New Jersey
updated
9:20 a.m.
Here are a few things to consider: Chris Christie won the Governor election with less than 50% of the vote. That means more than half of the voters wanted someone other than him to govern. He has consistently abused his power. He pulled rank as a US Attorney to get out of a ticket when he went the wrong way down a one way street, and also pulled rank when he got a speeding ...
Blue Jersey - 9:20 a.m.
The $1 trillion Iraq war has gone from early successes, to the chaos of civil war, to a surge, and now to the draw-down to 50,000 troops. After eight years there has been immense suffering and loss on the part of Iraqi, American, and allied partners. President Obama spoke about the war Tuesday night from the Oval Office. New Jersey veterans, family of the fallen, and those who help returning vets ...
Blue Jersey - 8:09 a.m. - 2 clicks 
Remarkable documents released yesterday by fired NJ Commissioner of Education Bret Schundler illustrate - if they're accurate - where this Race to the Top fiasco leads. Despite his bombast and attempts to offload fault on the loss of nearly half a billion bucks into NJ's public schools, onto Schundler, Obama, teachers, Rahm Emanuel and anybody else, these events may show there may be some deep...
Blue Jersey - 7:20 a.m.
Portraits of NJ Soldiers Fallen in Iraq As the US ends its combat mission in Iraq, Blue Jersey honors those New Jerseyans who served there. Sketches of a few who made the ultimate sacrifice. Schundler releases chronology, emails and documents regarding Race to the Top Called a liar by Gov. Chris Christie, his fired Education Commissioner is firing back . Documents, timelines, emails t...
Blue Jersey - 5:03 a.m.
This edition of It's Your Town Newsletter covers the special budget meeting of the Middletown Township NJ Committee that was held on August 30th 2010 during the power outage. The purpose of this meeing was to introduce amendments to the Township's 2010 budget so that it can be finally voted on at the next township meeting on September 7th 2010 . This years budget will include an 11.8% increas...
MiddletownMike - 3:02 a.m. - 4 clicks
QOTD : I have thought about the possibility that beyond my being a scapegoat for his misstatement, the Governor might be angry at me for not telling him the interview was videotaped. In my defense, I never believed I needed to say, 'Governor, stick to the truth, there's a videotape.' Perhaps I should have. See below for more. ...
Blue Jersey - Wed 12:05 p.m.
A few minutes ago, former NJ Education Commissioner Bret Schundler, fired a few days ago for "lying" to Governor Christie about events connected to the state's bungled Race to the Top funding for NJ schools, released documents he believes will set the record straight that he is telling the truth, and it is the governor who is not being truthful. From the chronology, comes this extraordinary qu...
Blue Jersey - Wed 12:05 p.m.
There's been a lot of talk about lies, who said what when, getting to the bottom of things, changing stories, etc. All of this can get confusing and obscure the basic facts of the Christie-Shundler blunder. The Christie Administration's incompetence cost New Jersey's schools almost half a billion dollars. Really, do we need to focus much on anything else? ...
Blue Jersey - Wed 11:23 a.m. - 3 clicks
As the U. S. ends its combat mission in Iraq, we honor those New Jerseyans who served there. Below are sketches of a few who made the ultimate sacrifice. Cpl. Michael E. Curtin, 23, Howell - March 2003 The first New Jerseyan killed during the war in Iraq, he was a graduate of Howell High School where he played on the school football team and enjoyed recreational hockey and baseball. He worked...
Blue Jersey - Wed 10:29 a.m. - 3 clicks
Gov. Christie wants us all to move on off his bungled Race to the Top application that cost the state nearly half a billion bucks. Get over it. Stop mentioning it. Don't ask no questions. Ah, and that application for $268 million in federal aide to replace teacher jobs he hasn't applied for? What? Well, I support public edu... hey, is that Mika Brzezinski? How's my tie? I'm the Decider! ...
Blue Jersey - Wed 9:21 a.m.
Did you miss last night's scintillating edition of BlueJerseyRadio? You know, the one where Jeff and I served up the pithiest political dish in the land? The one with chairman John Wisniewski rallying the troops to keep flogging Governor Christie whose latest hissy cost New Jersey students nearly a half billion dollars? Listen to internet radio with Blue Jersey on Blog Talk Radio T...
Blue Jersey - Wed 7:44 a.m. - 4 clicks
I wasn't able to make it to last nights special budget introduction meeting in Middletown, I had a prior commitment that I needed to attend. However, even if I had been able to attend I may not have gotten there in time anyway, by all accounts the meeting lasted only 15 minutes. It was called to order at exactly 6pm and was over by 6:15pm, I'm told. Given the fact that there was a major powe...
MiddletownMike - Mon 10:29 p.m. - 11 clicks
Senate President Stephen Sweeney recently announced his retirement - from his other elected office, Director of the Board of Freeholders in Gloucester County. That the ranking Democratic lawmaker in the state could hold two elected offices at once is unthinkable in almost every other state in the nation. Not so in New Jersey. Here, dual office holding has traditionally been viewed as a peculi...
MiddletownMike - Mon 8:23 p.m. - 9 clicks
For Immediate Release: Actor and voice over talent D.C. Douglas has, once again, offered to help the Tea Party movement with another video; a commercial for Dick Armey and Matt Kibbe's book, "Give Us Liberty: A Tea Party Manifesto." Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) August 26, 2010 D.C. Douglas, a veteran character actor and voice over artist , has offered to help Dick Armey and Matt Kibb...
MiddletownMike - Sun 12:49 p.m.
The Daily Show gets it right, again. The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c The Parent Company Trap http://www.thedailyshow.com/ Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party ...
The Center of NJ Life - Sat 8:01 a.m.
Why is it always so hard to find good help? Pass the Pop Tarts and enjoy a cartoon before hitting those streets everyone. ...
MiddletownMike - Sat 7:42 a.m.
With the end of combat operations in Iraq days ahead, the President salutes our troops for their service and pledges to fulfill America’s commitment to them as veterans. 90,000 troops have left Iraq since the President came into office, and by the end of next year even the troops taking part in the non-combat mission will be home. The administration is upholding the sacred trust with our veteran...
MiddletownMike - Sat 3:48 a.m.
The following editorial is from today's edition of the Asbury Park Press . A simple Amen is all that needs to be said. It's hard to guess exactly what Glenn Beck is thinking today in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial, on the anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King's historic "I Have A Dream" speech. Is his "Restoration of Honor" rally a way to honor America's military, or is it ...
MiddletownMike - Fri 10:48 p.m. - 13 clicks
It's Official! Monday night August 30th during a special meeting of the Middletown Township Committee, the Township operating budget will be introduced to the public. The following announcement was posted on the Township's website : August 30, 2010 Special Meeting Notice is hereby given that an “Open Public Meeting” of the Township Committee of the Township of Middletown is hereby scheduled...
MiddletownMike - Fri 9:04 p.m. - 12 clicks
Yesterday August 26th, Middletown appeared in front of the Department of Community Affairs Local Finance Board, seeking a tax levy wavier which would allow the Township to exceed the State mandated 4% cap on local property taxes. It has been well reported and is no secret that Middletown's 2010 proposed budget seeks to increase the local tax burden by nearly 14% (13.87% to be exact), which would ...
MiddletownMike - Fri 2:27 p.m. - 11 clicks
For all you Hockey fans out there here's you chance to see the NHL's Championship trophy the "Stanely Cup" Monday afternoon. I saw it in person a number of years ago after the Devils won the NHL Championship, it was pretty cool see the Cup in person and looking at the rings for all for the names and dates of all the teams that had won the NHL Championship in the past. The following announcem...
MiddletownMike - Fri 1:43 p.m. - 9 clicks
Good column below that should remind people of what we are in for if the Republicans once gain control Washington - "Lest We Forget" By Robert Parry- ConsortiumNews.com According to almost all media accounts, American voters are on the verge of rewarding the Republican Party for its determined efforts to block Democratic job-creating efforts and President Obama’s other modest reforms. ...
MiddletownMike - Fri 9:43 a.m.
In cased you missed it, the U.S. Department of Education released a video yesterday of New Jersey’s Race to the Top presentation that was held earlier this month in Washington, D.C. It clearly show that New Jersey's delegation was ill prepared and did not respond to questions that were asked of them in the correct fashion even after being given multiple opportunities to do so, which appears to c...
MiddletownMike - Fri 8:26 a.m. - 11 clicks
How much loot did the Garden State miss out on because of they submitted the wrong budgetary numbers? Hardball's Chris Matthews told eveyone on tonight's edition of Hardball just how much - $400 Million! Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy ...
MiddletownMike - Thu 8:07 p.m. - 2 clicks
by Brophy for Sheriff on Wednesday, August 25, 2010 Monmouth County Democratic Sheriff Candidate Eric Brophy today criticized Sheriff Shaun Golden’s failure to take action to halt Monmouth County Correctional Institute’s (“MCCI”) daily revenue loss of almost $30,000. The Monmouth County Sheriff has contracted with various governmental entities such as the U.S. Marshal Service, the New Jersey...
MiddletownMike - Aug 25 - 9 clicks
I received today and interesting email from various Middletown friends and residents. Attached to the email was a well thought out article/letter that points out a number of issues that are effecting the Township of Middletown. The article itself was not signed by any individual so its author at this time, remains anonymous. I hope, that at some point the author steps forward because this perso...
MiddletownMike - Aug 25 - 7 clicks
Nice presentation by Rush, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to explain the benefits of renewable energy and how it can effect the bottom line to small business owners, but I am glad that one did! From the Asbury Park Press - MANALAPAN — Small-business owners, looking for breathing room in a sluggish economy, can capitalize on government incentives designed to help them make their ...
MiddletownMike - Aug 24 - 5 clicks
Nice job the Governor did in helping to secure "Race to the Top" grant, if he tried any harder we may have come in 12th or 13th. What a shame!! BY LESLIE BRODY THE RECORD New Jersey lost its bid Tuesday for $400 million in federal Race to the Top grants for school reform — by a nose. Judges ranked New Jersey number 11 but only the top 10 contestants got money. Its score of 437.8 out of 500 f...
MiddletownMike - Aug 24 - 5 clicks
Middletown is one step closer to finalizing it's 8+ months over due budget. It looks like the Township's hearing in front of the Department of Community Affairs Local Finance Board has been rescheduled for August 26th, two weeks after the original date was cancelled for the lack of a quorum on the part of the LFB. According to the LFB website Middeltown will be participating in two meetings ...
MiddletownMike - Aug 24 - 6 clicks
Get it while it's hot, the latest edition of It's Your Town Newsletter has just been released! This edition of the newsletter contains information about the Middletown Township Committee meeting of Monday August 16,2010. This was suppose to be the meeting in which the Township budget was to be adopted but because of the cancellation of the Townships meeting with the Local Finance ...
MiddletownMike - Aug 24 - 2 clicks
When Democrats in New Jersey raised the top rate on the state income tax last year, it was billed as a one-year, temporary increase on millionaires. When it expired this year, Democrats voted to renew the increase for another year. Republicans, emboldened by Gov. Christie's veto threat, said "no." They reasoned that Democrats purposefully wrote the expiration into the legislation, and so it sh...
MiddletownMike - Aug 23 - 3 clicks
I found this article at Consortiumnews.com , it puts into perspective the historical differnce between todays "Tea Party" movement and what the "Sons of Liberty" patriots of 1773 were trying to accomplish when they throw 90,000 pounds of tea into Boston Harbor: By Jada Thacker- Like all “good Americans,” today’s Tea Partiers believe the destruction of the tea was a patriotic act in noble defia...
MiddletownMike - Aug 21
The President calls out Republicans for blocking campaign finance reforms that would address the Supreme Court decision opening the floodgates of corporate money into elections. ...
MiddletownMike - Aug 21
For immediate release REFORM PARTY OF NJ 2010 CONVENTION On August 14th, 2010, delegates of the Reform Party of New Jersey gathered in Piscataway for the party’s first convention in over a decade. The Reform Party of the United States was America’s most successful third party during the 1990s. The populist appeal of candidates like H. Ross Perot, Jesse Ventura, and Donald Trump helped to estab...
MiddletownMike - Aug 20 - 4 clicks
This past Monday night's Middletown Township Committee meeting once again did not disappoint those that were in attendance when it came time for comments by Committee members. I walked into the meeting late and didn't have the opportunity to witness or hear for myself the introduction of Resolution 10-210, which calls for supporting property tax relief through State assumption of per pupil edu...
MiddletownMike - Aug 18
Click to Play In June, 2009, my colleague Ursula Wolz and I had a chat with outgoing Ewing New Jersey Public Schools Superintendent Raymond Broach about his views on the IJIMS Project. IJIMS or the Interactive Journalism Institute for Middle Schoolers, is collaboration between Ewing township's middle school and The College...
Kim Pearson - Aug 17 - 2 clicks
In this weekend's Gazette, the Democratic challenger to Shelley Moore Capito finally gets some deserved notice in a fairly-decent biography and write-up. Graf has been an educator for the rural poor and has worked for social justice for much of her life. In the article, she mentions that West Virginia has been last in education rankings, in salaries, and in job opportunities for far too long. ...
Other Spaces - Aug 9 - 2 clicks
A Giant Ice island has broken off from Petermann glacier in northern Greenland. It is 100 square miles - more than four times the size of Manhattan. Cracks were noticed early in the year. Not since 1962 has such a large chunk of ice broken off in the Arctic. This scares me as much as killing civilians in Afghanistan or Iraq. It has a major effect on our future, yet no one is paying attentio...
the subversive garden - Aug 7
Firedoglake has a good post on what exactly Obama means by Combat troops. The press has been reporting that all combat troops are leaving Iraq. Obama has never said this, though surely he has insinuated it. The units in Iraq will be "fully functional combat" units. The only difference is that we will now be calling them a different name. They are now termed Advise and Assist brigades by th...
the subversive garden - Aug 3 - 2 clicks
I graduated from college in May, but I didn’t do what most college graduates do, like journey to Europe or grab a job in their chosen field, no I took the “road less travelled.” I went to work in a sandwich shop. My girlfriend wanted to get married, my Professor wanted me to go work for Bill Clinton, but I thought one more summer with my friends, just one more summer of idiocy made sense. Mike...
the subversive garden - Jul 27
Race debate - create & infiltrate-reverse the hate - we take the bait-castrate-bifurcate-abrogate- wait -apostate-courage is innate mate ...
the subversive garden - Jul 25
