TRENTON (AP) — Republicans in the New Jersey Senate may make good on a pledge to sue Gov. Jon S. Corzine over budget documents.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr. said last week Republicans would sue Corzine on Wednesday if he failed to release records showing how he is addressing a $1.2 billion revenue decline in this year's budget.

The Republicans say Corzine's office has failed to turn over documents requested for more than a month under New Jersey's Open Public Records Act.

Kean says Republicans have called on Corzine to enact specific spending restraints, but he has failed to do so.

12TH District legislators Senator Jennifer Beck, Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon and Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande issued a statement Monday in reaction to the guilty verdicts rendered against 5 terrorists for conspiring to murder U.S. soldiers at Fort Dix:

"Today's verdict is a stark reminder that there are people all over the world and even in the United States who want to do harm to U.S. citizens and U.S. service personnel. It is also a stark reminder of the foolishness of the U.S. Navy's plan to put civilian housing at Naval Weapons Station Earle, which is the largest munitions depot in the United States.

Part of the terrorist plan involved planning a way for these men to sneak on to the base to carry out their evil plot. If the Navy has their way at Earle, people with evil intentions could already be living on the base, in close proximity to weapons of all kinds.

We will continue to work with Congressman Chris Smith and the United States Government to convince them the their ill conceived plan to have civilians living on NWS Earle is a safety risk we cant afford, and today's conviction of the Fort Dix 5 is proof of that.

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Chris Smith, whose Fourth Congressional District contains more than half of Fort Dix where the plotters conspired to kill U.S. service members last year, called today's convictions of five men on conspiracy and weapons charges a blow to would-be terrorists here at home in the United States.

"The men and women who serve in uniform are at risk, not just in the Middle East and places all over the world, but right here at home," Smith said. "This verdict shows that our troops can be targeted at bases in New Jersey and elsewhere in the United States. Our bases, where our military service members and their families live and work, have to be as secure as we can make them. We must work to minimize risk to our bases in this age of terrorism in which we now live."

Smith also represents other military bases -- Naval Weapons Station Earle in Monmouth County, as well as Lakehurst Naval Air Engineering Station in Ocean County. Lakehurst was alleged to have been considered by the plotters as a possible target.

"The jury seemed to deliberate very carefully, which is a credit to our judicial system," Smith said. "Unfortunately, the case clearly demonstrates that there are individuals who live in our country who conspire to penetrate our military installations and kill our troops."

Smith said that the convictions were proof that ordinary, alert citizens can have an impact in the fight against terrorism. The F ort Dix case allegedly began when a store clerk contacted authorities after observing suspicious activity.

"Average Americans can help and have a role to play when they see something that looks suspicious," Smith said. "They should report it to federal or local law enforcement officials. This plot was broken up with the help of a tip from an everyday citizen."

In an effort to guard against any possible interference with casino operations in the event of a state government shutdown next summer, Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean and Assemblymen John Amodeo and Vince Polistina have introduced legislation allowing casinos and racetracks to operate for up to 60-days during any halt in government operations.

“These are difficult times. It’s unlikely that creating next year’s budget will be a smooth process,” said Kean, R-Union, Morris, Somerset and Essex.

“Neither the casinos nor their workers can afford a shutdown while legislators debate state spending. We need to protect jobs so that no one is put at risk of missing a payment on a mortgage or utility bill.”

“The government shutdown in 2006, resulting from the failure of the Governor and the Legislature to approve a budget by the July 1st deadline, was a devastating blow to the casino industry and its workers,” said Amodeo, R-Atlantic.

“We cannot risk another shutdown that threatens the casino industry and its workers.”Kean, Polistina and Amodeo said that with the state facing a possible budget shortfall of more than $4 billion for next year’s budget, the possibility of another contentious budget process – and an extended government shutdown – cannot be ruled out. Under current law, the casinos can operate for up to seven days in the event of a government shutdown.

“The prudent thing is to be prepared well in advance for what could happen this summer,” said Polistina, R-Atlantic.

“The legislation approved earlier this year fails to account for the very real possibility that during a protracted budget stalemate we could have a government shutdown that exceeds one week. We have to prevent workers from losing wages and the state from losing any revenue should state leaders fail to adhere to their responsibilities as they did in 2006.”

The failure of the Governor and Legislature to pass a budget by July 1 in 2006 resulted in a shutdown of the state government and the closing of the casinos in Atlantic City for the first time in history. The state lost $4 million of revenue as a result of the 2006 shutdown.

NEWSMAX - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell blames Rush Limbaugh and conservative talk radio for Republican electoral woes in a CNN interview to be broadcast this weekend.
"Can we continue to listen to Rush Limbaugh?" Powell said, according to a transcript of the interview on the “Fareed Zakaria GPS” show CNN released.

"Is this really the kind of party that we want to be when these kinds of spokespersons seem to appeal to our lesser instincts rather than our better instincts?" Powell said.

Powell told Zakaria that he still considers himself a Republican but said his party should quit listening to Limbaugh for advice. Instead, it needs to look more to minority groups if it wants to win elections in the 21st century.

The week before the presidential election, Powell crossed party lines to endorse Barack Obama during an appearance on NBC’s "Meet the Press."

During the appearance, Powell, the first African-American to hold the secretary of state position, made it clear that race had not played a role in his decision to back Obama. His support, he said, arose from Obama's "ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of his campaign, because he is reaching out all across America."

Ironically, conservatives like Limbaugh had strongly opposed John McCain during his presidential campaign, while Powell donated $2,300 to McCain during his primary effort.

"I think the party has to stop shouting at the world and at the country," Powell said. "I think that the party has to take a hard look at itself, and I've talked to a number of leaders in recent weeks and they understand that."

"There is nothing wrong with being conservative. There is nothing wrong with having socially conservative views — I don't object to that,” Powell said in the interview, which was taped Wednesday. “But if the party wants to have a future in this country, it has to face some realities.

In another 20 years, the majority in this country will be the minority."

The full interview with Powell will air at 1 p.m. ET Sunday on CNN.

Seeking to cut back on taxpayer costs and saying that all branches of government must share in the pain during the current economic downturn, Assemblymen Vince Polistina and John Amodeo today called for spending cuts, including legislative salaries and district office staff salaries, while reiterating their support for a bill that eliminates health benefits for elected officials who only serve part-time in public offices.

“New Jersey is facing a major budget crisis at a time of economic turmoil,” said Polistina, R-Atlantic. “It is essential that government cut costs to balance the budget and there is no reason that government itself should be exempt from the economic pain being felt by the rest of the community.”

Polistina and Amodeo called for a 20 percent reduction in salaries for state legislators, and for a 10 percent reduction in the salaries for legislative district office staff, during the current economic downturn.They also called for consideration of their bill, A-2446, providing that elected officials whose compensation is less than $50,000 annually would be ineligible for any health care benefits provided by the public entity which they serve.Polistina and Amodeo said that most part-time elected officials have other jobs that also make health coverage available, or have access to a spouse’s coverage, therefore making this an unnecessary expense.

“The area of benefits reform is one which holds promise not just for providing short-term savings, but easing our long-term budget problems,” Amodeo said. “Hopefully with the magnitude of our fiscal problems now apparent, we can move this proposal forward.”