Code Red

About

WyBlog, the best thing about New Jersey since the invention of the 24 hour diner.

Chris Wysocki
Caldwell, NJ

The nine most terrifying words in the English language are "I'm from the government and I'm here to help." - Ronald Reagan

Chris Wysocki | Create Your Badge

My Other Blog

Me, at Right Wing News

Follow @WyBlog

Twitter Feed

Tweets by @WyBlog

Thousands of Deadly Islamic Terror Attacks Since 9/11

Badges

Link to me

Feedjit

Search WyBlog

The Party of "No"

Fair Use Notice

"This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. It is being made available in an effort to advance the understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, social issues, etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit for research and educational purposes."

Hey! I've moved to He's Pretty Fly For A Jersey Guy.

Please update your bookmarks. Thanks!

Friday, 30 May 2014

Fracking, it saves you money! PSE&G will cut residential gas bills by 9% this winter

While Dear Leader tries his best to increase the cost of electricity, there's good news on the natural gas front. Thanks to our fracking friends in Pennsylvania, PSE&G is going to cut residential gas bills by 9% for the upcoming winter.

PSE&G today proposed to reduce residential natural gas bills this coming winter by nearly 9 percent, saving customers almost $15 in a winter month or about $100 for the year. In its annual filing with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, PSE&G said it would reduce its basic gas supply rate this winter to 45 cents from 54 cents — the lowest rate in 14 years.

"We are pleased to once again propose to lower gas bills for our customers during the next winter heating season," said Jorge Cardenas, PSE&G vice president of asset management and centralized services. Since January 2009, our residential gas customers have benefited from multiple rate decreases. Once this decrease goes into effect, gas supply reductions will have lowered bills 44 percent in the last five years.

"In addition", Cardenas said, "customers have enjoyed several months of bill credits this winter that saved the typical customer about $173 since last November."

Cardenas said the company has worked hard to manage the portfolio of gas pipeline and storage agreements to be able to lower gas costs for its residential customers and help keep winter heating bills affordable. The utility also continues to purchase gas from the nearby Marcellus Shale Formation, which has helped to lower supply costs.

Fracking Rocks!

(I see what you did there … LOL! -- Ed.)

Instead of tilting at windmills, this is a real example of how America can become energy independent, and save money in the process. Pissing off the ecotwits? Yeah, that's just a nice bonus.

Posted at 10:12 by Chris Wysocki [/news] Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: PSE&G fracking natural-gas Marcellus-Shale | Tweet

Thursday, 29 May 2014

Obama's EPA will bypass Congress to impose Cap-And-Trade, killing the economy

Checks and Balances? Yeah, we don't have those.

Congress said "no" to Cap and Trade. Which of course didn't sit well with the Globull Warming whackos. So Obama's EPA plans to thumb its nose at the Constitution and impose limits on CO₂ by regulatory fiat.

Despite being soundly rejected a few years ago, cap-and-trade will soon get its U.S. encore — but not in Congress. The Obama administration will likely use its executive power to unilaterally impose carbon dioxide emissions trading systems.

The Environmental Protection Agency will unveil regulations for existing U.S. power plants early next month. For months, onlookers have been speculating about what could be included in the EPA's rule for existing power plants.

But over the past few days it has become clear that the Obama administration will use the EPA to push cap-and-trade systems and other anti-fossil fuel policies on U.S. states. Administration insiders have told news outlets that cap-and-trade will likely be one of the options the EPA gives states to cut their carbon dioxide emissions.

The Wall Street Journal reported the EPA's proposal will "include a cap-and-trade component where a limit is set on emissions and companies can trade allowances or credits for emissions" to meet new federal rules. The Journal added that power plant "operators could trade emissions credits or use use other offsets in the power sector, such as renewable energy or energy-efficiency programs, to meet the target."

Your electricity rates will necessarily skyrocket.

News reports say that the EPA will require states to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions from power plants by a whopping 25 percent in the coming decades. The new rules are set to be unveiled next week by President Obama himself, underpinning the significance of the new rules.

The EPA's emissions limits for existing power plants will put new burdens on coal-reliant states and raise electricity prices as more coal plants are retired. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is set to release a study on the economic costs of the EPA's carbon dioxide regulations, which will likely be staggering.

"We anticipate it to be unprecedented in complexity and cost," Dan Byers, senior director for policy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's energy arm, told an audience last week.

Obama will keep us poor, cold, and in the dark.

The price tag? $50 billion a year. Along with 224,000 lost jobs.

The nation's biggest business lobby says President Barack Obama's plan to tackle climate change could cost the U.S. economy $50 billion a year.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Natural Resources Defense Council are both releasing economic impact studies this week, signaling that the political battle over the president's plan will be fought over dollars and cents. For Obama, the risk is the plan gets labeled a job-killer just as campaigns heat up for an election that could determine control of the U.S. Senate.

In an analysis set for release today — days before the Environmental Protection Agency unveils a proposal to cut carbon dioxide emissions from power plants — the Chamber says that an ambitious pollution-control effort could force more than a third of the coal-fired power capacity to close by 2030, resulting in economic losses of $50 billion a year and the elimination of 224,000 jobs.

Meanwhile Globull Warming is on hold for the past 18 years, and counting.

And the climate models being used to justify the economy-killing initiative can't even accurately predict past temperature changes, nevermind what's going to happen in the future.

But Obama's True Believers won't be stopped. They work for the EPA. The Employment Prevention Agency. Where the motto is: Science is Truth, don't be misled by Facts. Especially the rather painful fact that our economy is still teetering, and yet another job-killing boondoggle is the last thing we need right now.

Unless, of course, your goal is to destroy America. Then, everything is going according to plan.

Posted at 13:25 by Chris Wysocki [/agw] Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: EPA Obama Cap-and-Trade CO2 economy AGW climate-change fascism | Tweet

Wednesday, 28 May 2014

Everybody gets a trophy. And a raise. Because employee performance reviews are racist!

Why work hard when hard work isn't rewarded?

America's new consumer watchdog agency has come up with a unique solution for its troubled employee-rating system: Give almost everyone a gold star.

The independent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau -- created under the 2010 "Dodd-Frank" financial industry overhaul to serve as a consumer watchdog -- says it's scrapping its system of employee ratings in response to concerns that it was discriminatory.

That rating system assigned workers a score of between one and five. Due to concerns with the system, everyone who scored a three or above, regardless of performance, will now be getting the top rating of five -- along with the corresponding retroactive pay raises that the top rating brings.

The retroactive payments raise the possibility that workers who slacked off could be rewarded the same as top performers.

"To give an across-the-board raise slaps the face of the people who deserve it," said Linda Swindling, author of "Stop Complainers and Energy Drainers: How to Negotiate Work Drama to Get More Done."

The changes come after American Banker found that minority employees were likely to receive lower evaluations than their white counterparts. A 2013 internal agency report found 74.6 percent of white employees received ratings of four or five compared with 65.2 percent of Hispanics and 57.6 of black employees.

Statistics 101: Correlation does not equal causation.

Except when you're looking for racism. Then everything is suspect. That's Political Correctness 101. And Political Correctness always trumps all. Including sanity.

So, rather than validate the employee rating system, perhaps demonstrating that it is indeed accurate, our government will design a new system. And of course the new system will guarantee that the "correct" proportion of minorities are given top-notch ratings regardless of their actual job performance.

How could it not? Merit is so declasse; victimology is de rigeur now. And equality of outcome has replaced equality of opportunity. Strive for mediocrity! And don't forget to vote Democrat; they're the guys who made your life of leisure possible.

Posted at 12:39 by Chris Wysocki [/news] Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: CFPB racism performance-review nanny-state affirmative-action | Tweet

Tuesday, 27 May 2014

Can it be? Yes! Seven years of WyBlog!

But I almost forgot…! And it looks like Jillian is as surprised as I am!

#139179599 / gettyimages.com

Fortunately, she quickly recovered, and wants to tell the world all about it.

#109997529 / gettyimages.com

Hey, I'm down with that. Tell 'em twice!

Seven years. 3231 posts. 2144 Twitter followers. Dozens of blog-friends, folks in the ether who I often think "get me" far better than my meat-space friends ever will, and for whom I am eternally grateful, because you guys keep me sane.

So, here's to 7 more years. Thanks for your patronage.

#144124397 / gettyimages.com

Wolverines!

Posted at 10:59 by Chris Wysocki [/misc] Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: WyBlog blogaversary | Tweet

Monday, 26 May 2014

I'm sure the media can't wait to expose whoever leaked the name of our CIA agent in Kabul

Remember when exposing the name of a CIA agent was Page One news?

Yeah, me neither.

Chalk up just another day of professionalism at the Obama White House.

Today comes word that the White House blew the cover of the CIA station chief in Kabul by identifying him in a list submitted to Washington Post White House bureau chief Scott Wilson and other reporters covering Obama's trip to Kabul. Wilson copied the list in the pool report that he disseminated to 6,000 recipients ("including foreign media, not taking part in the trip") before noting the reference to the "Chief of Station" named on the list.

Oops.

Old media spin — Get Scooter Libby!

New media spin: Hey, remember when we got Scooter Libby?

The disclosure marked a rare instance in which a CIA officer working overseas had his cover — the secrecy meant to protect his actual identity — pierced by his own government. The only other recent case came under significantly different circumstances, when former CIA operative Valerie Plame was exposed as officials of the George W. Bush administration sought to discredit her husband, a former ambassador and fierce critic of the decision to invade Iraq.

What Mr. Reputable Journalist forgets to tell us is, Scooter Libby didn't do it. Dick Cheney didn't do it either. The leak of Valerie Plame's super-secret desk-jockey doppelganger's identity came from Richard Armitage, a career bureaucrat working for then-Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Of course that didn't stop the Democrats and their media sycophants from beating up on Cheney. And it didn't keep Scooter Libby out of prison.

Will the Washington Post or New York Times leave no stone unturned in identifying who in the White House screwed up this time?

I won't hold my breath.

Meanwhile, an actual undercover operative, and his family, are probably in mortal danger. He'll have to be secretly whisked back to the States, and his secret agent days are over for good.

All so Dear Leader could have a photo op with some actual soldiers to distract us from how his VA health care system continues to let our veterans rot in a bureaucratic wasteland.

Worst. President. Ever.

Posted at 15:41 by Chris Wysocki [/obama_watch] Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: CIA Kabul media Valerie-Plame Scooter-Libby Richard-Armitage | Tweet

Thursday, 22 May 2014

Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders dismisses the VA scandal: "People die every day"

There's callous and condescending, and then there's socialist nutbag Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

Sanders, who chairs the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, has been one of the most outspoken defenders of the VA against allegations of misconduct. When asked about reports of multiple deaths related to long wait times at the VA healthcare system, Sanders told CNN: "People die every day."

One day you will die senator. And that day will be a great day for America.

Sadly though, Bernie the Bolshevik isn't unique.

Democrats in general, and President Obama in particular, just don't respect our military or our veterans. And Smitty believes that's why the VA scandal isn't resonating with the brie and arugula set.

Aw, c'mon: these veterans, in the main, don't even vote correctly! And now that ObamaCare is sucking the lifeblood right out of the American healthcare system, these veterans are just a doubly useless load on a Constitutional system that has been fundamentally transformed since the 2008 election.

If these veterans aren't given the the Doherty & Woods Special, then their block of votes could become an embarrassment for Her Majesty's 2016 Coronation event.

Besides: American voters gave #OccupyResoluteDesk a pass in 2012. We knew him for an incompetent boob all four years leading up to Benghazi. We knew that ObamaCare was going to make the Titanic seem a minor bathtub incident by comparison.

We have begged to have our warriors treated dishonorably by a completely honor-free rodeo clown, and he hasn't shown a smidgen of hesitation in delivering.

The Obots will tell us their messiah is angry. He even said so himself!

Yeah, he's angry he has to devote precious time to these military mouth-breathers when he should be out playing golf. As for actually doing something to fix the VA? Good luck with that.

People dying while waiting for government health care isn't a bug, it's a feature. It keeps costs down. You know, so the bureaucrats can pay themselves big fat bonuses.

What? You thought they're from the government and they're here to help?

Posted at 16:39 by Chris Wysocki [/democrats] Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Veterans-Administration Veterans health-care Bernie-Sanders Democrats | Tweet

A backdoor tax hike: Chris Christie axes this year's property tax rebates

So much for Chris Christie pretending he hasn't raised taxes. He's nixing the annual Homestead Rebate program, which of course is the same as a tax increase for about one million NJ residents.

Senior citizens, disabled residents and other homeowners who are among the more than a million people enrolled in New Jersey's Homestead program will not get their property tax relief this year.

That relief — in the form of a credit on annual property tax bills — is again being delayed by Governor Christie and his administration, who blame another bad budget year.

The latest delay means people won't see this benefit until May 2015 — nearly two years since the last time the tax-relief credit was available.

"When you're running out of money, you've got to manage your cash carefully," Christie said on Wednesday, defending the decision to delay the credit as part of a plan to reduce his proposed budget by $1.7 billion. "You've got to prioritize your bills and decide which ones you absolutely must pay."

I love how he uses Democrat-speak — returning our money is a "bill" he "must pay." Wrong! It's revenue he never should have collected in the first place! When government gets to decide how big our allowance should be each week that's not Liberty, it's tyranny.

If Chris Christie doesn't understand that, he's not fit to run for president.

Here's a thought. Last year public employees siphoned an additional $360 million dollars out of our wallets and Chris Christie added 1409 workers to the state's payroll. I don't know about you, but from where I sit New Jersey government was working pretty well before 1409 new parasites latched on to the public teat.

Ax them.

Their $360 million dollar cost is almost equal to the $375 million dollar tax increase Christie is dumping on us. Take the additional $15 million out of the ~~Global Warming~~ Climate Change slush fund or the UN Agenda 21 bike lane boondoggle. That's how you cut real spending.

New Jersey has the second highest tax burden in the nation. We shouldn't be striving for #1.

Posted at 10:32 by Chris Wysocki [/nj_politics] Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Chris-Christie NJ-Politics property-taxes homestead-rebate | Tweet

Wednesday, 21 May 2014

Chris Christie surrenders, re-nominates left-wing activist Chief Justice Stuart Rabner

So much for "remaking" our activist state supreme court.

Chris Christie plans to re-nominate the biggest lefty of them all, activist Chief Justice Stuart Rabner, to a lifetime term. He'll continue legislating from the bench until the year 2030.

Gov. Chris Christie today will re-nominate Stuart Rabner as chief justice of the state Supreme Court, The Star-Ledger has learned.

The development is a breakthrough in negotiations between Christie and state Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), who had been locked in a battle over New Jersey's highest court for years, and a victory for Sweeney.

According to three sources with knowledge of the agreement, Rabner — who has been chief justice since 2007 — will be nominated by Christie for tenure, and serve until he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70 in 2030.

Christie, in turn, will get to nominate with Sweeney's support a close ally to one of two vacant seats on the court: Superior Court Judge Lee Solomon, a Republican who previously served as president of the Board of Public Utilities.

The remaining court vacancy would remain unfilled, the sources said, with Judge Mary Catherine Cuff, a Democrat, continuing to serve on a temporary basis.

Lee Solomon is ostensibly a Republican, but he's no Conservative. Meanwhile Sweeney gets two hard-core liberals, which keeps the court firmly in the activist camp. Rabner led the charge for homosexual "marriage," dictated to the legislature on so-called "affordable" housing and school funding formulas, and set the stage for deadbeats to walk away from their mortgages in the name of "social justice."

I shudder to imagine what kind of progressive idiocy he'll foist upon us over the next 16 years.

For me, and many others, this seals Chris Christie's RINO status. Political strategist Rick Shaftan agrees:

Post by Rick Shaftan.

Chris Christie talked the talk.

He hasn't walked the walk.

Posted at 09:09 by Chris Wysocki [/nj_politics] Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Chris-Christie NJSC courts judiciary Stuart-Rabner activist-judges | Tweet

Tuesday, 20 May 2014

Valerie Jarrett: "We have ways of finding out everything you've been doing online"

Dear Leader's senior henchwoman has some bad news for you. Speaking at the Pomona College commencement co-president Valerie Jarrett warned the graduates:

"But also remember, before I hire anybody, I always check out everything that they've been doing online. And believe me, we have ways of finding out everything you've been doing online."

Privacy? You don't have that. Because the Obama Administration thinks your privacy is a joke.

Are you laughing at Jarrett's joke? The audience in attendance did. "That was actually funnier than I intended it to be," Jarrett said.

Yeah, it's all fun and games until the NSA tells the FBI to knock on your door.

The Fourth Amendment used to mean something. I think Ms. Jarrett needs a refresher course because her radical communist roots are showing. And the joke's on us.

Oh, by the way, Remember when Obama "joked" about the IRS auditing his enemies?

How'd that work out?

Posted at 14:05 by Chris Wysocki [/obama_watch] Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Obama Valerie-Jarrett privacy NSA Internet spying | Tweet

Monday, 19 May 2014

Paterson, NJ city hall hoists the Palestinian terrorist flag, again

Because suicide bombers are just like the Founding Fathers, or something.

For the second year in a row, Palestinians gathered at City Hall in Paterson on Sunday to raise their flag, another small step in their long and relentless drive for statehood.

The Palestinian national anthem played and a crowd of about 200 cheered as Mayor Jeffery Jones hoisted the red, black, white and green flag. A local tradition had been born with the second annual flag-raising, but there remains a difficult road to Palestinian statehood after peace talks with Israel broke down last month.

The Palestinian death cult has a national anthem? No doubt performed by synchronized AK-47s, and ending with a bus bombing.

"We can assure you we will not get tired," said Somaia Barghougt, Palestine's senior adviser to the United Nations, "until Palestine is a free, independent and democratic state."

Yup, you guys will never get tired of killing Jews. It's who you are. It's what you do.

The flag-raising was sponsored by the Paterson-based Arab American Civic Organization and coincided with Nakba Day, which Palestinians observe each May 15. Nakba in Arabic means "catastrophe," and refers to the displacement of 700,000 Palestinians after Arabic forces from Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia attacked Israel after the Jewish state declared its independence in mid-May 1948.

Some revisionist history they've got there. The "catastrophe" is that they lost the war, when their Arab brothers assured them they'd be victorious, and told the poor, misunderstood Palestinians to get out of the way of their advancing armies.

Sucks to be them, but that's not Israel's (or anyone else's) fault.

It's been 66 years. You guys lost like 6 more wars, too. Give it up. Go live with the other Arabs. Leave Israel alone. Stop wasting everybody's time. And stop killing Jews.

Several speakers compared the struggle for Palestinian statehood to that of America's war for independence from Britain.

"Our Founding Fathers sacrificed so much for the Stars and Stripes and it behooves us all to recognize that by standing and supporting nations who long for freedom and independence," said Khader "Ken" Abuassab, vice president of the Arab American Civic Organization. "Washington, Lincoln, FDR, Eisenhower and Kennedy all stood by people who need American help and guidance. Mayor Jones, by raising the Palestinian flag today at City Hall, you are honoring a great American tradition and you are following in the footsteps of the Founding Fathers."

Yeah, George Washington, he was totally into that fundamentalist Sharia thing, right? And he taught all the little colonists to hate the British, which I guess is why we're no longer friends with them today.

You know what's a Great American Tradition? Killing terrorists.

You know who the terrorists are? Palestinians.

I suspect General Eisenhower would know what to do if he was asked to comment on "Nakba Day."

Oh, by the way, guess where else they hung a Palestinian terrorist flag this weekend? On an ancient Judean synagogue in Samoa, near Hevron. They peacefully painted swastikas all over the place too. Because, you know, they're such fine symbols of freedom and democracy.

About 200 people who visited the ancient Judean synagogue at Samoa, near Hevron, on Sunday, found spray-painted swastikas on the walls of the structure and PLO flags flying above them.

Har Hevron Regional Council Head Yochai Dimri said that it is "shocking to see a holy place desecrated in this way."

I'm sure the Founding Fathers would be so proud.

Posted at 12:10 by Chris Wysocki [/islam] Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Paterson-NJ Palestinian terrorism Islam Israel | Tweet

Saturday, 17 May 2014

Oprah pulls the plug on Michael Sam's "Queer Eye For The Football Guy" reality show

I guess how he decorates his locker really isn't Must See TV.

Also, nobody cleared it with the Rams or the NFL first. Oops.

The news comes amid reports that the NFL and the St. Louis Rams were unaware of Sam's docuseries plans and just two days after the Discovery-owned cable network officially greenlighted the reality show. It is unclear when OWN will revisit the project.

"After careful consideration and discussion with the St. Louis Rams, the untitled Michael Sam project has been postponed, allowing Michael the best opportunity to achieve his dream of making the team," said Erik Logan, president of OWN. "OWN is about elevating and empowering people to achieve their best. It's clear that we, along with the world, recognize the important opportunity that Michael now has in this moment. We will continue to support him in his journey to earn a spot playing for the Rams."

So when the Jeff Fisher inevitably cuts #249, will that be spun as a "postponement" too?

Posted at 10:53 by Chris Wysocki [/news] Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Michael-Sam NFL St-Louis-Rams Oprah-Winfrey OWN LGBTQ | Tweet

Friday, 16 May 2014

Get ready for Weimar America, inflation is taking off, with no end in sight

Janet Yellen's Magic Money Printing Machine has finally tipped the balance. The Fed's flood of cash keeps us chasing too few goods with too many dollars, and now the cat is out of the bag.

Inflation, it's the New Normal.

Higher food and gas costs pushed up U.S. consumer prices in April by the most in 10 months, evidence that inflation is ticking up from very low levels.

The U.S. Consumer Price Index rose 0.3 percent last month after a 0.2 percent gain in March, the Labor Department said on Thursday. In the past 12 months, prices have increased 2 percent, which is the largest gain since July and matching the Federal Reserve's inflation target.

Got that? They want inflation. They want you to pay more for your stuff. Especially food.

Food prices jumped 0.4 percent for the third straight month, driven by the largest increase in the cost of meat in 10 years. Gas prices rose 2.3 percent, the first increase in four months.

Yeah, about those meat prices, it's bad news as far as the eye can see.

Hardly surprising given the surge in beef and pork that we have been noting, but according to the latest inflation data from the BLS, meat prices spike by almost 3% in April - the most since November 2003 (this is also the 2nd biggest price spike in 34 years!) As we noted previously, this soaring food price inflation is not about to stop anytime soon...

Here's today's scary chart:

The government's been lying to you about inflation. It's worse than they say. Way worse. But you're not supposed to believe your own eyes; you're supposed to believe Barack Obama's smooth talk. Which, given his policies, is about to become all you can afford to eat.

Posted at 10:43 by Chris Wysocki [/economy] Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: economy Obama inflation Janet-Yellen | Tweet

Thursday, 15 May 2014

Moody's hands Governor Downgrade another negative outlook

For the sixth time in four years, New Jersey's credit rating took a hit yesterday.

Only a few days after news broke that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie may punt on a $1.58 billion pension payment, the GOP star and presidential hopeful incurred his state's sixth credit downgrade in four years. Moody's has lowered New Jersey's rating to A1, matching downgrades by two other rating agencies and sticking it with the third-lowest rating among states.

And another downgrade is right around the corner.

"The downgrade to A1 reflects the weakened financial position resulting from recurring revenue shortfalls and ongoing reliance on non-recurring resources that have deferred structural imbalances into future years," Moody's analyst Baye Larsen said in the report. She said the state's outlook was negative, meaning it may face a further downgrade.

It's easy to blame Christie, but he's working with an openly hostile and partisan state legislature which has shown no willingness to make tough choices. Still, his latest budget proposal is larded up with spending and his economic team's ability to forecast revenue has been spotty at best. He ought to be reining in the gravy train because he's running out of time to get New Jersey's finances under control.

Waiting in the wings for 2017 is the Steve and Steve clown show, as South Jersey Democrat Steve Sweeney faces off against North Jersey Democrat Steven Fulop in a race to see who can most effectively pander to their liberal base. Whichever one gets the nod the song will be the same — raise taxes, soak "the rich," and throw money at the public employee unions.

Because under Chris Christie we're only the 3^rd-least tax-friendly state in the nation. The Democrats want us to be Number 1!

No wonder our long-term outlook is "negative."

Posted at 11:29 by Chris Wysocki [/nj_politics] Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Chris-Christie NJ-Politics economy Steve-Sweeney Steven-Fulop | Tweet

Tuesday, 13 May 2014

Dude, where's my tax cut? Chris Christie's budget includes 23 fee hikes

When he first ran for Governor, Chris Christie promised us a tax cut.

When he ran for re-election, he promised us a tax cut.

When he submitted this year's state budget, he promised "no new taxes on the people of New Jersey."

Lies.

All lies.

We never got our tax cut.

And his budget contains 23 new and increaed "fees," which of course are merely taxes by another name.

Two months ago, Governor Christie proposed a $34.4 billion budget, promising "no new taxes on the people of New Jersey."

Now his administration is detailing nearly two dozen fees and fines that he wants increased — none of which was made public at the time.

The tax policy changes would increase revenue for five different state departments.

They include boosting the $2 fee added to motor vehicle fines to fund the state's forensic DNA lab by 75 cents. The fingerprint fees for non-criminal background checks would go from $30 to $45.

Home improvement contractors would be forced to pay $110 instead of $90 to register with the state, and $90 instead of $75 to renew their registration.

The state's Division Alcoholic Beverage Control, which regulates the sale of alcohol in New Jersey, would also increase fees across the board, according to Christie's proposal.

Assemblyman Joe Cryan, D-Union, walked the treasurer through each proposed fee and fine hike during the Assembly Budget Committee meeting held Wednesday.

"These increases touch on everything from boarding homes to job-creating urban businesses to motor vehicle services to cemeteries to home improvements," Cryan said. "Not much is left untouched, which is unfortunate for New Jersey residents and businesses."

All this to fund the largest budget in state history, with a whopping 3.5% increase in spending over last year. Oh, and by the way, there's an $807 million dollar hole in the current budget, something Christie intends to paper over in the hope none of us will actually notice it.

All told, Chris Christie has increased the budget by over 18% since he took office in 2010 and declared a "fiscal emergency" due to, wait for it, excessive spending.

Time to look in the mirror Chief. We have met the Excessive Spender, and he's you.

Posted at 10:51 by Chris Wysocki [/nj_politics] Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Chris-Christie NJ-Politics New-Jersey budget taxes tax-cut | Tweet

Monday, 12 May 2014

Here it comes, Michael Sam is bitter he wasn't picked sooner, blames homophobia

They splashed his same-sex kiss on every front page in America.

NFL.com can't stop talking about his "historic" achievement.

Players who don't genuflect at the mention of his name are sent off to re-education camps.

But alas, none of that was Good Enough.

Michael Sam is still bitter. He wanted to be the #1 pick. He deserved to be the #1 pick gosh-darn-it, because he's just so damn special. If only the NFL wasn't secretly homophobic.

Michael Sam believes he should've been taken sooner in the draft.

The Rams selected the former University of Missouri defensive standout with the 249th pick in the seventh round, which was the seventh-to-the-last pick in the 2014 Draft. The openly gay football player, who was SEC Defensive Player of the Year, thought a team should have chosen him during the first three rounds.

"From last season alone, I should've been in the first three rounds. SEC Defensive Player of the Year, All-American," Sam said during a conference call, adding that other teams chickened out on selecting him.

Boo frickin' hoo.

Several NFL team officials, though, disagreed with Sam's assessment that he should've been taken sooner. Speaking with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel before the draft, they questioned whether Sam's game can transition to the league.

"Most of his production was hustle stuff," an NFC personnel official told the Journal Sentinel. "There's production, but he's short, he's not a really good athlete and he doesn't play good against the run."

He continued: "He's kind of a one-task pass rusher. Just run up the field. And they swallow him up and kind of push him around."

One NFC personnel director stated that Sam doesn't have a position in the league.

"He's not a linebacker, and he's really not a defensive end," the personnel director told the Journal Sentinel.

In other words, he's just like every other 7th round pick. On the cusp. Worth a look, but not guaranteed a roster slot.

Except…

The Rams can't cut him. Ever. If he's sent packing it'll be prima facie evidence of Discrimination. The media will go berserk. GLAAD will call for boycotts of the Super Bowl. President Obama will be forced to Make A Statement. The world may very well stop spinning on its axis.

From this moment forward, Michael Sam doesn't need talent to succeed in the NFL. He's got The Mob on his side. And The Mob doesn't take prisoners. Just ask Brendan Eich, or the Benham brothers.

Every statement and action by the Rams will now be scrutinized for latent homphopbia. No perceived slight will be too small, and no attempt to judge Michael Sam by his on-field activities will be allowed unless it is viewed through the lens of his sexual orientation.

That's "historic" alright. It's a historic abrogation of professional football's meritocracy. Which, if you think about it for a minute, is a damn shame.

UPDATE 12 May 2014 14:02:
Linked at IOwnTheWorld.com. Thanks Cardigan!

Posted at 12:26 by Chris Wysocki [/news] Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: NFL Michael-Sam homosexual NFL-Draft football St-Louis-Rams | Tweet

Thursday, 08 May 2014

Your tax dollars at work: Pentagon paid $150 per gallon for "green" jet fuel

Green energy costs the taxpayers a lot of green.

The Department of Defense paid $150 per gallon for alternative jet fuel made from algae, more than 64 times the current market price for standard carbon-based fuels, according to a report released on Wednesday.

The Government Accountability Office noted in its report that a Pentagon official reported paying "about $150 per gallon for 1,500 gallons of alternative jet fuel derived from algal oil."

Regular jet fuel runs about $2.88 per gallon. Which leads GAO to drily conclude … "Currently, the price for alternative jet fuels exceeds that of conventional jet fuel."

Ya don't say!

Left out of the GAO report is why the Pentagon is buying this overpriced snake oil in the first place.

Did you guess Obama Administration mandate?

Of course you did.

Posted at 15:21 by Chris Wysocki [/agw] Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Pentagon biofuel jet-fuel algae green-energy government-waste | Tweet

Wednesday, 07 May 2014

Six major health insurance execs unanimously agree, the Obamacare website still sucks

They testified on Capital Hill yesterday, and they all said the same thing, the Obamacare website still isn't working correctly.

The witnesses included Frank Coyne of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Mark Pratt of America's Health Insurance Plans, Paul Wingle of Aetna, Brian Evanko of Cigna, J. Darren Rodgers of Health Care Service Corporation, and Dennis Matheis of Wellpoint, Inc.

"There are still issues on the back-end" of the website, said Coyne.

Wingle said, "There's still work to be done."

Matheis was the most diplomatic, saying, "Yes, to echo my colleagues' statements, we still have opportunities for improvement."

When applied to the Obama Administration, the phrase "opportunities for improvement" has gotta be the understatement of the year. It's trainwrecks everywhere you look.

Posted at 14:44 by Chris Wysocki [/obamacare] Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Obamacare health-insurance healthcare.gov HHS | Tweet

Tuesday, 06 May 2014

Rutgers backpedals, re-invites Eric LeGrand to speak at commencement

Fifteen hours after disinviting him, Rutgers has changed its mind again, and announced that Eric LeGrand will share the stage with former Governor Tom Kean at commencement.

Former football player Eric LeGrand will speak at Rutgers University's commencement after all, campus officials announced today.

"Eric LeGrand will speak at our commencement and personally receive his degree from me as a representative of the Class of 2014," Barchi said in a statement. "It was never our intention that Eric would be the only speaker. We have resolved that miscommunication and are delighted to have him participate."

"Eric holds a special place in the hearts of the Class of 2014 and the entire university community. We are thrilled that he will be joining us on stage to make this special occasion ever more memorable," Barchi said.

Got that? It was all a "miscommunication."

You'd think the folks running what's supposed to be a prestigious university with aspirations to contend in the Big Ten would have learned how to "communicate" by now.

I guess not.

Posted at 14:52 by Chris Wysocki [/education] Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Rutgers Eric-LeGrand Tom-Kean commencement | Tweet

Rutgers disinvites a second African-American commencement speaker, picks old white guy

Is Rutgers racist? I report, you decide.

First, their cohort of liberal loons ran Condi Rice out of town on a rail.

Then, they reached out to Eric LeGrand, the paralyzed Rutgers football star turned inspirational speaker, and asked if he'd be willing to deliver this year's commencement address. He enthusiastically agreed.

Alas, a mere 48 hours later Rutgers disinvited him too.

A Rutgers official asked Eric LeGrand on Saturday night to deliver the keynote speech at the university's May 18 commencement. Less than 48 hours later, another university official called LeGrand to inform him that the school had "decided to go in another direction for political reasons."

A blindsided LeGrand was left searching for answers on Monday night.

"I just want an explanation," LeGrand told NJ.com in a phone interview. "I wish somebody would have given me a call tonight and explained to me why. Then I can understand, but don't just leave me hanging."

LeGrand, a former Rutgers defensive tackle paralyzed in a 2010 game, was in Sunrise, Fla., over the weekend for the "Wings for Life" race, a fundraiser for spinal cord research. While out to dinner with friends on Saturday night, LeGrand received a phone call from Greg Jackson, the chief of staff for Rutgers President Robert Barchi.

"(Jackson) asked if I could do Rutgers a favor and give the commencement speech," said LeGrand, who is graduating after taking classes throughout his rehabilitation process. "I was like, 'Wow, thank you for offering.' He goes, 'Yeah, absolutely. Talk it over with your family this weekend. Let's touch base again Monday.' I was all amped all weekend. I was like, 'This is perfect. I'm going to have to give a speech to everybody.' "

LeGrand's flight home to Avenel, N.J., was delayed on Monday afternoon so he called Jackson in the morning to push back a scheduled call to discuss logistics. Jackson said he was headed to a meeting and gave LeGrand no indication that anything had changed with the offer to speak at the commencement.

But when LeGrand returned home around 5:30 p.m. on Monday, he received a phone call from Rutgers athletic director Julie Hermann. LeGrand said his heart dropped when Hermann informed him that former Gov. Tom Kean had been announced as the commencement speaker on Monday afternoon.

LeGrand said Jackson didn't answer two phone calls on Monday night. Rutgers officials didn't immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday night.

So, to recap.

Rutgers rejects an accomplished African-American woman.

Then, Rutgers teases an African-American young man, only to kick him to the curb.

For, a patrician white guy who's older than most of the grandparents attending the graduation ceremonies.

My liberal friends always tell me, if it looks like racism, or it sounds like racism, it is racism.

But hey, what do I know. I like Tom Kean. Which means I must be a racist too.

UPDATE 06 May 2014 14:38:
Rutgers backpedals, invites LeGrand to sit on the stage with Tom Kean.

Former football player Eric LeGrand will speak at Rutgers University's commencement after all, campus officials announced today.

Got that? It was all a "miscommunication."

You'd think the folks running what's supposed to be a prestigious university with aspirations to contend in the Big Ten would have learned to "communicate" by now.

Posted at 10:37 by Chris Wysocki [/education] Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Rutgers commencement Condoleezza-Rice Eric-LeGrand Tom-Kean racism | Tweet

Sunday, 04 May 2014

Cory Booker's Newark mayoral legacy: A $93 million dollar budget deficit

No wonder Senator Twitter was so keen on getting out of Dodge. After his departure the truth about Newark's finances came out, and let's just say his fiscal acumen doesn't match his Twitter hype.

A property tax collection shortfall coupled with state budget regulations have forced city officials to figure out how to come up with more than $93 million in additional revenue to pay Newark's bills in 2014, Acting Director of Finance Danielle Smith said in a public disclosure statement to investors, dated April 24.

"They said the sky is falling and we don't know what to do," Dan O'Flaherty, an economics professor at Columbia University said of the disclosure. "It was a pretty grim statement."

In September, the city council adopted a $639.5 million budget that included a tax break for property owners. The reduced tax rate was introduced in large part because a city-wide re-evaluation in 2011 and 2012 shifted more of the tax burden onto commercial properties and away from homeowners.

The city had expected to collect more than $199.3 million in property taxes, but fell about $25 million short, collecting $174.8 million instead, according to the public disclosure statement.

In retrospect, "tax break for property owners" sounds like a giveaway in exchange for votes, eh? And it explains why Booker fits right in with Harry Reid's Senate, where they haven't enacted a balanced budget in something like forever.

So what is Booker-acolyte Acting Mayor Luis Quintana's grand plan?

Beg Chris Christie for a bailout!

A financial takeover by the state may be the only way to balance Newark's 2014 budget, city officials disclosed recently.

Since state law requires that the city adopt a balanced budget, the city said in its public disclosure statement that doing so may not be possible without the state's help.

"Accordingly, the City now believes the most likely basis upon which a balanced 2014 cash basis budget, entails the placement of the City under State Supervision," the city said in its statement.

Cory Booker made the mess, now it's up to Chris Christie (and the taxpayers of New Jersey) to clean it up? Because we obviously don't pour enough money into that shithole as it is. Or something.

You know what headline I'd like to see next?

"Christie to Newark: Drop Dead"

Let's see the Democrats stand on their own two feet for once in their lives.

Posted at 11:04 by Chris Wysocki [/democrats] Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Cory-Booker Newark-NJ budget deficit Democrats | Tweet

Saturday, 03 May 2014

Heckler's veto: Condoleezza Rice withdraws as Rutgers commencement speaker

And she's got more class than Rutgers could ever hope to have.

Condoleezza Rice announced Saturday that she will not be delivering the commencement address at Rutgers University's graduation ceremony this month, saying the invitation has become a "distraction."

"Commencement should be a time of joyous celebration for the graduates and their families. Rutgers' invitation to me to speak has become a distraction for the university community at this very special time," the former secretary of state under President George W. Bush said in the statement.

"I am honored to have served my country. I have defended America's belief in free speech and the exchange of ideas. These values are essential to the health of our democracy. But that is not what is at issue here. As a professor for thirty years at Stanford University and as (its) former Provost and Chief academic officer, I understand and embrace the purpose of the commencement ceremony and I am simply unwilling to detract from it in any way."

On Monday, roughly 50 Rutgers University students staged a sit-in at a school administration building in New Brunswick to protest the school's invitation to Rice to appear at the university's commencement.

Faculty members and students wanted the invitation rescinded because of Rice's role in the Iraq War. Rutgers' New Brunswick Faculty Council passed a resolution in March calling on the university's board of governors to rescind the invitation.

The sit-in was one of the largest in Rutgers' history, according to The Daily Targum, a student newspaper.

The clowns protesting your presence detracted from it, Dr. Rice, not you. They're small men in the Big Ten. Good thing they're card-carrying liberals though, otherwise the media would accuse them of racism.

Maybe these jerks will ask Snooki to step in; she's the kind of role model they seem to like.

UPDATE 03 May 2014 17:04:
Donald Douglas points out the hypocrisy of the Rutgers "tolerance" crowd.

And Professor Jacobson notes that our college campuses essentially operate on mob rule at this point.

The hive mind is a terrible thing.

Posted at 11:53 by Chris Wysocki [/education] Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Rutgers education tolerance education Condoleezza-Rice | Tweet

Friday, 02 May 2014

Jersey Comeback? State debt gets downgraded again, and almost half of us want to move away

Face it, Chris Christie's reality isn't matching his hype.

New Jersey's state debt was just downgraded, again, for the fifth time since Christie took office as governor.

A major Wall Street credit-rating agency downgraded New Jersey's debt again Thursday, unnerved by "both the scale and belatedness" of an $807 million budget gap disclosed this week by Gov. Chris Christie's administration.

The action by Fitch Ratings followed a similar ratings cut last month by Standard & Poor's. Earlier this week, Moody's Investors Service called the shortfall a "credit negative development," forewarning that yet another downgrade may be coming.

We're now slightly above junk bond status. Illinois, here we come!

Well, maybe not literally, because nobody wants to live in Illinois, although a new opinion poll shows almost half of NJ residents are ready to move somewhere else. Anywhere else.

In a recent Gallup poll, 41 percent of Garden State residents say, yes, they would like to move, 8 percentage points above the 50-state average. Still, a majority (58 percent) would rather remain in the state.

Those 58% probably work for the government.

Every time we turn around, taxes go up, and services go down. The bozos in Trenton care more about themselves and padding their pensions than they do about you and me. And that goes for all of them, not just the ones with "R" after their name.

Instead of trying to make NJ more affordable, they spend their time kvetching about a bridge closure. The real scandal is how much money the Port Authority rakes in from us to cross that bridge, and the idiotic ways in which the bureaucrats waste it. But since it's a bipartisan patronage mill, everyone turns a blind eye.

Our activist state supreme court continues to legislate from the bench, demanding billion dollar payoffs to the teachers union while the schools continue to fail. They waved a magic wand and decreed everyone was entitled to "affordable housing," without bothering to wonder where the money to pay for that housing would come from. And when Christie tried to reform the court, Democrats blocked his every move.

New Jersey, we put the "fun" in dysfunctional.

Don't forget to pay the exit tax on your way out!

Posted at 12:51 by Chris Wysocki [/nj_politics] Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Chris-Christie Jersey-Comeback economy debt taxes | Tweet

Thursday, 01 May 2014

How easy would it be for Obamacare to deliberately "lose" your medical records? Ask the VA

The VA needed a way to handle a backlog of more than 2 million pending medical orders. There was no chance they could get to them all on time, so they decided to randomly delete 1.5 million of them.

More than 1.5 million medical orders were canceled by the Department of Veterans Affairs without any guarantee the patients received the treatment or tests they needed, the Washington Examiner has found.

Since May 2013, veterans' medical centers nationwide have been under pressure to clear out 2 million backlogged orders for patient care or services.

They were given wide latitude to cancel unfilled appointments more than 90 days old. By April 2014, the backlog of what the agency calls "unresolved consults" was down to about 450,000.

What happened to other 1.5 million appointments is something that no one, including top officials at the veterans' agency, can answer.

Go ahead, tell me this stuff won't happen with Obamacare.

The White House is already fudging the enrollment numbers. And we've seen examples of acute doctor shortages. So if somebody is waiting "too long" for care, watch for their records to inexplicably go missing too.

Because Obamacare has to look good, even if it doesn't do good.

"We found they closed consults but there was no evidence as to why it was closed," Debra Draper, health care director for the GAO, told the Examiner.

"By not having that independent verification or any other controls, there isn't any way of knowing whether they were appropriately closed out," Draper said.

"You don't know whether people received the care or if they received it in a timely manner. There's no audit trail. There's no way to know whether they were appropriately closed," she said.

Audit trail? They don't need no stinkin' audit trail! They're the government!

And when folks went looking for the records, they found a mess.

In 2012, officials at the VA headquarters in Washington tried to build a database to track consult orders. But the database proved to be useless because of poor record keeping and the lack of standard procedures for tracking and filling the orders, Draper said.

Sound familiar? Wanna bet the various Obamacare databases are in better shape?

Your health care is in the very best of hands.

Posted at 15:00 by Chris Wysocki [/obamacare] Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: health-care Obamacare Veterans-Administration medical-records | Tweet


Main

We The People

Code Red

About

Subscribe

Recent Posts

Recent Comments (RSS)

Twitter Feed

Blogroll

Links