tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60566235007298958022024-03-14T14:50:00.672-04:00MiddletownMikeI have been a Bayshore resident all of my life. I am a Middletown resident and active in the Monmouth County and Middletown Township Democratic Parties. I believe it is possible to have "Truth, Justice and the American
Way" all at once. I intend to comment on many things that effect us here in Middletown, the Bayshore and the great state of New Jersey.MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.comBlogger6282125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-42549188921742802552022-10-03T11:06:00.004-04:002022-10-03T11:17:06.153-04:00Candidate Forum in Middletown Canceled Due to Republican Lack of Interest
For Immediate Release<div>10/3/22</div><div><br /></div><div> By the Middletown Democrats</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Middletown NJ</b> - Middletown’s so-called “leadership” has shown itself again with the refusal of the Middletown Republicans to participate in this year’s Candidates Night sponsored by the Lincroft Village Green Association (LVGA) and moderated by the League of Women Voters. This is the second year in a row that the forum was cancelled due to lack of participation. Candidates Night was scheduled for October 19th.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Last year, when one of the Democratic candidates for Township Committee could not participate, Democrats insisted that the event continue even though it would appear imbalanced. The League of Women Voters opted to cancel the forum. The subsequent cries from the GOP last year were disingenuous and outrageous. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">What a difference a year makes. The Republican candidates have decided that participating in an open forum like Candidates Night is of no interest to them, depriving our voters of an opportunity to hear for themselves where the candidates stand. Multiple attempts were made by LVGA to have the Republican candidates attend, including a personal plea by a LVGA member at the September 19th Township Committee meeting. True to form, the voice of a resident was simply ignored. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Refusing to participate in this year’s Candidate Night is just another example of the contempt and distain the Township Committee has for the citizens of Middletown Township. Those residents who attend the meetings, speak up, and challenge the Township Committee are often subjected to eye rolling, snickering and disinterested sighs. These committee members feel enabled and entitled by their stranglehold on Township politics, to the detriment of all voters – regardless of party affiliation.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Democrat <b>Paige Gregorio</b> states, "<i>I’m disappointed that I won’t have the opportunity to connect with voters and answer questions about me, my perspectives, and how I plan to earn their votes on November 8th. Republicans in Middletown have been in power for 40 years, but how much do our voters really know about them? I’d like to know if the incumbents are on the right side of women’s rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, and other important national issues. Or are they just radical conservatives who support Donald Trump and the January 6 insurrection?</i>" </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> The Middletown Democrats believe it is time to take these elected officials to task for their self-interest and cronyism. They should be admonished for treating our taxpayers poorly. They should not be rewarded for stocking our Planning Board with friends and sycophants. And most importantly, they should be held accountable for the ineptitude and<span style="color: red;"> <a href="https://patch.com/new-jersey/middletown-nj/state-finds-serious-safety-violations-middletown-sewage-authority" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">failures at TOMSA that resulted in the death of a worker and the findings of serious safety violations</span></a>.</span> The Middletown Democrats <a href="https://patch.com/new-jersey/middletown-nj/bp--political-patronage-at-township-of-middletown-sew7e6eb975c7" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">warned voters about political patronage at the TOMSA years ago</span></a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> "<i>The lack of response by our currently elected local officials is indicative of their strategy for this year's election. They want low voter turnout. They want uninformed voting. They rely on that to stay in power. It aligns with the radical, undemocratic national GOP agenda,</i>” candidate <b>Rocky Rios</b> has stated. We could not agree more.
</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-62632940448861117082022-05-05T18:18:00.002-04:002022-05-05T18:18:24.394-04:00Happy Cinco de Mayo!<p> I hope everyone is having a grand day celebrating Cinco de Mayo. I'm going to be kicking back shortly with a Marguerita or two (or five).</p><p>If you like cocktails and want to learn how to mix all the classics (and not so classic) I recommend watching subscribing to Anders Erickson's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEK-PgJHg4Jupi7k7re0qGg">Youtube channel</a>. Anders is charming, witty and has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the art of cocktails. If is home base wasn't in Chicago (a little to far to travel) I'd definitely make a special roadtrip to have him mix me a drink or two. </p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jxpT11WEtWQ" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-18590138787393429042022-05-05T18:03:00.004-04:002022-05-05T18:03:25.856-04:00I'm Still Here<p> </p><p><br /></p><p>Has anyone missed me? Well, I'm still here keeping an eye on things. leave a comment and say "hello" </p>MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-46463598073424002692020-12-24T15:58:00.003-05:002020-12-24T15:58:32.197-05:00Merry Christmas <div><br /></div>2020 has been quite a year, but I'd like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and happy and health New Year nonetheless. I hope it's filled with joy, happiness and endless possibilities for all those we love and cherish.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjqtnEg9vR5caKmdSdPhiz07w9Vh5HMURSbmjyryYqpZ9Y3pnFpM2FE65vlvEMcS5lJTXzwWTV06jnQShZjfxd1ofTApgayqoikangNArIkmjJLLsVnVwxTzEnEcijIue8hA8S2ITYpE/s4320/IMG_20171222_204336288_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2432" data-original-width="4320" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjqtnEg9vR5caKmdSdPhiz07w9Vh5HMURSbmjyryYqpZ9Y3pnFpM2FE65vlvEMcS5lJTXzwWTV06jnQShZjfxd1ofTApgayqoikangNArIkmjJLLsVnVwxTzEnEcijIue8hA8S2ITYpE/w640-h360/IMG_20171222_204336288_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-25296696294341771092020-10-27T11:19:00.000-04:002020-10-27T11:19:12.771-04:00Patch: Four-Year Gap In Middletown Republicans' Campaign Finance Reports<a href="https://patch.com/new-jersey/middletown-nj" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">The Middletown Patch</span></a> posted an article this morning about the Middletown Republicans not filing campaign finance reports for the past 4 years. This is a big issue and people shouldn't be looking the other way.<div><br /></div><div>And before someone says something .... submitting ELEC reports 4 years after they are due doesn't negate the fact that they weren't filed when they needed to be.... This is still a very serious situation that is being investigated.</div><div><br /></div><div>From the Patch:</div><div><br /></div><blockquote>MIDDLETOWN, NJ — There was a missing four-year period where the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) did not have campaign finance reports from the Middletown Republican Committee. <div><br /></div><div> The campaign finance reports were missing from the years 2016 through 2020. It was sixteen reports that were missing, from each four quarters of those four years. As of Oct. 21 of this year, all the missing reports have now been filed and are on record with ELEC. </div><div><br /></div><div> Campaign finance reports are vital because they show who has donated to a political party and how the money is being spent. American political parties are required by law to submit them for public record, and to not submit them is a serious violation, as well as a breach of public trust. </div><div><br /></div><div> The Middletown Republican Committee says they filed the reports accurately as required every year. They said they have no idea why ELEC did not have any record of the reports and chalked it up to a clerical error on ELEC's part. </div><div><br /></div><div> "Every report for every quarter was sent by regular mail to P.O. Box 185 Trenton NJ 08625 (ELEC headquarters) as instructed," said a Middletown Republican Party spokesman. "We were informed by a Facebook inquiry that reports were missing. We contacted ELEC and inquired where these reports were placed. They could not find them quickly and asked us to resubmit the reports and they would once again place them in the appropriate quarter. The reports have been resubmitted and upon review are back on the site. We were surprised to learn about this clerical issue as all reports for candidates and the party have always been filed timely." </div><div><br /></div><div>It was the job of Alannah Perry, the Middletown Republican Party treasurer, to submit the campaign finance records to ELEC. Perry is the wife of current Middletown Mayor Tony Perry and her father is Gerry Scharfenberger, now a member of the New Jersey Assembly. Before he became an assemblyman, Scharfenberger sat on both the Middletown Township Committee and the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders since 2016.....</div></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://patch.com/new-jersey/middletown-nj/four-year-gap-middletown-republicans-campaign-finance-reports?fbclid=IwAR3Z3bpjfoUKntzRUarJ0uAOeh9KNg5rzaEgmUic0XjpABi0TBmYmQ4JaO4" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Continue reading </span></a></p><div></div>MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-4981477565272462302020-10-27T11:08:00.001-04:002020-10-29T20:55:22.926-04:00Press Release: Middletown Republican Party fails to file campaign finance reports for 4 years <span style="font-size: x-small;">For Immediate Release </span><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">10/26/2020 </span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> MIDDLETOWN – On October 22, 2020 -- in “<a href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3ASbmiofXW1FsJ%3Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.app.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Felections%2F2020%2F10%2F22%2Fmiddletown-gop-campaign-finance-reports-missing%2F5992186002%2F+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=ubuntu" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Middletown GOP says they’ve filed campaign finance reports. NJ says they haven’t.</span></a>” -- the Asbury Park Press reported an alleged serious violation of New Jersey campaign finance law by the Middletown Township Republican Organization, involving the Organization’s failure to file quarterly financial reports to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (NJ ELEC) for the last four years. Even though the State sends written reminders to political organizations to file these reports, the Middletown Township Republican Organization has not filed a report since the 3rd quarter of 2016, when it reported
$39,000 on hand. State Assemblyman Gerard Scharfenberger’s daughter, Alannah, was listed as the Treasurer when the last report was filed in October 2016. She is married to Middletown’s Mayor, Tony Perry, who was appointed to the Township Committee in November 2017 to fill his father-in-law’s seat. Since 2016, the Organization has made contributions to other political campaigns and committees in the amount of $22,650, per the ELEC reports filed by those other entities. Those outflows and the initial collection of monies have gone unreported by the Middletown Republican Organization. The Asbury Park Press obtained copies of multiple violation notices mailed out by ELEC.
</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3wpcSgVxWKKbSBtrg46sciPFtI1qjtfgXsxUE3AtNjFM-v-PgNoUrd3wIVou6SMD8TFMrDt4frcS7KRiWHK-_5n1Ze2y4hnzlVS7zpbGCaeutEtoQz2WFfsZtm8eKVd2NCMg9l7MWbo/s498/Screen+Shot+2020-10-26+at+8.30.21+PM.png" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="495" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3wpcSgVxWKKbSBtrg46sciPFtI1qjtfgXsxUE3AtNjFM-v-PgNoUrd3wIVou6SMD8TFMrDt4frcS7KRiWHK-_5n1Ze2y4hnzlVS7zpbGCaeutEtoQz2WFfsZtm8eKVd2NCMg9l7MWbo/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-10-26+at+8.30.21+PM.png" /></a></div>These reporting requirements matter. New Jersey’s Pay-to-Play Law prohibits a local government from awarding a contract to a vendor who has made a political contribution unless a “fair and open process” has been used. For the last 4 years, the donors to the Republican Organization in Middletown are unknown. This hurts transparency and diminishes the ability of the citizenry to hold public officials accountable. The State’s Pay-to-Play laws are also intended to address “wheeling”, the practice of channeling money through different political committees to circumvent contribution limits. When political organizations ignore their reporting
requirements, enforcing the law becomes difficult. </div><div><br /></div><div>The flagrant refusal to abide by the law is especially damaging in Middletown, where the Middletown Republican Organization oversees a network of appointments and contributions that can be financially rewarding for the professionals who participate. The all-Republican Township Committee laid the groundwork for pay-to-play when they abandoned a more rigid pay-to-play ordinance in 2012. https://patch.com/new-jersey/middletown-nj/new-pay-to-play
ordinance-adopted-at-committee-meeting. Since then, Committee members Fiore, Settembrino, and Hibell have been depositing campaign checks from T&M Engineering; the firm has somehow always been appointed as Middletown’s Engineering firm under this “fair and open” process for over 30 years. This appointment can lead to revenue for the firm exceeding $1.0 Million in a single year. Campaign donations have also come from Maser Consulting, the engineering firm
consistently hired by the Middletown Sewerage Authority year to year, and from the law firm of our Township Attorney (Archer & Greiner). </div><div><br /></div><div> More disturbing, Gibbons PC, the law firm of the Republican Party Chairman, Peter Carton, has been appointed as bond counsel to Middletown for decades. (Mr. Carton is quoted in the APP article and claims the required ELEC reports were filed but somehow went missing, and that he, a partner at one of the largest law firms in the State, has no copies.) Middletown is also an important cog in the County Republican sphere of influence, and it is there that he makes his biggest score, where every year his law firm, Gibbons, is appointed Bond Counsel for the County of Monmouth, earning $495/hour for this work. So much for competitive bidding. Remarkably, when Middletown receives financing from the Monmouth County Improvement Authority, Carton’s firm represents both the County and Middletown.</div><div><br /></div><div>The “fair and open process” exception in the State’s Local Unit Pay-to-Play Law is intended to drive down contract costs through competition, but is a joke when Middletown appoints the same professionals every year. The Township has had the same engineering firm for approximately 40 years. The Middletown Committee members vote together on almost every single matter put before them, because, we believe, they have no choice.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since 2016, numerous republican candidates have been elected or appointed to the five-member Middletown Township Committee, including Patricia Snell, who is currently running for re election on the 2020 ballot.
The gravy train of donations is no secret. Public records between 2016 and 2020 tell a familiar story. In 2018, Tony Perry received two donations from T&M Engineering of $1600 and $1200. (We also should not be surprised that More Monmouth Musings blogger Art Gallagher was actively blogging in support of the republican team, since his company, Gallco Media, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/artgallagher/"><span style="color: #cc0000;">https://www.linkedin.com/in/artgallagher/</span></a>, is getting paid by them. Mr. Perry’s campaign made payments of $1360 to Mr. Gallagher’s company (Gallco) for “Social Media Consulting”.) Committeeman Rick Hibell is no stranger to the benefits of the township’s amended pay-to-play ordinance, having received in 2018 $600 from T&M and $1,000 from Archer & Greiner, the law firm of Middletown Township Attorney Brian Nelson. Newcomer Ryan Clarke has joined in this professional largesse in 2020, receiving $1,000 from the law firm of the Township Attorney, $1,750 from Maser Consulting, the engineering firm of Middletown’s Sewerage Authority, and $1,450 from the ever-reliable T&M Engineering.</div><div><br /></div><div>But when it comes to collecting professional donations, Committeeman Tony Fiore reigns supreme. In his campaign in 2017, our Township Engineers (T&M), whom Mr. Fiore voted to reappoint every year since then, made donations of $2,600 and $600 to his campaign. Maser Consulting, our perennial Sewerage Authority Engineers, made donations of $2,600 and $1,200. Not to be outdone, Archer & Greiner, the law firm of our Township Attorney, Brian Nelson, donated $2,000. That’s $9,000 in donations for Mr. Fiore from outside professionals working for Middletown. Committeeman Settembrino was right behind him with the following donations from T&M for his 2016 campaign: $2600 on 5/10/2016, $900 on 7/21/2016 and $600 on 9/13/2016. In 2019, Settembrino raked in $1,600 from T&M, $1,000 from our Township Attorney, and $1,200 from Maser.</div><div><br /></div><div>“This is a serious matter,” said Middletown’s Democratic Chairman, Michael Morris. “We should question not only the ethics of Republican officials, but whether taxpayers have been
overcharged for contracts that were awarded without competitive bidding when the law required it,” Morris continued.
“That is not putting taxpayers first,” he said.</div><div><p><br /></p><p>For supporting documentation .... <a href="https://middletowndemocrat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Republican-Party-ELEC-failure-pdfs-1-7.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Click Here</span></a></p><p> </p></div></div>MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-56192319339139268742020-10-25T12:29:00.002-04:002020-10-25T12:34:30.538-04:00Statement: Middletown Republicans Failed to File 4 Years’ Worth OF NJ ELEC Campaign Finance ReportsFor Immediate Release: <div>10/24/20<div><br /></div><div> <i>A Statement from Middletown Democratic Chairman Michael Morris concerning the failure of the Middletown Township Republican Executive Committee to file 4 years’ worth of campaign finance reports.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7fqaWdNwubYWdgWUtRo9Vd2OCLtL5Leatl_2Pw0frJULGK4dxKKSgHXbgZ8S0JFVYSFWRtVvsMFPfPL3vfXvAC5ATh_j9DsDyhmkRrZY4XPr8A4IznK_Q6ycGYD1oMojia6IdA3hxZ0E/s880/cash.PNG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="880" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7fqaWdNwubYWdgWUtRo9Vd2OCLtL5Leatl_2Pw0frJULGK4dxKKSgHXbgZ8S0JFVYSFWRtVvsMFPfPL3vfXvAC5ATh_j9DsDyhmkRrZY4XPr8A4IznK_Q6ycGYD1oMojia6IdA3hxZ0E/w320-h195/cash.PNG" width="320" /></a></div> Middletown –In response to the recent Asbury Park Press article, “<a href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3ASbmiofXW1FsJ%3Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.app.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Felections%2F2020%2F10%2F22%2Fmiddletown-gop-campaign-finance-reports-missing%2F5992186002%2F+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=ubuntu"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Middletown GOP says they’ve filed campaign finance reports. NJ says they haven’t</span></a>”, which uncovered a serious violation of NJ campaign finance law by the Middletown Township Republican Organization. The Organization has failed to disclose campaign financial records to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (NJ ELEC) for the last four years. </div><div><br /></div><div> The last report on file with NJ ELEC on behalf of the Middletown Republican organization is from the 3rd quarter of 2016 and showed over $39,000 on hand. Since that time the Middletown Republican organization has made contributions to others in the amount of $22,650, all of which has gone unreported and there is now no way to tell who campaign contributions came from, to whom the Middletown Republicans donated funds to or what amount of money changed hands during this period.</div><div><br /></div><div>New Jersey pay-to-play laws are very specific and are designed to end the practice of “wheeling”, which is when an entity channels money through different political committees to avoid contribution limits.</div><div><br /></div><div> <i>Chairman Morris states</i>:</div><div><br /></div><div> “It’s said that if you want to uncover the facts all you need to do is “follow the money”. Unfortunately, that isn’t possible here. There is no way for the public to know who campaign contributions came from, to who the Organization directed funds to or what it spent money on over the past four years. Apparently, the Middletown Republicans must think they’re above the law.</div><div><br /></div><div> “In addition, we find out the Treasurer responsible for filing these reports is none other than the Mayor’s wife, Alannah Perry who also happens to be the daughter of former mayor, now NJ State Assemblyman, Gerry Scharfenberger. You would think she’d know better."</div><div><br /></div><div> “When you combine this with the release of thousands of private email addresses from the township’s emergency alert database, that Tony Perry’s 2018 campaign used to make false and misleading accusations against a Democratic rival in 2018, you have to wonder about the ethics of not just the Perry family but the entire Middletown Republican Organization”.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-19514813387557449612020-10-20T14:59:00.002-04:002020-10-20T18:52:10.481-04:00Failure To File NJ ELEC Paper Work Puts Middletown Republican Organization In Financial Jeopardy: Should Tony Perry Resign?<p><br />It came to light yesterday that the Middletown Township Republican Executive Committee (Middletown GOP) has failed to file required <a href="https://www.elec.state.nj.us"><span style="color: red;">New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission</span></a> (NJ ELEC) paperwork for the past 16 quarters, going back to October 2016. The last report on file with the NJ ELEC is for the <a href="https://www.elec.nj.gov/ELECReport/searchpacparty.aspx"><span style="color: #cc0000;">3rd quarter of 2016</span></a>. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNNhaImGglhxOB8QxxpEdp_Lk9ruGlVenz2LYLgQsD9HF2bDYIm4ETfz5alXpIm6YEtLyVRTEeH_6xNV9PC8NmFdvrhSoPjdHlFHEgl3Vtgeetlh04_L0Ff5twPFDbwD2Afv99r9e6xA/s1342/122121242_356928402425569_7101558464133365985_n.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1342" data-original-width="828" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNNhaImGglhxOB8QxxpEdp_Lk9ruGlVenz2LYLgQsD9HF2bDYIm4ETfz5alXpIm6YEtLyVRTEeH_6xNV9PC8NmFdvrhSoPjdHlFHEgl3Vtgeetlh04_L0Ff5twPFDbwD2Afv99r9e6xA/s320/122121242_356928402425569_7101558464133365985_n.png" /></a></div>This is bad on so many levels and furthers the argument that myself and others have been making over the years, Middletown Republicans are corrupt to the core. Where are they getting their money from? Who are they giving money to? Pay-to-Play comes to mind as well as the wheeling of campaign donations and expenses and potentially money laundering isn't out if the question.<p></p><p>As for the last report on record with NJ ELEC all the way back in 2016, the Middletown Republicans had $39,439.11 on hand after reporting. How much money did they have on hand afterwards to end the year? We don't know because a 4th quarter, year end report was never filed, neither were subsequent reports thereafter for the next 15 quarters leading up to October 2020.</p><p>We know the Middletown Republican Executive Committee has been active during this time because expenditures of $19,650 have been reported by outside candidates and committees in their NJ ELEC filings, the most recent being a $650 donation to Sheriff Shaun Golden for his reelection campaign, made in February of 2020.</p><p>Maximum fines associated with this non-compliance can be as large as $8,600 per incident. 16 quarters of failing to file reports with NJ ELEC could cost the local Republicans upwards of $138,000. Interestingly however, the organization is not responsible to pay these fines. As punishment, it's the organizational Treasurer and potentially the Organizational Chairman who are on the hook for payment.</p><p>What's so interesting and intriguing about that little fact is that the organizational Treasurer for the last report filed back in October 2016, was the wife of current Middletown Mayor, Tony Perry. Mrs. Perry also happens to be the daughter of former mayor, now LD 13 Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger.</p><p>There is a major conflict here and it just might behoove Perry to resign from the mayorship of the Township as well as step down from the Township Committee itself. Since Scharfenberger appointed his son-in-law to the Township Committee back in 2017 and his daughter failed to file the proper paperwork with NJ ELEC, he has some explaining to do himself .... Stay tuned for further developments. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><br />MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-1336297470639452942020-10-16T13:00:00.003-04:002020-10-20T18:41:49.804-04:00Beware of the Sample Ballot<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVeiVRpAidCucWbXWzWmKU8_wAoOTjRaeM4sczkKsH32YAtnoOnfKP78tCGVfj_fs3gzJg-E-W6ZfMFwJUKkoI9T7sLqOIMuRuvleHO6DOqAGwk7rRp3wsd90BX3DAcBwdNK1W373CTw/s928/Screen+Shot+2020-10-16+at+12.57.08+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sample Ballot" border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="928" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVeiVRpAidCucWbXWzWmKU8_wAoOTjRaeM4sczkKsH32YAtnoOnfKP78tCGVfj_fs3gzJg-E-W6ZfMFwJUKkoI9T7sLqOIMuRuvleHO6DOqAGwk7rRp3wsd90BX3DAcBwdNK1W373CTw/w320-h193/Screen+Shot+2020-10-16+at+12.57.08+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div> <p></p><p>FYI - Be prepared and let everyone know, it has come to my attention that sample ballots will be mailed out to residences through out the State and Monmouth County starting on 10/23 whether you have already returned your vote-by-mail ballots or not.</p><p>People no doubt, will be confused as to why they are receiving a sample ballot even though they have voted already. People should be aware and let others know that they can ignore the sample ballot when it arrives, especially if they have already voted. </p><p>The sample ballot could be identical to the vote-by-mail ballot that everyone has already received .... it will not and does not replace the mail-in ballots that everyone already has or has sent back to the County.
</p><p>It should be noted that sample ballots did not go out to voters before the Primary elections earlier this year as normal. People need to know they can ignore them if they have already voted. If people haven't voted yet, they need to know not to mail or drop off the wrong voting form.</p><p><br /></p><p>****************************</p><p>UPDATE 10/20: There's no need to fear as previously warned. It appears that if voters receive anything in the mail over the next few days from the County Clerk, it will information on where to physically vote (polling locations in your town) and the locations of County Dropboxes. An actual sample ballot should not be mailed to residents as previously mentioned. --MM</p><p><br /></p>MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-15207809337435885922020-10-16T12:24:00.006-04:002020-10-20T18:50:33.898-04:00What's the Deal with Voting on Nov. 3rd?<p><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Wow, I can't </span></span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: georgia;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">believe I haven't posted since July 4th! A lot has been going on since then which I'll fill everyone in on at a later time. But for now, people have been asking me, what's the deal with voting on election day? So let me try and explain as best I can. Keep in mind, this information is Middletown specific but for the most part it is similar throughout Monmouth County and the State.</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJEeemVlvU_DG09Hux5QZwXnc8wR7ioPTJmrJcYBkcDwBQTdk2SULHBwrUBOEoX8De0Ui9jxcKRftldkQPw4TUqj_bPWTCX_Zx7fa9QVb-HDMIHt0PpnspVTGuhn4WevBrKTz6o1n-mU/s250/vote-smart-button.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="249" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJEeemVlvU_DG09Hux5QZwXnc8wR7ioPTJmrJcYBkcDwBQTdk2SULHBwrUBOEoX8De0Ui9jxcKRftldkQPw4TUqj_bPWTCX_Zx7fa9QVb-HDMIHt0PpnspVTGuhn4WevBrKTz6o1n-mU/s0/vote-smart-button.jpg" /></a></div>So h<span style="color: #050505; font-family: georgia;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">ere's the deal that everyone must know and understand ... the polling locations will be open on Nov. 3rd and there will be 10 locations available in Middletown where residents can vote. There are 46 voting districts in Middletown, so each of the polling locations will hold multiple districts within. It should be noted however, that if anyone goes to a polling location to vote in-person they will be asked to fill out a paper provincial ballot, which will be counted after all other ballots are counted.</span></span><p></p><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: georgia;">From what I understand there will be 1 voting machine per location (not district), which may or may not be the case. In order for someone to vote by machine, that person must be disabled and unable to psychically fill out a paper ballot. That person must also sign an affidavit claiming that they are in fact disabled. If it is found that they aren't disabled, they can be prosecuted for voter fraud.</span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Be aware that the mail-in ballots can be taken to the polling locations on Election day to be handed in. However, the person handing in their ballot will need to sign the "book" and show ID at that time. The ballot may then be treated as a provisional ballot and not be counted until all other votes are counted.</span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Locally, the best bet is to drop off ballots at a dropbox located at either Middletown Town Hall, Middletown's Croydon Hall, the Hazlet DMV location or any other location within Monmouth County. </span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: georgia;">If people prefer to mail their ballots via USPS the ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3rd and received no later than Nov.10th ... the sooner they are mailed the better. </span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is also an option to vote in person anytime at the Monmouth County Board of </span></span></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Elections (and Clerks office, I think).</span></div><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I hope that answers everyone's question.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">*****************************</span></div><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">UPDATE 10/20:</span></div><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is still a little confusion regarding mail-in ballots that are delivered to the polls on Election Day. Those ballots will NOT be treated as provisional ballots and counted after all other ballots. They will however be the last mail-in ballots counted before provisional ballots are counted. </span></span></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Before provisional ballots are counted the local Board of Elections must </span></span></span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: georgia;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">certify those that filled out provisional ballots on Election Day, did not also mail-in a ballot previously. Provisional ballots will be crosschecked with mail-in ballots to ensure that no one votes twice.... MM</span></span></div></div>MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-12127920161218578602020-07-04T09:36:00.003-04:002020-07-04T09:36:57.981-04:00Happy 244th Independence Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Wishing everyone a happy, safe and healthy 4th of July</div>
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<br />MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-22129391750955825622020-07-02T11:53:00.000-04:002020-07-02T11:53:15.132-04:00Successful Rally for Social Justice and Spread Love Not Hate In Middletown Last Sunday's "Rally for Social Justice and Spread Love Not Hate" in Middletown was very peaceful, respectful and to everyone's opinion successful.<br />
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As stated previously, the protest rally was organized by current students and recent alumni from Middletown Schools and took place with the full support of the Township Committee and the Middletown Police Department. Middletown's Chief of Police, CraigWeber was among the several speaker to address those gathered; his comments were well received by all.<br />
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The Middletown Patch posted afterwards, "<a href="https://patch.com/new-jersey/middletown-nj/nearly-400-attend-middletown-black-lives-matter-march?fbclid=IwAR0RDTZ0i8OoeEElxIHPfMtu4wsYaiuz_tZaLhVxYQDtrlZ8GnE_dtsEFok"><span style="color: red;">Police Chief, Students Speak At Middletown Social Justice March</span></a>" describing, pretty accurately the event that day. Full disclosure, I happen to be quoted in the article and approve of its content.<br />
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I also want to give a shoutout to those who organized this rally (I know and they know, who they are), they did a great job of keeping it peaceful and respectful for all who attended, which I estimate at 300-400 people,which you can tell by the pictures, not the 150 the Middletown Police estimated for the Patch.<br />
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Also of note as you can tell, everyone had a mask!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Middletown Police Chief Craig Weber</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdwGgKgfNPbzKuBpu47Bk1-PyCRNGhShkenFtAANOtbwaJtDa9fm1wZqqhhBG5xqqSfbvmAhJNGWIgMPMbkO5a6w_uWZc5zdrzz8cIEGRZMIx3iiq9QAHYfxhc0SeIq10UJ_UItfpYlc/s1600/106349480_10223013272504531_703910857728963651_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdwGgKgfNPbzKuBpu47Bk1-PyCRNGhShkenFtAANOtbwaJtDa9fm1wZqqhhBG5xqqSfbvmAhJNGWIgMPMbkO5a6w_uWZc5zdrzz8cIEGRZMIx3iiq9QAHYfxhc0SeIq10UJ_UItfpYlc/s320/106349480_10223013272504531_703910857728963651_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MHSN Valedictorian Jada Tulloch</td></tr>
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<br />MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-92214773305697053202020-06-20T01:40:00.000-04:002020-06-20T01:40:41.311-04:00Peaceful Middletown Solidarity Rally For Social Justice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I am amazed that something like this is actually happening here in Middletown. Middletown as we know, is a vastly white and generally conservative community that tends to forget that 6% of the community is minority based. As a results, there is a denial by many that think racism doesn't exist here ... but it does. I undersatnd that this rally has the support of Middletown Mayor Perry, Police Chief Weber and School Superintendent Dr. George as well as the Middletown Board of Education.</div>
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This "Peaceful Middletown Solidarity Rally For Social Justice", has been organized by a group of current students and recent alumni of the Middletown school system, some of which signed an "<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bGqOsw06ONe0AbHv5yP5wwxeDgRHPPIEtmd1LFyCvTE/viewform?edit_requested=true&scrlybrkr=32acbebb&fbclid=IwAR3Kkcp8JktWcJl2NgK6zxL591TbdTUp5yyAsYDwS6lNzNUbZdnbLnj-MKs"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Open Letter to Dr. George, the Board of Education, and the MTPSD Faculty</span></a>" requesting that Middletown schools diversify it's curriculum and "...delve more deeply into the struggles that marginalized groups have faced throughout American history..."</div>
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For those interested in joining the students, they will meet at the Middletown High School North parking lot at 3pm. They will walk down Tindall Rd to Park Ave to East Rd to Schwartzel Dr and back to High School North, at which point there will be a number of guest speakers.</div>
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I would suggest if you plan on attending, bring a chair and a couple bottles of water. You'll probably be glad you did.</div>
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<br />MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-37765448582748813672020-04-19T11:36:00.000-04:002020-04-19T11:36:55.414-04:00Denver's 'double-humped' Curve in 1918<br />
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Why can't alleged intelligent people understand this?</div>
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MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-25067108743505708892020-04-06T22:38:00.000-04:002020-04-06T22:38:20.073-04:00British Writer Pens The Best Description Of Trump I’ve Read<a href="https://thehobbledehoy.com/author/2016franceblog/"><i><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-small;">MARCH 8, 2019 ~ MICHAEL STEVENSON </span></i></a><br />
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<b>Someone on Quora asked “Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?” Nate White, an articulate and witty writer from England wrote the following response: </b><br />
<b>A few things spring to mind.</b><br />
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Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem.<br />
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For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace – all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed.<br />
So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.<br />
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Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever.<br />
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I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility – for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWuGJ8A0wJOpHLIjxYPRk4pyS9FLSjEnd2fV-hlF7uQ9_j_d3f8oQTdoH0AIaZNKVZ6D8Ke0S2ee5beIw-B06Oxs-SB-AD9OqToezqRq1DgF78QISVAkhuhaLb-a2k3SSMDwhCIpLQ1Q/s1600/DTBoxing.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="768" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWuGJ8A0wJOpHLIjxYPRk4pyS9FLSjEnd2fV-hlF7uQ9_j_d3f8oQTdoH0AIaZNKVZ6D8Ke0S2ee5beIw-B06Oxs-SB-AD9OqToezqRq1DgF78QISVAkhuhaLb-a2k3SSMDwhCIpLQ1Q/s320/DTBoxing.PNG" width="320" /></a>But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.<br />
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Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers.<br />
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And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults – he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness.<br />
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There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface.<br />
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Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront. Well, we don’t. We see it as having no inner world, no soul.<br />
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And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist. Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that. He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat.<br />
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He’s more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.<br />
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And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully. That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead.<br />
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There are unspoken rules to this stuff – the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquess_of_Queensberry_Rules"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Queensberry rules of basic decency</span></a> – and he breaks them all. He punches downwards – which a gentleman should, would, could never do – and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless – and he kicks them when they are down.<br />
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So the fact that a significant minority – perhaps a third – of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think ‘Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy’ is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that:<br />
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• Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and mostly are.<br />
• You don’t need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man.<br />
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This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss.<br />
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After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum. God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid.<br />
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He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart.<br />
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In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws – he would make a Trump.<br />
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And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish:<br />
‘My God… what… have… I… created?<br />
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If being a twat was a TV show, Trump would be the boxed set.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>hat tip - Carolyn Schwebel</i></span>MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-28089905267042491782020-03-26T18:14:00.002-04:002020-03-26T18:14:09.009-04:00Middletown Health Department Reports Total Of 51 COVID-19 Cases<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For more information visit: <span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.middletownnj.org/coronavirus"><span style="color: #cc0000;">www.middletownnj.org/coronavirus</span></a> </span>MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-38923483288172069992020-03-23T14:04:00.001-04:002020-03-23T14:04:41.176-04:00March 16, 2020 Middletown Township Committee Meeting: The CoronaVirus Edition<br />
Last weeks meeting of the Middletown Township Committee meeting could be characterized as the 'Coronavirus" edition. The meeting lasted just over 17 minutes while Committee members, as well as the paid professionals took seats well spaced from each other, due to the potential contamination from the virus. <br />
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Here are the highlights:<br />
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Proclamations were read into the record due to no recipients to receive them. <br />
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An ordinance was adopted that allows the Township to exceed the municipal budget appropriation limits, if needed. Another ordinance was introduced to purchase property on the east side of Hubbard Ave., by Shadow Lake. There will be a public hearing and a vote to approve this purchase on April 6.<br />
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Resolutions were adopted to extend contracts for tree trimming, plumbing and electrician services with the current contractors. Other resolutions were adopted to permit the CFO to pay bills if public meetings are cancelled, to reaffirm the townships' opposition to the Northeast gas pipeline that is proposed to run in the Raritan Bay and another to apply for a grant to help the township become more energy sustainable. <br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BKX4Brp2c44" width="560"></iframe><br />
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As always you can download a copy of the<a href="https://ia801509.us.archive.org/13/items/31620tcagenda/3-16-20%20TC%20Agenda.pdf"> <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Meeting Agenda</span></b></a> that contains the discussion items and the proposed resolutions and ordinances that were voted on or presented during the meeting. A box around an item is a link, bringing you further into the document to that resolution or ordinance. At the end of the resolution there will be a link bringing you back to the agenda. Attached to this agenda is also the monthly bill list, so that everyone can see how the Township is spending our tax dollars.<br />
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<br />MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-70174173999413262452020-03-18T21:09:00.003-04:002020-03-18T21:09:42.042-04:00Middletown Health Department Receives Confirmation of COVID-19 Case at Tomaso Towers<a href="https://www.middletownnj.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=615&fbclid=IwAR1b-PrKl2w47JRpU_jSstQcrqCgdeJaHtgtyHh5JwYc-KB3X-P6TEqjcOk"><span style="color: #cc0000;">For Immediate Release</span></a><br />
March 18, 2020<br />
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MIDDLETOWN, NJ – The Middletown Township Department and Health and Social Services received confirmation that a resident of Tomaso Towers has tested positive for COVID-19, the novel coronavirus. The resident is currently hospitalized. Any and all close contacts have been contacted directly by the Health Department.<br />
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There are currently three confirmed cases in Middletown. They will be continually monitored by local health officials and positive cases will be shared with the public. Information will be released as it becomes available, however this will be limited by privacy laws. Direct contact persons, organizations and place of work will be notified by health officials as they receive information from the patient.<br />
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On March 16th, Mayor Tony Perry and Emergency Management Coordinator Charles Rogers, III signed a local declaration of disaster emergency. This declaration was enacted to protect the health and safety of our community. Click HERE to read the emergency declaration. Access to all municipal facilities has also been restricted through Tuesday, March 31st.<br />
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We continue to stress the importance of social distancing in an effort to flatten the curve of this public health crisis. We also ask that you monitor yourself and family members for signs and symptoms of this virus, including fever, cough, shortness of breath or other respiratory illness. If you experience any of these, please contact your medical provider by phone before walking into their office.<br />
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If you have general questions about COVID-19, please call the public hotline at 1-800-962-1253 or 1-800-222-1222. Trained professionals are standing by to answer your call 24/7 or visit <a href="http://nj.gov/health">nj.gov/health</a>. Please note that the hotline is not to locate testing, to get test results or for medical advice. If you have further questions, call the Health Department at 732-615-2095, email <a href="mailto:covid19@middletownnj.org">covid19@middletownnj.org</a> or visit <a href="http://www.middletownnj.org/coronavirus">www.middletownnj.org/coronavirus</a>. <br />
<br />MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-44532888449913983192020-03-15T10:21:00.000-04:002020-03-15T10:21:22.171-04:00Pallone Applauds House Passage of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act<br />
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<i>Pallone Helped Author New Legislation that Guarantees Free Coronavirus Testing for All Americans, Paid Sick Leave, Protections for Health Care Workers and Provides Important Benefits to Children and Families</i></div>
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Washington, DC – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) released the following statement after the House of Representatives voted in favor of passing H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Pallone is an original co-sponsor of the bill and helped draft key provisions, including a guarantee that all Americans have access to coronavirus testing free of charge, and an increase in the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) that the federal government provides to state and territorial Medicaid programs:<br />
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“This week, we continued our ongoing work to respond to the coronavirus global pandemic, which has now claimed the lives of more than 40 Americans. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act recognizes the urgency of the moment and prioritizes America’s families by providing critical support to assist those affected by the outbreak.<br />
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“I am proud to have helped write this legislation, which ensures that coronavirus testing will be free of charge for all Americans, establishes paid sick leave for those who have to take time off from their jobs, strengthens food assistance for vulnerable Americans and enhances unemployment assistance for Americans who may be laid off or furloughed. It also increases the FMAP for state and territorial Medicaid programs, which will be critical as we prepare for the ongoing economic consequences of the pandemic.<br />
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“This national public health emergency requires a coordinated, whole-of-government response to help slow the virus’ spread and keep Americans safe. This package will help us rise to meet the challenge before us. I stand ready to continue to work across the aisle and with the Administration to respond to this global pandemic and help keep Americans safe.” <br />
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The Families First Coronavirus Response Act builds on the $8.3 billion emergency coronavirus spending package that was passed and signed into law last week. That package included support for state and local health agencies, vaccine and treatment development, and loans for affected small businesses to lessen the economic blow of this public health emergency. The State of New Jersey is directly receiving at least $15.6 million from that funding package. <br />
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A summary of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act is available <a href="https://appropriations.house.gov/sites/democrats.appropriations.house.gov/files/Families%20First%20Summary%20FINAL.pdf"><span style="color: red;"><b>here</b></span></a>.<br />
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Bill text is available <a href="https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20200309/BILLS-116hr6201-SUS.pdf"><b><span style="color: red;">here</span></b></a>.<br />
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<br />MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-19405880157758580382020-03-14T14:32:00.000-04:002020-03-14T14:32:01.898-04:00Why Not Live Stream Meetings?<br />
With Middletown closing it's doors to residents, wouldn't be great if they opened their virtual door and allowed resident to view a live stream of Middletown Township Committee meetings?<br />
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MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-67481518133257798132020-02-29T00:21:00.000-05:002020-02-29T00:21:10.600-05:00February 3 & 18, 2020 Middletown Township Committee Meetings<br />
February 3, 2020 Middletown Township Committee Meeting<br />
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The Township Committee voted to make Sunnyside Road a through street and lowered the speed limit on the road to 25 MPH in two separate ordinances.<br /> <br />A new ordinance was introduced to increase the number of Deputy Police Chiefs to three and Members of the Committee congratulated the Mayor on his reception of the Spinnaker Award. </blockquote>
As always you can download a copy of the <b><span style="color: red;"><a href="https://ia801503.us.archive.org/24/items/2320tcagenda/2-3-20%20TC%20Agenda.pdf"><span style="color: red;">Meeting Agenda</span></a> </span></b>that contains the discussion items and the proposed resolutions and ordinances that were voted on or presented during the meeting. A box around an item is a link, bringing you further into the document to that resolution or ordinance. At the end of the resolution there will be a link bringing you back to the agenda. Attached to this agenda is also the monthly bill list, so that everyone can see how the Township is spending our tax dollars.<br />
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February 18, 2020 Middletown Township Committee Meeting<br />
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The meeting began with an above capacity crowd. The room was filled, with the aisles packed and out into the lobby. It was an evening to celebrate the right for women to vote with the passing of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution on August 18, 1920. Women, who have been elected to office, attended as did five young ladies from Nut Swamp School.</blockquote>
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If this was not enough, the Township Committee adopted an ordinance increasing the number of Deputy Chief of Police positions from one to three. Two new Police Chiefs were sworn into the new positions. Three other officers were sworn in as Sergeants and two other officers sworn in as Lieutenants. One of the Lieutenants just happened to be a women, the first women Lieutenant in Township history. Overall, it was an amazing night for women.<br /> <br />After all of the ceremonies were over, the Court Room cleared and the Committee continued with the business of the Township.<br /> <br />An ordinance was adopted that would restrict parking at Normandy Park. A parent spoke regarding his son parking there during school hours. The family lives in the HS North area, but decided that their son would go to HS South. To avoid paying for busing, they allowed their son to drive to school. Normandy Park is the closest place for the son to park because he is not a senior and only seniors are allowed to park on HS property. The Township Committee recommended that the father bring his concerns to the Board of Education. The Committee explained that the parking lot at Normandy Park is for park use only, according to Green Acres rules and the Township recently received Green Acres funding to upgrade the fields in the park.</blockquote>
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Another ordinance was introduced to sell a small, unused lot to a developer who owns adjoining property. A different ordinance was introduced to regulate the amount of leaves and brush a homeowner can place at the curb for collection. The ordinance will limit the amount of debris placed at the curb to 4 cubic yards, or the size of a pickup truck bed filled to the top of the cab. A public hearing and a vote for adoption will be held at the March 2 Township Committee meeting.</blockquote>
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As always you can download copy of the <a href="https://ia801509.us.archive.org/6/items/21820tcagenda/2-18-20%20TC%20Agenda.pdf"><span style="color: red;">Meeting Agenda</span></a> that contains the discussion items and the proposed resolutions and ordinances that were voted on or presented during the meeting. A box around an item is a link, bringing you further into the document to that resolution or ordinance. At the end of the resolution there will be a link bringing you back to the agenda. Attached to this agenda is also the monthly bill list, so that everyone can see how the Township is spending our tax dollars.<br />
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<br />MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-24705745562397385162020-01-08T18:26:00.000-05:002020-01-08T18:26:05.231-05:00Pallone Announces CLEAN Future Act, a Bold New Plan to Achieve a 100 Percent Clean Economy by 2050<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">January 8, 2020</span><br />
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<i>The Plan Details Deep Decarbonization Strategies for Each Sector of the U.S. Economy within the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Jurisdiction and Novel Concepts for Achieving Nationwide Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Pollution</i><br />
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Washington, DC – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today released the legislative framework of the draft Climate Leadership and Environmental Action for our Nation’s (CLEAN) Future Act – an ambitious new climate plan to ensure the United States achieves net-zero greenhouse gas pollution no later than 2050. Pallone made the announcement with other Members of the Energy and Commerce Committee, which he chairs, and spoke about the plan at a press conference today on Capitol Hill. Video of his remarks are available <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWhbd1Yt3g8"><span style="color: #cc0000;">here</span></a>.<br />
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The CLEAN Future Act is a comprehensive proposal of sector-specific and economy-wide solutions to address the climate crisis. Critically, the CLEAN Future Act formally adopts the goal of achieving of a 100 percent clean economy by 2050. According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, avoiding the most catastrophic outcomes of climate change requires cutting carbon pollution to net-zero by 2050. The draft bill incorporates both proven and novel concepts, presenting a set of policy proposals that will put the U.S. on the path to a clean and prosperous economy.<br />
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“Record wildfires, flooding, heat waves and drought have spelled out a dire reality: the climate crisis is here, and we can no longer afford to address this crisis along the margins. Today we are providing the kind of serious federal leadership this moment requires,” said Congressman Pallone. “This plan represents our commitment to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas pollution. For the sake of the American people, the long-term sustainability of our economy, and public health, we must act boldly, and that is exactly what we intend to do.”<br />
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The framework is the result of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s ongoing work to seriously and meaningfully tackle the climate crisis. The Committee held 15 hearings addressing the climate crisis, including seven focused on how best to facilitate deep decarbonization of various sectors of our economy. Legislative text of the draft CLEAN Future Act will be released by the end of the month. Hearings and stakeholder meetings will continue throughout the year.<br />
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The Committee’s framework details the legislation’s proposals to date, which include taking ambitious new policies within the Committee’s jurisdiction, all aimed at reducing U.S. greenhouse gas pollution to net-zero by 2050. The draft legislation includes the following key areas:<br />
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<b>Power Sector</b>: The CLEAN Future Act proposes a nationwide CES requiring all retail electricity suppliers to obtain 100 percent clean energy by 2050. The CES in the discussion draft text mandates that all retail electricity suppliers provide an increasing supply of clean energy to consumers starting in 2022, rising to 100 percent clean energy by 2050. The draft legislation stipulates that suppliers must possess a sufficient quantity of “clean energy credits” at the end of each year, or may otherwise make an “alternative compliance payment.” Suppliers may buy and trade clean energy credits from one another or purchase them via auction. The mandate is technology-neutral, allowing electricity suppliers ample flexibility and freedom of choice.<br />
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<b>Building Sector</b>: The draft legislation aims to improve the efficiency of new and existing buildings, as well as the equipment and appliances that operate within them. The Act establishes national energy savings targets for continued improvement of model building energy codes, leading to a requirement of zero-energy-ready buildings by 2030. This section further provides assistance for states and Tribes to support adoption of updated model building energy codes and support full compliance. The CLEAN Future Act also incorporates several additional measures to reduce building emissions.<br />
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<b>Transportation Sector</b>: The draft legislation reduces transportation emissions, the largest source of GHG emissions, by improving vehicle efficiency, accelerating the transition to low- to zero-carbon fuels and building the infrastructure needed for a clean transportation system. The bill directs EPA to set new, increasingly stringent greenhouse gas emission standards for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles, including non-road modes of transportation. It further requires year-over-year improvements to those standards – and that the level of the standards be set in accordance with the path to net-zero emissions by 2050. <br />
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<b>Industrial Secto</b>r: The CLEAN Future Act establishes a Buy Clean Program that sets performance targets to steadily reduce emissions from construction materials and products used in projects that receive federal funding. With the vast majority of U.S. construction projects funded by government dollars, this proposal would transform these carbon-intensive industries by ensuring that these projects only use the cleanest construction materials. The program also strengthens the competitiveness of the U.S. manufacturing sector while reducing climate pollution by promoting the use of low-carbon materials and expanding the market for cleaner products.<br />
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<b>National Climate Target for Federal Agencies</b>: The CLEAN Future Act directs all federal agencies to use all existing authorities to put the country on a path toward net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It does not stipulate which energy sources or strategies qualify, instead taking a technology-inclusive approach to reaching net-zero emissions by mid-century. To ensure federal agencies’ collective efforts remain on track, the draft legislation directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate each agency’s plans, make recommendations and report on progress each year.<br />
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<b>State Climate Plans</b>: The CLEAN Future Act empowers the states to complete the transition to a net-zero economy, based on the existing federalism model in the Clean Air Act. The bill sets a national climate standard of net-zero greenhouse gas pollution in each state by 2050. States are then granted flexibility to develop plans to meet the 2050 and interim standards based on their policy preferences, priorities and circumstances. Each state must submit a climate plan to EPA, which then reviews and approves or disapproves each plan. States may work independently or cooperatively as they develop their plans to meet the national climate standard. To ensure that states have ample guidance and expertise at their disposal, the bill directs EPA to develop a set of model greenhouse gas control strategies, which states can choose to incorporate into their plans.<br />
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<b>National Climate Bank</b>: The CLEAN Future Act establishes a first-of-its-kind National Climate Bank to help states, cities, communities and companies in the transition to a clean economy. The Bank will mobilize public and private investments to provide financing for low- and zero-emissions energy technologies, climate resiliency, building efficiency and electrification, industrial decarbonization, grid modernization, agriculture projects, and clean transportation. The CLEAN Future Act requires that the Bank prioritize investments in communities that are disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change, including frontline, rural, low-income and environmental justice communities.<br />
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<b>Environmental Justice</b>: The draft legislation requires that states’ individual climate plans, and state implementation plans for other hazardous air pollutants proactively consider the needs of frontline and environmental justice communities. The draft also includes grant programs to allow impacted communities to participate in the permitting and regulation of petrochemical facilities in their neighborhoods. It further protects these groups by implementing strong new coal ash disposal requirements and repealing oil and gas production exemptions from landmark environmental laws.<br />
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The CLEAN Future Act also features a suite of complementary policies, including proposals to remove barriers to clean energy, reduce super pollutants like methane, and investments in grid modernization and energy efficiency programs.<br />
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The Energy and Commerce Committee is requesting feedback and recommendations from all stakeholders as it continues to expand and refine the CLEAN Future Act. To that end, hearings and stakeholder meetings will continue throughout the coming year. Potential 2020 hearing topics include adaptation and climate resilience, workforce and community transition, recycling and waste management, and international cooperation. Feedback can be submitted to <a href="mailto:CleanFuture@mail.house.gov"><span style="color: #cc0000;">CleanFuture@mail.house.gov</span></a>.<br />
<br />MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-30916739901383241942020-01-04T22:00:00.001-05:002020-01-04T22:00:45.265-05:00Trump ImpeachMints Mints<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQMV0QKK_6OexQ_kZhwF2KsYzId2dXEcUKl_3pJMrbfF6D8mS5a5XLCSXDaAF_jVsw2F66iUeva-w92U5JSUdmmR66s018Oby40zMESl1zQceIwVrVxh1-B6KsL_zOWyhNIHoUyvWdZM/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="757" data-original-width="783" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQMV0QKK_6OexQ_kZhwF2KsYzId2dXEcUKl_3pJMrbfF6D8mS5a5XLCSXDaAF_jVsw2F66iUeva-w92U5JSUdmmR66s018Oby40zMESl1zQceIwVrVxh1-B6KsL_zOWyhNIHoUyvWdZM/s320/Capture.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Available now at <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074WFXGKZ?tag=youwonnowwhat&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Amazon.com</span></b></a> only $4.95<br />
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<br />MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-76897858003596541792020-01-04T05:42:00.003-05:002020-01-04T05:42:40.298-05:005 Funny Cartoons About Trump and The New Year<br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IXoG57-R-w8" width="560"></iframe>MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6056623500729895802.post-85028440374048267032020-01-04T05:24:00.000-05:002020-01-04T05:24:30.123-05:00NJ Replaces Funds Planned Parenthood Lost over Federal Abortion EdictFrom <a href="https://www.njspotlight.com/"><span style="color: #cc0000;">NJSpotlight</span></a><br />
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Gov. Phil Murphy on Thursday signed a law that, for now at least, inoculates women’s health clinics run by Planned Parenthood and other agencies against the loss of nearly $10 million under an anti-abortion edict issued by the Trump administration.<br />
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Last August, Planned Parenthood, which runs 22 clinics in New Jersey, opted to forgo millions in federal funding over the administration’s so-called gag rule, which forbids agencies that take money under the Title X program from advising clients about abortion.<br />
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The bill — approved by the Democratic majorities in both houses in late 2019, over the objection of anti-abortion advocates — allocates state money to restore the $9.5 million that had been forfeited.<br />
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<a href="https://www.njspotlight.com/2020/01/nj-replaces-funds-planned-parenthood-lost-over-federal-abortion-edict/?link_id=3&can_id=b62e085c4b81ed94ce1d99d38b2507dd&source=email-friday-facts-and-figures-new-year-new-laws-new-minimum-wage&email_referrer=email_692753&email_subject=friday-facts-and-figures-new-year-new-laws-new-minimum-wage"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Continue Reading</span></a>MiddletownMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946279860423730921noreply@blogger.com0