WEBBER: Another Taxing Day for New Jersey Citizens

Assemblyman Jay Webber, chairman of the Taxpayer Protection Caucus in the New Jersey General Assembly, announced today having a New Jersey's Tax Freedom Day is not a good idea, but the second worst idea in the country.
"On the day that New Jerseyans finally have paid for their share of government and can start working for their families, it is a sad irony that Democrats start pushing their new water tax on households. They already have made New Jersey unaffordable by taxing our homes, our work, our cars, our TVs, our phones, our cigarettes, our gas, our electricity, and our drinks, among other things. Now they want to tax our water. What will they tax next - our air?"
Webber's comments come after the NJ Senate Environment Committee announced it will discuss creating a new $150 million tax on water.
"This year, the average New Jerseyan already has spent 127 long days - well more than 4 months - working just to pay his or her total tax burden. Crushing taxes are forcing our families, friends, and neighbors to flee to other states - and the only thing the Democrats can think to do is to find new burdnes to heap on us," Webber said.
"The commitment of the Taxpayer Protection Caucus is to make New Jersey more affordable by opposing any tax increases and lightening the load on New Jersey's already-overtaxed citizens. We want our State to be a place where people want to live, not a place they need to leave," he added.

Congressman Holt Blasts Republicans for Blocking Emergency Voting Bill

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Rush Holt strongly criticized House members Tuesday for blocking legislation – the Emergency Assistance for Secure Elections Act of 2008 – that would encourage state s to conduct verifiable elections by converting to a paper ballot voting system, offer ing emergency paper ballots, and con duct ing hand-counted audits . Two weeks ago, the same legislation passed the House Administration Committee with bipartisan, unanimous support, including from some of those who voted to block the bill ’ s passage on Tuesday.
“This bill would represent a real step forward in our effort to protect the accuracy, integrity and security of the November elections,” Holt said. “The bill that the House leadership scheduled for a vote today is the same one that passed two weeks ago without the objection of a single Committee member. There is no reason why this should be a partisan issue but the Republicans evidently have chosen to make it so. The White House issued a statement opposing the bill and 176 of 203 Republicans voted that way”
H.R. 5036 , as reported to the floor by the committee, would authorize funding to reimburse states with paperless jurisdictions that co nvert to paper-based voting systems in 2008 or provide emergency paper ballots that would be counted as regular ballots in the event of machine failure. The reimbursements would cover the cost of equipment conversion (from paperless touch screen machines t o paper-based systems, such as optical scanners or computers with printers ) and the cost of developing procedures for conducting hand-counted audits using independent, random selection of at least 2 percent of the precincts for audits under public observation.
If the bill does not pass or jurisdictions do not opt in, six complete states and some number of counties in 14 other states will be conducting completely unauditable elections in 2008. In add ition, only about a dozen states will conduct audits.
“ What everyone should want is a national standard that would help ensure verifiable elections ,” Holt added. “ We made this a n even more modest bill to gain bipartisan support and pass quickly. It mere ly offers reimbursement to states that chose the option of auditable and audited elections; there is no mandate. Republicans are evidently unwi lling to accept even this modest attempt to bring about verifiable elections. ”
Holt noted that the main objection to the bill was, according to Republicans, its cost.
“ I ’ d like to ask the opponents how much spending is too much to have verifiable elections in the United States. I note that many people who opposed this legislation supported spending almost $330 million in recent years to provide election assistance in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. I would have hoped those who supported efforts to export democracy abroad would be equally committed to strengthening democracy here at home,” Holt said.

McHose: Corzine plan to close 9 state parks smacks of playing politics

Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose expressed her outrage at the state Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) announcement on Tuesday that it will close at least nine state parks and cut services at three others at the height of the summer tourist season due to Governor Jon Corzine’s proposed budget cuts.
McHose, R-Sussex, Morris and Hunterdon, noted that most of the parks slated for closure are located in Republican areas of the state, including High Point State Park and Worthington State Park. She said the move is further proof that the governor is not considering efficiency when making his cuts, but instead is “seeking cuts that will be expedient for him.
“It couldn’t be more clearer,” she said. “First he said he plans on eliminating the state’s Agriculture Department, which is one of the most efficiently run departments we have, and now he intends on closing down our state parks. How interesting that most of them are located in primarily Republican territory. “New Jersey parks are not the cause of our state budget problems,” McHose, a member of the Assembly Budget Committee, continued, “a self-serving governor who is clearly out of touch with our residents is.”
McHose said she is disappointed that Governor Corzine is spending his time pledging to raise $30 million to resolve the Democratic primary in Florida and Michigan when his own state is in the throes of a financial crisis and New Jersey taxpayers are suffering. According to an Associated Press report today, one in five state parks will be forced to close resulting in the layoff of 80 park workers. Offseason hours at all of the state’s 42 sites will be reduced as well. McHose said the governor’s decision is the epitome of hypocrisy because he is going after an entity that actually benefits the state’s economy.
“These parks attract millions of recreational visitors and tourists each year that are a much needed boost to the state’s economy and the economies of the regions surrounding these parks,” she explained. “Mr. Corzine should spend his time battling the real problem – excessive government spending, waste and abuse – and not targeting our resources that actually benefit the state. He should take a long, hard look at the waste in so many of our school districts and the abuse in the state’s New Jersey Family Care program.”
The results of new state audits released Monday revealed shocking displays of waste and abuse in a state-run health care program for working poor families. The audits showed that people earning six figure salaries are enrolled in the program.
“That is absolutely unconscionable,” said McHose of the report.
“The waste in this state is absolutely rampant. But instead of targeting that, Governor Corzine chooses to close our parks and eliminate the Garden State ’s Agriculture Department. It’s absurd and a slap in the face to our residents. How dare he play politics with the well being of our hard working taxpayers and our state.”

McCain: Lending Institutions Need to Help Those Who Are in Crisis

ARLINGTON, Va. (Standard Newswire) - U.S. Senator John McCain today issued the following statement on the housing crisis: "On Tuesday, I addressed the housing crisis and its devastating impact on our financial markets and the household budgets of millions of hardworking Americans.

The fact is that there are about 4 million homeowners in danger of losing their homes. We have a responsibility to take action to help those among them who are deserving homeowners, and as I said this week, I am committed to considering any and all proposals to do so. Any action must further look to the future to make certain this never happens again.

"As I said on Tuesday, I believe the role of government is to help the truly needy, prevent systemic economic risk, and enact reforms that prevent the kind of crisis we are currently experiencing from ever happening again. Those reforms should focus on improving transparency and accountability in our capital markets -- both of which were lacking in the lead-up to the current situation. "However, what is not necessary is a multi-billion dollar bailout for big banks and speculators, as Senators Clinton and Obama have proposed. There is a tendency for liberals to seek big government programs that sock it to American taxpayers while failing to solve the very real problems we face.

"This is a complex problem that deserves a careful, balanced approach that helps the homeowners in trouble, not big banks and speculators that acted irresponsibly. I again call on our lending institutions, where possible, to step up and help Americans who are hurting in this crisis."

Sabrin challenges Unanue to debate

Jersey City, NJ – New Jersey conservative Republican leader Dr. Murray Sabrin, the Garden State’s strongest advocate of limited government and individual freedom and candidate for U.S. Senate, challenged his new Primary opponent, New York City nightclub owner Casal Andrew Unanue, to debate him before the upcoming Republican Conventions this week.
Dr. Murray Sabrin said, “Tom Wilson and the failed Republican Leadership are trying to hang on to their limited power by recruiting a slick Playboy Nightclub owner from New York City to run for the United States Senate. What’s next? The manager of the Bada-Bing Club to run for Governor.”
Sabrin continued, “New Jersey and our nation are facing serious problems and that is why I have proposed the Sabrin Solution to these issues. If he wants to run for the United States Senate he should be prepared to debate me on the issues this week. I am confident the voters will respond to my message of Legalizing Freedom.” Casal Andrew Unanue announced on Easter Sunday he was running for the United States Senate.
Sabrin Communications Director George Ajjan said, “It was inappropriate for Mr. Unanue to play politics on the holiest day of the year for millions of New Jersey Christians. We hope he shows more sensitivity in the future.”

Republicans call for appropriate spending cuts

Republican Members of the Assembly Budget Committee said on Tuesday they will focus their efforts during the budget process in the next three months on making significant spending reductions, but they said those reductions must be fair cuts targeted at wasteful and unnecessary spending.
“Our responsibility is to look at the budget the Governor has proposed and find ways to make it better,” said Assemblyman Joseph Malone, R-Burlington, Ocean, Monmouth and Mercer. “Our challenge is to make changes to this budget without doing anything to exacerbate our fiscal problems, and our goal should be to pass a budget this June that will actually help get our state back on the right fiscal course.”
The budget committee hearings opened on Tuesday with revenue forecasts from the non-partisan Office of Legislative Services (OLS) and the Treasurer. The revenue projections indicate that there may be $134 million less available for the FY2009 budget than was anticipated when Governor Corzine addressed the Legislature in February.
“Today’s revenue projections only reinforce why it is vital that we go beyond the level of cuts proposed by the governor and make even deeper cuts to this budget,” said Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose, R-Sussex, Morris and Hunterdon. “This means finding additional areas where we can eliminate spending, but it also may mean replacing some counterproductive cuts the governor has proposed with cuts that will have a real long-term impact on getting our budget under control.”
Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow said that she is concerned by the impact the Corzine budget will have on rural areas of New Jersey with cuts in aid to small towns, cuts to State Police coverage for rural municipalities, and the elimination of the Department of Agriculture.
“A serious effort at cutting spending would involve fair cuts across the entire state budget that ask everyone to share the burden equally,” said Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow, R-Hunterdon and Warren . “It is not acceptable to protect funding for unnecessary state programs and for large, inefficient urban municipalities while squeezing rural and suburban regions of the state for more money. All cuts must be fair and defensible. These are neither.”
Referring to reports that the Corzine administration moved $300 million in funding off-budget so that it wouldn’t be included in the $33 billion budget figure the governor announced in February, Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, R-Monmouth and Mercer, said that dealing with the budget problem will require an honest assessment of the problem.
“We are facing a very complex and difficult fiscal situation and the only way we can tackle this problem is by making significant spending cuts,” O’Scanlon said. “That means making real spending cuts, not playing games with the books to make the budget appear smaller than it actually will be next year.”

What Are You To Believe

Democratic Sen. Barack Obama gave a heartfelt and politically correct speech about race today. For many this speech uplifted and talked to many who believe that the country can move beyond race to create “a more perfect union.”
But to the trained eye Obama’s speech did more than talk about race, uphold his friendship with the Rev. Wright but took targeted pot shots at those who questioned his ability to be friends with a racist pastor.
Throughout his speech Obama targeted political pundits, the media and implied that white men voting for Sen. John McCain would do so because they a trapped in old resentments.
Bull Hockey!!!!
Another commentator noted that Obama did more to widen the racial divide than close it. Using the speech’s statement “…..to wish away the resentments of white America, to label them as misguided or even racists, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns, this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding.”
Really!.
Obama’s speech was well written, historical, moving and evoked emotion at given times, but who was he talking to. Who was listening? What message was he really trying to give or sell?
He turned the Wright controversy on a dime, by acknowledging the problem, and then making the problem a greater one by focusing on the needs of white middle-class Americans who might be angry regarding their circumstances and can easily blame affirmative-action, busing, and other sources of racial friction as the cause of their problems.
With this speech do we now denounce race as a campaign issue or do we take it on for more political rhetoric.