NJ should click its heels 3 times. What dopes.
Posted on 11/09/2008 4:56:39 PM PST by Tailgunner Joe
Pack away that "Drill, Baby, Drill" T-shirt with the old disco clothes.
While President-elect Barack Obama said in his victory speech Tuesday that some of the changes he promised will take time, New Jersey Democrats expect a lot to happen quickly.
Within days of inauguration, the new administration might reverse policies on offshore drilling, chemical plant security, stem-cell research and children’s health care — issues that have bedeviled New Jersey Democrats during the Bush years.
Even before the inauguration, change appears to be happening.
WHAT NJ WANTSWish list for our sharePresident Bush indicated Wednesday he is open to discussing another economic stimulus bill, a reversal from his stance in September when he threatened to veto a $60 billion package that had passed the House. Obama and Bush meet Monday, and if Bush says he’ll go along, congressional leaders will return next week to try to craft a bill that could provide as much as $100 billion.
The details will depend on what can pass the Senate, but there’s a push by many Democrats, unions and even the manufacturing lobby for spending a big chunk of that money on public works projects that could start construction within four months. They include replacing pothole-ridden bridge decks across North Jersey and breaking ground on a long-proposed new rail tunnel under the Hudson River. The money also could pay for an extension of unemployment benefits and help states facing budget deficits.
Governor Corzine said last month that Congress should spend as much as $350 billion stimulating the economy because a smaller amount would be offset by the negative effect of states slashing their budgets, and therefore would not have an impact on the economy.
Along with cash for state budgets, Corzine urged that federal dollars be spent quickly on roads, bridges, sewer systems and water lines because the projects will create jobs in a construction industry hit hard by the housing bust and credit crisis.
"If you want to do something about the labor markets as well as the financial markets, then you ought to be taking steps to address the real economy where people work and live. And transportation and infrastructure is a key to that," Corzine said.
The benefit of funding projects through a stimulus bill, instead of the normal transportation budget, is that states and localities would not have to come up with matching funds, which are usually 20 percent of the cost.
Transportation Commissioner Kris Kolluri said the state has more than $1 billion in projects that could be started in the next 120 days, including a $700 million portion of the rail tunnel. He said that for every $1 billion spent by the government in New Jersey, between 11,000 and 35,000 jobs will be created.
At a news conference in Washington last month, Corzine stressed that the tunnel would have benefits beyond the region in reducing pollution and greenhouse gases by allowing more commuters to take mass transit. He also said delay is expensive.
"When I got involved in public life in 1999, this was a $2 billion project. Today, we’d be lucky if it’s an $8 billion or a $9 billion project. We’ve got to get shovels in the ground," Corzine said.
Members of Congress have cited other priorities for the stimulus bill. The bill that passed the House in September included $2.6 billion for food stamps and meals on wheels, and $500 million for job training, for example.
Rep. Steve Rothman, D-Fair Lawn, said in a letter Wednesday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that New Jersey "desperately needs funding to construct or upgrade affordable housing."
Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-Paterson, said there should also be funding for building or repairing public schools.
Whether Congress acts on the stimulus plan this month or waits for Obama to take control in January, however, depends on what Bush is willing to accept. Any stimulus spending would be added to the federal deficit, and Bush could take a hard line on that.
"If we can get only a sliver of it [signed by Bush], we’ll probably wait until the new president comes in," said. Rep. Rob Andrews, D-Haddon Heights.
Beyond spending, several Bush administration policies that were unpopular with New Jersey Democrats will go away with Obama’s election.
"I can’t imagine more offshore drilling in an Obama administration," Andrews said. "I just don’t think that happens."
New Jersey is also suing the federal Health and Human Services Department to block an order that would have eliminated federal subsidies for 10,000 New Jersey children enrolled in the health insurance program FamilyCare.
HHS said New Jersey’s program, which covers children whose families earn up to 350 percent of the federal poverty limit, was too generous. Obama supported New Jersey’s program and voted for a bill that would have expanded the federal program to cover an additional 4 million children nationally, including 100,000 in New Jersey. The bill was vetoed by Bush.
Several Democrats said they expect that bill to be approved again quickly, and signed by Obama.
Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., battled Bush over the administration’s insistence that Washington could preempt New Jersey’s tough chemical plant security regulations with weaker federal rules. Lautenberg also opposed changes to right-to-know laws that reduced the amount of information chemical plants would have to disclose about emissions.
He expects both rules to be reversed by Obama, who also co-sponsored a bill with Lautenberg to make federal chemical security rules as tough as New Jersey’s.
Obama also said he would lift the ban Bush imposed on federal research funding on embryonic stem cells, which state leaders believe could lead to more grants coming to New Jersey researchers.
Everybody’s got their hand out....
Amazing that nobody puts any credit on the financial meltdown to how many trillions of dollars has been extracted from the American economy by the oil imports.
I spent 3 to 4 months doing research before I put the Drill4oilnow site together. Its all about National Defence, Drill for Oil Now I knew Sarah because of her work in Alaska, and was very happy with her choice as VP
We are now further behind the 8-ball on this and e-mail and petitions will not work, hard copy snail mail is the only way to get their attention. The Democratics believe that they have a mandate with "That One" was elected
Follow the money. To the Dems it's the unions.
Further, the Lying Bastard swore in his campaign that he wouldn't raise taxes in the Garbage State. Once elected and after he succeeded FELLOW DEMOCRATS into office, he said he would have to raise taxes because of the fiscal crisis - as if HIS OWN PARTY MEMBERS WOULD NOT HAVE ALERTED HIM TO THIS WHEN HE WAS RUNNING.
Not only did Lying Bastard RAISE taxes - HE INSTITUTED NEW ONES!!!
At the very SAME TIME Lying Bastard was crying and gnashing his teeth about the terrible state fiscal crisis in New Jersey, HE WAS INSTITUTING NEW COSTLY PROGRAMS!
Go ahead, Obama, HIRE the Lying Bastard as your Secretary of the Treasury. I DARE you!!!
Not only THAT, but Lying Bastard millionaire Corzine is an ELTIST!!! He has pushed strenously fo mandatory seat- belt laws in the nation while a Senator. While GOVERNOR, he was riding in a STATE VEHICLE on OFFICIAL STATE BUSINESS
(to watch radio Shock Jock Anus in the Morning apologize to the Rutgers Woman's Soccer team for typically stupid Imus comments) doing at least 90 MILES AN HOUR, he was injured in an accident - WHILE NOT WEARING A SEAT BELT.
A PERFECT Democrat!!!!
As for asking Americans to contribute ANY money to help New Jersey - READ 'THE SOPRANO STATE" by Gannett Reporter Bob Engels. Not exactly a friend of conservatives or Republicans, Engels DETAILS the corruption in New State Politics which runs from the Governor's mansion to the local muncipalities. NOT CURIOUSLY ENOUGH, most of the corruption originates in Democrat districts.
New Jersey has been turned into an unlivable dump, thanks to Democrats.
I guess our hard-earned dollars will go toward, not only third world countries, but also, third world STATES, like New Jersey.
NJ should click its heels 3 times. What dopes.
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