Blue Jersey - Recent Diaries

Corzine wraps up his Obama campaign in Israel !

Cranbury Conservative — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:24:44 GMT

It is being reported on NJ.com that Governor Corzine is wrapping up his "Trade Mission" to Israel.

NJ.com reported that as part of the Governor's important "Trade Mission" he took part in the following...

"Corzine met and talked sports with Tal Brody, the Israeli basketball star who played at the University of Illinois where Corzine also played. New Jersey's top elected officials also test-drove a prototype electric car and planned to visit the Weizman Institute of Science before concluding his official visit."

Is this what our Governor should be doing while on his "Trade Mission" to Israel while back home New Jersey is bleeding Jobs?

On July 22, 2008 The Star Ledger reported that Hoffman-La Roche will be moving its headquarters from New Jersey to California which will cost New Jersey jobs

Then on July 16 The Star Ledger Reported BlackRock will close it's Plainsboro facility and move 1,200 jobs to Philadelphia.

Other Recent New Jersey Job losses include but are not limited to:

*Schering-Plough and Johnson & Johnson have been laying workers off

*Barr Pharmaceutical is being acquired by Pennsylvania based Teva Pharmaceutical which will likely cost New Jersey jobs

*Church and Dwight is closing its North Brunswick facility and moving its operations to York PA which will cost New Jersey 300 jobs

So while Governor Corzine is on his "Trade Mission" (off campaigning for Obama) in Israel, real people are loosing their Jobs here in New Jersey.

Keep up the good work Governor Corzine!

The entire NJ.com article reporting on Governor Corzine's "Trade Mission" can be found at:

http://www.nj.com/news/index.s...
Cranbury Conservative:
The Blog That Is Open Minded And Equal

Fixing a Broken Process in the 1st District

Martin — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:51:41 GMT

In politics, votes and support should be treated as a privilege to have, not a right, no matter how partisan a district or part of the country might be. As a resident of the 1st district and a Camden County Democrat, I'm concerned that we are treading a fine line that borders on taking the voters we serve for granted and subverting a democratic process for nominating Rob Andrews' replacement. On Blue Jersey, there have been multiple discussions about how this process needs to be completed, including one from last week; but as someone who lives in the district, volunteers for the Camden County Democrats, and is the incoming Haddonfield Democratic Club Vice President, I feel particularly invested in this congressional race and the tarnished image that the decision-making process leaves behind on our party. From my vantage, there is only one way to fix this broken process, though even this course of action would be imperfect.
First, in terms of timing, I think it somewhat fair to wait to name Rob Andrews' replacement, since he did declare his candidacy for U.S. senate five days from the deadline for getting signatures for his replacement for his house seat. Though there surely were individuals who wanted to run in his place in the district, it does seem somewhat understandable that the process was delayed to ensure fairness. But it has been over a month-and-a-half since the Democratic senate primary, and the question mark about whom to choose as the Democratic nominee for congress in the 1st still looms. With respect to those in the party who argue otherwise, having a few hundred committeemen and women choose the nominee simply isn't good enough; it promotes the idea of "insider" politics deciding whom would be the Democratic nominee, and it subverts a process that has already taken place.

The voters have already spoken, and Camille Andrews received something close to 85% of the vote, this despite running against two challengers, one of whom was endorsed by Progressive Democracy South Jersey. Clearly and overwhelmingly, voters supported her candidacy for congress, mostly because of goodwill towards the Andrews name because of Rob's strong work in Congress for the region and the state. Other candidates in the district have talent and attractiveness, but their strengths should be used elsewhere; Dana Redd, a first-term state senator, needs to remain a strong voice for Camden in the legislature. Stephen Sweeney should remain senate majority leader (and drop his freeholder bid, btw) and be a strong voice for South Jersey there; John Burzichelli, a reliable progressive voice, needs to wait his turn (and figure out which job, Mayor or Assemblyman, he wants to hold) and Donald Norcross should remain as a labor leader, not the congressional candidate. I personally know the Camille Andrews' team and can attest that her campaign manager, for example, is progressive and reform-minded - good Democrats, in other words.

Currently, we in the 1st district are losing voter confidence daily, something we worked so hard to earn in the early 1990s, when Republicans still held local CamCo state senate and freeholder seats. Though the process would still be imperfect if Camille Andrews were to remain as the congressional candidate, it would be completely broken if someone else were to be installed in her place on the November ballot.

Time for Some New Charts

carolh — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:33:21 GMT

Wow, it had to be this past week that my computer gave me all kinds of trouble.... Almost every day it was like a Christmas present getting my newspaper - what with all the stories about new subpeonas and investigations about my favorite topic - Joe Ferriero - Chairman of the BCDO. Last year I wrote here on Blue Jersey about the Clean up NJ movement started by LD37 Senator Weinberg and Assembly members Huttle and Johnson. Thanks to Oshrat Carmiel, Charles Stile, and Mike Kelly of the Record and now my personal hero - Thurman Hart of Blue Jersey and The Star Ledger, all of North Jersey knows what Joe Ferriero REALLY does for a living.

http://blog.nj.com/njv_thurman...

Joe Ferriero raked in MILLIONS of TAXPAYER dollars. No wonder that speech about having to eat stuffed peppers as a child at his re-election rang hollow. He is no public servant. He is no one's SERVANT. According to Thurman, he is the king of "greed, avarice, and stupidity".

I couldn't agree more.

The most amazing part of the Thurman's column, though is the dirty laundry list of just who ELSE profits from association with the PVSA.

Boy, is it ever piled high and deep at the Passaic Valley Sewerage Authority.....

To that end, I am on my way to the LD37 Breakfast at the Arena Diner, but I will be working on some brand new flow charts - give me a little time - this is going to get complicated............

NJ reps defend NJ against offshore drilling.... as if we had lots of oil offshore

FogerRox — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:49:47 GMT

"I will support a ban on oil and gas leases off our coast because of the risks they pose to our environment"
?I am strongly against any drilling or exploration off the New Jersey coast ...

Senator Dick Zimmer

Sounds like Dick Zimmer is saying we got oil in NJ, but he doesn't want to see that oil on NJ beaches. I'm curious Mr. Zimmer, do you think there is enough oil off New Jersey shore to even have a spill ? ?

Governor Corzine today called it deception to talk about offshore drilling as a solution to high prices at the pump because of the years it would take to issue leases, begin exploring, and then bring oil to the market.
Corzine also said more drilling would ?support a pattern of dependency on oil? and could destroy the state?s tourism economy if there were an oil spill offshore.
The Record.

Dude, what oil ? Its also deception to leave out the major mitigating factor in this debate.... where is the off shore oil in NJ?

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, U.S. Sens. Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez and Gov. Jon S. Corzine said a permanent ban is needed to protect the New Jersey shore,
1010 wins.

Protect NJ from what? Protect NJ from republicans ?
Offshore Minerals Management doesn't even list an east coast link. The U.S. Minerals Management Service doesn't list NJ as a Energy producing coastal state.

Clean Ocean Action says
- Currently, there are no oil and gas leases in existence off the Mid-Atlantic Coast (from Block Island, RI to Cape lHatteras, South Carolina), for good reason. Studies show that there is not much oil or gas available.

Discovered in 1967, Prudhoe Bay oil field in Alaska initially held 12 billion barrels of oil, & has more oil left, 4 billion, then all the oil off the east coast.

Off shore Alaskan oil fields have 6 times more oil left...that the entire east coast has.

The Gulf of Mexico's outer continental shelf has 10 times more oil than the east coast has.

SF Chronical

Most companies do not consider the Atlantic continental shelf to hold rich reserves of oil,
NYT

The north west corner of ANWR is said to be home to 2 to 11 billion barrels of oil, not a lot of oil in the larger scheme of things. Oil companies hold 68 million acres in leases, estimated to contain 100 billion barrels of oil, enough to nearly double domestic oil production, and increase natural gas production by 75%. Three quarters of those 68 million acres lie idle. The Interior Department has estimated 18 billion barrels of oil can be pulled from waters off the U.S. coast that are currently off limits.
But in existing leases there are 100 billion barrels.
Lets not be distracted by discussions about these small oil fields, the oil companies will make more profit from developing the larger fields. Infrastructure is needed, oil pipelines, natural gas pipelines, LNG terminals, etc. Even at todays $130 per barrel prices these small oil fields with medium and heavy grade crudes often lie in rock that is less porous, the oil flows slower, and the price is not worth it.
An example of this is the Badami field in Alaska. Production at Badami started in 1998, production peaked at 5000 barrels per day BP shut the well down in 2003 when production had dropped to 1350 per day.
The field went into production in August 1998 but proved to be a bust as production from its seven wells tailed off sooner than expected.
"Badami's oil-bearing rocks are highly fractured and compartmentalized, preventing oil from flowing freely, said BP spokesman Daren Beaudo".
Source.
More on Badami from British Petroleum.

BP began producing from Badami in August 1998, and expected to be at rates of more than 10,000 barrels per day by that fall. In October 1998, however, production was only at 4,000-5,000 bpd from eight reservoir penetrations. Production dropped to 1,350 bpd in early 2003, and production was suspended and the field put into warm shutdown.
The oil at Badami has been described as occurring in channels or fingers, and Bill Bredar, Badami subsurface manager, said in that same 1997 interview that of the compartmentalized channels identified, about 10 would be targeted initially. He characterized the reservoir as ?channelized areas. They?re multiple channels that are kind of stacked up. And we are targeting these ... amalgamated channels.?
The depositional environment, Bredar said, was a turbidity current: sands, clays and muds piled up at the bottom of an underwater shelf following an event like an earthquake.
The sand holds oil, but unfortunately there?s a lot more mud than sand, Bredar said.
Another complexity at Badami is the range of oil gravity from 19 degrees to 29 degrees API.
Source.

In the US offshore oil is found in Alaska, The Gulf of Mexico and California. Not NJ. On that basis alone I am positive that New Jersey's beaches are very safe. There is simply no reason to even talk about drilling offshore here in NJ.

Affordable Housing in New Jersey: More of our taxes wasted...

Cranbury Conservative — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:38:37 GMT

It is being reported in various media outlets the Meadowlands Commission will be assisting Communities in the Meadowlands with addressing the Council on Affordable Housing's new rules which went into effect on June 2nd of this year as well as the New Affordable Housing Legislation which was signed by Governor Jon Corzine on July 18, 2008.

"To help assist municipalities with new regulations, the Meadowlands Commission has created an affordable housing task force, which will include local officials and members of the public to assist in the process. Additionally, the commission has set aside up to $45,000 for each Meadowlands municipality to assist in creating a plan for affordable housing in their borough."

"What we're trying to do here is determine what the obligation is and where to put (affordable housing), very specifically to good planning principles," said Robert Ceberio, the Meadowlands commission's executive director. "Planning principles mean close to rail lines, close to bus lines and existing infrastructure."

How is it fair the Meadowlands commission can give away $45,000 of our tax dollars to towns located in their region to help them plan and evaluate the impact of these new rules and regulations and other suburban towns do not have the same access to these funds?

In my opinion this is just another example of how unjust and unfair these new rules and regulations are to the suburban taxpayers of New Jersey. This is also shows how costly these new rules and regulations are and will be to the taxpayers of New Jersey. Finally it is also demonstrates more waste of our tax dollars in Trenton.

Hopefully everyone is as outraged as I am about this latest development in the fight against COAH and Affordable Housing Legislation in New Jersey.

The entire article can be found at:
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/...

My Blog:
http://cranburyconservative.bl...
The Blog That Is Open-Minded and Equal

Chris Myers hates Blogs and the Constitution

Jay Lassiter — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:19:46 GMT

Chris Myers is the GOP candidate in NJ-3rd Congressional district. Given his lackluster fundraising thus far, you can forgive him for being a little cranky. But his outright contempt for the progressive Netroots even caught me by surprise.

Myers seeks to trivialize the Netroots as:

Radical, liberal bloggers who spew angry partisan tirades from the safety of their home computer.

Myers is peeved at his Democratic rival John Adler's description of bloggers as "citizen soldiers in terms of activism" in the video below.

Myers goes on:

"These radical liberal bloggers are in no way, shape or form "soldiers," and referring to them in that way is an affront to the brave men and women in uniform fighting to defend our freedoms around the globe."

Myers singles out dKos and BlueJersey by name which is particularly rich since the founder of Daily Kos is a Veteran and BlueJersey had a Vets voice on the front page since day one!

Myers thinks we're a bunch of unpatriotic pajama warriors, huh? So much for free political speech, right Chris?

Let's all show Chris Myers what we're really about and send him a punitive shout out at the same time by donating to Adler on ActBlue.

Feel free to crosspost far and wide. I know I will!

Christie's Probe of Katz May Cause Him More Harm than Good

mikeshapiro — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:36:50 GMT

The conventional wisdom is that the recently announced federal probe into the dealings of former Corzine friend, Carla Katz, with the local CWA which she had led, will score United States Attorney Chris Christie political points with Republicans, Independents, and some anti-Corzine Democrats. Governor Corzine has been battling to keep emails between Katz and himself from becoming public and Katz is already under investigation by the national CWA for alleged improper conduct. Christie's federal investigation promises more negative Katz headlines, more unfavorable publicity for the Governor, and positive publicity for Mr. Christie. However, Mr. Christie's possible gubernatorial ambitions may actually be undermined by this probe.
Should Christie declare for Governor, it would be awkward indeed for a gubernatorial candidate to have been investigating the former girlfriend of the Governor he is trying to unseat. Should there be leaks of the investigation, particularly the leak of any salacious details regarding Ms. Katz, Christie will open himself up to attacks for inappropriately politicizing the Katz investigation for his own advantage. Should Christie be tough on Katz, he again leaves himself open to being portrayed as an opportunistic politician in the guise of a lawman. Conversely, should he facilitate a deal with her, it will also be seen as politically expedient to have investigated and punished the Governor's former girlfriend prior to the gubernatorial campaign.

Meanwhile, Christie's investigation may strike a nerve among female voters in the State. Katz is ambitious, hard-working, and has done well attempting to lead in a traditionally male dominated occupation. Christie's probe may cause women voters to rally to her cause in a manner similar to the way women voters rallied to Hillary Clinton's side during the presidential primary against Barack Obama. Particularly in a blue state like New Jersey, Christie can't afford to anger over 50% of the electoral base.

While many see Chris Christie's investigation of Katz as a boon to his political future, the U.S. Attorney would be wise to tread very carefully during the probe and make sure that no information regarding the investigation is leaked to the media. He also must be careful to provide the same treatment to Katz as he has given to other allegedly corrupt officials. Should he veer even slightly off the track during the Katz probe, he will face a formidable, calculated, and well-funded public effort to target him and his possible future gubernatorial run.

Where in the world is Jon Corzine ???

Cranbury Conservative — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:13:51 GMT

It was reported yesterday on NJ.com that Governor Jon Corzine is in Israel this week for what is being called a "Trade Mission".

The article on NJ.com States the following concering Governor Corzine's visit to Israel...

"Corzine is crisscrossing the Middle Eastern country primarily to drum up more economic connections for New Jersey"

This visit coincidentally comes at the same time Senator and Presidential hopeful Barack Obama is on his world tour which happens to take him to Israel as well. Is this really a coincidence? Or is Jon Corzine's "Trade Mission" really just a cover so that he may leave New Jersey during these difficult times to campaign abroad for Barack Obama? Is this just another example of Governor Corzine positioning himself for a spot in Washington if Senator Obama does indeed win the Presidency?

Its really is hard not to ask these questions since the Governor has not shown a real interest in solving the many issues that face New Jerseys taxpayer's theses days. From the highest property taxes in the country to a State budget that is larger then Pennsylvania's, a state that has almost 4 million more residents then New Jersey.

I guess in the end maybe we are better off if Governor Corzine is out campaigning for Senator Obama, because if Obama does win then maybe, just maybe we can look forward to a Governor in office that cares about the taxpayers of New Jersey and will work for them and not against them.

So where in the work is Jon Corzine?

The entire article on NJ.com can be found at:
http://www.nj.com/news/index.s...

http://cranburyconservative.bl...
The Cranbury Conservative:

The Blog That Is Open-Minded And Equal

Chris Myers does a lateral on Iraq

Jay Lassiter — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:51:32 GMT

The economy and Iraq.

It's all anyone's ~~talking~~ blogging about these days (all across the political spectrum.) At least we can agree on one thing: Iraq = expensive.

So what's Chris Myers' plan to get us out? Click to find out.

McCain Censored by the New York times...

Cranbury Conservative — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:13:14 GMT

FoxNews is reporting the New York Times declined to run an Op-Ed piece by Senator John McCain this past weekend just days after it ran a similar Op-Ed for Senator Barack Obama.

On their Web Site FoxNews is also reporting that Times op-ed editor David Shipley wrote the campaign via an e-mail and said...

"I?d be very eager to publish the senator on the op-ed page. However, I?m not going to be able to accept this piece as currently written. I?d be pleased, though, to look at another draft. Let me suggest an approach"

This appears to be another example of media bias in this country in which Barack Obama is given free reign to say what he wants without challenge from the media as well as unfair and unequal coverage of his campaign versus that of Senator McCain.

It would be nice to see all of the media be open minded and equal and not censor candidates with whom they do not agree. Maybe the rest of the media can be a little bit more like FoxNews and allow many points of view with out being censored?

FoxNews Report of Senator McCains Censorship can be found at:

http://elections.foxnews.com/2...

http://cranburyconservative.bl...
The Blog From Cranbury New Jersey That is Open-Minded And Equal

Hil asks: Can Women Afford 4 More of McBush?

denniscmcgrath — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:10:11 GMT

Here's a little eye-opener in case there are any pumas still lurking about in various crevasses 'round here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

So, we see in this op-ed by Hillary that as one of its final acts, the Bush administration is trying to make simple contraception unavailable to many women. Nice. Now, Hillary surely isn't suggesting that four years of John McCain will help the women of America preserve their rights to control their own bodies ...

There aren't supposed to be any pumas in North America - Dick Smothers told me that himself - and so I'm hoping, with a few more not-too-very surprising parting gifts from the Bush administration, and a few more spirited challenges to same by Sen. Clinton and other leaders in the House and Senate, we'll see a lot less stories about which 'hillraiser' is leaning McCain and a lot more about how party unity is mighty attractive ...

From The Primary To The New Yorker In a Month!

downfromnj — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:09:03 GMT

I never thought that campaigning would be so exciting. My name is E.J. Fagan, Providence College class of '09 from Ramsey, and I'm a volunteer intern for Dennis Shulman's campaign. I joined up in the middle of May, the day after my last final. From the moment I arrived, I've been locked into a high-stakes roller coaster ride that I could never have imagined would happen.

I've always been told that voters in my district were apathetic. Campaigns in the 5th aren't supposed to be propelled by grassroots energy. They're supposed to garner no media attention, raise no money, and ultimately fail to the well-financed Republicans. We're proving that wrong at every step.

During the primary, I watched our army of 100+ canvassers go door-to-door to convince their neighbors to vote for Dennis Shulman. I didn't sleep much at all during the week leading up to the primary, but I was able to function off of adrenaline and excitement. We knocked on thousands of doors, planted thousands of yard signs, and spent every day engaging in good old-fashion retail politics at train stations, bagel shops, and street corners.

Since we won, things have only picked up pace. Our office now buzzes with the presence of more than a dozen full-time interns, and a constant stream of volunteers. Because we believe that Dennis's message is best spread by real people speaking with their neighbors in their own words, we're building the best field operation that this district has ever seen. And people are taking notice! On top of the outpouring of interest from local people and media, our hard work culminated this weekend when we were featured in not one but two full-length articles in TIME magazine and The New Yorker - on the same weekend!

E.J. Fagan
Intern, Shulman for Congress

"Blind since his childhood, Dennis Shulman graduated from Brandeis with honors, has a Ph.D. from Harvard, is a nationally recognized psychologist, a published author, and was ordained as a Reform rabbi in 2003. Not exactly an underachieve, but Shulman has set himself the challenge of becoming the first Rabbi ever to serve in Congress - and the first blind congressman since 1935."

"Nationwide political sentiment is not kind to Republicans, right now, and in Shulman Garrett faces an adversary unlike any he has previously bested. Bolstered by voter dissatisfaction and his compelling life story, Shulman has already raised more money by June 30 than the last Democratic candidate amassed over the entire 2006 campaign - and the national party leaders are paying attention."

http://www.time.com/time/natio...

"Shulman makes few concessions to his blindness; he uses a device that instantly translates Web sites and e-mail into Braille and audio. And he recognizes that the novelty of his candidacy helps draw attention. There has never been a rabbi in Congress, and its last blind members left office in 1941. Not long ago, Shulman received an encouraging phone call from David Paterson, the governor of New York, who is also visually impaired. "We agreed that there should be a conspiracy by the blind to take over all levels of government," Shulman said."

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/...

It's Official: Aid To States Will Be Part of Second Economic Stimulus Plan

Marc Abanto — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:32:35 GMT

Cross posted at myDD

Perhaps we are seeing a dim light at the end of a tunnel. The Wall Street Journal (subscription only) reported last week that aid to states will be included in a second economic stimulus bill of at least $50 billion:

The general consensus, among people including former Clinton administration officials Lawrence Summers and Alan S. Blinder, was that checks for individuals and additional government spending would help boost the economy, stem job loss and alleviate the pain of higher prices that people are paying for food and gas.

Thankfully Congress seems to finally be coming to terms with what we all have known for a long time now; that the health of the national economy is reliant on the health of the state economies. Speaker Pelosi brings home this point in getting into the finer points of what the bill will entail:

Along with rebates and spending on infrastructure projects, Ms. Pelosi said other possible proposals under consideration are help for states with their share of costs in the Medicaid health program for the poor. Some form of state aid is likely to be included, as Democrats said they are concerned that states, to balance their budgets, will cut programs or increase taxes in ways that would further slow the economy.

Newsflash, this has been happening for the last 5 months as states attempted to balance their budgets. The legislation isn't expected in the House until September, but I am thankful that Senator Reid and the Democratic leadership took the time to make sure the stimulus package would address the right needs. The question now is whether we should be saying "better late than never" or "too little too late."

A Suburban Taxpayers view of A-500: FACT VS. FICTION?

Cranbury Conservative — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:04:17 GMT

Below I have taken the New Jersey Assembly Democrats "Facts" which I consider Fiction and added what I consider to the be the real Facts for the suburban taxpayers of New Jersey.

Fact: A-500 will add a huge financial burden to the middle class taxpayers of New Jersey and works hand in hand with COAH's third round rules to add additional costs to an already unfair and unbalanced affordable housing system in New Jersey.

Fiction (New Jersey Assembly Democrats say): "COAH's revised third-round regulations are entirely separate from A-500 and were not voted on by the Legislature. COAH's latest rules increased the affordable housing ratios from one affordable unit for every eight market-rate units to one affordable unit for every four market-rate units for residential construction and from one affordable unit for every 25 jobs created to one affordable unit for every 16 jobs created for nonresidential construction. These ratios were adopted by COAH in early June 2008 and are unrelated to A-500."

Fact: A-500 will add additional bureaucracy through a new State Agency called the State Housing Commission which will then administer the new affordable housing trust fund which will acquire its funding through a 2.5% tax on New Jersey Business development. According to many experts this new tax on New Jersey business will not be enough to cover new affordable housing costs which will then burden already financially stressed suburban communities to make up the difference. As a result A-500 adds unfair and unneeded taxes all while growing the size of State Government.

Fiction (New Jersey Assembly Democrats say): "A-500 will make development costs more manageable and predictable than the current COAH framework. Currently, developer fees are negotiated on a town-by-town basis, and can add as much as 10 percent to the cost of a project. Such fees threaten to impede economic development across the state. That is why A-500 implements a flat, statewide 2.5 percent fee. According to the Office of Legislative Services, this fee is expected to generate approximately $164 million annually."

Fact: Through this new legislation the New Jersey Democrats have pandered to the Home Builders of New Jersey, Local Trade Unions, and other special interest groups all at great cost to the middle class suburban tax payers of New Jersey. Any new fees and estimates which are used to calculate a towns "Fair Share" and "Cost" is unrealistic and the numbers used have no merit and leave local municipalities with no option other then costly litigation at this time to fight this unjust legislation.

Fiction (New Jersey Assembly Democrats say): "Municipalities have a multitude of options at their disposal to meet their affordable housing obligations, many of which cost a town little or no money. By offering density bonuses and increased set asides, towns can make it possible for private developers to completely subsidize the cost of constructing significant numbers of affordable housing units. Municipalities also can extend expiring affordability controls on already existing affordable housing, at little or no cost. Moreover, COAH offers a package of bonus credits to towns for a variety of housing units, including previously constructed projects. It is estimated that roughly $150 million derived from developer fees sits idle in municipal affordable housing trust funds statewide. Towns can use this money to "buy down" for-sale, market rate units - a process that can cost as little as $20,000 per unit, substantially less than the cost of constructing an entirely new home. Accessory apartments - such as those over a garage or in the ground-floor of a house - also count toward a town's COAH obligation and can cost as little as $20,000 per unit, too."

Fact: The new A-500 legislation goes against years of smart growth and planning by suburban municipalities in which farm and open space preservation have been achieved.

Fiction (New Jersey Assembly Democrats say): "A-500 recognizes that certain regions of the state may not be right for high-density development. Under A-500, municipalities located in the Highlands, Pinelands, Meadowlands, and Fort Monmouth and Atlantic City areas will be able to coordinate to provide affordable housing based upon regional concerns. This will allow the proper balance to be struck with regard to environmental considerations and accessibility to public transportation."

Fact: The A-500 legislation does way with Regional Contribution Agreements which have allowed suburban municipalities to achieve smart growth and allow for open space preservation all while at the same time sending affordable housing dollars to where they are needed. By sending affordable housing dollars to the urban areas of New Jersey where people with affordable housing would have access to mass transportation and access to jobs in areas served by mass transportation.

Fiction (New Jersey Assembly Democrats say): "A-500 will codify COAH's vacant land adjustment, which allows towns with a lack of available, developable land to have their affordable housing obligations lowered. COAH regulations currently allow towns to apply for a vacant land adjustment. Memorializing the vacant land adjustment in state law will ensure this tool will continue to assist towns in complying with their obligations. COAH also offers towns the option of applying for durational adjustments, which temporarily absolve towns of affordable housing obligations based on insufficient water and sewer until such infrastructure becomes available."

Fact: A-500 was ONLY supported by the Democratic Party of New Jersey and their political supporters, specifically Trade Unions, Builders, lobbyists and Democratic Party operatives all who will all have personal financial gain through this legislation.

Fiction (New Jersey Assembly Democrats say): "A-500 was actively supported by a diverse coalition of mayors, realtors and developers, building and construction trade unions, faith-based organizations, housing advocates, environmentalists, planners, and the business community. All of these groups realized the importance of policy that reinforces the constitutional responsibility of towns to comply with their affordable housing obligations. Equally as important, these stakeholders realized the benefit sound housing policy could have for growing the state's economy and creating good jobs."

Fact: A-500 in combination with the new COAH third round rules place impossible to obtain affordable housing goals on the suburban municipalities of New Jersey. Further the Democratic Leadership in New Jersey intends to fast track all obligations to be settled by December 31, 2008 in an effort to force the suburban municipalities of New Jersey to comply.

Fiction (New Jersey Assembly Democrats say): "A-500 recognizes that many municipalities have been assigned unrealistic affordable housing obligations under COAH's revised third round rules. That is why the codification of the vacant land adjustment is essential to giving COAH and municipalities the tools they need to manage the impact of the revised third-round rules. "

Fact: A-500 and COAH's third round rules go against all smart growth plans which the State of New Jersey has developed to this point in time.

Fiction (New Jersey Assembly Democrats say): "DCA Commissioner Doria has launched an important effort to revise the State Plan. One of the primary goals of the State Plan is to reconcile differences and conflicts in DCA and DEP regulations, particularly as they relate to the construction of housing and waste-water rules. A draft plan is expected to be unveiled in September, with six public hearings to be held throughout October and November, and final adoption by the State Planning Commission this December. "

Fact: A-500 is a mandate from the Democratic party of New Jersey which will not be changed unless challenged through the court systems at great cost to the taxpayers first from the cost to their suburban municipalities and then as a double whammy then these same suburban taxpayers are forced to foot the states legal bills.

Fiction (New Jersey Assembly Democrats say): "The administration and Assembly and Senate leadership will hold a series of meetings over the coming months with key stakeholders to receive input on round-three concerns. Together, we will address concerns without comprising the constitutional obligation that every town has to provide affordable housing."

(Fiction Source: New Jersey Assembly Democrats New Release from,

http://www.politickernj.com/js...
From my Blog: The Cranbury Conservative - The Blog the is Open Minded and Equal

NJ-5: Dennis Shulman featured in Time Magazine!

mconvente — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 02:43:32 GMT

It appears our good friend and NJ-5 Democratic candidate Dennis Shulman has a nice article written about him in Time Magazine. It's very positive and displays the great qualities about Dennis that we at Blue Jersey have come to love.
The main focus is of Dennis being a rabbi, as detailed in the title of the article. It also touches on the "change" theme being embraced by the Obama campaign and many Democratic challengers across the nation. Though the realities of a tough race against Garrett are noted, there are some positive trends in my hometown district:

A self-described mainstream Democrat, Shulman is "outraged" by the direction in which the Bush Administration has taken the country. And despite Garret's advantages of incumbency, he believes he has a decent chance of unseating the Republican. According to his campaign's internal polling, the district has caught the "change" bug: 69% of the district thinks the country is on the wrong track, and even Republican voters overwhelmingly disapprove of President Bush's performance. According to the Shulman numbers, the district's lopsided Republican-to-Democrat registration notwithstanding, an equal number of voters plan to vote Republican (39%) as plan to vote Democrat (39%).

Perhaps the best part about the article is how it frames issues that are important to voters of the 5th district (SCHIP, healthcare, energy policy, among others) as moral imperatives, a theme Shulman has used in his campaign, and with much clout as a rabbi.

Win or lose, Shulman, who runs a Sabbath morning discussion group at his synagogue (currently they're dissecting the Book of Job), views entering the political race as an ethical imperative. He often frames issues such as universal healthcare and energy policy in moral terms, and adopts an almost righteous anger when discussing Garrett's positions on social welfare programs such as SCHIP and Head Start.

There are a myriad of religious voters in this district, especially in the western part, which encompasses Sussex and Warren counties. In order to have a serious chance at winning, Shulman must appeal to these voters, and framing the issues as moral causes seems to be the way to captivate their attention. The last few candidates (Anne Sumers, Anne Wolfe, and Paul Aronsohn) have all been from Bergen County, and as we've seen Bergen County cannot alone deliver the 5th, especially since Garrett's hometown is Wantage, which is in Sussex County. I'd like to know how the Shulman campaign is working for voters in the western part of the 5th.

Overall, a very nice feature on our great candidate for New Jersey's 5th district, and hopefully we can get this on the national scene. Most voters in the 5th are low-information, which is seemingly why they keep electing Garrett over mostly moderate Democrats the past few years. If this race gets more national attention, perhaps finally a lot more voters will know Garrett's horrendous and out-of-touch record for New Jersey.

**Link for article**
http://www.time.com/time/natio...

A Visit to " Blue" ? Va.

firstamend07 — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:04:13 GMT

Not to far to our South a continuation of an amazing turnaround is occuring that will alter National Politics for quite a few years . Virginia is turning Blue! Not Jersey blue by any means but a nice shade of pastel blue.

Having just returned and having seen Obama campaign commercials airing like it was October and seeing that their Senate race might bring another Democrat to Washington I quickly understood that Virginia might soon be leaving the " south" politically and joining us as a moderate middle atlantic state.

The conservative rural areas are not keeping pace with the Democratic leaning Northern Va. areas while at the same time the City of Richmond and the area surrounding the City is drawing a younger, more affluent,moderate population.

Even the large military areas around Norfolk are slightly losing their " reddish shade" .

Obama has a real shot to win this State and that would be an amazing feat. It would totally screwup all the electoral vote counting. I know he has the money but I hope he has the people on the ground and on the Internet to make it work.

I am not aware of even fledgling Progressive Web sites operating in Virginia but it might be time for a void to be filled.

You can't tell too much about a whole State in a week but politically Virginia is definitely moving closer to Pa. then it is to any of its Southern Brethen.

From what I saw, that State is seriously " in play" and might benefit from outside help.

So if you know any Virginians let them know that we welcome them with open Progressive arms!

Oh to be out there talking to voters....

Tom Wyka — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:42:18 GMT

... Instead of spending every evening, weekend, and a few "extended" lunch hours dialing for dollars. Talking to folks that are tight this year because of the economy - if you were counting on them for small donations ... or have already dropped a pretty penny on Obama, or "competitive" races, if you were targeting them for larger donations.

But that's the political system that we put up with, year after year. One built on three and four figure dollar-a-plate dinners. One fueled by incessant phoning to the deep pockets by the folks that we sent to D.C. to actually mind the store, or the challengers that aspire to unseat them, and the cycle continues.

It certainly might sound like sour grapes for a candidate like myself, but in reality, it's sour grapes for the entire electorate. Except for the staunchest Libertarians and Cato aficionados, who are now mobilizing to add their voice to the conservative bullhorn with groups with Orwellian-sounding names (shocker there), most of the public thinks there's a problem with the influence of money in politics, that dollars do not necessarily follow good ideas like they do in the market place.

Bill Moyer put it very eloquently (as expected) when I met him last weekend... if money is the equivalent of free speech, then the poor have lockjaw.

Those who recognize the root of our problem with regard to a responsive government long for a day when our democracy is about ideas and not dollars, as JerseyGator laments in his post here.

We're not that far away. You can take it back. There are bipartisan bills pending for federal clean and fair elections from the White House to the "People's House" (or what we would like to call it again).

I'll be proud to co-sponsor these efforts and pass on a better political system to the next generation - but you can add your voice today to take buy back your democracy, whether your incumbent is a Dem or GOP. Click here.

Thanks,
Tom Wyka
Democratic Candidate NJ-11

Free Speech and Loathing in New Jersey, Part II

Deborah Jacobs, ACLU-NJ Executive Director — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:52:58 GMT

This is part two of a situational series about the city of Newark's blockades to free speech. (Part one is here.)

Last night on WBGO, Mayor Cory Booker assured listeners that free speech rights are safe and sound in Newark and that the recently passed city ordinance affecting free speech rights in the city explicitly excepts First Amendment activities from the burdens of permits and fees.

I wish this were the case.
While I don't doubt the mayor's belief in freedom of speech (having exercised it himself quite a bit), it's beyond my comprehension why he hasn't gotten the house in order when it comes to his citizens' fundamental protest rights. The ACLU-NJ has been forced to expend significant time and effort just to secure our clients' basic protest rights.

Some of you will recall the ACLU-NJ's Kafkaesque four-plus years of ongoing litigation against the city for putting up illegal roadblocks to people's protests and demonstrations, like requiring anyone who wants to hold a rally to purchase $1,000,000 worth of liability insurance.

We recently resolved that case, but just as it came to a close, the city passed a new ordinance which, although intended to address the costs of community events like the Portuguese Festival, also established at least three new unconstitutional barriers to free speech:

- It requires a permit for any free speech activity, rather than following the previous standard of requiring permits only for activities that call for the closure of a street or sidewalk.

- It requires groups engaging in First Amendment activities to pay a percentage of the costs for police and other services associated with the activity. The city will absorb the costs for incorporated 501c3 groups, but absorbing some of the costs doesn't cut it. Providing police services for citizens exercising First Amendment rights is simply a cost of running a democracy - something our tax dollars already cover. If you charge people for engaging in free speech activities then the speech is no longer free, and only people with financial means have the right to political expression. Moreover, most of the groups we have represented on free speech cases are not incorporated as 501c3 groups; they're just people exercising their right to speak out.

- It requires 60-day notice for all activities requiring a permit. Although it makes an exception of requiring five days' notice for free speech activities in response to "an event that is not anticipated," it is unclear what the notice requirement is for free speech activities that are anticipated. In other words, protest organizers may have to give 60 days' notice to hold a general rally against police brutality or the war in Iraq, and protest organizers of a march in response to the death of the 5,000th soldier dying in Iraq have to give five days notice. Those of us who have engaged in political or grassroots activities know that organizing doesn't usually take place on these unworkable, unreasonable and unnecessary time frames. Also, although there is an appeals process for permit denials, it appears that it must be received seven days before the event, which means there's no appeal for the denial of a permit on a five-day application. The right policy would be to require 48 hours for any free speech activity.

While the intent of the ordinance may not have been to infringe upon free speech rights, given the city's history of poor policy implementation we can't allow an unconstitutional ordinance to remain on the books. The ACLU-NJ
sent a letter to the city asking for revisions to the policy. In the meantime, groups are still experiencing roadblocks to their right to free expression in Newark. In May the New Jersey Industrial Union Council tried to obtain a permit for a health care rally in Washington Park. The organization was told that its rally was not protected free speech because no one was technically "marching." Rather, the city of Newark labeled its public education efforts as a "fair," which would require insurance. Once again, lawyers had to intervene to get it straightened out.

How hard is it to - once and for all - put a good policy in place and educate city hall workers on how it should be applied?

In light of the mayor's pledged support for free speech activities in the city, and the extent of problems people have encountered, he needs to be held accountable for leadership when it comes to free speech in the city. This includes seeing the new ordinance revised with the language the ACLU-NJ has provided, ensuring that all forms used by the city for permits are accurate, clear and constitutional, and training city hall staff to actually implement city policies relating to free speech.

Our attorneys are meeting with city attorneys next Wednesday. If that meeting doesn't result in an agreement to revise the ordinance and train city hall workers, I just might just hold a protest. If I submit my permit today, then I have 60 days to save my money to pay for it.

Sexual Harrassment in NJ Firehouse???

Nick Lento — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:51:12 GMT

Last night the local NYC Fox News affiliate aired an investigative piece on a court case in which it is alleged that a senior officer of the North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue, Charles Severino, sexually harassed a new firefighter, Michael Stoecker, on his first day on the job.

The video is fairly self explanatory.

In the realm of local television news an original five minute investigative piece is a rarity.

Kudos to Emmy Award winning reporter John Deutzman for picking up on this story and taking the time to actually be "fair and balanced"! (This may be a first for Fox News; though it is in a local arena, and the Hudson County Democratic Organization surely deserves all the scrutiny that can be mustered. ;-)

My prediction: the court will find that this legal action be permitted to continue. We shall see.

It's a shame that there were no investigative reporters in New Jersey's print media willing or able to do a thorough ongoing report on this story.

If these allegations are true, then we have not just a single incident of a creepy bully being a criminal asshole; but of institutionalized/systemic corruption ( i.e. cover up) governing the running of a major fire department in a major population center of our state.

If there is any justice this case will be one of the "loose threads" that begins to unravel the foul feculent fabric of corruption that binds and blinds the spirit of common human decency in Hudson County politics.

An interesting embedded youtube video below the fold...
Here's some footage of a reporter asking NHRFR management some questions on a few aspects of this case. Clearly this all needs to go to court where people will be forced to submit to sworn testimony and cross examination if they wish to testify.

This is the continuation of the prior press conference, apologies for the incomplete and abrupt end, but I'm sure you'll get the idea...

More to come...

Howard Dean's midday rally at Netroots Nation

mitch — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:40:59 GMT

Part 1

Part 2

Enjoy Blue Jerseyians !