Free Republic

...Delaware River Port Authority’s Tim Ireland says the bodies of the deceased were moved elsewhere and the grave markers were deliberately left behind. “These are not stones that are looking for loved ones. These are basically just pieces of granite that were left behind,” Ireland explains.

A changing of the guard occurred this week at the scandal-plagued Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA), as Governor Corbett appointed himself the new chairman, and replaced five board commissioners. The law-and-order Corbett has pledged to clean up the authority through openness and transparency, vowing to oversee an entity free of the conflicts that plagued the prior board. But his appointments — all political insiders — have left many wondering if anything has really changed. As chairman, the Governor sets the DRPA agenda, and he deserves the benefit of the doubt that he will live up to his promises. That said,...

Throughout history, there have always been makers and takers. Makers create things: jobs, products and wealth. Takers produce nothing. Instead, they leech off the makers. And the biggest taker of all is government. Oppressive, “taking” governments hold center stage in most foreign countries, where taxpayer rights and the rule of law are cocktail party jokes. But increasingly, the takers are also making their mark in America, squeezing the economic lifeblood out of business and zapping citizens’ creativity and hope. Usually, the take comes in increments, with public officials saying it’s our duty to accept such small sacrifices. But once the...

It’s Business As Usual at the DRPA. And despite all the “reform” rhetoric flying around, don’t expect real changes anytime soon. The reason is simple. The people charged with implementing the reforms are the very same ones who have been, and still are, completely immersed in the conflicts, nepotism and cronyism that need reforming. That’s like criminals running the prison, inmates taking charge of the asylum. Given their legacy of abject failure, from accumulating massive debt to spewing outright lies, the DRPA’s Big Four executive braintrust simply has no credibility. (It was The Big Five, but Jon Corzine was given...

In a February, 2008 media report, Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) Vice Chairman Jeff Nash, also an elected Camden County freeholder, ominously warned that “…the deck of the Walt Whitman (Bridge) HAD a 50-year life span….We’re at 50 years, two months.” Two-and-a-half years later, the decking project of the Walt Whitman has not yet begun. Why? Lack of money, we are told, which is in part why the Port Authority just went further into debt by borrowing $320 million. Of course, as with all things DRPA, that’s not the whole story. The money was there. They just chose to ignore...

Five Reasons To Dump DRPA Chief John Matheussen: An Open Letter To Governor Chris Christie Governor Christie: Political courage. That is the description you have earned as Governor. And for good reason. You have successfully confronted the most powerful special interests in the state, sending a message that there are no sacred cows. In doing so, to the pleasant surprise of millions, the entrenched “business as usual” crowd is finally on the run. In that regard, I want to discuss what is perhaps the most patronage-laden and inefficient entity in the state --- the Delaware River Port Authority. As you...