Half of New Jerseyans are blissfully unaware of Obamacare's impending fascism

To almost no one's surprise low information voters are also low information consumers. Half the people in New Jersey are completely unaware of Obamacare's upcoming mandate to purchase health insurance. If I wasn't in the mood to be charitable, I'd say those folks are too stupid to vote.

Listen up Obamabots. Tomorrow is the day Freedom Dies. October 1, 2013 will go down in history as a day more infamous than December 7, 1941. Once, America rallied to repel Japanese and German fascists; today the sheeple embrace fascism with open arms, and as it turns out, empty heads.

The Individual Mandate is an abomination, one that no Founding Father could ever have envisioned, let alone sanctioned. Add in the full-frontal assault on religious liberty inherent in Obamacare's contraceptive, sterilization, and abortion mandates and you have a one-two punch to the heart of our republic.

We are no longer free to engage in commerce as we see fit.

And we are no longer free to practice our religion without interference from an over-arching federal government.

I weep for the America that we lost. The Anti-Federalists were right; tyranny is here to stay.

Posted at 09:15 by Chris Wysocki   [/obamacare]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Activist judge decrees NJ must change from The Garden State to The Gomorrah State

Six thousand years of Judeo-Christian tradition demolished at the stroke of a pen.

The Christie administration is expected to appeal the ruling. Let's hope so, to protect religious liberty, which is, in case any of you forgot, an actual enumerated right.

Because no matter what all the cheerleaders say, marriage is, always has, and always will be a sacred union between one man and one woman. No mere mortal can change that. A fool may call a square a circle, but he can not make it round.

Posted at 16:39 by Chris Wysocki   [/nj_politics]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Obama resorts to name calling, mocks "crazy" foes of health care law

The headline at the top of today's Star-Ledger says it all: Obama mocks "crazy" foes of health care law. They didn't post it on NJ.com, but this Yahoo version looks pretty close to what they printed.

What planet does this bozo live on?

And yeah, if he's gonna sling mud, then I can sling some right back. He's a bozo. A clown, and a buffoon. Worst. President. Ever.

Obamacare succeed? That's the funniest thing I've heard in years!

Nobody likes it. Nobody wants it. Nobody understands it.

It requires that you share the most intimate details of your life with a legion of unvetted federal bureaucrats. But don't worry, they pinky-swear they'll keep everything completely confidential. Really.

It's already an Information Technology disaster of epic proportions.

The delays keep piling up. Just yesterday, 5 days before they were supposed to go live, HHS "postponed" the federal Small Business Exchanges. They're "not ready."

Trust me, I'm an IT guy, none of this stuff is "ready." And it won't be ready any time soon either.

How much does this thing stink? Tally up all the exemptions! Everybody and his brother wants one. But HHS has stopped passing them out like candy, much to the chagrin of O-bozo's SEIU buddies.

Right in the law is the stipulation that Congress, the Executive Branch, and their staffs must enroll in the Exchanges. Except Congress doesn't want any part of this train wreck. So Obama exempted them, flouting his own law.

He can do that, because he's like special or something.

Obamacare will never succeed. It'll collapse under its own weight.

And when it does it'll take you, me, and the country we used to call the United States of America all the way down with it.

You wanna know what's "crazy?" Pretending it won't.

Posted at 09:24 by Chris Wysocki   [/obamacare]   Comments | Perm Link |
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NJ Supreme Court: Every town must have a slum

It's judicial activism on steroids. Today the NJ Supreme Court issued a ruling ordering the state legislature to enact a law. Three black-robed poobahs are now the de facto government of New Jersey. Nobody else matters anymore.

At issue, of course, is the Social Justice shibboleth of "affordable housing." Everybody deserves to have a nice house in the suburbs, even if he doesn't work for it. Because if there is a Constitutional Right to free health care, why not a Constitutional Right to a free house too?

And so our legislature is hereby ordered to create rules for imposing a slum on every town in New Jersey.

They're movin' on up, to a dee-luxe apartment in the Skylands!

For free!

Well, free to them. It'll be paid for by you and me.

Remember when people had to work to get what they want? Yeah, that's not congruent with socialism. So if you can't afford to live in Short Hills, the socialists are gonna force Short Hills to build you your very own "affordable house."

Maybe the NJ Supreme Court should re-read the Declaration of Independence. It espouses "equality of opportunity." Not "from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs."

Posted at 13:46 by Chris Wysocki   [/nj_politics]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Cory Booker tweets with a Portland stripper! Did he send her pics of his T-Bone?

Sigh. Cory Booker turns out to be yet another Democrat who can't resist the allure of young tattooed "ladies" who get naked for a living. And she's got the Tweets to prove it. (Warning! VERY Not Safe For Work!)

You can read the whole sordid thing. And you can gawk at the NSFW pictures of the I-can't-believe-anyone-thinks-she's-hot Lynsie Lee.

Well, maybe she has a stellar personality.

I'm not sure why she's come forward now with these private tweets. Maybe to counter those perpetual Cory-Booker-is-gay rumors? That sounds right, seeing as how all the reliably lefty media outlets are gushing over the story.

Look! Cory's got a stripper friend! And she's a gurl!

At least she hasn't released any "selfies" from Booker. Yet. That's all we need now, pics of Cory's T-Bone. You know, to prove he's a Real Man.

Posted at 09:25 by Chris Wysocki   [/election]   Comments | Perm Link |
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The New Obama Doctrine: Speak Incoherently, and Outlaw the Big Stick

A couple of news items caught my eye this morning.

Dear Leader spoke to the U.N. He's apparently buying what Iran's shoveling.

The Supreme Leader has issued a fatwa against the development of nuclear weapons, and President Rouhani has just recently reiterated that the Islamic Republic will never develop a nuclear weapon… I want to be clear we are encouraged that President Rouhani received from the Iranian people a mandate to pursue a more moderate course. And given President Rouhani's stated commitment to reach an agreement, I am directing John Kerry to pursue this effort with the Iranian government in close cooperation with the European Union — the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia and China.

Translation? "I have a Nobel Peace Prize, those terrorist thugs wouldn't lie to me!" Apparently he really does believe his own bullshit.

Unfortunately, nobody else does.

Increasingly the United States is viewed as a paper tiger on the world stage by America's enemies. The Iranians know that Obama doesn't have the stomach for the use of force against Tehran's nuclear programme, and believe he is vulnerable on the sanctions issue, and open to concessions on this front. They don't fear the Obama administration the way they feared the Bush administration. The Ayatollah and his acolytes see Obama as a soft touch, and believe they can buy even more valuable time to advance their nuclear ambitions while Washington dithers.

Dithering, it's what Obama is really, really, really good at. He gives speeches, to tell you what he isn't going to do.

A national address to say he won't invade Syria, red lines or no red lines.

A phone call to John Boehner, to say he won't negotiate on the debt ceiling.

A pledge at the U.N. to meet with Iranian President Rouhani, only to have his lackeys walk that back before he had even left the podium.

Barack Obama, International Man Of Inaction!

You know what else he won't do? Miss his tee time.

Meanwhile, as Obama babbles incoherently, John Kerry is busy nullifying the Second Amendment.

Secretary of State John Kerry plans to sign a controversial U.N. treaty on arms regulation on Wednesday, a senior State Department official told Fox News -- despite warnings from lawmakers that the Senate will not ratify the agreement.

The holy mantra of Gun Control needs another futile and stupid gesture, and John Kerry is just the guy to do it.

Disarm Americans. Arm Syrians and Mexicans. Makes sense to me!

Remember when America was a superpower and world leader? When Teddy Roosevelt's doctrine — Speak softly, and carry a big stick — actually helped keep the peace?

Now we have Barack Obama, eager to speak incoherently and outlaw the big stick.

This is known as Smart Diplomacy.

Posted at 11:51 by Chris Wysocki   [/obama_watch]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Want to know why Ted Cruz is trying so hard to defund Obamacare?

He's standing up on the floor of the U.S. Senate, right now!, vowing to "talk until he can't stand anymore."

"I rise in opposition to Obamacare," the Texas Republican began. This speech may go on for a while.

I wish I could stand there with him. I want him to know that I'm with him in spirit.

As it happens, at our annual block party this past weekend someone asked me why republicans like Ted Cruz are "wasting their time" trying to defund Obamacare. I said, because it's the right thing to do, it makes a statement that needs to be heard. He was unconvinced. "Pick your battles," he said. It's a trainwreck, I replied.

Yesterday Thomas Sowell asked essentially the same question, and Smitty raised the battle cry.

Wolverines!

Oh, and Mitch McConnell is a feckless crapweasel. But you already knew that.

Posted at 16:14 by Chris Wysocki   [/obamacare]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Steve Lonegan is closing the gap on Cory Booker

Maybe, just maybe, the people of New Jersey are finally seeing the real Cory Booker — all flash and no cash, all hat and no cattle, the show horse who isn't a work horse, every Tweet lacks meat. Because a new poll shows Steve Lonegan gaining ground on Booker's supposedly inevitable juggernaut.

Ruh roh, Booker is supposed to cruise to a 35 point win! What's going on?

Booker's the invisible man, that's what's going on. He's hob-nobbing with Hollywood celebs, holding campaign rallies in absentia, and avoiding his office in Newark City Hall like the plague.

Meanwhile his ethical woes aren't going away. Crime in Newark keeps rising, and murders occur almost daily.

Where's Cory? I dunno. Does New Jersey need a part-time senator? I think not. If Booker wants to represent Hollywood he ought to move to California. He's as phony as they are so he'll fit right in. But we'd rather have a guy who's committed to us, not his famous (and/or ficticious) friends.

Steve Lonegan for U.S. Senate! Because if Cory Booker can't be bothered to show up and help Newark, what makes you think he'll do anything for the rest of New Jersey?

Posted at 09:37 by Chris Wysocki   [/election]   Comments | Perm Link |
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CSI: Fido - NJ condo complex will use DNA sampling to track pooper-scooper scofflaws

Ace Ventura, please call your office.

On the one hand, I'm all for punishing the assholes who don't pick up after their mutts.

On the other hand, at $29.95 a pop to extract DNA from dog poop, wouldn't it be cheaper just to hire a kid to clean it up?

Posted at 16:36 by Chris Wysocki   [/odds_n_ends]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Decide not to hold your prom in Newark? Yeah, that's racism

The students at Caldwell's James Caldwell High School decided not to hold their prom at The Newark Club this year. Aside from the high cost, one of the reasons cited is the recent rash of violent crime.

The prom committee of the regional school in West Caldwell looked at the Metropolitan Room at the Newark Club as one of nine venues. The Newark Club was eliminated from the list because the facility was too pricey and the city may be unsafe because of a recent rash of violent crimes, according to Superintendent James Heinegg.

So naturally, the denizens of Newark see racism.

When you can't defend your city's crime record, cry racism. But if there are ten murders in ten days, totalling 63 this year, along with the usual plethora of muggings, car-jackings, assaults, and rapes, well maybe those fears aren't exactly unfounded. Facts don't discriminate. Statistics don't hate. And it's not divisive to decide you're safer where criminals don't congregate.

Are there decent people in Newark? Sure. Are those decent people "winning" the battle against crime? Nope. Newark may not be as dangerous as Camden or Detroit, but it's no Mayberry, RFD either.

Perhaps Newark could counterbalance the negative perceptions by charging less than their suburban competitors? At $85 bucks a head The Newark Club is $25 more expensive than the venue ultimately chosen by JCHS. That sounds like the kids would be getting robbed even before they set foot inside Cory Booker's Urban Paradise.

Posted at 16:07 by Chris Wysocki   [/caldwell]   Comments | Perm Link |
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No, Pope Francis did not change Church doctrine on homosexuality or abortion

Sigh. Even my wife fell for the media hype. "The Pope said homosexuality is OK!"

Uh, no, he didn't.

Take it away Father Z:

As you read the interview, and media coverage of the interview, you will find — and this is consistent with Pope Francis' style of talking off-the-cuff — some truly quotable quotes, leap-out quotes that sit up and beg to be taken out of context.

Context? When has our media ever provided context? It's headlines they want! Sensationalism!

For context you have to Read The Whole Thing. That's hard work. You have to understand Church doctrine. Only then will what His Holiness really meant become clear.

Again, Father Z provides the heavy lifting.

It's a lot to read. And I urge you to read it. Carefully.

Then you'll understand.

To recap: People who focus just on the comments that Francis made about compassion for homosexuals and "social wounds" or about not talking about abortion all the time or that the Church has no right to "interfere" with people (as if to say that Francis thinks homosexuality is okay or that the Church should be silent in the public square or that we mustn't talk about abortion) without also underscoring that Francis was talking about things which need healing and that they are matters for confession (read: sins) have distorted his meaning.

As it happens Sophie's religion homework this week focuses on the doctrine of Redemption. And last Sunday's Gospel spoke of the Prodigal Son, but more importantly the notion that God is our ever-loving Father. And like the father in the parable, God rejoices when we turn away from sin.

In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner repenting than over ninety-nine upright people who have no need of repentance.
— Luke 15:7

That's what Pope Francis is trying to tell us. Don't focus solely on the sin. Focus on the Redemption of the sinner. Focus on healing the wounds of sin.

And, Go To Confession!

Posted at 09:18 by Chris Wysocki   [/religion]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Meet the man behind the 2 Million Bikers Ride to DC

What's that? You never heard about 2 million bikers riding to DC on September 11^th? Yeah, too much exposure to CNN and the NY Times will leave you uninformed.

So allow my blog friend Maggie to introduce you to Eric Zern. A self-described "ordinary" guy, who did an extraordinary thing.

Yeah, it's estimated about 880,000 bikers rode into DC to honor the dead of 9/11 and to show respect for our veterans and armed forces. And aside from a few parking tickets it went off without a hitch. Because Americans peaceably assembling to petition their government for a redress of grievances is the cornerstone of our republic.

The media tried to spin this protest as "anti-Muslim," because some terrorist sympathizer nutjobs planned a "Million Muslim March" in DC on 9/11 too. It didn't work out though, I think they got maybe 20 people. And the bikers left them alone, figuring they weren't worth the trouble.

So why did Eric Zern find himself leading so many Americans into DC that day?

Bravo Mr. Zern. You are a Patriot. A Citizen Soldier. Standing tall as a proud American. Defending her against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever does."
— Margaret Mead.

Posted at 11:24 by Chris Wysocki   [/news]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Cory Booker hires the classiest goons

They can't let Steve Lonegan speak. Cory Booker's goons that is. They can't let go of their hatred for all things not endorsed by their patron. So when it came time for Steve to stand in front of Booker's former row house and point out how it's emblematic of Newark's deterioriation, well the boo-birds had to have their say.

You know, if I stood up at a Booker event and shouted "Go back where you came from!" I do believe I'd be accused of racism.

But when liberals don't have an actual argument they resort to vitriol. And name-calling. Or worse.

It's who they are. It's what they do.

Now a classy candiate would repudiate these thugs. Alas, Cory Booker is not a classy candidate. He issued a mealy-mouthed attack on Lonegan instead of chastising his hired help.

Yeah, "desperate, extreme campaigns" send out goon squads to sing the "I-voted-for-Cory-Booker-and-all-I-got-was-this-lousy-crack-house" Blues.

By not condemning their actions, Cory Booker is implicitly endorsing these anti-free-speech shenanigans. He wants Steve Lonegan silenced. But in typical liberal Democrat fashion, he won't stand up with the bullies he so desperately covets. He's content to bankroll their censorship via sham "charities" established to give him plausible deniability.

As soon as Lonegan retreated Booker's goon squad decamped to the offices of Fathers Now, an offshoot of Newark Now, a non-profit group started by Booker.

Oh, and guess who now owns Booker's crack house?

Yup, Newark Now. Booker sold it to them for $1 a day before he announced his U.S. Senate candidacy. They're currently "looking for a buyer" while the property sits in ruins. Apparently none of Booker's paid hecklers knows how to use a lawnmower or a trash bag.

Here's an idea. Steve Lonegan should buy it. And clean it up. Then Steve can honestly say he's done more for Newark than Cory Booker ever will.

UPDATE 18 Sep 2013 10:20:
Via Rick Shaftan, here's video of Cory's Goon Squad:

UPDATE 18 Sep 2013 11:53:
Linked at IOwnTheWorld.com. Thanks BigFurHat!

Posted at 21:28 by Chris Wysocki   [/election]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Shorter Obama: Guns for us are bad. But guns for Al Qaeda in Syria? That's the shiznit!

Obama's knee-jerk reaction to another mass-shooter with severe mental illness? More gun control! Because to a liberal, believing in the Second Amendment is a mental illness.

But when it comes to arming our enemies, Barry sings a different tune.

So let me get this straight. Guns are good, if they're given to our enemies. But guns are bad, if they're owned by American citizens?

What happened to all those liberal shibboleths on gun control? You know, the common sense stuff that no sane person could ever oppose? They don't apply in Syria?

Registration? Uh, no. All those guys are named Mohammed anyway.
Background checks? Don't make me laugh.
Magazine size limits? Whatchoo talkin' 'bout Willis?
Assault weapons? Automatic weapons? Unlimited ammunition? Sure!
Gun-free zones? Only here, in America. Or our embassies.

Won't anyone think of the children??? Oh, right, we're arming children. Syrian children. So they can grow up to wage war on us!

Hypocrisy, it's the liberal leitmotif.

If you ever wondered why they don't teach logic in the government schools, this is why. Kids who understand logic can think critically. And kids who think critically don't grow up to be Democrats.

Posted at 15:17 by Chris Wysocki   [/obama_watch]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Cory Booker used his house as a B&B for wanted fugitive drug dealers

Before Cory Booker quietly sold the run-down row house he perennially failed to maintain, he used it as a sort of B&B for wanted fugitive drug dealers. You know, like his good buddy T-Bone, who by the way is "totally real."

The astonishing admission came out in an interview Booker did with NJTV. And Art Gallagher at More Monmouth Musings immediately saw the implications.

Soft on crime? Or just a nice guy? Yeah, a nice guy who happens to like the company of the monsters peddling poison to our kids.

Booker seems to be confessing to taking the law into his own hands, both as an attorney before entering public office, and as a mayor sworn to uphold and enforce the law. It seems that he was attempting to start an unauthorized rehabilitation program in his own house.

There have already been 64 murders in Newark this year. Most of them related to the drug trade. Is Booker sure that not even one of the "literally hundreds of guys" he hosted at his erstwhile B&B weren't somehow involved? Is he really, really, really sure?

Is Cory Booker Above The Law? Inquiring minds want to know!

Because, to quote some prominent liberal Democrats, if it could have saved just one child's life, Booker had an obligation to turn those wanted fugitives over to his police department. And the fact that he didn't tells me he's more interested in coddling criminals than in catching or punishing them.

UPDATE 17 Sep 2013 11:38:
A little Twitter humor:

LOL!

Posted at 10:24 by Chris Wysocki   [/election]   Comments | Perm Link |
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More NJ youth sports idiocy: get a load of this "mercy rule" for my daughter's soccer league

You're gonna love this one. It's even better than the silly "don't hurt the other team's feelings" rule that I mocked yesterday. Call it the "if you're gonna win, don't win by too much" rule.

Ayup, in 6th grade it's unfair to be better than the other team. An email we received last night included this little nugget:

Good grief! You can "win." But you can't win by too much??? "Fair play" means having to pretend you suck?

What totalitarian nightmare is this? Competition is bad! Success is punishable by enforced failure! If you're "too good" at soccer they're gonna cut you down to size!

Harrison Bergeron, please call your office.

Sophie just shook her head when I read it to her. She already mocks the obligatory trophy she gets at the end of each season. Her team doesn't win. Ever. But they still get the exact same shiny piece-of-shit trophy the team that did win gets.

"We're the Best Losers Ever!" she sneered.

I suspect someone thought they were "helping" her team when they dreamed up this rule. Last year her team didn't win a single game, and lost by double digits almost every time.

But you know what? It didn't faze them. Not one bit. Every girl still showed up to every game, determined to try harder. They weren't looking for pity, they wanted to win.

And when they scored the odd goal, man, you'd think they won the World Cup the way they cheered and high-fived each other! They were proud of scoring, even in certain defeat. And we made sure to treat them to ice cream whenever they did score. That was their "victory." And they'd pose for pictures in their uniforms holding their ice cream with the biggest smiles on their faces you've ever seen. That ice cream was way better than any stupid "participation" trophy, because it meant they'd accomplished something together and it felt good.

And in that moment, it didn't matter if the score was 19 to 1. It mattered that everyone had done her best. Which is what I thought youth sports was supposed to be all about. Doing your best. Not pulling up lame in some misguided attempt to prevent hurt feelings.

Posted at 09:57 by Chris Wysocki   [/education]   Comments | Perm Link |
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New NJ High School sports rule: Don't hurt the other team's feelings

That precious little snowflake on the opposing team might be a big fat candy-ass weenie, but if you call him a "big fat candy-ass weenie" you're gonna get ejected from the game.

Followed on Monday morning with a formal investigation by the NJ Division on Civil Rights in the state Attorney General's Office to determine if you should be charged with a hate crime.

No more trash talk, New Jersey just made it illegal.

We're raising a nation of wimps. How can we instill toughness in our young men if the assumption is they'll break into tears at the first taunt? If you're so fragile, maybe you belong on the A/V squad instead of the gridiron.

Who dreams up this idiocy? The girly-man who got picked last in gym class? Or a bunch of feminut whackjobs high on "Queer Theory" and gender-bender gobbledygook? Year after year we're subjected to ever escalating erasure of traditional masculine personality traits. Where did all the tough guys go? They've been feminized, wimpified, castrated, and marginalized. That's not what Real Life ought to be about. And it's no way to raise manly men.

Here's my advice to all the kids who can't handle a little needling on the field. Suck it up snowflake. Because you can't live in a bubble forever. Not if you want to be something more than a coddled crybaby hiding behind mommy's skirt.

Wanna quiet the bullies? Beat them. Win the game. Show them your skills. Earn respect. Winners never quit, and whiners never win.

Posted at 17:13 by Chris Wysocki   [/rants]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Aetna pulls out of NJ Obamacare exchange, only 3 companies are left

So much for a vibrant marketplace offering consumers a wide array of choices. Aetna, like just about every other health insurance company in New Jersey, has decided to say "no thanks" to participating in the Feds' Obamacare exchange.

So, who's left?

That leaves three options for New Jerseyans to choose from when enrollment on the new exchanges begin Oct. 1 — Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, AmeriHealth New Jersey and Health Republic Insurance of New Jersey.

By law Blue Cross is New Jersey's "insurer of last resort." They can't turn you down, but their rates are hardly what anyone would consider "competitive." So that really leaves us two choices.

Whoop-dee-doo!

Meanwhile, uncertainty about Obamacare is forcing Barnabas Health, New Jersey's biggest hospital network, to lay off employees.

"Healthcare reform, in combination with Medicare cuts, more patients seeking outpatient care and decreasing patient volumes" a spokeswoman for Barnabas said in a statement. "As a result, we have made the difficult decision to reduce our workforce."

Obamacare, it's The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread! Really!

Posted at 09:29 by Chris Wysocki   [/obamacare]   Comments | Perm Link |
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NJ Democrats behaving badly, the Al Coutinho and Joseph Ferriero edition

You know, I'm surprised that I'm still surprised by guys like these two. Because corruption is a Way Of Life among NJ Democrats. Still, you'd think after the parade of convicts leaving their caucus for a vacation in an orange jumpsuit the word would get out to be more careful. Ethical, even.

Nah, who am I kidding? These guys never think they'll be the next one to get caught!

So meet Essex County Assemblyman Al Coutinho, who stole from his own family.

Probation? But of course. Al's one of Joe DiVincenzo's boys. And Joe's tight with Chris Christie. So Al gets to resign his seat to "spend more time with his family." You know, the family he stole from. Thanksgiving's gonna be a little awkward in the Coutinho house this year, eh?

Party bosses quickly gathered together in one of their usual haunts and annointed Eliana Pintor Marin (who?) to replace Coutinho.

"It's overwhelming because of the person I will be replacing," Pintor Marin said as she accepted the nomination. "I hope I can prove to be half of what Albert was."

Half a crook is still a crook. Or am I missing something here?

Meanwhile, Bergen County, not wanting to be left out of all the fun, indicted former county Democratic leader Joseph Ferriero on multiple racketeering charges yesterday.

To be fair, Ferriero kinda, sorta beat this rap once already, on a technicality after SCOTUS decided "theft of honest services" wasn't an Actual Crime. So the Feds are back with a New And Improved indictment.

All in all, it's just another day in the swamps of Jersey…

Posted at 11:37 by Chris Wysocki   [/democrats]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Cory Booker's Newark municipal budget tax cut two step

Woo hoo! Cory Booker's latest budget cuts Newark's property taxes by 13.6%. That's freakin' unbelievable! He's a fiscal genius!

Ayup, that's what he'd like his low-information constituency to think. And the Star-Ledger is all too glad to help him out with their breathless reporting.

So let's go to the WyFactCheck meter.

Fact: Municipal spending in Newark will rise by $51.9 million dollars to a whopping $639.5 million.

Fact: Property taxes only make up a small portion of Newark's revenue stream, most of it comes from state aid, aka "you and me" via the income tax.

Fact: "Emergency" federal aid of $50 million fell into Booker's lap.

Fact: Booker enacted a slew of alternative taxes including a new "rental car tax."

Fact: A recent property tax revaluation shifted the lion's share of the tax burden onto commercial properties.

Fact: Booker sold off a bunch of city assets, further inflating his sources of one-shot revenue.

Conclusion? Smoke and mirrors!

It's awfully convenient that Booker's buddy Obama sent him a check for almost the entire amount of his budget increase. It's pretty easy to look like a hero when you don't have to actually raise any new revenue. And next year, when the one-shot money fails to materialize, it'll be somebody else's problem to take the heat. Assuming, of course, Booker succeeds in his bid for the U.S. Senate.

And that 13.6% tax reduction only applies to residential properties. Like I noted earlier, overall tax collections are up because commercial property owners got hosed. They generally don't live (or vote) in Newark though, so eff 'em, right?

Meanwhile, the state (there's "you and me" again!) pays for Newark's schools. Essex County (me, and maybe you…) covers Newark's court system, prosecutors, judges, jails, and morgue. And the feds are always shoveling money at some boondoggle or another, while also paying "rent" for the use of Newark Airport.

A third-grader could cut taxes with a pot of money like that. What's freakin' unbelievable is that it took Booker seven years to finally figure out how to do it.

"Fiscal genius" my ass.

Posted at 09:31 by Chris Wysocki   [/nj_politics]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Reasons to seriously bomb Syria? It's for the children!

Wonder of wonders, Obama was on time. There's a first for everything!

Woulda been nice though if he'd hung an American flag anywhere within camera range.

So his argument for maybe, someday, possibly bombing Syria? Dead children.

"Children writhing in pain and going still on a cold hospital floor."

That's his characterization of chemical weapons.

You know, exactly the same as chemical weapons like saline solution, injected into an unforn baby, to celebrate the holy sacrament of abortion. She writhes in pain. Her body lies still on a cold hospital floor.

Whaddaya gonna do about that dickhead, bomb Planned Parenthood?

Here's Brit Hume's take:

"He came in support of a resolution he doesn't want you to vote on."

Russia got a Reset Button. Now he's giving Congress a Pause Button.

You know what America really needs? An Eject Button. To send Barry's sorry ass into orbit.

Posted at 22:22 by Chris Wysocki   [/obama_watch]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Sweet: Port Authority sold the name "World Trade Center" for $10, leases it back for $10,000

In 1986 Guy Tozzoli "negotiated" the sweetest deal in the History Of Deals.

He paid ten dollars for the rights to the name "World Trade Center."

And ever since he's been raking in the dough, licensing the name back to the guys who built, and are now rebuilding, lower Manhattan.

And pay is the operative word. Two hundred grand up front, plus $10,000 bucks a year. Forever.

Not bad for a ten dollar "investment," eh?

But wait, it gets worse.

Now, with the Port Authority hoping to sell branded souvenirs and merchandise next year after the new One World Trade Center skyscraper opens, the World Trade Centers Association is requesting free office space worth more than $500,000 a year in exchange for use of the trademark.

Need I remind you of who paid for the original Twin Towers? The taxpayers of New York and New Jersey.

And of who's paying for the Freedom Tower? Yup, me and you.

So why should we also pay this con artist to use the name of a building we own?

Because that's how backs get scratched and hands get washed in New York and New Jersey. But please, don't call it "corruption."

Tozzoli was the political hack put in charge of overseeing the original WTC construction project. And his proteges wanted to ensure a cushy retirement for their capo. So they set him up in business.

The sale of the trademark turned out to be perhaps the biggest financial benefit of Tozzoli's long, accomplished career during which he oversaw construction of the Twin Towers. In 2011, his last year as president of the non-profit, according to WTCA tax filings, Tozzoli received $626,000 for working an average of one hour per week.

The Port Authority charges you $13 bucks (soon to be $15!) to drive into Manhattan.

Now you know why.

Posted at 10:47 by Chris Wysocki   [/news]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen will vote "no" on Obama's Syrian War

My liberal neighbors are gonna be pissed. Their president wants to bomb Syria. They want their president to bomb Syria. And they're totally in favor of having our Congressman, Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, provide their president with the necessary political cover so he can bomb Syria.

Alas, Rodney isn't going to play along.

It really boils down to a complete lack of confidence in this president.

After visiting the region last month, Frelinghuysen said, "My visit confirmed that a clear lack of Presidential leadership has left our policies in this vital region in shambles: this Administration has virtually destroyed a valuable 30-year friendship with Egypt, allowed Iran to continue its march to a nuclear weapons capability, threatened the stability of Jordan and left our best friend in the region, Israel, incredibly vulnerable."

Thanks Rodney!

Posted at 14:45 by Chris Wysocki   [/gop]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Is Obama wrecking our foreign policy on purpose? Yes!

Instapundit asks the question, and he links to Norman Podhoretz's roundabout answer, which I'll summarize in one word — YES!

Don't forget Obama's father's strong "anti-colonialism" either. Like father, like son, when it comes to how they view America's place in the world.

Barack Obama was nurtured as a liberal academic, and the anti-American claptrap which guides his foreign policy is part and parcel of every major university's core curriculum. America is the root of all evil in the world. We created slavery. We perpetuate racism. We exploit the poor and underprivileged. We steal natural resources only to leave behind polluted air and dirty water. We hoard wealth while billions go hungry.

In his presidency our transnational progressive left has achieved the embodiment of their innermost desires — a severely weakened America which fosters a worldwide resurgence of communism. As America loses prestige, Russia and China are held up as Saviors of the underclasses, and they're all too willing to fill the void left by our retreat.

The fact that widespread misery and despair will surely follow is of no concern to the elites in our nomenklatura; their sinecures are secure, their motives pure, they're confident that their smug intellectual superiority guarantees them a seat on the politburo, to sit in perpetual judgment of the racist redneck masses.

Barack Obama, Sr. dreamed of a world without the British Empire.

Walking in his father's footsteps, President Barack Obama is methodically and purposefully creating a world without America.

We can only pray that the hole he will go on digging will not be too deep for his successor to pull us out, as Ronald Reagan managed to do when he followed a president into the White House whom Mr. Obama so uncannily resembles.

I fear Mr. Podhoretz is being far too optimistic. The end of America is already here.

UPDATE 09 Sep 2013 12:08:
There's a Memeorandum thread now!

Posted at 10:11 by Chris Wysocki   [/obama_watch]   Comments | Perm Link |
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It seems like everybody's getting an Obamacare exemption, except me

The latest group to be spared? Anyone still suffering the after-effects of Hurricane Sandy.

And who's gonna be "sensitive to the lingering stresses" of complying with Obamacare's byzantine regulatory behemoth? Not the Danielle Lisses of the world, that's for sure. They need as many suckers enrollees as they can get. Somebody's gotta pay for "free" health insurance, right?

But why does it always have to be me?

Posted at 09:44 by Chris Wysocki   [/obamacare]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Unexpectedly! US employers only added 169K jobs in August, July's totals revised downward

Nope, Barack Obama still isn't trying to help you get a job.

I'd make a snide comment but my sarcasm well has run dry. Sorry. Five and a half straight years of Hopey-Changey schadenfreude will do that to a guy. But know this — if you're still an Obamabot and you don't have a job, my sympathy well is dry too.

July's job gains were just 104,000, the fewest in more than a year and down from the previous estimate of 162,000. June's figure was revised to 172,000, from 188,000. The revisions lowered total job gains over those two months by 74,000.

Gee, who'da thunk it, another downward revision. I sense a pattern, don't you?

Hey, you know what would be great right about now? If we added 12 million newly anmestied illegal aliens to the job market! That's right, while Dear Leader slouches toward launching World War III, Catholic Bishops have taken up the mantle of "immigration reform." This Sunday they'll preach for amnesty at every Mass.

Because we don't have enough people chasing too few jobs.

On the other hand, if President Golfpants does invade Syria with his Nobel Peace Prize in tow, he'll be needing some guys for cannon fodder. Wouldn't it be a stroke of genius, the Army paints Damascus or Bust! on the back of their trucks and drives 'round to Home Depot to collect every Juan, Domingo, and Jose they can find. You're in the Army now! Bwahahaha!

Whaddaya know, my sarcasm well wasn't dry after all.

Posted at 10:17 by Chris Wysocki   [/economy]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Obamanomics in action: Layoffs surged by 34% in August

August was a great month, if you're the guy printing Pink Slips. Otherwise, not so much.

I know I sound like a broken record, but I keep forgetting whether this is the Hope or the Change. Could one of you Obamabots help me out?

Posted at 10:32 by Chris Wysocki   [/economy]   Comments | Perm Link |
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So does this court ruling mean every hip hop recording studio is a hostile work environment?

Because a federal jury has just ruled that using the "N word" between two African-Americans is inappropriate.

You damn skippy!

Listen up, either that particular word is offensive, or it isn't.

There is no "just between us homies" exemption. No matter what the various hip hop recording artists will tell you. In their, ahem, "music" they throw around "the N word" with abandon, and they get a pass because they're black. Or liberals.

So let me ask you. If Hip Hop Harry hired a white employee (yeah, stop laughing already), and if that employee was subjected to having to hear, and perhaps repeat, that word on a daily basis, would it constitute a "hostile work environment" as defined in federal employment law?

Personally I think having a double standard on something like that is even more racist than using the N-word when refering to a black person. Why? Because it assumes that the black person is too unsophisticated or unintelligent to develop a non-offensive vocabulary.

And not for nothing, but I really hate having to explain to my daughter why a word she regularly hears in her dance class soundtracks is verboten in our home. The school is pretty good about using G-rated remixes, but somehow she always finds the unredacted version on YouTube while practicing.

Can you say "cringe-worthy?" Sure, I knew you could.

Posted at 20:53 by Chris Wysocki   [/news]   Comments | Perm Link |
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We now have the perfect opportunity for Congress to vote "No Confidence" on Obama

Driving to the beach on Saturday we listened to the radio with trepidation, would Obama take us to war in Syria? 1:15 came and went. No Obama. He was late for his own declaration of war?

And then, Field Marshall Hussein punted! He threw the whole mess into Congress's lap, and went out to play golf. It's Leadership, the Obama way!

So OK Congress. Vote.

Vote No.

No to war in Syria.

And No Confidence in Obama.

The lack of confidence in Barack Obama. There's no doubt the president has been extremely reluctant to take action in Syria. He also showed terrible judgment by painting himself into a corner with his 2012 "red line" comments on chemical weapons. For those reasons, and more, some Republicans will argue that they simply cannot entrust special warmaking powers to a president who they believe is not competent to use them.

Send this megalomaniac an unequivocal message: You're on your own.

Let's see him bullshit his way out of that.

Posted at 10:11 by Chris Wysocki   [/obama_watch]   Comments | Perm Link |
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