Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category

RIP New Jersey COAH

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

A New Jersey State Senate bill recently introduced would abolish the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH), taking implementation of low and moderate income housing standards from the state and putting it in the hands of municipalities.  It’s about time.

COAH came into existence in the late 1970’s as a result of the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Mt. Laurel Decision, which basically said that municipalities cannot zone against low and moderate-income housing and must supply affordable housing.  COAH set quotas for each of the state’s 567 (now 566) municipalities.

The quota system was unfair to many municipalities, setting unrealistically high numbers for some towns.  Here in Cape May County, Middle Township is still required to offer 932 more affordable units by 2018 and Upper Township still owes over 500.  It’s unrealistic and puts a heavy burden on taxpayers, who must fund new schools and services to meet the demand of so many new residences.

Senate Bill S1, sponsored by Raymond Lesniak and Christopher Bateman, and its companion State Assembly bill A2057, would abolish COAH.  It would also do away with State-imposed calculations of affordable housing needs.  Instead, it would permit municipalities to determine their own needs.  The State Planning Commission would assist towns in facilitating opportunities for affordable housing.

The bill would require municipalities to re-examine their master plan and adopt an ordinance that provides an opportunity for an appropriate variety and choice of housing.  They must show that they have complied with their obligations under the Fair Housing Act.  Any municipality not enacting ordinances by December 31, 2011, would be required to have any developers set aside 20% of their project for low or moderate or work force housing.

What does all this mean?  COAH and its assigned numbers of affordable housing units will be put to rest.  But municipalities aren’t off the hook.  They must still offer affordable housing, but on their own terms, not Trenton’s.

-Mountain Man and City Girl    http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com

The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ    http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com

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The Majestic Redwoods

Friday, January 29th, 2010

The Coastal Redwoods are a sight to see.  Ranging along the fog-shrouded California coast from Big Sur to just over the border into southwestern Oregon, these giants can live up to 2,200 years.  There are 137 of these behemoths over 350 feet tall, with the tallest living redwood measuring in at a whopping 379 feet.  The largest redwood girth is a mind-boggling 26 feet across.

The battle between environmentalists looking to preserve the trees and loggers looking at profits and jobs has been going on for a century, and the fight intensified beginning in the 1960s.  It’s an emotional issue, with both sides resorting to vandalism or violence at times to protect what they believe is right.

National Geographic ran a feature article in October, 2009 about the redwoods and their future.  It was a politically-correct, safe article.  As is NatGeo’s philosophy, they strongly presented both sides while not taking a stand. 

Here is an interesting Letter to the Editor that I just read this morning in my new February issue of NatGeo, written and submitted by John Ruch of Boston, giving his views of the validity of the redwood article’s points.

“Regarding your paean to capitalist “forest management” as the solution to saving redwoods, forests already have a manager.  It’s nature itself, which has a head start of hundreds of millions of years on our wisdom.  Conservation has become hubristic meddling, capitalism still is barely tamed greed, and the unholy alliance of the two is a scam masquerading as hipster realpolitik.

“Here’s the truth:  Redwood lumber is not a vital resource.  It is a luxury item that no one has any need or right to cut.  The key to an ecological future is reducing our own population by three-quarters, not turning even more people into luxury-slurping consumers.  The key to ending global warming is paying people who don’t drive cars at all, not paying forest companies.  And anybody who kills any living thing more than a thousand years old is simply a jerk.  Your article used the word “cut” a lot.  What it meant is “kill”.”

- Mountain Man and City Girl    http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com

The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ    http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com

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Special Interests Win Again

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

It’s sure tough to be the little guy - the common US citizen - isn’t it?  Despite all the guarantees put forth in the Constitution, our government is still controlled by special interests.  Not us peons.

The Supreme Court set us back a few decades last week when a 5-4 decision okayed companies and unions ability to spend freely on ads that promote or target particular candidates by name.  It also lifts a ban on corporate and union-paid issue-based ads in the final days of a campaign.

How easy is it now going to be for a politician to climb into bed with special interests?  Quite.  If not, their opponent just might and then steal the election.  It’s a field day for graft.

President Obama lashed out at the decision over the weekend.  “We don’t need to give any more voice to the powerful interests that already drown out the voices of everyday Americans,” he said.  “And we don’t intend to.”

The White House will attempt to legislate away the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision, which basically used the First Amendment’s “freedom of speech” as the reason to allow these transgressions against decency.  The House of Representatives and Senate must approve any bills on the subject before Obama could sign it into law.

The White House has a number of measures it is proposing: require the approval of a majority of shareholders before a corporation can run a political ad;  require the CEO to appear at the end of the ad;  limit the ad spending of corporations who received bailout money;  and/or limit privileges that come with corporate status concerning political ads.

If this Supreme Court ruling is allowed to stand, any candidate that stood for environmental or social issues would likely be squashed by the big businesses whose profits would be trimmed. 

Isn’t democracy grand?

- Mountain Man and City Girl    http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com

The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ    http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com

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Republican Triple Play

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

In what can only be attributed to voter backlash to the Obama administration, the GOP completed its sweep of the three major off-year elections with a Senatorial victory in Massachusetts yesterday.  So much for the political pundits who declared the Republican party as DOA a year ago.

The GOP resurrection all started in Virginia on November 3, 2009 when Bob McDonnell, the former state Attorney General, trounced Democratic State Senator Creigh Deeds by a 59% to 41% margin in the gubernatorial race.  It was the biggest margin of victory in the Commonwealth since 1961.  McDonnell, who took the oath of office last Saturday, replaced Democratic governor Tim Kaine.

That same fateful November election saw Republican Chris Christie knock off incumbent New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine by 87,000 votes in a race that was almost too close to call.  It was the largest margin of victory for a first-time Republican in the Garden State since 1969.  Christie, like his Virginia counterpart, was a former Attorney General (US).  Similarly, both states now have two Democratic senators and a new rookie Republican governor.

Christie was inaugurated yesterday.  While emphasizing that he was in Trenton to implement “change”, he put his finger on the problem in New Jersey politics.  “Too much time has been spent assigning blame instead of accepting responsibility,” he said.

Yesterday also marked the end of the Democratic reign of one of Massachusetts’ Senate seats.  Since John F. Kennedy defeated Henry Cabot Lodge in a big upset back in 1952, the Bay State has been decidedly Democratic.  When Kennedy won the Presidential election in 1960, the seat was passed to a Democratic family friend, who then stepped aside in an pre-arrangement to secede to Ted Kennedy in 1962.  Teddy, who held the Senate job for over 46 years, was unable to directly take the seat from brother John in ‘60 because he wasn’t yet 30 years old.  This youngest Kennedy son passed away last summer.

The Senatorial election yesterday went to Republican Scott Brown, a former State Senator, who routed Democratic Attorney General (sound familiar?) Martha Coakley.  The combination of Coakley’s lack of charisma and poor campaign strategy was her undoing.  Brown, who once trailed in the polls by 30% and then as recently as two weeks ago by 15%, took 52% of the popular vote.

The vote was also a reflection of the fallout from the Obama presidency, which ran on a platform of being an agent of change but so far has been decidedly ineffective.  An all too-familar ring of a presidential candidate being a “Washington outsider” resonates with voters, but the reality is usually that once they set up shop inside the Beltway they get sucked into “politics as usual”.  They find that compromise and cutting deals is a survival tool.

Saving the best for last, the Massachusetts election was also perhaps a yardstick for the popularity of the universal health care reform being presented to the American people.  Brown will now cast the deciding 41st vote in the Senate against the bill, effectively putting the issue to rest for a while.

Maybe it’s time for the Obama administration to focus on the issue that Americans care most about – the economy and jobs.

- Mountain Man and City Girl    http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com

The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ    http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com

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Internet Gambling in New Jersey

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

Internet gambling in the United States is illegal.  It’s cut and dried.  But a recent federal appeals court decision just may have given states the option to offer internet gambling within their own borders.  In cash-strapped New Jersey, which is expected to have the seventh largest budget deficit this fiscal year of the 50 states, the notion has appeal.

State Senator Raymond Lesniak recently introduced bill S3167, which would indeed legalize such popular games as poker, baccarat, blackjack, roulette, craps, slot machines, and more.  With New Jersey’s distinction of having the toughest gambling laws in the United States, implementing the on-line form seems a natural and comforting fit.

Currently, there are thousands of global internet gambling sites.  They are illegal in New Jersey, in part because there is no way for the state gaming commission to determine whether these games offer fair odds.  Many who do still gamble illegally on the internet complain of not being able to collect their winnings.  Would you trust a gambling site located in the Philippines or Bulgaria?

The other reason they are not legal in New Jersey is rather obvious – Atlantic City.  The state’s 11 casinos generated $3.9 billion in revenue in 2009.  While down from $5.2 billion in record-setting 2006, it still is a major contributor to state coffers.

The new internet gambling bill, if eventually made into law, would require all gaming companies to be headquartered around Atlantic City.  The New Jersey Casino Control Commission, also based in AC, would be able to monitor the new companies, plus develop “technical standards for approval of software, computers and other gaming equipment used to conduct internet wagering, including mechanical, electrical or program reliablility, security against tampering, the comprehensibility of wagering, …. blah, blah, blah.”   Did you get all that?

Internet site operators would pay $200,000 the first year for a license, with a $100,000 annual renewal.  They’d also pay a $100,000 non-refundable deposit and another $100,000 towards treating compulsive gambling.  They’d fork over a 20% tax to the casino revenue fund and another tax would give money to the New Jersey Racing Commission.  No wonder so many groups are salivating over the prospect of internet gambling.

AC Mayor Lorenzo Langford spoke in favor of the internet gambling concept, while casino operators seem concerned that the bill might allow video lottery terminals (VLT’s) and slot machines at the state’s race tracks.  The AC casinos are currently paying the horseracing industry $90 million over three years in an agreement that bans VLT’s from tracks.

With New Jersey’s perilious money situation, internet gambling seems like a good revenue producer.  The AC casinos will survive because, let’s face it, you don’t have the glitz of the casinos and shows and entertainers and restaurants sitting at home on your computer.  And you can bet that the 11 casinos will be the first in line to get those new internet gaming licenses.  They see the possibilities!

- Mountain Man and City Girl   http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com

The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ  http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com

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“I Have a Dream”

Monday, January 18th, 2010

Today commemorates Dr. Martin Luther King, a charismatic speaker who led the fight for racial equality and an end to discrimination in America.  In 1964, he became the youngest person ever to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.  He led civil rights marches and protests throughout the Southern States, which staunchly clung to their outdated and repulsive Confederacy mentality.

But it’s Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered August 28, 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC in front of 200,000 people, that will forever define his legacy.  It was named the top speech of the 20th century in a 1999 poll of scholars.

Here are a few excerpts that are worth revisiting:

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’”

“I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.”

So on this chilly Monday in January, take time to reflect on the inhumanity that once pervaded our land.  And be relieved that, for the most part, that injustice has been rectified.  Thanks, Dr. King.

- Mountain Man and City Girl

http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com

The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ  http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com

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ATV’s in New Jersey

Monday, January 18th, 2010

Let’s face it.  Unless you live in rural America and own a large tract of land, there is no place for all-terrain vehicles (ATV’s).  Here in New Jersey, with a population density of 1,134 people per square mile, ATV’s are a fish out of water.

New Jersey’s Assembly and Senate recently approved a bill which would regulate ATV’s, while at the same time creating three parks for ATV’s and dirtbikes.  Governor Jon Corzine, whose last day in office is today, is expected to sign the bill into law as he packs up his belongings.  If he doesn’t give it his John Hancock, incoming Governor Christopher Christie no doubt will enact ATV laws in the near future.

New Jersey prohibits dirt bikes and ATV’s from all public lands, which includes state parks, preserves, utility power lines, and roads.  Unfortunately, many riders have thumbed their noses at the law and police regularly have cat and mouse pursuits of scofflaws.  Many municipalities, including here in Middle Township, Cape May County where we live, have had to purchase ATV’s and train officers to catch the illegal riders.

The new ATV regulations going into effect would require all owners to register their machine within six months.  New vehicles have to be registered to take delivery.  The cost will be $50, plus a $10 surcharge to help fund the three riding parks.  The fine for getting caught without a registration will be $500.  Since the ATV’s and dirt bikes would now have license plates front and rear, police and the public should have no problem spotting unregistered vehicles.

There are 85 ATV and dirt bike dealers listed in New Jersey.  There are 25,000 riders, according to estimates.  Acquiring three riding parks will probably be difficult.  They’ll have to be located away from populations, wetlands, and water.  Presumably, they’ll locate one each in North Jersey, Central Jersey, and South Jersey.  Hopefully, the 1.1 million acre Pinelands will be off-limits in the South.

The root of ATV problems can often be traced to condescending parents, who buy their kid a dirt bike or ATV even though there is nowhere to legally operate it.  Soon a bunch of kids are tearing through private property, destroying gates and fences and rutting footpaths to the point that they are unwalkable.  The ruts also hold water, making ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes.  And then there are the idiots who chase deer and other wildlife.  Irresponsible adults are as often to blame as teenagers for the many transgressions of riders.

That said, ATV’s aren’t all bad.  In West Virginia, where we also own a log home on 19 acres, ATV’s are permitted on any road that is not a “numbered highway”.  That makes zipping down to the neighbors for a cup of coffee as easy as hopping on your machine, which many have parked right outside the front door.  But West Virginia has just 75 folks per square mile (6% of NJ) and plenty of families own 100-acre tracts.  Riding in a National Forest, however, still results in confiscation of the ATV if caught.

Let’s hope that New Jersey’s new ATV laws put an end to the illegal trespassing that so many riders feel is their inherent right.  This is a chance to legitimize their hobby.

- Mountain Man and City Girl

http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com 

The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ  http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com

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Health Care Reform – Good or Bad?

Sunday, January 17th, 2010

The debate rages on in America.  To have or have not?   Health care, that is.

On the surface, affordable health care for everyone seems like a good idea.  But then again, so does communism.  But implementing an ideal is another thing.  Man’s inherent greed, competitive nature, and downright incompetence can turn the most well-intentioned plan into a complete boondoggle.  I could have used much stronger language than “boondoggle”.

There is one showstopping point to President Obama’s universal health care plan that most everyone seems to have overlooked.  It’s NOT health care, it’s disease treatment.  Think about it.

If the government - and society in general - really cared about people’s health, they’d tackle the nutrition situation.  Proper nutrition prevents the majority of illnesses.  That’s the heart of all our health problems.  Eat right and the body will help heal itself.  The body is an efficient machine if it gets the right nutrients.  Just like your car running on 87 octane fuel.  Try running it on 65 octane and see what happens.

So a true health care plan would include education on nutrition.  While most Americans will guffaw at this suggestion, we need to all become vegetarians.  Ingesting animal products and processed sugars is like, well, putting sugar in your car’s gas tank.  It sputters and dies.

But enough on that subject.  Let’s get back to this “disease treatment” reform bill. 

 

The House of Representatives passed  their version of the bill on November 7 by a narrow margin of 220-215.  On December 24, the Senate passed their version of the bill 60-39.  The one missing vote was that of the late Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts.

Since the two arms of government passed different versions of the bill, it will have to be reconciled and voted on again by both houses.  If Republican Scott Brown gets elected in Tuesday’s special Senatorial election in Massachusetts, the Senate vote will no doubt end up 60 to 40 and the bill will die.  If Democrat Martha Coakley wins, the Senate will most likely still favor the bill.

As things currently stand, no health reform will result in 54 million uninsured Americans by 2019.  But the House bill would still leave 17 million uninsured by 2019 and the Senate bill 23 million.  The 10 year cost is touted as $1.05 trillion for the House version and $871 billion for the Senate’s.  It’s the struggling middle, upper middle, and upper classes that will be footing the bill.  This recession has hurt them, too.

The major sticking point for most Americans is that coverage will be mandatory.  Not getting insurance coverage will result in some sort of fines or penalty tax.  That’s outrageous!

Another taint is that in order for the Senate to get the necessary vote of Democrat Ben Nelson, a former insurance industry lawyer and consultant, they granted the state of Nebraska $100 million over 10 years to cover expansion costs of Medicare.  The main beneficary:  insurance companies writing policies in Nebraska.  There were other abuses, trade-offs, and compromises in both house’s bills.

So we’ve gone full circle.  Back to greed and incompetence.  Is affordable health care a good thing?  Yes.  Can we trust the government to oversee it?  Not hardly.

Back to the drawing board.

- Mountain Man and City Girl

http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com

The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ

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Ted Kennedy’s Successor

Sunday, January 17th, 2010

The death of US Senator Ted Kennedy last August 29 marked the end of a long political career.  The Massachusetts Democrat was first elected in 1962 and it was his first of nine consecutive election victories.  He served in the US Senate for 46 years, giving him the fourth longest service in Senate history.  It was the only elected position he ever held.

Once upon a time, after the assassinations of brothers John (1962) and Robert (1968), it seemed logical and highly possible that young Teddy would one day became President of the United States.  But the Chappaquiddick incident in July, 1969 derailed any aspirations for being Commander in Chief.  Who can ever forget photos of that car sitting in the water?

Tuesday is election day in Massachusetts, when voters will decide between Democrat Martha Coakley, the state’s attorney general, and Republican Scott Brown, a relatively unknown state senator.  Coakley, who at one point held a 15% advantage in the polls, has seen her lead shrink to 4%.  With a margin of error of 4%, it’s just about a toss up.  Undecided Independents will no doubt decide this election.

President Barack Obama made a quick change in plans and will campaign for Coakley today in Massachusetts, a typically Democrat state.  On Friday, former President Bill Clinton campaigned for Coakley in Massachusetts, while New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was stumping for Brown.

So why do all these heavy hitters care so much about Ted Kennedy’s old seat?  Health care.

If Coakley wins, Obama will presumably still have the 60 Senate votes needed to approve a health care reform bill.  If Brown wins, the opposition gets its decisive 40th vote to shoot down any health care bill put up to a Senate vote.

How does a Republican even have a chance in the staunchly Democratic Massachusetts?  Obama.

When Obama was elected and took office last January, he was supposed to be an agent of change.  But now many who supported his election are disappointed and disenchanted with his presidency.  Independents, especially, are leaving his camp.  There is an anti-incumbent, anti-establishment undercurrent amongst the masses.  This could well work to Brown’s advantage in the Massachusetts election.  But is it enough to derail Coakley?

Whoever wins, they certainly have a big pair of shoes to fill.

- Mountain Man and City Girl

http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com

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Civil War in West Wildwood

Saturday, January 16th, 2010

It’s the Hatfields and the McCoys, the Blue and the Gray, the Union and the Confederacy.  Whatever label you attach, it is an all-out war in West Wildwood, pitting neighbors against neighbors, one political faction against the other.

The war has taken the form of employee suspensions, court ordered re-instatements, lawsuits, and even an upcoming mayoral recall election.  It’s Peyton Place by-the-Bay.

There have been undercurrents of one side versus the other for a long time, but the war intensified in May, 2008 with the election of a new set of three city commissioners – Mayor Herb Frederick, Gerard McNamara, and Scott Golden.  The power had been transferred from the Hatfields to the McCoys.  The muskets and long rifles are loaded and ready.

The new mayor is a political rival of former mayor Chris Fox, who chose to retire from public life and not run in the election.  Along with his personable brother Alan Fox, the longtime police chief, the two Fox’s were visible leaders of the little borough of 400-something yearround residents for over a decade.

Amongst the goings-on recently have been the firing of the city clerk – an ally of Fox – by Frederick.  A judge ordered her back on the job.  Frederick then suspended police lieutenant Jackie Ferentz, another Fox ally, in March, 2009.  He accused her of a number of violations, amongst those performing duties only allowed by the chief.  But documentation alleges that Chief Alan Fox, who has suffered with illness for over a decade, appointed Ferentz as acting police chief before he retired.

Ferentz countered by suing Frederick for interfering with her ability to do her duties as chief.  She also joined with two other West Wildwood residents to successfully get enough petition signatures to force a recall election of Frederick.  You guessed it.  Frederick has filed a lawsuit to stop the February 23rd election.

And so life goes on in the sleepy little fishing town on the backbay.  Stay tuned.  We’ll have more stories of strife from the frontlines in the future.

- Mountain Man and City Girl

http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com

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A Ray of Hope

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Every once in a while when you are reading the newspaper, you digest an article that gives you renewed hope that there is a chance for humanity to survive.  Maybe more folks are beginning to see the light.

This morning, I saw two newspaper pieces that kindled such thoughts.  The first was about two candidates challenging the others to “be nice”.  The other is a suggestion by the county that they’ll recycle wastewater.  Both are the type of thinking that you wish more would adopt.

The two candidates are running for township council in one of Cape May County’s 16 municipalities.  Both are Republicans, but running as independents.  They’ll face a three-way race against the Dems and GOP.  With elections still seven months away, the pair asked their opponents to follow some “fair play” rules.  Civility in civil service, so to speak.  A novel idea!

They asked for no lawn signs.  They asked that the names or photos of opponents not to be disclosed in any campaign mailings.  They also pledged to not accept contributions from anyone doing business with the county, including engineers, architects, attorneys, etc. 

The question is whether the opponents will agree to these terms.  Certainly, the two who laid out the gameplan will abide by it.  But it takes two to dance – actually three in this case.  While the outcome is still in doubt, you have to like the way this pair have challenged the rest to not dish the dirt.

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The other piece of encouraging news is that the county will be irrigating the County Park and Zoo, the ACCC campus, and the nearby municipal playing fields complex with treated wastewater.  That is a concept used effectively in areas in California and Florida, amongst others, and it will become a natural part of our lives in the future.

Once these three local places have the infrastructure in place to handle treated wastewater pumped from the municipal utilities authority (MUA) treatment plant, the public will see the benefits.  This process not only saves on using precious water from our dwindling aquifers, but it allows irrigation water to percolate through the ground and eventually find its way back down to help replenish the aquifer.

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This wastewater recycling has been advocated by local environmentalists, like myself, since the ’90s.  Hopefully, next on the agenda would be golf courses.  On a hot summer day, the typical 18-hole Cape May County golf course uses 400,000 to 600,000 gallons of potable water to irrigate the grass.  With a dozen courses, that’s a lot of water everyday.  At the same time, the MUA is pumping billions of gallons of treated wastewater into the ocean to get rid of it.

So let’s see.  A couple of experienced politicians want to act like gentlemen and the county is pursuing water reuse.  Do I see a faint light at the end of the tunnel?

- Mountain Man

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Cut the Waste, Gov!

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine unveiled his 2008 state budget this week, and in the land of “What’s in it for me?”, the citizens and legislators are in an uproar.  Everyone complains about how expensive it is to live here in the Garden State, but nobody seems to want to change the status quo and tighten belts.

The problem is that the state of New Jersey is carrying a $32 billion debt.  That is equivalent to $3,700 for every man, woman and child in the state.  The interest on the debt is $2.7 billion per year.  Having to pay that interest every year keeps the state from upgrading bridges and highways, and expanding and maintaining programs.  The state debt was about $15 billion in 2000, but it has increased on average about $2.5 billion per year since then.

 The Gov’s proposed 2008 budget is $33 billion, which came about after his staff trimmed $2.7 billion from what the different departments of state bureaucracy had asked for.  Notable amongst his cuts were disbanding three state departments – agriculture, personnel, and commerce.  Two are good moves, but not the Agriculture Department.  Axing it would not save much money, plus its responsibilities would shift to the NJ Dept of Environmental Protection.  They already mess up everything they touch, so why give them the farmers?

The budget would also cut state police patrols from 77 municipalities that exclusively depend on the state police.  Hurray!  In Cape May County, that’s Upper Twp, Dennis Twp, and Woodbine.  Let them hire their own police department.  Why should all state taxpayers fund their policing?  Pay for it yourselves.

The budget proposal would also trim roughly in half the state aid to towns under 10,000 population.  In Cape May County, that’s the 12 municipalities other than Ocean City, Upper Twp, Dennis Twp, and Middle Twp.  Good.  Maybe this will force consolidation, or at least more scrutiny towards their own budgets.  All these towns want to be their own fiefdom with their own patronage jobs, so pay for it yourselves.

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The Gov also wants to eliminate 3,000 state jobs.  Considering the state has 83,000 employees, maybe they should cut 5,000 or so.  Have you ever had to deal with the state hierarchy, or better yet gone to Trenton to transact business.  Whether by phone or in person, you’ll find that too many employees are on vacation, out sick, or took a personal day off.  It’s a joke.

The plan would also reduce aid to colleges and hospitals.  It would eliminate earned income rebates to those families making over $150,000 a year, and cut in half the rebate to those in the $100,000 to $150,000 bracket. Okay, no problem.

The last part of the Gov’s scheme, announced a month ago, was to boost highway tolls.  On the Garden State Parkway, they’ve been 35 cents just about forever.  So, make ‘em a buck apiece, I say.  But Corzine wants to double the toll every four years.  Yikes!  That would make a trip on the Atlantic City Expressway go from $2 now to $17 by 2022.  That’s a good way to cripple the casino industry.

The biggest overall complaint local government officials have with the Corzine budget is that it shifts more financial responsibility to their towns.  “We can’t afford it,” they cry.  I think that passing the buck to the municipalities is the right way to solve this problem.  Let the counties and towns economize.  Cape May County has an annual operating budget of $135 million.  You gotta be kidding me.  The county where we have a home in West Virginia spends $2.5 million a year.  The county needs to roll up its sleeves and get it under $100 million, for Pete’s sake!

The town I live in here in NJ has an annual budget of $21 million, not counting schools.  Of that, an incredible and unconscionable $8.5 million was for salaries.  C’mon, this is a little town of 17,000.  Do we really need 50 police officers and 40 police cars?  When the state reduces its aid, maybe the town will finally sit down and make some much needed budget cuts of it own.  Big cuts.

Residents of the state of New Jersey are being asked by the Governor to share the burden.  Pay for what you get, and get rid of what you don’t really need.  Sounds reasonable to me.

- Mountain Man

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I Just Don’t Care

Tuesday, February 26th, 2008

I am really tired of hearing the national media spout tales of personal indiscretions by high profile people.  I don’t care about a person’s demons and misdeeds, just how they perform in the job they are entrusted with.  Let me explain.

So much has been made about Bill Clinton’s sexual snafus.  I could care less.  Those things should only be an issue between him and Hillary.  It’s their relationship, their vows, their betrayal, their problem.  The same goes for Dwight Eisenhower, Jack Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Wilbur Mills, Gary Hart, and on and on.  It should be between Ike and Mamie, Jack and Jackie, Lyndon and Lady Bird, etc.  Did I really need to know about the Argentine Firecracker?  I think not.

Now I see the media frantically trying to tie John McCain to some much-younger female lobbyist. Give me a break.  I am only interested in whether these guys are good at their job.  Are they effective legislators?  Do they care about the people?  Do they suck up to special interests?  Do they have solutions?

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The media focuses too much on personal stuff, which puts real issues on the back burner.  I am intensely interested in the 2008 presidential election.  I want to know the details, yes details, of how each candidate would restructure our economy, rebuild our worldwide relationships, end the budget deficit, promote alternative energy, etc.  Instead, McCain has to defend himself against the lobbyist garbage, Obama has to defend wearing a turban, and Hillary has to defend … well, you know.

I have visited the websites of each of these three candidates.  Pandering to the media and not wanting to alienate a single voter, each tells vaguely what they are going to do as president, but not HOW!  I wanna know.  Stop giving the media sound bites, and let’s talk nuts and bolts. 

I also want to know why Congress is getting involved in steroids in baseball?  Don’t we have enough serious problems in the world that need to be addressed?  Shouldn’t the steroid thing be handled by major league baseball.  They have a commissioner and their own bureaucracy.  Let them deal with it.  Why is Roger Clemens out lobbying Congressmen in Washington? 

Now I hear speculation that Congress might even stick its nose into the spygate affair concerning the coach of the NFL’s New England Patriots.  You’ve got to be kidding.  The media is making a big thing out of stuff that is inconsequential to my life.

In baseball and football, teams have tried to intercept their opponents intentions since the sports originated.  What pitch is the catcher calling for?  Is the quarterback going to throw a screen pass or run an end around?  Figuring the other team’s strategy has been an integral part of those sports, and until recently any means necessary was an acceptable part of the game.

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So when did the introspective media originate?  When did reporters stop winking and hushing up?   In my mind, it was around the time of Watergate.  Woodward and Bernstein took investigative journalism to another level, bringing down Richard Nixon.  The same can be said for the national media driving Thomas Eagleton away for psychiatric therapy in his past, or William Loeb and his Manchester (NH) Union Leader probably costing Edmund Muskie a presidential election victory, only to later find out the charges were false.

Let’s focus on issues.  Let’s have candidates and politicians talk about solutions.  Let’s bring the process back to its grassroots.  Let’s have honest debate, citizen input!

As for all the dirt, the muckraking, the philandering.  Frankly Scarlet, I don’t give a damn!

- Mountain Man

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Leave Us Adults Alone

Saturday, February 2nd, 2008

Sometimes I get really upset at the loss of personal freedoms for adults in America.  It seems like some bonehead, do-gooder politician is always introducing restrictive legislation “for my own good”.  Back off, Jack!

Here in New Jersey, using cell phones in your vehicle will be illegal beginning March 1st.  Actually it already is illegal, but a cop can’t pull you over for that violation.  They have to stop you for another reason, then they can ticket you for cell phone use.  March 1st marks the day when they can now pull you over for talking on the phone.  It’s a primary offense.

That said, I guess they better outlaw radios, CD players, smoking, eating, and kids in cars.  Heck, they are all distractions to a driver.  And how about the person driving down the road with a poodle standing in their lap, head hanging out the driver’s window?  Or the woman rushing to work putting on her make-up?  Maybe the government should restrict vehicles to one person only – the driver – in a one-seat domed bubble.  Everything else is too dangerous for the driver to handle.

By the way, how come it’s not too dangerous to have to fish around in your pockets or a woman to rummage through her handbag to get coins for the tollbooth up ahead.  Don’t you have to concentrate to tell the difference between a quarter and a nickel?  Oh yea, that’s government revenue.  It’s okay.

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How about convertibles?  Shouldn’t they be outlawed.  After all, if you roll over in a crash, it’s all over unless your car is equipped with a rollbar.  Quick, let’s legislate!

Trailers are a potential hazard, too.  Of course, so are asteroids crashing into our planet.  But if a trailer hauling a boat or lawn mower or whatever blows a tire, it’ll get ugly.  Let’s require double axle trailers only.  You never can be too safe, right senator?

Now for seatbelts.  I don’t need the government deciding what’s good for my personal safety.  I’ll decide.  I’m an adult, so if I’m willing to gamble going through the windshield in an accident, so be it.  You’re not my mother!

Helmets on motorcycles is another freedom lost, except for in a handful of states.  I’m not a motorcycle rider, but I feel strongly that since they’re over 21 years old, they should decide their own fate.  They know the consequences in an accident.

I believe it was Alice Cooper that had a song that went, “Leave us kids alone”.  I say, “Leave us adults alone.”

- Mountain Man

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Pandering for Votes

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008

With the presidential primary season in full swing, Democrat and Republican politicians exchange charges and point fingers at their in-party competition.  With so much bickering, it’s no wonder elected government office holders can’t accomplish anything meaningful.  It’s just late January and I’m already sick of the November, 2008 election.

Wouldn’t it be nice if political candidates would talk about issues.  I’m not talking about sound bites and cute little three sentence pat answers.  I’m talking about laying out a comprehensive plan to solve each problem and issue.  But no, that might alienate a few voters.  We can’t have solutions clouding the election.

I have been on the websites of most of the presidential primary candidates.  They’re junk!  They start with pictures of the family and a declaration of what church they belong to.  Stop it!  Enough of playing the religious card.  It’s pandering for votes.  Groveling to the vocal religious minority.

Read a candidate’s entire website and you’ll still have no idea what their solution is to issues.  “I won’t raise taxes.  I’ll start new programs.  I’ll upgrade healthcare, kick start new jobs, raise wages, lower gasoline prices.”  Blah, blah, blah.  Still, there’s no position paper telling the public how they’ll accomplish it.  Give me a break!

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Out in public on the election trail, you see the politicians visiting a senior center, hugging babies at a WalMart, or talking tough with workers in a poultry processing plant.  Get real!  You guys (and girl) are all millionaires.  You have nothing in common with these folks, real Americans.  You don’t struggle paying your bills, worry about being laid off from your job, or shop in WalMart.  All your senior friends own villas and yachts and belong to country clubs.

Unfortunately, until we have election reform and end private campaign contributions, we will only have millionaires in office.  Let’s face it, they make political decisions at black tie affairs, on the golf course, or in the back room.  The real American is not privy to those decisions.

What America needs is a president who’s been there.  Someone who worked through high school to afford clothes and college to pay their tuition.  Someone who has toiled through physical labor – like milking cows, waiting on tables, running a cash register, or hammering nails.  Someone who raised their own kids and changed their diapers, not someone who had a nanny to do that.

I want to see a regular person become president.  A down home, intelligent, honest person who puts the good of the country before the good of his political party.  Not a Democrat, not a Republic, but an Independent with a realistic chance to be a uniter.  A person not tempted by money, corrupted by power.  A person who understands the big picture, who wants to leave the world a better place for his grandchildren. A true philanthropist.

I’m available.

- Mountain Man

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It’s un-American

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008

The American business system is based on free enterprise.  You get an idea, then implement whatever is necessary to make that a successful business.  Hard work and ingenuity have their rewards, right?

Here in New Jersey, that’s not the case when it comes to starting a restaurant that serves liquor.  You see, the Garden State has quotas on liquor licenses.  Each municipality, if they allow liquor and many don’t,  is permitted one restaurant liquor license per 3,500 residents.  In my town of 18,000 yearround residents, that’s five restaurants that can serve liquor.

The only exception is the towns that had more liquor licenses than that before the quota took effect, which I believe was in the late 1970’s.  In the island town of Wildwood, winter population 4,400, there are probably 30 liquor licenses.

Back to my municipality, Middle Township, which is one of the five towns on the mainland in our county (the other 11 are island towns).  Our town is the county seat, and center of shopping, medicine, and the legal profession.  Plenty of restaurant chains would love to locate here – the one’s like TGI Fridays, Applebees, Olive Garden, Ruby Tuesday, Chili’s, Red Lobster, etc.  Nice family restaurants that serve liquor.  They can’t, of course, because there’s no liquor licenses available.

To get a liquor license in New Jersey, there are only two ways – your town’s population increases enough to hit that next 3,500 person plateau or you buy an existing license from another establishment that has closed.

When a town’s population does go up, the town auctions the new license.  The last one in my town sold for $660,000.  Yikes!  You gotta sell alot of beer to make that back.  A neighboring town auctioned one last year for $1.1 million.

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Buying an existing liquor license is either possible or not depending on the town.  I bought one of two licenses in West Wildwood in 2001 for $110,000.  That was considered a bargain, but the location wasn’t great.  I sold the bar and license in 2004.  The license went for $200,000.

In West Virginia, where our second home is located, the liquor license system is fair.  It costs $1,150 to get a full license, payable to the state, allowing you to sell beer, wine, and hard liquor.  Anyone with enough gumption can get a license.  It’s free enterprise at its best.  To the victors go the spoils.

The whole process in New Jersey is un-American.  Anyone who wants to start a restaurant or bar should be able to.  Then it’s survival of the fittest.  That’s the American way!

- Mountain Man

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Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

Thursday, January 17th, 2008

Most people get into politics for all the right reasons.  They want to make a difference, give back to their country (or town, county, state), stand up for the common man, put common sense back into government, affect positive change, lower taxes.  Blah, blah, blah.

But once they get into office, their psyche changes.  Sometimes gradually, sometimes overnight.  They fall into the trap of us (government officials and backers) vs them (interfering citizens).  They segregate and insulate themselves from the very electorate that thrust them into office.  

Politicos feel that they know what’s best for everyone, so their will must be done.  They have some “vision” that is unequivocally correct, and it must be implemented despite any objections.  The infidels just don’t know what’s good for them.

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Of course, the “good old boy” network also comes into play.  That means not only business as usual, but business trumps the environment, fair play, and the will of the people.  Decisions must always consider first how it affects business.  After all, it’s affluent businessmen who make campaign contributions.

Our system needs to be cleaned up.  No, … disinfected!  First step, get rid of the two party system.  We need a 10 party system (or whatever).  We need all campaigns to be on equal footing, which means the government will subsidize elections and no private contributions will be allowed over $500 (or whatever).

We need accountability.  We need local and county government meetings to all be televised.  Why do most politicians so adamantly oppose televising their meetings?  The answer:  Because they don’t want too many opposing voices.  If Joe Public has to actually get off the couch and come to the meeting, he’ll opt to stay home and mind his own business.

Until real change takes place in our system, we’re no better than the tyrannical British we expelled over 200 years ago.

- Mountain Man

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