Is Middletown's Version of Big Brother Tracking Your Cell Phone ?

Last week BlueJersey posted a slightly misleading blurb about how, according to the ACLU, police departments in New Jersey were tracking cell phones without warrants. The post listed 50 police departments from around the State that allegedly were illegally tracking the cell phones of local residents. Middletown's police department was one of the 50 on the list, which intrigued me. So I dug a little deeper by following the hyperlink to the ACLU's report to see what it was all about.

What I found out was that the American Civil Liberties Union "filed over 380 requests in 31 states with local law enforcement agencies large and small to uncover when, why and how they are using cell phone location data to track Americans". The results from these requests varied greatly and is a cause for concern for privacy advocates. All but 10 out of 200 responding police departments stated that they track cell phones in some capacity and it was found that most police departments do not usually obtain warrants before tracking cell phones.

After reading this I jumped over to the section of the report that pertained to the 50 police departments in New Jersey.  I found that the reason why these particular 50 were chosen was for no other reason other than, they were the 50 largest police departments in the state and not because they were suspected of wrong doing.

Each of the 50 police departments were sent an identical Cell Phone Tracking Information Request Letter (this is Middletown's) seeking information on how each department gathers cell phone data, all but 4 (Bayonne, Edison, Jersey City and Union City) responded. 

Besides Middletown's response, I also read the responses East Brunswick, Howell, Jackson, Lakewood, Newark and Old Bridge.

There is a lot that can be said after reading the various responses above but I'm fairly convinced that a vast majority of residents living in Middletown,as well as around the state, have little to fear at the moment from Big Brother. There seems to be general proceedures in place that would safeguard against unnecessary phone tracking


However that may not be always be the case.


 In most instances, nearly 3/4 of the questions asked by the ACLU went unanswered due to the lack of a policy concerning cell phone tracking or adequate record keeping.

According to Middletown's response,the last known case in which they tracked a person's cell phone was in 2008. I find that a little hard to believe considering other towns had shown that such information as recently as last year.

That being said, I won't lose to much sleep at the moment worring about who is looking at my phone records. It may be a big issue in parts of the country,but for right now I have nothing to fear and neither do fellow Middletowners, we all seem safe from the prying eyes of Big Brother,

Lavan & Short Pick Up Endorsement Of NJ AFL-CIO

Former Hazlet Mayor Kevin Lavan and former Middletown Committeeman Patrick Short, Candidates for the NJ State Assembly for the 13th Legislative district, each picked up a key endorsement from the NJ AFL-CIO labor union today at the unions endorsement conference.

Over at Blue Jersey, CWA NJ Area Director Hetty Rosenstein is quoted as stating, "Public workers and their many allies in the private sector stood together today to endorse those who stood with us this year and to deny endorsement to those who attacked collective bargaining. The majority of Democrats in NJ believe in and defend collective bargaining. They deserve a labor endorsement. A minority do not. That group should not get a labor endorsement.", in reference to all those that earned the labor endorsement.

This is the second big labor endorsement the pair has gained within the past month, back on July 18th the pair, along with NJ Senate Candidate Chris Cullen garnered the backing of Monmouth/Ocean Building Trades Council And New Jersey Building & Construction Trades Council.

Vin Gopal: My Candidacy For The State Assembly In The 11th District

Originally posted over at Blue Jersey

When I saw the new 11th District Map, I decided after years of working behind the scenes, I wanted to place my name on the ballot. The new 11th Legislative District has 36,643 registered Democrats, 26,405 registered Republicans and 68,899 registered unaffiliated voters. The district is home to Asbury Park, Long Branch, Neptune, Red Bank, Freehold Borough, Tinton Falls and many other beautiful Monmouth County municipalities. Of the 18 towns in the district, 11 of those towns have 4,000 or more registered voters. Out of those 11 towns, 9 of them have more registered Democrats than Republicans, most of them overwhelmingly. 9 of the 11 big towns in the district have more registered Democrats than Republicans.

Get where I'm going with this? It is a Democratic district. Basically all the strong Democratic towns in Districts 11 and 12 got merged while all the strong Republican towns, including Wall (goodbye Sean Kean!), Rumson, Millstone, Brielle, Avon, Monmouth Beach, Sea Girt, Englishtown, Fair Haven, Little Silver (sorry Declan O'Scanlon), Manalapan, and Oceanport all got thrown into other legislative districts. It really is remarkable what happened here!

This district is for Democrats to win. It will be about raising the funds necessary to compete and turning out our base. It will be about turning out voters from nonpartisan towns like Asbury Park and Long Branch, giving them a reason to vote in November.
The incumbents are Senator Jen Beck, Assemblywoman Caroline Cassagrande and Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelni. Three good people who are gravely out of touch with this new 11th District. Poor Caroline, I don't think even if I gave her a GPS she would know how to get to Asbury Park. You see, the challenge for Assemblywoman Cassagrande and Senator Beck is they are unknown in a big chunk of the district, which basically puts us at even playing field.

Some of you on Blue Jersey know me as an activist, somewhat of a troublemaker but may not know my background. It wasn't long ago I stirred the pot by organizing a petition with the help of this website to make sure Senators Buono and Vitale weren't pitted against each other. I admit, I do have a history of mixing things up, but I'm proud of that and I think that is what will be make me an effective legislator in Trenton.

I'm a small business owner - I have a chain of community magazines and newspapers covering different areas of Monmouth County. I also own a retail store in Hazlet which does embroidery, t-shirts, banners and personalized gifts. I serve as a member of the Board of Directors for the Northern Monmouth Chamber of Commerce and as President of the Hazlet Business Owners Association. I also serve on the Board of Trustees for Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Monmouth and Middlesex Counties. That is my day job. My assembly runningmate Marilyn Schlossbach is a talented restauranteur. She owns and operates several restaurants in Asbury Park, Normandy Beach and Shrewsbury, including the popular Langosta Lounge on the Asbury boardwalk. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, she opens the doors of her restaurant to feed anyone and everyone in Asbury Park. Her philanthropy has won her recognition among her peers and customers. Marilyn also serves as the Board of Directors for the Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce and on the Board of the Asbury Park Urban Enterprise Zone. She is also very active with Clean Action Ocean and the Surfriders Foundation. Our Senate runningmate, Ray Santiago, is a former New York City prosecutor who has been a Freehold Borough attorney for the past 8 years, operating a small business that serves clients throughout Monmouth County. He is very involved in the Monmouth County Bar Association, the cub scouts and other organizations in our community.

The three of us are business owners, not politicians and we share a sense of values that will shake New Jersey government up.

In the upcoming weeks, we will launch a website and formally launch our campaign. In the mean time, we are aggressively fundraising to put out strong numbers for the quarter.

We will be welcoming Congressman Jared Polis, the first openly gay man elected to Congress, to our district on May 26th. The three of us stand united behind our brothers and sisters who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Unlike the incumbent, Senator Jennifer Beck, who voted against marriage equality, who probably never realized she would ever be representing communities like Ocean Grove and Asbury Park now (regretting that vote yet Jen?) - we stand for values of equality for all New Jerseyians.

Imagine what happens to Governor Christie when halfway through his term, Democrats once again get elected to the legislature from Monmouth County - the same county he stomped all over 2 years ago. If we get in, we will build to make sure Chris Christie does not walk all over us again in 2013.

During the next several weeks and months, we will be updating you on our race and our campaign to stand up for Democratic principles. We hope you will join us! We can't win this race without you!

Note: This is a re-post from yesterday. Blogger was experiencing technical difficulty after a system upgrade and wiped out all posts after the 5/11

Congratulations Tea Party "Constitutionalists"

Does anyone today remember taking Civics, Social Studies or History classes while going to school? Evidently not.

If they had, they would know that the only way a law is enacted in this country is that it needs to receive approval from both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate before moving on to be signed by the President of the United States.

Somehow however, there are some in the House of Representatives that have forgotten this process and I am embarrassed to admit, that some of those that have forgotten their civics lessons are from New Jersey.

You and I learned that a bill becomes a law only after it passes the House of Representatives and the Senate. Frank LoBiondo, Jon Runyan, Scott Garrett, Chris Smith, and Leonard Lance have invented a new theory of government:

If the House has not received a message from the Senate before April 6, 2011, stating that it has passed a measure providing for the appropriations for the departments and agencies of the Government for the remainder of fiscal year 2011, the provisions of H.R. 1, as passed by the House on February 19, 2011, are hereby enacted into law.

Yes, if the Senate fails to vote for a bill that means it becomes law! Congratulations Tea Party "Constitutionalists," you have hit the jackpot with your Representatives.

Hat tip goes to Hopeful over at Blue Jersey on this one!

I will make up my own mind about the budget.

I was forwarded the following letter last night by someone who wished not to be identified. The person took acception to Governor Christie's recent statement that urged voters to turn down their local school budget if teachers in their towns refused to take a wage freeze .

I agree with the letter writer and the comments that this person added at the bottom of it from a few who responded to the story that was posted on NJ.com about the governor's comments.

I think the governor's comments were both reckless and callous. If voters turn down school budgets across the state next week it will result in more teachers being let go and sports programs and after school activities being cut or eliminated, which would be a real shame due to the fact that many students need of those types of programs for possible scholarships opportunities and to bulk up their college transcripts in order to get into their preferred college of choice.

Here's the letter:

Imagine telling your grown kids, heck, your parents how to vote. I don’t know about you but it would go over like a lead balloon in many New Jersey households. I believe one of the basic tenets of the constitution is the right to make a free and unfettered choice on how to vote on Election Day. Chris Christie must have missed that day in civics class.

I would never have believed this headline if I had not read it for myself.

“Gov. Chris Christie urges voters to reject school districts' budgets without wage freezes for teachers” NJ.com

First of all, you have to wonder what the real reason is behind this declaration. Is it that Christie is nervous about the tax increases that have accompanied those proposed budgets? The ones that were caused by “The self-proclaimed “conservative” Republican is cutting suburban property tax relief by amounts unimaginable even under the liberal Democrat he defeated” to quote Paul Mulshine.

Those tax increases scare him and that does not even take into account what will happen the following school year when districts have no tax relief to offer their residents. He may be at war with the NJEA but his GOP legislators are the ones who have to hang their hats and their necks on the line for this budget, especially next year when they run for election. From what I hear the legislative kitchen is getting pretty hot these days.

Then you have to wonder why the Governor doesn’t lead by example. Let him take a pay cut and contribute 1.5% of his salary to his health insurance. Well he hasn’t even offered. Neither have all those legislators in Trenton who should know better.

They can’t even get the stories straight in Trenton, because today at a Senate budget hearing , Department of Education Commissioner Bret Schundler said he would not recommend voters reject those budgets when they go to the polls on April 20. Schools are dealing with a nearly $820 million cut in funding while facing increasing salary and benefits costs. He tried to reinterpret what the Governor said to make it sound more palatable. I’m sorry, I like many other voters choked on the Governor’s very clear words.

If you check out the latest Monmouth University/Gannett poll it makes it very clear.

The governor is more likely to be blamed by registered voters for impending teacher layoffs statewide than either the teachers unions or local school boards, according to the results of a Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll.

Fully 44 percent cite Christie as the party responsible for school districts reducing work forces in order to balance budgets for the next school year, while 28 percent blame the unions and 17 percent the school boards, according to poll results.

"It's Goliath versus Goliath," said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute in West Long Branch. "But the governor's bluster in taking on the teachers union has backfired."

It goes on to say,

When asked specifically about the governor’s proposed cuts in state aid to towns and school districts, more than half (52%) feel those cuts are unfair in comparison to cuts made in other areas of the budget. Only 28% say these cuts in local aid are fair.

“The local aid reduction, particularly to schools, was always going to be the flashpoint for criticism of the plan, and the governor’s clash with the NJEA only increased the heat. If part of his strategy was to win over public opinion, it hasn’t been an overwhelming success,” said Murray.

I don’t even need a poll to tell me that. I found some particularly enlightening words on Bluejersey.com.

I think it's fair to say the students are being held hostage in the disputes between the Governor, the school boards, and the unions. In that complex multi-sided hostage standoff, Christie just asked the bystanders to shoot the hostages. We already have voters who routinely reject school budgets because they resent paying taxes for the public school system that has been benefiting our society for generations. To recklessly ask them to reject budgets wholesale is in my opinion a shocking tactic, especially when rejecting a budget will not release school districts from the contract their leadership willingly signed. Rejecting the budget won't hurt most teachers directly.

I say let people judge each budget on its own merits. Let’s not let anyone dictate to us how we should vote. In Middletown, the budget has been cut by a staggering amount ($9,608,000) and is already putting 124 district personnel on the street in July. Those people and many others will be joining the ranks of the unemployed who will require unemployment benefits from our deleted funds. They may find more residents going into foreclosure and selling homes, dampening a poor housing market.

The one thing I can promise is that if budget are voted down your kids will be the ones that are hurt.

Just listen to some fellow residents posting on NJ.com

Posted by lakeline
April 12, 2010, 3:14PM
I'm not a teacher, but I have two kids in school and I wish the Governor would stop hurting their education. Since he has failed to sway the Teacher's Union himself, he's pushing us to do it for him. Every failed budget reduces a kids education in multiple ways. Sure, negotiate with your teachers for reasonable compromises, but Vote Yes for your budget. We don't all have the Governor's money to send our kids to Private School

Posted by netspider
April 12, 2010, 2:44PM
Gov. Christie you have crossed the line with this statement. Shame on You. How can you ethically make a comment on how anyone should vote.

Posted by kadtom
April 12, 2010, 2:31PM

Are you kidding Me? The governor is now trying to dictate what the public people should do?? I can't believe I voted for a dictator who's children don't even attend public schools? I moved to Chatham for the good schools. Good schools and location are why my property values are highly appraised. If I want to vote yes I will! Don't dictate to the people who elected you governor! You lost my vote, that’s for sure.

Site for Monmouth Poll: http://www.monmouth.edu/polling/admin/polls/MUP33_1.pdf

Joe Kyrillos "Not Smart Enough" To Figure it Out

During last week's Middletown Board Of Education public forum on how the Christie budget cuts will effect the upcoming school budget, Governor Christies' personal confidant, buddy and Middeltown resident NJ State Senator Joe Kyrillos, made a rather striking comment when answering a question.

" ...That's right, the kids are paying a price, the taxpayer is paying a price, society is paying the price...Now is the time for smart people to be really smart and creative as possible and i say that freely admitting that I am not sure I'm smart enough to figure out how to pull it all together..."

So Christie freely admitted during his campaign that he "doesn't do math" and now his good friend and confidant Middletown's very own Joe Kyrillos admits that he "isn't smart enough" to figure out how to deal with all the budget cuts the governor is proposing.

That's great... good job guys.

Listen here

Here's how the Asbury Park Press summed up the Middeltown forum last week.

And here's a personal shout out to Jason Springer over at Blue Jersey for picking up on this after I gave him the heads up yesterday.

Thanks Jason, you guys at Blue Jersey do a great job... keep up the good work!

Christie "Travel-Gate": Two New Videos Help Explain His Extravagant Tastes

As Blue Jersey so apply stated in an earlier post today, Chris Christie just may have "October Surprised" himself.

Christie's extravagant taste for sleeping in tax payer funded, luxury hotel rooms while he was US Attorney General instead of cheaper, more appropriate rooms while on business has captured the public's interest. What's more, Christie see nothing wrong with it and if elected he would loosen restrictions for those that he appoints to office.

Two videos out today from the Corzine campaign use news reports from NJ News 12 and WPIX 11 to bring futher light to Christie's travel arragments:

Pallone: Learning By Listening: An Epilogue

In a diary piece cross published on the Daily Kos and Blue Jersey, Congressman Frank Pallone talks about his expirences during his recent town hall meetings to discuss health care reform.

He states, among other things:

"...Families in New Jersey's 6th District and all across the United States need strong, decision action when it comes to health care reform.Behind the statistics are real stories. Right now, our health system is working against our families, not for us. When dealing with illness and at their most vulnerable, the last thing people need is an insurance company fighting tooth and nail about coverage they need and deserve...."

Healthcare: Change the Debate Support a Real Public Option

Hat tip goes to Blue Jersey for beating me to the posting of the following article I saw on the Daily Kos Thursday but didn't have time to post myself:

by Dennis Kucinich
Wed Jul 15, 2009 at 08:38:08 PM PDT

Dear Friends,

In mid-May, in an effort to reach consensus, President Obama secured a deal with the health insurance companies to trim 1.5% of their costs each year for ten years saving a total of $2 trillion dollars, which would be reprogrammed into healthcare. Just two days after the announcement at the White House the insurance companies reneged on the deal which was designed to protect and increase their revenue at least 35%

The insurance companies reneged on the deal because they refuse any restraint on increasing premiums, copays and deductibles - core to their profits. No wonder a recent USA Today poll found that only four percent of Americans trust insurance companies. This is within the margin of error, which means it is possible that NO ONE TRUSTS insurance companies.

Then why does Congress trust the insurance companies? Yesterday HR 3200 "America's Affordable Health Choices Act," a 1000 page bill was delivered to members. The title of the bill raises a question: "Affordable" for whom?.

Of $2.4 trillion spent annually for health care in America, fully $800 billion goes for the activities of the for-profit insurer-based system. This means one of every three health care dollars is siphoned off for corporate profits, stock options, executive salaries, advertising, marketing and the cost of paper work, (which can be anywhere between 15 - 35% in the private sector as compared to Medicare, the single payer plan which has only 3% administrative costs).

50 million Americans are uninsured and another 50 million are under insured while for-profit insurance companies divert precious health care dollars to non-health care purposes. Eliminate the for-profit health care system and its extraordinary overhead, put the money into healthcare and everyone will be covered, everyone will be able to afford health care.

Today three committees will begin marking up and amending HR3200. In this, one of the most momentous public policy debates in the past 70 years, single payer, the only viable "public option," the one that makes sound business sense, controls costs and covers everyone was taken off the table.

In contrast to HR3200 ... HR676 calls for a universal single-payer health care system in the United States, Medicare for All. It has over 85 co-sponsors in Congress with the support of millions of Americans and countless physicians and nurses. How does HR-676 control costs and cover everyone? It cuts out the for-profit middle men and delivers care directly to consumers and Medicare acts as the single payer of bills. It also recognizes that under the current system for-profit insurance companies make money NOT providing health care.

This week is the time to break the hold which the insurance companies have on our political process. Tell Congress to stand up to the insurance companies. Ask members to sign on to the only real public option, HR 676, a single-payer healthcare system.

Hundreds of local labor unions, thousands of physicians and millions of Americans are standing behind us. With a draft of HR3200 now circulating, It is up to each and every one of us to organize and rally for the cause of single-payer healthcare. Change the debate. Now is the time.

The time to act is now!

Sincerely Yours,

Dennis Kucinich
United States Congressman

Contact us at feedback@kucinich.us or visit us online at www.kucinich.us

Christie Logic on Energy: Support Obama, Blast Corzine

Yesterday, Chris Christie released his energy plan in which he praised the efforts of President Obama and the federal government but blasted Jon Corzine for not doing enough to lead and develop alternative energy solutions like wind and solar power.

The irony here is that much of the Obama administration's plans for renewable energy and job creation has come from the ideas of Jon Corzine and what he is doing in New Jersey.

Blue Jersey's Jason Springer even points out that two of Christie's campaign co- chairs, Leonard Lance and Frank LoBiondo, disagree with Christie's assessment of Corzine's energy efforts:

Leonard Lance-

"The fact of the matter is New Jersey and the Northeast are well ahead of the curve on many of the key elements of the legislation before the House.
"Here at home, the state of New Jersey is already subject to limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants under the ten-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. And our state renewable portfolio standard is more aggressive than the federal program contained in the bill.

"New Jersey serves as a national model for its investments in new, clean energy technologies that have reduced greenhouse gas emissions and created thousands of jobs. I heard from a number of New Jersey's leading businesses that firmly believe today's legislation would strengthen our state economy through innovative and sustainable job creation. It is time for other states to follow New Jersey's leadership and do their share to set limits on greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate development of low-carbon energy sources and green jobs."

Congressman Frank LoBiondo, who also recognizes New Jersey's role, under the leadership of Governor Corzine in leading the way:

"This is by no means a perfect bill but, for New Jersey businesses and families, many of the federal standards that will be created are mirroring state standards long on the books. For the past decade, New Jersey has been forward-looking in its energy policy and sought to establish diverse, renewable alternative sources of energy to meet the state's needs. From the development of biofuels based on crop waste and planning for additional nuclear reactors, to building small and large-scale wind farms and countless solar panel projects, individuals and municipalities recognized opportunities and took action.

"In the process, new local businesses were founded and jobs were created in the emerging 'green industry' here in New Jersey. What must happen next is the growth of domestic manufacturing of the materials needed for alternative energy production, such as solar cells, wind turbines and environmentally-friendly buildings. This legislation rightly focuses on growing that manufacturing base, creating green jobs and finally establishing our energy Independence. The positive effects will be felt nationally and here in South Jersey. These are objectives I have long believed and advocated for as part of a national energy policy."

So Mr. Christie, you can't play it from both ends. If you support the President's "American Clean Energy and Security Act" which calls for creating hundreds of thousands of new, high paying jobs through clean and renewable technologies, then how can you blast Governor Corzine for the exact same stance? Especially since Jon Corzine has been a leader on energy since taking office 3 years ago and the Obama plan is modeled on what New Jersey and Governor Corzine has been doing.

Frank Pallone testifies about Deferred Prosecution Agreements

Congressman Frank Pallone testified in front of the congressional panel investigating the allegations against Chris Christie's questionable use of deferred prosecution agreements while acting as U.S Attorney.

Thank you, Congressman Pallone

While surfing through Blue Jersey earlier today, I happened to come across a post written by a friend of mine, Vincent Solomeno.

Vincent has been a very active and successful Democrat in the bayshore for almost a decade. He got his start in 2000 when he managed his first successful Democratic campaign for Borough Council in Union Beach in over a decade. He then served as Executive Director of the Union Beach Democrats. Afterwards he moving to Hazlet to manage several campaigns, including Mayor Kevin Lavan and Committeeman Jim DiNardo's.

 Vincent penned the following piece in support of Congressman Frank Pallone's efforts to ensure that uninsured children have access to quality healthcare:

"The moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped."
- Vice President Hubert Humphrey

In Washington, Congressman Frank Pallone (NJ-6) is fighting for the progressive agenda. On Wednesday the House of Representatives approved, by a 289 to 139 margin, a record expansion of the State Childrens Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Capitol Hill watchers expect the bill to easily pass through the Senate and reach President-Elect Obama's desk within days of his inauguration. In addition to reauthorizing a program that presently covers seven million children, yesterday's expansion will provide four million more with access to basic medical care.

This victory has been long coming. Both Democrats and a minority of Republicans attempted in the previous Congress to pass similar legislation, only to have their work vetoed twice by a President more interested in providing corporate welfare than extending health care to the children of the poor.

New Jerseyans should take pride in the knowledge that Congressman Pallone has led the House's efforts toward passage of the expansion. As Chair of the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, he helped draft the legislation and went to the floor to shepherd it through to final approval. Pallone's work is consistent with his progressive principles and a reflection of his long held commitment to providing access to health care for all Americans.

The child health bill provides $32 billion to insure a total of 11 million children whose families lack the resources to pay for preventative and emergency care. Moreover, the legislation removes the discriminatory clause that excluded the children of legal immigrants - first generation Americans - from coverage.

With the economy entering recession, more than 2.6 million people lost their job last year alone - the highest one year loss since 1945. Experts estimate that for every 1 percent increase in the number of jobless, 1.5 million people lose health coverage. 47 million Americans are uninsured. Sadly, 9 million are children, and according to a recent report, 273,000 of them are from New Jersey.

Thanks in large measure to the work of Congressman Pallone, our country is one step closer to reducing that number. In doing so, we guarantee access to basic medical care for those who need it the most: our children.

Vincent Solomeno

  

Mallett Turns Monmouth Blue

Congratulations go out to Monmouth County Freeholder-Elect Amy Mallet, her drawn out victory over Republican John Curley has turned Monmouth County blue after 23 years of republican domination.

Reports of her triumph started to be reported around 6 pm last night, PolitickerNJ was the first to report followed by Save the Jersey Blog and Blue Jersey.

What does this mean to me? It means that Democrats will clean house down in Freehold and the last remnants of ol' Club Monmouth will be gone and I invision Barbara McMorrow being named as Director of the Freeholders come January.

Here is a little excerpt from what Bob Jorden of the Asbury Park Press has to say this morning:

"...The change in power means a handful of well-paying county government jobs will be up for grabs, as well as control over which firms land contracts and work assignments under the county's $470 million annual budget...."

Stay tuned in the coming days, I'm sure that there will be a lot of crying, as well as cheering being done all around Monmouth County.  

Veterans For America call for McCain to address the National Guard crisis in NJ

I was contacted today by Max Bernstein, who does blog outreach and press for the group Veterans for America. 

He wanted everyone to be aware that John McCain was in New Jersey today and that the Veterans for America want him to address the National Guard crisis here in NJ.

" Half of the NJ National Guard is deployed or is at Ft. Bliss in TX preparing to deploy, and the effects on first-responder capabilities, local communities, and Guard families that has resulted from the emergency conversion of these weekend warriors into frontline soldiers has been palpable. We hope you help call attention to this issue - thanks!"

Thank you Max for contacting the MiddletownMike blog about this issue, I will try and keep everyone updated on the work that the Veterans for America is doing.

Blue Jersey has a good post about this today titled John McCain is in New Jersey Today. Half of NJ's National Guard Isn't.

New Jersey: America's Best Place to Raise a Family

Blue Jersey's Jeff Gardner posted an interesting piece yesterday afternoon. It seems as though he stumbled upon a Forbes Magazine article that lists the top 20 counties in the Country to raise a family.

Three of  the 20 best counties  to raise a family are located right here in the Garden State;  Morris County at #6 leads the way, followed by Hunterdon at #7 and Somerset at #16.  

Click on the headline to see what Jeff has to say about New Jersey'e best places to raise a family