While Obamacare hangs in the balance, the potential exists that the fight over government-run healthcare may turn to the states. And as we’ve seen on many other issues, New Jersey tends to be a laboratory for radical, liberal experimentation. If Obamacare fails, our state certainly will become a battleground for future health care debates.

As such, it’s important that Governor Christie appoints the right people to departments like Health & Senior Services, Human Services and Children and Families.

Americans for Prosperity, of course, has led the fight against the Democrats’ health care legislation. Aside from the Tea Party groups, in my opinion there is no other organization that has done more to fight back against the prospect of government-run health care.

In anticipation of the health care fight coming to the states, Americans for Prosperity decided to reach out to Governor Christie’s appointments to the aforementioned departments and find out their views on health care policy. These nominees include:

• Jennifer Velez, Human Services (Corzine holdover)
• Poonam Alaigh, Health & Senior Services
• Janet Rosenzweig, Children & Families

AFP developed a thorough 13-question survey addressing a range of critical health care issues. The survey was delivered to each nominee with a request to be returned within a reasonable amount of time before their hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Disappointingly, after several weeks and multiple requests, including reaching out to the governor’s office, none of these nominees has responded to our survey.

The governor, who has promised an open and transparent administration, has three potential cabinet members who have failed to live up to these principles.

New Jersey citizens now have to wonder if these Christie appointments favor the Democrats’ legislation that would move us toward more government control and less health care choice and freedom. We are left to wonder if they are Obamcare supporters or not.

Two of these nominees, Velez and Rosenzweig, will have confirmation hearings on Monday morning. If you believe like I do that these nominees owe it to us to answer these 13 simple questions and be open with the public about their views, then call the governor’s office and the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and tell them you want these questions posed to each nominee so the people of New Jersey know where they stand on one of the most critical and personal issues of the day.

Governor’s office: 609-292-6000

Senate Judiciary Members

Scutari, Nicholas P. - Chair    908-587-0404
Girgenti, John A. - Vice-Chair    (973) 427-1229 
Bateman, Christopher     (908) 526-3600 
Beck, Jennifer     (732) 933-1591
Cardinale, Gerald   (201) 567-2324
Gill, Nia H.    (973) 509-0388
Kyrillos, Joseph M.    (732) 671-3206
Lesniak, Raymond J.   (908) 624-0880
O’Toole, Kevin J.    (973) 237-1360
Sarlo, Paul A.    (201) 804-8118
Smith, Bob    (732) 752-0770
Stack, Brian P.   (201) 861-5091 or (201) 558-7926
Weinberg, Loretta   (201) 928-0100

Mike Proto is the Communications Director for Americans for Prosperity, NJ

Don’t get me wrong. Christie is on the right track with some things and certainly is better than John Corzine. But that’s pretty much as expected.

But Christie has also taken some bad steps so far — while also being very silent on some major issues.

First off, his raiding of the surpluses of well-run schools to pay to plug a $2B budget hole was simply wrong. Imagine, for instance, you are a school district that has saved up money for several years to pay for a computer lab or to make needed repairs. What would you call that? Pilfering is a polite way to put it.

Next, Christie has moved to RAISE TAXES. He is planning to whack NJ businesses with an unemployment tax to replenish the depleted fund. This will hit NJ businesses hard, with per employee costs starting in the low $100’s but possibly increasing well above that. How will that move help NJ’s economy and unemployment rate?

On one of the most contentious issues facing the state – COAH – Christie moved to form a panel to study the issue. Of course, he could have done more than that off the bat by defunding COAH, but he chose not to do so. Putting that aside, the Legislature has embarked on their own COAH “reform”, Bill S1. S1 would worsen the situation by, as Steve Lonegan put it, putting “COAH on steroids.” All S1 would do is transfer all authority to the Stae Planning Commission. Governor Christie’s position on S1? Crickets.

And how about the $350M bailout of the Morgan Stanley Casino project? The Legislature is moving full bore to pass this. The Senate already did by a margin of 36-1-3. The Assembly is up next. Meanwhile, Chris Christie could put a stop to this in a heartbeat. All he’d have to do is say “I will veto this bill” and tell his fellow Republicans in the Legislature to forget it. But he isn’t about to do that as far as I can tell.

What about his decision to assign Bill Baroni, a liberal RINO Republican, to a plum 290k+ a year job at the Port Authority? Was that a conservative move? 

Finally, how about some of the governor’s cabinet appointments? How many true conservatives would have selected a rabid left-winger like Paula Dow to be Attorney General? His appointment to the Department of Children andFamilies worked for a crazy leftist outfit, The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality.

Why do I point this all out? Believe me, this is not meant to bash our new governor. I am merely cautioning fellow conservatives who are not as attuned to the inner workings of NJ state politics to beware. Right now they are all falling over themselves to praise Christie for a few of his good proposals, but they are not taking into account his entire record.

And sooner or later it’s going to bite them.

My first reaction was to humorously ask aloud whether ‘Save Jersey’ is needed going forward. After all, we’ve been the most vocal media supporters (and defenders) of Chris Christie since 2008. Rather than create a unique position exclusively for new media outreach, I’m of the opinion that the Governor’s Office should simply work harder to interface with receptive online news and opinion sources like Save Jersey, MoreMonmouthMusings, etc, in order to effectively communicate the Governor’s message. The Christie-Guadagno campaign’s communications staff did an excellent job keeping us informed throughout 2009.

That system worked well. Why rock the boat?

Now, this might surprise you. I agree with the Loony Rooney on this one!

After all, why should some kid get 60 grand a year when Christie can rely on shills like Rooney to carry his water at no cost to the taxpayer?

In other news, the ill-informed egotist actually called D-rated Senator Tom Kean, Jr. a “fiscal conservative”.

Comical!

Last year, when then primary candiate Christie locked horns with Steve Lonegan in their frst debate, I remember being impressed with his speaking ability. Today was no different. For his first speech in front of a Joint Session (outside of his Inaugural speech), Christie was in command, spoke forthrightly about the state’s problems and generally came across as a strong leader. His style is in clear contrast to our ex-Governor’s which smacked of being at a boring college lecture. If nothing else, Mr. Christie is more compelling to listen to.

At times, I wondered if some of his remarks and his presentation would be perceived to be too forceful to those on the “other side”, but that did not appear to be the case. So, kudos to Mr. Christie for a well-delivered address.

Throughout the course of the address, for the first time Mr. Christie began to give us the specifics that were missing from his campaign. With the state facing a current $2B budget gap, delivering some specifics was, of course, a necessity.

Many of the governor’s proposal are good ones. First, there was a spending freeze on various programs including “InvestNJ” and the “main street” program, to save some $550M. Christie also pointed to “over a billion dollars in reductions and reforms” via reductions to other programs like the NJ Transit subsidy.

So far, so good.

Next, Christie took on the critical issue of pension reform – a reform that is an absolute must in my view. In fact, one of the highlights of today’s speech was when Governor Christie used the example of two government workers, explained how much they paid into the system and how much they received in benefits.

One state retiree, 49 years old, paid, over the course of his entire career, a total of $124,000 towards his retirement pension and health benefits. What will we pay him? $3.3 million in pension payments over his life and nearly $500,000 for health care benefits — a total of $3.8m on a $120,000 investment. Is that fair?

A retired teacher paid $62,000 towards her pension and nothing, yes nothing, for full family medical, dental and vision coverage over her entire career. What will we pay her? $1.4 million in pension benefits and another $215,000 in health care benefit premiums over her lifetime. Is it “fair” for all of us and our children to have to pay for this excess?

Hard to argue against reforming the system when presented with these two compelling examples.

Mr. Christie was very firm about reforming the pension system, urged the legislature to further strengthen their reform bills and promised he would sign such a bill if it reached his desk.  

It should be noted, however, that during the campaign, Mr. Christie proposed moving away from a defined benefit to a defined contribution retirement program for government workers. As they say, the devil is in the details and it remains to be seen if pensions are replaced with 401k’s.

Now the bad part.

The governor is planning to help plug the budget hole by using the surpluses of various school districts across the state – to the tune of $475M.

Many school districts in New Jersey have surpluses that were not a part of their fiscal year 2010 budgets. This is because they were either not anticipated – so called excess surpluses – or were placed in a reserve account – so called reserve surpluses.

I am reducing school aid in a way that ensures that no district will have aid withheld in an amount that is greater than its surpluses.

To some, an across the board reduction of a fixed percentage of school aid may seem more fair. But because some districts rely so heavily on state aid, this may affect their ability to provide the required thorough and efficient education to their students. And this approach would likely throw some districts into a deficit situation. We have not reduced school aid with an axe—we have done it with a scalpel and with great care.

The total amount of aid to be withheld is $475 million. I know this solution will not be popular. More than 500 school districts will be affected, and more than 100 districts will lose all state aid for the remainder of the year.

Now, the governor couched this proposal with rhetoric of no tax increases, no pain for students and shared sacrifice. But the fact of the matter is this raid on the surpluses of well-run districts is nothing less than wealth redistribution and punishment for those districts being more fiscally responsible.

The only sacrifice that is going on when these surpluses are used is by suburban and rural taxpayers who are being asked to continue propping up the failing schools in places like Camden.

The governor’s proposal on state aid is essentially a one-shot gimmick that would make Jon Corzine envious. Keep in mind, these surpluses are used by these school districts for, among other things, replacing boilers and repairing roofs. Where will the money come from when they need to address such things?

Raiding these surpluses is not real change – it is more of the same – avoiding the tough choices at the expense of taxpayers. And it also sends a terrible message that these well-run districts should spend their surpluses, or risk the state pilfering them.

For what was otherwise a good speech with commendable steps for tackling the budget deficit, the state aid proposal puts a real damper on it and I hope the governor reconsiders while he still can.

See the text of Christie’s speech here.

The opinions in this post are my own and in no way reflect the views of Americans for Prosperity.

Now, the rubber is hitting the road.

A bill is making its way through the Legislature (Senate Bill S1) which purportedly would end COAH. Purportedly.

The problem is when you actually read the bill, it does anything but end COAH. In fact, it makes things worse. A LOT worse.

In a press release from Americans for Prosperity, Steve Lonegan called the bill “COAH on Steroids” and said that the bill created a “Low Income Housing Czar”:

Lonegan described the new entity created by the legislation to be “a hybrid super bureaucracy that combines the State Planning Commission, the Economic Development Authority, the Home Mortgage Finance Association and the Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs into a super bureaucracy that puts COAH on steroids”.

The legislation, according to its own words, plainly states [“The Council on Affordable Housing established by the “Fair Housing Act,”… is abolished, and all of its powers, functions and duties are continued in the State Planning Commission…except as herein otherwise provided.] Further, [“All appropriations and other moneys available and to become available to the Council on Affordable Housing are hereby continued in the commission, and shall be available for the objects and purposes for which such moneys are appropriated subject to any terms, restriction, limitations or other requirements imposed by State or federal law.”]

The legislation grants the Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs the powers of what amounts to a “Low Income Housing Czar”. Additionally, the legislation further elevates the role of the Economic Development Authority and the Home Finance Mortgage Association to even more involvement in the planning and funding functions behind the advancement of a radical “progressive” public housing policy” Lonegan said. “This bill does not “gut” COAH — it shifts its power to a more complex and authoritarian bureaucracy.”

Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll quipped:

[The bill] could be made perfectly acceptable by simply deleting all of the language which follows the following sentence.

An Act concerning affordable housing, amending, supplementing, and repealing various parts of the statutory law.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. (New section) The Council on Affordable Housing established by the “Fair Housing Act,” P.L.1985, c.222 (C.52:27D-301 et al.) is abolished.

Unfortunately, the bill doesn’t end there which just about tells you all you really need to know.

Governor Christie, though, promised us he would “gut COAH”. He has it within his power to defund COAH tomorrow. And he has it within his power to speak out and put a stop to this bad bill which, to this point, he has been utterly silent about.

In my view, he owes us more than he has given so far. And he owes us nothing less than putting an end to the COAH abomination.

Note: The opinions in this post are my own and in no way reflect the views of Americans for Prosperity. 

Could a redux of 2006’s intra-party fight be in the making? From what I am hearing it may be possible. Word is that Todd Caliguire is mulling over a challenge to the Donovan candidacy, if not possibly looking to recruit a candidate with stronger Republican/conservative credentials to oppose her.

While the BCRO may have anointed her on Tuesday night, there is a great deal of concern about what a County Executive Donovan would mean – both for Bergen County and the party itself. As well, there should be. Why should Bergen GOPers be satisfied with a candidate who is a big spending, tax-hiking, pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, pro-illegal immigration, pro-gun control, Democrat-supporting “Republican”?

Here are some more tidbits on Donovan’s record.

• From 2001-2005, Donovan increased the clerk’s budget by $1.9M – that’s a 59% spike.
• In 1996, she overspent the Clerk’s Office budget by $200,000.
• When she chaired the Port Authority, she authorized 1100 helicopter rides at a cost to toll payers of $2M for herself and staff. When she was asked about this she said it was “inconvenient” for her to drive or take mass transit. Public officials were quoted in The Record calling the Port Authority under Donovan a “lavish culture of waste” and having a “callous disregard for taxpayers.”
• Additionally, Donovan spent $3M on 600 junkets for PA staff including trips to Hawaii and the French Riviera.
• As Assemblywoman Donovan voted to raise the gas tax and increase corporate businesses taxes; and when she was a candidate for Congress she opposed a 15% cut in the federal income tax.
• Donovan is also supportive of federal funding for abortions, partial birth abortion, and opposed to parental notification. 

To call Donovan’s record troubling would be an understatement. Honestly, the more I learn about her, the more unbelievable it is to me that the Bergen GOP would even remotely consider this person as their nominee for the most important county-wide office. And then to see her exert that influence on the party if she wins.

No doubt Caliguire shares these concerns. Now, the question is, what will he do about it?

PS: If ever there were a candidacy for tea partiers to oppose, this is it.

Cross-posted at Red County and CMNJ.

Of course, all that “unity” really means is putting aside principles. And Donovan’s message of fiscal responsibility belies her record. Quite frankly, I was a little surprised to see such enthusiasm in the room for her candidacy this evening. But then again I think the Bergen Republican Organization suffers from the same malady afflicting all too many Republican organizations across the country – a win at any cost mentality. R over D seems to be all that matters.

Of course, there is a certain amount of irony in BCRO Chairman Bob Yudin endorsing Donovan. While their personal animus appears to have been put aside, it wasn’t that long ago that the BCRO itself lambasted Donovan’s record. Back in 2006, when Donovan was trying to wrest the nomination for County Exec from Todd Caliguire, the BCRO issued the following scathing press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: DANIEL MILLER // 201-394-7641

MEMO

To: Bergen County Republicans
Fr: Bergen Republican Victory 2006
Re: Whitman protegee Kathe Donovan’s liberal record

Dear Fellow Republican,

There are many reasons we belong to the Republican Party. One of the most significant is the shared belief that taxes are too high. Sadly, Whitman protegee Kathe Donovan doesn’t think so. Through the course of 20 years in politics and over a dozen campaigns for public office, Ms. Donovan has compiled a record of supporting higher taxes, in addition to other liberal positions that we’ll touch on later.

Any Republican interested in lower taxes should know that during her two decades in politics Donovan has supported:

Higher income taxes
Increased gas taxes
Increased corporate taxes
Increased fees on air travel

In fact, Kathe Donovan is so liberal that she allowed Steve Rothman to run as the fiscal conservative, while she ran as the socially progressive Whitman Protegee. That’s right. Kathe Donovan ran so far to the left that Steve Rothman was able to label himself as the conservative when he beat her for congress.

Think about it, the same Steve Rothman who has compiled failing grades from taxpayer and conservative groups such as the National Taxpayers Union, Americans for Tax Reform, Taxpayers for Commonsense and the American Conservative Union for his liberal voting record actually beat Donovan by running to her right!

In fact, according The Record, “Kathleen Donovan and Democrat Steve Rothman, the two major-party candidates for Congress in the 9th District, are so close on the major issues that it’s difficult to tell them apart.”

The New York Times hailed Kathe Donovan as the “socially progressive Republican” running against the “fiscally conservative Democrat.” No wonder they endorsed her!

In an election year wrap up about the stunning failures of what he termed “the media’s favorite moderate,” Fred Barnes wrote the following with regard to Christie Whitman and the candidates she backed: “In the district vacated by Torricelli, Republican Kathleen Donovan, a protegee of Gov. Christie Whitman, won the endorsement of the New York Times. She described herself as a social progressive who’s pro-choice, pro-gun control, and pro-environmental protection. Also, she played up the fact that she’s a single mother with an adopted child. Donovan’s campaign manager labeled her ‘the right fit’ for the district. She lost by 11 points.” (The Weekly Standard, 12/2/96)

In the coming weeks, we will lay out the truth about Kathe Donovan’s recklessly liberal record, a record that includes support for higher taxes, fiscal mismanagement, ineptitude and the misuse of taxpayer funds.

Of course we expect Donovan and her merry band of Whitman RINOs to attack us for going negative. Nothing could be further from the truth. All we are doing is informing our fellow Republicans as to which candidate represents the failed Whitman wing of the party. Unfortunately for Ms. Donovan, the fact remains that there is nothing we are pointing out about her record that the Democrats won’t. In fact while we will lay out her record in a factually correct manner, were she to win, the Democrats would twist her record to make it seem even worse.

To optout please send an e-mail to OptOut@TheTruthAboutKathe.US

Please forward this e-mail to any Reagan-Republicans you know.

Paid for by the BCRO.

And during their fierce battle for the nomination in 2006, Caliguire exposed Donovan’s big spending at the Clerk’s Office.

“She can blame the Democrats if she wants, but the truth is that Kathe Donovan continually overspends her budget no matter which party is in control of county government,” said Caliguire. “She is a free spending liberal, not a fiscal conservative. Giving Kathe Donovan the reins to county government will be just as bad as having Dennis McNerney as county executive. There will be no difference and no relief for taxpayers.”

Now, this is the person the BCRO is endorsing to be the top dog of Bergen County government. One wonders, just what has changed about Donovan’s record? What has changed that should lead Bergen Republicans to suddenly think she would govern any differently than she has run the County Clerk’s office?

From speaking to a few people, I believe the 180 degree turn on Donovan’s candidacy is attributable, at least in part, to the incoming Governor. After losing out on the Lieutenant Governor’s spot, it’s likely she sought Christie’s support for her County Exec candidacy. And at a recent ”victory breakfast” here in Bergen, Christie was preaching unity at the BCRO. So, logically, Chairman Yudin was likely under a lot of pressure to make amends and accept the Donovan candidacy.

Regardless of the political machinations behind the BCRO endorsement of the Donovan candidacy, the bottom line is the party is supporting someone who for all intents and purposes is a Democrat. A Donovan victory next November would be a nominal one at best.

Bergen Republicans owe it to themselves, and to the people of Bergen County, to find a better candidate. Because the candidate they are asking us to support is no better than the one who was selected last year in upsate New York.

Cross-posted at Red County and CMNJ.

Yesterdays’ lame duck session came to an end with a flurry of bad bills. Of course, some of them were passed with the help of a couple of RINO senators; namely Bill Baroni and Sean Kean. Here are 5 of the bills these so-called Republican Senators voted for.

• Bill A4268/S3095 – Extends prevailing wage to maintenance projects, preventing local officials from saving money by using private contractors
• Bill A4293/S3028 – Extends prevailing wage to BPU funded projects (this means more money for union workers and less for “green” initiatives)
• Bill A4261/S3071 – Permits certain managers and deputy attorneys general of the State to negotiate collectively under the “New Jersey Employer-Employee Relations Act”
• Bill A4262/S3078 – Authorizes negotiations with a bargaining representative of family child care providers
• Bill A4263/S3080 – Authorizes negotiations with a bargaining representative of community care residential providers

Their votes on bills S3095 and S3071 were particularly egregious as they would not have passed otherwise.

Now, thanks to the fiscal irresponsibility of Baroni and Kean, New Jersey taxpayers will be forced to pony up even more in taxes.

Thanks indeed, Senators.

[ON EDIT] It’s also quite interesting to note that Chris Christie came out against the bill pertaining to the AG’s office yesterday on Curtis Sliwa’s radio show. Yet the state chairman of his campaign, Bill Baroni, still voted for them and was a deciding vote. How’s that for allegiance? 

Cross-posted at Red County and CMNJ.

Here in Bergen County, Republicans are hopeful about the prospects of ousting incumbent County Executive Dennis McNerney in November. The liberal McNerney is seen as vulnerable, if for no other reason, his affiliation with the corrupt BCDO – formerly headed by now convicted criminal, ‘Goomba’ Joe Ferriero. With a Republican tide expected this year, McNerney easily could drown in it.

But there’s a problem. Right now the only *supposedly* viable candidate to step up is liberal Republican, Kathe Donovan, the long-time County Clerk. Donovan’s Republican creds will make it tough for some BCRO members to accept her candidacy. As such, she will need the backing of the party apparatus and that means making nice with BCRO Chairman Bob Yudin. By all accounts, Yudin and Donovan get along about as well as the Arabs and Israelis.

Well, apparently, the Arab-Israeli peace talks have begun. Charles Stile reported today in the Bergen Record that Yudin and Donovan have met a couple of times in the past few weeks to bury the hatchet.

Has glasnost finally come to the notoriously dysfunctional Bergen County Republican Organization?

It’s starting to look that way.

Former intraparty combatants Kathleen Donovan, the Bergen County clerk, and Bob Yudin, the BCRO chairman, were holding peace talks over the quiet holiday week, including a Dec. 28 sit-down at Solari’s Restaurant in Hackensack. They met again three days later at the office of longtime Donovan adviser Alan Marcus. State Sen. Gerald Cardinale of Demarest, a Yudin adviser, also attended. United Nations monitors did not participate, as rumored.

By most accounts, everybody behaved themselves. There was no rude slamming of doors in each other’s face (like Donovan did to Yudin after her swearing-in ceremony last January), no paranoid accusations of political skullduggery (like Yudin publicly accusing Donovan of orchestrating a nasty legal ballot brouhaha in Franklin Lakes last June) or no public sniping by their surrogates (such as fliers from Donovan supporter Eleanor Nissley accusing Yudin of dishonesty).

“Our meetings and conversations are very productive,” Yudin said Monday.

“Whatever Bob said, I agree with,” Donovan said.

Given the level of toxicity between the two rivals, this joint statement of cooperation might strike North Jersey political soap opera devotees as a miracle, but winning — or more precisely the possibility of winning the county executive seat in November — has a strange way of turning enemies into allies.

And it has become increasingly clear that Donovan is best positioned to dislodge two-term Democrat Dennis McNerney in the fall. Despite distrust over her moderate-to-liberal leanings and criticism that she has acted at times as her own political sovereign, some in the Old Guard are slowly conceding that there is no other legitimate choice than Donovan.

Other possible rivals who have flirted with a bid for the county executive nod, like former Hackensack Mayor John “Jack” Zisa, have beat a retreat, while others, like Rochelle Park township committeeman Joseph Scarpa, have pledged fealty to Donovan.

If Donovan were in fact the only Republican willing to vie for this office, it would be one thing. However, I am hearing that will not be the case. So, Chairman Yudin owes it to let this process play out before caving in to Donovan. Bergen Republicans shouldn’t have to accept someone who doesn’t represent their values just because we are led to believe they are their only chance of winning.

Meanwhile, Donovan is expected to announce her campaign next Tuesday evening at the BCRO. Stay tuned.

Cross-posted at Red County and CMNJ.

Here is Assemblyman Rick Merkt’s response:

MERKT: IN-STATE TUITION RATES FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS

SEND WRONG LEGAL & ECONOMIC MESSAGE 

BILL GRANTING IN-STATE COLLEGE TUITION RATES TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

FLOUTS THE STATE’S LAWS AND IGNORES CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS 

Assemblyman Richard Merkt opposed a proposal today that would grant in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens who attend New Jersey ’s public institutions. 

“ New Jersey ’s public institutions are not immune from the state’s dire financial circumstances,” Merkt, R-Morris, said. “We cannot afford to use the public’s dwindling dollars to provide a generous benefit to those who have no legal standing to live here let alone receive all the privileges of legal residents.” 

Merkt was one of four Assembly Republicans who voted against the committee substitute for A-194/A-990 during today’s Assembly Appropriations Committee. The proposal, however, was released and could be approved by the full Assembly before the session ends Jan. 12. 

“My colleagues need to realize that New Jersey is broke before voting at the last minute to grant another giveaway that legal and hard-working families cannot afford to provide,” Merkt said. “This proposal is disrespectful to those families who play by the rules, but just squeak by sending their children to college with hopes of a better future. We should be focused on helping these families, not adding to their burden.”

Cross-posted at Red County and CMNJ.