Garden State Patriot

Faux conservative Governor Chris Christie came under fire today for the administration’s supposed first gaffe. The big boo boo? An apparent “clerical error” on an application for a federal  “Race To The Top” grant that would have yielded the state $400M in education dollars. Democrats gleefully seized on the faux pas to take some pot shots at the governor. Pure politics, for sure.

Honestly, though, I could care less about the error. No, for me the real error was applying for these funds in the first place.

Frankly, the Governor of New Jersey ought not to be in line begging the federal government for education money. Moreover, a truly conservative governor would not be doing that ala Rick Perry in Texas.

No, a truly conservative governor would champion the end of federal involvement in what should be a state issue – and ultimately one that rests with local school boards and with (GASP!) parents.

Interestingly enough, there was a poll released today of New Jersey high school parents. According to the poll, ”78 percent of parents said the state should spend more money on education.”

When I first saw this result I was a bit shocked. But in thinking about it, I think this is an example of just how successful the liberal education unions have been in persuading parents that the almighty dollar is the be all and end all for their child’s education.

First, it should be noted that New Jersey already spends more than just about every state in the country. Statistics from the 2007-2008 school year show New Jersey second in overall spending behind only New York. 

Certainly, a lot of those dollars got to the 31 Districts formerly known as Abbotts - upwards of $25k per student. But by any measure New Jersey already spends plenty enough per student.

Perhaps, if those parents in non-Abbotts were aware that most of their dollars are redistributed to the 31 Abbotts they’d have a different opinion. But I presume that most of those parents have no idea how they are being taken to the cleaners when it comes to education dollars.

More to the point, though, the real question when tying all of this together is; is there a correlation between dollars spent and educational achievement? Well, according to the CATO Institute the answer to that question is a resounding “NO”.

In a report entitled PUBLIC SCHOOL SPENDING AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT: THE CASE OF NEW JERSEY CATO concludes:

We find no evidence of a positive effect of expenditures on student performance in New Jersey public high schools in urban school districts with smaller per capita tax bases. We also find no evidence of expenditure effects in the other New Jersey school districts. These findings are consistent with most previous research on school expenditures and school achievement.

Money, as it were has little to do with a successfully educated child, and a lot more to do with lining the pockets of educrats.

The only thing a child really needs to learn is a willingness to do so, a decent teacher, and parents that give a hoot.

Our faux conservative Governor appeared on ABC’s “This Week” with Jake Tapper this morning. Unlike the softball interviews he’s had with the likes of Neil Cavuto, Tapper pressed Christie on a number of issues and was probably the toughest interview he’s had to date.

Of course, Christie continued to put forth the idea that he has cut spending across the board in his FY 2011 budget which is a complete falsehood. Spending on state operations is up 6% due to the diversion of $2.56B in property tax relief to Trenton.

That aside, Tapper was the first to challenge Christie in a televised interview on his contention $11B has been cut from the budget. Tapper presents Christie with a quote from pollster Patrick Murray ad a Star-Ledger editorial exposing the fraud of that argument. You will note that, despite Christie’s attempt to refute this, he essentially admits that truthfulness of their criticism, stating:

“The budget I presented on March 16th has $11B in less spending than was projected to be done through the Corzine Administration.”

Note, the key word: projected. The simple fact of the matter is there are revenues of $28.3B plus roughly $1B in federal stimulus were available for the FY 2011 budget andevery dime is being spent. There are no $11B in cuts. Period. Once again Governor Christie proves to us he just isn’t very good at math.

What comes next in the interview is quite a whopper of a lie. Here’s what the Governor had to say about the cuts to property tax relief:

“What we did here was, we took $1.7B less in education funding…well a billion of that was federal stimulus money that had been spent in one year by the Corzine Administration and we were left with a billion dollar hole.”

So, the Governor misleads by claiming that Corzine directed $1B in federal stimulus to the Property Tax Relief Fund (tell that to those of us who saw our Homestead rebates last year). And he uses this ruse in an attempt to deflect the fact that he is cutting over $800M in property tax relief. Fascinating.

Tapper also takes Christie on regarding the Governor’s claim that he is not raising taxes — pointing to the cuts to property tax rebates as, effectively, a tax increase.  

He also questions Christie about the Obamacare lawsuits to which Christie predictably claims he the administration is still “studying” the issue. Of course, it’s been four months of “studying.” Amazingly, 20 other states have figured it out already. Maybe he should ask them for some tutelage on the matter.

And he also talks to Christie about illegal immigration.

Watch the interview here.

Governor Christie and BP appear to have something in common – neither can plug leaks. Well, in this case gushers really.

Just last week, Christie caved on his hard constitutional cap and settled for a “hard” statutory cap. Looks like the cap could use some Viagra because the 2% is already out the window.

According to NJ.com, towns enrolled in the state’s health care plan are looking at a whopping 12% increase. That, of course, is one of the exceptions in Christie’s “hard” cap.  

TRENTON — New Jersey’s new law to limit property tax collections by 2 percent a year took its first hit Wednesday when state officials announced health care costs for towns enrolled in the state’s plan will likely rise by about 12 percent.

Health care costs are among the exceptions to the 2 percent “cap” signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Chris Christie, and officials for towns said they will have to pass along the increases through higher taxes.

State consultants Wednesday recommended an 11.7 percent for municipalities and 5.7 percent for school districts enrolled in the state’s health plan.

“They (taxes) have to go up,” said Frank Bradley, administrator for Union Township. “[Just] because it’s outside the cap, don’t be misled by that. It’s still an additional amount of money that has to be generated through a tax increase.”

William Dressel, executive director of the New Jersey League of Municipalities, said it “absolutely is possible” towns will raise taxes to deal with the health care plan increase.

“This is a property tax driver,” he said. “This is a poster child example of why an artificial spending limitation is not … sensitive to the fiscal realities of the day.”

So, there you have it. Property taxes will be going up dramatically this year because of Christie’s $2.56B in cuts to property tax relief. And they will continue going up uncontrollably in the future because the recently passed cap has as many holes as swiss cheese and does nothing to address the real causes of soaring property taxes.

But, hey, I’m told he’s conservative and everything he says just sounds so darn good – why should I concern myself with these little nuisances called facts, right? At least that’s what the Christie-bots tell me.

Anybody ever hear of this LeBron guy? I hear he’s a pretty good basketball player. Apparently, he’s a smart businessman, too.

Like many I was lured in by the LeBron drama tonight. Admittedly, I am not an avid Knicks fan but I sure do miss the days of Patrick Ewing and the rivalry with Michael Jordan’s Bulls or Reggie Miller’s Pacers in the 90’s. Madison Square Garden is a mecca of basketball and deserves a player of LeBron’s caliber to bring it back to life.

Alas, LeBron decided to “take his talents” to Miami to create an imposing trio of stars along with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

In watching LeBron’s announcement he said his decision was primarily about winning. Now, I have no doubts that LeBron wants a ring or two or five. But when LeBron said money wasn’t a driving factor and that he took less to join the Heat and two other star players who are also commanding big bucks, he is being a tad disingenous I think.

After all, Florida has no state income tax and that equates to millions more in his pocket. Even if LeBron takes a few mil a year less to go to Miami he still will be making more than if he stayed in Cleveland or went to those states where liberal idealism thrives – New York or New Jersey.

According to an article on the Business and Media Institute’s website…

The tax savings for James in Miami over New York City would be staggering, according to the Post’s analysis.

“On a five-year contract worth $96 million — what he’d get from the Knicks or the Heat — LeBron would pay $12.34 million in New York taxes.” Florida has no state income tax.

New Jersey and Ohio, the other reported frontrunners to attract James, also have state income taxes, but they are not as his as in New York. Based on a $96 million contract, James would pay $5.69 million in state taxes if he re-signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. If he signed with the New Jersey Nets, James would pay $10.32 million in state taxes.

So, not only are states like New Jersey driving rich people out because of punitive taxes, they are also making it harder for their sports teams to dish out comparable contracts. LeBron the businessman surely understood this and if I were in his very large shoes I would probably have done the same thing.

The Republican Party is supposed to stand for limited government, lower spending, and lower taxes. The NJGOP stands for none of these things. The proof is in the pudding by passing this disaster of a budget.

Many conservatives, me included, were skeptical about Mr. Christie last year but ended up supporting him. His conservative credentials were suspect. There was concern that the state under a Governor Christie would be as likely to continue toward economic collapse as it would under Governor Corzine. Regretfully, this process has proven us correct.

For all intents and purposes, Governor Christie and the Republicans own the budget and are culpable for everything bad that will inevitably ensue after its passage today. The NJGOP is effectively a dead man walking with judgment day being the 2011 elections.

There are many aspects of the budget that are bad. Spending on State government goes up 6% and welfare and entitlement programs are expanded. But the cuts to property tax relief are the most important and most immediate ramification. Homeowners will begin to see their property tax bills by summer’s end. All of those Christie voters in the suburbs and rural areas of New Jersey who voted for this Governor and have heard how he is cutting and slashing and how he is the media’s conservative darling will be in for a rude awakening. That is when the tide will turn in a big way in my opinion.

The Governor will try to blame the school districts and mayors across the state. I have my doubts that will fly. Not for a Governor who rode into town promising to address their top concern – property taxes – then seeing them go up substantially. Like the President on the national level, chief executives have a way of getting the blame – right or wrong. In this case it will be right.

This Governor is indeed leading the Republican Party in New Jersey off the cliff.

The thing I find fascinating is there is a thirst and craving for the kind of leadership Christie puts forth in his rhetoric. The reason “Christie mania” has spread across the country (and among plenty here in New Jersey) is because Republican and right-wing voters desire a straight shooter willing to stand up to public sector unions and willing to make the tough choices in a state as dysfunctional as New Jersey.

Christie truly could be on a path to being Presidential material if he were only living up to his words with deeds. Instead, what he has built up is a house of cards ready to be blown down.

Of course, most of the Republicans in the legislature are likewise responsible. Aside from Doherty, Carroll, and McHose, none of them raised an objection to the Governor’s budget proposals that will decimate the suburbs.

Worse yet, this process has resulted in the staining of these three otherwise fine conservatives. I know Doherty, Carroll, and McHose did not want to vote for this budget but they were under enormous pressure to do otherwise.  In fact, the conservative trio would have been the Governor’s biggest champions if his budget actually proposed the kinds of serious cuts needed to restore fiscal sanity to New Jersey. Instead, they had to be bludgeoned into submission knowing full well how bad this budget really is.

They say there is strength in numbers and the fact of the matter is there are only three reliable conservatives in the legislature and several dozen RINOs. A larger caucus of conservatives would likely be able to stick together and put a stop to this nonsense. Knowing this, however, does not make their votes any less disappointing.

At the end of the day, this budget process shows just how far gone the NJGOP is. For the past dozen years, the Democrats have led the state to the precipice. Governor Christie and Republicans legislators were presented with a golden opportunity this year to take the necessary steps to address New Jersey’s fiscal condition and build the credibility of the GOP in this blue state. Instead they have chosen a path of “business as usual” and have shown themselves to be no different than the Democrats – except for the fact that the Democrats are upfront about their desire for big government.

Meanwhile, New Jersey inches closer to falling into the abyss. When that freefall begins the Christie Administration and Republicans in Trenton will be to blame. The NJGOP will have likely earned permanent minority status in this state because of their meekness – and the Governor quite likely one term.

The budget battle is drawing near a climax and these cannot be good days for Republican lawmakers in Trenton. The governor who pledged to cut taxes and rein in Trenton spending has put his compatriots between a rock and a hard place of raising taxes and spending and…well, raising taxes and spending.

The massive cuts to property tax relief – $2.56 BILLION worth – will cause property taxes to skyrocket.  And it cannot be said enough that these are not spending cuts. This is nothing less than the pilfering of money dedicated to property tax relief as mandated by the state constitution. The money is then being used to grow state government by 6%.

As Rich pointed out below, the 2.5% cap is a ruse. And as Paul Mulshine has pointed out, it’s too late anyway. New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the nation. To address this problem requires bold action that matches the governor’s bold rhetoric. Unfortunately, the action and rhetoric are not in synch and New Jersey taxpayers are on the precipice of paying the price in a big way.

Moreover, when the governor cut a deal with Democrats to put back in millions in funding for various pet projects, the decision was made not to pay for the restored funding through spending cuts elsewhere in the budget. Instead, several bills that will raise taxes and increase fees are being put forward.

The bills include:  

And that last bill on gift cards? That means if you do not use a gift card after one calendar year, the state will confiscate the money! How this can be described on nothing less than theft, I have no idea. These bills are expected to generate about $70 million in revenue.

In scanning through the Republicans’ Common-Sense Plan for an Affordable New Jersey, Slide 5 talks about lowering property taxes and addressing out of control taxes, fees and tolls. Slide 6 calls for no new taxes and fees and says Republicans have identified $1.3B in potential savings. Fascinating reading given the current circumstances. Here we are on the cusp of seeing a budget that violates all of this in one fell swoop.

And there’s more. If you go to the Americans for Tax Reform website, you will find a State Taxpayer Protection Pledge. The pledge is as follows: 

YOUR STATE

Taxpayer Protection Pledge

I, ____________, pledge to the taxpayers of the _____ District of the

State of _________ and to all the people of this state,

that I will oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes.

Scroll down to New Jersey section and you will find the names of the following legislators.

Senate

• Diane Allen (S-7)
• Anthony Bucco (S-25)
• Gerald Cardinale (S-39)
• Michael Doherty (S-23)
• Phil Haines (S-8)
• Sean Kean (S-11)
• Tom Kean, Jr. (S-21)**
• Joe Pennachio (S-26)
• Shirley Turner (S-15)

Assembly

• Dawn Marie Addiego (A-8)
• John Amodeo (A-2)
• Mary Pat Angelini (A-11)
• Peter J. Biondi (A-16)
• Jon Bramnick (A-21)
• Anthony Bucco (A-25)
• Michael Patrick Carroll (A-25)
• Caroline Casagrande (A-12)
• Denise Coyle (A-16)
• Alex DeCroce (A-26)
• John DiMaio (A-23)
• Louis Greenwald (A-6)
• Amy Handlin (A-13)
• James Holzapfel (A-10)
• Declan O’Scanlon (A-12)
• Vince Polistina (A-2)
• David Rible (A-11)
• Scott Rudder (A-8)
• Samuel D. Thompson (A-13)
• Charlotte Vandervalk (A-39)
• Jay Webber (A-26)**

These Republican lawmakers, if they vote for this budget and the supplemental bills above, will be breaking their pledge. And next year they will have to go back to their constituents to try to defend and explain their votes on these bills.

Or they have another choice: To say NO to this budget, honor their pledge, and stand up for taxpayers. As they say, “What’ll it be?”

First, I would like to acknowledge my fellow bloggers, in particular Michael, for the great coverage of the primaries yesterday and today.

In one of Michael’s posts yesterday there was a bit of give and take about why many of the off-the-line/Tea Party candidates didn’t win. Now, one can likely name various reasons why Alan Bateman, Larsen/Hosford/Baker, Aslanian, et al, lost. And frankly there are some positives to be taken from what occurred as well. Dave Corsi may have lost but he sure did come close depite having little money compared to Scott Sipprelle. Some “experts” might tell you you need to run three times before you win.

That aside, in yesterday’s thread I speculated that the problem isn’t so much getting the line (as one commenter suggested) but poor turnout among conservatives. By that, I don’t mean conservatives who are political junkies, but those conservatives who fail to realize the importance of primaries. That, in my opinion is what gives the establishment candidates an edge — albeit not their only one (obviously one cannot discount the money factor). It is like-minded conservatives who sit on the sidelines only to wake up one day and wonder why so-and-so is their representative or why they voted for Cap & Trade or some other bad legislation. Conversely, the establishment insiders will turn out.

So, I decided to do a quick bit of research. Consider these numbers in Bergen County as an example.

• Total Registered Republicans: 111,267
• Total Votes in District 9 Primary: 9,414

Now, not all D9 primary voters are in Bergen nor are they necessarily Registered Republicans — and not all Bergen Republicans are in D9. So these numbers are obviously estimates. But even judging by these figures, we are potentially looking at upwards of 100,000 Registered Republicans in D9 having not voted in yesterday’s primary. That’s actually pretty staggering. Not even 10% of total Registered Republicans voted in yesterday’s D9 primary!

This is simply a massive voting bloc waiting to be tapped. The question becomes, how do we educate and motivate them to vote in primaries and take them seriously? That, to me, more than anything else seems to be they key to conservatives winning in primaries and retaking control of the NJGOP from the moderate forces. It’s not necessarily “the line” and not necessarily money. It’s getting conservatives to the polls.

Say it ain’t so!

There comes a point in life when you find out who your real friends are. For months now Congresswoman Bachmann has been one of the leading opponents of the Obama agenda. She has aligned herself with the Tea Party Movement and has been a rising conservative star.

But now apparently Congresswoman Bachmann has sold out by lending her support to liberal Congressman Chris Smith over conservative Alan Bateman in their 4th District primary battle. Smith, of course, has been in the sights of conservatives since his unforgiveable Cap & Trade vote last year. Personally, I think his support of the Stupak Amendment on abortion last December cleared the path for passing Obamacare. Smith is one of the most liberal Republicans in Congress.

According to the Alan Bateman campaign, Bachmann recorded robo calls for Smith. Mr. Bateman issued the following statement on the matter:

Michelle Bachmann has betrayed the Tea Party movement. She put out a robo call in support of Chris Smith. She didn’t mention that Smith voted for Cap & Trade, co-sponsored Card Check, took $607,898 in campaign contributions from Unions including SEIU, co-sponsored the Puerto Rico statehood bill and so on. All of these go against the Constitution and our principles.

Bachmann showed her true colors in that she is nothing more than a politician using the Tea Party movement for her own advancement. She has shown her lack of principles and integrity by supporting Chris Smith who has clearly been ignoring the Constitution as evidenced by his voting record.

Michelle Bachmann is a typical politician in putting politics over principle. This is what they do in Washington. The party circles the wagons around sitting members regardless of that Congressman’s record.

This proves that nothing will change if you keep sending the same people back to Washington because all they care about is keeping their power and not serving you the people.

When I get to Washington, I will not play these games especially after what the Republican’s have done to me and my family (they crossed the line).

I personally have heard the call which, not only props up Smith, but also favorably distorts over his record.

This is truly a disappointment and shows just how far the entrenched establishment of the GOP will go to protect their own. A Bateman victory would have already sent a loud message — now it would be *that much* louder. I can only hope it comes to fruition.

Is there nothing that liberals and Washington bureaucrats want to control? Across the river Mike Bloomberg wants to tell you if it’s OK to eat salt. And now apparently the FDA is considering a ban on raw shellfish. I wouldn’t have believed this myself except the Assembly actually passed a bill earlier this week to preserve our right to eat raw shellfish. Via Asm. Polistina:

The Assembly approved today a resolution encouraging federal and state regulators and shellfish industry stakeholders to explore every possible alternative – and consider all health and economic impacts – before implementing a ban on raw shellfish. It is sponsored by Assemblyman John Amodeo, R-Atlantic.

“Eating raw shellfish is safe for most people and those who enjoy raw clams at the Jersey Shore should not be deprived of this pleasure,” Amodeo said. “Shellfish represents an $80 million industry for New Jersey ’s coastal communities and we cannot jeopardize this important piece of our economy.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering a ban on raw shellfish, even though it has said that eating raw shellfish is safe except for those with weakened immune systems from diseases such as AIDS, cancer, diabetes, and liver and kidney disease. Eating cooked shellfish is safe for everyone.

“The consumption of raw shellfish doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing proposition,” Amodeo said. “Regulators and industry groups can work together to ensure that our Jersey Seafood continues to be safe without getting rid of one of the Jersey Shore ’s joys.”

The resolution is cosponsored by Assembly members Declan O’Scanlon and Caroline Casagrande, both R-Monmouth and Mercer, and DiAnne C. Gove and Brian E. Rumpf, both R-Ocean, Atlantic and Burlington .

Amazing. So now you and I are incapable of deciding four ourselves if we want to eat raw oysters or clams on the halfshell while enjoying ourselves at the Jersey shore or elsewhere — to the point that our lawmakers need to defend our right to do so.  

Well, I don’t know about you but I have a message for the FDA: Shuck you and take a pike! I’ll eat all the raw shellfish I want.