Garden State Patriot

We turn from polls to tolls! Looks like Corzine might have made a major blunder in the waning days of the campaign. In a New York Times article, the Governor actually hinted that was willing to revisit his failed plan to monetize our roads:

The Democratic governor, Jon S. Corzine, says he may revisit his plan to lease the New Jersey Turnpike to raise cash — a proposal that he abandoned last year in the face of intense opposition from lawmakers and voters.

“We’ve been prepared to come up with more outside-of-the-box ideas, and we’ll come up with more,” he said. “But in the seeds of this there are unattractive alternatives.”

Mr. Corzine’s most ambitious effort, a plan to pay down debt by selling the New Jersey Turnpike, died in the Democratic-run Legislature in 2008. Now he calls the idea “too big, too fast, at the wrong time” and says state residents, already sensing the coming recession, were unwilling to accept the toll increases it would entail.

“This idea worked,” the governor said, adding, “So maybe we just need to scale it back.”

Christie was quick to jump on this saying:

“As if $9 billion in new taxes, the highest tax burden in the country and the highest property taxes in the nation isn’t enough, Jon Corzine wants to pay off the debt he’s created by making suffocating New Jerseyans pay even more in the form of an 800 percent toll hike. Let’s face it, Jon Corzine likes raising taxes and he’s never going to stop doing it,” said Christie in a statement this morning.

Of course, the Corzine camp is trying to backpedal on this as fast as possible. But it’s too late. The proverbial horse is out of the barn. And Chris Christie ought to make as much hay out of it as possible all the way up until 8pm Tuesday.

Cross-posted at Red County and Conservatives with Attitude!

Hot off the presses! The latest Rasmussen poll breaks down as follows:

Christie – 46%

Corzine – 43%

Daggett – 8%

Organizing for America (www.barackobama.com) is actually having a video contest on healthcare reform. Here is one of the finalists.

Utterly shameful! (h/t Michelle Malkin)

Cross-posted at Conservatives with Attitude!

Last night a group of New Jersey voters appeared on Hannity. The discussion touched on their general feelings about the state of things in the nation and New Jersey, as well as their views on issues like taxation. Later in the focus group session, these voters discussed their opinions of Christie and Corzine while also reacting to some TV ads from both camps.

Overall, the discussion was interesting and enlightening. In listening to these fellow New Jerseyans – regardless of their views (and some did have some radical views, particularly on wealth redistribution) - my sense was that all of them wanted to hear more specific plans from each candidate. They are tired of the bull that goes on and are craving some real leadership. They don’t seem to think they are seeing that from Corzine or Christie in this campaign – and I sure as heck can’t disagree with them.

Here is the discussion in its entirety.

Lib kook Congressman Alan Grayson sure has a lot to say when he’s not being challenged. But he was hiding under his desk when Fox News went to him to comment on his numerous outrageous statements. Watch what happens here when FNC’s Griff Jenkins pays him a visit.

Cross-posted at Conservatives with Attitude!

I just got off a brief phone call with Tim Phillips of Americans for Prosperity and Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann. I can’t emphasize enough that we are at a tipping point in the healthcare debate. House Democrats led by Nancy Pelousy are primed to pass a 1990 page monstrosity of a bill that, make no mistake, will take over our healthcare system. It is up to us now to stop them.

Rep Bachmann said the House bill will cut $500B from Medicare. On average, people will pay $4000 a year more for health insurance. If you are under 30, 8%-12% of your income will go to health insurance. Ameerican businesses would be made to pay at least 8% more in payroll tax. And 5.5 million jobs could be lost.

On Monday, the House will actually post the final version of the bill. Rep. Bachmann said the bill released today is incomplete and that other items will likely be added to this destructive measure at the last minute with the final version, again, coming out on Monday. Thereafter, the House will have 3 days of *debate* with a vote scheduled for next Friday.

Rep. Bachmann pointed out that if this passes the federal government will ‘own or control’ almost 50% of private sector wealth. Currently, in this bailpout era, 30% of the private sector is in the hands of the federal government. A takeover of the healthcare industry would bring us to an outrageous 48%.

The Congresswoman pleaded for all of us to start calling our Senators and Representatives and to join in the AFP ‘House Call’ scheduled for next Thursday. In fact, she went so far as to say to ‘get here [to Washington] next week,’ go to the offices of our legislators and put as much pressure on possible for them to stop. She believes that they have forgotten the town hall meetings and they think the rest of us have likewise forgotten.

Summing it up, Rep. Bachmann said, ‘This is it. There is no going back.’

Cross-posted at Conservatives with Attitude!

Here is the second of my interviews with the Bergen Freeholder candidates. In this interview with John Driscoll we also touch upon open space and property taxes, but also venture into the issue of municipal consolidation and the question of whether Bergen should maintain a county police force.

I’d like to once again thank both candidates for their time. If you live in Bergen I hope you will give them your support and vote on Election Day. 

Once again, here are Rob and John’s web sites: Rob Hermansen for Freeholder, John Driscoll for Freeholder

Cross-posted at Red County and Conservatives with Attitude!

45 years ago today, Ronald Reagan delivered perhaps his most famous speech on behalf of the Barry Goldwater campaign. Now known as his ‘A Time For Choosing’ speech, it could not be any more relevant then as it is now. In the speech Reagan draws clear and distinct difference between conservatives and liberals – warning us in no uncertain terms of the dangers of socialism. While I’ve posted this before, it never gets old. Here is the speech in its entirety.

The latest Corzine-Weinberg campaign e-mail is so chock full of lies, deceipt and manipulation I couldn’t let it go. The e-mail begins by touting Corzine’s 5-point lead in a ‘widely-respected poll.’ So respected is it that the name of the poll isn’t mentioned, nor is a link provided.

Next, Corzine-Weinberg attempt to demonize Christie on the issue of health insurance mandates. Their campaign has been banging the drum on the mammogram issue for some time now. But their e-mail is a clear attempt at the politics of fear; attempting to manipulate people into thinking that no government mandate would mean insurance companies would not offer coverage of mammograms and autism screenings at all.

Likewise, they attempt to scare people by claiming that Christie would let hospitals discharge moms 24 hours after giving birth. Again, the impression Corzine-Weinberg want to create is a scenario in which a mother and newborn child would be pushed out the door even if they were in no condition to be discharged – as if any well-respected doctor or hospital would allow such a thing. The irony, of course, is that this is exactly the kind of rationing of healthcare we will see if Obamcare becomes the law of the land. 

As for paid family leave, what Corzine-Weinberg won’t tell you is that it is a tax for a benefit that most workers will never use in their working lifetime. Paid family leave also puts more pressure on businesses who have to compensate an inactive – and thus unproductive – employee. Moreover, paid leave is unfair to those who work in small companies – something I documented here.

Corzine-Weinberg claim Christie supports a constiutional amendment to ban abortion. I’ve never heard him say such a thing. I have heard Christie say he’s pro-life, but that’s about it. Moreover, even if Christie supported a constitutional amendment, he would have no say in the matter. Such an amendment would have to be passed by Congress and then ratified by the state legislatures.

The Corzine campaign also continues to perpetuate the falsehood that he has cut property taxes. NJ remains worst in the nation for property taxes. Corzine all but elininated our rebates. State aid has been cut to places like my hometown of Hackensack, resulting in considerable increases (when I moved here in 2005 my taxes were over $2500 less than they are now).  

On top of this, the Corzine team would have us believe they took stimulus funds and used them to keep property taxes from escalating further. The reality is they took the funds and used it as a one-shot gimmick to plug a gaping budget hole. In other words, Corzine put off the tough choices and, now, the state is staring at a $8B hole next year. And at the same time he raised taxes by a billion dollars! But the idea promulgated here – that rejection of the stimulus funds would result in a $2B increase in property taxes – is pure bunk.

Of course, none of this should be too surprising. When your record is one of abysmal failure, resorting to outright lies and distortions to get re-elected is probably the only card left to play. 

Cross-posted at Red County and Conservatives with Attitude!