregone conclusion, like it had always been that way.
That is where they are so very wrong.
A look at presidential elections shows that New Jersey was quite a "red" state, for a long time, and recently. Let's look:

1948-Dewey over Truman.

1952-Eisenhower over Stevenson.

1956-Eisenhower over Stevenson.

1960-Kennedy over Nixon.

1964-Johnson over Goldwater.

1968-Nixon over Humphrey.

1972-Nixon over McGovern.

1976-Ford over Carter.

1980-Reagan over Carter.

1984-Reagan over Mondale.

1988-Bush over Dukakis.

1992-Clinton over Bush.

1996-Clinton over Dole.

2000-Gore over Bush.

2004-Kèrry over Bush.

2008-Obama over McCain.

What we see is, since the end of World War II, Republican presidential nominees carried New Jersey in all but two contests (1960 and '64) up until 1988. Nine out of 11 races, even where the G. O. P. nominee lost nationally. (Dewey and Ford)
That changed in 1992, when William Jefferson Davis Clinton narrowly carried New Jersey over President George H. W. Bush. Many at the time believed that the independent candidacy of H. Ross Perot was the spoiler, indeed, Perot's total vote far exceeded Clinton's plurality over Bush. Many Republicans believed that had Perot not been in the race, a large slice of his votes would have gone to Bush, handing him New Jersey's 15 electoral votes.
In '96, however, Clinton beat Dole outright. Perot ran that year, but his total was much smaller and would not have helped Dole had Perot not been in the race. No Republican has carried the state since then.
So what happened? We might have blamed 92 on Perot, but nothing else. Let's analyze this.
Changing Demographics: The population of New Jersey has changed over the past twenty years. Many who voted Republican in the past have left the state for more hospitable locations. A sizeable percentage of the new residents are immigrants and first-generation Americans, many of whom vote Democratic. That some illegal aliens may also be voting only compounds this.
Changing Democrats: I believe it to be no coincidence that this political shift has coincided with the rise of such political mega-bosses like George Norcross., as well as hyper-rich power-brokers like the Bozo-coiffed Governor Corzine. Where once their activity remained confined to the cities, these operators spread Democratic money and influence around the state through a process called wheeling.* That this effort has borne fruit for the Democrats can be seen in their taking over such formerly red counties as Bergen and Passaic.
A Weak State GOP Organization: Has Nero been fiddling while Rome burned here? Possibly. There hasn't really been much effort on the state level to build the party. Playing defense and retreat only gets you one thing: Defeat.

What is to be done? Well, by the time the next Presidential election rolls around it will be too late. We can't wish and hope that the next one will win Jersey. It's time to start now. Party building. If the state GOP leadership isn't up to the task, maybe it's time we got someone who is.

*Of course, with the Democrats, down is up and up is down and wheeling isn't wheeling, so I guess the money isn't really wheeled. Or something.

SPEAKING OF APOLOGIES...

The vast editorial staff here at the Monmouth County Republican Blog has been following very intently the controversy a-brewin' over More Monmouth Musings' Art Gallagher's attempt to start a discussion on race relations. Recently, Art ran a post in which he reprinted an article by Jeffery Lord in The American Spectator, Democrats: The Missing Years. That reminded us of a post we did back in February linking to an editorial in The Trentonian.
This week, the Democratic Party is poised to nominate Barack Hussein Obama, the first African American to be nominated by a major party, and Joseph Robinette Biden, who likes Obama because he's a "clean" African American. This would be a great opportunity for them to apologize as a party for slavery, Jim Crow laws, etc.
With the Democratic National Convention in session this week, we were going to repost the link, but found it no longer active, so we are reprinting the editorial here.
*************************************************************************************
Published in The Trentonian, Friday, February 1, 2008


Speaking of apologies...
Exuding righteousness, Democrats who control the N. J. legislature recently led an effort to proffer an official state apology for slavery. the apology presumably included within its sweeping mea-culpa ambit even those many New Jersey citizens whose forbears arrived in this country after slavery had been abolished and thus had nothing remotely to do with it. The New Jersey apology, at least, made no exceptions for this extensive category.
The legislature's heralded and hailed effort leads us to wonder aloud: Would these righteousness-exuding New Jersey Democrats now be willing to position themselves in the forefront of an initiative to apologize for their own national party's long and ignoble history of racism? Not that the Republican Party's own history on matters of race is unexceptionable, mind you. Far, far from it. But the GOP's record on racial issues can't remotely approach the out-and-out odiousness, spanning decades, of the Democratic Party's.
This sorry, shameful record has been disinterred in economist Bruce Bartlett's book, "Wrong on Race: The Democratic Party's Buried Past." So New Jersey's Democratic legislators would be spared the burden of research to support a formal party apology as a plank in the upcoming national convention platform. In an article in The American Spectator recently, Jeffrey Lord, one-time Reagan White House aide, suggested such a platform. Lord is, of course, a conservative polemicist and -- Democrats might understandably object -- a partisan troublemaker. Yet facts are facts, as it's often said, and Lord's summation of the Democratic racial record is not something easily waved aside. Certainly the record is nothing Democratic legislators can shrug off as ancient history or water over the dam -- especially not after having ostentatiously championed the slavery apology.
Here's a brief sampling of the Democratic Party's racial record:

• Six national party platforms, 1840-1860, spoke out vehemently in support of slavery.
• The national party platform in 1864 declared the Union's military efforts to quell the slavery-supporting Confederacy a "failure" and demanded negotiations with a view toward at least a partial acceptance of slavery.
• At the 1900 national convention, the Democratic Party remained silent on the issue of race as de facto and de jure discrimination leached like toxic waste into all corners of America -- especially in the solidly Democratic South. (The GOP platform that year, in contrast, stated that "the plain purpose" of the 15th Amendment to the Constitution was to "prevent discrimination on account of race or color in regulating the elective franchise." The Republican platform added: "Devices of state government ... to avoid the purpose of this amendment ... should be condemned.")
• Four Democratic Party national platforms (1908-1920) were silent on the issues of lynching, segregation and voting-rights suppression of African Americans. (The GOP platforms in those years addressed these issues.)
• The 1924 Democratic National Convention, held in New York City, defeated a proposed platform plank condemning Ku Klux Klan violence. The party confab was dubbed with fully justifiable derision the Democrats' "Klanbake." (Noteworthy local angle: In celebration of the platform victory, 10,000 pointed-hooded Klansmen rallied across the river in New Jersey, cavorting triumphantly around burning crosses.)

It seems almost like a late hit or piling-on, but we'll risk throwing in a mention that such notable race-baiters as Bull Connors and Orval Faubus and George Wallace and Lester Maddox were all stalwart Democrats. And, oh, yes, Arkansas Sen. J. William Fulbright (the furrowed-brow foreign policy intellectual and Bill Clinton's hero) was unwaveringly segregationist to the very end of his political career and a signer of "The Southern Manifesto."
Do we hear a motion for a Democratic Party apology?
--The Trentonian

WHAT IS THE GOVERNOR THINKING???

So what is up with the Bozo-coiffed Governor Jonathan Stevens Corzine? Why does he do the things he does? He's a Wall Street financial whiz, isn't he, who brought his sharp business acumen to Trenton to fix the mess that New Jersey is in, isn't he?

Not quite.

Under Corzine, New Jersey has lurched leftward, enacting many "progressive" policies while needed reforms go unaddressed and corruption goes unenforced. The governor is agenda driven.
His latest scheme, the so-called "asset monetization" plan, is nothing more than a plan to finance more left-wing policies. By radically increasing tolls, Corzine not only closes a deficit (See if it ever does close.), he funds all sorts of projects like embryonic stem cell research (Which, incidentally, was defeated by the voters.).

Probe With Steel

Why does Corzine propose so many things, only to withdraw them in the face of opposition? Does he have that bad of a tin ear? The answer may be found in a quote attributed to the Georgian statesman Ioseb Besarionis Jugashvili, better known as Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin: "Probe with steel. If you find mush, keep probing. If you find steel, back off."

In other words, see just how far you can go. The Governor is seeing just how far he can go. Take for example the arrests of former Atlantic County Freeholder Seth Grossman and former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan. I think it's pretty much agreed by now that it originated in the Governor's office. Public reaction was the key. If there was public support for the arrests, i. e., if people saw Lonegan and Grossman as troublemakers, hooligans, you can bet that there would be more arrests. Since public reaction was negative, the Administration backed off.

Same holds true for the toll plan. Corzine throws out some extreme ideas like selling the highways to a private corporation or charging tolls on heretofore free highways, like Route 440. This serves two purposes. One is that if there's no opposition, he gets a new toll road in the state, with all the patronage that comes with, not to mention the possibility of future expansion to other routes like 287. If there is opposition, he takes it off the table, which he did. He still gains, because he has now shifted the debate from abolition of tolls altogether to limiting tolls to existing highways.

In closing, let's take one more look at his plans for the toll roads. The Governor plans to set up a non-profit corporation to administer the roads. This part of his proposal is cloaked in secrecy. Make no mistake, if you think the existing Turnpike Authority and its predecessors are loaded with waste, cronyism, rascallism and patronage, just you wait until Corzine's double-top-secret superauthority gets up and running. It will not be subject to the Open Public Records Act (OPRA), so it will operate in deep shadows. We all know what happens here in New Jersey when that happens.

What is to be done? Stay tuned, dear reader. Stay tuned.

SPEAKING OF APOLOGIES

The Trentonian ran a powerful editorial yesterday addressing the recent Democrat - led apology for slavery and that party's own sordid history in race relations.
Read it.

OVID TUZENEU DAY

Art Gallagher of More Monmouth Musings has a great idea:

"We could use some of the old Tuzeneu spirit. The Monmouth County Board of Freeholders should declare February 4, the day that Corzine comes to Monmouth County, Ovid Tuzeneu Day and everyone should bring a toy axe to Marlboro High School to protest Corzine's crazy plan."

I hope the freeholders make such a proclamation. I also hope talk show host Jim Gearhart of New Jersey 101.5 picks up on the idea; there could be an Ovid Tuzeneu Day for all of the Bozo-coiffed Gov. Corzine's remaining appearances!
Notwithstanding, I'll start this show. Corzine's Town Hall Meeting will be from 7 to 9 PM at Marlboro High School, 95 North Main St. in Marlboro. Note: North Main St. is Route 79! (Nice try, Gov.) The high school is just south of Route 520. Even if you didn't make the RSVP to get into the meeting, a large outside gathering will be good for our cause.

Try to bring a toy axe. If you can't get one, cut one out of cardboard. No real axes, please! Let's make Corzine never forget Monmouth County. Let's have Ovid Tuzeneu's trusty axe be Old Monmouth's version of torches and pitchforks.
Participants be warn! Corzine has shown that he has no qualms about playing hardball here. You could get arrested. Hopefully there will be no problems. Remember, the police are not the problem here.

OVID LIVES!!!

SHUNPIKING

shunpike

Main Entry: shun·pike
Pronunciation: \ˈshən-ˌpīk\
Function: noun
Date: 1862
: a side road used to avoid the toll on or the speed and traffic of a superhighway
— shun·pik·er \-ˌpī-kər\ noun
— shun·pik·ing \-kiŋ\ noun

Source: The Merriam - Webster Online Dictionary.



That's what's going to happen if the Bozo - coiffed Governor Jon Corzine gets his way. Motorists will simply avoid the state's toll highways. It's been all over the print and online media for some time now.

Interesting how the debate has shifted, too.

Back in the early 1990's, during the anti-Jim Florio fervor, a movement arose proposing the abolition of tolls on the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike. (This harkens back to the 1890's, when Middletown resident Ovid Tuzeneu fought an anti-toll battle against the toll roads of his day which made the New York Times.) Then, in 2001, gubernatorial candidate Bret Schundler proposed a plan to abolish tolls on the Garden State Parkway; his opponent, Jim McGreevey, felt that E-ZPass was the way to go. McGreevey won and the tolls stayed up.
Now we have a governor so extreme, he is throwing out trial balloons to establish new tolls on other highways. Routes 78, 80 and 440 were a part of this scheme. While 78 and 80 are off the table (for now), 440 is still in play, with opposition.

Interestingly, the tolls were originally imposed to pay off the bonded indebtedness of the roads. Once the debts were paid off, the toll booths were to be thrown down and the roads would become a part of the State Highway System. Unfortunately, the toll road authorities soon learned that by continuing to borrow, they would keep the tolls and their bureaucracies indefinitely. Now Corzine takes it one step further by proposing linking the general state finances to the toll roads, making it well-nigh impossible to ever remove the tolls, even if a future governor or legislature wanted to. Ever.

This is a dangerous man. Corzine poses as a reformer, all the while taking state government to new levels to feed the Democratic behemoth. Case in point: The voters soundly defeated his embryonic stem cell research proposal, which was intended more as a plum for Newark and Camden than anything for science. In spite of defeat, the governor intends to go forward with the scheme.

What is to be done? The state G. O. P. needs first to realize that they are not dealing with Florio or even McGreevey. No, this is a foe who is far more crafty, totally, shall I say it? Machiavellian. Voting no or compromising is not enough.

In the meantime, if you don't like the tolls, take the shunpike.

UPDATE!!

Sen. Barry Goldwater at The Voice of Reason has a great take on the issue by Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan.

LUCAS & LITTLE WIN!

No, sports fans, you're not reading a draft from last year's election. Mayor Andrew Lucas of Manalapan was reelected to the Township Committee along with his running mate Susan Cohen, overcoming both an independent candidate and a local party split to defeat two Democratic opponents. And in Highlands, Freeholder Anna Little handily won election as that borough's next mayor, defeating a Democrat, an independent and a write-in candidate backed by Middletown Republican Judith Stanley-Coleman. Earth to Judy: While Highlands may be somewhat surrounded by Middletown (Sandy Hook is part of Middletown.), it is not a part of Middletown, having seceded many decades ago. Butt out.
Election night was, all in all, not too shabby for Monmouth County Republicans.

Stick a fork in him. He's "Well Done."

That's right. Assemblyman Sean Kean coasted to victory over former assemblyman, former freeholder and all-around supporter of curmudgeonly County Counsel Malcolm Carton, John "Well Done" Villapiano; Dave Rible and Mary Pat Angelini defeated the other two Democratic johns in the 11th District.

Back to the Christmas tree farm, Ellen!

Jen BECK! romped to victory over incumbent Democratic Senator Ellen Kärcher. Kärcher was rocked by ethical questions about her Camden County connections and her property's farmland assessment. Desperate, she went viciously negative against BECK! and that was all she wrote. Democratic assemblyman Mike Panter will pant no more in Trenton; he and his running mate Amy Mallet having been bested by Declan O'Scanlon and the underestimated Caroline Casagrande. The 12th District thus returns after a brief hiatus to the G. O. P. column.

13th an easy GOP win.

In the 13th District, Sen. Joe Kyrillos soundly defeated Democrat Lenny "ELEC" Inzerillo for another term representing that district. Inzerillo's campaign was known for the pink placards pasted to his posters promoting pandering points. (Like that? I wish I thought of it before the election!) Assembly members Amy Handlin and Sam Thompson crushed Democrats Pat Walsh and Robert Brown, keeping the 13th solidly Republican.

Had Enough?

The voters in the 30th District clearly spoke that they had had enough of the Trenton Democrats and their games and defeated the Democratic ticket of Steven Morlino for senate and Jeffrey Williamson and Sharon Atkinson for assembly. Sen. Bob Singer and Assemblymen Ron Dancer and Joe Malone soundly defeated the Democrats. The 30th, like all districts representing Monmouth County in Trenton, will be solidly Republican.

County to remain under GOP control; Silent Steve silenced

In the county races, we won at least three out of four, with Jeff Cantor's race up in the air. Kim Guadagno was elected Sheriff over Democrat Jack Hill. She will become the first woman to hold the Sheriff's office in Monmouth County. In 2008, all Monmouth County Constitutional officers will be women.
County Clerk Claire French roared to victory over Amod Choudhary of Colts Neck for another five year term. Claire has run the Clerk's office in a modern and professional manner, and will continue to do so.
On the freeholder level, things were closer. Freeholder Rob Clifton was high vote getter. For the second seat, John "Flippy" D'Amico (A supporter of curmudgeonly County Counsel Malcolm Carton from way back.) right now holds a razor-thin edge over Jeff Cantor. This should be decided once provisional ballots are counted; Jeff's a good guy and hopefully he can pull it off. "Silent Steve" Schueler was low man and will definitely not be a freeholder. Shows what silence can do.
As we get more information, it will be posted. We'll probably also talk about the towns, too.

THE LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS

Up for election this year are all 120 members of the New Jersey Legislature.
Since the 2001 election, both houses have been in Democratic hands. Before that, the GOP held majorities in both houses for over a decade.
Can we win it back this year?
That depends. Some say the Republicans are weaker because of the retirement of a number of veteran lawmakers, including Sen. Joe Palaia and Assemblyman Steve Corodemus. But are we? Here in Monmouth County, we have strong Legislative candidates in each district. It may matter more what we as Republicans stand for.

Having a strong set of statewide issues on which to run is a powerful start. The Democratic Legislature has received some very bad publicity of late, topped off with the Feds investigating the supposedly non-partisan Office of Legislative Services.
If we strongly state what we are for, rather than meekly what we're against, we can do this. Here is a list, not in any particular order, of some important issues:

• Property Taxes - Time to wrap up this issue. New Jersey has had the highest in the nation for far too many years, under both Republicans and Democrats. This issue calls for a hard look at school funding, as well as an elimination of duplication of municipal services. Creating another "rebate" for those who "qualify" after jumping through a fiery hoop, and which can be rescinded at any time doesn't cut it.
• School Funding - Goes hand in hand with property taxes. We can't keep funding education the way we do. This includes a reform or abolition of the so-called Abbott Districts. More is spent per student in these districts than in many upper-crust private schools, yet Johnny still can't read, let alone graduate. Nothing will change here either as long as the school monies are sent right into the hands of the urban Democratic machine bosses.
• Ethics - You can talk about ethics all you want, but, like gun control, if you're not going to enforce the laws already on the books, nothing's going to change. U. S. Attorney Chris Christie is doing a good job sending corrupt pols to jail, but he's the only one. The much-celebrated State Attorney General Stuart Rabner, appointed by the Bozo-coiffed Gov. Jon Corzine, has done little or nothing in that regard. The Legislature too must seriously police the ethics of its members, and drop the club atmosphere.
• Legal Reform - This issue covers a number of subcategories, including personal injury. Frivolous lawsuits, many by serial litigators, must be stopped, but this must not be tightened up to the point that we hurt legitimate people. This issue also includes judicial appointments. Although appointed by the governor, these positions are confirmed by the State Senate. There is no reason that the Senate should confirm any stiff the governor nominates. Having good, solid judges and justices, and not lightweights like Deborah "Because I Said So" Poritz, will go a long way towards cleaning up the legal system. It will also have a positive ripple effect in many other issues, too.
• Regulatory Reform - Overregulation is what keeps jobs out of New Jersey. Make no mistake, we are in competition with other states for businesses (= jobs). If we don't compete, we fall behind. Simple as that. It's already happening.
• Oppose Overdevelopment - And mean it. This goes back to property taxes. Towns go on a "ratable chase", supposedly to keep taxes stable. But it just becomes like climbing a mountain looking for the top when there is no top. Overdevelopment leads to...
• Eminent Domain - A hot button issue if there ever was one. Right here in Monmouth County is Long Branch, which is becoming a national poster child for eminent domain abuse. The arrogance of Democratic Mayor Adam Schneider on this issue just attracts more attention. Eminent domain was intended for public works like roads, bridges and parks. The abuse of the process to make rich developers richer only hurts the process when it is used for its intended purpose. Time for some reform here with teeth. Sharp teeth.

This list could go on and on. As I said above, we have a strong legislative team here in our Monmouth County districts, both incumbents and newcomers. Our team will only become stronger with strong stands on issues that are important to Monmouth County voters.

12th DISTRICT HEATING UP

This week has had a lot of activity with candidates announcing for State Senate and Assembly races here in Monmouth County. In the 12th District, Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck has made it official that she will oppose Democratic Sen. Ellen Kärcher for the senate seat. Beck, as the only GOP member of the 12th District legislative delegation, and there had been speculation for quite some time about her intentions.
Beck will be challenged in the June primary by Manalapan Township Committeeman Joseph Locricchio, who has opted not to participate in the Steering Committee process established by County Chairman Adam Puharic.
On the Assembly side, three people so far have filed letters of intent with Puharic. They are Little Silver Councilman Declan O'Scanlon, Jr., who narrowly lost by 65 votes to Democratic Assemblyman Michael Panter in 2005; Fair Haven Councilman Thomas Gilmour, and Caroline Casagrande of Colts Neck, who serves as Manalapan Township Attorney.

JEN BECK MAY CHALLENGE KÄRCHER

Today's (1/10/'07) APP reports that 12th District Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck may challenge Democratic Senator Ellen Kärcher this year.
While Beck has not decided on this, a senate run has been rumored since her election to the Assembly in 2005. Beck is the only Republican legislator in the 12th, and has been on many GOP activists' short list for a senate candidacy.

Beck, a native of Erie, Pa, is a Red Bank resident and served on the Red Bank Borough Council before serving in the Assembly.

BISHOP ON SCHOOL DISTRICTS

"Where’s the “Tax Revolt” like the one our founding fathers declared in the 1776 American Revolution?
"Rather than fight, taxpayers are heading south where government is much cheaper than New Jersey’s State, County and Municipal governments."
...Gordon Bishop.

Award-winning columnist Gordon Bishop has an interesting take on the 611 overlapping school districts here in New Jersey. There are only 566 municipalities in the state, meaning that there are 45 more school districts than there are towns!
Bishop explains the history behind how we got there.

APP SCOOPED!!!

UPDATE

Great Op-ed piece today (January 3, '07) by Chairman Adam Puharic. And where is Barbara McMorrow on all this??? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm?????

The staff at the Asbury Park Depress reads the Monmouth County Republican Blog, it's true. We have it on good authority that star reporter Bob "The Bald Avenger" Cullinane himself logs on frequently.
Over a week ago, this blog reported on the impending relocation of the Matawan Motor Vehicle Agency, Rebecca Aaronson, agent, to Hazlet's Airport Plaza Strip Mall, County Democratic Boss Victor Scudiery, owner. Aaronson is also Scudiery's vice chairman.
This past Wednesday, the APP finally reported on the subject. Five days after we ran the story. Today (Dec. 23, '06), they ran another article and an editorial critical of the move.
What were they waiting for?

A COURT GONE OUT OF BOUNDS

Assemblyman Michael Carroll writes about the New Jersey Supreme Court and its serial rewriting of the State Constitution. The Court, which often uses "because we said so" as the legal basis for its decisions, has been compared by some Republicans to the Soviet Politburo.
This is an ongoing problem in this state, and is an issue for all of our legislators to ponder. The State Senate votes to confirm all judicial appointments. With open senate seats in the 11th and 12th districts, GOP committee members should press potential candidates on where they stand on judicial appointments. Senators should not unquestioningly confirm every hack the governor sends down the pipeline.
It is important that the checks and balances of three co-equal branches of government are not disrupted by a rogue branch, in this case the judiciary.

TENANT FOUND FOR VACANT HAZLET STORE!

A vacant furniture store in Hazlet's Airport Plaza will be fallow no more. The state Motor Vehicle Commission, which has maintained an agency on Route 34 in Matawan for over 20 years, will be relocating to the Route 36 location in January.
Defeated former Democratic Freeholder candidate Rebecca Aaronson of Manalapan is the agent at that office.
It was not ascertained at press time whether Airport Plaza landlord and County Democratic Boss Victor Scudiery would receive rent payments for the space, or if he was letting it out of the goodness of his heart.

FARBER IS O - U - T!

Embattled state Attorney General Zulima V. Farber, an ally of Hudson County Democratic boss and appointed U. S. Senator Robert Menendez, resigned last evening effective August 31.
Farber is just part of a long string of embarassments coming out of the Democratic administration in Trenton.
Former Gov. James "Machiavelli" McGreevey, an embarassment himself, appointed Peter Harvey as Attorney General, replacing David Samson. Harvey was most notable for his apparent obliviousness to the whirl of political corruption around him and instead concentrated on such things as holding a hip-hop voter registration summit. Harvey served through the administrations of McGreevey and Richard Codey.
When the bozo-coiffed Gov. Jon Corzine took office, many Jerseyans were hopeful that he would appoint a bona-fide crimefighter to the office, in the mold of an Elliot Ness or Rudy Giuliani. Instead we got serial traffic scofflaw Farber.
Farber is a woman who is most at home going against the grain, and she soon became notable for her opposition to mandatory penalties for political corruption.
This past May, a man who sounds like a nursery-rhyme character, Hamlet Goore, whose name sounds like a nursery rhyme character, another serial traffic scofflaw who happens to be Farber's live-in boyfriend, was stopped by local police. The rest is well-known history.
The result of that motor vehicle stop was an investigation which found Farber guilty of three state ethics violations, leading to her resignation yesterday.
On September 1, First Assistant Attorney General Anne Milgram will take over as acting AG. Corzine says he will act fast to name a permanent replacement. Don't act fast, Governor. Don't act half - fast. Act smart. Don't screw it up a second time.

UH - OH

Today's Asbury Park Press reports that the Bozo-coiffed Governor Jon Corzine wants to study New Jersey Hospitals. This is the guy who tried to tax hospital beds $50.00 per day.

According to the article, "Corzine said he wants to form a hospital study commission similar to the one used by the federal government when deciding whether to close military bases."

Uh - oh.

Corzine's comparing apples and Brazil nuts here. A military base is a facility opened by and operated by the government. If it is determined to be obsolete by the government, it is then closed by the government. Hospitals, with some exceptions, are private institutions established to provide services on basis of need in a given area. Key word here is need. Need is why there isn't a Wharton Tract Hospital. While hospitals do receive state aid, our American system of medicine remains in the private sector. Much as Corzine and his hand-picked U. S. Senator Robert Menendez may wish otherwise, New Jersey is not a province of Canada yet.

The article also states, "The New Jersey Hospital Association says that 40 percent of the state's hospitals lost money last year and the average hospital earned a 1 percent profit."

Interesting. It would be very interesting to see how the influx of illegal aliens to New Jersey has contributed to that. The Press article does not mention that. California has lost at least 60 hospitals because of the financial impact of uninsured illegal aliens and their anchor babies. While here in New Jersey state aid goes toward treating the uninsured, the Press article was otherwise short on numbers. We certainly have enough native-born uninsured without importing more.

Closing a hospital may make sense to a roomful of bean counters like Corzine, until one of those bean counters finds he now has to travel 15 more miles to bring his grandmother to the ER. Maybe those bean counters need to concentrate more on making hospitals profitable.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with setting priorities on the distribution of state aid. That's actually a good thing. But we know all too often what happens when the long, hairy arm of government reaches into places where it doesn't belong.

I smell trouble here. This bears some watching.