Christie Watch

Chris Christie's Endorsement Power

2011-12-27T10:26:00.004-05:00

For whatever reason there are some people in the political world who believe that you need to know who they support so that you can make the wise (in their mind) decision and follow their lead. Some call that a political endorsement.

I call that arrogance and an insult to your intelligence as a voter.

Chris Christie has thrown his support behind Mitt Romney in the GOP race for the 2012 Presidential nomination.

Camp Romney welcomed this endorsement by Christie with open arms. (Yeah, wide open.) That has lead to talk about Christie leaving New Jersey in the rear view mirror and heading to Washington and the national stage as either Vice-President or Attorney General is Mitt Romney were to be elected President.

If I were Romney, I wouldn't count on a Christie endorsement as a driving force to push him across the finish line. Let's look at a couple of Christie's other endorsements.

Chris Christie Backs Delaware GOP Senate Candidate Mike Castle Over Tea Party Favorite Christine O'Donnell

The result? O'Donnell won the GOP nomination.

NJ Governor Chris Christie says Jets will whip Giants in battle of the Meadowlands

The final score? Giants 29 and the Jets 14.

As a sidenote, Christie has also strong armed most of the GOP in Trenton to jump through the Romney hoop and declare their support. Fortunately not all are blindly following this Christie Commandment. Assembly members Alison Littell McHose and Michael Patrick Carroll have yet to publicly endorse any of the GOP Presidential candidates.

However, Christie's endorsement of Mitt Romney does help clarify the question of just how dominant the RINO gene in Christie actually is.

A Confused Chris Christie

2011-10-19T10:43:00.003-04:00

It's bad enough when Chris Christie talks before he thinks (and his druids applaud his every utterance). But when he channels what Obama says about something, where does that put his so-called Conservative standing?

He's equating a movement that believes in everything the U.S. Constitution preserves and protects (The Tea Party) with a group of mongrels who encourage anti-social behavior, the destruction of America's historic systems and promote violence.

Chris Christie Channels Obama On Occupy Wall Street

Chris Christie The Great Conservative Presidential Hope?

2011-09-26T14:34:00.000-04:00

The latest GOP Presidential candidate debate once again brought to the surface a new tradition. That’s the sudden increase in reports that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is reconsidering a run for the 2012 GOP Presidential nomination. The timing of these “leaks” leads one to suspect that they’re done on purpose by Christie flunkies in order to keep their boss in the spotlight. These “leaks” also timed well with Christie’s national speech tour this past week.

While many dismiss all of this as ego feeding, there are those who say that Chris Christie is the winning ticket for Republicans in 2012. This voice is primarily made up of the northeast republican establishment and many former members of the George W. Bush administration. Their claims are that Chris Christie is the conservative who would unite the party establishment and the Tea Party while attracting independents.

Conservative?

Chris Christie?

Are we talking about the same Chris Christie who has more people on his staff earning one hundred thousand dollars a year or more than former Governor Jon Corzine had?

Are we talking about the same Chris Christie who nominated Democrat Paula Dow to be his Attorney General and quickly sacked the most conservative member of his administration, former Education Secretary Bret Schundler, after a school grant application imploded thanks to Christie’s last minute involvement which cost the state over three hundred million dollars?

Are we talking about the same Chris Christie who during his time as U.S. Attorney picked up the nickname Gun Grabber Christie due to his stand on gun control?

Are we talking about the same Chris Christie who supports the construction of the Ground Zero Mosque, attacks those who are against it and claims that he should have no input in the discussion, ignoring the fact that 674 New Jersey residents were killed in the attack on the World Trade Center?

Are we talking about the same Chris Christie who lied about why New Jersey didn’t join the multi-state lawsuit to block Obamacare, saying the state didn’t have the money while in fact it wouldn’t have cost a penny, and then later happily accepted federal funding for the early parts of Obamacare?

Are we talking about the same Chris Christie who has stated that crossing the border into America illegally isn’t a crime?

Are we talking about the same Chris Christie who has been silent on the practice of sanctuary cities, which includes Trenton among them?

Are we talking about the same Chris Christie who believes that global warming exists and mankind is the reason for it?

Are we talking about the same Chris Christie who calls for smaller government but then orchestrates the state takeover of Atlantic City?

Are we talking about the same Chris Christie who yells about patronage positions in government but then gives his campaign driver and chiropractor special state board positions?

Are we talking about the same Chris Christie who added a new $75,000 official Facebook status poster and Tweeter to the already staffed communications office?

Are we talking about the same Chris Christie who is a proponent of costly alternative energy ideas which experts estimate will add billions to the costs New Jersey residents will have to pay for electricity?

Are we talking about the same Chris Christie who had his State Assembly flunkies remove the most conservative member of the Assembly Budget Committee and had her replaced by a tax and spend moderate?

Are we talking about the same Chris Christie who nominated attorney Sohail Mohammad, a defense attorney who defended many Muslims arrested due to their ties to terrorist organizations, to a state superior court position?

Are we talking about the same Chris Christie who appeared at a mosque in Passaic County to publicly embrace Mohammad Qatanani, a man facing deportation for laundering money through his mosque to Hamas and is a public supporter of The Muslim Brotherhood, and pronounced him “a man of great good will.”?

Is this the same Chris Christie that the Karl Rove’s, Ann Coulter’s, Bill Kristol’s and others are swooning over?

These people and others cheer Christie’s “major accomplishments” of two balanced state budgets. Here’s the reality check on that. First, the state constitution said he had to. Second, all Christie did was call for the obvious fiscal actions that his predecessor refused to do. Christie’s budget “accomplishment” was the equivalent of the three year old at a tee ball game whacking the ball off of the tee and knowing which way to run to first base...or in Christie’s case, take the helicopter to first base.

Chris Christie ran for Governor of New Jersey with one plank in his platform. “I’m not Jon Corzine.” That got him to the dance. His ability to lead the band when it comes to cutting state taxes, reducing property taxes, job creation, transportation improvement, education funding reform and other major issues has been a series of sour notes.

When it comes to leading the band in the Chris Christie Concerto, he excels at that as evidenced by his once again departing from the state and his duties this past week to give political speeches and bask in the adulation of the news media.

Chris Christie as a political leader? His grade in that class is incomplete. How could it be anything else with his experience merely consisting of a year and a half as governor and before that one term as a county Freeholder.

Chris Christie as the best conservative presidential candidate in the class? Given what’s required in experience and intelligence to be president, Chris Christie hasn’t even had his first day of kindergarten.

Chris Christie The RINO: First In A Series

2011-04-01T12:19:00.003-04:00

The swooning by Republicans over the prospect of Chris Christie running for the GOP nomination for President continues. He's been the lead vote getter in straw polls. Conservative voices such as Glenn Beck, Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham have blindly sung his praises for what Christie has said, completely overlooking the absence of any substantial accomplishments.

This is the start of a specific point by point study of Chris Christie in order to provide a wake up call for Republicans and, more importantly, Conservatives.

Christie Fact #1

Candidate Chris Christie stated that if a foreigner sneaks across the border, that's not a crime.

This was a response to a question at a forum hosted by a New Jersey church with a heavy Hispanic attendance. This was the second and lesser noted statement from that event. Christie also said that being present in the country illegally isn't a crime. He was actually right in that matter. After news stories and people like Lou Dobbs went after Christie for that, his campaign staff issued a statement explaining that Christie was correct and how it reflected America's lax immigration laws.

That brings us to a big BUT. (That's But. NOT Butt)

But Camp Christie never corrected his misstatement about how the action of crossing the border illegally isn't a crime. "Improper entry by an alien" as it is called, is a violation of Title 8 of the U.S. criminal code punishable by a fine of between $50 and $250 and/or a maximum of six months in jail.

That's quite a significant point of confusion by a then-U.S. Attorney who is now the Governor of New Jersey. It also reveals two RINO issues regarding Chris Christie.

First, as I presented in an earlier column about how Christie embraced a radical Muslim in order to win favor with the Muslim voting community, he'll say what he thinks the people he's talking to want to hear so they'll like him.

Second, in a state where illegal aliens cost the state billions of dollars and where the capital city of Trenton (among many others) is a Sanctuary City, Christie's presented less than enthusiastic concern about illegal aliens give cause to be concerned about his intentions on addressing the issue.

More to come.

The Bully Loses The Battle

2011-03-23T08:19:00.005-04:00

When he made his cuts to state aid for New Jersey schools, some questioned whether his plan would withstand a court challenge. Christie was more than willing to tell anyone who would listen (and those who really didn't want to) that he'd be able to get his school aid cuts past any court.

Guess again.

NJ Judge Finds Christie's Cuts To School Aid Unconstitutional

I wonder how all of those Christie-maniacs will react when their boy has to step up and tell them how he has to step back from what he was going to do about school aid. Just one more example of how Christie's mouth races to the the buffet without a plate.

Camp Christie Responds(?) To The New York Times

2011-03-11T11:09:00.002-05:00

I could use your help in trying to figure something out.

Earlier this week the New York Times featured an article that compared some of the statements and claims Chris Christie has made with the facts of the matter that were on the record. That article showed a vast difference between what Christie said and what in fact existed or took place. The reporter tried to get an interview with Christie for any clarification he may have wanted to offer. Christie's office turned down the request.

Today, National Review features a rather long article which is set up as a response to the points made in the New York Times article. I've read this article a few times and as best as I can see, it actually demonstrates how the New York Times got it right. The bulk of the retorts by Camp Christie are simply a series of "Yeah, but" attempts to reshuffle Christie's words.

Here's a link to the article. By the way, the head line is National Review's, not mine.

Chris Christie's Correction To The New York Times Is As Big As He Is

One of the things I find interesting is that Bid Bad Christie chose to try to defend himself via a platform that lets him preach to the choir rather than go to the source (the NY Times) and try to convert who he believes are the confused.

I always thought RINOS were big and strong.

Christie's Words Come Back To Bite Him

2011-03-10T08:37:00.003-05:00

The NY Times this morning featured a front page article which took many claims and statements Chris Christie has made in order to support his actions and compared them with the facts of recent history. The result brings about much more contrast than you might have thought.

Christie declined to be interviewed for this article and a press flunkie basically said that he's in the ballpark of the truth when he spouts off. It looks like Christie's passion for one YouTube Moment after another has come back to haunt him since he will be unable to claim that the article took what he said out of context.

Governor Christie's Talk Is Not Always Straight

Chris Christie's Praise For A Radical Muslim

2011-03-09T14:58:00.004-05:00

Usually when we think about a Republican, we think about someone who believes in the focus and methods of the War On Terror. The ideas of unearthing threats to America and stopping them in the fastest most effective ways possible is a given.

One of Chris Christie's judicial nominees runs very counter to the Republican path.

Sohail Mohammed is an attorney who Christie has appointed to a New Jersey state Superior Court judgeship. An attorney poised to become a judge doesn't seem like much of a stretch. That is until you look at the track record of this particular attorney.

Mohammed worked as a defense attorney for a number of Muslims who were arrested after the 9-11 terrorism attacks due to their ties to terror organizations. A standout case from his defense efforts is his work to stop the deportation of Mohammed Qatanani, the imam of the Islamic Center Of Passaic County, who is also a member of the American Muslim Union. That organization has strong ties with and has raised money for the terrorist group Hamas. Qatanani has also stated that he has been an active member of Hamas and stands as a supporter of The Muslim Brotherhood.

It was during the deportation trial that then-U.S. Attorney Chris Christie got involved. Rather then make a phone call or write a letter of support, Christie spoke at Qatanani's mosque where he embraced him and called Qatanani, "a man of great good will."

Is that the kind of "unscripted moment" Christie believes Sarah Palin needs?

Why would Christie take steps like this which runs counter to his Mr. Law & Order image? Simple. He wanted to get elected Governor Of New Jersey and he believed that to do that he needed to bow to the state's sizable Islamic community.

Since Christie LOVES to talk about the things he's done, I'd LOVE to hear him spend even just five minutes trying to explain this one.

Something About Chris Christie Is Shrinking...His Voter Approval

2011-03-08T17:09:00.003-05:00

A new poll from Rutgers-Eagleton brings a counterpoint to the praise that national media talking heads are giving Chris Christie.

In brief, New Jersey voters don't think Christie's all that.

The standout numbers are how only 42% rate Christie's job performance as either excellent or good while 56% rate him either fair or poor.

Click the link for the complete poll

Christie Support Declines

Palin 1 - Christie 0

2011-03-05T20:05:00.003-05:00

During his recent appearance on Face The Nation, Chris Christie was sharing his views of the various potential Republican Presidential candidates. When his focus turned to Sarah Palin, Christie said that she needed more "unscripted moments" to prove that she's a viable candidate.

On Friday Christie learned that it's dangerous to play with the Mama Grizzly as Palin fired back.

Palin Jabs Christie

Here's a thought for Chris "I Don't Want To Be President But I'll Go Everywhere To Talk About Me" Christie. You need actual achievements and accomplishments instead of the bad guy pro wrestling bluster performance you're trying to sell people in order to prove that you're viable in the job the people of New Jersey hired you for.

Christie Shoots Craps On Leadership

2011-03-04T12:57:00.003-05:00

A rare event had taken place last year in the State House in Trenton. Republicans and Democrats agreed on a piece of legislation. The bill would have legalized online gambling for New Jersey residents. It's an idea that would have meant $55 million a year for the state via the wager tax that gamblers would have been charged.

This week Chris Christie vetoed the bill for what he called "legal and constitutional concerns." Christie said he wants to wait for a bill to pass in Washington which would also permit all of those offshore online gambling operations to set up shop in America. He also said he was against setting a new state referendum before the oversight of the Casino Control Commission could be amended.

They say that timing is everything. Some observers are wondering why all of a sudden Christie proclaimed these concerns rather than while the bill was making its way through the State House. Others wonder if this is a defensive move by Christie to protect his latest pet project...the state running of Atlantic City. Did the bill lack a strong enough benefit for Atlantic City casinos that displeased Christie?

Those who take a quick look at the layout of this idea might be compelled to ask how a state can launch a law that the federal government hasn't launched first. Well, should all the states who wanted casino gambling have waited until a bill passed Congress and was signed into law? Should the federal government be the first voice when a state wants to change the laws for drivers in the state? The federal government was not designed by our Founding Fathers to be the lead horse for everything. If a specific state sees a need that they possess the best ability to act upon, why wait for a federal blessing that the Constitution doesn't open the door to require?

As Christie demands that New Jersey takes a seat in the back row states including California, Florida, Iowa and Missouri are poised to pass legislation to legalize online gambling.

So just like his position on having New Jersey join the now growing successful lawsuit to block Obamacare in the states, once again with Christie it's delay, excuse and allow the federal government to step on a state's right.

Christie Boasts That He Could Coast

2011-03-02T13:02:00.004-05:00

Chris Christie said in an interview with Rich Lowry that he knows he could win the Presidency in 2012...if he wanted to. He went on to say that he has to believe that he's ready to be President, and he isn't.

Gee, for a guy who isn't looking to be and isn't ready to be President, he's spending a lot of time with the national media and at national appearances trying to make people believe it. Christie better watch it. His on the job to on the stump ratio is getting dangerously close to Barack Obama's after he was elected to the Senate and almost immediately launched his Presidential run.

Christie may be embellishing his win potential. He could win in places like New Jersey, Florida, Nevada and other states where Republicans are having political identity crisis, but not too many other places.

Christie: I Know I Could Win The Presidency

Christie Loves Food....Policy

2011-03-01T08:19:00.005-05:00

This past Sunday Chris Christie, during an appearance on Face The Nation, came out in support of Michelle Obama's Let's Move campaign which has a stated mission to battle childhood obesity in America. Christie said that criticism of Michelle's campaign is "unnecessary" and added, "I think it's a really good goal to encourage kids to eat better."

I have one thing to say about Christie's second comment. Duh!

Here's the problem with Christie's path to his point. The parents are the ones who should be teaching and guiding their children to a healthier diet. If they fail in that task, relatives and friends who care should say something to them about paying more attention to their kids. If that doesn't happen, it should fall upon a child's doctor or school nurse to properly inform and instruct the parents.

What we don't need if the government limiting and influencing what we have available to us. What we don't need is a part of the government (Michelle's Let's Move campaign), that is under zero oversight, command and demand what private businesses like Wal-Mart sell and charge people.

Much like when looking at a program at the horse races, when you look at Michelle Obama's past performances it gives great cause for concern.

She's rewarded supporters of her husband with cushy White House staff appointments. Among the most infamous is Desiree Rogers who served as Michelle's social secretary and allowed those party gatecrashers Michele and Tareq Salahi to get into a state dinner uninvited. Rogers also happened to be one of Obama's biggest fundraisers in 2008.

There was Michelle Obama's time as Executive Director of Community Affairs at University Of Chicago Medical Center, which was a position created for Michelle and eliminated when she went to Washington. Among the standout achievements of Michelle during this time was the creation of The Urban Health Initiative which allowed the hospital to receive tax breaks for providing charity care as Michelle engineered a plan to dump low-income patients. She also recommended that the hospital hire David Axelrod (Yes, THAT David Axelrod) for PR projects.

While in her created position at the medical center, Michelle became quite the magician. She could make federal grant money disappear to the degree that a U.S. Senate Committee investigated the lack of oversight and transparency.

Then there was the doctoring of the hospital's project bidding process. This was led by Michelle under the guise of including more minority business owners in the process. The truth is that those new kids on the block, like information tech firm Blackwell Consulting Services, were also supporters and cash cows for her husband.

THIS is who Chris Christie wants to stand with?

A Christie Charm Gets Tarnished

2011-01-11T05:25:00.003-05:00

When the big corruption sting went down in New Jersey, resulting in the arrested politicians and others literally being brought in by the busload, Gov. Christie made sure everyone knew that he was a driving force behind what was nicknamed Operation Bid Rig.

A year and some acquittals later, one of Christie's law and order pillars is showing some cracks. So do you think this is still a topic he'll gladly chime on about?

Acquittals, ruling show cracks in corruption case

Christie's First State Of The State Address

2011-01-10T06:37:00.004-05:00

Governor Christie will be giving his first State Of The State speech on Tuesday. He says it'll be no longer than 30 minutes long. It'll also be light on detail. Christie said he'll have more to say toward the end of February with his budget plan.

His focus with tomorrow's speech will be education reform, pension reform and fiscal accountability.

Hey! Whatever happened to that property tax thing? You know. The promise Christie made during the campaign, much like those who claim to be Republicans typically do, to lower property taxes.

State of the State preview: Christie won't alter focus for new year

Should A Republican Add To The Debt?

2011-01-07T08:16:00.002-05:00

On Thursday, Gov. Chris Christie revealed his plan to save the state's Transportation Trust Fund which is currently broke. With New Jersey once again staring at a $10 billion plus deficit, is borrowing $1.6 billion a smart thing to do? Is it a Republican thing to do?

Gov. Christie unveils 5-year renewal for Transportation Trust Fund

Is Sweeney Casting A Shadow Over Christie?

2011-01-06T07:56:00.002-05:00

NJ State Senate President Stephen Sweeney caught Governor Chris Christie by surprise at the end of 2010 with a deal related to the capping of police and firefighter salaries which made Christie back off from the issue. Are we about to see Sweeney do the same thing with pension reform?

Sweeney: No pension changes unless NJ pays up

Snow Job

2011-01-05T06:32:00.004-05:00

Here's what I can't understand. If Christie doesn't see his going to Disney World at the same time Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno was away while New Jersey was being buried by snow as a problem or a mistake, then why has he spent the last five days going on about it?

Also, if he doesn't think what he did was wrong, why is he now promising never to do it again?

Gov. Christie says he knew of overlapping vacations day storm hit

A New Year Brings A New Focus

2011-01-05T00:52:00.003-05:00

Up until now this blog has been simply a collection of random thoughts about events and ideas that caught my attention or were strong passions of mine. From this point on, what you'll find here is an ongoing narrative regarding the Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie.

The goal with the information that will be presented is to determine whether Christie is a Republican or a RINO. Only his words, policy decisions and actions will be used for this determination. In other words, whatever missteps he takes will be thrown right back in his face.

For the record, as an Independent Conservative, I did not support nor vote for Chris Christie. My vote went to Chris Daggett, the Independent candidate. I learned during Christie's campaign for Governor that other than his proclamation that, "I'm not Jon Corzine!" he had very little else in detailed ideas. There were many elements of his campaign website and literature regarding his positions on issues that were only one or two paragraphs.

While many have swooned over their "Rock Star" of a Governor, he's merely been the three year old in a tee ball game who can whack the ball off the tee and knows which way first base is. All he's done, to a limited degree, are the obvious things his predecessor refused to do. Now Christie faces Year Two with a still huge budget deficit, unfunded liabilities at a dangerous level and property taxes which have yet to decrease. He's off of the tee ball field and now in the major leagues.

Hopefully when he was down at Disney World while New Jersey was trying to shovel out of a snow storm Christie made a stop at Creativeland. He's going to need it.

Changes With The Jerry Lewis Telethon

2010-10-07T10:21:00.003-04:00

Change isn't always easy to take, but reality has to be faced.

It was announced that after 45 years, the Jerry Lewis Labor Day MDA Telethon will go from twenty one and a half hours to six hours in September 2011. It will air from 6 p.m. to Midnight on Labor Day Sunday.

Getting past the gut reaction of disappointment, this will allow the show to survive. The trends weren't helping with stations carrying the show decreasing and costs to produce the show increasing. I think this change will make it possible for more stations to carry the Telethon. This is especially true since it can serve as a valuable PR spot so they can promote their new shows as the TV season gets under way later that week.

Also, who says the major market locals can't do a one or two hour local block before 6 p.m. ET?

We've recently seen how much shorter shows can raise large amounts for causes like Haiti and cancer.

A shorter MDA Telethon will compel viewers to donate faster rather than wait until the end.

The time has also come for the show to appeal to a younger audience. The truth is that many of the people who started watching and stayed loyal to the Telethon and work of the Muscular Dystrophy Association have gone on to their greater rewards. The 2010 MDA Telethon was the first step in going for a younger audience.

Hard Fact: There won't be many more Telethons with Jerry. I think we all want the show to go at least until he leaves us rather than the show having the plug pulled while he's still here.

Point Of Pride. The MDA Telethon was the last great true Telethon left standing.

Nine Years Ago

2010-09-10T10:18:00.003-04:00

Saturday will be the ninth anniversary of the day that changed America. I remember the unity that we so quickly built in those weeks after the 9-11 terrorist attacks by radical Muslims. I recall the disgust we all felt when we saw the scenes of Palestinians dancing in the streets. I think back to the pride we all felt for our country and our troops.

Then gradually it all went away.

Oh sure, some called that "things getting back to normal" and called it a good thing. Look what "getting back to normal" has done. The divisions have stalled fixing what we learned needed to be fixed. Political correctness has placed blame where it does not belong. Placating has left a crater in lower Manhattan as the tribute to the memories of the thousands of lives lost.

We had a chance to make things better and we lost our way.

As we think back to that horrible day nine years ago, I hope you'll take these words of wisdom (which are more than we've heard from our elected so-called leaders over the past nine years) with you. They are courtesy of MDA Goodwill Ambassador and best selling poet Mattie Stepanek who at the age of 11 wrote the following on September 11, 2001

For Our World

We need to stop.
Just stop.
Stop for a moment.
Before anybody
Says or does anything
That may hurt anyone else.
We need to be silent.
Just silent.
Silent for a moment.
Before we forever lose
The blessing of songs
That grow in our hearts.
We need to notice.
Just notice.
Notice for a moment.
Before the future slips away
Into ashes and dust of humility.
Stop, be silent, and notice.
In so many ways, we are the same.
Our differences are unique treasures.
We have, we are, a mosaic of gifts
To nurture, to offer, to accept.
We need to be.
Just be.
Be for a moment.
Kind and gentle, innocent and trusting,
Like children and lambs,
Never judging or vengeful
Like the judging and vengeful.
And now, let us pray,
Differently, yet together,
Before there is no earth, no life,
No chance for peace.

And the little child shall lead them.

Thoughts From The 2010 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon

2010-09-08T13:47:00.002-04:00

If you watched this year's Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, you saw THE definition of Reality TV. Reality isn't about a bunch of loud mouth punks in a Jersey shore house. It's not about someone wanting to be a chef. It's certainly not about someone living in a TV studio doubling as a house as voyeurs watch on TV and via the Internet.

Reality is about heart, emotion, strength, honesty, dedication, caring and love. That's the reality that emits from the children, families, entertainers and of course Jerry Lewis over the span of 22 hours. None of the people you see have to be there. I would hazard to guess that many don't want to be there. But the reality in their heart tells them that they have to be there so the work that needs to be done and the message that needs to be delivered all happen.

That was certainly true this year as nearly $59 million came in from the caring people of America. When you take into consideration the tough and even desperate times people are facing, it's was a true blessing. Uncaring Americans? I don't think so.

I once again had the gift of being in NYC for the show with hosts Tony Orlando, Russ Salzberg and the new kid on the block, Brenda Blackmon. Brenda fit right in with the mission, opening her heart and sharing her spirit. That trio along with stars like Ronnie Spector, Martha Reeves, Tommy James, Connie Francis and others led the way to a larger final tote than last year.

The special surprise of the day happened Monday afternoon when Josh Shatesky, brother of John Shatesky who you see on the show every year, made it to the studio for the first time in two years because of the health problems he's been having. The drive and determination that Josh and John display teaches us all that there's nothing that can't be overcome.

So let the naysayers say what they will and write what they wish. All of us who are a part of this righteous organization are people who can stand tall full of the knowledge of what we all do is good.

More Scenes From The 2010 Jerry Lewis Telethon In NYC

2010-09-08T13:38:00.004-04:00

From top to bottom...the final tote, the homestretch with Tony Orlando, Brenda Blackmon, Russ Salzberg & friends, Josh Shatesky surprises Tony Orlando, Ronnie Spector with Tony Orlando, Josh Shatesky and Tony Orlando

Scenes From NYC's 2010 Jerry Lewis Telethon

2010-09-08T13:26:00.003-04:00

From top to bottom...The NYC studio audience, Tony Orlando with Ronnie Spector, Tony with Eddie Brigati & Tommy James, Tony with Connie Francis, Tony Orlando

A Joke Best Described By A Joke

2010-08-28T20:39:00.003-04:00

This past week saw New Jersey lose out on $400 million in federal education grants from The Race To The Top Program due to the Christie Administration including budget data from the wrong pair of years versus what the application requested. That mistake cost New Jersey just enough points to knock it out of a top ten finish which would have awarded the state some much needed money.

The time line for this fiasco goes like this. Now former Education Commissioner Bret Schundler worked with the teacher's union to create an application with the correct budget information and the support of the NJEA. By all accounts, this application would have passed review with flying colors giving New Jersey a nice piece of change.

When Gov. Christie found out that this application didn't address the idea of merit pay for teachers as he wanted it, Christie ordered the application scrapped and had his people redo it to his liking.

This redo of a thousand page document ran way too close to the deadline. A person had to physically drive the submission to Washington in order to get it there in time. This wound up once again proving that haste makes waste. In this case $400 million of waste.

That rush to turn in their term paper no doubt led to the error of including the wrong budget data. This foul was furthered on August 11 when during a presentation of their material, Schundler and his assistants were told that they had the wrong budget information and asked if they could produce the correct material. They said that they couldn't and repeated that response when given a second opportunity.

The punchline of this is that Gov. Christie stepped up to the podium to say that he would take responsibility for all of this. Then in the next breath he started pointing out who he says is to blame. That at first included the Obama Administration followed by federal officials who Christie said should have given New Jersey a second chance. Then on Friday Christie put the blame on now former Education Commissioner Bret Schundler and fired him.

This all made me think back to a comedy album from 1973, which shows how odd my mind works since I can't remember someones name five minutes after I meet them. The album Richard Nixon: A Fantasy was by comedian David Frye who did impressions and parodies of the Nixon and his Administration. The joke I remembered from this album that fits this situation and the stand Christie has taken went like this.

Nixon: "I take full responsibility...but not the blame. Let me explain the difference. People who are to blame, lose their jobs. People who are responsible, do not."

Christie Punts

2010-08-17T09:32:00.003-04:00

When he returned from a short vacation, Gov. Chris Christie was asked to weigh in the the Ground Zero Mosque and the debate swirling around it. Rather than take a definitive stand on the issue, Christie instead tried to elevate himself above the fray by saying that both sides are using the issue as a political football and should stop it.

Once again, when called upon to take a tough stand on a hot issue, Christie ducked and dodged. This has been his pattern when it comes to Obamacare as well as with illegal immigration.

There have been some who have asked why Christie should be required to take a stand on the Ground Zero mosque. They say since it's in New York City and Christie wasn't Governor on September 11, it's not his concern.

There were 691 New Jersey residents killed in the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11. Chris Christie was elected to serve the people of New Jersey. By stepping aside and avoiding this issue, he insults the memories of those 691 who were lost. He slaps the faces of the families of those 691 New Jersey residents who were killed on September 11.

It is his concern...whether he wants it or not.

Lautenberg Goes Gaga

2010-08-15T09:30:00.003-04:00

I really think the people on the staff of New Jersey U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg need to put him down for naps more often.

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(CBS News) - - Sen. Frank Lautenberg may be the oldest member of the Senate at 86 years old, but he's hip enough to employ one of music's hottest stars in a bid to raise campaign cash -- Lady Gaga.

The pop sensation will bring her tour to Washington next month, and Lautenberg -- a big fan of Gaga's -- is making use of her visit. The Washington Post reports Lautenberg has sent out an e-mail invitation to attend "Senator Frank R. Lautenberg & Lady Gaga -- the Monster Ball Tour," on Sept. 7, at 8 p.m.

The invitation reportedly urges supporters to "Join us in a private suite" for the prices of $2,500 a ticket for a political action committee and $2,400 for an individual.

The octogenarian Democrat, who isn't up for re-election this year, celebrated his birthday in January at a Lady Gaga concert in New York, Politico reported at the time.

"Last week in Washington was like a bad romance," Lautenberg told Politico via a spokesperson, alluding to one of Gaga's hit songs. "I wanted my birthday to be a little more fun. It was an extraordinary experience to see and hear Lady Gaga."

Lautenberg's office could not be reached right away to confirm whether Lady Gaga has the same affilinity for the senator, or if she will make an appearance at the suite after the show.
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A politician and a self promoter in the same room at the same time? That's too many money whores for the room.

Teaching Inclusion At The Cost Of Education

2010-08-12T01:29:00.002-04:00

The South Brunswick School Board has approved the district school's closing for two Muslim holidays, the end of Ramadan and for the Muslim Feast of Sacrifice. School board president Matthew Speesler says it was time. Speesler also said some parents were upset that there were too many holidays already on the school calendar.

Now before you launch into some tirade that I'm some sort of Islamophobe, I'm actually not saying the school can't recognize the holidays if they have a large number of Muslim students. I have a problem with giving all the kids off. Why should a Christian be denied a day of education for a Muslim holiday? Let the Muslim kids take the day off with the understanding that they'll have to work harder to catch up when they get back.

This also makes me wonder how this school system would feel if a valedictorian wanted to give thanks to God during a graduation speech? Just how inclusive would school administrators want to be with that one?

Poll Says Christie Made Wrong Atlantic City Bet

2010-08-05T12:03:00.004-04:00

A new poll from Fairleigh Dickinson University Public Mind has a majority of New Jersey residents in favor of privatizing the state's horse racing interests (56%) and Izod Area at the Meadowlands (55%). A majority (48 to 38%) say it's a bad idea for the state to take over Atlantic City.

A greater majority (55 to 20%) don't want any tax money going to Xanadu at the Meadowlands. This was the mall and family entertainment center that was promoted as the element that would keep the Meadowlands complex alive and a money maker. Xanadu turned into a money pit instead. And by the way, if you fail developing a mall in New Jersey then you should give up developing anything.

Yet part of the Governor Christie plan is to give state money in the form of either tax breaks or a bail out. The amounts range from $180 to $750 million.

For those who aren't familiar with the Xanadu project...this was what was promised.

And this is what we got.

Talk about over promising and under delivering!

For A Governor Who Likes To Decide, Christie's Taking Forever

2010-08-04T11:24:00.002-04:00

When New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was campaigning for office last year, he vowed to be a Governor who would make the right decisions fast. To a point, he's lived up to that promise with the way he put the smack down on spending and sought to tame the teacher unions.

When it comes to having New Jersey join with twenty other states in a lawsuit to prevent the implementation of Obamacare, Governor Decisive has become the silent minority.

Poll after poll in New Jersey and elsewhere show that the vast majority of the people don't want the mandates and costs of Obamacare in their state. Just this week, 73% of voters in Missouri voted in support of Prop C which calls for the state to refuse to adopt the Obamacare mandates.

We also just saw a judge in Virginia give the go ahead to a lawsuit which seeks to do in Virginia what Prop C in Missouri calls for.

So what about the Governor who prides himself on his decision making abilities?

He's studying the issue of the Obamacare Prevention Lawsuit.

He's been studying the issue for seven months. If this is an example of his study habits, I'd love to know how he ever made it through college in less than a fifteen year span.

The context clues of Christie's actions don't give much hope regarding his eventual decision. He gave the green light for New Jersey to launch a new health care insurance program that's mandated by the Obamacare package. When asked about this, a spokesperson said that they have to do it because it's the law.

If you're wondering why Christie is taking so long on this matter, maybe we need to explore how much of his ear his top consultant is on this issue. That would be his Democratic Attorney General Paula Dow, who he worked with in the U.S. Attorney's Office, and who has been very silent on this issue.

Answer Phones To Help MDA

2010-08-03T08:18:00.004-04:00

We are coming up to the 2010 Jerry Lewis Labor Day MDA Telethon which will be September 5 and 6 this year. I know that financial times continue to be a challenge but any amount that you can donate will be a large show of support for the research and patient care that the Muscular Dystrophy Association provides.

Another way you can help out is to volunteer to answer phones during the telethon at the pledge center nearest to you. Just click the link below, enter your Zip Code and you'll see the MDA office along with their contact information closest to you. Give them a call and let them know that you want to help out this Labor Day weekend at your local telethon pledge center.

Find The MDA Office Near You

In Northern New Jersey, the MDA Telethon Pledge Center will once again be at VFW Hall Post #4591, 513 Veterans Way in Hasbrouck Heights. Call Katie Goodman at 201-843-4452 to find out how to volunteer and become a part of this year's success.

The Corzine-Katz Email Revelation

2010-08-03T08:14:00.004-04:00

I typically don't fall for the salacious stuff. Too many people in my industry unfortunately do. However, since our focus here is New Jersey and since former Gov. Jon Corzine did spend $127,000 of your tax dollars trying to keep these emails private, I figured you would want to know what he thought the big deal was all about.

The Jon Corzine - Carla Katz Emails

Back To Blogging

2010-08-03T08:12:00.003-04:00

Wow! So one day I thought, "Why not launch a Facebook page and see what happens?" What happened was a total and complete Facebook addiction. How complete? I'm one of the less than two percent of the five hundred million Facebook users who hit the 5,000 Facebook friend limit.

It's time to get back to blogging.

A NJ Democrat Shows Up At The Game With Just One Card

2010-03-28T05:40:00.004-04:00

Earlier this month a New Jersey appeals court unanimously ruled that an effort to place a question on the ballot calling for the recall of Senator Robert Menendez can move forward. The argument made by Camp Menendez as well as the state's attorney general was that the U.S. Constitution trumps any state constitution. Since the U.S. Constitution says a federal politician can't be removed from office by anyone except the members of the body they serve in, this recall effort is illegal.

The court ruled on the side of the voters of New Jersey by stating (keeping a lengthy written decision short for you) that one can argue that the U.S. Constitution does say what Camp Menendez claims, but others can argue the opposite. Since that's the case, the definitive that the New Jersey State Constitution offers would be the foundation and it clearly states that a recall effort is legal.

This recall has it's roots in The Tea Party Movement, which simply THRILLS the Democrats. The organizer of the Tea Party chapter in Sussex County New Jersey, RoseAnn Salanitri, launched what has become an endeavor that has been given a brighter spotlight over the past month. The law states that in order to now get the question on the ballot that would give New Jersey residents the opportunity to remove a sitting U.S. Senator from office, 1.3 million voter signatures (25% of the state's registered voters) are needed. While it does sound like a steep hill to climb, that's what many said about getting a Republican elected to Ted Kennedy's Senate seat and we know how that worked out.

In his response to all of this Assemblyman John Wisniewski, who is also the state chair of the Democratic party, decided to play the race card by saying the following in a written statement.

“The attempt to recall Senator Menendez is an affront to the voters of New Jersey and has no standing in law. One day these folks are trying to disprove human evolution, the next day they are challenging the constitutionality of the Constitution. These are radical people who chose Menendez off of a list of Democrats because of the sound of his last name."

Since Menendez during his time in the Senate has served the select and ignored the majority while carrying the water for the powerful at the cost to the state that he's failed to deliver for, I'm sure that Assemblyman Wisniewski believes that Menendez is doing an excellent job...as a Democrat.

Click here to learn more about Recall NJ's efforts to recall Sen. Robert Menendez.

Weight And See

2010-03-17T09:37:00.000-04:00

Well, if nothing else, at least you can say that she's goal oriented. Health conscious too. I heard her say that she's not eating any fried foods.

NJ woman attempting to become world's fattest lady

By DAVID K. LI

Dream big!

A New Jersey woman, who now tips the scales at 604 pounds, said it’d be a "fantasy" to gobble her way to fame and someday weigh 1,000 pounds.

"When you have a 3-year-old daughter and you’re trying to run a household, things like this tend to be a fantasy," Simpson told The Post today.

The 42-year-old Old Bridge resident insists she has no realistic hopes of ever making 1,000 pounds, but will try her best to consume, wolf, munch and devour her way to hog heaven.

PHOTOS: DONNA SIMPSON GUNNING TO BE WORLD'S FATTEST LADY

It’s such a hefty task, that Simpson would have to consume Jets coach Rex Ryan — 350 pounds before his stomach-staple surgery this past weekend — just to get close.

"This whole thousand-pound goal has gotten blown way out of proportion," Simpson said of her pie-in-the-sky dreams.

"This is a fantasy of mine. It’s not reality, yet everyone takes this and runs with it."

Simpson claims she only wants to be recognized as the heaviest woman to ever give birth.

She weighed 532 pounds in 2007 when her daughter Jacqueline was born.

A rep for the Guinness World Record said there is no category for biggest birth mom, but the UK-based outfit has received paperwork from Simpson — asking to be named biggest to give birth and heaviest living woman.

Guinness is thinking about creating a biggest birth mom category and considering Simpson’s application to be named largest living woman.

The biggest woman ever recorded was Rosalie Bradford, of Auburndale, Fla., who weighed in at 1,199 pounds in 1987. Before Bradford died at age 63 in 2007, she was the heaviest living woman.

Guinness denies it’s encouraging Simpson and other freaks, only chronicling what they’d be doing naturally.

"We’re not pushing people out there to eat, we’re in no way asking them to live an unhealthy lifestyle," said Guinness spokeswoman Jamie Panas.

"From out point of view, these people are out there and we’re just reporting it like you are. We’re just impartially chronicling superlatives."

Panas admitted, however, that Guinness had to end a category for fattest pet, fearing that owners were stuffing their fury, four-legged pals just for a record.

In her "fantasy," Simpson would zoom up to 1,000 in two years with a steady diet of 12,000 calories per day. An average woman should consume no more than 2,000.

"My favorite food is sushi, but unlike others I can sit and eat 70 big pieces of sushi in one go," she told London’s Daily Mail. "I do love cakes and sweet things, doughnuts are my favorite."

To help pick up the tab on her $750-a-week eating habit, Simpson puts herself on the Internet where people can pay to watch her eat.

"I love eating and people love watching me eat," she told the British newspaper. "It makes people happy, and I’m not harming anyone."

Simpson said her 49-year-old, 150-pound boyfriend Philippe Gouamba, has encouraged her to eat more.

"I think he’d like it if I was bigger," she added. "He’s a real belly man, and completely supports me."

What Part Of No Money Don't They Understand

2010-03-17T09:02:00.003-04:00

Governor Christie delivered his budget proposal, complete with axe and chainsaw, to a joint session of the state legislature. Given the reaction of some of the Democratic members, one might think they had a joint or two while Christie was talking.

Just as it had been anticipated, the FY2011 budget will spend a lot less because the state will be dishing out less money to departments, cities, towns, schools and public service organizations. The primary reason for this is....the state ain't got no mo money!

You don't need to be a master economist to see that after years of spending more than what had been coming in and folding into CYA mode with borrowing, fund shifting and begging that the state spending was not, nor has it been in recent years, able to support itself. If left to itself, the FY2011 budget would have shown up almost $11 billion in the red. Add to that the well over $30 billion in long term debt the state's sitting on and you're starting to talk about real money, as the old political joke goes.

The reaction to the Democrats was not much of a shock. Rather than admitting their financial sins, party leaders gave the same "We need to do something...but not this." speech. Rather than offer detailed ideas, Democrats instead have latched into the non-issue of the already expired "Millionaire's Tax." This was a penalty for success applied to anyone earning over $400,000 that Jon Corzine and the Democrats launched to fill the budget potholes they created. This tax was a primary catalyst for the successful people leaving the state. That exodus of high earners equaled a loss of $70 billion in wealth also leaving the state.

The Democrats of course want the tax to be brought back to life. That ignores the fact that the more you tax people, the less they want to stay. The more people who leave means that the state realizes less revenue. When there is less revenue, you can't do what you need to do. Of course the Democrats' answer to that problem is...raise taxes.

So now the process in the legislature begins. The next three and a half months will feature a lot of talk, with little substance by the state's Democrats, about how to finalize the state budget by the June deadline. For those Democratic members who do want to sound off about the painful situation the state of New Jersey is in that Gov. Christie is now dealing with, before you look into the cameras look into a mirror to see how we got here.

It Paid To Work For Jon Corzine

2010-03-16T08:29:00.002-04:00

Just in case you were wondering what now former Governor Jon Corzine did with some of your tax dollars, I give you this courtesy of the Sunday Star-Ledger...

Much was made last week over the bitter sparring between Christie and Josh Zeitz, spokesman for former Gov. Jon Corzine. Republicans have called for Corzine to pay back the state for Zeitz’s taxpayer-funded transition salary, and Christie said Zeitz must be criticizing him because “the Corzine people . . . are unemployed” and “seemingly they have nothing else to do.”

But the real teeth-gnashing over Zeitz comes from his fellow Democrats, some of whom tell The Auditor they want to be the voice of opposition to Chrstie without the unpopular Corzine hovering over the debate. “Just let it go,” said Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex). Zeitz’s defenders say no one else seems to be challenging the Teflon-coated Republican governor. “Josh is standing up to the inaccuracies,” said Cryan.

Zeitz said he’s “not speaking for the Democratic party” but defending against Christie’s attacks on “the character, integrity, honesty” of Corzine and others in his administration.

He is earning a salary rate of $141,000 as a transition staffer — boosted on Corzine’s final day in office from the $115,000 Zeitz made as an adviser, according to Christie’s office. Zeitz said he will collect less than that because he and another transition staffer expect to wind down operations quickly. At most, he said, the Corzine transition will spend $105,000 on staff salaries, less than other ex-governors.

Maybe Corzine thought that Obama would pick up the tab for that $26,000 raise?

A New Fiscal Day In New Jersey

2010-03-16T05:29:00.003-04:00

This afternoon at 1 p.m. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will walk into the State House in Trenton to deliver his budget message to a joint session of the state legislature. By design, this is nothing unusual. It's what every Governor is required to do.

However, given the recent past regarding this event, today is going to be quite different.

Rather than the pats on the head, wagging finger of admonishment and empty promises to make things right that the members of the state Senate and Assembly grew accustomed to from former Governor Jon Corzine, Christie is showing up today with something different.

A chainsaw and a wake up call.

The chainsaw is for the budget to address the projected $11 billion deficit that FY2011 holds. The wake up call is for the Democrats in the state legislature who, in spite of the math of the matter, have the nerve to say, "Well, an $11 billion deficit doesn't always mean an $11 billion deficit."

Only in New Jersey.

When It Comes To The Worst New Jersey Ranks The Best

2009-11-23T20:58:00.002-05:00

A national study by CQ Press on the most dangerous cities in America based on 2008 FBI-compiled crime data and population figures places Camden New Jersey at the top of the list. The study shows that there were 2,300 violent crimes for every 10,000 citizens in Camden.

Isn't this the Camden that technically was taken over by the state of New Jersey?

Isn't this the Camden that has received a disproportionate amount of state money with the promise that it would help empower people and programs that would create a better city?

Isn't this the Camden that has been the recipient of benefits and second (or even third) chances to try and try again thanks to legislation passed by the New Jersey state legislature?

Why yes, I do believe that this is the very same Camden.

New Jersey government and inefficiency...perfect together.

Here Comes The Lame Duck Session

2009-11-16T08:47:00.003-05:00

This is typically the time of year for celebration. Families plan their gatherings for Thanksgiving. People start to create their perfect Christmas. State legislators figure out more ways to spend your money during what's known as the Lame Duck Session.

This time around brings up an interesting situation for the members of the state Senate and Assembly. Since now outgoing Governor Jon Corzine has called for $400 million in spending cuts before the year is done, will the legislature get the duck to quack or croak?

Since extra (and typically unnecessary) spending, which is commonly referred to as Christmas Tree Items, is out of the question except for the totally clueless among the legislators will that open the door to a blast of social re-engineering which has always been a goal of the Cozine Administration and the statehouse Democrats? Recent history shows that this is a very friendly path for Democrats who have used this point in the calendar to do such things as abolish the death penalty and increase smoking bans.

Two of the most referenced ideas has been the recognition of gay marriage and legalizing marijuana for medical use. At this point it looks like the former is being sent back to the bench due to a lack of votes supporting it while the later will stay alive. That's supported by the incoming Governor Chris Christie being in favor of the idea but wanting more restrictions than what's currently being called for.

But wait! There's more.

Other controversial bills could be added to the lame-duck agenda. One measure would eliminate the property-tax rebate checks, instead converting them to credits on homeowners' tax bills. One would cut aid for five years to towns and cities where residents refuse a state recommendation to merge. Another would launch a drivers amnesty from surcharges and fees if they pay for some outstanding infractions. Then there's an idea that Corzine said he would favor which would provide in-state tuition for illegal aliens.

What will further water down logic will be if the Democrats and Jon Corzine pass any of these social re-engineering ideas and claim that they kept the budget under control. Don't doubt for a second that any of these ideas won't cost the state, and more directly, you more money.

Will the Garden State Have To Sell The Gardens?

2009-11-10T07:27:00.003-05:00

After looking at the financial state of New Jersey reports are saying that Governor-elect Chris Christie has found things to be in dangerous fiscal shape. That's a study that must have taken all of five minutes to arrive at that conclusion. So in light of that, some are saying that Christie is considering declaring a financial emergency.

This would actually be a win-win situation. The declaration would give Christie broader powers regarding spending, state workers, contracts and other related financial matters. It would also allow him to make financial decisions that would totally piss off every member of the state legislature whose jobs solely exist on spending and coddling state workers by protecting their jobs and often excessive salaries.

The declaration of a financial emergency policy by design was to be used in the event if New Jersey was hit by a tremendous natural disaster. In this case, the state was hit by an unnatural policy of overspending and overtaxing...otherwise known as the Corzine Administration. In lieu of a financial emergency declaration, Governor-elect Christie does have additional options.

He can take what's left in the general fund and get a boatload of scratch off lottery tickets.

He can take what's left of the Transportation Trust Fund, go to Atlantic City, walk up to a roulette table and put it all on red.

He can convert the New Jersey Network to a statewide home shopping channel and start selling off pieces of the state government...most of which have been available to the highest bidder for years any way.

or

He can adopt Jon Corzine, have him declared incompetent, send him to an institution and take control of what's left of his money. Given his performance as Governor, that could be the quickest path to the most money.

A Loss Can Reveal A Lot Of Truth

2009-11-06T08:26:00.003-05:00

Now that the race for New Jersey Governor is over, there are a few people who now see it as a safe time to start telling the truth. One of those is Senate President Dick Codey who revealed this week that current Governor Jon Corzine was thinking about pulling the plug on his own campaign and dropping out.

While not a hindsight newsflash, given the number of people including myself who saw it as a possibility, it does call into question just how much of a partnership actually existed between Corzine and the White House versus what was being claimed during Obama's five stops in New Jersey for Corzine. Cody revealed that the White House started having concerns back in June after Joe Biden made an appearance for Corzine which was poorly attended. Codey said that they were calling him weekly asking what was happening.

This was piled on in July with the White House asking Codey whether he would run if Corzine dropped out. The White House political director asked Codey if he could give Obama a "Yes" if he asked whether Codey would run. At this point in the campaign poll numbers showed Codey leading Christie in a hypothetical race by double digits at a time when Corzine was trailing Christie by double digits.

All of that resulted in a sitdown between Corzine and Codey (cue Godfather Theme) with Codey asking Corzine what his intentions were. The meaning that can be taken from that is that if Corzine said he was out, Codey would have been in.

The lesson from this Codey revelation and the election results also give the answer to a question that came up during each of Obama's five appearances for Corzine. We now know that those huge crowds were just there to see Obama. Corzine was like the comedian that would open for Frank Sinatra. The audience tolerated the opening act only because they were there to see the big star.

New Jersey's New Endangered Species

2009-11-04T06:01:00.003-05:00

With Republican Chris Christie winning the election for New Jersey Governor, this created the need to amend the Endangered Species List for New Jersey in order make an addition. The new member on the list is the state operated New Jersey Network's Statehouse Reporter Zachary Fink...especially since now Chris Christie is his new boss starting in January.

Change Comes To New Jersey

2009-11-03T23:27:00.003-05:00

Although he lost me as a supporter during the campaign I nevertheless congratulate Chris Christie on his win in the race for New Jersey Governor. Now he will be the recipient of demands to fill in the blanks that have surrounded his What's with How's. As they say during the NFL draft, Christie's on the clock. Adding to the challenge for Christie will be the Democrats in the State House who hold enough a majority to override any veto he may issue. Even though Christie got the win and statistically overachieved in some counties, state Republicans picked up only one Assembly seat.

I thank Independent candidate Chris Daggett for his campaign of class and substance which helped clean the waters of the campaign which had become way too polluted.

Regarding Jon Corzine...don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out and be sure to wear your seatbelt as you hit the road.

The results in New Jersey and Virginia with the Republican wins for Governor have already been a catalyst for job creation. Tailors are being recruited to adjust and repair Barack Obama's coattails given his failure to carry his Democratic candidates across the finish line first.

Congratulations to News 12 New Jersey for the excellent informative coverage they provided election night. I was bouncing back and forth between News 12 New Jersey and the state run New Jersey Network. That had to stop when the fossils NJN has as anchors and pundits were putting me to sleep with their monotone verbal meanderings. News 12 New Jersey delivered a far more electric content filled interactive presentation of the evening's events.

Time For New Jersey Voters To Step Up

2009-11-02T22:12:00.003-05:00

The voters of New Jersey have been turned into punching bags by Democratic Governor Jon Corzine and his druids in the State Senate and Assembly. The taxes, spending, new mandates and financial ledger tricks that Corzine and the Democrats have pulled in order to keep the state barely financially afloat demonstrate clearly their inability to lead.

The Republican's answer to this void of leadership has been a candidate who launched his campaign for NJ Governor with the one standout issue on his resume...going after corrupt politicians. While that's a novel idea, if you read any poll results that list the primary concerns of the state's residents, you'll quickly learn that they are property taxes, income taxes and business taxes. Republican Chris Christie waited until 90% of the campaign was gone before he even made a mostly general attempt to explain how he would deal with these matters.

By the way, Christie's ideas feature tax cuts for everybody with no realistic way to balance the cut in state revenue with the expected $8 billion deficit that the state is facing next year. His ideas for job creation rest on the creation of commissions and study groups as if any government, either state or federal, has ever led the way to job creation.

Both Corzine and Christie have overlooked a simple, basic yet factual truth of economics. When more people work, more people come under whatever the current tax system happens to be. That creates an increase in revenue to the state that will allow things that need addressing to be taken care of. It's the key to a stronger financial position which will also open the door to...dare I say it....tax cuts when all is once again well.

Education is another major issue for the citizens of New Jersey. Jon Corzine continues to excuse the failure of teachers and administrators while rewarding failed schools with excessive funding that polluted with corruption from the programs and districts who receive it. Chris Christie, as has been his campaign style, gives a nod to the need for accountability from teachers but doesn't come through with any significant details of how he would call for that to take place.

I point to these out of the many issues which have come up during the race for New Jersey Governor in order to present a point. The people of New Jersey are unhappy and it's due to the people they've hired, and are about to hire on this Election Day, who are entrusted to get a job done. Approval ratings for the Governor along with the members of the state Senate and Assembly couldn't see over 40% if they were standing on Shaquille O'Neal's shoulders. The people have been calling for change with a voice that's become louder every day.

If that is truly your wish then this Election Day is your time.

Independent candidate Chris Daggett is the only candidate for New Jersey Governor who has presented plans and policies that will change the state of the state for the better. Property tax rebate scams are replaced by property tax cuts. Excessive municipal spending is punished. Business tax rates drop below those of neighboring New York and Pennsylvania which will encourage new business and new jobs. Teachers and administrators are called on to deliver or get out. Creating and sustaining revenue to address needs will replace so-called temporary taxes.

Does Chris Daggett call for an expansion of the sales tax? Yes. However, most of those taxes will be paid by out-of-state visitors and will expedite the financial recovery that New Jersey so desperately needs.

Chris Daggett has been called a "non-issue" by the Christie campaign. If that were true then why has his campaign along with a national GOP organization run attack ads against Daggett? Why has Christie's Internet Copy & Paste Brigade launched a baseless "A vote for Daggett is a vote for Corzine." swarm? It's because Chris Daggett has succeeded where Chris Christie and Jon Corzine have failed. Chris Daggett has presented a path to prosperity for New Jersey.

So, for all of those who have demanded change, Tuesday is your day. Do you believe your vote is a tool for change or is it something you treat like a 900 number call to American Idol where you want to make sure you vote for who other people say should be the winner so you don't look bad? Is your idea of change joining Facebook groups or milling around at a Tea Party or are you ready to step up and say to the politicians and parties who have failed you that their days are done?

Vote for Independent candidate Chris Daggett for New Jersey Governor.

If you truly want change then this Election Day Tuesday is your day to step up otherwise all you have done is talked and not walked.

Chris Daggett Campaign Site

Chris Daggett And Chris Christie On The Show

2009-11-01T09:21:00.003-05:00

The appearances made this week on the radio show by Independent candidate for New Jersey Governor Chris Daggett and Republican candidate Chris Christie were the best displays of their differences, a summary of their campaign styles and a major reason why Chris Daggett should get your vote for New Jersey Governor this Tuesday.

Chris Christie's appearance once again demonstrated his lack of details to go along with his ideas. A candidate for office should have details at the ready to freely offer as the first bullet out of their chamber. Christie continued to rely on the vague generalities that outlets from the Wall Street Journal to the Star Ledger have criticized him for. The fact that I had to slam the brakes on the segment and call on Christie to give details about how ANY of his ideas would come to pass showed the weakness of his grasp or maybe even confidence of those ideas.

Christie's death grip on the "I'm not Jon Corzine" mantra was also a major part of his time on the show. That brings about an important question. If a candidate like Chris Christie spends so much of his time talking about one of his opponents, does that further display a lack of content about himself?

When the segment with Chris Daggett started it was quickly obvious that he came ready to present the How to go along with the What. He stated that it's going to take drastic yet realistic steps which may be difficult for some to swallow but will result in a better state of the state of New Jersey when it comes to property taxes, education, transportation and most importantly job creation. Chris Daggett understands that only private business creates jobs. Daggett's plans would once again invite businesses to set up shop in New Jersey. While Christie wants to launch committees and new state agencies, Chris Daggett wants to launch new private businesses in New Jersey. Daggett also shared how his revamping of the tax structure would create steady revenue which would eliminate the need for matters such as borrowing to protect open space like Ballot Question 1 is asking for.

After the show, while preparing the podcasts, the difference between the two candidates was clearly visible on the computer screen. When I brought up the segments on the audio software program, I could see a visual display of the audio like a graph on a chart. Christie's segment showed Christie's voice in short bursts not lasting very long while my voice asking questions actually added up to as much time as his. Daggett's segment showed his voice as the vast majority of the segment thanks to the time he took detailing his ideas about taxes, education and other ideas.

As I said on the air, I believe that Chris Daggett is the only candidate for New Jersey Governor who will work to make the state a winner once again. Listen to the segments via the links below. Then visit the Chris Daggett campaign site. I think you'll agree with me.

Chris Daggett Campaign Website

Chris Daggett Segment

Chris Christie Segment

I'd Vote For Chris Daggett But...

2009-10-30T07:30:00.003-04:00

It's safe to say that here in New Jersey there are a lot of unhappy people. These unhappy people vote. OK...more than 50% of them vote. Their vote is the one tool they have that can initiate the change that they claim they want. I think it's an easy concept to grab hold of.

This year in the race for New Jersey Governor the opportunity for the mother of all changes is available. Independent candidate Chris Daggett has presented detailed policy and program ideas that would address taxes, education, transportation and the culture of state government corruption that a continuously growing number of residents have expressed concern about and disgust over. Daggett's ideas and campaign have attracted the interest of many who have been enslaved by party politics.

Yet, when many of these people are asked who they will vote for this coming Tuesday they say, "I'd like to vote for Chris Daggett but I don't think he'll get enough votes to win so I'm going to vote for..." and then they say either Jon Corzine or Chris Christie.

Let's ponder that line of thought for a moment.

You say that you support a candidate. You say that you agree with their ideas and believe that they can lead to a better state and standard of life for yourself. You know that in order to win an election a candidate needs the most votes. So with that as the obvious fact, how can the candidate you believe in win if you take a stance like the one I mentioned earlier?

Let's reword things a little. How much sense does it make to you if someone says, "I like that candidate and my vote is one of the votes they need to win but I'm voting for someone else."?

See?

If you're one of the many in New Jersey who are clamoring for change, you can join all the Facebook pages and attend all the Tea Parties that you want and it won't mean a thing. This Tuesday is your true opportunity to demand change. When you vote for Chris Daggett you put every single party politician on notice that their days of blind loyalty that has translated into continued employment for them which has produced an increasingly poor performance are numbered. Your vote for Chris Daggett will light the fire under the party politicians that they have long needed.

Your vote for Chris Daggett is THE vote for change in New Jersey.

A Special And Fun Evening For MDA

2009-10-27T13:33:00.003-04:00

The northern New Jersey offices of the Muscular Dystrophy Association will be holding their annual A Toast To Life evening on November 18 from 7 until 10 p.m. at The Wilshire Grand Hotel at 350 Pleasant Valley Way in West Orange. I'm honored to have been asked by the people at MDA to emcee the evening for the second year.

The night will include food, cocktails, music and some surprises. All of the money goes to the work of the Muscular Dystrophy Association for research and patient care. There are sponsorship opportunities still available which would also give you the opportunity to present a check live during the 2010 Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon.

For ticket and sponsorship information, call MDA's offices in Maywood New Jersey at 201-843-2324. I hope I'll see you there!

The Latest Poll On The Race For NJ Governor

2009-10-22T06:33:00.003-04:00

If trends say anything, and most say that they do, then today's poll on the race for Governor in New Jersey says a lot. Incumbent Governor Jon Corzine continues to spin his wheels, Republican Chris Christie continues to drop and Independent candidate Chris Daggett continues to climb.

The Rutgers-Eagleton Poll showed 39 percent of likely voters supporting Corzine, 36 percent for Christie and 20 percent for independent Chris Daggett.

Analysts are saying that the win will go to the candidate who winds up with the strongest get out the vote effort. Given the disgust New Jersey voters have regarding the Corzine and Christie campaigns, the loss will go to those who have more of their voters stay home to treat the acid reflux this campaign has given them.

By the way, if you're a student of political history you might want to go back and study Jesse Ventura's run for Governor in Minnesota. It'll be a useful way to get ready for election night here in New Jersey.

When It Comes To Chris Christie I'll Admit When I'm Wrong

2009-10-21T14:34:00.002-04:00

One of the criticisms that has been made about the Chris Christie campaign is that the presentation of his ideas lack the details of how he would put those ideas into action. This has especially true regarding taxes. New Jersey residents and businesses are forced to try to live and exist in a highly unfriendly tax climate. The voters don't just want to know what someone will do to change this. They want to know how a candidate will change it. That's why the call for and delivery of details is vital.

I confess that I called on the Chris Christie campaign to supply those details. It makes for pretty window dressing when someone says that they'll lower taxes and cut spending but if you don't put anything in that window, people will just keep walking by after taking a fast glance.

Over the past few days I've written some fairly strong words about what I saw as the faults of the Chris Christie campaign. I'd like to take the time to correct this matter because I have been told where I can find the details of how Chris Christie would cut spending and reduce taxes if elected the next Governor of New Jersey. I'd like to share with you how you can learn about this detailed plan too.

Go to the campaign website for Chris Christie which is www.christiefornj.com . When the page loads, point your cursor to where it says Issues. A menu will then drop down. Click on Cutting Taxes. This will take you to an introductory page with a general presentation of Chris Christie's plan to cut taxes and spending.

But wait! There's more!

Just as Christie and his campaign has stated, there is a very detailed plan of exactly how Chris Christie would take on the challenging task of cutting taxes and reducing spending. There's a link to click on at the bottom of that intro page in the Cutting Taxes section. In order to save you from bouncing back and forth from here to there, I've included a link below which when you click on it you can read all about Chris Christie's plan to cut taxes and reduce spending in it's full and complete detail directly from his official campaign website.

The Chris Christie Plan To Cut Taxes & Reduce Spending

New Jersey & Jobs: Missing Each Other

2009-10-20T07:47:00.003-04:00

If I recall correctly, all during the promoting and pushing of the federal stimulus, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine promised that as soon as the money was in the bank new jobs would spring up. A particular focus was placed on the supposedly numerous opportunities that would rise up in construction. The basis of this claim was the statement that there were dozens of projects that were sitting on drawing boards with all planning needs done. The federal stimulus money was all that was missing to launch these projects and create new jobs.

These were what were being called "shovel ready projects."

So here we are in the homestretch of October. With the exception of a very small, and later revised from the original falsely inflated numbers, rise in private sector jobs back in August New Jersey's unemployment rate has continued to climb t0 9.8%. Among the hardest hit sectors for job losses in the most recent report...construction. That area lost 4,000 jobs between August and September.

It looks like the only one with a shovel was Jon Corzine.

The Candidate Debate For NJ Governor - Second Verse Same As The First

2009-10-17T07:37:00.003-04:00

The three leading candidates in the race for New Jersey Governor debated Friday night. The evening saw incumbent Democrat Governor Jon Corzine, Republican Chris Christie and Independent Chris Daggett all walk into the evening with priorities they needed to address, especially after the first debate. All three know that the voting population is disgruntled, disgusted and among the Democrats and Republicans, not thrilled with their party's respective candidates.

Here's how each candidate did.

Jon Corzine, as he did in the previous debate, tried to get people to focus on the big picture rather than his role in guiding the state.

All this week he had claimed that job creation was "priority one, two and three" for his administration. If that's so then why did he say in the debate that he would not give tax cuts to big business? Given that New Jersey continues to be rated the most unfriendly state to do business in, if Corzine continues to discourage business development and growth, who does he expect to create jobs?

There was a small sign that Corzine may be feeling more confident. He referred to his early attempt to lease the NJ Turnpike to a private company by saying that "perhaps it was too much too fast." That sounded to me like, albeit lame, an attempt on Corzine's part to tell the voters that he'll admit to mistakes when he makes them. If that's true then he has a lot of catching up to do with that idea.

Corzine offered a look into how he sees things which revealed that if he's re-elected nothing will change. The Xanadu project was brought up. This is a project at the Meadowlands which was promised to be a shopping and recreation center which would create jobs and produce revenue. It's become New Jersey's version of Boston's Big Dig. It's way over budget. It's way behind schedule. It's also THE ugliest building you've ever seen. It looks like an oversized Lego creation some drunk built. When asked about the financial blackhole Corzine remarked, "It ain't good looking, but the fact is it has to go forward."

In hindsight, that line could have been Corzine's campaign slogan.

To his credit, Corzine did supply the laugh line of the night when he said that he wanted his opponents to stick to the issues. Has he watched even one of his campaign ads? Does he have ear plugs in when he speaks on the campaign trail?

Then there's the Republican challenger Chris Christie. Out of fairness I hesitate to detail his performance since once again Christie failed to detail how he would do what he's promising to do if elected. It's gotten to the point where someone needs to ask Christie whether he thinks that he's running to become a General since that's how he addresses issues...in as general a way as he can.

Christie said that he would fix the financial state of the state with steps that would include $6.5 billion in cuts. Once again, he failed to list even one specific cut. Imagine if someone comes up to you and says, "I want to build a house for you!" Would you just tell them to go ahead or would you want some detail about how they're going to do what they want to do? Just as it was in the previous debate, this was lacking from Christie Friday night.

Another general statement by Christie was that the problem is spending, not revenue. Well, if programs and policies were in place that would encourage spending, investing in the state and business growth both spending and revenue issues would be addressed. That's called prosperity. New Jersey has seen tax revenue drop by double digit percentage because of job losses along with the number of people and businesses that have left the state. The next Governor will have to put out the fire that's burning on New Jersey's welcome mat. Chris Christie once again failed last night to detail how he would do that.

Rather than spend time detailing how his ideas would become actions, Christie continued to spend time defending himself against the charges and insults made by that various Corzine ads which continue to talk all about Christie and not about Corzine. So once again, Christie hurt his own cause by repeating the Corzine insults and charges planting them into the heads of people who may not have heard them.

Chris Daggett, as he did in the previous debate, delivered the best performance among the three. He presented his ideas. He gave some of the mechanics of his plans that would make his ideas possible. He corrected Chris Christie when Christie misrepresented an element of Daggett's plans and got a pretty big reaction from the audience when he said that New Jersey residents are sick of negative campaigns.

Daggett's performance countered the excuses the other two campaigns have made about how it's difficult to present details in a short amount of time. Chris Daggett told how his plans may hit hard in some areas but also explained that given the financial mess the state's in it's the only realistic way that the problems can be addressed.

When it comes to education, just as it is with the state finances, Daggett would place responsibility on those who have been skating through and still getting rewarded with additional funds and grants. Those who fail to hold up their end will be called on to answer for their failures with the assurance that a price will have to be paid on their part for their failure. Now that's change we can believe in!

Jon Corzine gave excuses. Chris Christie gave a 90 minute presentation of his campaign ads concluding with a version of phrase that those who have nothing lean on resort to, "Are you better off now than you were then?" Chris Daggett presented a structure, ideas and details with direction attached to them.

Chris Daggett showed that he has the mind and drive of a true leader that the voters of New Jersey need to be their next Governor.

Dreaming Of A White Halloween

2009-10-15T14:17:00.002-04:00

So here I sit on October 15 looking out my window at snow falling and listening to a weather forecast that's calling for a total of 1 to 4 inches in Northwest New Jersey with the larger amounts in the higher elevations.

Where can I go to get an order of Global Warming to go?

Chris Daggett's Latest Campaign Ad

2009-10-14T14:46:00.001-04:00

Who says you can't have a little fun in a political campaign and still get your point across?

Why I'm Voting For Chris Daggett

2009-10-14T11:10:00.003-04:00

During the Republican primary race for New Jersey Governor, when the race was between former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie and former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, without hesitation I thought that Chris Christie was the candidate who would get things done. His background in law enforcement was strong. His battles against government corruption were successful. I thought that Chris Christie would make an excellent Governor for New Jersey.

Then as time moved on, when details were called on to team with impressions, Chris Christie began to fall short. Sure, his plans and policy wish list were ones that New Jersey needs to have injected into the stagnant system of state government, but details on how he would build those plans and initiate those ideas were yet to be revealed.

I decided to wait and see. Since Christie was a first time candidate, I thought it would be fair to give him and his advisors the opportunity to develop the details that would make what he wanted to do in fact happen.

I'm not waiting any longer.

There's less than three weeks until Election Day. Anything that the Christie campaign comes up with now will only appear to be a grasp at straws. As it is, they seem more interested in spending time responding to the ridiculous issues like weight and hotel rooms that the Corzine camp keep bringing up. Given the obvious concerns of the people of the state of New Jersey, details should have been a priority for the Christie campaign. What they insist on calling plans, without those details, is merely a laundry list. My state is broken. When I have something that's in need of fixing, I want someone who can get to work with the foundation of a plan and the knowledge of a direction they see that's needed to be followed.

As far as Jon Corzine is concerned, he committed one of the worst things a politician can do. He oversold and under delivered. If it wasn't for games with the general fund and federal stimulus money, Corzine would have had nothing. His claims that he cut the budget as some grand achievement are totally bogus. Given how his programs and policies chased businesses and people out of the state, slashing the tax revenue the state received, Corzine and the Democrats couldn't spend all that they planned to do.

That's why I'm voting for Chris Daggett.

Daggett has produced a detailed plan that places a focus on making New Jersey more business friendly. That positive change in the business climate would be one of the fastest ways to create new jobs. Daggett has proposed cutting property taxes by $2,500 for each home owner. The caveat is that the cuts would only take place if the town or city those homes are in avoids overspending.

Daggett's background and knowledge about the environment would also place a studied and knowledgeable focus on the various elements of the growing green industries. Rather than falling for hyped up spin that some are trying to sell, Daggett can better determine what areas will create jobs, cut costs and offer the most opportunity.

I realize that Daggett has also proposed an expansion of the sales tax to certain services and would look favorably at a hike in the gas tax. The reality of New Jersey's situation, like it or not, means that it will cost something to fix the mess that the Corzine and before that the McGreevey years have impaled the state with.

A smaller reason for my decision to vote for and support Chris Daggett for New Jersey Governor is the wake up call it would deliver to the occupants of the State House in Trenton and special interest groups who feed them while they themselves feast at the trough. All of a sudden a true outsider who won't be in any sort of debt to any of them would hold the reigns and be guiding the direction of the state. The election of an independent candidate would make even the most complacent politician wake up and realize how bad state matters are and how fed up the people of the state are with their lack of action.

While I never formally endorse a political candidate, because I believe that you have the intelligence it takes to make a smart choice, I will ask you to study Chris Daggett's ideas and plans. Place your political loyalty to the side and think about yourself and your state. After you look at the details of what the three candidates for New Jersey Governor have in mind for their term in office, I think you'll realize that voting for Chris Daggett is voting for a stronger future for New Jersey.

Bearly Legal

2009-10-14T08:45:00.002-04:00

In most place in America hunting is looked on as a means for the balance of nature to progress and for people to sustain themselves with food. The current challenging economic times have added importance to hunting for food purposes. Hunting is also a means by which animal overpopulation can be controlled in order to preserve the natural habitat and feeding grounds for wildlife. This ensures that wildlife population can exist in a healthy way for a full lifespan.

Except here in New Jersey.

The issue of bears in Northern New Jersey has been one of great debate. While the studies have shown over an over that there is an overpopulation of bears that's limiting the natural food for these animals, Governor Jon Corzine and a few bear proponent groups have blocked any sort of hunt. This decision also impacts the financial state of the state through revenue lost that hunters are spending in neighboring states for permits, supplies, gas, food and other things.

Now it's gotten to the point that if you shoot a bear in self-defense, it's looked on as if you shot a robber who tried to car jack you and someone needs to bring the FBI in. If you don't believe me, then click on this link and read on...

Man Shoots Bear In Northwest New Jersey

Jon Corzine Sets A Trap With Some Weighty Issues

2009-10-13T15:18:00.003-04:00

It continues to amaze and disappoint me. Jon Corzine and his re-election campaign keep setting traps in order to divert attention from the true issues. Almost without fail, the Chris Christie campaign and certainly the New Jersey media fall into the trap which allows Corzine to avoid the issues even if only for a moment that he should be answering to.

One of the biggest impacts of Corzine's trap setting has been the failure of important issues to the voters of New Jersey to gain any focus with momentum. For example, a month or so ago the Christie campaign placed a focus on the failing business climate and the lack of job creation in New Jersey. How did Camp Corzine respond? They pitched a storyline in an ad about a traffic accident Chris Christie was involved in with a motorcyclist. This took the discussion off of jobs and on to whether someone with less than perfect driving skills could be a good Governor.

Here's a bit of news for those media morons who thought this was a worthy topic of discussion. Governors don't drive. They have people drive them. The roads and other drivers won't have to worry...unless a Governor (not mentioning any names here) orders his driver to go 92 MPH on the New Jersey Turnpike in order to get that certain Governor to a photo op with a certain radio host and a certain women's college basketball team.

Yet, along with the New Jersey news media, Corzine's challenger Chris Christie fell into the trap. Instead of waving off the stupid he jumped head first into the pool with no water. By spending time responding to the questions about his driving ability he gave longer legs to the information, accusations and stopped any forward progress on debate about topics that matter.

Having seen this succeed, Camp Corzine figured the second time would be an even bigger charm. They launched a TV ad that through the choice of visual gave a very strong focus on Chris Christie's weight. Christie's a big dude. That's not exactly a state secret. One of the lines in the ad, which charged that among other things Christie sought favor through his position in the U.S. Attorneys office, went, "as he threw his weight around."

So of course the New Jersey media, and even the national cable news channels along with the NY Times, jumped on this. During the debate featuring the candidates for Lieutenant Governor, one of the journalists asked Democratic Lieutenant Governor candidate Lorretta Weinberg, "Do you think Chris Christie is fat?" Weinberg stammered and made an attempt at a joke while not really answering the question. While that was happening, the camera cut to Christie who was sitting in the audience.

This weighty issue didn't stop there. It was one of the top talking points of the race for New Jersey Governor that next day. To add to the fire, once again falling into the Corzine trap, Christie at numerous points stopped his focus on issues and instead talked about his weight.

I know this might sound like making a lot out of a little, but when you're running for Governor of a state with growing unemployment and decreasing business opportunity, I kind of think you wouldn't want to turn time for meaningful discussion into garbage time. Christie has been criticized for presenting ideas with no details. Maybe if he would stop playing in the Jon Corzine litterbox, he would have time to satisfy his critics.

Of course this is Jon Corzine's perfect storm. He's talking about his opponent in a way that is diverting the attention of his opponent thereby diverting attention from calling on Jon Corzine to answer for his failures.

This Friday will be the final debate between the three major candidates for New Jersey Governor. The election is only weeks away. If Chris Christie is content with dancing to Jon Corzine's music by responding rather than initiating, there's going to be a very sour note struck for Christie on election night.

A Shot In The Dark

2009-10-10T07:14:00.004-04:00

This past week saw the release of a poll done by Fairleigh Dickinson University Public Mind that asked the people of New Jersey whether they would be getting the Swine Flu vaccine now that it's available. The poll results showed that 62% of the people said that they would not get the Swine Flu vaccine. Another 9% said they hadn't made their decision yet. That left only 29% of the people polled who said that they would get the vaccine.

These poll results could wind up being bad news for the people of New Jersey, especially parents, given the past performance of the Jon Corzine Administration.

We were told this past week by Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary Of Health And Human Services in the Obama Administration, that "you must get the H1N1 flu vaccine." We certainly know that Jon Corzine is one of the leading disciples of the Church Of Barack Obama. That was confirmed when just the other day Corzine revealed that he's counting on another injection (pardon the pun) of federal stimulus money next year to help him close the expected $8 billion state budget gap. Then you can look back to late last year and earlier this year when the Corzine Administration mandated that school children get a specific cocktail of vaccines in order to be able to continue attending school. That mandate was made in spite of the concerns that the vaccine cocktail made some children more susceptible to autism. Oh sure, there was a personal objection clause people could claim within this program, but it was so vague that school and state officials could pretty much deny any parent's attempt to keep the needles away from their children.

So, when you add all of these elements together, is it a stretch to expect Jon Corzine and his druids in New Jersey to order parents to get their kids the Swine Flu vaccine or else they can't go to school? It's also an equal possibility that the same mandate could be made of employers with the threat of fines or license revocations for non-compliance.

I'm not saying that I've heard anything. Just a shot in the dark.

Chris Christie's Terrible Trends

2009-10-06T13:32:00.002-04:00

Regarding the race for NJ Governor, the latest poll confirmed that it's now a statistical dead heat. The Fairleigh Dickinson University Public Mind Poll released today shows that in a race between incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine and challenger Chris Christie Corzine leads by a spread of 44% to 43%. When the people taking part in the poll were directly given a choice between Corzine, Christie and independent candidate Chris Daggett, the spread became 38% Corzine, 37% Christie and 17% for Daggett.

This is seriously bad news for the Chris Christie campaign for a variety of reasons and shows the results of the mistakes that his campaign has made.

Let's start with what state Republicans are claiming about the so-called "Daggett Effect." The claim is that Daggett is a candidate being funded behind the scenes by Democrats in order to take away votes from Christie. Today's FDU poll shows that in fact Daggett is taking more votes away from Jon Corzine than Christie. The FDU poll has Daggett taking twice as many votes away from Corzine than Christie. Yet, Christie has shown a lack of ability to take advantage of that statistical fact.

Another excuse Republicans are making is that Corzine can get his message out better because he has more money. But what has his message been? The claim that he cut spending is laughable because it was his policies and programs which caused people and businesses to flee the state. That in turn cut the tax revenue the state received so the Democrats and Corzine couldn't spend all that they wanted to no matter how much Santa Obama brought to New Jersey.

When it comes to communicating a message, more people would rather watch road kill get a tan on the side of the road than listen to Jon Corzine speak. The Great Communicator he ain't. What he excels at is running a scum-filled campaign, which is appropriate since his poll numbers are stagnant. Yet the Christie campaign hasn't been able to close the deal.

The reason the door was left open by the Christie campaign is because they fell into the Camp Corzine trap. Rather than swat away the mud that Camp Corzine was throwing at them, the Christie campaign decided to play in the mud puddle which only gave the attention to the mud and that worked to Corzine's advantage. The FDU poll, along with other recent ones, show that the negative view of Christie is increasing.

Instead of a commercial that was focused on details of the plans and policies he will bring to the office, Christie has spent his time responding to charges. To make matters worse, most of the time he would repeat the damn charges so anyone who didn't hear them from Camp Corzine got to hear them from the target of the mud himself.

That made me think back to something that happened during the 1982 Jerry Lewis Telethon. For years the press slammed Jerry and made a variety of poisonous accusations about MDA, Jerry's work and the Telethon. Jerry finally decided to take them on. Live in front of a TV audience of over 80 million people, Jerry spent over ten minutes addressing a variety of things written about him, MDA and the Telethon. He countered each item with facts that refuted them. What Jerry did, which Christie has failed to do, was to attack what was said without mentioning by name or outlet who said and wrote it or who they worked for. He turned the attack, which most would react to with explanations and excuses, into an opportunity for declarative statements that strengthened his position. That's what the Chris Christie campaign has to do.

Instead of spending campaign money to yell, "Corzine sucks and here's why. Here's what he's saying about me. He's playing dirty. Vote for me instead." Christie should say, "I'd rather talk about how I'll create jobs in New Jersey," (and here's the important idea Christie needs to say and do), "and here's a couple of the ways I'll do it." He has to stop sending people to his website to read. When someone asks you a question and their vote depends on your answer, you give them the most detailed and complete answer you can give. It doesn't matter if it's the same answer to the question to different people. If it's an answer that's detailed, realistic and shows signs of success, repeat it like your doing a line in a Broadway show.

Thanks to Camp Corzine and, in a plan that quickly backfired on them, their attempts to elevate Chris Daggett still produced a danger for Chris Christie even though Corzine has lost more votes to Daggett. If Christie doesn't spend more time talking details than saying "Jon Corzine sucks." his runoff of voters to Daggett will grow as large as Corzine's. The voting population of New Jersey is unhappy and the FDU poll shows that half of the voters know who Daggett is. That's true for the Democrats, Republicans and Independents. Right now the New Jersey voters are all in a multiplex theater watching a movie. If they don't like what they're watching, they can easily pick up their popcorn and walk over to the next theater.

They Did Debate

2009-10-02T18:43:00.002-04:00

Last nigh saw the three major candidates for New Jersey Governor face off in a televised debate. A lot of the words and pitches were the same old same old, especially if you've seen any of the campaign ads. There are a few standout points about the performances of each of the three worth noting.

Let's start with the incumbent Governor Jon Corzine. Just as he has on the campaign trail, last night he had to spend time pitching himself to a large part of his base. That's the urban areas of the state as well as independent women. While some reporters have remarked on how "Corzine is connecting well with the groups in his focus", the fact that he's still in need of making that connection is a sign of the trouble his campaign is in.

One of his points easily demonstrated his downside when it comes to the state economy. He fell back into Christie Attack Mode and brought up the point of how Christie stated he wouldn't accept federal stimulus money is it came with strings attached. Corzine commented on how ridiculous it would be to refuse money from the federal government. While that may sound like a no-brainer, it actually pointed out how Corzine falls short in ideas of how to generate money in the state so instead he needs to look for one-shot flows of money from Santa Obama.

While Chris Christie delivered on passion and overall presentation, the day after the debate saw the voices demanding he share more details of his plan continue and even increase somewhat. When pressed during the debate to detail some of the things he would cut to save money, those who know what the state is spending how much on say that Christie's budget cuts would make little impact in the total amount the state spends.

Being a super crime fighter got Christie into the dance. The problem that he's facing is that the band is playing a different tune that requires him to show he knows more than one dance. Christie needs to better communicate in greater detail his plans and ideas rather than directly people to the various position papers featured on his campaign website.

Then there's the independent candidate in this race, Chris Daggett. He wound up being the winner of the night in a few ways. First, it's the most attention his name has been given in this campaign. Before the debate, Daggett had seen his name recognition rise by 8 to 10% depending on the poll. Granted that still left about 85% of people in surveys not knowing who he was, but Daggett took advantage of his spot by presenting the most details about his ideas which to many will sound new and different versus what state politicians have been doing (or not doing) in recent years. That helped his stand above Christie and Corzine who simply repeated much of their campaign rhetoric.

To me, with no hesitation, the winner of the debate Thursday night was Chris Daggett. The odd thing is that Corzine was helped by Daggett's performance given that Daggett has been chipping into Christie's support in recent weeks. That's why there were a couple of moments during the debate when Corzine complemented Daggett. With Corzine languishing at dangerously low poll numbers for an incumbent, he needs to weaken the coffee in order to get a win. Watch for Camp Corzine to continue to give Daggett some more back-of-the-hand positive recognition.

Personally, while I've been a supporter of Christie, Daggett has grabbed my interest with his ideas including how to make New Jersey friendly for business and in turn create new jobs. I don't think I'm alone with that stance. The Christie campaign can only combat this will a greater flow of details about their plans and program ideas to the point where they barely acknowledge that Jon Corzine even exists.

Debate Night Tonight

2009-10-01T11:21:00.002-04:00

Later on tonight the three leading candidates for NJ Governor will face each other in a debate. The debate starts at 8 p.m. and will air on NJN.

Given the poll numbers that have come out so far this week, this evening will be an important one for all three candidates.

As an incumbent, Jon Corzine has to avoid appearing to be on the defense. He's facing a voting population of Democrats and Independents that does not like him. As a group, these people are dealing with tough financial times and they're looking for the ideas that will create better days, no reasons (excuses) why things still suck in New Jersey. Corzine needs to share how he would create new avenues and programs that would reduce the cost of living in New Jersey and increase opportunity for new business to come into the state which would create new jobs.

What he will risk this evening is being called on to answer some of the charges his campaign and the national Democratic organizations have made about Chris Christie. Most have been proven to be either baseless charges or exaggerations of events or actions regarding Christie. Camp Corzine has lobbed a few shells at Christie, specifically regarding loans and corruption, that have come back to bit Corzine in the butt. Getting your butt bitten in a back and forth discussion through reporters is one thing. If it happens tonight in front of the cameras is a whole different story.

Chris Christie has to wash off some of the mud Camp Corzine has thrown at him because some of it has stuck. Repetition has that impact in a political campaign. He needs to find every path there is through every question he's given to retort and defuse as many charges he can that Camp Corzine has made.

Christie's foundation is law enforcement and fighting corruption. He needs to open the camera lens up so people can learn more about his ideas and plans of action, primarily regarding taxes and spending. While it's a good move to take the "I'm not Jon Corzine" stance, he needs to add details on why he's not Corzine. His answers tonight should all be made with the belief that every question, no matter what the actual words are, is, "What's different about Chris Christie versus Jon Corzine?"

Then there's Chris Daggett who's the Independent candidate. While polls this week show him climbing into double digits, tonight will be his first test to put up or shut up. Republican and Democrat candidates reap a benefit of blind followers to a point. An independent candidate doesn't get that gift. Daggett is capturing the unaffiliated voters, along with a chunk of Democrats, who can't vote for Christie and won't vote for Corzine.

While they say Daggett's name when asked who they're supporting, there will come a time when they will have to put a value on their vote. Daggett needs to solidify as many of these people as he can with realistic details about his plans and programs. He will have the extra challenge of needing to do this while introducing himself to the majority of the electorate who doesn't know anything about him. A failure to justify a vote for him will cause these early supporters to sit home in November. A failure to connect and encourage additional voters to join his cause will stagnate his poll standings and create a faster route to bandwagon jumping.

Even though the polls this week have the race closing between Christie and Corzine, Christie is still in the position of power when you look at statistical history. At this stage in the game, you would be challenged to find an incumbent who won an election after being at 40% or lower in the polls this late in the race. Even with all the heavy artillery Camp Corzine has fired at him, Christie still stands above Corzine in the race.

Tonight could very well be a "one and out" situation for Jon Corzine.

Truth Versus Tradition

2009-09-30T11:05:00.002-04:00

Just a sample of the truth I'm trying to spread with my online store.

Changing Focus

2009-09-30T10:42:00.002-04:00

Up until now, my blog has been the secondary tool for me to sound off and think out loud about a variety of issues. My radio show has and will continue to be the main location for that sharing of ideas, information and for annoying those who rightfully deserve it.

Lately, I've noticed that I've been doing more sounding off more frequently on my Facebook page. It seemed to be more convenient and brought about a greater give and take regarding whatever I was either yelling about or laughing at.

So, with that being the case, I'm going to narrow the focus of my blog. Rather than a general topic type of focus, I'll be placing a single focus on the many political, social, legal and other matters related to and happening in New Jersey. Lord knows that there's enough material to work with. Many of the NJ politicians are the gifts that keep on giving...as long as they stay out of courtrooms and prisons.

If you haven't yet, send me a Friend Request on Facebook so you can take part in that conversation of wider topics. You'll also be able to find out when I post new things here on the blog when you become a follower through Facebook.

Liberals Love To Give It But Won't Take It

2009-09-21T08:38:00.005-04:00

The Liberal Whine Cellar doors have been thrown wide open. One after another are going after people who they feel are using real and doctored photos of Barack Obama as a means of protest over...well, pick a reason. There are quite a few.

The Liberal Whine Cellar occupants are saying that this means of protest is racist, un-American and that it shows a lack of respect for the office of President of the United States.

That's what the Liberals are saying.

Here's a very brief review of what Liberals spent the past eight years doing.

Ernie Anastos Fowls

2009-09-17T06:31:00.002-04:00

There are just some news anchors who should never be allowed to talk without a teleprompter. Here's one of them.

The House Of Representatives Versus Rep. Joe Wilson

2009-09-15T20:54:00.002-04:00

Earlier today the House Of Representatives voted to officially rebuke Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) for his shouting "You lie!" during Barack Obama's health care reform begging and pleading speech last week to a joint session of Congress.

The final vote was 240 to 179. If you look at the detailed vote, there are some interesting points to note.

Seven Republicans voted in favor of the resolution. They were Joseph Cao (LA), Jo Ann Emerson (MO), Jeff Flake (AZ), Bob Inglis (SC), Walter Jones (NC), Jim Petri (WI), and Dana Rohrabacher (CA).

It's always nice to know who your friends are, especially from your own state delegation with Bob Inglis from South Carolina voting against Rep. Wilson.

There were twelve Democrats who voted against it. They were Michael Arcuri (NY), Bill Delahunt (MA), Gabrielle Giffords (AZ), Maurice Hinchey (NY), Paul Hodes (NH), Dennis Kucinich (OH), Dan Maffei (NY), Eric Massa (NY), Jim McDermott (WA), Gwen Moore (WI), Gene Taylor (MS), and Harry Teague (NM).

The two names of note among the dozen are Rep. Dennis Kucinich and McDermott. Typically if it has to do with anything Republican, they're against it. Yet in this case they chose to stand with Rep. Wilson's right to freedom of expression. Perhaps they're among the twelves House Democrats who are honest enough to confess that during the Bush years Democrats said a lot worse about the President than Rep. Wilson did. The only difference is that Wilson had the guts to do it to Obama's face.

Finally, there were five members of the House who voted Present. They were Eliot Engel (NY), Bill Foster (IL), Barney Frank (MA), Carol Shea-Porter (NH), and Ike Skelton (MO).

Rep. Barney Frank might be showing some sympathy toward Rep. Wilson on this one given that back in the 1980's Frank was forced to stand in the well of the House Of Representatives to be publicly reprimanded concerning a small matter of giving a teenage boy House page more than just a pat on the back.

So this was the day that became the day of The House Of Representatives versus Rep. Joe Wilson. On my scorecard, as well as in Rep. Wilson's current campaign fund checking account, I think that Rep. Joe Wilson won. I can't say the same for the seven Republicans who decided to reach across the aisle to their Democrat colleagues after they reached toward Rep. Wilson to stab him in the back.

Two Sides To The Latest Poll In The Race For NJ Governor

2009-09-14T06:45:00.003-04:00

The latest Monmouth University/Gannett poll on the race for Governor in New Jersey is being reported as a tightening of the race. The news media line is that incumbent Governor Jon Corzine has closed the gap against Republican challenger Chris Christie to only an 8 point difference. The NJ Democrats are out and about claiming that the tide is turning and how the election will be a big comeback win for Jon Corzine.

Not so fast!

If you look at the poll numbers there are many points of concern for Camp Corzine.

While it's true that the gap has closed to 8 points between the two, why isn't it being mentioned that Corzine is an incumbent who can't crack through 50% in any poll so far? That's the statistical benchmark for any incumbent running for re-election. In fact, in this poll, he doesn't even break through 40%. The Monmouth University/Gannett poll has Christie up by a spread of 47% to 39%. The news media is pretty much glossing over that fact.

Another major concern for Camp Corzine are the independent or unaffiliated voters who make up the largest voting block in New Jersey. The Monmouth University/Gannett poll shows Christie with a 15 point lead about those voters. Christie's over Corzine by a spread of 45% to only 30% for Jon Corzine.

So while Jon Corzine will try to paint this poll as a rosy picture for the homestretch of his re-election campaign, the facts are that there are still a lot of thorns in his side and they're all self-inflicted.

The Two Paths From 9/11

2009-09-11T07:06:00.004-04:00

Today marks the 8th anniversary of the terror attacks on America. Eight years later there are those who want the country to stop and reflect. There are others who want to take the opposite path by treating the day as they normally would, perhaps doing a little extra, in order to get in the face of the those who attacked America and say, "I don't think so!"

With that second path in mind, this year September 11 was declared to be a National Day Of Service. Turning this call into action, the Entertainment Industry Foundation launched the I Participate program. This effort features a website which enables you to find causes and organizations near you who are in need of your time, talents and attention. You can search for volunteer opportunities based on something you know or an activity that you like to do. Even an hour of your time one week could give a local organization a great deal of help.

However, this idea is bothering some people. They've expressed concerns that if people get up and do things this would "take away from the significance of the day." These are the people who are campaigning to make September 11 a national holiday. They believe that eight years isn't long enough to stop and mourn as a nation.

Two things about their stance.

First, imagine if Israel as a country came to a screeching halt every time they were attacked. The country would have been stagnant and open to being overtaken by their neighbor enemies. Rather than turning their country into a non-stop memorial ceremony, Israel and her citizens stand up, stare terrorism in the eye and say that it will not stop them.

Second, to anyone who thinks making September 11 a national holiday is the right thing to do, here's a question for you. After the first year, how fast would September 11 become just another holiday for hitting the beach, checking out the sales at Wal-Mart and checking out a daytime baseball game? Given the rainy weather in New York City today, I'm curious about how many of the people who want this day to be a holiday so they can gather and mourn...again....are looking out the window and instead of getting ready to go to an outdoor ceremony are instead saying, "Ew! It looks horrible out there. I wonder what's on HBO this morning."

I have long said that anyone in the media or public eye, myself included, is obligated to be a public advocate for at least two causes. As you may know, I've connected with The Muscular Dystrophy Association along with the prevention of domestic violence and helping women recover. There's a double benefit to this act. The people that are made aware of your actions will either feel compelled to join you in your specific causes or take it upon themselves to connect with something that touches them more personally.

Either way, getting up and doing something of quality and achievement instead of stopping is the greatest way to counter everything the terrorists wanted to create that day eight years ago.

To find a volunteer opportunity near you where you can do something you already enjoy click here to learn more about I Participate.

Health Care Reform Quiz

2009-09-10T20:13:00.002-04:00

This past Wednesday night Barack Obama went before a joint session of Congress and the American people to give what was promoted as a more detailed explanation of health care reform than what has been presented up to now.

Following the speech, the White House said their message was delivered in a way that connected with the people who were watching. Congressional Democrats said that Obama's speech will compel members of Congress to pass a health care reform bill by Thanksgiving because they know that the American people want reform now. The news channel talking head pundits said that Obama's speech placed health care reform back on track as a priority that the people of this country want to see accomplished.

There's just one small problem with all of those views and analysis. The people of America don't agree.

Among the many polls that have collected, compiled and presented the will and wants of the American people, the latest Rasmussen poll shows that only 44% of Americans approve of health care reform as it's currently being presented by the Obama Administration and Congressional Democrats. Just two months ago, support was hovering just over the 50% mark,

So, with that in mind, here's your quiz for today.

With polls showing a continued drop in the number of people favoring health care reform, why is the Obama Administration along with Congressional Democrats and news channel pundits claiming that it's the right thing to do?

A) Because those people who are against health care reform are racists.

B) Because the people of America are too simple minded to understand the nuances of the proposed reform.

C) Because too many people have too much that they want to keep for themselves as others are forced to do without.

D) Because it streamlines the Obama Administration's takeover process. If health care reform passes the way they want it to, they'll be able to make inroads into the health industry, pharmaceutical industry, insurance industry and for an extra bonus the majority of independently owned businesses by way of the many triggers and requirements that are a part of the health care reform plan.

A Look Back At The 2009 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon

2009-09-09T09:01:00.003-04:00

At the first moment you hear someone call an event a success even when it doesn't surpass the previous year it may sound odd, but reality of surroundings have to be brought into the equation. That's why it can be said that the 2009 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon was indeed a success.

The final national total was $60,481,231. That was around $4.5 million less than 2008. When you take into account a national unemployment rate approaching ten percent along with some states seeing their unemployment rate jump past ten percent and inch closer to fifteen percent, this final total is incredible. It's proof of how even when faced with personal financial challenges that have people fearing a loss of their home and having to decide whether to buy food or pay a utility bill, the American people can still reach into their ability to care when they see and learn about a genuine need. This year's MDA telethon delivered a strong message to anyone who claims Americans are selfish and require some federal government program or mandate in order to become giving people.

Once again I had the treat and honor to be a part of the scene and show in New York City. While our final total of $5,628,134 was short of last year's $6,762,326, there was no shortage of passion and determination in getting the message of the importance of the work of MDA and the vital role people watching play with their donations out to everyone. Tony Orlando led the way with his usual high energy and passion. He was once again joined by WWOR's Russ Salzberg and Giovanna Drpic. As a team they don't host a TV show. They present an event that communicates excitement, enthusiasm and honesty to everyone who watches. Their efforts plant a message within people that lasts long after the show's over.

The people behind the scenes are equally as dedicated to the work and in doing all they can to see that the message of MDA gets to the people in the most high impact way possible. A telethon is the most challenging job any director, camera person, sound tech or floor crew member can ever face. There's nothing in daily television that compares to the demands and requirements it calls for. Yet this team of professionals focus and work to ensure that all runs as it should when it needs to.

One of the perks of being backstage is the way a surprise can jump up. This year we were all milling around when in one of the dressing rooms where legendary singer Gary U.S. Bonds was hanging out, Terry Cole from Tony Orlando's band came in with his guitar. Terry started playing and Gary stared singing. He was joined by Toni Wine, also a part of Tony's band. Then Tony jumped in followed by Johnny Petillo who has performed with legendary groups including The Duprees. It's one of those times when you take the scene all in and say to yourself, "You know...life doesn't suck."

Let us not forget about Jerry Lewis. I've found some of the reviews of the show and people's various comments to be quite amusing. They say that he doesn't look well, that he rambles on like he lost his focus, that he says the wrong things and that he looks so tired.

Let's break out the scorecard, shall we?

Jerry's 84 years old. He performed ten hours of live high pressure television. During that time he sang eight songs, tap danced, led a 32 piece orchestra and shared his heart with over forty million people. I don't know about you but when I'm 84, I'm just hoping I can wake up in a dry bed! Jerry is a hero in so many ways to so many people. His work and ways are a non-stop education on how to get the job done.

Once again, Jerry Lewis and all who are a part of The Muscular Dystrophy Association proved that we the people are caring people. They proved that when the American public is presented the details of a need in an honest and straight to the heart way, they will respond in spite of any personal challenges they're facing. It was also shown once again how strong the children and families whose lives have been invaded by neuromuscular diseases truly are.

It was a good day.

Failure Is Not An Option

2009-09-06T11:02:00.003-04:00

A couple of weeks ago someone commented about something I posted about the 2009 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon and the work of MDA. This person wrote, "With all that money raised why haven't they found a cure?" I purposely waited until now to respond to that unfortunately too often asked question now as a bridge from what I talked about on the radio show this morning with John Shatesky, Brandon Barash, Dr. Valeric Cwik to the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon which will start tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern in order to help those who need a more complete understanding to gain it and for those who are aware to wind up with a greater appreciation of the importance of the work their donations to the Telethon empower.

First, it's oversimplification at it's extreme when someone asks why "a cure" has yet to be found. MDA researchers and scientists are active in working on the causes to discover the possible treatments for over 40 neuromuscular diseases. Each of these diseases share very few, if any, characteristics. To be expecting a single cure is not understanding the complexities that MDA's team of researchers are facing.

Just like it is with your mechanic when you take your car to the shop, MDA researchers have to find where the problem is. Then they have to discover what is creating that problem. Then, and only then, can they begin their work regarding possible treatment. Unlike your mechanic who is working with an engine that they have full knowledge of thanks to decades of diagrams, MDA's researchers didn't make the discovery of where to start looking until the mid 1980's, more than thirty years after MDA was founded.

That discovery was just the first step. Once the defective gene was marked, it had to be mapped. The challenge was to find out what made that gene malfunction and trigger a neuromuscular disease. This was where proteins come into the picture. This quest led to the understanding of what are called satellite cells. This search has led to many monumental achievements that have assisted not only those with neuromuscular diseases but other illness including those of the heart and kidney.

While all of that has been taking place behind the scenes, except that once a year report you've been presented during the Telethon, the work of the MDA researchers has also led to a very visible accomplishment which the Telethon has also presented to you.

If you've watched the show over the years, think back about a decade. When you would see a profile video on a dystrophic child and their family, can you recall how sad most of those stories were? Can you remember how emotionally distraught that child's parents were due to the level of fear they had about their child's tomorrow?

Now move forward to last year's Telethon and think about the profile pieces you watched. Think about the children who are now becoming young adults. Think of how they've pushed the challenges of muscular dystrophy aside in order to have a life, go to college, build a career and even play a role in the work of MDA. While the search for cures and treatments are obvious goals, the development of quality of life studies and therapies have also become a large part of the progress MDA has made in recent years.

This morning on my radio show, MDA's Dr. Valerie Cwik explained how it can be a decade from the time a scientist asks, "I wonder if..." to when they can say, "This is what happens when we do this." What's lifted hope is the fact that there's an increasing number of examples where scientists are saying, "This is what happens when we do this in a lab with mice. Now let's try in with a test panel of children."

There are clinic trials taking place around the world where what used to be theories and ideas are being turned into trial tests that will hopefully become treatments and cures. That's what your donation to the Muscular Dystrophy Association has made possible. You've enabled the medical experts and their pace of discoveries to get closer to the pace that neuromuscular diseases impact innocent children.

The straight to the core truth is that none of what I just described to you will continue without you being there for the towers of strength that are these kids and families. The champions of the medical field can't veer off to the side of the road to take a rest. Neuromuscular diseases don't ease up or slow their progression on their own out of fairness to the medical people who might be getting winded trying to catch up to them. It's your donation of any dollar amount that will give MDA's medical heroes the fuel and the fight that they need to see that their work and discoveries of today become the brighter and happier tomorrow's for these great kids and these strong families.

There's a line that's used in the military just before a major battle that will decide the fate and direction of the future. That saying is, "Failure is not an option."

After all of the decades of searching and discoveries along with all that lies on the horizon that is closer and closer every day, MDA needs you to stand along side these children and their families along with the scientists and researchers with your donation this Labor Day weekend to the 2009 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.

Failure is not an option.

The 2009 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon

2009-09-05T16:30:00.001-04:00

Here's a view of the scene in Las Vegas as everyone gets ready.

Countdown To The 2009 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon

2009-09-04T16:34:00.002-04:00

It all starts this coming Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastern. Visit the MDA website to find your local TV station and to make a donation right now.

Here's a look back to how it all wound up last year as well as what the final moments looked like way back in 1971.

Countdown To The 2009 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon

2009-09-03T07:09:00.004-04:00

Only three days to go until the 2009 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. You can donate today at the MDA website.

Here's a look back to 1976 with one of television's classic moments.

Countdown To The 2009 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon

2009-09-02T05:05:00.004-04:00

Only 4 days until the 2009 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. If you don't want to wait until then to donate, you can go to the MDA website and make your donation right now.

Here are a couple of the special moments with some very special people.

Countdown To The 2009 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon

2009-09-01T05:52:00.004-04:00

Only 4 days to go until this year's show. You don't have to wait for the Telethon to donate. You can give right now at the MDA website.

Here's a look at some of the ways your donation is put to work.

The 2009 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon Countdown

2009-08-31T07:28:00.003-04:00

Only 5 days to go until this year's event. You don't have to wait until the show starts on Sunday night. Go to MDA's website now to make your donation.

Here's a look back to one of the great performances on the Telethon by Frank Sinatra.

Never Knew Faith Came With A Yield Rate

2009-08-27T15:28:00.003-04:00

I get a kick out of watching televangelists for a couple of reasons. There are some who I watch in order to study their style and presentation. There are others you're just compelled to stop and watch because what they do and how they do it makes you ask, "Is there anyone out there buying into this snake oil sales person?"

The other early morning I was rolling through the channels when I came across a televangelist I hadn't stopped to watch before. His name's Mike Murdock. He's the guy with the jet black hair that he wears in a combed back helmet style and a van dyke style beard.

Coming across Mike Murdock has indeed helped me. It's helped me devise a formula that I hope you'll take to heart if you're seeking a new path in your practice of faith and religion and you're relying on TV ministries for your search. When you come across a man or woman who you assume will be sharing and preaching the Word, watch them for ten to fifteen minutes. If you hear them talk about money, especially you sending them yours, more than you hear them talk about God and Jesus....change the channel. You might as well be watching a home shopping channel.

That's Murdock's act. It's called The Prosperity Doctrine. The premise is that every little bit you send to him, the greater blessings you'll receive from God. Of course, in Murdock's eyes, giving a little starts at three figures. There are times when you get your wires crossed and trip yourself. I caught Murdock doing that to himself.

He was really hitting the message of the gifts of God when he said how positive it is when someone can turn away money and instead focus on a life of blessings. Then in the next breath, he asked people to send him their money.

Huh? Murdock's asking people to turn away from money yet he's crouching down with a catcher's mitt ready to grab every bit that heads his way.

Now I do understand the idea of tithes and offerings. Many parts of the Bible, both in the Old and New Testament, give instructions on first fruits and tithing ten percent to your place of worship. Murdoch and many others cross the line when they lay out specific dollar amounts they want you to believe will justify the greatest of God's gifts being given to you. That's not exactly what Paul and the other authors of the Bible had in mind.

While not wanting to aim you in any particular direction, if televangelists are your thing I would like to suggest Pastor Melissa Scott. Her broadcast airs Tuesday to Thursday mornings at 1 a.m. and streams 24/7 on her website.

In addition to her ability to bring the word of God to you, she also serves as what I like to call a Bible mechanic. She can get under the hood to tell and teach you the source text in it's original language, the translation system, history of the people, geography of the particular focus and more than that.

Does Pastor Scott ask for money? Yes. But while others twist the words of the Bible to serve their purposes, Pastor Scott asks for tithes and offerings based on one simple idea. You are to pay your teacher. Not an outlandish idea. She asks those who are taught through her teaching to pay what they feel is fair, Then in the next breath she will insist that if you did not learn from her then you should not send her anything.

It's sad that too many purported people of God like to play games with people's emotions and faith. Click on the link below and, if nothing else, come away with the understanding that there are indeed some people of faith who are sincere and want to help you find your way.

Pastor Melissa Scott's Website

The Democratic Hate Machine Takes Out Another Victim

2009-08-25T22:16:00.004-04:00

We typically think of slime and manufactured outrage efforts of Democrats as being performed on the national stage in Washington D.C. That's not the case as this past week proved in the New Jersey race for Governor.

Last week the Corzine News Network (also known as the New Jersey Network) news did a report about a loan that Republican candidate for Governor Chris Christie made to an underling attorney in the U.S. Attorney's office. Her name is Michele Brown. The loan was for $46,000 at 5% interest which Brown's family used to get them through some rough times after her husband lost his job. They had been paying back the loan in monthly installments.

The CNJ report focused on Christie's omission of disclosure about this loan and the interest he earned from the first year on required documents. That amounted to $420 in taxes.

If you just listened to the report and the faux outrage by New Jersey Democrats, you would have thought Christie had been a co-conspirator in a terror attack. Since the story came to light Democrats have called for state and federal investigations, calls for Christie to step down from his candidacy and the obligatory radical loon blogs accusing Christie of having an affair with Brown.

All of the rabble rousing by the Democrats got so outrageous, this past Sunday the NJ Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Colman said on a TV talk show that it's Christie's fault that Jon Corzine can't talk about all of his great accomplishments because all Christie wants to talk about is ethics. By the way, if Corzine has this strong desire to boast about all he's done, then why has his campaign yet to produce a TV ad that does something other than slam Christie?

I'll tell you why. That's the Corzine way. When you can't say something good about yourself, say something bad about your opponent. Or in this case, a friend of your opponent. Any victim is a useful victim for Jon Corzine and the New Jersey Democrats.

They got their target on Tuesday when Michele Brown resigned from the U.S. Attorney's office after eighteen years as a federal prosecutor. For Corzine and the New Jersey Democrats they see this as a win-win. They see this as a hit on Chris Christie and they extract revenge on someone who played a role in the arrest of dozens of their corrupt co-horts recently in the conclusion of a corruption sting.

The key point to remember is that all of this came about over the "outrage" over a loan and an undeclared $420. For New Jersey Democrats, that's a sign of a lack of ethics. It's a call for investigation. It's a disturbing example of proof of how an office meant to serve the people has been politicized.

So where was this "outrage" when Jon Corzine loaned his former girlfriend and at the time President of the largest labor union in New Jersey Carla Katz $470,000? Where was the "outrage" when Corzine fought to stop the release of emails between him and Katz from a time span where their financial relationship paralleled an ongoing contract negotiation the state was having with the union Katz headed? Where was the "outrage" when Corzine wrote checks totaling in the millions of dollars for Katz, her kids and brother to "take care of them?" Where was the "outrage" over how the Corzine-Katz connection was politicizing an office and the spending of state taxpayers money?

That absence of outrage is the true outrage.

Only in New Jersey.

A Hero Serves His Country With Honor Again

2009-08-24T15:13:00.003-04:00

As if being a military veteran wasn't enough watch this man step forward and say to the face of Democrat Rep. Brian Baird, who is a proponent of health care reform, exactly what more and more people believe and know is the truth.

RIP Cash For Clunkers

2009-08-22T07:11:00.003-04:00

This Monday will bring the Obama Administration's Cash For Clunkers program to an end. That may surprise people for a couple of reasons. The plan was to have the program last months in order to boost the financial position of American car companies.

The program hit a few potholes along the way.

First, other than Ford (who didn't take any federal bailout money), it was the foreign automakers Toyota and Honda who were selling the most cars. The Obama Administration is trying to color this failure as a success by saying that most of the Toyota and Honda vehicles sold were actually assembled in the U.S. Therefore, that helped employment and job creation.

But if you look over to the side at Chrysler and General Motors, they're sitting there saying, "We thought it was all about us?!?!?!"

The Cash For Clunkers program worked in the usual government style as far as participating dealers were concerned. They would take in the vehicles, jump through hoops for the government and then get reimbursed for what they put out.

That brings us to problem #2.

The Obama Administration wasn't showing them the money.

Out of the $3 billion set aside for the Cash For Clunkers program, only $145 million has been paid to dealers. This delay compelled a growing number of dealers to pull out of the program which some are saying is another reason the Obama Administration is letting it end in order to avoid a lack of participation level by dealers which would raise questions and cause embarrassment.

Regarding a timely payment to the dealers, Obama addressed that issue this past week. He explained how they have to be sure that all of the paperwork from the dealers is complete, submitted properly and contains legitimate information. Checking all of that takes time and that's the reason for the delay in reimbursements to the dealers.

They're making a huge fine tooth comb effort like that for selling cars, but if an illegal alien shows up somewhere with a Social Security card drawn on a brown paper bag with a crayon, they get any and all benefits they point to with no questions asked.

The Obama Way

2009-08-20T08:51:00.002-04:00

Much has been made about the actions and appearance at times of Barack and Michelle Obama. The debate about gifts that have been given to visiting world leaders, touching the Queen of England during a meeting and Michelle getting off of Air Force One wearing shorts have become some of the points of debate.

Allow me to make all clear for everyone.

No matter how long or in what way others during the entire line of human history have been acting or appearing, it doesn't matter. If an Obama does it one way, then everyone else has been doing it the wrong way. It's called The Obama Way.

Look it up if you don't believe me. Since dictionaries haven't been updated yet you'll actually have to look up "arrogance."

Dean With An Award For Frank

2009-08-20T06:58:00.001-04:00

Two of the greats having some fun.

All The News That Makes The Boss Look Good

2009-08-19T11:18:00.003-04:00

On Tuesday night I turned on the New Jersey Network nightly newscast. NJN is New Jersey's public television outlet. It's the home of taxpayer funded educational shows, public affairs programming and repeats of Bonanza.

More about that programming choice at another time.

Like most newscasts, the NJN nightly news is thirty minutes. On Tuesday they spent 18 of those 30 minutes on one story. It wasn't a major fire, important court decision or notable death. They spent 18 minutes hammering how Republican challenger for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, while he was U.S. Attorney, loaned another attorney in his office whose husband lost his job $46,000 at 5% interest to help them out.

The way NJN tried to shove this down my throat you would've thought this ranked right up there with the Lindburgh baby kidnapping or the spying done by Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.

The path of attack by NJN had the obvious and the ridiculous. The shortest part of the collection of "reports" had Christie explaining why he made the loan and how he fouled up by not including it in his public disclosure form. The ridiculous included anchor Jim Hooker asking the Chairman of the state Republican party whether replacing Christie on the ballot is being considered to prolonged segments with (of all people) Jon Corzine calling Christie's actions and his failure to disclose it into question and how all of this needed further investigation.

That's the same Jon Corzine who fought the release of emails between himself and former girlfriend Carla Katz who at the time was the head for the biggest union in New Jersey. This is the same Jon Corzine who wrote checks to take care of Carla and keep members of her family quiet as easily as you or I write checks to pay the phone and electric. I don't recall NJN spending 18 minutes on any of those stories.

Actually, if NJN reported on the various Corzine actions over the years in proportion to the way they hit Chris Christie on Tuesday, their thirty minute newscast would have to expand to three hours.

With all the time NJN spent on Christie and his loan to a co-worker, their reporters neglected to mention one little detail. What he did was totally legal!

But to be fair, you have to excuse the NJN reporters for their actions. After all, they're technically state employees. Instead of the usual reporter priorities of presenting the what, when, who, where, why and how of a story they're more focused on making sure the boss looks good.

Especially when he's 12 to 14 point down in the polls.

Sunday News Fairness & Balance

2009-08-17T07:10:00.002-04:00

Let's look back at yesterday's guest rosters from the Sunday morning talk shows. The obvious main topic was health care reform.

CBS' Face the Nation: WH Press Sec. Robert Gibbs. Roundtable with former Sen. Charles Hagel and Former Rep. Lee Hamilton.

ABC's This Week: Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT). Rountable with Donna Brazile, Nat. Journal's Ron Brownstein, Anne Kornblut of the Washington Post, Republican Strategist Ed Gillespie.

NBC's Meet the Press: Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), former Congressman Dick Armey, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, Gov. Bill Ritter (D-CO), Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), former Senator Tom Daschle and Chamber of Commerce's Executive VP of Government Affairs Bruce Josten.

Fox News Sunday: Sen. Kent Conrad(D-ND), Sen. Richard Shelby(R-AL), J. James Rohack, M.D., President of the American Medical Association, John Rother, Executive Vice President for Policy and Strategy at AARP.

It does look like the issue got a fair shake from the shows...except on Meet The Press. Why doesn't NBC just cut to the chase and rename the show "Meet The Way We Want You To Think?"

Doing Business In New Jersey

2009-08-13T11:10:00.002-04:00

Just a quick story about what can happen to a business in New Jersey even when they follow the rules and go by the book.

MONTCLAIR, N.J. (WPIX) - Officials in Montclair are denying a fetish shop a permit in its downtown business district to host private basement "play parties" - which reportedly feature erotic paraphernalia including spanking benches, "interrogation cells" and stocks.

The owners of Dressing for Pleasure, a shop located on Bloomfield Ave. that sells fetish clothing and sex toys, say they have been holding these kinky-themed parties as often as three times a month for years. Ed and Karen Dougherty, who are better known as "Master Ed" and "Slave Duchess," say up to 700 people are registered as members.

Montclair code officials shut down the 2,000 square-foot space after an anonymous complaint in June. The couple reportedly applied for new permits to reopen the basement for "amateur theatrical and historical reenactment." However, township attorney Alan Trembulak, ruled on Friday that the so-called dungeon must remain closed.

Despite what the anonymous tipster told authorities, the Doughertys insist sexual contact was never allowed to be made at the gatherings.

The decision outraged the Doughertys and as a result the couple, along with about 20 of their supporters, held a rally Monday in the parking lot of the Montclair municipal building. Many of the protestors, donning leather and latex outfits, held signs demanding the couple receive a permit.

The couple called the basement facility a safe place for people to act out their fantasies.

And don't forget the historical reenactment part! That's right...history. That makes me think back to my history classes...at S&M U.

Jon Corzine's Vanishing Tweet

2009-08-12T07:05:00.006-04:00

New Media elements like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter have been embraced by more than just college kids. Political campaigns have made use of these outlets in order to connect with voters and present their accomplishments. What some have to learn is to think before they post.

Exhibit A: New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine.

Unfortunately, even if you are a follower of Camp Corzine on Twitter you will no longer see this tweet since the person who posted it either came to their senses or sobered up and removed it.

Maybe they actually looked at the facts.

New Jersey's unemployment rate has gone from 4.8% at the beginning of Corzine's term to 9.2% today. (Bureau of Labor Statistics Website, Accessed: 07/16/09)

New Jersey's unemployment rate is the highest it has been in 32 years. (Bureau of Labor Statistics Website, Accessed: 07/16/09)

From December 2008 to May 2009, the average monthly drop was 16,000 New Jersey jobs. (Press Release, "New Jersey Employment Declined in May by 6200 Jobs," New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, 06/17/09)

Jon Corzine will leave FY2011 with an $8 billion deficit. (Josh Margolin, "N.J. short $8 billion, report say," The Star-Ledger, 07/22/2009)

New Jersey ranks first in the nation in overall tax burden - a position it's held three years running. (The Tax Foundation Website,www.taxfoundation.org, Accessed: 07/08/09)

New Jersey property taxes have risen almost 55% in 7 years - twice the rate of inflation. (Department of Community Affairs, Division of Local Government Services Website, www.state.nj.us/dca/lgs/, Accessed 6/4/09)

Governor Corzine's 2010 budget raises taxes by another $1.2 billion.
(FY 2010 Budget)

Speaking of experience, Camp Corzine may want someone with more Twitter experience to monitor their account since whoever is doing it now allowed the Chris Christie campaign to become a follower which enables them to post links to anti-Corzine material...a.k.a. The Truth.

The Real Hillary Clinton Finally Reveals Herself

2009-08-11T06:27:00.004-04:00

Hillary Clinton was on her tour of Africa and took part in a Q&A session during her stop in Congo. A student asked a question which as you'll see in the video caused Hillary to lose her cool demeanor and show her real self.

After watching this all I could think was that after all I've said and written about Bill Clinton, I actually feel sorry for the guy. Imagine having to deal with and dodge out of the way when that goes on a rampage.

As a further embarrassment for Hillary, when the student asking the question referred to President Clinton and set Hillary off, the student actually meant to say President Obama. However, given all the flying lamps and ash trays that ol' Bill has been rumored to have had to duck and cover from, this wasn't the first time that Hillary acted before she thought.

More Corzine Campaign Tricks

2009-08-10T07:15:00.003-04:00

A week or so ago I pointed out how a Jon Corzine campaign ad made use of some selective video and audio editing in an attempt to make people think that Corzine's challenger Chris Christie stormed out of a Congressional committee in anger. Camp Corzine is once again working under the belief that New Jersey voters are uninformed idiots.

Among the latest Corzine campaign ads, which like the others present nothing about Corzine himself, features a close up of Chris Christie at a press event clapping. The image the ad tries to provoke is that Christie is a Bush cheerleader.

Here's the ad.

Now here's what the ad wants you to believe.

You are to take it for granted that whenever the press event in this ad took place, it had to do with George W. Bush, John Ashcroft or some other pro-Bush idea. Yet, going by the visual, this could just as easily been an event to announce arrests of some corrupt New Jersey politicians. The video trick being done here is the use of a close up of just Chris Christie in order to fit the visual into the context that Camp Corzine wants you to see it in.

Then there's the audio. You can hear in the ad what sounds like the lone clapping of Christie's hands as if he was a trained seal. How is this possible? This was obviously a scene from a public event with certainly more than one person in attendance. I don't see a microphone on or near Christie. I find it difficult to believe that a press event was recorded much like a studio production where multiple tracks were used and then all tracks were deleted except for Christie's clapping. Just like in the Congressional committee ad, it appears like the sound of hands clapping was dubbed into this video so that once again the video fits the message that Camp Corzine was you to believe.

Every political campaign looks for a slogan that quickly communicates what they're all about. Maybe Jon Corzine's should be, "Corzine '09...Desperate times call for desperate measures."

By the way, if you want to see a real trained seal clap on command, watch this ad.

Supermarket Satisfaction

2009-08-07T16:10:00.003-04:00

I needed to stop at a supermarket to pick up a few food items and a bottle of wine to go with them. I knew what I wanted, knew where it all was and got to the express ten items or less checkout fairly fast. All was calm and stress free.

Until Fast Line Seeker rolled up.

You know the person. They scout the various checkout lanes and with their powers and senses determine which line is going to move the fastest and that's where they place themselves.

Until they see a line start to move faster than the one they first selected.

I was in checkout lane #2. Fast Line Seeker selected lane #3. When I inched ahead of him, he whipped his cart to his right and wound up right on my tail. I mean, this guy was like one of those drivers who, when you're stopped at a light, rolls right up on your bumper. If you let your foot off the brake to roll forward one inch, they roll up that inch behind you. If Fast Lane Seeker was any closer to me his cart would have been a suppository.

Before I could turn around and ask him to back off, especially since no one was behind him, Fast Lane Seeker did some mental recalculations and determined that checkout lane #1 was now the one he needed to be in. So once more he whipped his cart to his right and came to a landing in checkout lane #1.

Unfortunately for Fast Lane Seeker, an older woman two people ahead of him was having difficulties with the credit card machine. In the meantime, I was now having my items rung up. Fast Lane Seeker looked over at my checkout lane, looked forward at what he was facing...and swung around to land in checkout lane #3 which was the checkout lane he started this adventure in. This was due to two new people lining up in my lane thereby eliminating checkout lane #2 from Fast Lane Seeker's list of realistic and tolerable possibilities.

I swiped my card, collected by bags and headed to the store's wine shop, leaving Fast Lane Seeker stranded in his new prison that was checkout lane #3. Oh, don't worry. He finally did make it out of his personal Hell. Of course, by the time he did I had browsed through a few aisles of the wine store before making my selection and then paying for it. While I was leaving the wine store, that's when I passed Fast Lane Seeker as he made his way in.

Fortunately for Fast Lane Seeker, the wine store had only one register.

A History Revisit

2009-08-07T09:48:00.004-04:00

The Credit Crunch Hits New Jersey

2009-08-05T11:15:00.003-04:00

To the surprise of I would imagine nobody, Moody's lowered their financial outlook on New Jersey. It shifted from "Stable" to "Negative." Moody's listed as the reasons for this reassessment the challenges New Jersey is facing in it's financial operations and the reliance being placed on nonrecurring revenue to plug budget gaps.

This change by Moody's will have a significant impact on about $2.5 billion in outstanding general obligation bonds and $28.5 billion in annual appropriation debt. Moody's revision comes as New Jersey is about to sell $200 million in school construction bonds within the next week. Moody's also noted the state has one of the highest debt burdens and, like many states, has depleted its reserves. They stated, "It is anticipated that economic recovery in New Jersey will be at a slower pace than the nation as a whole."

Here's what I'm curious about. It's well known that Gov. Jon Corzine has a lot of friends on Wall Street. The financial practices of New Jersey just didn't start. They've been policy for as long as Corzine has been in office and the Democrats held the majorities in the State Senate and Assembly. Why has it taken this long for institutions like Moody's to state the long ago obvious? Why have they offered a positive picture of New Jersey's financial situation up to now?

Has Jon Corzine been calling in favors and pleading with his Wall Street friend to keep things positive? Does this change by Moody's hint that Wall Street thinks Jon Corzine is done so now they're going to be more accurate with their ratings and reviews?

Just asking.

Cash For Clunkers Controlling Computers

2009-08-04T09:49:00.004-04:00

Up until a day or so ago the website for the CARS System (Cash For Clunkers) had some fine print that I bet most people missed or simply ignored.

"When logged on to the CARS system, your computer is considered a Federal computer system and is the property of the U.S. Government. Any or all uses of this system and all files on this system may be intercepted, monitored, recorded, copied, audited, inspected and disclosed to authorized CARS, [Department of Transportation] and law enforcement personnel, as well as authorized officials of other agencies, both domestic and foreign."

In other words, as you would be looking at the information on the CARS website the feds would claim rights and permissions to look at what you have on your personal computer while you're on their website.

Did I miss it or did the ACLU and other Liberal groups cry out about this the same way they moaned about the Bush Administration listening in on phone calls terrorists were making in order to gain additional evidence to hold them on? I didn't think so.

By the way, that advisory text on the CARS website has been taken down. The Press Secretary for the Department of Transportation said that the language of that advisory is being revised.

What they didn't say is that they will stop cracking into any computer that goes to that website.

Beer With Barack

2009-07-31T01:23:00.004-04:00

Well, I guess since the Beer Summit is over we can move on to less pressing matters on the world stage. I'm assuming that's how the news channels are measuring things with all the attention they gave to Obama, Biden, Sgt. Crowley and Professor Gates downing a brew.

Check out the lower right corner of the screen grab. I mean, come on! A countdown clock?!?!?!? I remember when countdown clocks were for space launches and New Year's Eve. MSNBC lowers the bar even further with some cheap graphic of a bunch of beer mugs.

I guess this actually was the perfect story for the cable news channel twinkees. It required no knowledge of anything significant. There was no studying involved. They didn't have to work sources for new information in an effort to piece a story together. (By the way, that used to be called journalism). Instead, all they had to do was stick a telephoto lens on a camera, plant it in the ground, turn it on, aim it and talk.

As far as Beer With Barack is concerned, perhaps this was a trial run at a new idea for the Obama Administration. Maybe Obama will sit down with people over beer to try to sell them on his health care reform ideas. Given the amount of beer it would take to get people to agree, that could wind up turning into a bailout for the beverage industry.

I Love L.A.

2009-07-30T08:16:00.005-04:00

Just one more reason why I love TV news in Los Angeles.

The Alternate Version Of Michael Jackson's Thriller

2009-07-29T08:04:00.003-04:00

Personally, I like this version better.

Why States Go Broke

2009-07-28T05:47:00.003-04:00

Don't you find it strange that state governments like New Jersey and California are going broke? Even though they find more ways to tax citizens we see time after time that these and other states either run with a deficit or look for ways to borrow money. What is it about very basic economics that elected officials don't understand?

Imagine if you ran your personal financial life like New Jersey or California handles their money. There would be a sheriff sale of your home, property and several internal organs before you could say, "Maybe Mom will loan me some money!"

Recently the L.A. Times presented the math of the matter that clearly demonstrates why states like California are going broke.

1) 40% of all workers in L. A. County ( L. A. County has 10.2 million people) are working for cash and not paying taxes. This is because they are predominantly illegal immigrants working without a green card.
2) 95% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens.
3) 75% of people on the most wanted list in Los Angeles are illegal aliens.
4) Over 2/3 of all births in Los Angeles County are to illegal alien Mexicans on Medi-Cal , whose births were paid for by taxpayers.
5) Nearly 35% of all inmates in California detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally
6) Over 300,000 illegal aliens in Los Angeles County are living in garages.
7) The FBI reports half of all gang members in Los Angeles are most likely illegal aliens from south of the border.
8) Nearly 60% of all occupants of HUD properties are illegal.
9) 21 radio stations in L. A. Are Spanish speaking.
10) In L. A. County 5.1 million people speak English, 3.9 million speak Spanish. (There are 10.2 million people in L. A. County)

It needs to be said that many of these items from the list can be applied to New Jersey as well. Perhaps even more prevalent in New Jersey is the idea of "sanctuary cities." These are cities and towns whose leaders outright state that they will not recognize or obey any laws regarding what they are supposed to do with illegal aliens.

The unfortunate truth is that while there are some who see the act of and support for illegal immigration as a wrong step versus law enforcement and a greater push for assimilation, too many elected officials see the support of illegal aliens as a way to pander to the Latino vote with a future bonus if they can find a way to give illegals the right to vote in America.

What's Missing From Jon Corzine's Campaign Ad?

2009-07-25T09:27:00.004-04:00

The truth.

The Jon Corzine For Governor ad that you can watch below sets out to make you believe that his Republican challenger Chris Christie stormed out of a Congressional committee hearing on the spur of the moment while members still had questions for him.

Jon Corzine must think the voters of New Jersey are idiots.

Here's a fact that Camp Corzine is forgetting to tell everyone. Even before Christie came to Washington to testify, he informed the committee that there was a specific time that day when he would have to leave due to a prior commitment. In order to ensure that the committee would have as much time as possible with him, Christie showed up in the hearing room hours before his scheduled time in case things moved faster than scheduled and he would be called to testify sooner than planned.

When the prearranged time to leave came about, Christie courteously and calmly made his exit with the full understanding of the committee members.

Now I do understand why this became a point of confusion for Jon Corzine since for him the truth is an abstract idea that should be allowed to be molded and reshaped to fit the need of the moment. That's what happens to someone who lives in an ivory tower placing themselves above everyone else. That thin air up there messes with your head.

When you watch the Corzine ad below, take a hard look and listen to it. You'll notice something odd. There are a few times when what you're hearing doesn't match with what you are seeing. The ad lifts audio from earlier points in Christie's committee testimony and drops it into the time when it was agreed that he could leave.

The attempt was to make it look like Christie stormed out while committee members were still asking questions. The quality of the fabrication makes those knock-off handbags you find in New York City look like the real thing! I've seen interns create better final video and audio products on their first try with editing equipment than what this ad looks like.

This is all just another example of the Jon Corzine way. If you can't win...spin.

New Jersey And Corruption...Natural Together

2009-07-23T15:34:00.002-04:00

Early Thursday morning federal and IRS agents showed up in a variety of locations with arrest and search warrants. The names on the various documents included a member of the NJ State Assembly, a variety of mayors, city officials, commissioners, other public officials and a few rabbis. So far 44 people have been charged with a variety of crimes. So many people were reeled in at one time from this ten year investigation that they brought them to booking via three different buses!

If you want to see the who and learn the what then check this link out.

New Jersey Corruption Probe Names And Charges

Not arrested but the target of a search and seizure of boxes of documents was Joe Doria. Up until a few hours ago Doria was part of the Jon Corzine Administration as Director of Community Affairs. Before that he was a long time member of the state legislature. Doria resigned earlier this afternoon and probably won't be heard from any time soon.

Now Doria will be a star in GOP sponsored ads that will be used against Jon Corzine.

Oh, where to start? It's been a morning and afternoon chock full of highlights featuring these lowlifes.

Some of the standout moments included...

As the soon to be former Mayor of Hoboken Peter Cammarano was being led in handcuffs into booking, someone called out from the sidelines, "Good morning, Mayor!"

Among the many charges was one that said one of the arrested rabbis was trafficking human body organs. He was trying buy a kidney from someone then sell it at a profit.

New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine stepped up to share his disgust about all of this at a press appearance....six hours after it all came down. Corzine must have been filming a campaign ad for his re-election because he talked about all the efforts his administration has made to find and stop state corruption.

Uh, it seems like Corzine might have missed a few....like 44!

The federal agents and acting U.S. Attorney gathered for a press conference at 12:30 this afternoon. So often we here in New Jersey complain that the NYC TV stations are ignoring the state. They didn't today. Every station broke into regular programming to air the news conference.

Except one.

The New Jersey taxpayer funded New Jersey Network decided instead to stay with their highly educational programming including Barbecue University and other cooking shows.

What's left to be said other than...NEXT!

What's Missing From Healthcare Reform Talk

2009-07-22T07:04:00.005-04:00

Since Obama's healthcare reform is in retreat mode for the time being, let's take a look at a couple of points.

As all the talk about healthcare reform has taken place we've heard about more money being spent, more control being gained by the government, more taxes being charged, more borrowing being done and a new element of government controlled healthcare being created. This is all being done, it's claimed, to create a better healthcare system for you.

Although I haven't read the 1,000 plus pages that detail all that's being plotted and planned, which puts me in the same boat as most of Congress, I've noticed two important points that have been absent from all of the talk.

One of the mantras being chanted by the supporters of this idea is that it will reduce unnecessary medical procedures that are being done. Since reform supporters are in such a talkative mood, I'd like one to tell me who will be deciding what medical procedure is unnecessary and at what point. Will there be a questionnaire that a doctor will have to complete before they start doing something and if they don't score at least a 70% then the planned procedure will be deemed unnecessary? Or (more likely) will Obama name yet another czar to sit on a throne and give a royal thumbs up or down on one medical procedure after another?

Another idea that's been absent from all of this talk that has me curious is whether anywhere within the reform bill's 1,000+ pages is there any mention about limiting how much people can sue for if something goes wrong. I understand if a doctor chops off the wrong leg that some recognition of pain and suffering is in order but have you ever seen how much doctors and hospitals get sued for?

All of these multi-million dollar lawsuits causes the malpractice insurance industry to increase what they have to charge all doctors and hospitals and in turn that cost gets transferred to the patients and families. People have to remember that a medical office is also still a business that looks to earn a profit. Allowing a lawyer to talk a patient into suing a hospital for more money than that person's entire generation will earn in a lifetime isn't helping matters out.

Fortunately for the trial attorneys they have a natural defense system in place that prevents Congress from addressing this idea. It's called the campaign donation.