Is this really necessary?

Just when you think Republican's could not sink any lower, they do something that makes you realize, "how could I have been so naive?" It's not like this was put out by some crazy "tea bagger". This presentation was delivered by RNC Finance Director Rob Bickhart to top donors and fundraisers at a party retreat in Boca Grande, Florida on February 18, 2010. It would be great if key Republican leaders in our town, i.e., Guy Gregg, Chris Westrick, Mayor Ken Short, etc. spoke out against this, but I won't hold my breath waiting for them.

Health Care in the Red Zone!

After months of uncertainly, health care reform appears to now be in the red zone, headed towards the goal line.  Here is a nice graphic that explains the path forward.  As to the GOP objecting to the use of reconciliation to bring the required fixes in the already passed Senate bill to a majority up or down vote, could it be any more hypocritical? The GOP has used reconciliation 14 of the 21 times it has been used by Congress.

Thank you Rich!

Earlier this evening the Mrs. and I met a nice couple from Long Valley in the bar of a nearby restaurant. While waiting for our respective tables, we struck up a conversation about the staying power of certain celebrities, including Sarah Palin. At that point the husband said the most profound thing I have heard in some time:

"Stupid never goes away"

Brilliant!

We ended up having dinner together.

GOP Fiscal Responsibility?

Last evening, while attending a social event, my good friend Rich Reilly commented on how Republicans are the party of "fiscal responsibility". While this is no doubt a Republican talking point the GOP has successfully burned into the psyche of the American public, the facts, when it comes to our national debt, tell a completely different story. This table clearly shows since 1980 at least 61% of our national debt was accumulated under Republican presidents. At least 27% has been accumulated under Democrat presidents.

The next time you hear a Republican boast about fiscal responsibility, asked them to back it up with some facts.

Let's go to the video tape...

Here is a testy exchange between the President and John McCain during yesterday's health care summit where McCain is painfully reminded why he is a guest at the summit and not the host!

John Sette's disappointing response

John Sette's latest response has to read to be believed.  Notice how John again completely avoids the ethics of soliciting township vendors using township letterhead:

Kevin….Enough…If an OPRA request is used the information is PUBLIC. If John choses to solicit contributions from these people it is not against the LAW… Ethics has nothing to do with it. He can solicit anyone. Maybe you should send him some $. As long as he follows all ELEC laws I have no problem with what he is doing….THE END I will not continue this so that you can keep it going on your Blog….I have answered. Have a nice day!!!

Here is my reply back to John.  I hope he clears this up, because as it now stands his position is not good.

John,

Thanks for your reply. Your defense of Krickus’ actions, while disappointing, is not unexpected. While approaching township vendors may seem acceptable to you, what makes this troublesome for Krickus is that he has been highly critical of other candidates who have approached township vendors for financial assistance in the past.

In addition, I find it interesting you have not commented on whether or not you think it is unethical to solicit anyone using township letterhead. Is this acceptable to you? I realize it’s not something covered under ELEC.

GOP's John Sette takes a pass on Krickus

Earlier today, I had the following blog exchange with Morris County Republican Committee Chairman John Sette:

John,

Nice to see you join this discussion. While we have your attention can you please address this question about John Krickus, one of your candidates for Freeholder this year?

Will one of his campaign practices include requiring a Washington Township employee to provide him with a list of vendors with whom the township spent $10K or more so he can send each a letter on township letterhead asking for a donation to your campaign? This is what the current township administrator and a former GOP township committeeman says he did when he was Mayor of Washington Township. Did you approve of this John? If you don’t, why should the voters of Morris County trust John Krickus? Especially with pay-to-play being such a big issue nowadays.

Mr. Sette provided the following response:

Kevin, I just got home….Let me address your concerns: First John Krickus is not “MY CANDIDATE” We have an open primary where anyone can run ..unlike the Democratic Party which has a “Party Line”. The Morris County Republican Committee does not pay for or endorse candidates in our Open Primary. Therefore any money that the candidates raise is for their use…Not the County Organization. As to getting a list of the vendors: I would assume that he put in an OPRA request. This is information that any citizen can request. Again, MCRC has no power to tell any candidate how to raise money for his or her own use. The Democratic Chairman has the ability to throw a candidate off the County Line if he or she does something wrong. I do not have that power.

Here is my response back to Mr. Sette, as he seems to have avoided the key points of my question:

John:

While I appreciate your attempt to respond, your answer seems to have avoided the most important part of my question. Unless you think it is OK for a sitting Mayor to direct a municipal employee to provide him a list of vendors with whom a township spends $10K or more so one can send them a letter on township letterhead asking for a campaign donation? Do you not see anything ethically wrong with this John? And by the way, based on what I have been told, John Krickus did not do this via an OPRA request.

Also, I realize Krickus is not your candidate, but he is a Morris County Republican, is he not?

Jeff Emery's OT Response

Editor:

The response to my recent (OT) letter, as submitted by Thomas Lotito, only serves to illustrate the question, "Who is running Washington Township"? Rather than our elected officials, it appears to be a few "political operatives". Why is it that legitimate questions to elected officials are answered by an individual who has never run for office and does not represent anyone?

When we question the past conduct of our township committeemen, we deserve more than just a personal attack filled with untruths. Rehashing the details of an "ethics complaint" which was dismissed out of hand reflects a personal vendetta, not a recitation of facts. And while I would expect to see these falsehoods continue ad nauseam for weeks to come, they only serve as a smokescreen for people who don't want to explain their actions.

The questions I posed earlier remain unanswered. Why do some of our committeemen have two standards of conduct, one for themselves and one for everyone else? How do they justify this hypocrisy? And how can we trust the decisions of individuals whose political aspirations for themselves and their friends outweigh what is best for their community?

Jeff Emery

Still no GOP plan...

Thirty plus million Americans don't have access to affordable health care...the GOP has no plan to address the issue...and the best the GOP can do is bitch about the configuration of the seating at tomorrow's health care summit?  Is this Vietnam?

GOP....where is your plan?

GOP Health Care Plan: MIA?

The White House plan for reforming our broken health care system has been posted for 24 hours.  Where is the Republican plan?

Where is the GOP Health Care Plan?

As promised, the White House has released the President's proposal for health care reform ahead of Thursday's health care summit, to be broadcast live on CSPAN.  According to "First Read", here are the key changes from the existing House and Senate bills:

• Eliminating the Nebraska FMAP provision and providing significant additional Federal financing to all States for the expansion of Medicaid;
• Closing the Medicare prescription drug “donut hole” coverage gap;
• Strengthening the Senate bill’s provisions that make insurance affordable for individuals and families;
• Strengthening the provisions to fight fraud, waste, and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid;
• Increasing the threshold for the excise tax on the most expensive health plans from $23,000 for a family plan to $27,500 and starting it in 2018 for all plans;
• Improving insurance protections for consumers and creating a new Health Insurance Rate Authority to provide Federal assistance and oversight to States in conducting reviews of unreasonable rate increases and other unfair practices of insurance plans.

Where is the GOP's health care plan?

Still No Budget Update?

According to Washington Township's award winning official website, the last 2010 municipal budget update was posted on January 12, 2010 or 41 days ago!  This begs the question, what has the committee been doing for the past 41 days?  Why are they withholding details on how our tax dollars are being spent? Are more backroom deals being cooked up like the one that has WT taxpayers picking up a $50,000 tab for a Township Administrator who only works 15 hours per week?

Where is the transparancy Howard Popper promised on his website? The website he took it down as a result of one of my postings?

Powell dismisses Cheney!

Below is a Washington Post synopsis of a "Face the Nation" interview General Colin Powell gave this morning. As you read Powell's comments please keep in mind he voluntarily served our country as an Army officer for over 30 years. Dick Cheney on the other hand never served in the military, having received no less than five (5) draft deferments.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said former Vice President Dick Cheney's claims that President Obama's policies are putting the nation at risk have no basis, especially since most of the programs and procedures the Bush administration enacted have been continued or heightened under the Obama tenure.

Powell pointed to the ending of waterboarding as an interrogation tool and the success of criminal courts to try terror suspects, both during the Bush administration, as examples of why Cheney's claims of less safety are not "born out by the facts." Powell supported the Obama administration's preference of criminal courts over military commissions for suspects, including 9/11 planner Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Christmas day attacker Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who, Powell pointed out, would get a lawyer in a military commission as well as in a civilian court.

Asked about progress in Iraq, Powell, who championed the invasion as secretary of state, said history will be the ultimate judge of events there. He said mistakes were made after the initial fall of Baghdad, but he said he hopes the Iraqi government will seize control of the opportunity they've been given by the United States.

He cautioned fellow conservatives who call President Obama a socialist, saying rough-and-tumble politics is nothing new, but to constantly criticize without attempting to offer new ideas is not productive.

"Have we so lost our faith in this country that we think one person, one man, can suddenly change our entire system?" Powell asked. "That's kind of absurd."

Political Joke of the Day!

A friend of mine sent me this joke:

A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She lowered her altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. She shouted to him,

"Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above ground elevation of 2,346 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.

"She rolled her eyes and said, "You must be an Obama Democrat."

"I am,"replied the man. "How did you know?"

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct. But I have no idea what to do with your information, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help to me."

The man smiled and responded, "You must be a Republican."

"I am," replied the balloonist. "How did you know?"

"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you are going. You've risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but somehow, now it's my fault."

You can't make this stuff up!

All week long CPAC Republicans have been blasting Democrats for earmark spending. Here's a little tidbit they might want to ponder.

Where to begin?

It's been a little over a year since I left office, so last Monday I thought I would torture myself and sit through a full Township Committee regular meeting. It was beyond painful. I haven't seen so much incompetence since Katrina. It is quite clear you could put the brains of Ken Short, Howard Popper, James Harmon, and Jim LiaBraaten in a thimble and still have room to pack a snack! The only thing missing from this month's meeting was Bill Roehrich's typical “deer in the headlights” stare.

On the issue of the flea market, the committee has taken an idea that should have been fully investigated BEFORE being presented to the public and turned it into something that is now clearly dividing our township. Now Ken Short wants to form an ad-hoc committee to study the pros and cons and make a recommendation. If this sounds like Short "passing the buck", you are not hearing things, because that's just what it is. Funny how something Howard Popper was hoping to claim as a major talking point for his upcoming re-election campaign has turned into nothing less than a total "Charlie-Foxtrot"!

In a typical display of cowardice, the committee also passed on a opportunity to discuss a badly needed "pay-to-play" ordinance, because Harlin Parker (who has been pushing the committee to act on one) wasn't at the meeting. Talk about a lack of leadership. I guess the fact former Mayor John Krickus may have asked a township employee to provide him with a list of venders who the township had spent $10K or more so he could solicit them for campaign contributions on township letterhead isn't enough to warrant the committee to have a discussion on their own?

By the way, does Jim LiaBraaten have any plans to pay back any of the $7,104 taxpayers put up in defense of his bogus school ethics charge against former WMRHSD board member Jeff Emery? Because while Jim loves to call himself a "fiscal conservative, he doesn't mind blowing taxpayer dollars on costly election recounts and bogus ethics complaints.

Lastly, a local GOP operative recently suggested Jeff Emery should "get busy saving money for the district". I have a better idea. Seeing how Morris County tax records indicate this same GOP operative pays less than $7K in property taxes and has two kids in our public schools (at a cost to taxpayers exceeding $25K), how about this GOP operative focus his attention on improving his own standard of living with hopes of someday becoming a net contributor to our township as opposed to sucking Washington Township taxpayers dry for the additional $18K it's taking to educate his kids. Not to mention the municipal and county services he may be consuming, but clearly not paying for, as well.

In full disclosure, my property taxes are more than double the $7K paid by this GOP operative and I have no kids in our public schools. And yet you don't hear me complaining.

Game Change

In this month's edition of the Black River News, a publication preventing the extinction of outhouses in some parts of Appalachia, a local GOP operative pays homage to Sara Palin by declaring “she is more qualified to be president than Barack Obama.”

Perhaps this operative should take a look at page 397 of the bestselling book, GAME CHANGE, by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin.

 Here is an excerpt:

"Then there was the matter of Palin's substantive deficiencies. On September 10 (2008), she was preparing to fly back to Alaska to see her son Track ship off to Iraq and to tape her first network interview with ABC News' Charlie Gibson. Before the flight to Anchorage, Schmidt, Wallace, and other members of her traveling party met Palin at the Ritz-Carlton near Reagan airport, in Pentagon City, Virginia - and found that, although she's made some progress with her memorization and studies, her grasp of rudimentary facts and concepts was minimal. Palin couldn't explain why North and South Korea were separate nations. She didn't know what the Fed did. Asked who attacked America on 9/11, she suggested several times that it was Saddam Hussein. Asked to identify the enemy that her son would be fighting in Iraq, she drew a blank."

I am quite sure our current President could answer these questions in his sleep.

Setting the Record Straight

In his recent OT letter, Washington Township Republican Committee spokesperson Mr. Tom Lotito states the following:

"You will recall that after I endorsed Mr. Emery’s opponent for the BOE in 2008, Mr. Emery, in the last week before his re-election bid, promptly ran back to the BOE and rushed out an unprecedented press release from the subcommittee he chaired refuting some of the facts in my letter. Mr. Emery neither asked for permission nor informed the full BOE of this action; he used his BOE role to get out his personal campaign message. If that isn’t a breach of ethics to influence an election and an abuse of power I don’t know what is, no matter what the Trenton bureaucrats eventually decided on the case."

The NJ School Ethics Commission had this to say on the matter:

"Although the Commission believes that the respondent was acting in his official capacity as the Chair of the Facilities Committee (Berlin Certification at page 2) when issuing the press release, the Commission can find no direct or indirect financial involvement that might reasonably be expected to impair the respondent’s objectivity or independence of judgment. To the extent that the complainant asserts there was a benefit to the respondent inasmuch as he won the election, the Commission is persuaded by the credible testimony offered by the respondent and his witnesses that the action in issuing the press release was authorized by the Board President and intended to benefit the Board as well as the District, not the respondent. Any incidental benefit to the respondent is purely speculative and insufficient for the Commission to base a finding of probable cause."

Bottom Line: While Mr. Lotito is entitiled to his opinion, he isn't entitled to his own set of facts, which clearly differ from the offical findings of the NJ School Ethics Commission.

Washington Township Budget Updates?

According to the Washington Township website, the most recent 2010 Budget Update was published on January 12, 2010. There have been at least two public budget meetings since this date, yet no update have been published? So much for transparancy!

On a positive note, this week’s meeting contained no Ken Short references to the "schools" as a way of deflecting attention from his past and current double-digit tax increases. Go Ken!

Residents - 1, Flea Market - 0

Despite $8.90 worth of pathetic pandering from Washington Township Republican Club President Chris Westrick, Howard Popper's dream of a Long Valley flea market in 2010 appears to be fading fast!

Tom's Off Target Rant

Based on his letter, which appears in today's Observer Tribune, Washington Township Republican Committee spokesman Tom Lotito completely missed the point of Jeff Emery's prior letter objecting to the appointment of Committeeman James LiaBraaten to the Township Committee. Here is a quote:

"Jeff Emery managed to write several hundred words critisizing an ethics complaint without revealing that he was the defendant in the case and it was his actions that precipitates it!"

A simple reading of Mr. Emery's letter shows he didn't "criticize" the ethics complaint, as the School Ethics Commission's prompt dismissal of the case rendered any further discussion of the complaint itself irrelevant.

What Mr. Emery so rightly criticized was Committeeman LiaBraaten’s appointment to the Township Committee, due to Committeeman LiaBraaten's blatant HYPOCRACY in refusing to hold himself to a standard he set by seconding a WTBOE motion (offered by Bill Roehrich) requesting Ruth McCurdy pay for legal cost incurred by the sole defendant, James Harmon, in her ethics complaint. A complaint similarly dismissed by the school ethics commission.

So with this understanding, the only remaining question is when will Committeeman LiaBraaten live up to his standard and repay $7,104 owed to Washinton Township taxpayers?

Another "Double-Digit" Krickunomics Tax Plan?

Within today's Observer Tribune article announcing his candidacy for Freeholder, John "Kricunomics" Krickus states the following:

"Enacting my platform would result in a double-digit cut in property taxes, which is unherad of in New Jersey."

As much as I would like to believe Krickus' boast, it would have far more credibility if it wasn't completely opposite of what happen the last time he was in charge of my tax dollars.  Because as noted in Township Administrator Dianne Gallet's February 2005 memo, it was Krickus' "economic policies" during his 2001-2003 rein as Mayor that significantly contributed to the 11.1% double digit tax INCREASE imposed on Washington Township taxpayers in 2005.

Gibbs slams Palin

This is too funny!



You betcha!

The True Impact of "Krickunomics"

Back in 2005, the Township Committee, led by Mayor Ken Short imposed a huge 11.1% tax increase on the hard working residents of Washington Township. Below is a memo, written by Township Administrator, Dianne Gallets on the economic policy of the prior John Krickus led administrations and how it contributed to the tax debacle that resulted in the first loss of a GOP seat on the township committee in 30 years!

February 10, 2005
FROM: Dianne S. Gallets, Township Administrator

Budget surplus and tax rate history

Dear Township Committeemen,

I know you are all probably tired of hearing this, but I am again going to try and explain the current budget problem we are in. Yes, everybody has problems, but ours could have been easily avoided.

The Township has been budgeting, not the money, but the tax increase so that they can say that the increases are nominal every year for about five years. I don't think that in more than one year the tax increase even came close to reaching the "cost of living' during that period, and at the same time the raises, insurance expenses, and utilities were increasing faster than the "'cost of living". During that same time period, the schools increased their tax request by as much as 10% and in most cases the public voted for it. Last year when the Township's rate went up .4% the school's rate went up 8.5%. A history of the tax rate increase is attached.

Use of Surplus - In the past the Township has historically used more than 55% and less than 65% of its surplus to offset the tax rate. This is a conservative approach and had always worked in the past. In 1997 the Committee started to anticipate how much the surplus would increase (like using a slot machine) and using more in the current year. This has steadily increased to 2004 where the township used 86% of their savings to run the town. That also effects the interest we receive, because all of the surplus is invested and gains more interest (even though it is a small amount). We now have the same amount of surplus to use as we did in 1992 and instead of using 63%, we are anticipating using 92%. That means that next year, there will be even less and the problem will only get worse. A history of the surplus is attached.

Reserve for Uncollected Taxes - This is an amount which we must include in our budget in case people do not pay their taxes. It is based on a formula % of the total tax dollars for the year. This means that if the school and county taxes increase, our budget must increase to make up for any shortfall. If they show that they need $1,000,000 for the year, they get that amount, whether people pay their taxes or not. In 2001 we had included in our budget an amount of $1,697,581 for Reserve for Uncollected Taxes and in 2005 we are anticipating $1,910,000 for this line. (An increase of $265,000 over a 5 year period). It becomes difficult to try to keep a budget on track when the Township Committee's philosophy changes each year to accommodate requests and they do not look at the whole picture. Although when new developments come onto the tax roles the township receives the first portion as an extra, it cannot start assuming that this money will come in. It is nothing more than thinking you will hit the lottery next month and spending the money now.

Dollars vs. Percentage - Prior to about 5 years ago, the Township Committee discussed the amount of cents the rate would go up but then changed to percentages. An increase of I cent gives you about $166,000 in tax dollars. When the school goes up by ll cents (like last year) they get $1,826,000 more to work with for the year. Last year the Township rate went up by 1/2 cents which gave you $83,000 more to work with. (But you budgeted total expenditures of $1,069,000 more than the prior year, even when you only raised the rate to give you $83,000 more.) The schools use an 'average" house to be $266,000 and one cent increase on that home would be about $27.00 per year. (Less than one cup of coffee before work every morning for one month) Right now you are about 9 cents behind the 8 ball, and that is including an already built in increase of 2 cents. This budget is in big trouble .........

Thank you.

DSG/me

Enclosures

Bottom Line: The more you look at John Krickus' record, the more you realize he has no business running for Freeholder in Morris County!

The Audacity of Sarah Palin...

Last night, Sarah Palin delivered the keynote address at the National Tea Party Convention in Nashville. On the topic of foreign policy and national security, Palin said President Obama had "misguided thinking" and a pre-Sept. 11 mindset.

This coming from a woman whose 2008 campaign handlers found that her grasp of rudimentary facts and concepts so was minimal she couldn't explain why North and South Korea were separate nations. She didn't know what the Fed did. Asked who attacked America on 9/11, she suggested several times that it was Saddam Hussein. Asked to identify the enemy that her son would be fighting in Iraq, she drew a blank. Palin's response to her incompetence..."I wish I'd paid more attention to this stuff." Priceless!

FLEA MARKET UPDATE!

DUE TO A LACK OF INTESTINAL FORTITUDE, A REVIEW OF THE PROPOSED LONG VALLEY FLEA MARKET HAS BEEN DROPPED FROM THE FEBRUARY 8, 2010 PLANNING BOARD MEETING AGENDA!

BARRING A TAKEOVER OF THE PLANNING BOARD MEETING, THE NEXT OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PUBLIC TO VOICE THEIR OPINION IS THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE BUDGET MEETING ON FEBYRARY 9, 2010 @ 7:30 PM - SENIOR CENTER IN ROCK SPRING PARK!

REMEMBER - TO THE COMMITTEE, EACH HOUSEHOLD'S QUALITY OF LIFE IS ONLY WORTH $8.90!

American Idiot: Senate Style

It took less than an hour for MA Senator Scott Brown to prove to the American people he is a clueless idiot. 



To claim the stimulus package has created not one job because the economy lost 85,000 net jobs in December is beyond stupid as the the non-partisan CBO estimates the Recovery Act has created or saved between 1.5 - 2.4 million jobs across America.

PAC Forms to Stop Flea Market in Long Valley!!!

It seems the opposition to the flea market proposal is getting more organized by the minute. 

This full page ad appeared in today's Observer Tribune. It was paid for by the Political Action Committee to Stop the Flea Market in Long Valley. Good for them.

One thing to keep in mind. The idea of placing the flea market in Long Valley was Howard Popper's!

JAMES LIABRAATEN GETS HAMMERED!!!

The following letter, published in today's Observer Tribune, takes newly appointed committeeman James LiaBraaten and his “darkside” comrades to task for their blatant hypocrisy.

EDITOR:

I am very disappointed with the conduct of new Washington Township Committeeman James LiaBraaten.

As a member of the Washington Township Board of Education, Mr. LiaBraaten harshly criticized fellow board member Ruth McCurdy for filing an ethics charge against their colleague Jim Harmon, endorsing a motion to have her compensate the district for Mr. Harmon’s legal fees.

Then, after losing an election for a one-year seat on the regional high school board, Mr. LiaBraaten filed ethics charges of his own. These charges were thrown out in less than 24 hours after they were heard.

It seems only appropriate that before assuming office, Mr. LiaBraaten should issue the taxpayers both an apology and a check.

By voting for Mr. LiaBraaten, the Township Committee is clearly condoning his behavior, particularly his refusal to repay the legal fees resulting from his actions. This is in direct contradiction to the stance they took earlier when they were board of education members. At that time, a majority of the current committee, Mr. William Roehrich, Mr. James Harmon and Mr. LiaBraaten, served together on the K-8 board and were all highly critical of Mrs. Ruth McCurdy’s filing of an ethics claim and instrumental in the attempt to have her reimburse the district .

What does this tell you about our Township Committee? Apparently, the majority of them do not hold themselves to the same standards that they have set for everyone else.

In a time when the community is facing a number of very critical issues such as our never ending town budget woes, a declining economic base and the proposed flea market, we need to know that we can trust the decisions made by our Township Committee. We need our committeemen to make choices based upon what is best for the community and not for each other.

We now have four committee members who have yet to serve one full term. They will undoubtedly be making important choices on behalf of our community for some time to come. Their decision to appoint Mr. LiaBraaten is not a reassuring start.

Jeff Emery

For more background, here's the disposition of LiaBraaten's bogus complaint along with a letter from the WMRHSD stating the cost incurred by taxpayers as a result of LiaBraaten's revengeful actions.

Taxes, Taxes, and More Taxes!

The above chart shows hits to this website over the past seven days. Guess what topic drove traffic through the roof over the past two days?

Trifling...

Based on some of the results contained within this poll, a significant number of US Republicans qualify as the dumbest people on the planet.

OVERALL TOWNSHIP PROPERTY ASSESSMENT DROPS 13.2%

As a result of the recent Township Committee mandated property re-assessment, the total value of all property across Washington Township DECLINED by 13.2% from $3,248,332,329 down to 2,820,516,022. The next question many will ask is what this mean in terms of MY property taxes?  To answer this question, I have created a simple MS Excel tool you can download and use to see the impact based on your assessment. Just enter the old and new assessment for your home and it will tell you the change in your property taxes per this year's tax rate. Once the new tax rate is determined in the July, your taxes will increase based on the 2010 budgets passed by the schools, township, and county. 

If anyone has any questions, post them here and I will answer for the benefit of everyone.

Finally!

In a long overdue move, the nation’s top two Defense officials today called for an end to the 16-year-old “don’t ask, don’t tell” law, a major step toward allowing openly gay men and women to serve in the United States military for the first time in its history. Having served in the armed forces for over 15 years, I found this policy indefensible in that it was founded on blatant discrimination of individuals based on who they were as opposed to any prescribed sexual misconduct they or any heterosexual may have committed.

Moving forward, once the policy is repealed, I hope the military focuses on disciplining those who demonstrate inappropriate behavior as opposed to a person's sexual orientation.

As for local right wingers who may object to the end of this policy, I have only one question. When did you serve?

Drinking the Kool-Aid!

It seems someone on the Daily Record editorial staff has helped themselves to a large glass of Ken Short Kool-Aid by buying into the notion WT school budgets should receive more public oversight than Short’s municipal budget. At least the public gets to vote on school budgets. Can the same be said for Ken Short's municipal budgets which in the past have called for 11% tax increases?

Last year's WTBOE budget had a 0.52% tax increase and an overall DECINE in spending. Ken Short's municipal budget had a tax increase more than seven (7) times the size of the WTBOE's due to a spending INCREASE.

With a current projected municipal tax increase over 10%, Ken Short has plenty of work to do to get his own fiscal house in order and should perhaps look to the WTBOE for tips on how to develop a responsible municipal budget worthy of public support.

Be careful what you ask for...

The live public exchange between the President and the entire House Republican caucus was unprecedented, and clearly to the White House’s benefit. So much so, Fox News had to cut away when it was clear the President was “putting on a clinic”. FOX was the only network that chose to limit coverage. I wonder why?



All-in-all, I hope this event leads to more cooperation amongst the players in Washington.

Flea Market Financials!

A lot has been said about the possibility of the Chester Lions Club bringing their flea market to Long Valley. Here is their formal proposal to the township.  One thing that jumps out - the public toilets will remain onsite thoughout the entire 6 month operating period each year.

Earlier this week I received a call from a resident who wanted to know the tax impact of the proposed maximum $60K annual payment to the township in terms of how it would benefit the “average” homeowner. With the average home in the township assessed at $500K, the "tax reduction" benefit comes out to $8.90 a year.


So for $8.90 a year we get to turn the land behind LVMS into a weekly "hillbilly" yard sale, complete with outhouses that remain onsite. Go Howard!

Municipal Budget Update

Despite holding a budget meeting this past Tuesday, the Township Committee made no progress in terms of reducing a projected 10.6% municipal tax increase if their budget was adopted as it now stands. Having reviewed Police operations during Tuesday's meeting, the Committee was unable to make any decision on what should or should not be cut. The inability to make decisions is not surprising when you consider a majority of the Committee now consists of former WTBOE dead weight (Harmon, Roehrich, & LiaBraaten) that didn't contribute much intellectual heft as school board members. Throw in the well documented incompetence of Ken Short & Howard Popper and it's not a pretty picture.

This probably explains why Ken Short is so hell bent on deflecting blame for high property taxes on the WTBOE as opposed to accepting responsibility for his own budget failures. Let us not forget how in 2009 it was Short's administration that imposed a "skyrocketing" property tax increase seven (7) times LARGER than the WTBOE's 0.52% property tax increase.

Say what?

According to Republican Steve Lonegan, "less than two weeks into office, Gov. Chris Christie seems poised to break his signature campaign promise to cut taxes for all taxpayers — instead, agreeing to raise taxes for all businesses and workers. This is unacceptable."

No need for me to add anyting else!

More wisdom from Howard Popper

Within the same DR article quoted in my previous posting, Vice Mayor Howard Popper makes the following statement:

"Residents in Washington Township already don't get much for the taxes they pay, and I don't want them to have to get less."







So according to Howard, other than having...

1. Our children educated
2. Roads maintained and cleared of snow in the winter
3. Recreational programs and fields maintained in the summer
4. Fires extinguished in homes
5. First aid responders show up when we are sick
6. Police who protect us
7. A bus that transports our seniors
8. A prosecutor, judge, and court that holds us accountable
9. A health department that monitors the quality of our drinking water
10. A building department that ensures safety within our homes
11. Free use of county and municipal libraries

...we don't get "much" for our taxes. Go Howard!

This from a man who has yet to deliver on his "Lower Taxes Now!!!" promise. Is Howard the dumbest man on the planet or what?

Thank you Mr. President!

This morning the government announced 4Q2009 GDP growth of 5.7 percent. The highest it's been since 2003. I am sure the GOP will do everything it can to discount the numbers, but in the end it's much better than when "what's his name" was in office!

Another Ken Short Lie!

This DR story contains another purposely misleading quote from Mayor Ken Short:

"All of the committee members already donate their stipends back to the budget."

By law, the committee must pass an ordinance each year declaring the salaries of all township employees. In 2007, the ordinance set a salary of $500 for each committeeman. In 2008 and 2009, no salaries were declared for committeeman, meaning they received no pay. How then can one donate something they never received in the first place?

So here is a question for Mayor Short...if committeeman received no pay in 2008 and 2009, how much did the committee members actually "donate" back to the town? Did it come close to the $50,000 of taxpayer provided health care benefits you sucked down during your first two terms?

Another ignorant "Tea Party" racist

Dale Robertson, a Tea Party activist who operates TeaParty.org, is getting stung for this photo — taken at the Feb. 27, 2009 Tea Party in Houston — in which he holds a sign reading “Congress = Slaveowner, Taxpayer = Niggar.”

The only thing worse than a racist, is an ignorant racist who can't spell.

Also, notice this coward "Photoshopped" his sign for his organization's website.

Let's go to the video tape!

For the second time in a month, Republican Rudy Giuliani managed to make a total fool of himself.



The only person who can match Rudy lie-for-lie is our own Ken Short!

Initiative and referendum within NJ

It's good to hear Governor Chrisite backs a proposal that provides for initiative and referendum within NJ.  This is long overdue and would allow Washington Township voters to weigh in on "quality of life issues" like the flea market.

SOTU

The President's speech was inspiring, unifying, and confrontational, all at the same time. The Republican response from VA was beyond embarrassment.

The Peter Principal

Jim LiaBraaten's appointment to fill the open Township Committee's seat is a another example of the local GOP demonstrating it's mastery of the "Peter Principle".

Having served without distinction on the WTBOE, LiaBraaten's most recent contribution to the community was his demand of a 20% across the board cut of the district school budget. A demand of his former peers AFTER he left the board.

What are the odds of LiaBratten calling for a 20% across the board cut of the municipal budget? Probably about the same as a 0% tax municipal increase!

Do The Right Thing!

As some of you know, I am a bit of a movie buff. So much so, I recently rented the 20th Anniversary Edition of Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing" on Bluray.

Ironically, this is also the title of Paul Krugman’s latest NYT op-ed urging House Democrats to "Stop whining, and do what needs to be done."

I could not agree more.

Congressional Democrats are Clueless!

Based on this news and what I have seen in the past three days, it's quite clear Congressional Democrats have no clue in terms of what to do on health care. As a result, Democrats most likely will lose their majority in the House in the fall and quite frankly, deservingly so. Nothing is more unbecoming that a bunch of weak politicians who care more about their own survival as opposed to the needs of the American people.

Guy Gregg's senior moment

While leaving last night's Township Committee meeting, I had a short conversation with Washington Township Republican Committee Chairman Guy Gregg. I asked Guy if he had read my DR opinion piece, which he said he had. I told him I looked forward to the lower taxes Christie has promised. At this point Guy seemed to suffer a senior moment. To insure Guy's condition is not contagious amongst all NJ Republicans, below you will find Christie’s tax promises as they appeared on his campaign website:

New Jersey has the highest tax burden in the country and it’s getting worse - the latest Corzine budget just raised taxes by another $1.2 billion. We’re also burdened with the highest property taxes in the country, but that didn't stop Jon Corzine from taking away property tax rebates from 1.2 million New Jerseyans in this year’s budget. In fact, Jon Corzine and Jim McGreevey have raised taxes on the average New Jersey family by more than $10,000 since 2002 – over $22 billion in taxes, the highest in the nation. In all, Corzine and Governor McGreevey have raised over 100 taxes on New Jersey’s hardworking families.

This will change in a Christie Administration. New Jersey’s hard-working middle-class families can no longer handle the weight of these out of control taxes. The first step to reversing New Jersey's declining economic climate and giving New Jerseyans a little relief is by cutting property taxes.

Provide Property Tax Relief

The last thing Chris will do is to follow Corzine's lead in eliminating property tax rebates for 1.2 million New Jerseyans. The rebate currently is the only property tax relief we have, and it provides much needed, meaningful help while we put in place other reforms. We keep the rebate in place to give taxpayers some breathing room in these tough economic times.

Reduce New Jersey’s income tax

Chris Christie will commit to cutting New Jersey’s gross income tax during his first 4-year term as Governor. Cutting these taxes will make New Jersey more affordable for our hard-working families, encourage investment in and expansion of New Jersey-based small business, and make our tax policies more competitive with the other states in the region that have better private sector job growth.

Chris Christie will seek two types of income tax reductions:

• “Across the board” rate cut for all taxpayers

• Additional cut or credit for those taxpayers who derive business income from New Jersey-based small businesses.

Reduce the corporate business tax rate to give New Jersey a competitive advantage

It will be a top priority for the Christie Administration to reduce corporate business tax rates.

Reducing the corporate business tax rate, as part of an overall economic recovery effort, will create a better business climate to attract private sector investment.

Eliminate the “double-taxation” on New Jersey S-Corporations

80,000 S-Corporation taxpayers currently pay the corporation “minimum” tax, up to $2,000 per year, based on their total gross receipts. The Christie Administration will eliminate the “double taxation” on New Jersey’s S-Corporations in line with the other 47 states and federal government which have implemented this policy.

Eliminate the hidden “investment tax” on New Jersey-based businesses

The “investment tax” acts as a penalty for businesses for being based in New Jersey. Instead of being taxed for only the amount of sales in New Jersey, the “investment tax” also factors in the level of investment (i.e., real estate, payroll, etc.) a company has in New Jersey. Chris Christie will change New Jersey’s tax policy to enact a “single-sales” factor for New Jersey-based companies to enable them to better compete.

Dear Governor...

Fred Snowflak of the Daily Record asked if was interested in writing an opinion piece providing advice to our new governor. Here is my take.  Thanks to Fred and to anyone who cares to comment.

Kevin Walsh

It is with deep sadness we learn former Township Committeeman Kevin Walsh passed away yesterday at his home here in Long Valley. He loved our township with all his heart.

Our prayers are with his family.

Why we lead the free world...

This picture is worth a thousand words.

Please join me in making a donation to the CLINTON BUSH HAITI FUND.

Thank you!

Axelrod vs. Rove!

In today's Washington Post, President Obama's senior advisor David Axelrod pretty much mopped up the floor with Karl Rove. It doesn't get any better than this!

Howard Popper Strikes Out on Local Ethics Board

Remember back in 2007 when Howard Pooper ran for Committee and promised to create a local ethics board? This despite being told by yours truly and others there is already a similar body at the state level charged to handle issues of impropriety by local officials. Instead, Howard stuck to his guns and with the aid of local GOP operatives, insisted a local committee was needed in our town. When the potential cost of such an entity was pointed out, Howard again insisted this could be done at virtually no cost to the taxpayer. After two long years and a recent hammering on this blog, Howard Popper seems to have had an ephipany at this week’s Work Session agenda included "Ethics Board" as a discussion topic.

So you would think after two years of silence, Howard would finally be ready to publicly announce his plan to implement something so central to his campaign it ranked second only to his “LOWER TAXES NOW!!!” pledge, right? Wrong! After a ten minute discussion, Howard and his fellow GOP committeeman conceded it wasn't needed after all and that the cost of creating such an entity are far beyond what the township could have EVER afforded.

Perhaps had Howard read the following language from the NJ LOCAL ETHICS LAW, he would have realized his transparent campaign promise was doomed at the moment he first proposed it back in 2007 during his campaign.

40A:9-22.20 Provision of offices to municipal ethics board

a. The governing body of the municipality shall provide the municipal ethics board with offices for the conduct of its business and the preservation of its records, and shall supply equipment and supplies as may be necessary.

b. All necessary expenses incurred by the municipal ethics board and its members shall be paid, upon certification of the chairman, by the municipal treasurer within the limits of funds appropriated by the municipal governing body by annual or emergency appropriations for those purposes.

c. The municipal ethics board may appoint employees, including independent counsel, and clerical staff as are necessary to carry out the provisions of this act within the limits of funds appropriated by the municipal governing body for those purposes.

Bottom Line: This was just another empty unfulfilled campaign promise from Howard Popper, who has yet to demonstrate any value during his tenure on the Washington Township Committee.

Initial 2010 Municipal Budget Highlights

Having reviewed the initial 2010 municipal budget in detail, a few things stand out:

a) While the current 10% plus tax increase will certainly be reduced, the refusal of the committee to set a realistic tax increase target is troubling. After refusing to set targets in the years leading up to and including 2005's 11.1% increase, targets were used in each of the three years (2006-2008) I served as Finance Liaison. The results speak for themselves as the township experienced three consecutive tax increase declines leading to 2008's 2.3% increase, the smallest in five (5) years. Last year's (2009) 3.7% tax increase represented an astounding 60% increase in tax growth. This in a year when the CPI only increased 2.7%.

b) The current $600K plus budget gap is entirely due to a combination of loss revenue associated with a single year $1 million plus depletion of the surplus and the loss of $200K in revenue from the Chesters after they abandoned Washington Township in liu of the county for public safety dispatch services.

c) The loss of over a million dollars in the township surplus account in a single year is unprecedented. Perhaps had Mayor Short not terminated the Finance Liaison position, someone would have been tracking this throughout 2009 and come up with strategies to remedy the situation early on. This is a clear example of what happens when everyone claims shared responsibility, yet in reality, no single person did anything.

d) The loss of revenue from the Chesters could not have come at a more inopportune time. Perhaps with better leadership, the reductions in staff that have been achieved could have been positioned with the Chesters in a manner that may have retained their business.

e) One bit of good news. The annual allocation for the Library has been reduced by $15K versus last year. This was not included in the figures presented on Tuesday.

Rush Limbaugh belongs in Hell

Having visited Port-au-Prince on numerous occasions, the images of the human suffering associated with the devastating earthquake resonate more than anything I have ever seen. It is for this reason I find Rush Limbaugh’s use of this tragedy to disrespect the President, black Americans, and the people of the nation of Haiti, beyond belief.



Quite frankly, had Limbaugh not survived his recent heart related health scare and ended up in Hell, where he belongs, the world would be a better place.

More Ken Short Flip-Flops

In addition to the flip-flop mentioned below, it seems Mayor Ken Short is on a roll when it comes to reversing his position on key aspects of the upcoming municipal budget, including reducing debt service payments as way to save money; using proceeds of a possible sale of a liquor license as a revenue source; and deferment of a portion of the township's pension payment as a means of making the numbers work this year.

Based on his comments of last evening, Ken Short's position on all these issues has changed, despite his past criticism of others whose opinions differed from his prior ones.

Two faced Ken, strikes again!

At times it was hard to tell if tonight's budget meeting was being held by the Township Committee or the Board of Education, as Mayor Ken Short tried his best to turn our attention towards the school budget as opposed to explaining how he would reduce a municipal budget containing an initial 10.8% tax increase!  When asked specifically to state his tax increase goal for this year, Short stated it was 0%. In most years, one would applaud any mayor for such an aggressive goal.

But in Short’s case, we might want to consider how just two months ago, Short sat before a room full of voters and ridiculed his Democratic opponents Harlin Parker and Jody Price for their pledge of not voting for a budget unless it contained a 0% tax increase in 2010. Short said it was unrealistic and could not be achieved. So one has to wonder what happen? Why has Short changed his tune? Or is Short just playing politics? Maybe he just thinks everyone is stupid and won't notice his flip-flop.

This is yet another example of the why Mayor Ken Short can never be trusted.

Senator Reid's comments...

There has been much ado about comments made by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid with respect to President Obama back in 2008. Specifically, Reid suggested Barack Obama could become the first African-American president because he was “light-skinned” and because he did not speak with a “Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.”

Hello?

During the 2008 campaign I did quite a bit of door-to-door canvassing throughout Morris County. On a number of occasions I had doors slammed in my face after being told by some voters they would never vote for a "black man".

Lets face it, if Barack Obama looked like Idi Amin and sounded like Flavor Flav, he wouldn't be President today. That's not to say the county hasn't made progress on issues of race, but let's be honest.

As much as Reid's thoughts may make some people uncomforable, they match up to what a number of people, including many African Americans, truly believe.

Thank you Mr. Barr!

Former Republican Bob Barr represented the 7th District of Georgia in the U. S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003, and was the 2008 Libertarian Party nominee for President of the United States. Here is his take on his former party's critisim of the President's handling of the failed Christmas Day terror event:

"Yes — the not-so-bright, would-be terrorist from Nigeria got though international and domestic security mechanisms supposed to have stopped him long before the jerk lit his underwear afire before landing in Detroit. And yes — the incident happened during the administration of President Barack Obama. But the sniping at the president by Republicans, including former Vice President Cheney, and by conservative radio and TV commentators, borders on — if not passing into — asinine.

The criticism has included such childishness as blasting Obama for waiting a few days before making a national speech on the incident. For heaven’s sake, the president was briefed on the incident from the moment it occurred; he made statements almost immediately indicating his concern and that he was being regularly briefed; he took time to gather the facts and meet with his national security team; and then he appeared publicly to give a rational, measured, but hard-hitting response. And for this, a former vice president criticizes him.

Partisanship truly has pervasively infected our political system when a reasonable, measured, factual, timely and substantive response by a president to a single security incident — the roots of which clearly indicate long-simmering problems that predated his tenure in office — is publicly blasted as irresponsible. In point of fact, those leveling such counterproductive attacks are the ones engaging in irresponsible behavior."

In addition, along with David Keene of the American Conservative Union and Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform, Mr. Barr recently issued the following statement with regards to handling domestic terrorist cases in federal court:

"We are confident that the government can preserve national security without resorting to sweeping and radical departures from an American constitutional tradition that has served us effectively for over two centuries.

Civilian federal courts are the proper forum for terrorism cases. Civilian prisons are the safe, cost effective and appropriate venue to hold persons convicted in federal courts. Over the last two decades, federal courts constituted under Article III of the U.S. Constitution have proven capable of trying a wide array of terrorism cases, without sacrificing either national security or fair trial standards.

Likewise the federal prison system has proven itself fully capable of safely holding literally hundreds of convicted terrorists with no threat or danger to the surrounding community.

The scaremongering about these issues should stop."

Black, African American, or Negro?

According to 2000 census figures, I am one of 90 Blacks or African Americans who live in Long Valley’s 07853 zip code. I note this only to point out when I completed my census form in 2000, “Negro” wasn’t an option under race (not that I would have chosen it). It is in this context I find the controversy over the word “Negro” appearing on the 2010 census forms somewhat interesting; especially during a period when we have the first Black, African American, or now” Negro” president.

Can we assume the 2020 forms will expand the definition of folks who look me to include “colored” as well?

Hold Them Accountable!

While GOP opposition to the recent failed NJ gay marriage legislation was expected, the following Democrats provided a disservice to their constituents by voting no as well or in the case of three weasels, were no-shows for this historic vote. These individuals should face stiff primary challenges.

NO

Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-Cape May)

Sen. Ronald L. Rice (D- Essex)

Sen. John A. Girgenti (D-Passaic

Sen. Nicholas Sacco (D-Hudson) .

Sen. Fred H. Madden (D-Gloucester)

Sen. Shirley K. Turner (D-Mercer)

Sen. Robert W. Singer (R-Ocean)

ABSTENTIONS

Sen. Paul A. Sarlo (D-Bergen)

Sen. Stephen M. Sweeney (D-Gloucester)

Sen. James Beach (D-Camden)


Kudos to Sen. Bill Baroni (R-Mercer), the lone GOPer who voted yes!

Rudy Giuliani Says NO Terror Attacks Occured on GWB's Watch

We knew the GOP response would be off-base, but who could have predicted what Rudy Giuliani said in an interview with Good Morning America earlier today?

Rudy Giuliani Criticizes Terror Trial

With one minute to go in the interview, Giuliani actually said there were no terror attacks on GWB's watch.

I guess it was Giuliani’s twin who served as Mayor during the September 11, 2001 attack on the twin towers.

This man ran for President?

Honestly, you can’t make this stuff up!

Leadership

In a stark departure from his predecessor, President Obama today accepted responsibility for the failures of the intelligence community for the recent terror attempt in Detroit. His leadership is in keeping with the highest traditions of his office.

WOW..Where to begin?

Last night's Washington Township Reorganization meeting certainly was one for the ages:

1. Ken "2%" Short was selected for a second straight term as Mayor. An impressive feat given his last two stints as Mayor have resulted in tax increases when combined, come close to 15%. If this Democrat had raised taxes by this amount we would have a public lynching. But what else can you expect from Washington Township's voters who would vote for a ham sandwich if it ran as a Republican? Short gave the traditional mayoral 'state of the township' where he continued the trend of doom and gloom reporting on township finances. Unfortunately, based on his record, you can't trust a word Short says. Things are probably much worse than he is letting on.

2. Howard "LOWER TAXES NOW!!!" Popper was selected as Vice Mayor. Lord help us. Is there a dumber man on the planet? A move many suspect was needed to bolster his chances for reelection in the fall. I wouldn't count on it as being too effective. Howard should plan on voters being constantly reminded of his total failure to deliver on his "LOWER TAXES NOW!!!" pledge along with his politically inspired call for the creation of a local ethics board. Again, something that hasn't happened.

3. The joke of the night came during committee assignments when rookie Committeeman Bill Roehrich was assigned the newly created position of "voucher signer". A required leftover task from the Finance Liaison position, which was done away last year with in order to avoid a direct comparison to the declining tax increases that occured when I enthusiastically took on the role for three consecutive years. The chart on the right tells you why no Republican wants to be compared to my record. In a bit of irony, this is the same Finance Liaison position Ken Short attempted to emphasize in his infamous last minute 2009 campaign mailer he managed to screw up.

4. In a total surprise, Committeeman Kevin Walsh resigned his seat at the conclusion of the meeting. Word is he informed Short of his intention to resign. Short tried to get Walsh to hold off and resign during a regular meeting; but Kevin basically took a "Homie don't play dat" attitude and dropped his bomb anyway. Good for him! While I am sure he sees his overall service to the township as an honor, as I did with respect to my own tenure, I don't think Walsh will miss the current crop of fiscally incompetent ideologues he would have had to work with.

5. Note that I have said nothing of Committeeman James Harmon, because in a continuation of his service on the WTBOE, he hasn't contributed anything worthy of mention.

DJIA Highest in 15 Months!

All last year, a local GOP gladfly complained about "Obama bringing down the stock market!"

How ya like me now?

2010 prediction...

Despite what Mayor Ken Short is telling us now, the Township Committe will adopt a municipal budget containing the largest municipal tax increase since the all-GOP 11.1% increase in 2005.

You heard it here first.

Happy New Year...Mr. Popper!

As we begin a new year, three questions come to mind as this is the year Committeeman Howard Popper must run for re-election if he wants to remain on the Township Committee. What happen to the pledge of "Lower Taxes Now!!!" that appeared on signs posted around town in the days leading up to your election in November of 2006? Why should township voters even think about voting for you again when you have not come close to delivering on this promise? What taxes are LOWER? What happen to your campaign pledge of creating a local ethics board? Why have you not made this happen since it was one of the themes you campaigned on? Why have you recently removed your old campaign site on the web? What are you trying to hide? Here is a link to your website on the internet archive.