How to Save Planned Parenthood

If they can't MAKE anyone pregnant, they'll have nothing to whine about....

Hello Joaquin! Where's Christie Now?

www.WeatherChannel.com 

As Hurricane Joaquin shifts and appears to be setting his sights on New Jersey, the shore braces for a big hit. Still not fully recovered from Superstorm Sandy, many of those who had their homes destroyed are praying this beast heads out to sea.  Either way, NJ is going to get some flooding. Let's just hope it's manageable and doesn't destroy our beach towns. 

Anyone want to place bets on if our Governor will show up for this storm? Some Sandy victims have criticized Chris Christie for his lack of response to the destruction that storm brought to New Jersey. Check that out here.  They marked him as a failure in disaster response. Scary fact for a prez candidate.  Lately, Christie seems more concerned with his drive for the White House than he does about the citizens who elected him. He wastes taxpayer dollars by dragging his security force all over the US, while New Jersey's bank balance is in the negatives. Please! Someone tell him to resign!

Can anyone tell me where I can get a job traveling anywhere I please while still drawing a paycheck, wasting state dollars, and living the high life, (one he doesn't have to account for?) New Jersey? Find your taxes here. 

Dear Hazlet.... I want a refund!

Does Hazlet have money to waste? Are the elected officials sitting on the podium thinking up ways to blow taxpayer $$$?
Check out the article in the Independent here, to see the committee's $200,000. Bozo move to blow your tax dollars.

Someone on the committee decided the town needed a new elaborate entrance to Veteran's Park on one of the busiest corners in town. A corner the county just fixed by widening the street and giving the residents turn lanes.

I need to know who on the committee came up with this idea? Were they all sitting around going..."LOOK! MONEY! Let's blow it on something?"

Seems this time Ronchetti and DeNardo might just be the voice of reason on this Mad Hatter committee. If the rest of them want to blow your tax dollars~~~the power is yours. Election day will be here in the spring and I for one will remember this blatant misuse of taxes.

Hey, Hazlet committee? If you have that extra cash why don't you put it into the roads? Dirt roads would run smoother than some of the rock and roll roads in this town. Or how about a refund on those taxes? Evidently there's money to waste so GIVE IT BACK TO THE HOMEOWNERS!

Chris Christie -Gate- for Prez?

Aside from his brash (aka; rude) manner of bashing New Jersey Teachers and middle class working families who have been counting on their pensions for retirement, Chris Christie has a lot of baggage to drag into the race for Prez.

Bridgegate ~ Chris Christie's most infamous screw up. Either he knew about the lane closures or he had no control over the staff he appointed. Could he really have been that clueless? Or was he striking back in his typical school yard bully fashion at a Democratic Mayor in Fort Lee? One of the busiest bridges in New Jersey goes into gridlock for four days and he knew nothing about it? Maybe he should have turned on the news that day...

Sandy-gate ~ Although he was all, "Get off the Beach!" in his blue fleece and acting like he cared, after the flood water retreated, so did Governor Christie.  Leaving families out in the cold, Chris Christie overspent on a commercial ($25 million) to say the Jersey shore was open, yet he failed to mention New Jersey families might not make it to the beach since they had no homes. Rebuilding might be more important to these families than planning a va-ca.  It was over four months before the Sandy Relief Funds collected/controlled by his wife, Mary Pat were released.  When the press reported on this Christie barked back with weak excuses, but then the first funds went to....not Sandy victims.  It's now three years after Superstorm Sandy hit the Jersey Shore and the victims of Sandy are still trying to rebuild their homes. Where's Governor Big-Mouth now? Sandy-gate grade? Fail.

Pension-gate ~  Is the New Jersey pension system a mess? Maybe, but with Chris Christie what's okay for his double-dipping buddies, doesn't trickle down to the working class. Maybe he should have fixed that before bashing hard working teachers here.   Here's another list of his fight against teachers.

Exxon-gate ~ Did Christie sell out New Jersey for his corporate buddies? Exxon donates big $$$ to the Republican Party and Christie cuts them a deal to the detriment of New Jersey. Pay to Play, Mr. Christie? Shouldn't Christie have let others handle this settlement since it was definitely a conflict of interests?

Party-gate ~ New Jersey taxpayers foot the bill for Christie to race around the country with his security team. There there was that 80K that Christie spent on football games. Next time you pay that tax bill know what you're paying for.

Lawsuit-gate ~ Although Chris Christie promised "transparency in Government" in is campaign for Governor, he evidently didn't mean what he said. The lawsuits for him to release public records hits a new high. New Jersey taxpayers foot the bill for his $1 million lawyer buddy deal to clear his name on Bridgegate, yet that law firm has no records of anything done to gather evidence that (they claim) cleared him.  Google "Chris Christie Lawsuits" and the list is pages long.

Property taxes have risen under the Christie Administration making our Corzine years look like a party. He campaigned on transparency in Government but continues to hide financial records. With all the problems in New Jersey...can America afford Chris Christie and all his "gates" in the Oval Office?

Gay Marriage in the Land of the Free

The Supreme Court legalized Gay Marriage and little Republican minds all over the US imploded.

Mike Huckabee, Prez contender, stated that the Supreme Court "redefined marriage."
Really, Mike? Marriage to me was always meant to be between two people who loved and cared for each other. What's wrong with that kind of marriage, Mike?

The only way this can be changed is with an amendment to the Constitution. Are their any Prez contenders who say they'll work on that now? Scott Walker wants this to happen. He also said we need a Republican Prez who'll appoint conservatives to the court. Hey Scott! Five of the nine were appointed by Republican Presidents. So they do have the majority. They also seem to have brains that aren't full of your bullshit, hater views. Maybe they do believe that all Americans should have equal rights? Wow! Good for them.

Jeb Bush thinks we should leave the hate mongering up to the individual states. That way they can impose their own version of who can be free to marry in America. Great idea, Jeb! Selective hate. Marco Rubio is with him on this bashing of civil rights on a state by state basis. He also talks about freedom of religions to avoid the law. That's fine. But if those churches take money from the state or federal gov or enjoy the tax benefits of calling themselves non-profit, then they should be made to follow the law. They don't want the financial benefits? Great, then they can do as they please, but don't take my tax money to promote hate and discrimination.

Then there is the weak Prez contender Chris -Bridgegate- Christie. He pulls the party line by opposing Gay marriage but what can he do? He dropped his appeal to get Gay Marriage out of the Garden State in 2013 when the NJ Supreme court legalized it.

When someone tells me that marriage should be between a man and a woman I always ask them why they believe that. Never has anyone been able to answer me. They shrug and say that's just how it is. Ask why again and still, no answer. Could it be that there is no reason why any two consenting adults can't marry? Are we talking semantics here or just hate. Disagree with a lifestyle and then make up laws to limit their freedom. Way to go, GOP!

Land of the free...Good job, SCOTUS! 

Jeb Bush & the Social Security Solution

Jeb Bush thinks we should privatize Social Security. You know, that program that's flush till like 2035 or near there, but every republican is using to bait the voters?  Does he say this because big business hasn't made a mess of anything else? "Wall St. Bail Out??? What bail out? The one Wall St. never paid back to the American public?

Eh. Easy come, easy go.

Then there's the health care biz in the US before Obama care required them to use more of your premiums for actual health care? (Before then your premiums went to pay for the big bonuses for the CEO's.)

Yeah, I'd trust big biz. We could always just bail them out when they trash it, right?

Jeb also wants to raise the retirement age. Probably because he's not worried about his own retirement.

With a net worth of $10 million, does Jeb really understand what he'd doing to the middle class? Maybe not, but I'm betting he does understand big biz. Which is probably why he wants to hand them your Social Security.

Bottom line~
Social Security does need help, but turning it into a business can only spell trouble. What if Jeb and his friend$  just chipped in a little more to keep the system going? The EconomicPopulist has a great idea, check out his solution to the Social Security problem. I think he's on to something.

No Pot for You! ~ Chris Christie

Chris Christie says he'll enforce federal ban on marijuana if elected prez. In an article by AP it was also reported that he will not pander to voters in Colorado.
Mwahahahaha!
Christie has been pandering to Ohio, Virginia, ...check out his Where's Waldo post here to find out who else he panders to, but he hasn't been in New Jersey doing his job as governor. His middle name is turning into "Mr Pander to Get the Vote."

Medical Marijuana has multiple benefits  from slowing the progression of HIV and cancer to relieving chronic pain. Anyone who suffers from pain no regular pain medication can touch, knows how important that can be. Yet, Christie stated that Medical Marijuana is a "front for legalization." Oh, those wily sick people! How dare they suffer just to trick the governor into waking up.

Why is Marijuana illegal anyway? 
Although there are many stories about why the government decided to outlaw pot, most believe it was due to the almighty dollar. Big business was afraid of this easy to grow, multi-use weed would destroy the paper industry along. William Randolph Hearst had a big investment in the paper industry and the newspaper platform to promote his anti-marijuana propaganda. He also had the political influence to drag government officials into his self serving campaign. Did this man and his cronies start the war against marijuana? The weed our forefathers grew?

Really? Do we want to vote into office men with such narrow minds that they want to take pain relief from those who are suffering? Who rely on the self serving campaigns of the 1930's to make decisions? Or the politicians who sell themselves to the drug companies of the new millennium to force the suffering to pay big money for drugs that cause more harm than good?

Land of the free where are you?

Christie vs Wildstein ~ Showdown @ High Noon

However Bridgegate and the rest of the Christie mess plays out, there's no doubt David Wildstein will play a big part in the outcome.

Philly.com reports that Wildstein is claiming Christie disclosed confidential Grand Jury information to him. Which would be a violation of state? or maybe federal law? The problem is, Can Wildstein prove it?

From all reports, Wildstein claims to have evidence in the Bridgegate case. If he kept records then, would he have other documented information on something like this Grand Jury thing? In 2013, NorthJersey.com reported Wildstein would buy up domain names of certain political figures, including Barbara Buono and her running mate, Milly Silva. (bounosilva.org and millysilva.com) He also purchased a domain name for Pat Foye, Port Authority executive who had harsh words about the bridge closures. (patfoye.com)  Very creepy that someone would buy the domain name for random people. Right now none of these pages seem to be owned by anyone. Domain names are usually purchased for anywhere from one to three years or beyond, so whatever he bought probably expired. Maybe these folks should go get their names before they fall back on Wildstein's radar.
Either way, this gives us a peek into the mind of the man who just may bring Christie down. He's a man who likes to gather websites and maybe he's got a stash of other evidence somewhere. By all appearances, he's a smart man who just might cover his ass in all situations. The Bridgegate trial is set for November so I'm sure we'll find out.

Wildstein was also the founder of PolitickerNJ, where he used a pen name (Wally Edge) to drop information on the political world in NJ. A site I actually liked to check out from time to time.

Christie claims he never knew Wildstein in high school yet then handed him a job worth big bucks that had no official job description. Wildstein's resume was not on file when requested by a reporter. Hmmm, what could that mean?

If this alleged Grand Jury spill is true, Christie did this only to give his fellow Republicans an edge in the election. So, if laws were broken, what would Christie face? Contempt charges or, since it was a federal grand jury, would it be more?

Balancing Christie's Budget?

Watchdog.org recently reported on the Christie spending spree at sports venues in 2010 & 2011. According to Watchdog, who obtained the records there's a lot missing on these reports.

Grand total; $82,594.00 is what the the Gov spent on food and beverage concessions at MetLife Stadium. Maybe taxpayers should wonder what he spent this on. Out of 58 times he went to a game, he spent $82,594.00 on snacks and drinks. What could you buy at the local grocery store for that amount? I know the concessions are over priced, but that's still a lot of food! So let's do the math.

Calculator Please!

$82,594.00

Divided by 58 games

Equals = $1424.03 in food and drink per game.

Yum! What a game!

Really, when I go to a Giants game I always gobble a grand and a half worth of food, don't you? I mean watching all those guys run around chasing the pig-skin can make a person hungry, right? Just how much is a beer at the stadium anyway?

Don't worry, the St Louis Post Dispatch did the calculating for us. Who can consume 9371 hot dogs & beers? I guess those dogs were with the works?
Newsweek gives a better breakdown of what could be eaten for $82,594.00.

But I got a stomachache just reading it. Blah! Check them out to see what Christie probably ate at the games.

Don't think it ends there...
A mystery has arisen in the great Wiennie Dog Fiasco....the receipts for these smorgasbords have gone missing. Yes, Gov Christie, the man who wants to run our county, can't even keep track of his own snack attack bill. Our state might never know who gobbled their tax dollars at these sporting events.

In all fairness, after this hit the news, the GOP (isn't Christie head of the GOP club?) stepped up to reimburse the taxpayers for the Governor's wasteful spending in a CYA move they seem to be doing a lot lately. Hmmm, seems like someone was feeling guilty for something?

Tell me, would you vote for a guy for prez if he couldn't even keep his own expense account in line?

Thank you, Watchdog. Keep up the good work.

New Jersey Plays Where's Waldo with Chris Christie

Our wandering Governor is AWOL again for the month of June, being everywhere but there for New Jersey residents. Check out the Washington Post update of our out-of-state governor.   We could post Where's Christie everyday and let the residents who elected this guy take guesses on where he's at.

The line up for his June travels
June 2nd he starts a nice little va-ca with Gov. Rick Scott. You know, the one who's pushing to restrict women's rights regarding abortion? Probably a good fit since one of the first things Christie did when he took office was to cut funding to Planned Parenthood and family planning clinics. (Clinics closed in the poorest part of the state.) So, lets watch him buddy up with Scott who thinks he knows the vagina better than those who own one.

Next Christie is off to New Hampshire for a "Tell it like it is" event. Very funny Mr Christie. While you're telling it like it is, can you tell us what happened to the Sandy funds?

Then he has to hit Iowa up because...well, you know...he has to win Iowa or he loses his chance as the contender in the big race. It's why, even though 90% of New Jersey is against gestation crates for pigs, Christie voted for them. He couldn't do that to the Iowa farmers. Wait! Whose Governor is he? Sometimes it's hard to figure who he's working for...maybe, himself? No one explains it better than Jon Stewart. 

Then it's back to New Jersey? No, Christie goes to Utah to play with Mitt Romney and the other GOPpers because what the heck would he do in New Jersey anyway? Govern? Help the victims of Sandy who are still not in their homes? Maybe do something about rising taxes? Education? Pension problems?

I guess the GOP is paying for these travels, but I really want to know if they're picking up the room and board for all the State Troopers who have to tag along? Anyone know?

So, there's the line up for the Where's Christie in June show.... Who needs Where's Waldo when we have a wandering Governor?

Gay Marriage and Irish Pride

Ireland voted, by a wide margin to legalize gay marriage. Yay! So proud to be Irish today.

To tell the truth I was a little worried about this vote. There is a big prevalence of Catholics in Ireland and a lot of people use their religion as an excuse to hate things they really have no business forming an opinion about. So the fact that there was such a big margin of "yes" votes on the emerald isle  makes me believe that Ireland is much more progressive than half the states in the U.S.A.

Why should anyone who's not gay care about, or make laws about, gay marriage? Maybe this point of view comes from growing up in America where it's drummed into our heads that we live in the "land of the free." I always understood that meant free without judgement or religious persecution. America was founded on religious freedom and its only when people who claim to be God-fearing disagree about a subject that we need to make it a law. Do we really need to go back in history when bigots frowned upon interracial marriage? Living together without marriage? Women's voting rights?  Now these things are no big deal. Love is love and if two adults want to live happily ever after that's really a good thing. Wasn't Jesus all about love?

Ireland? When I think about how this whole country could make Gay Marriage  a law I wonder why the USA hasn't done this yet? Instead we go state by state infringing on a basic human right. The right to love and share your life with whomever you please.

Go Ireland! You made me proud.

Jon Stewart & Chris Christie -New Jersey Facts

Found this video on YouTube but a better copy can be found on Pushback Politics. Gotta love out corrupt state. 

I love this guy. 

Smoking & Marketing

One thing to remember about marketing anything is the target audience. Who's the customer?

Dear American Cancer Society,

When you're trying to convince young people not to smoke, leave out the old people. No teenager or twenty-something is going to ever think they'll be that old or that sick. You're not scaring them. They just don't relate

Come on, tell me the truth. When you were 19 or 20 would you really think of what you'd be like at 50, 60, or beyond? Or were you thinking about hot guys (or girls), fashion, the next place to go on Friday night?

So there's our target. Creatures who care about meeting new people and where to go next. How do we target them? Bring it down to their level. What are the negatives of smoking that they might fear? How about this?

Young people care about being appealing to others in their peer group. Reminding them that they'll smell like an ashtray if they smoke, might go further than showing them an old person wheezing. 

Here's three ways to reach them ~

Scene One; Give them the dynamics of two young people taking;

Cute boy & girl talking. Girl says goodbye and walks away. Cute boy's friend walks up. 

Friend; Hey! She's hot. You ask her out?

Cute boy: Naw, she smells like an ashtray. 

They both scrunch up their nose like they smell something bad and walk away. 

Scene Two; 

Boy and girl kiss as they pull apart girl says; "Oh, you're a smoker." and backs away covering her mouth. Look of disgust on her face. 

Scene Three; 

Two cute guys or girls discussing kissing. 

1st person; Ever kiss a smoker?

2nd person: Yeah, it's kind of like kissing an ash tray. 

1st person: Gag!

Both laugh and make gagging, vomiting noises. 

Voice over; Don't be the ash tray, quit today.

There ya go! Three commercials that will grab their attention and let them relate. Bottom line; Make smoking unpleasant to their peers and you'll hit a nerve. 

Christie, Wildstein, & that Forgotten Court Case

In January 2014, a civil action suit was brought against Chris Christie, Bridget Kelly, David Wildstein, Baroni, Stepien, Drewniak for the traffic tie up caused by closing 3 lanes on that infamous bridge into/out of Fort Lee. It seeks damages for residents and business owners.

Brings to light the fact that a lot of businesses were affected when traffic snarled all over Fort Lee. If the roads were clogged, people couldn't get to work, couldn't go shopping, couldn't take the kids out after school...if they could even get to school through all the traffic. Four days of this, almost a week, can be a really big financial detriment to the shops and businesses. I have to wonder how long it took them to recover?

According to the lawyer for the residents, Wildstein and Kelly never responded to the complaint and so could be found in default.

The other's named in the suit did respond. They asked for a dismissal. I'm guessing that's just what lawyers do, try to get stuff dismissed. Would that be possible? So many emails go back and forth between these political appointee mobsters that the evidence is kind of overwhelming. If you read Wildstein's indictment you see a lot of back and forth between the major players and some of it was kinda nasty. If this gets dismissed, there is something seriously wrong with our justice system.

Let's see...they used a bogus traffic study to hurt a mayor because he wouldn't come out publicly to endorse Christie. When did bullies take over Trenton?
Oh wait! Christie was elected in 2009? That's when the bullies took over.
How embarrassing for New Jersey....

Dear New Hampshire....Take My Governor, PLEASE!

Dear New Hampshire,
I heard you were quite taken with Governor Christie. I read about it here. 
You like his brash manner (in New Jersey we call his name calling "lack of manners" See it here!) and outspokenness.  Not having facts, shouldn't really be categorized as outspokenness. He didn't have the facts when he spouted off about pensions and what other governors have done in New Jersey. Was he lying or just speaking without know the facts? Read about that here.                

We've had Christie as Governor here in NJ for ...about 5-6 years now?

• Unemployment is up....check out the facts.   
• Property taxes have risen under Christie at a rate almost twice as high as our previous governor. Numbers from 2013 here. Or compare your state to ours here. 
• Transparency in government was something Christie promised in his campaign. However, his office can't seem to cough up any facts when questioned. The New York Times even reported it here.  And the lawsuits are costing taxpayers-you know the ones who want the transparency-big bucks. 
• Bridgegate leaves questions  and we're waiting for the indictment to drop any minute now. 
• New Jersey was hit hard by Superstorm Sandy two years ago and people are still fighting to get back in their homes. They question the Governor about it and get ...well, not much. NorthJersey.com reported it here. 
• Then there's the great New Jersey Exodus; We be leaving this high taxed state where you get less for your buck. 

In closing, dear New Hampshire, if you think our Governor is so great let him govern New Hampshire for while and then get back to me.

Respectfully yours,
A New Jersey Taxpayer

Where to Find Money for NJ Pensions

Just a suggestion, but here's a few places the state might find some $$$$ to cover the states pension fund.

• Keep Christie in New Jersey. Evidently our tax dollars are being wasted to guard him so he can campaign all over the country. Keep him home and put that money into Pensions. 
• Make him reimburse the state for that extra election. You know, the one he called so he wouldn't be up for election at the same time as Booker? That's $24 million. 
• Make him pay for his own lawyer. NJ Taxpayers paid for Christie to have his own lawyer investigate what the feds were already investigating. (SURPRISE! They said he's not guilty! Clueless, but not guilty.) $1 Million dollar taxpayer scam. 
• Make Christie keep his promise for transparency in NJ government. He's spending millons to keep his out of control spending under wraps. 
• If he hired people to run his social media/facebook/twitter accounts; are they in the pension system? If so, why? 

Off topic? 

What the heck did he and Mary Pat do with all that Sandy money? Except of course that huge chuck of bucks sent to those companies that donated to his Republican Governors fund.  Why are there still so many struggling to recover? If they didn't get that money, who did? 

Christie Plays the Waiting Game

Hillary announced she's running for Prez. No surprise there, we all saw it coming. Who else on the Dem tree is throwing their hat in the ring?
A conspiracy theorist, a performance artist, and an ex-football coach. Hmmm, should Hillary be worried? I think the only threat to Hillary for the Dem nomination at this point would be Elizabeth Warren but she already said no. Warren has already proved her self a force to be reckoned with. Her down to earth, common sense and courageous manner of calling out the deadwood political leaders in her home state of Massachusetts, has many begging her to run. I'd give her my vote in a nanosecond.
Governors from Virginia, Maryland, and Rhode Island have also made some noise in bid for Prez, but they've been keeping such a low profile I don't even remember their names.

On the other side of the ticket is....was...Chris Christie. He was all anyone was talking about a few years ago but maybe, just maybe...that bridge has closed. With New Jersey's unemployment rate one of the worst in the nations, taxes up all over the state, and his mini war on Planned Parenthood (women), he's done nothing to prove he's worth of that Oval Office. And then there's Bridgegate, accepting gifts from Jerry Jones and ...who sent him to London? That trip was a bust. Not very presidential to snap at British reporters.  Now he's a global bully.

The waiting game is on... news sites all over the web are holding their breath and waiting for the indictments to drop. Who's making a deal and who will go down because of it?

• Wildstein? Yeah, he's been looking for a deal since day one. And he looks like a man who'd keep a little insurance on the side. 
• Kelly? She's a mom. If a deal is offered, she should make the deal that would be best for her kids. I'm sure this is hard enough on them. 
• Samson? Not sure anything can save him and the fact that his law firm is removing his name...hmmmm? What do you think? 

• Governor Christie? Could he really not have know what was going on? A traffic jam on the biggest commuter bridge in New Jersey and he was clueless? He never once wondered what kind of traffic study would shut down rush hour? Could he be that dumb? And he said he never met Wildstein ...suddenly all these photos of him and Wildstein surface...how's your memory Mr. Christie? 

Should be an interesting week. . .  Who else is getting indicted? Any guesses?

Do Four Things to Get the Job

Sitting at the front desk in a building that houses multiple companies, I see a lot. Job seekers come through, looking for that perfect match. Past my desk come many qualified candidates that ruin their chances with the same dumb mistakes. 

• Be on time. Such a simple requirement, but one of the most important things in an interview. Look at it this way, if a person can't be on time for the interview how are they going to get to work on time? Do a drive by the day before so you don't get lost the day of the interview.
• Dress like you want the job. Walking in wearing t-shirt and jeans doesn't show the employer anything but you're on vacation. Show them you want it. Wear a suit or nice pants and a button down shirt. Comb your hair. 
• Come prepared. Bring a resume and a list of references. Put them in a folder so they don't get wrinkled. A crumbled piece of paper pulled from your pocket shows the employer you don't care enough to keep it neat.
• Research the company on the Internet before your interview. Know what they do and find something special about the company to mention during your interview. Do your homework. Impress them with your knowledge of their company. 

I've seen too many potentially good candidates ruin their chances by making these dumb mistakes. Be on time, dress for success, be ready to sell yourself and do your research. These four things will put you ahead of the pack and increase your chances of getting the job.