Free Republic

Difficult church-state issues pose dilemma for McGreevey   Tuesday, April 20, 2004 By JOSH GOHLKE TRENTON BUREAU The Bible says Jesus suggested a distinction between the concerns of Caesar, the head of state, and those of God.New Jersey's current Caesar, Governor McGreevey, has repeatedly confronted that conflict. An avowed Catholic and a product of parochial schools, he has often supported policies that collide with church teachings - from his stance in favor of abortion rights to his active advocacy of stem-cell research. With increasing boldness, Catholic leaders have taken critical notice.The governor's differences with the church started even before he...

Negotiations in progress as shutdown nearsBy JOHN P. McALPIN AP Political Writer June 28, 2003, 4:54 PM EDT TRENTON, N.J.(AP) _ Legislators came to work Saturday, ordered by Gov. James E. McGreevey to agree on a budget and a series of tax and fee increases or else deal with a shuttered state government. The Senate Budget Committee, where Republicans have blocked the budget by refusing to vote on any measure that raises taxes, must act by midnight Saturday so the full house can vote Monday. Monday is the constitutional deadline for a balanced budget. Without one, McGreevey says all operations,...

Poll finds voter support for McGreevey waning In face of a $5 billion budget gap, electorate disagrees on cutting services or raising taxes Tuesday, February 04, 2003 BY JEFF WHELAN Star-Ledger Staff [Trenton, NJ] -- Gov. James E. McGreevey's popularity has plummeted to an all-time low, with only one-third of New Jersey residents approving of his job performance while 46 percent disapprove, according to a new Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers poll.The survey also finds overwhelming support for a tax increase on families earning more than $500,000. But residents are becoming increasingly divided over whether McGreevey should cut state services or raise broad-based taxes...

After getting elected on a promise to look out for the people's money, Gov. James E. McGreevey has spent much of his first year explaining away junkets, helicopter rides and a mysterious $110,000-a-year aide. Even poetry has proved poor politics for the Democrat: He has been accused of racism for trying to remove New Jersey's poet laureate over a Sept. 11 memorial verse critics called anti-Semitic. "This administration seems to create their own problems and then rather than solve them, try to cover them up," said Carl Golden, a Republican political analyst and former aide to former Gov. Christie Whitman....