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.

Letter: Civil Rights Law Suit Filed In Keansburg Medical Marijuana case

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

Dear Editor,

Some of you may have heard about my federal civil rights law suit against the Keansburg Police Department and may have heard different things that are being said around the community. It is true that I am a Rastafarian medical marijuana patient who was illegally profiled and my rights were violated. Here is the Star Ledger article on the suit and a link to a copy of the full law suit:

• http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2014/11/rastafarian_college_sues_keansburg_police_claims_they_profiled_him_for_his_dreadlocks.html
• Copy of the law suit 

It is a shame that Gerald Massell continues to prosecute patients and this injustice furthers in the Keansburg municipal courts. I am deeply concerned about the constitutional rights being violated in this town and I can only hope that I can put an end to it.

While in Patrolman Rogan and Detective Lopez's custody, being threatened with gun violence and citing my dreadlocks and Colorado residence as reasons for harassment has left me deeply disturbed at the potential safety of my family, who still reside in Port Monmouth, Middletown Township.

Regarding New Jersey recognizing out of state cards, State vs. Forchion is a law suit dealing with out of state medical marijuana patient cards and is set to rule next year. Edward Forchion and his attorney John Saykanic are working on the appeal:

http://njweedman.com/challenge_brief_judgedelehey_ruling.pdf

I hope that medical, as well as religious users such as myself, can receive the same freedoms everyone else has. The Keansburg Police Street Crimes Unit must be disbanded.


Middletown, New Jersey
Boulder, Colorado

10 ways Chris Christie's White House ambition hurts Jersey

If you haven't read the front page of today's Newark Star-Ledger you should. Tom Moran, the Ledger's Editorial Board Editor has a good take on how Chris Christie has hurt New Jersey due to his personal ambitions for a much higher office. 

By Tom Moran/ Star-Ledger

Gov. Chris Christie last week rejected the notion that his ambitions for the White House are driving his behavior as governor.

"Regular people don’t see it that way," he told reporters. "You all have been asking me about running for president since 2010, so is every action I’ve taken since 2010 been through the prism of the presidency? I don’t think so and I don’t even think you all can make that argument."

Granted, no one can peer into the man’s heart. We’d need his diary to divine his true motives.
And no sane person would argue that Christie’s "every action" has been dictated by the need to seduce the Republican base. He did concede the science on climate change, a move that will alienate the flat-Earth crowd in the Republican base, no small loss. He appointed a Muslim judge and called conservative critics of the move "crazies."

Worst of all, he hugged that usurper, President Obama, in the heat of the 2012 presidential race.

But enough nuance. Time to accept the governor’s challenge and make the case that he’s running this state with one eye on the White House, that he is putting New Jersey second, behind GOP primary voters.

The list below offers 10 cases in point.

1. Birth control

In his first budget, Christie cut $7.4 million in funding for family planning, giving up a potential 9-1 match in federal dollars as well. The money was not used for abortions, but for birth control, cancer screenings and other services for low-income women without insurance.
Six Planned Parenthood clinics were forced to close as a result, and others cut back their hours.

Christie claimed his only motive was to save money. But giving up that 9-1 federal match is irrational budgeting. And this program was tiny, amounting to less than 0.03 percent of the state’s $31 billion budget.

Gov. Pinocchio had political motive for this one. Funding Planned Parenthood clinics would have been tough to justify on the trail.

2. Gun control

Christie vetoed four gun control bills, including one that would ban .50-caliber sniper rifles, and another this month that would limit ammunition magazines to 10 bullets.

On this issue, he is an incoherent mess. He proposed a ban on .50-caliber rifles himself last April, then vetoed the ban that reached his desk. And he’s offered no rational reason why New Jersey gun owners could possibly need more than 10 rounds in a magazine.

"The last thing he wants is the right mad at him for being a gun control advocate," said Julian Zelizer, a political science professor at Princeton University. "He’s now entering the Republican primaries as a fragile candidate. He can’t have any more enemies."

3. Climate change

Yes, the governor conceded the science. But he’s following the GOP playbook when it comes to policy.

He pulled New Jersey out of the regional agreement to reduce emissions from power plants. He diverted roughly $1 billion from the state’s Clean Energy Fund for unrelated purposes. He withdrew from a bipartisan lawsuit aimed at reducing emissions from Midwest coal plants. And in the Hurricane Sandy recovery, he has set requirements for building heights that are 1 foot lower than in surrounding states.

So if he gets grief for his rational talk about the science, he can defend himself by showing that his policies are perfectly aligned with the dictates of the Koch brothers, the billionaire kingmakers who earned their fortune on fossil fuels. Even the flat-Earth crowd in the party’s grass roots might forgive him when they take a second look.

4. The gas tax

The condition of New Jersey’s roadways ranks 46th in the nation, according to a study by Reason Foundation. Nearly 10 percent of our bridges are structurally deficient, and another 26 percent are functionally obsolete, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.
But the trust fund for transit projects is broke. Worse, Christie broke the piggy bank and spent nearly $3 billion that had been set aside for the Hudson River tunnel. And he’s borrowed billions more to squeak by, breaking a promise and adding to the state’s crushing debt load.
The math is unforgiving: We need to raise the state’s gas tax, the third lowest in the nation. Privately, most Republicans concede this.

But raising any tax could be toxic on the trail. So count this as another mess Christie is leaving behind to protect his presidential ambitions.

5. Bridgegate

Christie was not content to just win last year’s election. He wanted a gigantic victory with bipartisan support to show that he could win a national election. That’s why his staff was pressing Democratic mayors such as Fort Lee’s Mark Sokolich for endorsements, even when it was clear Christie was coasting to victory.

In the end, the governor won re-election in a 22-point landslide, and the story line seemed solid.

Bridgegate wrecked that. Aside from exposing the ugly underbelly of the Christie administration, it has been an expensive distraction for the state government. The governor’s whitewash by attorney Randy Mastro is expected to cost taxpayers at least $3 million. On top of that, taxpayers are paying the legal bills for most of the key players, and for the Democrats, which are unknown at this time.

Continue reading

Remembering D-Day: NJ veterans share their memories 70 years later

 A must watch on this 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion...

Eleven D-Day veterans who crossed the English Channel into history shared their memories of the Normandy invasion to mark the 70th anniversary of the Allied landings in June 6, 1944. The casualties were heavy -- more than 4,000 troops were killed -- but the battle helped set the stage for the liberation of France from German occupation. Less than a year after D-Day, Hitler was defeated. Still, the veterans are haunted by the memories of the bloodshed on the beaches and the men who never returned from Normandy. (Lisa Rose/The Star-Ledger)



Hattip to Mario DeStefano

NJ's 'secret' public records

For Immediate Release:

CHRISTIE ADMINISTRATION CLAIMS RECORDS OF PUBLIC RECORDS ARE SECRET

Is a government's record of how it keeps public records a public record?

Not in New Jersey, state officials claim. Especially if that record might prove embarrassing to the administration of Gov. Chris Christie.

The Treasury denied a New Jersey Watchdog reporter's request for details on how its payroll and pension databases are kept. The indexes, known as record layouts, would show whether the agency collects data that would enable it to easily track state employees who collect both salaries and pensions – a widespread practice in New Jersey known as "double-dipping."

The reporter filed a lawsuit against Treasury with Mercer County Superior Court in Trenton. A hearing date has yet to be scheduled.

The reporter requested the record layouts in July under the Open Public Records Act, which requires governmental agencies to respond within seven business days. Instead, Treasury took 64 business days to decide, including six extensions for extra time.

Then after nearly three months of delays, Treasury declared its records of records were "not government records" under state law, denying the request in its entirety. 

Two years ago, Treasury informed the State Legislature it had "no estimate" of the extent or cost of double-dipping. The lingering question is whether Christie's bean counters were lazy, less than forthcoming, politically motivated or all of the above.

The story is now online at http://newjersey.watchdog.org.  The direct link is http://newjersey.watchdog.org/2013/11/18/9451/.  

Well Said Mr. Braun, I'm Voting For Barbara Buono Too!

Yesterday on his blog, former Newark Star-Ledger columnist Bob Braun, who I must say is probably one of the best writers, if not the best writer in New Jersey, wrote a piece stating why he will be voting for Barbara Buono tomorrow.  His reasoning is sound, heartfelt and full of anguish and frustration at establishment Democrats that have stabbed her in the back and abandoned her campaign early on (and during) to unseat Chris Christie as Governor.  These cowardly Democrats,  who thought that they could possibly ride the coattails of Christie's coarse and crude arrogance to an easy reelection this year may instead my be victims of their idiocy. If Christie's coattails are long enough to carry anyone into office behind him, it will be his fellow Republicans that will be taking the ride, not Democratic incumbents. 

It's really a shame, Chris Christie's record is not stellar and leaves much to be desired. If these turncoats would have rallied around and behind Barbara Buono's campaign for Governor from the beginning, Christie wouldn't be sitting with a 20 point lead in the polls with his eyes looking toward 2016. Instead, he'd be on the verge of defeat and looking for a job.

For the same reasons that Bob Braun outline on his blog post (reprinted below) and a number of other reasons of my own, I'm not embarrassed at all  to say that I am voting for Barbara Buono tomorrow too! 

You know what, punk? I’m tired of you, too. I’m voting for Buono.

by Bob Braun

I am voting for Barbara Buono to take New Jersey back from the “bipartisan,” billionaire-funded coalition of bullies, punks and cowardly sycophants who are using the state as a testing ground for a future national assault on the welfare of the poor, working people, and the middle class. That makes voting for Buono Tuesday an essential act of patriotism.

I am voting for Barbara Buono because she acts with dignity and treats people with respect. Frankly, without those qualifications, I don’t care much about the rest. Despite the snarkiness of main stream media and stand-up comics—including those holding public office—I am tired of depictions of Jersey residents as crude, coarse, and stupid—depictions confirmed by a governor who is crude, coarse, and stupid. Or thinks he can gain votes and national attention by acting that way.

I am voting for Barbara Buono because she acted with courage and poise when other Democrats either ran from the Bully-in-Chief out of fear or sucked up to him for what they could gain. She was repeatedly stabbed in the back by party colleagues who care more about their own insignificant futures—where do you think you are going in Christieland, Joe D?—than they do about the future of the state and the nation. I am tired of Democrats who behave like obsequious little fawns whenever the Big Boy is in town.

I am voting for Barbara Buono because she respects those who believe in the life of the mind. Every governor in the past—Republican and Democrat—has supported the efforts of public school teachers to educate our children. But, now, teachers have been bullied, verbally abused, mocked and ridiculed by a man who is a poster boy for how not to behave. Buono sponsored New Jersey’s anti-bullying law—and, now, for all of us, she is the anti-bully.

Cause I gotta tell you–you know what, punk? I’m tired of you, too.

I am voting for Barbara Buono because, if she is governor, collective bargaining will continue to be the way in which disputes are resolved. Because, if she is governor, millions of dollars won’t be spent on religious voucher schools. Because, if she is governor, the headlong rush into charter schools will be stopped so that our neediest children are not warehoused and segregated in the least-supported schools.

I am voting for Barbara Buono because the residents of New Jersey need an independent state supreme court. Have you forgotten Christie removed the only African-American from the court? Have you forgotten he has promised to shape the court in his own image as if he were some sort of Old Testament godhead whose wisdom surpasses those of all others?

I am voting for Barbara Buono because she supports what I—and most Democrats– believe in:

Support for public schools. Fair housing policies that will begin to end the disgrace of racial isolation and segregation throughout New Jersey. A minimum wage. Fair taxes that lower the property tax burden and increase taxes for millionaires. Independence and academic integrity for Rutgers University. Good health care. Pre-school. Women’s rights. Human rights. Strong unions to protect wage earners against the depredations of corporations that already have extraordinary protections. Concern for the environment.

I am voting for Barbara Buono because I know she wants to be governor and only governor. She is not using this position to become president. I fear for my country to think Chris Christie will be catapulted to national prominence by the results Tuesday. I genuinely believe he will use the instruments of government—as he did when he was US Attorney—to move against his political enemies. The Koch brothers want to change our country in frightening ways and, as David Koch said, “Chris Christie is our kind of guy.”

I am voting for Barbara Buono.

A Christie Editorial Analysis: A factual review of the Christie term

By Brian Froelich
Monmouth County Freeholder Candidate


The Asbury Park Press editorial opinion endorsing Christie was disappointing as well as inaccurate. The Press then went on to endorse practically all of the Republican Legislative candidates based on the candidates support of the Christie agenda. So the Press editorial deserves a full response.

The Press’s basic (but factually unsupported) opinion is that Christie’s programs to turn the state around, to contain government spending (at all levels of government), to bringing public employee salaries and benefits under control, and to make New Jersey attractive to businesses again have been largely successful. Yet this assessment seems later contradicted when, in discussing Buono, the Press defines New Jersey’s pressing current problems as property taxes, jobs and a lethargic economy.

Even the Star Ledger, which endorsed Christie while (at least figuratively) holding its nose, admitted that his achievements are “only modest” at best and miserable when compared to his “measurable failures”. They called some of his agenda a “catastrophe” and his budget claims “fraudulent”. They found his ego entertaining but damaging. In sum they considered him “overrated”. In the end they perversely, but not without reason, blamed limited Democratic Party support for Buono for their Christie vote.

Bob Braun, one of the most respected reporters and opinion writers in New Jersey, wrote a scathing analysis of his former employer’s opinion supporting Christie.

So let’s look at the facts.

First, nobody in their right mind would think that this state is turning around! Our unemployment remains regionally high and our employment growth anemic. High paying jobs in key industries (like pharmaceuticals, high tech, etc) are leaving and being replaced by low wage service jobs. Foreclosures in New Jersey are some of the highest in the nation. The office vacancy rate in Monmouth County, for example, is over 30%. One large high tech building, that alone represents 2 million square feet, has stood vacant for years. And Christie’s billion dollar subsidies to attract business have been largely fruitless. Whatever “clear signal to the business community that it is welcome in New Jersey” that the Press believes Christie has sent has clearly not been received.

From a finance point of view the results are similarly poor. Our bonds, already lowly rated, have been downgraded again. One study called Christie’s budgets “structurally unsound”. And a recent New York Times article detailed and criticized his budget “gimmicks”. Even the Wall Street Journal is not impressed with his financial antics. In 2012 they wrote; “The proposed use of dedicated revenues—a form of revenue often called a one-shot—has increased threefold since Mr. Christie's first budget in 2010, and is nearly seven times as much as he put in last year's spending plan”.

In short there is not a scintilla of evidence that anything that Christie has done is having a positive economic effect. And he has bet the ranch, so to speak, that online gaming will bail him and us out of this hole in the future.

Regarding specific projects, his gamble to support the gaming industry in Atlantic City (e.g. Revel) and the failed Meadowlands Shopping Mall crapped out. And Christie passed on the one project that would dramatically improve the regional economy in both the long and short term. The Hudson Tunnel would have created an economic asset with a hundred year lifespan and doubled river crossing rush hour capacity. It would have created thousands of short and long term jobs, raised home values and tax revenues, and brought a regional economic boom. But he wouldn’t bring his Press praised negotiating skills to get it done. His mishandling of the faulty $400 million federal education application was clearly inept.

The Press listed the merger of UNDMJ and Rutgers as a specific accomplishment. It is an incredibly bad idea that only a politician, but no reasonable business person, would endorse. UMDNJ is a financial and managerial disaster. Combining it with an already large complicated (and even challenged) institution before it is running smoothly is a clear error. I am a strong supporter of Rutgers President Barchi. But a merger at this point is expensive and puts both institutions at unnecessary risk.

And Christie has really done nothing to contain spending at any level of government. His state budget is back to Corzine levels largely as a result of raising pension fund payments back to the more responsible Corzine level. His 2% local spending cap scam has more holes than Swiss cheese. His cuts to education, town aid, and property tax rebates just made it more difficult for towns and middle income home owners. The best evidence of his present failure is that NJ debt, tolls, transit fares, electricity bills, tuitions, and property taxes (by 20%!) have all gone up while home values and ratables have gone down. His overly aggressive revenue projections have forced him to defer payments to future years increasing future budget pressures.

Public employee salaries and benefits are clearly an issue that needs more attention. But most towns and Boards of Education have been tackling this problem on their own out of sheer necessity and local pressure. And both Democrats and Republicans (and even unions!) at the state and local levels have been successfully making progress on this problem.

Even with some issues during and after, by most reasonable judgments Christie did his job during the Sandy Storm. The Press credits his popularity to this effort. But only since Katrina has simply doing your job during natural disasters been considered a high standard.

Finally, and even after labeling it disrespectful, the Press was especially supportive of Christie’s “style that has resonated… with a majority of New Jersey residents”. While that may be true it will still be considered unfortunate by many that the Press confused talking tough with talking straight and bullying with statesmanship.


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This post is from Brian Froelich's blog located on Howell Patch

Star Ledger Editorial: Our thin-skinned governor

Evidently the big guy can dish it out but he's a little sensitive when it comes to himself. The below editorial appeared today in The Star-Ledger and hits the nail on the head when it comes to Christie's hypocritical and contrived outrage over a comment made by his Democratic rival, Barbara Buono that he insists was targeted towards his girth :

In a daring political stroke, Gov. Chris Christie is making a strategic pitch to capture the obese vote in New Jersey.

The strategy is designed to make fat people mad at state Sen. Barbara Buono by claiming that she poked fun at the governor’s weight.

“For me and for other folks across New Jersey – many folks – who are challenged by their weight, the fact that someone running for governor would make derisive comments about someone’s physical appearance is really beneath the office she is seeking. I’m disappointed that she’s done it.”

The catch is this: Buono (D-Middlesex) did no such thing. This is a fake tantrum, a ploy that is so cynical you almost have to admire it. 

The offending comment came during a Buono speech when she criticized the governor for making himself the star of a $25 million ad campaign that is supposed to encourage visits to the Shore. 

Buono criticized his shameless self-promotion with Sandy relief money; not his weight.
Here’s what she said: “I don’t know about you, but seeing Chris Christie frolicking on the beach is not going to drive me to go to the Shore.”

That’s it. You may have expected a reference to the governor’s weight, to his Lap-Band surgery, or to the jelly doughnuts he wolfed down with David Letterman. 

Buono, unlike Letterman, has never criticized the governor over his weight. She was objecting to his shameless self-promotion in the TV campaign, and the fact that the governor’s team agreed to pay $2 million extra for a campaign that ensured the governor would personally appear in the advertisements. 

That kind of self-promotion by a governor is illegal in some states, including New York. And remember, to pay for it the governor dipped into a pot of money earmarked for Sandy victims, many of whom remain in desperate shape.

It was special to hear the governor say that Buono’s comments are “beneath the office she is seeking.” This is a guy who loves to roll in the mud, who calls his critics numbnuts, liars and idiots. 

Who knew he could be so thin-skinned himself?

Video: Gov. Christie says, 'we know what' Buono meant by beach 'frolicking' comment New Jersey Gov. Christie was asked for a second day in a row about comments made by his November election opponent, Democratic state Sen. Barbara Buono that he interpreted as being a joke about his weight. Buono says her comment were simply a criticism of his appearance in the 'Stronger than the Storm' television commercials aimed at attracting business to the Hurricane Sandy ravaged Jersey Shore.

 Here's what Baraba Buono actually said:

 

The Star Ledger: "Gov. Chris Christie's illusion of bipartisanship"

In case you missed it, this Star-Ledger column highlighting the wide gulf between Governor Chris Christie's image as a bipartisan figure and the reality of his radical right-wing record. It's hard not to agree with the conclusion: "It is time we evaluate politicians for their merits and records, not on the illusion of bipartisanship through photo optics and headlines."


The Star-Ledger:

By Robert Weiner and Nakia Gladden

Everyone wants the Jersey Shore to succeed after Hurricane Sandy’s devastation.

Gov. Chris Christie has worked in a bipartisan manner on this issue to benefit the state — and continues to do so, as President Obama’s visit May 28 showed. Almost alone among Republicans, Christie chastised his own party and House Speaker John Boehner for delaying the vote for Sandy relief, saying, “Shame on Congress.”

The media have fixated on painting Christie as a bipartisan politician. While he has been rightly bipartisan concerning Sandy relief and recovery — which could help him in a presidential race — his overall record is staunchly conservative.

Now, after the death of New Jersey Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg, the governor eulogized that the two had “battles over philosophy and the role of government.” Christie had earlier called Lautenberg “an embarrassment” and “a partisan hack.” To choose a temporary successor, Christie said, “I do have a preference of one party.”

Yesterday, he named state Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa, a Republican.

From the moment Christie began his term, he embarked upon a deliberate war against labor unions. In 2011, he signed legislation that increased obligations by teachers, police and other public workers for pensions and health care while removing their ability to collectively bargain.

He appeared on television bragging that his state leads the nation in public layoffs because “government was bloated at every level. … In New Jersey, we’re not trying to break the unions; the unions are trying to break the middle class.” In other words, he was trying to break the unions.

Christie’s budgets cut social and economic programs. He included $500 million in cuts to education that the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional.

“The harm being visited is not some minor infringement of the constitutional right but a real, substantial, and consequential blow to the achievement of a thorough and efficient system of education” in the state’s 31 poorest school systems, wrote Justice Jaynee LaVecchia, a Republican appointee, in the majority decision.

Christie’s budget also eliminated after-school education for more than 15,000 low-income children and cut $21 million in elderly health services.

Between June 2010 and June 2011, six family planning clinics were closed due to budget cuts from the governor. Women around Burlington, Camden, Cherry Hill, Millville, Bayonne and Dover relied on these clinics. He vetoed four bills that would have expanded family planning. He also vetoed equal-pay legislation, saying it was “senseless bureaucracy,” and opposed legislation that would eliminate gender wage discrimination in public contracts.

Using the word bipartisan to describe Christie is highly misleading with his work with the Legislature. He vetoed more than 150 bills passed by his Democratic-led Legislature.

His vetoes blocked bills to allow marriage equality, raise the minimum wage and increase taxes on those making more than $1 million a year. He also twice vetoed a bill to make financing easier for consumers to rent or buy foreclosed properties as affordable housing.

The governor is also a part of the Republican team attempting to suppress the vote nationwide by minorities, youth and seniors (i.e. mostly Democrats), having vetoed a bill last month to allow early voting.

But make no mistake, Christie is very politically savvy. He recently announced his support for the Medicaid portion of the president’s health care law — a switch from his previous opposition — stating that Obamacare would be good for New Jersey because it will stabilize hospitals, benefit low-income families and save New Jersey $227 million in the first year.

The fact of the matter is Christie is up for re-election in a predominantly Democratic state. This move is a political necessity. It could pose a problem, however, in a national election in 2016. He will have to twist into as many pretzels as Mitt Romney did over the health issue in 2012.

It is clear that the media will try to push the narrative of Christie’s bipartisanship. According to the National Journal on May 28, Christie is conducting “winning politics.” However, his record tells a far different story. It is time we evaluate politicians for their merits and records, not on the illusion of bipartisanship through photo optics and headlines.

******************
Robert Weiner, a Paterson native, is a former spokesman for the Clinton White House and U.S. House Government Operations Committee. Nakia Gladden is policy and research analyst at Robert Weiner Associates.

For Middletown, Costs Of Using No-Bid AshBritt Contact Could Be Costly

On Friday of last week the Newark Star-Ledger ran the story "FEMA warned Christie administration that AshBritt contract could jeopardize federal funding". The article stated that a letter was send to Governor Christie in February, by U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg, advising him that FEMA officials had contacted his office to advise, that due to the Governor's use of a "piggybacked" no-bid contract to hire AshBritt Inc. for debris removal after Hurricane Sandy, the State and therefore local municipalities, were in jeopardy of losing federal reimbursement funds due to the fact that AshBritt may have overcharged for there services. FEMA found that towns that did not use Ashbritt for their clean-up needs, struck better deals with local debris removal firms than if the would have used Ashbritt, thus saving US taxpayer money.

For people living in the communities affected by Hurricane Sandy, like Middletown, this could be huge problem if they "piggybacked" onto the State's deal to used Ashbritt for their clean-up needs after the storm.

Many of these towns are expecting to be reimbursed up to 75% of the cost for debris removal  and are planning this year's budgets around this figure. Middletown for example just introduced its budget and is expecting to be reimbursed upwards of $3 million over the next couple of years from FEMA for storm related clean-up costs.

We are learning now however, that Middletown and other towns may not see reimbursements upwards of 75%, it could be far less, which in turn would wreak havoc with tax levys sometime this year and later down the road.

In praise of those life-saving libraries

There's an interesting editorial piece today appearing in the Newark Star-Ledger pertaining to the importance of our public libraries. The piece was written by Brian Regal, a professor at Kean University.

 As an anonymous commenter so eloquently stated on the previous post;  "This should be read by every member of Middletown's Library Board of Trustees and especially by the Middletown Township Committee members..., Library service in Middletown is one of the most important functions of public service to this community. Education is a primary concern for a progressive society. An excellent library system is a primary ingredient to meet the public's need. We had that requirement until politics as usual is endeavoring to destroy our library. The politicians appear as a self serving bunch of incompetent individuals who put political priorities above the educational needs of the community the Middletown Public Library System serves." . 

I happen to agree.

 If you also agree, read the editorial written by Mr. Regal below, then sign the petition to save the Navesink branch of Middletown's public library:

"The mayor of Plainfield wants to cut the city’s public library funding by half, and that city is not alone. Never mind the lost jobs. There is a larger issue here. There is a growing perception in some quarters that, in the internet age, libraries and books are useless dinosaurs from the dusty past. This is a terrible attitude and a lie.

A community that gives up on its libraries has given up on its prosperity. It has written off all but its wealthiest citizens and made knowledge acquisition — one of the bedrocks of a free society — seem a pointless exercise.

Rather than fiscal prudence, cutting or eliminating libraries shows economic and cultural shortsightedness along with an abandonment of values and the concept of the public good: something for which elected officials are supposed to fight. Public libraries are one of the most cost-effective means of producing intelligent, literate and successful citizens. They also help reduce crime, gang activity and drug use by the young. I know this from personal experience...."  

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Mulshine Is Correct; Where's The "Pork" In The Hurricane Sandy Relief Bill ?

I may not always agree with his opinions but Paul Mulshine of the Star-Ledger, is spot on with this commentary. He sets FOX News and others straight on "all that pork" which is allegedly contained in the Hurricane Sandy relief bill.

There was only one item of unrelated "pork" in the original relief bill, which was taken out before Congress adjourned last week without voting on the on it. The rest of the spending to fix storm damaged federal buildings and replace vehicle are all legitimate storm related items and were rightfully included in the bill:

"A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can put its shoes on." Mark Twain said that more than a century before the internet era. Nowadays, the lies can circle the globe before the truth even puts on its socks.

The lie of which I speak is the assertion that the Hurricane Sandy aid package now before Congress is filled with billions of dollars for projects unrelated to the storm.

This is nonsense. Thanks to the internet, anyone can find the original $60 billion aid package online. Poring through its 73 pages shows line item after line item directly related to Sandy. The one big unrelated item, $150 million for Alaskan fisheries, was taken out of the package before the House adjourned last week without voting on it.

As for the rest of the package, a good example is the proposed federal spending to repair hurricane damage to federal buildings and vehicles. The critics call that pork. But unless Santa Claus or the tooth fairy pays to fix that damage, the federal government’s stuck with the tab.

That is typical of the nonsense you can find on the net about the aid package. Tracking it to its roots is like watching "telephone" — the children’s game in which a whispered comment is passed around a circle of people, emerging at the end as something totally different.

In this case, the children began with a piece on the Heritage Foundation website by Matt Mayer. In the piece, Mayer questions the voting procedure for the bill more than the spending itself. When it comes to spending to mitigate the risk from future storms, for example, Mayer writes, "If the Obama Administration believes that these future projects should be funded, it should place those funding requests in the upcoming budget."

That’s a point on which reasonable people can disagree. But as for the actual expenditures cited by Mayer, they are similar to those Congress enacted 11 days after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005. Mayer calls for some reforms for aid in future storms. But that’s to be decided in the future.

As that Heritage report worked its way through the internet, however, commenters kept citing it as evidence of ever-more-extreme examples of out-of-control spending. By the time the telephone was handed to Fox News, the talking heads were reporting that a third of the money would be spent on non-hurricane-related pork — something Mayer never stated....

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Best High Schools In NJ; Middletown HSS and Middletown HSN Lagging Behind

I don't know how many people last weekend saw this but the Star Ledger Magazine, Inside Jersey, published an interesting article about the "Best High Schools In New Jersey" and ranked them based on test scores, zip codes and medium home values or what is called a District Factor Group (DFG), the exceptions of course being the various vocational schools around the state such as High Technology High School, located in Brookdale Community College; Biotechnology High School in Freehold; Communications High School in Wall; Academy of Allied Health and Science in Neptune; and Marine Academy Science and Technology housed at Fort Hancock Historic District on Sandy Hook, which ranked much higher than all the classic public high schools in the state.

Within its DFG, Middletown South was #19 and Middletown North was #50 and were out performed by the several schools that make up the Freehold regional system, Edison's J.P Stevens High School as well as Camden's Eastern High.

Of the 26 public high schools in Monmouth County, Middletown HSS is 6th best behind  Rumson-Fair Haven, Holmdel, Marlboro, Colts Neck, and Manasquan. 

Middletown HSN trail behind at 14th with the likes of Manalapan,Wall and Red Bank Regional in front of it.

The big divide between our two high schools raises a few questions, especially the efficiency of our Board of Education. The socio-economic divide from east to west in Middletown can't be that great to justify a 31 placement difference within the DFG. It definitely lends to the argument that many residents have about our schools being separate and unequal.

I hope that our Superintendent of Schools, Bill George and our BOE, take this survey as a wake-up call and seriously consider what can be done to bring our two high schools closer together in performance.

Facts Show Tough Week For Governor Christie

For Immediate Release: 
Friday, May 18th, 2012
 

Christie Clearly Cares More About YouTube Hits Than the Negative Numbers Plaguing New Jersey

(NEW JERSEY) – Several clear-cut facts and statistics released this week prove that the reality in New Jersey fails to match Governor Chris Christie's rosy rhetoric. At best, Christie's "Jersey Comeback" is delusional… at worst, it is an outright fib.

Governor Christie runs a remarkable public relations machine and does a tremendous job bending the narrative in his favor, while covering up bad news. So it's no wonder the only numbers that Christie and his press secretary keep talking about this week are the number of YouTube hits for his adorable, humorous video clip co-starring Mayor Cory Booker. Christie should spend less time troll-tweeting Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Jerry Seinfeld and Tim Tebow links to his video in a bid for attention and more time getting to the bottom of why New Jersey is limping backwards under his watch.

Numbers don't lie. And here are several numbers that came to light this week alone:

• 230 - On Tuesday, a Department of Treasury report warned that tax collections are falling $230 million short of original budget projections in New Jersey.
• 121 - Yesterday, the Office of Legislative Services warned the state is facing an additional $121 million revenue shortfall in terms of energy tax receipts.
• 351 - When the numbers are crunched, New Jersey is looking at a combined $351 million miss of revenue projections for the year… yet Christie stubbornly continues to push an income tax cut that overwhelmingly benefits the super-wealthy, rather than more equitable property tax cuts that help middle-class families.
• 9.1 - Yesterday, the state Labor Department released April numbers showing that New Jersey's unemployment rose to 9.1% - a full percentage point higher than the national rate of 8.1%.
• 8.4 - Yesterday, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported that New Jersey now has the 2nd highest percentage of mortgage loans in foreclosure in the nation. This number continues to spike as rates nationally have fallen to the lowest levels since 2008.
• 54 – Yesterday, the Star Ledger reported that - over the past 8 months alone - Christie has taken 54 out-of-state trips (not even including trips to New York, Philadelphia or the Super Bowl). Ranging from last month's Wisconsin fundraising jaunt in support of union-busting Governor Scott Walker, to this month's Washington D.C. banquet with the right-wing Cato Institute, to last year's secret confab in Colorado with the Koch Brothers, Governor Christie has been more focused on burnishing his right-wing credentials and auditioning for Mitt Romney than he is on New Jersey. (This weekend, Christie will take his 55th trip when he heads to Lexington to headline a fundraising dinner for the Republican Party of Kentucky).

This week's numbers show unemployment and foreclosures going up and tax revenues going down. With depressing trends like this, the biggest question is now wondering which Christie staffer will be tasked to sheepishly take down the gigantic "Jersey Comeback" banner from Christie's taxpayer-funded political rallies.

* * * *

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 https://twitter.com/#!/OneNJ or search for “One New Jersey” on Facebook.

Star Ledger's Truth-o-Meter Says GOP Attack Ad Against Gopal In Assembly District 11 Race = Pants On Fire !

The Star Ledger broke out the Politifacts Truth-o-Meter and has chimed in on the controversial GOP attack ad against 11th District Assembly candidate Vin Gopal.

Politifacts has determined that the attack ad sent to thousands of residents in the the 11th district is a clear case of Pants-on-Fire deceit and called this dirty tactic to discredit their opponent "utter filth"

Here is what they had to say:


Dirty politics is nothing new in the art of campaigning, especially in the final days running up to an election.

But sometimes, those dirty tactics reach the point of utter filth.

Take the case of an attack ad by the New Jersey Republican State Committee against 11th District Assembly candidate Vin Gopal. Democrats Gopal and Kathleen Horgan are challenging Republican incumbents Caroline Casagrande and Mary Pat Angelini for the seats to represent parts of Monmouth County.

"Corrupt Political Bosses. Money Laundering. Fraud. It’s Just Another Day At The Office For Vin Gopal," reads a campaign mailer circulating in the district.

The ad shows a $100 bill hanging from a clothesline and features Star-Ledger headlines from articles about former Assemblyman Joseph Vas, who was sentenced to 6 ½ years in prison for stealing affordable housing funds when he was Perth Amboy’s mayor and for committing federal election fraud. From February to June 2006 -- when he was a 20-year-old political science student -- Gopal was a campaign manager for Vas during his primary campaign for congress. The ad also shows a washing machine with money inside and a statement below it that reads "To you, this might look like someone illegally laundering money … To Vin Gopal, it looks like Pay Day!"

The ad seems to imply that Gopal had a connection to Vas and his criminal activities, but does not accuse Gopal of any criminal act.

PolitiFact New Jersey found that readers of the ad could infer improprieties by Gopal, but there’s no proof that he did anything wrong.

One of the article headlines shown in the ad reads "Aide to former Perth Amboy Mayor Joseph Vas pleads guilty to money laundering."

Gopal, a Long Branch resident and business owner, said what bothers him most about the ad "is the implying and lying that I was that aide."

We pulled the Star-Ledger article and found that the aide in question was Raymond Geneske, who was a campaign adviser to Vas. Geneske was sentenced in January to two years of probation and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine for participating in a scheme to funnel contributions to Vas’s congressional campaign. Gopal, who told us that he was never contacted by any law enforcement agency or official about Vas, is not mentioned in the article.

We checked further by running Gopal’s name through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records database covering federal courts and bankruptcies and found that he was never charged with a crime. The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office said it had never heard of Gopal and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office confirmed that Gopal had no connection to the Vas case.

"The (Republican) State Committee is not suggesting Mr. Gopal committed a crime," Communications Director Rick Gorka said in an email. "Rather, it is suggesting that he had a front row seat for the corruption that plagues New Jersey's political process. The fact is, Mr. Gopal, a career political operative, was the campaign manager of Vas for Congress, a campaign of a sitting State Legislator who was at the center of federal and state corruption investigations and charges. He was paid from Joe Vas’s campaign account.

"Indeed, as the campaign manager he was presumably responsible for expenditures from that account," Gorka continued. "If he didn't know where the money was coming from, he should have. In the past he has been proud of his association with that campaign, touting it in his bio when he was deputy campaign manager for the short-live Kucinich for President Campaign. Now he's seeking to run away from it. The State Committee thinks the voters have a right to know about Vin Gopal's connections to those sordid events."

A "career political operative?"

Gopal, 26, became involved with the Vas campaign when he was a 20-year-old student at Pennsylvania State University majoring in political science and wanted to work on a campaign for class credit and to gain experience in politics. Gopal told us he applied to 20 campaigns and eventually went to work as a campaign manager for the Vas campaign. He had also worked on other campaigns. Vlad Gutman, campaign manager for the District 11 Democrats, said that although Gopal had the title of campaign manager with Vas, he managed no personnel and "was the most junior position" on staff.

"I would talk to the press briefly about events he (Vas) would do in a day, set up phones, work with volunteers, handle scheduling," Gopal said of his responsibilities. "I never had anything to do with money, never saw money, never was at any fundraisers."

Gopal said he learned about the case against Vas when he saw a newspaper article about it two years after leaving the campaign, and attributes the current spate of attack ads to what he called "desperation."

"The things they’re doing are borderline slanderous," Gopal said. "It’s unethical. They’re lying and misleading the public in every way possible to hide their failed actions in this district."

Our ruling

The Republican state committee distributed an ad in the 11th Assembly District that links Gopal to Vas, a disgraced politician convicted of election fraud and other offenses. Gopal worked four months on Vas’ unsuccessful congressional campaign. Gopal dealt with scheduling, phone banks, volunteers and occasional media queries. Given that law enforcement and a public database all confirm that Gopal had no connection of any kind to the Vas criminal case, the implications made by the ad aren’t just ridiculous, they’re also outrageous. Some laundering is definitely needed because this claim is Pants on Fire!

On income taxes and job creation, history debunks GOP views

By Star-Ledger Editorial Board
Sunday, July 17, 2011

We’re used to politicians stretching the truth, but this is getting ridiculous. For months now, congressional Republicans have refused to support any debt ceiling and budget deal that would raise taxes on the wealthy because, these economic wizards tell us, the rich are “job creators.”

Tax increases would discourage these job genies from expanding their businesses. Unemployment, already at 9.2 percent (which says something about the job-creation myth, doesn’t it?), would get even worse, they insist. The problem with this economic philosophy? It’s garbage.

Even Warren Buffett, one of the richest men in the world, knows that: “The rich are always going to say, ‘Just give us more money and we’ll go out and spend more and then it will all trickle down to the rest of you.’ But that has not worked the last 10 years, and I hope the American public is catching on.”

The American public, it seems, is catching on, even if Republicans want to twist the truth about that, too. Speaker of the House John Boehner keeps insisting, “The American people don’t want us to raise taxes.” House Majority Leader Eric Cantor says, “This economy is ailing and we don’t believe, nor do the American people believe, raising taxes is the answer.”

Think again. Americans believe Congress should raise taxes on the wealthy.

A new Quinnipiac survey asked voters if they support a budget deal with only budget cuts or a blend of cuts and taxes on corporations and the rich. Only 25 percent said cuts only. Sixty-seven percent want cuts and a tax increase on the wealthy.

Republican leaders are not only misrepresenting what the American people want, they’re covering up Republican numbers, too. In a recent Gallup poll, only 26 percent of Republicans favored lowering the debt with cuts alone. In just about every poll — ABC News, Washington Post, Bloomberg, Reuters — Americans want spending cuts and they want the wealthy to pay a larger share.

But maybe the American people are wrong. Let’s check the history. Did giving the wealthy a break with the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 help create jobs? Uh, no. From the end of the 2000-01 recession, just when the first Bush tax cuts took effect, until the beginning of the Great Recession, the economy grew at a slower pace than in any postrecession recovery period since World War II. Pay, adjusted for inflation, fell. And it took 39 months to get the number of jobs back to where it was before the 2000-01 recession.

Despite the same promises of jobs, the economy limped along. And the additional tax cut in 2003 didn’t rev it up, either.

President Bill Clinton faced vociferous opposition to his 1993 budget plan, which raised the top tax rates from 31 percent to 39.6 percent. Republicans called it the “Kevorkian Plan.”

So, what happened? Unparalleled economic growth. The nation’s unemployment dropped from 6.9 percent to 4 percent. The deficit shrank, and in 1998, the federal government boasted a surplus for the first time since 1969.

It seems the economy can survive a tax hike on the wealthy after all. And the tax hike did wonders to reduce the deficit as well, as designed.

More evidence: During the 1950s and early 1960s, when America experienced sustained growth, marginal tax rates on the rich were the highest they’ve ever been — 91 percent for the top bracket. (Even President Ronald Reagan, the Republican economic poster boy, raised taxes after he cut them.)

But Republicans keep chanting the same nonsense — without offering historical evidence to back it up. Instead, they want to bring the nation to the brink of default while protecting corporations (who are sitting on billions in profits) and fat cats — while everyday Americans are squeezed by high gas and food prices, plunging home prices and lower wages.

Let’s call the job-creator stuff what it is: a myth.

George Norcross tales dubbed "bogeyman" bunk are rooted in reality

Good video for your watching from the Star Ledger's Brian Donohue, it leaves you scratching your head afterwards:

Ledger Live for June 25, 2011 -

Ledger Live with Brian Donohue. On todayapos;s show, Brian Donohue examines how the battle over the pension and benefits reform bill passed by the New Jersey legislature raised questions about the influence of South Jersey Democratic leader George Norcross. Assertions by Norcross ally Sen. Steve Sweeney that Norcross plays little role in the legislative process contrast sharply with Norcrossapos; own words, as captured in 2001 recordings made as part of a state attorney generalapos;s office investigation.

Sticks and Stones....

The Star-Ledger's Drew Sheneman nailed today's editorial cartoon. Very funny and i'm sure many other thought the same.

I'll give the Governor some credit, when he calls people names he does it like an adult. I thought it took a great deal of restraint to refer to the NJEA as 'political thugs' instead of 'stinky doody heads.'

All hail Christie: Governor’s bigger-than-life persona has national media starry-eyed — and missing some facts

It seems that the tarnish is finally starting to show on Chris Christie's armour. As the national news media is swooning over Christie and very often refuse to fact check much of which he says, others are beginning to wake up and look at the facts as they are. Often times the facts tell a far different story than the one being told by Christie and his cronies.

This third editorial written by the Star-Ledger's Kevin Manahan, talks about this very subject and alls out 60 Minutes, Face The Nation, MSNBC "Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough and others for asking softball questions without tough follow-up question of the Governor and falling for his tough guy, honest answer, Youtube persona. Which many New Jerseyians know is an act that is wearing thin based on polling numbers that have him less popular at home than he is away from it:

As the segment on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" opens, co-host Joe Scarborough applauds his in-studio guest, Gov. Chris Christie, while stumbling over the words of a song playing in the background — "My Hero" by Foo Fighters:

There goes my hero
Watch him as he goes
There goes my hero ...

A day after introducing his $29.4 billion budget, Christie is performing on the Cheerios circuit, and it's clear from the start this is going to be another 10-minute neck rub for the Republican superstar who, Scarborough believes, is carrying the weight of national reform on his broad (but reportedly slimming), blue-suited shoulders.

For more than a year, most of the national media have tripped over themselves to tell the governor how great he is, or have allowed him to tell the nation himself. It's fitting that radio and TV host Glenn Beck lovingly calls Christie "the conservative porn star," because dozens of media outlets — magazines (national and niche), newspapers (New Jersey and beyond), radio (AM and FM), TV (network and cable) — want to climb into bed with Christie and kiss him all over.

In addition, interviewers often don't have a good grip on what's happening in New Jersey, outside of what they see in YouTube clips posted by the Christie P.R. machine. Many simply don't do their homework ("What's the tool kit?" Scarborough once asked a Star-Ledger reporter). They rarely have a challenging follow-up question and they leave fact-checking to someone else (one inflated Christie's approval rating to 70 percent). Their shallow questions are tailor-made for Christie riffs on what a great job he's doing.

You'd expect the batted eyelashes and cuddling from conservative personalities like Neil Cavuto (Christie's Mendham neighbor) or Imus or Rush Limbaugh, and from conservative talking head Ann Coulter, who refuses to take Christie's presidential "no" for an answer. But even the usually even-handed "60 Minutes" let Christie go unchallenged in an interview about state finances, and some faithful readers (and online commenters) believe the New York Times — staunch defender of liberalism — has inched perilously close to the Christie hero-worship line, too.

A headline on a Washington Post blog asked, "What is it about Chris Christie?"

The blog lauded Christie for making "even the toughest position sound like nothing more than common sense" — even though the toughest" positions enumerated were typical Republican stances.

Why do the media love him? Because Christie is a novelty — engaging and entertaining — a plain-tawkin' slugger at a time when the Republican bench is weak. He is seen as Everyman: a guy who has a problem with his weight and his "L's," but he is also a savvy politician who, while protecting the tax returns of the rich, can make some middle-class taxpayers believe he is fighting for them.

A large part of Christie's allure to the media is that he might be president or vice president someday soon.

Why does Christie love them? Well, because he has carefully chosen the interviewers — part of a media strategy to build a national profile. And they don't ask tough questions.

"Christie understands that he can get a bounce in New Jersey from a gushing national media," Rutgers political science professor Ross Baker says. "Voters figure if they're making a fuss about him, he must be all right."

Is it working? Yes, outside New Jersey, anyway. Recent polls show the governor is more popular outside the Garden State than in it.

And, of course, here, within the borders, the questions tend to be more challenging.

Before this February morning is done, Ann Curry of "Today" will schmooze over Christie's weight loss: "You look good," she says, and she spends more time (five questions and comments) prying into the number of pounds he has lost than finding out about the state's proposed budget or how Christie feels about the union-busting attempt by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker....

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In many N.J. towns that undergo revaluations, homeowners end up paying more open space taxes

The second NJ.com editorial that caught my eye today was about how NJ open space taxes are effected when municipalities undergo revaluations like Middletown has. Open space taxes are tied into property values and increase proportionally to the value of a property after a revaluation.

I remember during last year's budget introduction meeting in Middletown, a gentleman brought up this issue and wanted the Township to adjust the rate downward to offset the 14% tax increase which was contained in the budget. I believe his request fell on death ears and nothing was done to make adjustments to the open space tax:

In the nation's most densely populated state, Garden State residents value their space.

But they may not be so thrilled about what they are paying for it. The reason is a tiny municipal tax for open space — pennies per $100 of a home's valuation — that, left unchecked, has added up to big bucks in some towns.

The result is homeowners in 50 New Jersey towns have paid out some $15 million more to preserve land, farms and historic and recreational sites than they had in previous years. In one town last year, the tax bills jumped by more than $150 for some homeowners.

The quirk comes into play when towns conduct revaluations. The problem is towns — which make adjustments to prevent other slices of the tax pie from skyrocketing — fail to do the same for the open space tax. Because that tax's rate is tied to property values, the levy goes up when properties appreciate.

The longer a town goes between revaluations, the more homes are worth and the bigger the bite taken by the open space tax. Last year, for example:

• In Roseland, which underwent a revaluation for the first time since the Nixon administration, the average property assessment climbed 651 percent. That jacked up the open space tax from roughly $25 to nearly $200 for the owner of a home assessed at the borough's average of about $481,000. The Essex County town's open space tax levy surged from nearly $95,000 to almost $727,000.

• In Brick, what had been an open space levy of more than $471,000 ballooned by 127 percent to more than $1 million after a revaluation in that Ocean County township.

• In Princeton Borough, leaders tried to avoid a tax hike by spending surplus funds and not replacing several departing workers. But the open space rate wasn't adjusted before the Mercer County borough's revaluation, and it raised that part of the average tax bill by $40 from the year before.

"Maybe some people are asleep at the switch," said Ulrich H. Steinberg, a former director of the state Division of Local Government Services, which provides management and fiscal advice to municipalities. "(Officials) may see the numbers, but they may not understand what the numbers mean. They may not be looking out for what the overall impact is on the residents."

Over the last five years, 71 New Jersey towns with open space taxes underwent property revaluations. Nearly three-quarters of them failed to adjust their open space tax rates, leading to a 128 percent increase in their combined levies — a windfall of more than $15.5 million. By contrast, municipal taxes in those towns rose an average of 12 percent....

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