Free Republic

New Jersey has become the second state in the nation after California to adopt a law that requires schools to teach about LGBT history in a move hailed by civil rights groups as a step toward inclusion and fairness. Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat who promised to promote equality for gay and transgender people during his campaign, signed the bill Thursday. Among those celebrating the news was Jaime Bruesehoff, of Vernon, whose 12-year-old transgender child Rebekah spoke in support of the bill in Trenton in December. “This bill is so important for our young people,” Bruesehoff said. “They need to...

TRENTON — The former longtime Middlesex County Sheriff Joseph Spicuzzo was arrested Monday morning and accused of selling jobs to “young recruits” and taking bribes of at least $50,000. Spicuzzo, 65, the chairman of the Middlesex County Democratic party, turned himself in Monday and was charged with official misconduct and bribery. He faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 10 years for each charge, the attorney general’s office said. Spicuzzo served as sheriff for three decades, announcing in 2010 he would not run again for health reasons. He is accused of demanding bribes of up to $25,000...

Here's the youtube of the woman talking about what happened: Link to youtubeHere's the story: http://patdollard.com/2009/11/nj-democrat-party-hires-gangbangers-for-voter-influence-campaign-with-video/ November 3, 2009 by EJ How would you like to be a New Jersey police officer and look out your window and see several known criminals, including a man you arrested several weeks ago and another who had just been released from prison for shooting a cop? And then find out that the men were sent into the neighborhood by the Democratic Party for GOTV operations - complete with lists of voters names, addresses and phones numbers! That is what happened Sunday on a...

The Democratic State Committee now admits paying for a robocall to Somerset County voters that slams Republican Chris Christie and promotes independent gubernatorial candidate Christopher Daggett. A Democratic spokeswoman says the party’s chairman, Joe Cryan, was not aware of the robocalls when he denied that the state committee had anything to do with them yesterday afternoon. Cryan, who told PolitickerNJ.com yesterday afternoon that the Democratic State Committee had “absolutely” nothing to do with the call, could not immediately be reached for comment. The call angered Republicans and further fueled conspiracy theories that Daggett is in cahoots with the Corzine camp....

Deputy Assembly Speaker Neil Cohen is being investigated for alleged possession of child pornography, according to two of his Democratic colleagues who said they brought the matter to the attention of law enforcement. In a joint statement, Sen. Raymond Lesniak and Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (both D-Union) confirmed they alerted authorities to the possibility Cohen (D-Union) had child pornography on his computers. "As the facts became apparent in our office, we notified the appropriate agency and will continue to assist in any way possible," Lesniak and Cryan said. "While it was our proactive steps that led to the investigation to this...

A new report shows New Jersey's record debt is now above the $38 billion mark, a figure Governor Corzine has vowed to slash in half with a yet-to-be disclosed "financial restructuring" plan that includes toll hikes. The new total debt number comes just as Corzine is ramping up his effort to convince residents that toll increases are the best way to fix the state's financial problems. He is expected to roll out details of the plan in early January. The governor and others have warned that New Jersey's mountain of debt will hamper its ability to build roads and schools,...

Like a cash-strapped shopaholic reaching for a credit card before payday, New Jersey is planning to borrow $2 billion to cover expenses over the next few months – including those record-high property tax rebates.  But given the state's financial situation, some wonder if it's a wise move.   The state already owes an estimated $29.7 billion to creditors. Debt service alone is costing taxpayers upward of $2.5 billion a year. And employee pension funds are at least $25 billion behind where they should be to cover projected future costs. Overall, money is so tight that Governor Corzine is looking at...