Letter: What It Will Take "To Get My Vote"

The expressed opinions or views of this letter does not necessarily represent the opinion of the MiddletownMike blog :


The races for State offices this year are going to be exciting and I can’t wait for the truths, half-truths, or no truths be told. Who knows how one will vote this year. The water is very rough. One side remains angry. The other side who hung too close to Christie’s coat tail is very vulnerable.

To get my vote:

Reform Property Tax: Remove school tax from property tax. Flawed formula to think, as one ages, one’s income will keep pace as property tax increases. Make the tax responsibility shared among all residents, not just the property owner. Base school tax on earned income to increase the pool by adding those that earn income but do not own property. Dedicate a sales tax to catch income that is not documented or reported and only is exposed when goods/services are bought. Then, level the playing field. Eliminate Abbott Districts. Make all Districts compete for funding based on need. Hold Districts accountable for how effectively the funds are used before evaluating the needs for the upcoming year.

Address Illegal immigration: Must establish path to citizenship for those like Carlos Larios. BUT, on the flipside, must change the law where a baby born in the US must have at least one US citizen parent to become an immediate US citizen. With this leverage removed and the line drawn, illegal immigration must be enforced. Sanctuary cities must obey the established law and Businesses that employ illegal immigrants, after the line is drawn, should be heavily fined; perhaps certification not renewed.

Support Monmouth Park Sports Betting: Fools and more fools to think one will travel only to two places that happen to be at the opposite ends of the State to place a bet when one easily crosses to PA and NY race tracks to make a bet. The risk of economic impact, and loss of jobs and tax revenue is too great. Don’t let Monmouth Park be another Ft Monmouth.

Repatriate foreign profit tied to US investment and job creation: American companies have more than a trillion dollars in profits made overseas after foreign taxes have been paid but won’t bring the profit back to the US because the 35% US tax would apply. Why build a facility in the U.S. when it can be built in Ireland at 17% tax rate. We must bring these businesses back to the U.S. and change the tax rate to a flat rate or a sliding scale based on the amount invested and the total number of jobs created. Companies are spending profit but not in the U.S or NJ. Advocate for change and then promote “Why not NJ” to capture the business.

My vote will only be gained by solutions not flowery talk.

Patrick Short
(Former - Middletown Township Committeeman)

Pallone Unveils Comprehensive Infrastructure Package

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 11, 2017

LIFT America Act Invests in Infrastructure, Creates Jobs

& Protects Public Health and the Environment

Washington, D.C. – Today in Carteret, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) unveiled legislation to invest in America’s infrastructure, create jobs and modernize our economy for the 21st century. Congressman Pallone’s bill provides for funding for a comprehensive 21st Century infrastructure package including key areas such as broadband, drinking water, healthcare, the electric grid, brownfield redevelopment and renewable energy. The Leading Infrastructure For Tomorrow’s America Act, or LIFT America Act, sets out five years of funding for essential infrastructure improvements, job growth, and greater protections for public health and the environment. Carteret Mayor Daniel Reiman, Kevin Duncan, Chair of the Middlesex County Building and Construction Trades Council and Doug O'Malley, Director of Environment New Jersey joined Congressman Pallone at the event.

“At a time when our nation’s infrastructure is either crumbling or in desperate need of modernization, it’s time we make real and significant investments for the future,” said Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06). “The LIFT America Act is a blueprint for critical investments in our nation’s infrastructure that will also create jobs, protect public health, and the environment. I look forward to working with all of my colleagues to advance these key investments in American infrastructure.”

The LIFT America Act includes investments in several key areas including:

· $22.56 billion for drinking water infrastructure to protect public health and create jobs, including increased investment in drinking water State Revolving Funds and additional funding to replace lead service lines, address lead in school drinking water, and prepare for the impacts of climate change;
· $2.25 billion for Brownfields redevelopment to revitalize communities and create jobs by returning valuable land to productive use;
· Over $17 billion for energy infrastructure, including $4 billion for modern, secure, efficient, and resilient electric grid infrastructure, $9 billion for resilient and renewable energy supply including methane pipeline replacement, and more than $4 billion for energy efficiency efforts and smart communities;
· More than $3 billion for healthcare infrastructure, to re vive the successful Hill-Burton hospital infrastructure program, fund medical facility infrastructure in Indian Country, support state labs fighting Zika and other infectious diseases, and support community based health care infrastructure; and
· $40 billion for the deployment of secure and resilient broadband, to expand access for communities nationwide while protecting privacy and promoting security by design;

“Investing in our nation’s infrastructure makes sense for everyone. It will provide good jobs for the skilled men and women of the unions I am proud to represent. It will improve our local economies, and keep our nation competitive in an ever globalizing economy,” said President Bill Mullen of the NJ Building & Construction Trades Council. “We need to rebuild New Jersey’s bridges and roads, but there are also opportunities to build hospitals, improve our energy grid, and turn unused contaminated sites into vibrant parts of our communities. The LIFT America Act is a chance for our elected officials in Washington to come together and put Americans to work.”

“Fixing and expanding our infrastructure should be a no-brainer for Congress," said Doug O'Malley, director of Environment New Jersey. “From fixing lead pipes to strengthening our electric grid to weatherizing our schools, Rep. Pallone's LIFT Act provides a vision forward for how to strengthen our communities, our environment and economy. This should be a bipartisan push and we urge the full delegation to support this."

The LIFT America Act will invest in programs with proven records of job creation, including the drinking water State Revolving Fund and the Brownfields Redevelopment program. The legislation requires the use of American made iron and steel for drinking water projects and hospital construction and requires the payment of prevailing wages. The bill will also spur new high-paying technology jobs by supporting deployment of smart buildings, smart grid, and Smart Communities technology. The LIFT America Act also provides much-needed funding to repair and replace aging infrastructure that will have significant public health benefits, especially for children. The bill includes funding to get lead out of school drinking water, replace polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-laden lighting fixtures with safer and more energy efficient alternatives in schools, and reduce diesel emissions from school buses.

President Obama's Weekly Address 1/9/16: America Can Do Anything

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week's address, the President remarked on the incredible progress that has been made in the American auto industry. Just seven years ago, the industry was on the brink of collapse, with plants closing and hundreds of thousands of workers getting laid off. The President made a decision in his first couple of months in office to place his bet on American workers and American manufacturing, implementing a strategy to bring the American auto industry back. Since then, Detroit-area unemployment has been cut by more than half, and automakers have added more than 640,000 new jobs. On January 20, the President will visit the Detroit Auto Show to see this progress firsthand. Because the story of the auto industry is an apt illustration of all that America has accomplished in the past seven years, and all that it can do.

President Obama's Weekly Address 10/3/15: Congress Should Do its Job and Pass a Serious Budget

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week's address, the President emphasized that we need to do everything we can to strengthen economic growth and job creation. This week, despite the fact that more than half of Republicans in Congress voted to shut down the government for the second time in two years, Congress managed to pass a last-minute bill to keep the government open for another ten weeks. That means that in December, we could face yet another Republican threat to shut down the government. The President emphasized that Congress needs to stop kicking the can down the road and do its job. He stressed that Republicans and Democrats need to work together to pass a budget that fully funds the government and reverses the harmful sequestration cuts, and vowed that he would not sign another shortsighted spending bill like the one Congress sent him this past week.

President Obama's Weekly Address 2/7/15: Everyone Who Works Hard Should Get Ahead

President Obama highlights the progress our economy has made, with more than 3.1 million jobs created in 2014 – the best year for job growth since the late 1990s. America has come a long way, and with the right policies focused on middle-class economics, we can continue to grow our economy into one where those who work hard can get ahead.

President Obama's Weekly Address 12/6/14: Ensuring Americans Feel the Gains of a Growing Economy

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week’s address, the President highlighted the good news in Friday’s jobs report – that American businesses added 314,000 new jobs this past month, making November the tenth month in a row that the private sector has added at least 200,000 new jobs. Even with a full month to go, 2014 has already been the best year of job creation since the 1990s. This number brings total private-sector job creation to 10.9 million over 57 consecutive months – the longest streak on record. But even with this real, tangible evidence of our progress, there is always more that can be done. Congress needs to pass a budget and keep the government from a Christmas shutdown. We have an opportunity to work together to support the continued growth of higher-paying jobs by investing in infrastructure, reforming the business tax code, expanding markets for America’s goods and services, making common sense reforms to the immigration system, and increasing the minimum wage.

President Obama's Weekly Address 11/1/14: It’s Time to Help Women and Working Families

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week’s address, the President highlighted the progress our economy is making, and the commonsense policies that could make it even stronger by ensuring that everyone who works hard has the opportunity to get ahead, especially women and working families. This commitment has been a core part of the President’s Year of Action and a priority since the start of his administration, which is why he has put forth a range of policies that would help women and working families get ahead, from raising the minimum wage, to ensuring equal pay for equal work, to increasing access to high-quality child care and paid family leave. This week’s address follows remarks the President delivered on Friday at Rhode Island College, where he discussed the importance of harnessing our economy’s momentum by making policy choices that will help women and all working parents fully participate in and contribute to our economy.

President Obama's Weekly Address 9/6/14: Time to Give the Middle Class a Chance

WASHINGTON, DC —In this week’s address, the Vice President discusses our continued economic recovery, with 10 million private sector jobs created over the past 54 months. Yet even with this good news, too many Americans are still not seeing the effects of our recovery. As the Vice President explains, there’s more that can be done to continue to bolster our economy and ensure that middle class families benefit from the growth they helped create, including closing tax loopholes, expanding education opportunities, and raising the minimum wage.

President Obama's Weekly Address 8/2/14: It's Time for Congress to Help the Middle Class

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week’s address, the President discussed the new monthly jobs report and the fact that our economy created over 200,000 new jobs in July for the sixth straight month – the longest streak since 1997. To ensure this momentum can be sustained, the President is pressing Congress to act to create jobs and expand opportunity from raising the minimum wage, to helping people pay back their student loans, to fair pay and paid leave. These are steps that would continue to make things better for the middle class, which has always been his priority. But Republicans in Congress have repeatedly blocked these important measures. As Congress is about to go on vacation, the President encouraged Americans to reach out to their elected officials and let them know that they must pass these measures when Congress returns to session. And in their absence, the President will continue to do everything he can, working with all stakeholders who are willing, to create jobs, strengthen our economy and expand opportunity for all Americans.

President Obama's Weekly Address 5/17/14: Working When Congress Won't Act .

WASHINGTON, DC – In this week’s address, the President discussed actions to expand opportunity for more Americans, with or without the help of Republicans in Congress, including his Administration’s efforts to cut red tape for major transportation infrastructure projects. In the coming days, the President will meet with business leaders to highlight the importance of bringing jobs back to America and will also discuss the economic benefits of making it easier for tourists to visit and spend money at attractions in the U.S., which in turn helps local businesses and grows the economy for everyone. The President has called 2014 a year of action, and he will continue to do whatever he can to continue to strengthen our economy, create jobs and restore opportunity for all.

President Obama's Weekly Address 4/5/14: The President’s Budget Ensures Opportunity for All Hard-Working Americans

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week’s address, the President highlighted the important differences between the budget he’s put forward – built on opportunity for all – and the budget House Republicans are advocating for, which stacks the deck against the middle class. While the President is focused on building lasting economic security and ensuring that hard-working Americans have the opportunity to get ahead, Republicans are advancing the same old top-down approach of cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans and slashing important investments in education, infrastructure, and research and development.

President Obama's Weekly Address 2/1/14: Restoring Opportunity for All

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, the President discussed the goals he laid out in the State of the Union address to expand opportunity for all so that every American can get ahead and have a shot at creating a better life for their kids.

President Obama's Weekly Address 1/18/14 : Making 2014 a Year of Action to Expand Opportunities for the Middle Class

WASHINGTON, DC—In this week’s address, President Obama said 2014 will be a year of action, and called on both parties to help make this a breakthrough year for the United States by bringing back more good jobs and expanding opportunities for the middle class.

President Obama's Weekly Address 1/11/14 : Ensuring 2014 is a Year of Action to Grow the Economy

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, President Obama called 2014 a year of action, which should start with Congress quickly passing emergency unemployment insurance for the 1.3 million Americans who lost this vital lifeline as they fight to find jobs and make ends meet.

President Obama's Weekly Address 1/4/14 : Time to Pass Bipartisan Legislation to Extend Emergency Unemployment Insurance

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, President Obama said Congress should act to extend emergency unemployment insurance for more than one million Americans who have lost this vital economic lifeline while looking for a job. Letting emergency unemployment insurance expire not only harms American families, but it is also a drag on the overall economy. The President urges both parties to pass the bipartisan three-month extension under consideration in the Senate so that we can once again focus on expanding opportunities for the middle class and creating jobs for all hardworking Americans.

President Obama's Weekly Address 12/21/13: Working Together on Behalf of the American People

WASHINGTON, DC— In his weekly address, President Obama highlighted the bipartisan budget agreement that unwinds some of the cuts that were damaging to the economy and keeps investments in areas that help us grow, and urged both parties to work together to extend emergency unemployment insurance and act on new measures to create jobs and strengthen the middle class.

President Obama's Weekly Address 11/23/13: Working with Both Parties to Keep the Economy Moving Forward

WASHINGTON, DC— In his weekly address, President Obama said our economy is moving in the right direction. We have cut our deficits by more than half, businesses have created millions of new jobs, and we have taken significant steps to reverse our addiction to foreign oil and fix our broken health care system.

There's No Debating The Obvious

by Josh Levitt
Buono for Governor



At tonight's debate, Governor Christie will attempt to do the impossible: defend his failed economic record. No matter how Governor Christie tries to duck and dodge away from his record, he cannot hide from the facts. It's clear that Governor Christie's ineffective trickle-down economic policies have decimated New Jersey's economy, leaving the middle class and working poor without quality opportunities and struggling to make ends meet.

The economic figures paint the sorry picture of New Jersey's economy under Chris Christie. Over the past four years, New Jersey has one of the worst rates of job creation of any state in the country. With 400,000 residents out of work, New Jersey's unemployment rate currently sits more than a point above the national average and is one of the highest in the region. In the past two months alone, New Jersey lost a staggering 12,000 jobs.

Instead of building an economy that works for all New Jerseyans, this Governor has prioritized millionaires and big corporations over workers and families. Governor Christie has staunchly protected millionaires from paying their fair share, all while raising taxes on low-income New Jerseyans by slashing the Earned Income Tax Credit and vetoing an increase of the minimum wage. It's no surprise that the poverty rate in New Jersey recently reached a 52-year high.

To top it off, New Jerseyans have been crushed by skyrocketing property tax rates during Christie's time in office. On average, property tax rates have increased by 20 percent over the past four years as Governor Christie has cut essential relief programs and diverted revenue away from municipalities.

With a record like that, there is no debating the obvious: Governor Christie's economic policies have failed New Jersey.

What Governor Christie Will Not Talk About Today

Governor Christie is spending four hours this morning talking sports, avoiding any and all talk of his abysmal economic record. Here is what Governor Christie will not be talking about: 400,000 New Jerseyans are currently out of work. In July alone, New Jersey lost nearly 12,000 jobs. New Jersey has the highest unemployment rate in the region -- at 8.6% -- which is more than a point higher than the national average, 7.4%.  New Jersey has recovered only half of the jobs it lost during the Great Recession. Under Governor Christie, New Jersey ranks 45th in job creation. Property taxes have risen by 20 percent over the past three years. The middle class in New Jersey has shrunk by nearly 3% under Governor Christie.

Buono Talks About Creating Jobs and Opportunity in New Jersey

Josh Levitt
Bouno for Governor:

- On WOMB Radio yesterday, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Barbara Buono participated in a “Ask the Candidate” segment where she spoke about her background, policy positions and answered questions from listeners. As New Jersey families struggle to make ends meet under stubbornly high unemployment and skyrocketing property tax rates, Senator Buono outlined her plan to revitalize the economy by developing strong research partnerships, redirecting tax credits to small businesses and investing in infrastructure projects. As Governor Christie veers right in advance of the Republican presidential primary, New Jersey needs a Governor who will uphold its values. Unlike Governor Christie and his buddy Steve Lonegan, Senator Buono is supports marriage equality, pay equity, Planned Parenthood, a women’s right to choose and finding commonsense solutions to reduce gun violence. Senator Buono made clear that she will move New Jersey forward towards economic growth, prosperity and equality.

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