Pallone Stands with Planned Parenthood for Women’s Health Care

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 6, 2015



LONG BRANCH, NJ – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) held a ‘Stand with Planned Parenthood’ press conference to call attention to the work they do for women’s health care and to combat partisan calls to defund the organization. Pallone is the Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over health care. Planned Parenthood, which provides life-saving preventative care for 2.7 million patients nationwide every year, has been under attack by Congressional Republicans based on unsubstantiated claims made against the women’s health organization. Last week, 151 House Republicans voted to shut the government down in order to defund Planned Parenthood.

“Planned Parenthood provides life-saving preventative care for millions of patients each year. Yet, Congressional Republicans’ obsession with demonizing the organization and denying women access to health care has reached a dangerous level,” said Congressman Pallone. “Instead of working to keep our country running, the majority of House Republicans voted for a government shutdown at the expense of women’s health. They have wasted my Committee’s time and resources attacking Planned Parenthood under the guise of an investigation, which has turned up zero evidence to substantiate their claims. But worse yet, they are threatening the health care that millions of women rely upon. More than 100,000 New Jersey residents are served each year by Planned Parenthood’s 26 health centers in our state, nine of which are located in Medically Underserved Areas. It is our responsibility to step up and stand with Planned Parenthood.”

Pallone was joined at the press conference in Perth Amboy by Elizabeth Talmont, Vice President of Research and Program Development, Planned Parenthood of Central and Greater Northern New Jersey.

“We at Planned Parenthood of Central and Greater Northern New Jersey are incredibly thankful for Congressman Pallone’s tireless support of women’s health,” said Elizabeth Talmont of Planned Parenthood of Central and Greater Northern New Jersey. “The Congressman understands the importance of the vital services Planned Parenthood provides, including lifesaving cancer screenings, affordable birth control, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.”

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month begins, following Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, the need for vital life-saving cancer screenings, which Planned Parenthood provides, has been brought to the forefront.

New Jersey Women Respond to Chris Smith's HR7 Bill

District 4 Coalition for Change:


New Jersey women respond to Congressman Chris Smith's extreme anti woman Bill, HR7.
The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act

It takes a movement to flip a district. We have a movement.

APP LETTER: Smith on wrong side of women’s issues

The following is yet another anti-Chris Smith letter that appeared lately in the Asbury Park Press:

In response to the Sept. 20 letter regarding Rep. Chris Smith’s views on important issues, he is especially out of touch on women’s issues.

Smith voted against Equal Pay for Women, voted against the Violence Against Women’s Act, voted to outlaw the birth control pill and voted to block private insurance and flexible spending account money from covering contraception. He also wrote a bill (HR3) to redefine rape to forcible rape, which would decriminalize statutory rape. Drugged and raped, date rape and even incest of children would no longer be rape under Smith’s definition.

Smith is against a women’s right to choose even in cases of rape, incest and to save the life of the mother. He voted for fetal personhood, which would ban all oral contraceptives, in-vitro fertilization and stem cell research. It would also criminalize a women’s choice, regardless of the reason.

Incredibly, Smith has not lived in New Jersey for more than 30 years. He is not one of us nor has he shared our collective experience as a community with regard to 9/11, Hurricane Irene or superstorm Sandy. Having not lived through Sandy must be the reason Smith pledged not to support any climate change legislation unless it included a tax break for the biggest polluters, the Koch brothers. It’s nice he helped David Goldman get his son back in 2009, but that does not excuse his attack on women’s basic rights and all the rest.

Robin Nowicki

Manalapan

Caroline Casagrande Highlights Support for Tea Party Agenda

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Touts Bill that Prevented Planned Parenthood from Receiving Funding

In a mail piece paid for by the New Jersey Republican State Committee, Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande touted support for a failed resolution she wrote that would have prevented Planned Parenthood from receiving funding.

This was in response to the 11th District Democratic team pointing out that she voted against nearly $20 million in funding for women's health clinics, clinics that perform preventive screenings, mammograms, and prenatal care, and against expanding health care for 240,000 children.

Casagrande, however, never explains why she opposed these vital services. Instead, she points to this failed resolution. In announcing the resolution, Casagrande went so far as to suggest that Planned Parenthood was an illegitimate source of health care, saying she would only send money to "legitimate clinics that perform actual health services."

While Casagrande continues to follow the lead of the Tea Party Republicans in Congress who have also attempted to defund Planned Parenthood, 6 of these clinics have closed, leaving 40,000 fewer patients without these health care services in New Jersey.

"Not only is this a desperate attempt by extremist Caroline Casagrande to cloud her embarrassing record but touting the Tea Party's agenda of defunding women's health care shows how out of touch she is with the voters of this district" said Tony Coppola, 11th District Democrats' spokesperson. "And, if it up were up to her, 240,000 less children would have access to health care in New Jersey.

See the mail piece below.

Background:

• Planned Parenthood performs nearly 50,000 breast exams and more than 44,000 cervical cancer screenings annually in New Jersey.
• Caroline Casagrande voted against bill numbers S2139 (2010), A3274 (2010), and S788 (2012), resolutions that would have restored $7.45 million, $5 million, and $7.45 million to women's health funding respectively.
• Caroline Casagrande voted against bill number S-1557 (2008), which gave access to affordable health care to 240,000 children.
• Caroline Casagrande told the the Associated Press that FY 2012, Resolution #3003 would only send money to "legitimate clinics that perform actual health services" [AP 6/24/11].

Christie & Conservatives Attack Women's Health

"Governor Christie's national ambitions are currently a hot topic of conversation. He is spending tomorrow hobnobbing with conservative Republicans who have recently passed some of the most extreme laws restricting women's access to health care that America has ever seen. Of course, New Jersey knows that Governor Christie supports their work because he's spent the last four years vetoing funding for women's health centers across the state. Walker, McCrory, Kasich and Christie - made for each other."

Pallone: GOP Bill Fails Women and Puts Their Health At Risk

Washington, DC –  Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) released the following statement on H.R. 1797, the Nationwide 20-Week Abortion Ban Bill passed by House Republicans today:

“The House Republicans’ decision to debate and vote on another extreme and dangerous bill that chips away at a woman’s constitutional right to choose is outrageous. Instead of debating and voting on bills to create jobs, the House GOP is pushing a measure to prevent women from controlling their own health and medical decisions. Even the provision added to address cases of rape and incest is so narrow that it would not be applicable to the majority of sexual assault cases.

“It is alarming how out of touch Republicans are on the issue of women’s health. A woman’s medical decisions should be private and made with input of doctors, not Republican politicians. I voted against this legislation, and I vow to continue to fight to protect women’s health in Congress.

There’s nothing funny about what Chris Christie is doing to our families.

(NEW JERSEY) – Today, One New Jersey released its third television commercial - highlighting the huge disconnect between the Chris Christie yukking it up on talk shows and his real, regressive record in New Jersey.

The spot will run as an additional six-figure, state-wide cable buy for the next few weeks. It is being supplemented by a robust online ad buy. This new commercial is airing concurrently with One New Jersey’s other spots, which have been running on cable, broadcast television and radio for the past month.

It's easy to sell a bill of goods in a five-minute segment with softball questions on an entertainment show, but it's quite another thing to answer for consistently trailing America when it comes to jobs, vetoing women's health funding and vetoing an increase in the minimum wage while protecting a tax cut for millionaires. When you scratch the surface, there's an enormous gulf between Christie's manufactured image and the reality that New Jersey families are hurting under his watch -- because of regressive policies, backwards priorities and wrong decisions.

Under Chris Christie, New Jersey has America's 7th highest unemployment and is the worst state in the region when it comes to joblessness. Property taxes skyrocketed some 20% on Christie's watch, while services are slashed. Fiscal pain has been pushed along to municipalities, while local residents are paying more and receiving less from local government. Commuters are dealing with higher train tickets, bus fares and tolls. Schools are in disrepair, while teachers are disparaged. New Jersey also became home to the 2nd highest percentage of mortgage loans in foreclosure in America, even though rates nationally are falling to their lowest levels since 2008.

TV's Chris Christie is funny. But there's nothing funny about what Republican Governor Chris Christie is doing to our families.

One NJ Releases 2nd Television Commercial Highlighting Regressive Policies & Ideology

Anti-Women Policies Are Out-of-Step With New Jersey

(NEW JERSEY) – Today, One New Jersey released its second television commercial - highlighting the regressive policies and extreme ideologies championed by Governor Chris Christie which are hurting women and their families throughout New Jersey.

The spot will run as an additional six-figure, state-wide cable buy for the next few weeks. It is being supplemented by a robust online ad buy. This new commercial is airing concurrently with One New Jersey’s first spot, which has been running on cable and broadcast television for the past two weeks and counting.

You can view the 30-second spot – entitled “Out of Step”



“Our first commercial focused on how New Jersey is falling behind due to misplaced policies and backwards priorities that put multi-millionaires and corporations ahead of the middle-class and working families,” said Joshua Henne, spokesman for One New Jersey. "Our latest spot shows how the knuckle-dragging decisions and out-of-step ideology coming out of Trenton are hurting women and their families throughout the state. For the past few years, New Jerseyans have had to deal with a radical assault on women and women’s health that would make even Rush Limbaugh blush.”

There’s nothing moderate about the extreme, right-wing agenda regarding women’s health that New Jersey has borne witness to these past few years. Governor Christie is in line with the most extreme fringe on women’s rights. He is New Jersey’s first elected governor to oppose abortion rights since Roe v. Wade, and was the first to ever speak at Trenton’s annual pro-life rally.

Christie cut women’s health funding in his very first budget. He then vetoed four attempts to restore the funding, claiming the State was broke. However, Christie was able to magically conjure up $2.1 billion in corporate subsidies and proposed $540 million in business tax cuts – yet, still nearly 1 in 10 New Jerseyans are unemployed, and the state has consistently trailed other states when it comes to jobs over the past 3 years. All the while, Governor Christie has consistently eliminated state budget lines allocating funds for basic reproductive care services, cancer screenings and important health care. Christie claimed these cuts were necessary for fiscal discipline. Yet, research shows family planning saves taxpayers approximately $3.75 for every $1 invested. Christie had the audacity to say his budgets provide full funding for women’s health. Apparently, the governor’s dictionary fails to include Planned Parenthood or other reproductive health-care providers in its definition of women’s health.

Christie has campaigned across the country for candidates who hold radical views when it comes to women and women’s health. He stood alongside a candidate in North Dakota who voted to make it a felony to perform an abortion. Christie also supported several candidates who have called for outlawing abortion even in cases of rape or incest.

Since launching in the Summer of 2011, One New Jersey consistently shines a light on those policies striking against the best interests of New Jersey residents. One New Jersey is also exposing efforts to divide the state and its people for political gain. Along those lines, One New Jersey has written op-eds and offered commentary on a whole host of issues - including economic failures, anti-women and other regressive policies, broken promises on jobs and New Jersey’s chronic unemployment.

You can still view One New Jersey’s first commercial – entitled “Real” – at OneNewJersey.org/Real.


*********************
One New Jersey is an independent 501(c) 4 advocacy organization that monitors policy positions and actions of elected officials and brings to light their records on the issues that matter to New Jersey’s middle-class and working families. You can follow @OneNJ on Twitter and search for “One New Jersey” on Facebook.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

From the E-Newsletter of Congressman Frank Pallone

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an opportunity to highlight breast cancer prevention, education and finding a cure. It is also a time to recognize the 2.5 million breast cancer survivors across the country, the strength of the women currently battling the disease, and honor those who lost their lives to it.

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lifetime. Breast cancer knows no boundaries and impacts women of all different ages and backgrounds. As we continue to search for the cure, early detection is a woman’s best defense against breast cancer. If diagnosed at the earliest stages, the five-year breast cancer survival rate is 98 percent.

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, women with Medicare and many private health plans can now access preventive health services like mammograms without any out of pocket costs. Additionally, because of the Affordable Care Act, no one will have to worry about being denied coverage or charged higher premiums by an insurance company because of a “pre-existing condition” like breast cancer, and insurance companies can no longer place lifetime limits on coverage plans, giving women the piece of mind that an illness won’t bankrupt them. 
The American Cancer Society provides the following screening recommendations:

• Women in their 20's and 30's should have a clinical breast exam every 1-3 years.
• Women over the age of 40 should have a yearly clinical breast exam and mammogram.
• Women at high risk should consult with their physician regarding screening type and when to be screened

Find out if you qualify for a free or low-cost screening and screening locations in New Jersey.
This October let’s take the time to remember the importance of early detection strategies, including self-examination, regular mammograms and understanding the risk factors and warning signs of all types of breast cancer. As your Congressman I will continue to fight for adequate funding to preserve our nation’s commitment to breast cancer research and join you this month and all months in spreading awareness about this disease.

Sincerely,

Frank Pallone, Jr.

Member of Congress

CAUGHT ON TAPE: "ASPIRIN BETWEEN THE KNEES" - CHRIS SMITH REPUBLICANS

Wow, I'm shocked but I guess I shouldn't be.

Congressman Chris Smith(NJ-4) is a a staunch Catholic right to lifer, who believes that woman should not be in control of their own bodies and has declared war on a woman’s right to make choices that impact her health and her life.

Smith is part of the radical right-wing of the Republican Party that supports eliminating key preventive health services for women. He has fought against services like mammograms, cervical cancer screenings, and birth control, with no additional co-pays as provided for by the Affordable Care Act.

To him, women are second-class citizens.

Here is a video of a woman asking members of Republican Congressman Chris Smith’s staff about his policy on birth control. They reply by asking her if, "she has ever heard about keeping aspirin between her knees?... It works every time it starts".

When the woman asks if that was a serious comment their response was,"about as serious as you want to take it".

Well, I and others take this very seriously and I think Mr. Smith should clarify what his representatives meant by their statements and denounce their comments.

Forums On Women's Issues Presented By Women For Obama

Women for Obama will present a series of forums on Women's issues throughout Monmouth County

Five forums on women's issues, entitled "What Women Care About" will be conducted this fall in Monmouth Country at the following locations and times:

• Wednesday, September 12 at the Hazlet Library from 6:30 to 9: pm
• Saturday, September 15, at Eastern Branch of the Monmouth County Library on Rt. 35 in Shrewsbury from 1 to 4 pm
• Thursday, September 19, at the Belmar Pavilion from 7 to 9 pm
• Thursday, September 20, at the Old Wharf House, in Oceanport from 7 to 9 pm
• Saturday, October 20, at the Manalapan County Library from 12 to 4 pm

A panel of professional speakers (to be announced) will address such topics as women's health, domestic violence, voting rights among other issues. There is no charge and light refreshments will be served. 

The event is sponsored by Monmouth Country Women for Obama, a subset of the Obama for America organization whose mission is to inform Monmouth Country residents about the President's policies and how they impact women.  

The organization's value statement reads "We want a country in which it's possible to live these values:  Security & Safety, Health, Fairness and Freedom. We are all connected and everyone deserves a fair chance. Ensuring the common good helps everyone to thrive and makes for a stronger America!"

For more information contact the chapter chairperson Marilyn Michaels at mzm.consulting@gmail.com.

NEW JERSEY’S LARGEST NURSES, HEALTH CARE WORKERS ASSOCIATION ENDORSES SENATOR MENENDEZ AS MAJOR WOMEN’S HEALTH REFORMS GO INTO EFFECT

HPAE: The nurses and staff taking care of you support Bob Menendez

NEW BRUNSWICK – As the Affordable Care Act’s major reforms for women’s health care are going into effect for more than 1.4 million New Jersey women, the state’s chapter of the Health Professionals and Allied Employees’ (HPAE) today announced its endorsement of U. S. Senator Bob Menendez for re-election. Since 1977, the HPAE, the health care division of the American Federation of Teachers, has grown to become New Jersey’s largest union that represents nurses and health care workers. Many of its 12,000 members reside in Monmouth and Burlington counties.

“Senator Bob Menendez is a champion for women and children’s health issues in the United States Senate, and today more than 1.4 million women are benefitting from his efforts,” said HPAE President Ann Twomey. “As a key negotiator for health care reform on the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Menendez helped pushed for common sense reforms against insurance companies that denied people access to health care because of pre-existing conditions. He also secured $100 million in federal investments to protect health coverage for thousands of children in our state, and secured more than $66 million for our state’s Federally Qualified Health Centers to increase access to preventive and primary care.

When you consider that Senator Menendez’s opponent voted six times during the last three years against funding for women’s health care and family planning services, the choice for the HPAE’s members could not be clearer. We want New Jersey families to know, the nurses and staff taking care of you and your loved ones in the hospital or nursing home support Bob Menendez. He fights to keep quality health care for all New Jersey residents,” Twomey said. “The HPAE of New Jersey is proud to endorse Senator Menendez for re-election. We look forward to Senator Menendez continue to fight for the health and well-being of all New Jerseyans.”

"I am proud to accept the endorsement of HPAE, which represents thousands of health professionals who are on the front lines of keeping New Jersey healthy,” said Menendez. “They have my commitment to continue to fight for increased investment in our state’s health centers and hospitals, in order to help them provide families and children access to quality health care. As the son of immigrants and someone raised in a tenement in Union City, I understand the struggles that hard-working middle class families face day-to-day. I will never forget the humble roots I came from or the working families who have given me the honor to represent them.”

The Affordable Care Act’s provisions that go into effect today require that new and renewed insurance policies cover more preventative health care services for women. A list of those services can be found here:
http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/2011/08/womensprevention08012011a.html

OVER 1.4 MILLION WOMEN IN NEW JERSEY NOW HAVE ACCESS TO PREVENTIVE CARE

For Immediate Release:

Wednesday, August 1^st, 2012

ObamaCare Allows Women to Take Control of Their Health

(NEW JERSEY) - "Beginning today, some 1,445,004 New Jersey women can now take greater control over their health by having access to life-saving preventive care free-of-charge. Thanks to ObamaCare, 47 million women nationwide will be able to have prevention-related health care services at no cost.

"This is a great day for women in New Jersey and a great step forward for women's health," said Joshua Henne, New Jersey spokesman for Know Your Care. "No woman should ever have to make health decisions due to cost concerns. Because of the Affordable Care Act, women now have access to important preventive measures that will go a long way towards keeping both themselves and their families healthy. When we talk about access to care - this is exactly what we mean."

For the first time ever, New Jersey women will be granted access to potentially life-saving tests and services, without having to worry about price. No longer will women in New Jersey be at the disposal of their insurance companies. Instead, they'll be able to take control of their well-being and make decisions to best stay healthy, catch possibly serious conditions early and protect themselves and their families from colossal medical bills.

As Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebeluis put it, "President Obama is moving our country forward by giving women control over their health care. This law puts women and their doctors, not insurance companies or the government, in charge of health care decisions."

Preventive care is especially important for women, who face significant and unique barriers to finding affordable healthcare. On average, women earn just 77 cents for every dollar a man earns - leaving them with less money to spend on health care. Studies showing that over 50% of women have skipped or delayed preventive care due to costs. Women are more likely to skip a recommended test or treatment, not fill a prescription or put off regular cancer screenings due to cost. Even moderate co-pays can cause women - especially those with low- and moderate-incomes - to forgo needed preventive care.

Over the next few years, as an increasing number of health plans come under the Affordable Care Act's reach, more and more women will have access to a wide range of preventive services without co-payments or deductibles, including: 

• Well-woman visits
• Breastfeeding support, supplies and counseling
• Contraceptive methods and counseling
• Screening and counseling for domestic partner violence
• Screening for gestational diabetes (helping protect pregnant women from one of the most serious pregnancy-related diseases)
• Counseling for sexually transmitted infections
• Screening for HIV
• DNA testing for high-risk strains of HPV  

Based on recommendations from the Institute of Medicine, these new provisions relied on physicians, nurses, scientists and other experts, as well as evidence-based research, to determine the services that are critical to ensuring women's long-term health. These vital preventative services will allow women to take their health into their own hands and get the care they need before it's too late.

To learn more about the health care services you may be eligible for at no extra charge under the ACA, go to http://www.healthcare.gov/prevention

For information about the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report on the number of adult and adolescent women in New Jersey eligible for the preventive services at no charge after Aug. 1, 2012, see http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2012/womensPreventiveServicesACA/ib.shtml

****

The Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23rd, 2010 and declared constitutional by the Supreme Court on June 28th, 2012. Over the past two years, it has been a tremendous help to millions of Americans as this real reform lowers costs and guarantees more choice for consumers. As additional provisions are implemented, ACA will continue to benefit millions more people.

Women of N.J. deserve better from Gov. Chris Christie

With Women’s History Month wrapping up a few days ago, I just wanted to share an  op-ed on Governor Christie’s history with women that ran this weekend in The Trenton Times.

By Joshua Henne

Every parent wants his or her daughter to find success and be surrounded by people who treat women with care and respect. New Jersey’s women deserve nothing less from their governor.

March is Women’s History Month. Unfortunately, it’s worth noting that Gov. Chris Christie’s own public history with women — through both word and deed — is pockmarked with marginalization, mockery and even malice.

It’s been this way right from the start. In 2010, with the stroke of a pen, Gov. Christie eliminated a $7.4 million budget line that provided basic reproductive health services. This money helped support critical care and cancer screenings for more than 135,000 patients. It covered clinical breast exams and Pap tests. When cutting this line item, Christie said it was necessary for “fiscal discipline.” Yet, research shows family planning saves taxpayers approximately $3.75 for every $1 that’s invested. So, when Christie eliminated the funding, it myopically meant New Jersey taxpayers could essentially be on the hook for an additional $28 million in Medicaid spending.

Always a trendsetter, Christie was ahead of the curve by putting reproductive rights on the chopping block. Last summer, when the Legislature approved a budget that included restoring women’s health funding, he again slashed $7.5 million in family planning services. Christie even had the temerity to say his budgets provide full funding for women’s health. Apparently, the governor’s dictionary fails to include Planned Parenthood or other reproductive health-care providers in its definition of women’s health.

But, it’s not just about whether Christie believes in a woman’s “right to choose.” It seems he doesn’t believe in a woman’s right to ... well ... anything. Last year, Christie cut $486,000 in grants to Hispanic Women’s Resource Centers and another $450,000 from a postpartum education campaign. He also slashed funding for the Paid Family Leave insurance program, saying it was overfunded. The state has still failed to spend the money mandated by the Legislature to advertise the program and provide outreach. All the while, Christie refuses to even contemplate a millionaire’s tax and has given tax breaks to mall and casino developers even as he claims the state coffers are bare. It’s clear where his priorities lie.

Ever since taking office, through both policy and his words, the governor has consistently unleashed a wholesale assault on the women of New Jersey. Some of the things he’s said and done along these lines would make even Rush Limbaugh blush.

The entire nation recoiled when Christie recommended that reporters “take the bat out on” state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) — a 77-year-old grandmother. While that was the most incendiary remark he’s directed toward a female legislator, it certainly wasn’t the first — or the last. Christie also called Assemblywoman Valerie Huttle (D-Englewood) “a jerk” for daring to criticize him for using the State Police helicopter for personal reasons (to watch his son play baseball and to meet with fund raisers from Iowa). On more than one occasion, Christie called Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange) a liar despite clear evidence that backed up her side of the story. And Christie accused Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Trenton) of being responsible for two murders allegedly perpetrated by two people who had been released from prison under an early release bill she had sponsored.

Sadly, it’s not only public officials who feel the sting of Christie’s tart tongue. During a live call-in show, when asked if it’s fair to cut so much money from public education while sending his own children to private schools, Christie snapped, “Hey, Gail, you know what? It’s none of your business.” At a town hall meeting, when a teacher pointed out that New Jersey has some of the best schools in the country yet the Christie administration lambastes educators and only talks about how horrible schools are, the governor berated and belittled her. Christie remarked that she only wanted to “put on a show and giggle every time I talk,” and then dismissively stated, “I have no interest in answering your question.”

Running the gamut from eye-rolling derision to outright hostility, Gov. Christie seems to reserve a pointed level of wrath for his female critics. His default defense for bad behavior is that his rough-and-tumble way is simply the “Jersey way” to do things — perpetuating every obnoxious stereotype that plagues the Garden State. But that’s not how anyone should be treating women in any state, anywhere.

By all reports, Chris Christie is a devoted, loving and respectful husband, son and father. If only he would treat all of New Jersey’s women as if they were members of his own family.

OP-ED: Governor Rex Christie

In light of the big game tonight, Josh Henne sent me a link to this op-ed he wrote on the striking similarities between Rex Ryan & Chris Christie. It appears over at PolitickerNJ:

In a sea of vanilla coaches and milquetoast politicians, Jets Coach Rex Ryan and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie have burnished reputations for bluster, bullying and bombast. They’re tailor-made for the attention-deficit, me-first, sizzle-over-substance society we live in. A splashy quote, a bold claim with a curse-word thrown in for good measure…and bickety-bam you’ve got a nice hit on the nightly news or a clip to go viral online. Sure, these two men can be considered refreshing. But so is a colonic. And you certainly don’t want to deal with either on a daily basis.

It stands to reason these two larger-than-life characters stand out – because Christie and Ryan both furnish the media with quality copy and soundbites. However, there’s a fine line between being charming and becoming a caricature of yourself. And leaders are afforded a short rope before folks start realizing the rhetoric doesn’t match the results. In recent months, Christie and Ryan have planted their feet firmly on the wrong side of both accounts.

The beauty of both politics and the playing field is that these arenas are results-oriented. The metrics of wins and accomplishments are the only ones that matter. It’s not just about who can talk the biggest game. And the shtick employed by both Christie and Ryan runs thin once you scratch the surface of their swagger.

No one remembers football teams who never make it to the big game – no matter how many times their coach promises a trip to the Super Bowl. Rex believes if he yells loud enough folks will forget choking in the conference championship or failing to even make the playoffs. If Ryan makes himself the story, perhaps fans won’t notice his team regressing or his quarterback failing to grow.

In politics, its hard to take someone seriously who hogs the spotlight, bashes his own state to pander to Iowa crowds and tosses the word “hell” into public statements like a twelve-year old who just discovered cursing. It’s difficult to believe someone is authentic when they pack taxpayer-funded townhall meetings with partisan backers and care more about generating youtube moments than results. It’s hard to take Governor Christie at his word as he pledges poverty when cutting essential programs, yet miraculously finds funds to give handouts and bailouts to casino execs, mall developers and those at the tippy top of the economic strata.

The words “doing the big thing” are often shouted to the rafters by Chris Christie. Yet if you look at actual results, he comes up small every time. New Jersey lags the nation when it comes to employment. And no matter how many times Christie claims he hasn’t raised taxes, all anyone has to do is hold up a train ticket, scan a tuition bill from a state university or look at their property taxes to see swelling costs.

Both Christie and Ryan have an amazing ability to change the topic following failures. Rex shoots off his mouth after a loss, giving excuses while still calling his team the one to beat - no matter how badly he was outcoached by those who might not be as flashy, but have more substance. When Christie skipped town with an historic blizzard bearing down on his state, the governor refused to take responsibility and even blamed local mayors when he finally came home from his Disney vacation. When New Jersey’s children lost $400 million in Race to the Top funding because his administration bungled a simple application, Christie first blamed Barack Obama and then threw his own Education Commissioner under the bus.

Chris Christie might not share Rex Ryan's predilection for sucking on toes. But the governor does spend an inordinate amount of time and energy sucking up to the Koch Brothers, Karl Rove and corporate lobbyists. And that’s a far more nefarious fetish. Because these one-percenters are seeking to scale back regulations in order to better their bottom line - even if it means poisoning New Jersey's land, air and water. In Christie’s New Jersey, middle-class families find themselves in harms way time and again.

Like Rex Ryan, Christie’s image as a take-charge guy rings hollow when you see the rudderless execution of plans. Womens’ health, infrastructure improvements and education efforts have all been defunded. Cops and firefighters receive pink slips, while crime escalates. And Christie has no vision for the future – as evidenced by cancelling the ARC Tunnel linking to Manhattan which would have taken cars off the road, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, raised home values and created 6,000 immediate jobs and 45,000 future jobs.

On the playground, the cardinal rule is that when you’ve got a big mouth you’ve got to be able to back it up. The quickest way to shut up a bully is to call them out. And for all their blunt statements and bold claims, folks are finally catching onto the Christie-Ryan playbook. The coach and the governor have both elevated the bar with inflated achievement to the point that even slight improvements would seem mundane when the tale of the tape is truly told. More and more, their exhortations are being met with eyerolls and yawns.

With his annual guarantees of a Super Bowl victory, yet failing to even make the playoffs this year, Rex Ryan is clearly no second coming of Joe Namath. And Chris Christie...well, let's just hope he goes the way of Sarah Palin. A one-term governor with a big personality who burst onto the national scene and became addicted to the adulation to the point of diminishing returns and eventual ridicule.

What society needs – in all facets of life - are leaders of substance focused on results, not their own ego or personal gratification. Clearly, Coach Ryan and Governor Christie care more about creating headlines than making a real difference. We should treat them like a parent dropping off a crying kid at nursery school. All they want is attention, so if we just walk away hopefully they'll get the hint and cut the act.

Josh Henne is a Democratic strategist and a Giants fan.

Senator Buono Letter to the Editor - Cervical Cancer Month

There were no flashing lights or red flags that let 4,000 women across this country know that cervical cancer was coming.

Most of these women – mothers, sisters, daughters, and aunts – felt no pain and lived normally unaware of the disease that in a matter of time would take their lives.

Most of these women – the majority of whom were under the age of 65 – are survived by friends and family, neighbors and co-workers who loved them and miss their presence daily.

All of these women – casualties of an illness that is 100 percent preventable – should still be here today.

Although the ubiquitous pink ribbons we all see each October may be more prevalent than the teal and white emblems symbolizing cervical cancer awareness in January, we cannot ignore the fact that each year 12,000 women in the United States receive a life-changing diagnosis that they have the disease.

More than ever before, we have the resources to ensure that cervical cancer becomes a thing of the past. In addition to regular Pap smears that can lead to early detection and treatment of the disease, young women under the age of 26 may receive a vaccine against the human papillomavirus, or HPV, the most common cause of cervical cancer. Federal health care reform provisions effective this August will make these services more affordable and thus more accessible. It is critically important – and potentially life-saving – that every young woman meets with her doctor to discuss these preventative measures.

In the state of New Jersey, this is an important time to think about just how crucial funding for women’s health centers really is. When Governor Christie cut $7.5 million of this support from the budget, he denied many women access to the examinations and care that help prevent and treat diseases that most affect them, including cervical cancer. As a husband and the father of two beautiful young daughters, one would expect that the governor would acknowledge the gravity of this funding.

Just last year, a young woman from Marlboro, through strength and faith, was able to overcome cervical cancer. But her road to being cancer-free was not an easy one. After starting her first full-time job, she went to the doctor for the first time in three years, a practice that had become irregular due to her lack of health insurance after graduating from college. Shortly after that visit, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She did not feel sick. She did not look sick. But it took a decade of chemotherapy, radiation, and a hysterectomy - which left her infertile – for her to make a full recovery.

She is just 35.

This is not a matter of our principles and personal beliefs; it’s about memorializing the 4,000 women who died last year and honoring the young woman from Marlboro and other survivors by making sure that we learn, act, and move forward.

Sincerely,

Senator Barbara Buono
18th Legislative District

As A Matter Of Fact...Budget vetoes: The scorpion and the frog

July 6th, 2011 | Published in NJPP Blog: As a Matter of Fact …

By Mary E. Forsberg, Research Director

A scorpion and a frog meet on the bank of a stream and the scorpion asks the frog to carry him across on its back. The frog asks, “How do I know you won’t sting me?” The scorpion says, “Because if I do, I will die too.”

The frog is satisfied, and they set out, but in midstream, the scorpion stings the frog. The frog feels the onset of paralysis and starts to sink, knowing they both will drown, but has just enough time to gasp “Why?”

Replies the scorpion: “It’s my nature…”

This parable has many variations: the scorpion and turtle; the snake and dog; the viper and farmer. What each variation has in common is a bad actor, a character who can’t play fair, even if it means he might perish.

Those who are reading the press these days may recognize certain similarities with the current state of politics in New Jersey. And the Democratic leadership surely is croaking now.

It wasn’t a surprise that the governor wielded his ax against the Millionaires’ tax and women’s health programs. He did it before. He said he would do it again and he did it.

What was surprising, though, were the other cuts that had nothing to do with policy and everything to do with the very nature of his leadership. The cuts are unprecedented and go beyond any reasonable policy and fiscal considerations.

The Legislature

The budgets of the Executive office, the Legislature and the Judiciary have always been sacrosanct; a “gentleman’s agreement” has traditionally given each responsibility for its own budget and spending.

No governor before has chopped 41 percent from the Legislature’s staff salary accounts, but that’s exactly what the governor did. And he did it with a dose of venom, saying:

“The budget as adopted by the Legislature relied upon exaggerated revenue estimates, flawed assumptions concerning fund balances and ignored the harsh reality of its spending decisions. This reduction, among many others enumerated herein necessitated reductions of known surpluses, imprudent spending and other excesses.”

People who have noticed this salary cut haven’t made much of it. But the fact is, it has the potential to shift the balance of power in the legislative branch. Here’s how that works.

The salary accounts that the governor cut will not affect the salaries of legislators or those of their district office staff. The ones cut supported the Democratic and Republican legislative committee aides and the people who run the partisan staff offices in Trenton. Money for those salaries is appropriated to the Senate and Assembly in a lump sum and is divided based on which party is in the majority – the majority party (currently the Democrats) gets more of the money, has a bigger staff and has the larger suite of offices.

Unless the Legislature overrides this veto with a 2/3 vote (which would require the support of both parties), the staff of those offices will be significantly reduced. How these cuts are shared will be up to the majority Democrats in the Senate and Assembly. And as Assembly Speaker Oliver, a Democrat, was quoted as saying, “I’m certainly not going to shoot myself in the foot.”

Whether the governor understands this or not, a greatly reduced Republican partisan staff in Trenton is certainly a possible outcome of this line item veto.

Higher Education

Students and institutions of higher education felt the sting of the governor’s veto, which cut full-time and part-time Tuition Aid Grants (TAG) below even his own budget recommendation in March. He reduced the Democrats’ appropriation by $48.5 million, even though the amount in the Democrat’s budget was only $21.3 million more than his budget recommended.

In another unusual veto, the governor reduced the number of state-funded positions at each college by nearly 1,200 positions overall. This veto is an easy one to overlook and understanding it isn’t straightforward. What it means, however, is that the governor is reducing the state’s obligation to pay fringe benefits costs for these positions and is transferring those costs to the colleges – all without prior consultation and at the last minute. It is a backhanded way of again reducing the state’s responsibility for its higher education system. For Rutgers University and the Agricultural Experiment Station, this represents a 6 percent loss; for the other colleges, a 5 percent loss.

The veto message was again venomous. He blames the Legislature for this cost shift, saying:

“The Legislature’s failure to appropriately fund health benefit costs for all state employees necessitated a reduction in the state’s support of employee fringe benefits at all public institutions of higher education.”

Legal Services to the Poor


If you are poor in New Jersey and have a legal problem, save it until next year – maybe. Like the TAG scholarship, legal services will be significantly less than even what the governor proposed in his March budget.

His veto eliminated all state funding ($600,000) for the legal clinics at Seton Hall University Law School, Rutgers Newark Law School and Rutgers Camden Law School. In March he budgeted each of them for $200,000 apiece.

He also apparently took umbrage at the additional $5 million included by the Democrats in their budget for Legal Services of New Jersey, which provides legal services to poor people in civil matters. He cut that budget by $10 million – leaving Legal Services of New Jersey with a smaller budget than he recommended in March.

Cleaning up New Jersey

The Governor’s veto cut $18.8 million or 16 percent of the amount he recommended in March for Department of Environmental Protection programs that safeguard and preserve the state’s environment – for remediation of hazardous waste, underground storage tanks, monitoring water, and dealing with diesel pollution. Funding for these programs comes from a 4 percent constitutional dedication of corporate business tax (CBT) revenues. The effort by the governor and some in the Legislature to ensure that New Jersey is “open for business” by doing away with regulations and reducing corporate taxes means less money is available to protect New Jersey’s environment.

The moral of the budget

No one expected the governor to move away from his ideological position on funding health care for women or to abdicate his protection of the wealthiest in the state from the Millionaire’s tax, which would have added an additional 1.78 percent to their income tax bills this year.

But the veto message this year went beyond negotiation and fair play. There are consequences to every action. The scorpion’s sting meant death to both the scorpion and the frog. The consequences of this veto message are a less prosperous state and an increase in the chasm that separates the state’s wealthy from everyone else.

For a complete list of the governor’s line item vetoes, see the chart

N.J. Republicans look to restore $7.5 million for women's health care; Action comes after they opposed two Democratic bills to do the same

Now that it's coming down to crunch-time with the state budget and the entire state assembly is up for re-election this year, 13 republicans have decided to join the Democratic bandwagon and support women's heath issues by looking to restore $7.5 million to the budget that Governor Christie decided wasn't necessary.

These Republicans, lead by Assemblyman Domenick DiCicco (R-Camden), have opposed this measure for the better part of 18 months and are only now joining forces with the Democrats because polling has shown that Governor Christie’s job rating has plummeted among women and they are now vulnerable on the issue.

It's a classic example of flip-flopping on an issue in order to secure votes in an election year, on an issue that is extremely important to many of their constituents. But I wonder how hard they will actually fight for women's health funding once the Governor comes down on them?

The following article written by Tom Hester Sr., appeared over on NewJerseyNewsroom.com:

Much to the surprise of Democratic women legislators who have tried for over a year to get Gov. Chris Chirstie to the restore $7.5 million he cut out of the 2010-11 state budget for women’s health care, 13 Republican Assembly members on Friday announced they are sponsoring a resolution to restore the aid to the shaping 2011-12 budget.

Assemblywomen Linda Stender (D-Union) and Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen) responded to the announcement by describing the unexpected Republican action as an 11th hour political ploy designed to pander to the women they have abandoned for the last 18 months.”

As recent as May 19, Christie disapproved of restoring the $7.5 million. In the past year, he vetoed Democratic bills to restore the aid. Republican legislators have supported the governor’s position.

The Republican resolution stresses that no money could be used for so-called family planning. Democratic women legislators insist the money would not go toward funding abortions.

The resolution was announced at the end of a week that featured the release of a Quinnipiac University poll that showed Republican Christie’s job rating has plummeted among women. All 120 seats in the Legislature are up for re-election in November.

Assemblyman Domenick DiCicco (R-Camden), the prime sponsor of the new resolution, said, “Everyone wants to provide healthcare for our neediest women and their children and this resolution will make that possible responsibly and compassionately. This funding is an effective use of our resources to make sure that every dollar we spend is used to treat disease or to keep women and children healthy.”

The resolution would allocate the $6.2 million to federal qualified health centers and $1.3 million for New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection.

No money would be allotted to Planned Parenthood and the resolution would change budget language from “family planning services” to “women and family health services.”

“This is an effective way to actually funding women’s health services without getting lost in political debate,” DiCicco said. “Anyone who is truly concerned about the well-being of New Jersey’s most vulnerable women and children can support this approach.”

When Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) introduced legislation to restore the $7.5 million on May 19. Michael Drewniak, Christie's press secretary, said of the Democrats' action, "It’s predictable that the majority party in the Legislature, led by Senator Sweeney, can’t resist the urge to open the public’s wallet as soon as a few extra dollars become available. We cannot throw out the sensible budgeting practices we’ve put in place just because of a modest increase in tax revenue."

Continue reading Here

NJPP: In the end-game for the NJ state budget, the stakes couldn't be higher.

June 20th 2011,

Dear Supporters,

Over the next two weeks - as the Legislature rushes to produce a budget that won't drown in the ink from the line-item veto pen - we're all too likely to fully realize the "new normal" that Governor Christie talked about when he proposed his budget four months ago.

It goes something like this:

Rich people and corporations get tax breaks.

The middle class will pay more.

We will all have to make do with less.

Instead of a balanced approach that includes revenues - like the courageous governor of Connecticut proposed - New Jersey's budget relies only on cuts in services.

Instead of finding ways to invest in building blocks of a strong economy - schools, police, libraries, health care, parks, roads and bridges - the governor has dug in even further, promising to veto any tax increase, including a tax on millionaires' incomes that has overwhelming public support. Even as state revenues start to rise a bit in the recession's wake, the administration in Trenton insists we can't afford:

Health care for working parents if they earn more than $115 a week.

Women's health care at family planning clinics, even though it means missing out on federal matching funds, an increase in unintended pregnancies and higher costs to treat uninsured patients.

Maintaining the state Earned Income Tax Credit for working poor families, who have seen their taxes increase by $300 a year - the equivalent of a week's wages - while the wealthiest got a tax cut.

Meanwhile, the state has found more than enough money to hand out $1 billion in subsidies and tax breaks for developers and corporations, including some of the most profitable businesses in the state. Extensive research and plain old common sense show that these giveaways don't create jobs.

That's where we come in.

As we have for 14 years, NJPP is shining a spotlight on important policy decisions with the goal of having a state government that promotes broadly shared prosperity for all New Jerseyans instead of picking winners and losers.

We're proud to be a leading voice for fairness in New Jersey, using solid research and strategic communications to strongly advocate for those who have the smallest voices in the public arena - the poor, working families, the disabled and other vulnerable people in our society.

And we couldn't do it without you.

NJPP's generous supporters understand why our work is so important to the vision of New Jersey they want for themselves and their children.

You've received several emails from us in the past week highlighting our work.

Now, we are asking for your help.

Please click on the "donate" button below and give to NJPP today.

By contributing you will enable NJPP to keep digging deeper into tough policy issues and widely share our findings to make a difference in people's lives. Every donation counts, whether it's $1,000 to print and publish one of our reports or $50 to cover the cost of copying documents requested through the Open Public Records Act.

As you follow what's going on in Trenton with the budget and other issues over the next couple of weeks, I ask that you keep in mind the work New Jersey Policy Perspective is doing and the role that you can play.

Together, we can create a "new normal" that lifts up every one of us, not just the privileged few.

Thanks so much for your support - past and future.

Sincerely,

Deborah Howlett, President

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As a Matter Of Fact...State losing out on 9-1 match;NJ would save $45 million a year if it invested $7.5 million in family planning

May 23rd, 2011 | Published in NJPP Blog: As a Matter of Fact …

At a time when New Jersey doesn’t have a penny to spare, the state is leaving money on the table – perhaps millions of dollars a year in federal funds that could provide family planning services to poor, uninsured women.

Not only has Governor Christie refused to continue the program that provides state grants to family planning clinics across the state (he vetoed a $7.5 million appropriation sponsored by Sen. Weinberg), the state has withdrawn its application for a Medicaid waiver that would have provided a 9-to-1 federal match of state funds that paid family planning expenses for women at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. To put it in simpler terms, under the waiver known as the Family Planning State Option the federal government would provide $9 million for every $1 million that New Jersey spent.

According to estimates from the widely-respected Guttmacher Institute, the Family Planning State Option would save New Jersey $3 million in the first year alone. After the first year, it would:

• Save the state $45 million every year.
• Provide basic medical care to over 80,000 people every year, including not just family planning but other preventive care such as cancer screenings.

• Help thousands of low income women who want to avoid pregnancy do just that – averting 4,000 abortions and 6,000 births every year.

See the full report here.

Twenty-eight states currently receive matching funds and all have seen substantial cost savings. According to estimates by the National Academy of Health Safety Policy, the savings over five years range from $75 million in Arkansas to more than $2 billion in California.

See the full report here.

The governor has said his opposition to the family planning clinic grants has nothing to do with politics, but is based in his desire to be a responsible fiscal steward of the state’s scarce resources.

He should live up to that standard.

Clearly, the numbers show the tremendous benefit that accrues by funding these grants. In addition to providing poor and working women broad and consistent access to family planning services, the Medicaid waiver allows the state to receive the 9-to-1 federal match in funding.

The fiscally responsible thing to do would be to invest a little of the state’s resources in family planning and reap the rewards of increased federal funding as well as cost savings to deal with avoidable pregnancies.

To do anything else seems to be a waste of time and money.