GOPAL: Consolidate small towns

Former Monmouth Chairman and current State Senate candidate Vin Gopal's op-ed was featured in this past Sunday's Asbury Park Press. Vin focused on municipal consolidation as a solution to curb spending and lower property taxes for the residents of New Jersey.  Vin's focus is on 100 towns which have populations of 2,500 and less and those school districts which have zero schools:

Vin Gopal

It’s no secret: too many New Jerseyans are struggling. Across our state, families are being crushed under sky-high property taxes while they strain to make ends meet in one of the nation’s most expensive states.

It's also no secret that little to no progress has been made, despite politicians’ habit of talking a big game.

This stalemate needs to end. We need to prioritize affordability and approach the crisis with an eye to implementing a variety of effective tools, not continuing to look in vain for a silver bullet.

One of these tools must be promoting and simplifying consolidation of our many towns and municipalities across the state. As state senator, I will be the biggest champion for these efforts.

New Jersey has 565 towns, with more than 100 of these having populations under 2,500. This means we have hundreds of sewage authorities, housing authorities, and other agencies, many of which represent constituencies of only a couple thousand. The costs of these unnecessary agencies are being put right onto our already struggling local taxpayers. Yet small towns seeking a way to eliminate these unnecessary services or to combine efforts with other towns facing a similar situation are left without any options.

Take Loch Arbour in Monmouth County’s 11th legislative district for example. Loch Arbour has a population of 194 residents and the Mayor of Loch Arbour, Paul Fernicola, has been an advocate of consolidation for this small town, even trying to eliminate his own job for lack of necessity. But the State of New Jersey won't allow it.

Sewer authorities, housing authorities and utility authorities are another great example of redundant or unnecessary services. Jersey City recently consolidated one of its authorities with the City's Police Department and saved over 1 million dollars for their taxpayers. Meanwhile, commissioners of the Middletown Sewer Authority in Monmouth County make benefits in addition to their paychecks for attending a few meetings a year.

Single-Payer Is Within Reach: What You Need to Know About the Bill for Improved Medicare for All

Wednesday, June 14, 2017
By Margaret Flowers, Truthout | Op-Ed

(Photo: United Workers)

This piece is part of Fighting for Our Lives: The Movement for Medicare for All, a Truthout original series.

As Republicans come under pressure from the White House to complete the process of repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) so they can move on to other priorities, they are finding that this is one campaign promise that is very difficult to keep. The House version of their American Health Care Act (AHCA) has been so heavily criticized that even President Trump says it is too harsh. Republican Senators are currently negotiating their version in secret to avoid too much scrutiny. So far, the Republicans are far from reaching consensus on how to proceed. The people of the United States, on the other hand, are clear on the solution to the health care crisis that they support and are organizing from coast to coast to make it a reality.

The public demand for a National Improved Medicare for All single-payer health care system in the United States is stronger than it has been in decades. The failures of the ACA to cover everyone and control rising health care costs, combined with the threat of the AHCA, which would add at least 23 million more people to the 29 million currently uninsured and further erode the quality of health insurance, have made it clear that we can't continue with the current health care system. This brings to mind a quote by Winston Churchill: "You can always count on Americans to do the right thing -- after they've tried everything else."

All other industrialized nations have some form of publicly funded universal health care system. Many of them are national insurance systems like our Medicare. Some, like the systems in Canada and Taiwan, are actually modeled on US Medicare. Most of them spend half as much on health care (per person per year) as the United States, and they have better health outcomes. No country has adopted a universal health care system and then gone back to its previous system. They have learned that when a system is universal, it is of higher quality precisely because every person has a stake in making it the best it can be.

Fighting for Our Lives: The Movement for Medicare for All People from across the political spectrum are expressing support for a single-payer health care system in the US, from conservatives like Charles Krauthammer to business leaders, such as Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger, to Senator Bernie Sanders. Given the failure of commercial media to cover single payer fairly, if at all, and given many Democrats' attempts to obfuscate it with a public option, there is confusion about exactly what a national improved Medicare for All system is and what it isn't. So, here is a primer on the basics of the single-payer health care system envisioned in Rep. John Conyers' bill, HR 676: The Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act, which now has more cosponsors than ever before

National Improved Medicare for All

National Improved Medicare for All (NIMA) is a universal publicly financed health care system. Here are the core elements:

1. National: Every person living in the United States and its territories -- including every health professional -- is in the system. No matter where people travel domestically, they are in the system. No one has to worry about going "out of network" because it is one giant network. This also means that if there is a medical center that specializes in a particular condition, patients can go there if they need to -- no matter where they live.

Including everyone in one giant risk pool spreads the risk widely so that no particular state is burdened more heavily than others with covering the cost of care for its residents. In the US, 20 percent of the population has high health needs, using 80 percent of our health care dollars. Fifty percent of the population is healthy, using only 3 percent of our health care dollars. However, any of us can become one of those in the top 20 percent if we have a serious accident or illness. Having a national system gives us the security of knowing that it is there for us when and if we need it. And including everyone increases the likelihood of preventing and controlling epidemics of infectious diseases.

2. Improved: This plan is an improvement over Medicare -- not simply an expansion of our current Medicare system. First, it is more comprehensive than current Medicare and includes all medically necessary care, such as mental health, dental, vision, hearing, rehabilitative and long-term care, medications and medical devices. Current Medicare excludes long-term care, so seniors are forced to spend down their assets before they qualify under Medicaid for long-term care. That would no longer be the case under National Improved Medicare for All. Moreover, the question of what is "medically necessary care" would be answered by patients and their health professionals without interference from health insurers who are more concerned with profits than the health of their enrollees.

Second, because the improved Medicare for All plan is comprehensive, supplemental health insurance would not be necessary, and would not be permitted to duplicate what is covered by the health care system. This is important for maintaining a high standard of quality: There should not be a private system for the wealthy and a public system for the rest of us....


Continue Reading

To N.J. congressmen: If you're not battling travel ban, you're backing bigotry

Congressmen Chris Smith & Tom MacArthur are on the wrong side of history (and morality) on this bigotry.

By Joshua Henne
posted on NJ.com

History will remember - and harshly judge -- every elected official supporting President Trump's travel ban of seven Muslim nations and refugees around the globe. Simply put, if you're not battling the ban, you're backing bigotry.

Sadly, Congressmen Chris Smith (R-N.J. 4th Dist.) and Tom MacArthur (R-N.J. 3rd Dist.) displayed profiles in cowardice by defending this executive order exploiting immigrants, endangering troops and risking the future of all Americans.

After taking their sweet time contemplating whose side they're on, Smith and MacArthur chose the wrong side of morality and history. Thankfully, federal Judge James Robart halted the ban nationwide after finding "no support" for claims "we have to protect the U.S. from individuals" from Iran, Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan and Libya.

However, the checks-and-balances of America's courts stopping our executive branch's unconstitutional, immoral overreach doesn't let Congress off the hook.

"The executive order is a pause as we find a way to secure and protect Americans while acting with compassion for humanitarian refugees," Smith told NJ Advance Media.

Smith's parsing of words is particularly disappointing after the name he's made for himself on humanitarian missions these past 36 years. He's won awards for work in troubled hotspots like Iraq, Darfur and South Sudan. Yet, now he's turned a blind eye towards the plight of refugees and the splitting of families with green cards from the very areas he's garnered global headlines in.

These past few weeks, while tweeting and facebooking about abortion, Smith's pro-life claims ring hollow since he hasn't uttered a peep about the vulnerable lives imperiled by the travel ban:

*The 4-month-old Iranian girl with a heart condition barred from travelling to Oregon for dire scheduled-surgery.
*The 9-year-old in a Somali refugee camp requiring treatment for congenital heart disease.
*The toddler badly-burned at an Iraqi refugee camp set for follow-up surgery in Boston, but whose father can't get back to hold his son.

Turning away immigrants based on faith is decidedly un-American. It undermines our values. Even Dick Cheney said, "This whole notion that somehow we can just say no more Muslims, just ban a whole religion, goes against everything we stand for and believe in."

Some Republicans -- such as U.S. Sens. John McCain, Susan Collins and Lindsey Graham-- spoke out. Closer to home, Pennsylvania Reps. Charlie Dent (R-5th Dist.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-8th Dist.) came out against it. New Jersey's three other Republicans, Reps. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-11th Dist.). Leonard Lance (R-7th Dist.), and Frank LoBiondo (R-2nd Dist.) have also been critical. Even corporations like Coca-Cola, Apple and Amazon piped up.

Last Summer, addressing New Jersey's delegation as the only congressman attending Trump's RNC Cleveland coronation, MacArthur declared, "Everybody for the most part is looking for the same things. People are just trying to better their lives. They're just trying to lift their families up. They're trying to get further than they started."

Apparently, this was hollow lip service. When it came to Trump's travel ban, MacArthur "applauded him for acting," even though the measure smacks the very opposite of that lofty rhetoric.

Farleigh Dickinson's latest poll shows 53 perent of New Jerseyans believing Trump's foreign policy inexperience leaves America more vulnerable to those who wish to do us harm. Our representatives would be wise to listen to their constituents.

Electoral blowback will come for those supporting bigotry. But, you don't have to take my word for it. Here's just two of the hundreds of immediate rejoinders to MacArthur's Facebook post on the ban:

"In the last election I voted for you, but not Trump, because I knew what a Trump Presidency would do to this country, and it's coming true. For you to defend him puts the way of my voting for you in the future in jeopardy. Rethink your decision."

"I thought with some of your other issues you were level-headed and worked across party lines so this statement today was even more disappointing. I as a strong Democrat even voted for you because of it. Today made me question my vote...I'm very sad to see you take a stance like this."

In December, MacArthur heartwarmingly cut red tape so a soldier could formally adopt his gravely ill step-son, making the boy's Christmas wish come true. I only wish MacArthur showed the same compassion for immigrant families split apart and refugee children needing life-saving treatment. If only he'd look out for all military families by opposing measures making soldiers less safe.

Recently, 10 former bipartisan security officials and diplomats said Trump's ban could endanger troops abroad and fuel the Islamic State's recruitment and radicalization. It doesn't just propel propaganda for our enemies abroad, but frays relationships between Muslim communities and local law enforcement here at home.

On Martin Luther King Day, MacArthur tweeted a video-clip about "living with purpose and courage" above a photo of MLK with the quote, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

These were his last tweets for the month - through Trump's inauguration, his slew of controversial actions and the travel ban. The uncourageous silence by MacArthur and Smith have them acting like very small men, indeed.

Those supporting Trump's bigotry will be viewed the same way history casts those who supported Jim Crow or South African apartheid and those against women's suffrage or marriage equality.


************
Joshua Henne is a Democratic consultant and president of White Horse Strategies and can be found on Twitter at @JoshuaHenne.

Running 4 Years Too Late, Christie Wasted His Summer On Campaign Trail

In light of tonight's 2nd GOP debate I thought that I'd post an OpEd that ran earlier this week in the Newark Star-Ledger on Chris Christie and the 2016 election. The piece was written by my friend Joshua Henne, president of the political consulting firm White Horse Strategies.

Running 4 Years Too Late, Christie Wasted His Summer On Campaign TrailBy Joshua Henne

It's hard to be "telling it like it is" when clearly no one cares what you have to say. That's precisely the lesson Gov. Chris Christie learned this summer.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. Four years ago, Gov. Christie was basking in the limelight and pushing away big name donors from Wall Street to Iowa who journeyed to New Jersey on bended knee, begging him to jump into the presidential race.

Flash forward to today. The scantest of media contingents trek to his events. Gov. Christie didn't make the Koch brothers' five-candidate list and barely made the first GOP debate by the hair of his chinny chinny chin. After squeaking onto the stage, it became painfully clear that Fox News didn't give a flying fig he was even there. Gov. Christie clocked an anemic six minutes of airtime, logging merely four questions – the first being a full-frontal assault on his failed fiscal gubernatorial record. Other times, moderators used him as an angry wind-up toy for split screen slap-fights with Rand Paul and Mike Huckabee.

Now, Gov. Christie is in peril of not even making the next debate. CNN's latest national polling has him outside the top 10 looking in. If I declared for the GOP nomination this afternoon, we'd literally be tied within the margin-of-error.

It's been over two months since Gov. Christie entered the race – not with a bang, as was long the plan, but with a whimper. When Jeb Bush announced his candidacy, he immediately jumped 6 percent. Donald Trump spiked 11 percent. Gov. Christie slid from 4 percent to a mere 2 percent. In Iowa, he's dropped down from a lackluster 5 percent in the spring to a near-non-existent 1 percent. Gov. Christie even fell to tenth-place in New Hampshire, where he's all but established residency with 20 visits since 2013.

Clearly, every single nomination path Gov. Christie thought he'd have to himself has been closed off worse than access roads to the George Washington Bridge. Gov. Christie's solitary pitch was as the sole viable option who'd stand a chance in a general election. But this rationale only worked compared with an uninspiring 2012 field.

Today, his opponents trump every advantage Gov. Christie thought he had. Twice elected governor of America's largest swing state, Bush's family dynasty enjoys deeper ties to the identical money men Christie was banking on. Normally, with so many snowbirds and retirees, a Northeastern governor could fare well in the Sunshine State. Facing Bush – and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio – Gov. Christie has no shot.

Gov. Christie believed he had a lock as a fresh voice for a bright GOP wave. However, Sen. Rubio – without speaking a single word – stands for a new generation by virtue of his life story as the son of immigrants. Ohio Gov. John Kasich is the sitting executive – of a swing state – who balanced the budget and presides over a diversified economy on the mend. And as a blue state Republican who cut pensions and rammed through union-busting right-to-work legislation, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has Gov. Christie outflanked on using workers as piñatas.

Truly "telling it like it is" in New Jersey would mean ticking off the litany of Gov. Christie's abject failures over the past half-decade: a record-breaking nine credit downgrades on his watch; leading the nation in foreclosures, while the rest of America was on the upswing; consistently lagging the region and country on joblessness; ignoring crumbling rail and road infrastructure, putting not just commute times, but lives in jeopardy. It's been an absolute mess.

With no accomplishments, Gov. Christie can only cling to a personality-driven campaign. Even here, he trails Trump as the unhinged guy who spouts crazy stuff. And there's only room for one delusional, misogynistic, bombastic carnival barker with an inflated sense of self who helped usher in dark days for Atlantic City.

When it comes to pulling the trigger on an electoral run – especially for "Leader of The Free World" – it's all about timing. Gov. Christie is four years too late and already quite a few dollars short. People simply don't like or respect him. If this governor was truly "telling it like it is," he'd admit he has no chance. Christie only rationale for running is enjoying the travel and perks...and it's a heckuva lot better than staying home to deal with the mess he's created.

OP-ED: WE NEED TO CHANGE POLICY DIRECTION TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN WOMEN’S LIVES

The following Op-ed, written by Monmouth County Democrat Roz Ressner was posted yesterday on NJ Spotlight: 


Women have listened closely to Congressman Chris Smith’s concerns; now it’s up to him to return the favor and listen to us

Women have listened to Congressman Chris Smith’s speeches on abortion issues. We take into consideration the convictions that propel him to enact healthcare legislation that impacts a woman’s most personal medical needs, but now ask that he listen to those voices he professes to care about. They are young teens and women -- married and single moms, those who are childless, those unable to conceive.

To a great extent, the ability to provide a safe, loving family environment is dependent upon quality of education and the financial stability provided to women. For most, bringing a child into the world is a joyous event, but oftentimes it is overshadowed by untenable situations -- low-paying jobs with little or no access to healthcare, too-short maternity leave, no flex time when children are sick. Fear of losing one’s job often results in children being left to fend for themselves or unsafe childcare. We can all agree that desperate women make desperate decisions.

Women have listened to Congressman Smith’s speech about HR7, misleadingly called “The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act.” Its real premise is that funds derived from an employee’s health insurance plan or pretax personal flex-spending account cannot be used to purchase contraceptives -- this being tantamount to so-called “abortion services” or taxpayer dollars paying for government-funded abortions. It further penalizes employers whose insurance packages include reproductive health benefits.

It is a known fact that the pill helps to reduce the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer and is used for other serious conditions related to women’s health. Unless one believes that the pill (or other forms of contraception) is solely used as a form of abortion or a prevention of pregnancy, then “The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” is truly a misnomer, allowing “fiction to win over fact.” Therefore, to deny insurance benefits forcing women to pay out-of- pocket for their medical expenses creates undue hardship to already strained budgets.

Congressman Smith has voted repeatedly for the Personhood Bill, which gives a fetus the same rights as an adult human, bans birth control, stem-cell research, and in-vitro fertilization. For thousands of women who require medical intervention, this bill would seriously threaten their ability to seek IVF treatment to become parents.

Congressman Smith rails against the sex-trafficking trade. Yet he did not vote for The Violence Against Women Act, even though hundreds of women are victims of rape, kidnapping, and forced prostitution every day. Women in trouble or who require affordable reproductive healthcare and screenings visit Planned Parenthood’s 700 health centers in the U.S. This provider offers educational programs that teach teens about the seriousness and great responsibility of parenthood. Yet these clinics are constantly under fire because 3 percent of their healthcare is for abortion services. Alas, there will always be abortions, safe, botched, or worse. Is there anything we can do to alter this landscape?

Yes, women have listened to Mr. Smith’s impassioned speeches, and although we respect his beliefs, they have caused a great divide. We ask now that his indefatigable energy be used to make a constructive difference; first, by promoting sex education -- proven successful in lowering the risk of teen pregnancy and reducing abortion rates -- and secondly, by enacting legislation that supports training, for higher-paying jobs, income equality, affordable housing, and childcare. Only then will women be able to make positive, empowered decisions. If asked, women will tell him that all of the above would be the answer to their prayers. Women have listened and now respectfully ask that he would do the same.

***********
Roz Ressner is the owner of Earth Friendly Organic Farm in Clarksburg. She serves as District 7 committeeperson in Millstone Township and as corresponding secretary for the Millstone Township Democratic Club.

NJJP: They Want to Make NJ's Backward Tax System Even Worse

John Whiten


The governor made clear in last week's State of the State message that his quest to deliver further tax cuts to some New Jersey taxpayers is not over.

Put aside for a moment the fact that lower taxes don't drive state economic growth (and actually hurt that growth), and that businesses don't relocate primarily based on their tax bills.

With any tax cut, it's also worth asking: Who would benefit? While the governor gave no details in his address, he clearly favors tax cuts to help those New Jerseyans who already pay the smallest share of their income to taxes, as I note in a new op-ed published in Sunday's Star-Ledger.

You see, New Jersey already calls on low-income and middle-class New Jerseyans to pay greater shares of their incomes in state and local taxes than their wealthy neighbors. New data from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy's latest "Who Pays?" report lays it out:

• New Jersey's poorest households - those earning less than $22,000 a year - pay 10.7 percent of their income in state and local taxes.
• Households earning just a touch more - between $22,000 and $43,000 - pay 9.2 percent of their income. In the middle, households earning between $43,000 and $71,000 a year pay 9.1 percent of their income, and those earning between $71,000 and $119,000 pay 9 percent.
• In contrast, households with incomes of more than $758,000 a year - the top 1 percent - pay just 7.1 percent of their income in state and local taxes.
• And while the governor was vague in his call for the Legislature to "lower taxes further," not mentioning any tax in particular or the size of a reduction, it's not hard to figure out just what he likely means.

In the last few years, the governor has championed a 10 percent across-the-board income tax cut, and has expressed support for reducing or eliminating the estate or inheritance taxes. Any of these tax changes would greatly favor those who already pay the lowest share of their income in state and local taxes. In the process the tax cuts would sap the state's resources so much it would substantially damage the state's ability to pay for essential public services that average people rely on each day, like our public schools.

The bottom line: New Jersey must focus on building a better future, but these tax cuts aren't the way to do it.

Read the new op-ed here.

Op-Ed: A Nomination For Christie Seems More Remote Than Ever

By Joshua Henne

What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago, Gov. Chris Christie was flying high, fresh off a resounding re-election victory and poised to take over the Republican Governors Association. Today, Christie is surely not shedding a tear to see the calendar flip on 2014 — a year that brought brutal Bridgegate headlines and record credit downgrades to the state and finally exposed his distinct lack of accomplishment. Not to mention the looming specter of federal and legislative investigations.

But, it’s Jeb Bush’s recent Facebook proclamation that he’s actively exploring a presidential run that’s truly the cap to Christie’s political fall of Icarus-like proportions. The announcement by Florida’s former governor rips away the final shred of hope Christie had to magically thread the 2016 nomination needle. His sole pitch to voters, donors and pundits alike was that he’d be the only viable option out in the fields of Iowa who’d stand a chance in a general election. However, with an ever-diminishing pool of moderate Republican primary voters, Bush can easily bigfoot the competition.

Twice elected governor of America’s largest swing state, Bush’s tenure was, unlike Christie’s, mostly scandal-free. Moreover, Bush actually has executive accomplishments under his belt. In fairness, Christie has shepherded through a few items, such as bail reform and addiction treatment, but it’s not as though these issues send Republican voters rushing to the polls.


On matters of wider import – especially economic ones – Christie has been an abject failure. On his watch, New Jersey went the wrong way on mortgage foreclosures and consistently trails the nation/region when it comes to joblessness. The state suffers America’s second-lowest bond rating, and a record eighth credit downgrade came after Christie broke his own law by failing to fund the pension trust fund. This last move was particularly damaging. For years, Christie touted pension reform as his hallmark accomplishment, which was supposed to be his calling card to getting things done and working across the aisle. It’s not just that Christie lives up to the old cliché of saying one thing and doing another; worse, he’s said one thing and done absolutely nothing.

Despite selling himself as a tough-talking truth-teller who speaks his mind, in reality, Christie clams up on contentious questions. This past month alone, he’s refused to weigh in on the Keystone pipeline and the CIA torture report. Unlike other GOP likely contenders, Christie waited four full days to chime in on Cuba. On immigration, Bush clearly states his stance, detractors be damned. Conversely, Christie has ducked the issue, even while on a “trade mission” in Mexico.

Christie has burnished a reputation of everything always being about, well, Christie. In October 2011, he commanded the lectern for a 54-minute press conference to say he wasn't running for president. The following summer, he turned his Republican National Convention keynote into a long-winded exercise in self-promotion at Mitt Romney’s expense.

While these moves were rooted in vanity, more egregious is how Christie turned his back on his own party in his home state.

As beloved former Gov. Tom Kean said, the week after Christie’s re-election, “No governor I know in any state has won by 20 points and had no coattails.” Kean would know. In 1985, realizing he was waltzing to re-election, he devoted his post-Labor Day efforts to helping the down-ballot candidates. Flash forward to 2013, when Christie struck a deal with Democratic power brokers to keep their legislative seats safe. Then, this past year, while traipsing across America to raise money for candidates from Maine to the Midwest, Christie left New Jersey’s Republican State Committee in financial despair.

Christie has put his faith in wooing the well-heeled set who pony up the big bucks needed for a national campaign. Yet, the Bush dynasty enjoys longer, stronger, deeper ties to the very fund-raising base and campaign apparatus Christie would need to tap into. These relationships stretch back not only to Bush’s brother’s presidential campaign, but their father’s before that. Heck, Christie owes his own political career to parlaying prolific fund-raising for George W. Bush into a plum U.S. attorney post.

Major Republican donors look for return on investment. Does anyone believe they’ll bet on an undisciplined wild card with clouds over his head? Or will they back the man whose politics they like, whose family they know and who comes off as the adult in the room?

When given the chance to shine in front of deep-pocketed donors, Christie failed to impress. He embarrassed himself with naive answers on how he’d handle Vladimir Putin. He stumbled on Israel in front of Sheldon Adelson’s crowd in Las Vegas. As strong as he is on swagger, Christie comes across staggeringly light on substance.

Bush appeals to the growing Hispanic demographic, enjoys deeper donor ties and has a better, less scandalous gubernatorial record. Christie offers decision makers nothing more than a ticking time bomb in terms of both his temper and Bridgegate legal troubles, not to mention a history of not being a team player. It’s clear Christie’s final flicker of hope to catch even a whiff of the GOP nomination has been snuffed out. All that’s left is his face-saving decision not to run due to “family reasons” and to “finish the job” in New Jersey.

**************
Joshua Henne is founder of White Horse Strategies. Follow @JoshuaHenne on Twitter.

Pallone Statement on NBA Commissioner’s Call to Legalize and Regulate Sports Betting

Washington, DC — Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) released the following statement today in response to a New York Times op-ed written by Adam Silver, Commissioner of the National Basketball Association, in which he calls for a federal solution to allow states to authorize betting on professional sports:

“I agree with Commissioner Silver that it is time to bring sports wagering out of the shadows and under controlled regulation. The citizens of New Jersey have spoken loud and clear—they want the opportunity to share in the profits of professional sports betting. And this should be done in a legal way that’s regulated by the government, rather than the status quo which allows it to be run by criminal enterprises. Legalized sports betting at New Jersey’s racetracks and in Atlantic City will be good for tourism and local businesses and will bring much needed tax revenue to our state.

“Silver’s comments represent one sports league finally coming to the realization that sports betting ought to be legal and occur in a regulated environment. While I believe the recent actions New Jersey has taken are legal, I agree with Silver that federal law must be changed so that individual states can actively regulate sports betting on their own.

“I have worked hard in Congress to change federal sports betting law, and I will continue to fight to do so. States like New Jersey should be able to do what is best for them.”

Democrats For Public Education Op-Ed: It's All About the Children

Time and again, we hear this refrain from everyone who ever talks about education, from every angle. It's been the purported basis of speeches, documentaries and now lawsuits. But how can it be all about the children when you have some - under the guise of "education reform" - undermining America's public schools?

As kids across the country go back to school, it's time to get back to the basic values that bind us together. As one of the chairs of a new organization called Democrats for Public Education, I'm part of a group focused on just that - supporting public education. We believe in instilling critical thinking skills needed for 21st-century jobs and the new economy. We support superior standards and finding ways to make classrooms challenging and rewarding for both teachers and students. And we're committed to a level playing field for all with well-resourced schools responsive to the needs of our communities.

As a proud graduate of Louisiana's public schools, I know the importance of a good public education. I know just how tough it is to make something of yourself when you start off with little or nothing. Right now, a galling 22 percent of children in America - the richest country in history - live in poverty, and nearly half come from low-income families struggling to meet basic needs. The only way we can break cycles of poverty, while revitalizing and growing our middle-class, is to support our public schools. Frankly, it's the way we can provide a springboard for the working poor and preserve our American values.

Education is not a business. Students aren't robots, and they shouldn't be treated like assembly line workers at the test prep factory. Attempts to move our classrooms toward an unregulated, survival-of-the-fittest, business-first mentality ignores the purpose of education. Indeed, the very premise of "market-driven education reform" rests on a lie. It's an outright fallacy that our public school system is in crisis and that the only solution is to let the market pick winners and losers. Our kids are not losers! We must measure success not by how children score on a narrow standardized test, but by how they deal with the varied tests of life.

Tests don't inspire learning. Teachers and parents do. We should be championing educators as heroes. They're the ones dedicating their lives to shaping young minds. They're the ones in the classroom day in and day out. So when education professionals with decades of first-hand experience give constructive criticism, we should listen with open ears and an open mind. Simply put, they're the ones who know best.

Here's what dedicated parents and seasoned educators all across the country see: stalled reform efforts, poor implementation of programs and nervous students spending 30 percent of their school year on test preparation. By speaking out about this troubling pattern, teachers are exemplifying what it truly means to be answerable to and responsible for the well-being of children.

Teachers aren't afraid of real accountability. But the accountability of a teacher - or the achievement of a student - cannot and should never be boiled down to a few test scores per year. Further, it's doubly unfair to judge teachers on student performance, when the performance itself is being judged by an imperfect, dubious standard. According to a PDK/Gallup poll, three in four Americans believe the previous decade's obsession with standardized testing either had no effect or even hurt our schools. It's no surprise that nearly 60 percent say they don't support using test scores to evaluate teachers.

No one benefits when "education experts" - many with only a couple years in the classroom and some with none at all - tell teachers that their expertise doesn't matter and they don't have the best interests of children at heart. When you peel back the onion, it's clear these well-orchestrated attacks are coming from nothing more than a few well-funded, vocal groups intent on cherry-picking statistics and warping facts.

Public schools aren't just a cornerstone of our society, they're also critical democratic institutions. And every child deserves a chance. The assault on public education is an attack on the principles of democracy and the foundation of our country. The "I-Me-Mine" philosophy that drives Wall Street, the corporatists and would-be oligarchs and their political minions doesn't belong in the classroom.

Enough is enough. It's time we collectively push back against efforts to undermine America's education system, our teachers and the kids themselves. That's why, as classrooms start filling up again here at the end of summer, I'm proud to be part of an effort to help Democrats for Public Education get off the ground. It's time to lift up public education and remind everyone that this truly is about our children. The way to do that is by working together in every community to ensure our public schools endure - and thrive - for generations to come.

Local Op-Ed: Getting Through Flu Season

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Written by Dr. Lisa Golding Granado
 Immediate Care Medical Walk-In of Hazlet

Getting Through a Pandemic Flu Season

The word “pandemic” is applied to a virus outbreak when it demonstrates the ability to pass efficiently from person-to-person and can spread the virus globally. The current 2014 flu season has officially been classified as a pandemic by the CDC.

Dr. Lisa Golding Granado of Immediate Care Medical Walk-In said, “The flu is a very contagious respiratory viral illness – and can cause infection ranging from mild body aches and cough to a more severe illness with pneumonia like symptoms including: Cough, body aches, fever, sore throat, muscle aches, headache, fatigue and may also include nausea diarrhea or vomiting.”

Complications from the flu include dehydration, pneumonia, asthma flare up, shortness of breath and prolonged fatigue as well as wages lost due to prolonged illness.

Dr. Golding Granado, Medical Director at Immediate Care, said she is prepared to treat any flu complications patients may have, including intravenous fluid hydration and early medication management, early treatment are key to successful recovery from the flu.

The best prevention is vaccination! The vaccination period for the flu starts in late fall [October] and continues through spring [March] of the following year. The tri-valent or quadra-valent vaccines are equally recommended. It takes about two weeks to develop full immunity, and it’s not too late to get the vaccine this year.

Who should get the vaccine? Everyone 6-months of age and older, but especially people who are between 6-months and 5-years and those who are 65+ years or older. If you have a history of Asthma, COPD, recurrent pneumonia, heart disease or diabetes then you should get the vaccine every year as soon as possible. Caregivers, teachers, nannies, or those who work with the public or large groups, anyone who takes public transportation or works in the healthcare field should also be vaccinated.

Baum: Open the books on insurance; Middletown's health-care strategy must be examined

The following Op-Ed was written by Middletown Democratic Candidate for Township Committee Linda Baum. The Op-Ed addresses the high cost of Middletown's "double-platinum" self-insured health care plan that has an average cost of $31,000 per beneficiary (under a family plan) enrolled.

The Op-Ed appeared in Wednesday's printed edition of the Asbury Park Press and online HERE:


Middletown’s $9.3-million tab for health benefits has drawn attention recently, following a decision by the township to reduce hours for 25 employees who otherwise would have qualified for future health benefits under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Linda Baum

My research shows that Middletown’s cost for medical benefits has risen 50 percent in the last decade. Prescription payouts have risen 100 percent during that time. Steady increases long pre-date the ACA, to which officials are pointing as a cause.

Failure to address this issue falls squarely on the shoulders of our local government. Township Committeeman and current Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger, a Republican, has been in office since January 2005 and has had ample time to do something about this.

Former Committeeman Sean Byrnes, a Democrat, had proposed forming a task force of medical and insurance professionals to review and make recommendations with respect to the township’s health coverage, but the administration’s Republican majority rejected the idea.

Further, the township will not say who’s enrolled for benefits, another thing that needs review in order to get costs under control.

Knowing the names is not just a matter of weeding out people who should not be covered. We should be able to determine, for example, if retirees are properly categorized as retired vs. actively employed to ensure proper coordination of coverage. The information recently released by the township — minus the names — shows at least one person listed as “active” who is living across the country.

In July, a lawsuit was filed in state Superior Court to obtain the names of those enrolled for health benefits with Middletown Township, which claims that as a self-insured entity it is not required to release the information. Other local governments disagree. Earlier this year, Wall Township and the Wall Board of Education, both self-insured for health benefits, released the names of enrollees. And just recently, Monmouth County, which also is self-insured, did the same.

Middletown officials claim that they save money by self-insuring for health coverage, but it’s not clear how that was determined. A health insurance cost comparison prepared by the township compares Middletown’s cost of medical and pharmacy claims — self insureds pay claims rather than premiums — to the premium for a comparable plan through the State Health Benefits Program.

The comparison is faulty in that township enrollees who have other than single or family coverage — the two middle tiers are “employee and children” and “employee and spouse” — are dumped into the higher-premium family coverage bucket in determining the SHBP premium.

This improper distribution of enrollee counts inflates the estimated SHBP premium.

In addition, the analysis doesn’t reflect that one third of enrollees are retirees, for whom premiums are lower if Medicare is primary. Again, the effect is to inflate the estimated premium for the comparable coverage. The township’s self-insured cost would look better in comparison.

The poor math could easily result in an inaccurate conclusion about which insurance option is less costly for taxpayers.

Also, it is important to recognize that comparison of plans and plan costs should be done separately for medical vs. prescription coverage. The best insurance option for one may not be the best option for the other, so we should shop for these coverages separately. Wall, for example, self insures for medical benefits but has private insurance coverage with Medco for prescription benefits.

Because substantially similar benefits can vary widely in cost, it’s possible to achieve significant savings for taxpayers while still providing excellent benefits to township employees, including the 25 who would have qualified under the ACA.

Certainly, given the magnitude of the expenses we’re talking about, this is an area that deserves thorough review.

FROELICH: County purchasing still murky, post-Birdsall

Democratic Monmouth County Candidate for Freeholder, Brian Froelich, wrote an Op-Ed that appeared in the Asbury Park Press over the weekend.

While reading Froelich's Op-Ed, keep in mind (as a friend pointed out) that this is the same Freeholder Board that repealed strong county level pay-to-play restrictions because they were 'too confusing' and didn't complement weaker state level restrictions. Shortly thereafter there is the Brookdale College scandal and the Birdsall debacle, with Birdsall being a common element in both scandals. Time to bring ethics back into goverment and the political process in Monmouth County.

From the APP:

Each of the Monmouth County Republican freeholders received campaign contributions donated illegally by the Birdsall Engineering Group that were designed to influence the county purchasing process. But the freeholders and their administrators are in constant refrain that such corruption doesn’t really affect the purchasing process.

In harmonic chorus, Freeholder Thomas Arnone says the bidding and purchasing process is “independent from the freeholders,” County Counsel Andrea Bazer says the purchasing department and process is “above reproach,” and Purchasing Director Gerri Popkin says there is no tie-in between political fundraising and purchasing.

But Chris Christie’s comment when he was U.S. Attorney that political corruption in Monmouth County was both wide and deep may ring more true. Facts indicate that Monmouth County purchasing may be neither independent, beyond reproach or disconnected from political fundraising.

While Arnone (of Neptune City) declares independence, the Monmouth County Fair and Open Process resolution indicates that purchasing is not independent and that the freeholders have control and “sole discretion” over county purchasing processes.
For example, bids for some services (e.g., engineering) often are for one year but can be renewed annually for an additional two years without bidding. In fact, the New Jersey Institute of Government Attorneys stated “the definition of the ‘fair and open process’ is so ambiguous as to be meaningless.”

Meanwhile, numerous vendor complaints about county purchasing procedures indicate that the process may be well within the realm of reproach. For example, recently various vendors complained that the purchasing department was using distributor, rather than manufacturer, part numbers; was purchasing trucks that don’t meet U.S. emissions standards; was specifying 30-day delivery on custom trucks; and that they should hold important pre-bid meetings (a common industry practice).

At a recent meeting, a vendor complained about several problems he has had with purchasing, including the department not bidding certain items, mislabeling items, etc.
Other facts indicate that the connection between political fundraising and purchasing may be longstanding as well as deep. Popkin has been Monmouth County purchasing director for 26 years, with responsibility for purchasing $100 million in goods and services annually. She also is a longtime, active and important Republican political operative.
Popkin (also from Neptune City) was the Monmouth County Republican campaign coordinator (for 23 years), the Monmouth County GOP secretary, the Neptune City GOP municipal chairwoman, and is the current vice president of the Monmouth County Affiliated Republican Club.

Popkin even advertises that she holds some of these political positions as well as her purchasing position, thus making a direct and visual connection between purchasing and political fundraising. State ethics rules prohibit a state official from using his or her official title for the purpose of fundraising for, or promotion of, a private organization.
As a matter of minimum and sound business practice, Popkin should be rotated out of such a highly sensitive county purchasing position while maintaining such a high profile political position.

Christie Out-of-Touch With Women

Joshua Henne wrote this Op-ed piece that appeared on PolitickerNJ last week. It talks about Governor Christie's real record when it comes to women.

By Joshua Henne
June 3rd, 2013


Today, Chris Christie is keynoting the Governor’s Conference For Women in Trenton. Perhaps he should do more listening and less talking. Because while folks might say that Christie is a fighter, he’s made it painfully clear he’s not fighting for New Jersey’s women. In fact, he’s the one holding them back when it comes to both their health and fiscal well-being.

There’s nothing moderate about the extreme, right-wing, anti-woman agenda our state has borne witness to these past few years. Christie’s knuckle-dragging decisions and out-of-step ideology are hurting women and their families.

It’s been this way right from the jump. In 2010, Christie eliminated $7.4 million in his very first budget for basic reproductive healthcare services. This money included life-saving cancer screenings, pap tests and breast health services. In 2009, these funds helped over 136,000 patients. Last year, New Jersey’s family planning providers saw at least 33,000 fewer people – a 24% drop. On Christie’s watch, six such centers have closed due to state cuts. Some patients immediately lost services and didn’t have access to other providers. Others experienced longer wait times or were forced to pay more out-of-pocket. The number of clinical breast exams alone performed at these providers fell from 70,506 in 2009 to 48,441 in 2012 – a 31% plunge.

Christie has since vetoed attempts to restore women’s health funding…four times. He claimed the state was broke. But just don't look too close into the palm of Christie’s hand - as he protects a tax break for multi-millionaires, doles out over $2 billion in corporate subsidies and proposed $540 million in business tax cuts. It’s clear where his priorities lie, and it’s not with the women and families of New Jersey.

Rather than reflect Jersey values, Christie is firmly in line with the most severe fringe on women’s rights. He’s the state’s first governor to oppose abortion rights since Roe v. Wade, and was the first to ever speak at Trenton’s annual pro-life rally. It’s no surprise Christie defunded Planned Parenthood and hopscotched the country supporting extremist Republican candidates who would outlaw abortion in the cases of rape and incest. In fact, he endorsed a North Dakota Senate candidate who voted to make it a felony to perform an abortion.

It isn’t only health where Christie fails to have women’s best interests at heart. He’s also trying to buttress the glass ceiling with cement. Christie vetoed legislation making it illegal for companies to pay women less for the same work as their male counterparts. He even supported allowing this discrimination at companies hired by the state with New Jerseyans’ hard-earned tax dollars. Apparently, Christie simply doesn’t believe in equal pay for equal work.

Moreover, when Christie vetoed increasing the minimum wage, he prevented hundreds of thousands of women working low-wage jobs from getting a modest raise. And when Christie cut the Earned Income Tax Credit – a program aimed at low-income workers – women disproportionately felt the pinch. It’s no surprise there are more women who have fallen into poverty since Christie took office.

While his policies have been harsh, that’s not the sole way Christie has hammered women - as he’s said some pretty rude things, as well. Let’s not forget when he beseeched reporters to “take the bat out on” State Senator Loretta Weinberg. Or when Christie called Assemblywoman Valerie Huttle “a jerk” for condemning his inappropriate use of the state police helicopter to watch his son’s baseball game and meet with Iowa fundraisers. Christie called Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver a liar despite evidence backing up her side of the story about trying to set up a meeting on property taxes.

Sadly, Christie’s hasn’t only lashed out at elected officials. At one of his taxpayer-funded town hall meetings - when a teacher pointed out that Christie demonizes teachers and only talks about how horrible schools are, while New Jersey is actually home to some of America’s best schools - Christie lambasted that she only wanted to “put on a show and giggle every time I talk.” He then condescendingly said “I have no interest in answering your question.” Then, during a live-call in show, when asked if its fair to defund public education while sending his own kids to private schools, Christie angrily snapped, ”Hey Gail, you know what? It’s none of your business.” And when a protester interrupted his speech at a Mitt Romney rally, Christie contemptuously sneered, “Something may go down tonight, but its not going to be jobs, sweetheart.”

One would think Christie would stop his bull in a china shop routine when it came to caring for the women of New Jersey. But alas, he’s consistently unleashed a double-barreled assault upon them. Through word, deed, partisanship and policy proposals, Christie’s treated the women of New Jersey with both mocking and malice.

What Christie says to women is pretty bad. What he’s doing to women is even worse, as he puts both their physical and economic health squarely in the crosshairs.

Me Thinks, Mercantante Protests Too Much About "Monday Morning Quarterbacking" Surrounding AshBritt

Yesterday Middletown's Township Administrator Tony Mercantante, had an Op-Ed published in the Asbury Park Press and online at the Atlantic Highlands Herald.

In his commentary Mr. Mercantante lambastes all the "Monday morning quarterbacking going on"  that has been surrounding the controversial decision of the no-bid contracts that were awarded to AshBritt Inc., for Hurricane Sandy related debris removal.

I think Mr. Mercantante protests to much. After all, if he and the Township Committee did their due diligence as other towns had done instead of jumping on Chris Christie's bandwagon once again, the town could have saved nearly half of the $14M it spent on debris removal!

Saying that there was no time to shop around for a better price is nonsense when you're dealing with taxpayers dollars. The rush to have debris removed from the streets didn't get people back into their homes any faster than if they would have waited a week or so for a better price from a local hauler as opposed to giving AshBritt millions to do the job.

It's funny how the sleight of hand in Middletown works, Gerry Scharfenberger has repeatedly stated that the town couldn't go out and hire small contractors to pick up the storm debris but yet the township committee passed numerous resolutions in the days following Hurricane Sandy to do just that, after giving the main no-bid contract for debris removal to AshBritt.

• 12-247 - Emergency Contract With Ashbritt, Inc For Storm Debris Removal Services
• 12-248 - Emergency Contract With Arcadis-US, Inc For Storm Debris Management Monitoring & Technical Assistance Services
• 12-249 - Emergency Contract With Bennett Property & Design Works For Curbside Collection & Trucking of Storm Debris
• 12-251 - Emergency Contract With Sutton Trucking LLC FOr Curbside Collection & Trucking Of Storm Debris
• 12-252 - Emergency Contract With Montecalvo Disposal Services For Loading & Trucking Of Storm Debris.
• 12-268 - Ratifying Remaining Emergency Contracts In Relation to Superstorm Sandy.

Sunshine Week: Arming citizens with the power of knowledge

By Heather Taylor

It’s Sunshine Week, that time of year we reflect on the importance of government transparency and how critical it is to our democracy. Much of the conversation during Sunshine Week focuses on the failure of government to be open and transparent. Citizens, Journalists, and Reform groups use this time to highlight how we can expand our current rights and combat government secrecy.

This attention is sorely needed, citizens across the New Jersey are often forced into countless hours in court or before the Government Records Council (GRC) just to get access to the most basic documents like budget data and meeting minutes. We have all seen or heard these stories, local governments operating behind closed doors, in the shadows.

And while we must continue to fight for strengthening the Sunshine Law and for expanded access to information, it is also important to remember why we fight for this information and what we do with it.

James Madison, whose birthday commemorates Sunshine Week, once said, “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own Governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” During Madison’s time he and his colleagues took to writing pamphlets to inform their neighbors of important issues facing our nation.

Today’s modern day pamphleteers are the bloggers and citizen journalists in city hall, covering the budget meetings and planning board hearings. We must arm these citizen journalists with the knowledge and tools to make a difference in our towns, school districts, and even the state government.

With local news bureaus shuttering, there has never been a more urgent time for citizens to step up to the plate. Go to your next local meeting and take a look around the room, how many reporters are covering the meeting? You are lucky if there is one.

Imagine what would happen if each of us followed the lead of citizens like Union County’s Tina Renna, who became a citizen journalist and reports to the public how the county’s tax dollars are being spent. Or citizens like Camden County’s Bob Shinn and John Tremble, who use public information to identify and implement best practices for cutting government waste. These three citizens alone have uncovered millions in wasteful government spending – now imagine what would happen if we each chipped and did our part.

So while we continue to expand access to government information, we must also be working to expand the pool of citizen leaders and citizen journalists like Tina, Bob and John – teaching people how to access information and use it to chart a smarter course for government.

Think back to those days, weeks, and months after Superstorm Sandy, we saw first-hand how having access to timely and relevant information is critical.

By using the Open Public Records Act, citizens can monitor how tax dollars are being spent to clean up debris. And through the Open Public Meetings Act, or Sunshine Law, citizens can sit on planning meeting to ensure that our shore towns are rebuilt with the infrastructure in place to withstand another Superstorm Sandy.

That is why we continue to educate citizens on how to constructively use the information they gather through the OPRA process. For example, on April 1, we will be training citizens how to cover news through new forms of media (thecitizenscampaign.org/new_media_post_sandy).

With access to information, citizens are able to constructively participate in the process and give feedback or offer best practices. And the more informed discussions we have, the better off our state will be.
--
Follow The Citizens Campaign on Facebook and Twitter! Visit our website TheCitizensCampaign.org for free tools and training!

An Opportunity For Compromise

The following op-ed appeared yesterday in the Philadelphia Inquirer. It states that Congressman Runyan should do the right thing and let the Bush Tax Cuts expire for top-income earners

By Joshua Henne

Over 13 years in the NFL, Jon Runyan's job was to protect the quarterback. Now that he's in the House of Representatives, his job is to protect his constituents. Runyan (R., N.J.) can do that by agreeing to President Obama's plan to preserve Bush-era tax rates for the middle class while letting them expire for the richest 2 percent.

Democrats and Republicans alike can agree that middle-income families' taxes shouldn't go up. But they will increase if Congress fails to act. With a Dec. 31 expiration date looming, Runyan would be wise to heed the advice of his colleague Tom Cole, the first Republican congressman to openly urge approval of Obama's plan. Cole served as the Republican National Committee's chairman and as its chief of staff during George W. Bush's presidential run. But even this rock-ribbed partisan knows there is no good reason to hold all the country's taxpayers hostage simply to fight for the uber-wealthy.

It's fine if you still believe in trickle-down economics, unicorns, and leprechauns. But what truly fuels small-business success is regular folks' having money to spend. And if Congress fails to act, tax hikes could force Americans to reduce their spending on clothes, cars, and other consumer products by almost $200 billion next year alone.

Ending tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires is also essential to avoiding the fiscal cliff's automatic spending cuts, which would cripple many government programs that families rely on. Obama's proposal to let taxes go up for the wealthiest households would bring in half the money needed to avoid those cuts. Meanwhile, 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses would keep the tax rates they currently enjoy.

Runyan should show he's not willing to allow middle-class taxes to spike just to avoid asking the wealthiest to pay their share. New Jersey's employment has consistently trailed the nation's under Gov. Christie. Unemployment hovers around 10 percent, significantly worse than the U.S. rate, and middle-class incomes are languishing even as those of the top earners are rising.

Runyan has already said he won't be beholden to Grover Norquist's silly no-tax pledge, as has his colleague across the Delaware, Pat Meehan (R., Pa.). They should take the next logical step and embrace Obama's proposal.

Last month, Americans voted resoundingly for the president after a campaign that focused squarely on the fairness issue. At his own election-night victory party, Runyan said, "The political positioning is over, and it's now time to have the adult conversations with the American people." Runyan was completely correct: His constituents want action, not posturing.

There is no better way for the former lineman to tackle the real problem and put his money where his mouth is - and to put more money in the pockets of the middle class and small businesses - than by supporting the president's call for tax relief for 98 percent of Americans.

Joshua Henne is New Jersey spokesman for The Action. He can be followed on Twitter at @JoshuaHenne.

A Tired War on Health Reform

The following op-ed on ObamaCare & Regressive Republicans, written by Joshua Henne, ran last week in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

- by Joshua Henne

In his bid to unseat Sen. Bob Menendez (D., N.J.), Republican candidate Joe Kyrillos has twisted himself into such a pretzel on the issue of health care that he might need a doctor himself after Election Day.

Since last spring, Kyrillos has consistently hammered Menendez for his support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. But he has a problem here: You see, Kyrillos himself was for Obamacare - before he was against it.

A longtime supporter of Mitt Romney, Kyrillos is on record touting the universal health-care coverage plan that Romney signed as governor of Massachusetts. When he was serving as the New Jersey chairman of Romney's 2008 presidential campaign, Kyrillos boasted that Romney had enacted "legislation that would provide private health insurance to every Massachusetts citizen" and could "do for the nation what he did for Massachusetts."

"Romneycare" was the foundation of Obamacare - especially when it comes to the mandate that individuals purchase health insurance, a feature of both plans that was devised by the conservative Heritage Foundation. Jonathan Gruber, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist, helped write both Romneycare and Obamacare. There was a time when Romney himself said his plan, including the mandate, should be a model for the nation. Kyrillos endorsed this notion just a few short years ago.

Petty pandering

Now, however, Kyrillos is disparaging the Affordable Care Act for no reason other than the fact that President Obama made it a reality. While voters have become accustomed to such craven political maneuvering, Kyrillos' flip-flop is a particularly bad example. It's also a petty pander to the base of his party, calculated to garner right-wing support rather than do what's best for the people of New Jersey.

The Supreme Court's ruling upholding the Affordable Care Act should have closed the book on such bickering. But Kyrillos and his cohorts continue fighting Obamacare simply because of its Democratic origins. And this is not a theoretical dorm-room discussion: While they snipe from the sidelines, real lives are at stake.
Obamacare's benefits are clear. Families are more secure because they can't be denied coverage due to preexisting conditions, or be forced into bankruptcy due to an illness. Two and a half million young adults under 26 now have coverage under their parents' plans, and more than 5.5 million senior citizens and disabled people have saved nearly $4.5 billion on prescriptions under the law.

Consumer savings

Meanwhile, the Affordable Care Act requires that insurance companies spend at least 80 percent of their premiums on patient care, not executive bonuses or corporate retreats. Those failing to meet this threshold must write checks to their customers for the difference, and they have already provided $1.1 billion in rebates. Moreover, insurance companies must submit a justification for public review if they want to raise premiums by 10 percent or more, which has helped save consumers an estimated $1 billion.

In Camden, the law is already helping Project HOPE's federally qualified health center provide services to low-income and at-risk patients. Project HOPE is on the front lines, delivering care in one of America's most economically depressed cities, and 49 percent of its patients are uninsured. Obamacare is giving it more tools to deliver high-quality, cost-effective primary care, including electronic record-keeping to efficiently track results. The center also received a grant to construct a new facility, which will increase patient access and preventive care. And with new funding, health centers are being held to higher standards in the services they provide.

But if Kyrillos had his way, none of this would be possible for Project HOPE or the people and communities they serve. Regressive candidates like him are vowing to refight a stale political battle to put the insurance companies back in charge; Kyrillos has even promised to be "the 51st senator to vote to repeal Obamacare." After Election Day, he can only hope that Obamacare covers contorting oneself on the campaign trail as a preexisting condition.

A Tale of Two Christies - and an overoptimistic message for the worst of times

In case anyone might have  missed this, the following op-ed ran yesterday at NJ.com and The Trenton Times 

By Joshua Henne 

In the weeks since Gov. Chris Christie fist-pumped onto the Republican stage and stepped up onto the Tampa Bay podium, many have chimed in on his keynote address. Expectations were high, and reaction ran the gamut from disappointing to middling.

Much ink has been spilled over how the speech seemed to be all about Christie's favorite subject: himself. The first mention of Mitt Romney came nearly 20 minutes into the address, and he used the word "I" a whopping 37 times.

Much has also been written about how the keynote was heavy on hyperbole and vague on specifics. But no one's pointed out the glaring disconnect between the story Christie told there and the reality in New Jersey.

While the national Republican message this campaign season will undoubtedly be the economy, Christie used the word "jobs" a scant three times. He never once uttered the terms "unemployment" or "middle class."

Understandably, Christie isn't an effective fiscal surrogate. New Jersey's economy ranks an anemic 47th and a similarly dismal 47th in jobs.

Sadly, unemployment is 9.9 percent. Since Christie took office, the state consistently lags the rest of America when it comes to jobs. In fact, unemployment stands at its widest distance from the national average since the mid-'70s.

Many who know Christie only from fluffy interviews and manufactured YouTube moments were shocked at the speech's nasty tone. Yet, the keynote was vintage Christie to those who've lived with his escapades day in and day out. No one in New Jersey was surprised to see utter disdain dripping from his lips when mentioning teachers and unions. And if you pressed the television's mute button and simply viewed facial expressions, you'd notice nothing but anger and frowns. In fact, the only time Christie seemed to smile was when he spoke about his family.

Yes, Christie delivered a heartwarming story about his mother taking three buses to get to work every day. Yet, today, Christie seems not to care how his own policies are hurting others in the same situation. Shortly after taking office, Christie increased bus fares 10 percent, not to mention train and toll escalations. How many mothers throughout New Jersey lost their jobs because they couldn't afford the commute anymore?

Admirably, Christie spoke of his father attending college on the GI bill. Yet, tuition at state colleges and universities spiked under Christie. At the same time, he cut funding for low-income students. How many fathers or fathers-to-be can't afford college or are forced to take out onerous loans because Christie jacked up the price of education?

Lip service was given to bipartisanship. Yet, the only time the governor finds common ground is when someone scurries over to where he's already standing. To Christie, bipartisanship means dragging someone across the aisle or taking sole credit for ideas started by Democrats years before he came to Trenton.

Christie took a victory lap about balancing the budget three years in a row. Yet, in New Jersey, it's constitutionally mandated. In marking this "accomplishment," Christie is insisting on a gold star for something he had to do. It's akin to asking for a round of applause from a cop for driving under the speed limit or from one's wife for taking out the trash.

Delusionally, Christie alluded to lower taxes. Yet, in addition to tolls and transit increases, New Jerseyans have seen property taxes rise 20 percent on his watch. Fiscal pain is pushed along to municipalities, and local residents are paying more while receiving less from local government.

This all occurred while Christie seeks tax cuts for multimillionaires at the expense of the middle class.

Ironically, Christie delivered the keynote under a "We Built It" banner. Yet, he awarded $261 million in taxpayer money to Atlantic City casino moguls and also handed over hundreds of millions to mall developers in Bergen County.

Ultimately, Christie's speech will be remembered for being unmemorable. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio gave the visionary GOP convention speech Christie was shooting for. ?A week later, at the Democratic convention, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro gave the inspiring keynote many Republicans were hoping for.

And Christie should take notes on Newark Mayor Cory Booker's platform address for how a Jersey national name can deliver a passionate speech without resembling an angry man. Hint: It includes smiling and talking about aspirations, not simply making attacks and ignoring facts.

Long has Christie dreamed of making a mark like his political heroes. But wherein Ronald Reagan made us feel good about America and Tom Kean made us feel good about New Jersey, Christie only cared about making the audience feel good about Chris Christie.

And he even fell short on that front. Sure, he quoted his mother, who "never thought you get extra credit for just speaking the truth," but Christie outright failed by glossing over the truth back home.

As a drawbridge Republican, Christie got his and now believes you're on your own. This keynote was just like his record in New Jersey: mediocre, aggressive and, most of all, hypocritical.

Joshua Henne is a Democratic strategist and the spokesman for One New Jersey. Reach him on Twitter @JoshuaHenne.

* * * *

One New Jersey is shining a light on politicians who act against the best interests of New Jersey’s residents and who seek to divide our state for their own political gain. It is giving voice to the important issues that affect our daily lives. One New Jersey will closely monitor policy positions and actions of elected officials and expose their records on the issues that matter. You can follow One New Jersey on Twitter (@OneNJ) or search for “One New Jersey” on Facebook.

Mr. Romney Reinvents History

Mitt Romney and his fellow Republican's - Paul Ryan, Condoleezza Rice, John McCain and others -  attempts at reinventing history this week at the just completed 2012 Republican National Convention, were obvious and confounding to many, but their blatant attempts at rewriting the history books won't be tolerated or go uncorrected.

Here's a very good New York Times Op-Ed that addresses a few examples of what transpired over the 3 days in Tampa :

Mitt Romney wrapped the most important speech of his life, for Thursday night’s session of his convention, around an extraordinary reinvention of history — that his party rallied behind President Obama when he won in 2008, hoping that he would succeed. “That president was not the choice of our party,” he said. “We are a good and generous people who are united by so much more than divides us.”

The truth, rarely heard this week in Tampa, Fla., is that the Republicans charted a course of denial and obstruction from the day Mr. Obama was inaugurated, determined to deny him a second term by denying him any achievement, no matter the cost to the economy or American security — even if it meant holding the nation’s credit rating hostage to a narrow partisan agenda.

Mr. Romney’s big speech, delivered in a treacly tone with a strange misty smile on his face suggesting he was always about to burst into tears, was of a piece with the rest of the convention. Republicans have offered precious little of substance but a lot of bromides (“A free world is a more peaceful world!”) meant to convey profundity and take passive-aggressive digs at President Obama. But no subjects have received less attention, or been treated with less honesty, than foreign affairs and national security — and Mr. Romney’s banal speech was no exception.

It’s easy to understand why the Republicans have steered clear of these areas. While President Obama is vulnerable on some domestic issues, the Republicans have no purchase on foreign and security policy. In a television interview on Wednesday, Condoleezza Rice, the former secretary of state, could not name an area in which Mr. Obama had failed on foreign policy.

For decades, the Republicans were able to present themselves as the tougher party on foreign and military policy. Mr. Obama has robbed them of that by being aggressive on counterterrorism and by flexing military and diplomatic muscle repeatedly and effectively.

Mitt Romney has tried to sound tough, but it’s hard to see how he would act differently from Mr. Obama except in ways that are scary — like attacking Iran, or overspending on defense in ways that would not provide extra safety but would hurt the economy.

Before Thursday night, the big foreign policy speeches were delivered by Senator John McCain and Ms. Rice. Mr. McCain was specific on one thing: Mr. Obama’s plan to start pulling out of Afghanistan at the end of 2014 is too rapid. While he does not speak for Mr. Romney, his other ideas were unnerving, like suggesting that the United States should intervene in Syria.

Mr. Romney reportedly considered Ms. Rice as a running mate, and she seems to have real influence. But Ms. Rice is a reminder of the colossal errors and deceptions of George W. Bush’s administration. She was a central player in the decision to invade Iraq and the peddling of fantasies about weapons of mass destruction. She barely mentioned Iraq in her speech and spoke not at all about Afghanistan. She was particularly ludicrous when she talked about keeping America strong at home so it could be strong globally, since she was part of the team that fought two wars off the books and entirely on borrowed money.

Ms. Rice said the United States has lost its “exceptionalism,” but she never gave the slightest clue what she meant by that — a return to President Bush’s policy of preventive and unnecessary war?

She and Mr. McCain both invoked the idea of “peace through strength,” but one of the few concrete proposals Mr. Romney has made — spending 4 percent of G.D.P. on defense — would weaken the economy severely. Mr. McCain was not telling the truth when he said Mr. Obama wants to cut another $500 billion from military spending. That amount was imposed by the Republicans as part of the extortion they demanded to raise the debt ceiling.

Ms. Rice said American allies need to know where the United States stands and that alliances are vitally important. But the truth is that Mr. Obama has repaired those alliances and restored allies’ confidence in America’s position after Mr. Bush and Ms. Rice spent years tearing them apart and ruining America’s reputation in the world.

The one alliance on which there is real debate between Mr. Romney and Mr. Obama is with Israel. But it is not, as Mr. Romney and his supporters want Americans to believe, about whether Mr. Obama is a supporter of Israel. Every modern president has been, including Mr. Obama. Apart from outsourcing his policy to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on settlements, it’s not clear what Mr. Romney would do differently.

But after watching the Republicans for three days in Florida, that comes as no surprise.