Posted on 11/10/2005 8:40:06 AM PST by Laissez-faire capitalist
(AXcess News) New York - The people of the Garden State elected Senator Jon Corzine, a liberal Democrat, as their new governor and they have decided being a Blue State takes a front seat to ridding New Jersey of rampant corruption.
Suprisingly, during the campaign, the editorial editors for all the major New Jeresy newspapers had endorsed Corzine's conservative opponent, Doug Forrester. The editorials stressed that while they didn't agree with Forrester's conservative views, he was preferable to Jon Corzine and his lack of honest and integrity. Jersey voters didn't agree.
While the American people are being bombarded with news coverage of his victory over not only his opponent but over President George Bush, Governor-elect Corzine is in the midst of a bit of an ethics problem of his own. Corzine leads a state that is running neck and neck with Louisiana in the Most Corrupt State in the Union Contest, and he was rewarded by voters for his mediocre Senate career. One Jersey campaign observer claims Corzine makes indicted Rep. Tom Delay look like a piker when it comes to corruption and ethics problems.
One of Corzine's scandals involved an over half-million dollar loan he gave his ex-girlfriend, Carla Katz, who just happens to be the head of one of New Jersey's largest state workers unions. Eventually, according to investigators, he forgave the loan giving the impression this was a payoff to gain union support for his election campaign and, if elected, future dealings bewtwwen state workers and the Governor. New Jersey voters elected Corzine, and now he gets to appoint his own Senate succesor, thereby contuining the cycle of bossism and abhorrent politics for which Jersey has become infamous.
Besides the half-million smackers he gave Carla Katz, according to invertigators, Senator Corzine voted in favor of a "treaty between the United States and Japan that contains a provision exempting certain investors from paying capital gains taxes on their shares in a Japanese bank. The [public interest] lawyers say Corzine was among about 100 investors who benefitted."
"This treaty gives him a specific, private benefit that is not available to other investors in the United States or Japan and is a private bill that benefits the senator personally."
In addition, according to syndicated columnist J. Grant Swank, he never notified fellow Senate Foreign Relations Committee members that he was a part of that investors group. Senator Corzine is one of the wealthiest people in New Jersey and in the United States. He's part of a cabal of rich Democrats that includes Senator John Kerry. In fact, Governor-elect Corzine is the richest person ever to hold that office in Jersey history -- richer by far than even former Republican governors Christine Todd Whitman and Tom Kean.
While all this corruption investigating was going on, Corzine's TV campaign commercials and his website had this:
"John Corzine's Bold Plan for a More Honest, Open, and Accountable Government...Tighten Ethics Laws for Those Who Work in Government"
Former President Bill Clinton, another paragon of ethics, stumped for Corzine in New Jersey several times. While the two Democrats glad-handed their way through the state, they both promised open and corrupt-free government.
"I don't know of a better qualified person I ever saw present himself for the office of governor than Jon Corzine," Clinton said to reporters who practically lap-danced for him. Of course, Bill also claims Hillary would make a better president than he was. Consider the source.
Hmmm. Isn't there a saying, "Physician heal thyself"?
Does Corzine need to "heal himself" before he sets about "healing others"?
NJ is toast. I'm getting my family the he11 outa here.
How bad is it for the American Left?
A Liberal Democrat loses ALL news paper endorsements for governor and then wins a SURPRISING victory in a BLUE STATE.
And Liberals are partying like it's 1999. It is truly a horrible day for the Dems.
Come on down to Missouri.
I got out 11 years ago.
New Jersey gets the government they deserve.
New Jersey just loves this type of politics. It's a stinking morass of corruption, greed and thuggery in its approach to so-called elected public service.
Mr. Corzine? He's merely extending the tradition. Gee, what a guy.
Yep, come on down. Nothin' like the Ozarks.
Had a business lunch yesterday. My client says to me "You should be nice to me. I'm the only Democrat friend you have."
It was like those old commercials for the brokerage house. When he said "Democrat", every head in the place turned towards us and it got really quiet.
I looked at him and said, "Is this a great place to live, or what?"
16 years in the Twin Cities. Had enough.
ALL of the newspapers in New Jersey know full well what a crook corzine is that's why they all endorsed Doug. They did not do so for any other reason but to get rid of corzine so THEY would NOT have to cover the Democtrat corruption stories they KNOW are out there.
What else could you expect? Even my neighbor, Louisiana, takes a back seat to New Jersey when it comes to political corruption, and that's saying a lot.
Everybody knows Corzine is a crook. This is going to dog him for his whole term as Governor.
Sometimes things happen for a reason:-)
There was a time when Americans would vote for the best candidate and not the party. That was back when the best candidate could come from either party.
I think it's because they knew Forrester didn't have a prayer of winning, so they endorsed him to prove how "unbiased" they are, knowing that no real harm would be done to them. Now that they have their man Corzine in as governor, they'll go all out to bury any scandals that pop up, and to destroy anyone who brings them up.
If your suggesting that having a crook front and central will erode support for democrats, I respectifully disagree. McGreevy, Toricelli, way out rulings by the NJ Supreme Court designed to ensure Democrats get to win by going against the law to prevent a special election when McGreevy quit and allowing Lautenburg to run when Torricelli quit, and so on and so on. No ammount of corruption, no matter how well known, will make any difference here. You see, New Jerseyans know that the democrats may be crooked, but the republicans are eeeeevil. I hate this place.
Help! Get me outta NJ! Corzine tighten ethics laws? Talk about calling the kettle black. We get stuck with more sleezy politics. Somebody should investigate the attorney general who was supposed to remove many thousand names from voter registration lists a couple weeks before the election. Bet it didn't happen and many civil war veterans voted several times especially in Newark.
Have 2 kids in college, one a senior in high school. Work in NYC. Desparately want to get outta the blue states for a better life but can't quit as too young to retire with college bills up to wazoo and will have no retirement left after colleges and Corzine get done raping my paycheck.
NY is worse for taxes and Hillary. PA has Ed Rendell (Yuck!). Commuting from CT is too expensive as is real estate. I'm counting on my Mega Millions tickets for salvation out of the corruption in NJ.
I feel for ya, Pepsi...really I do! Unfortunately...you're probably right.
NJ dem's are terrible. They are party line voters and only complain about taxes after they have zero children in the public school system anymore (and 5-8K out of the 10-15K in property taxes goes to free education). I'd much rather, however, see a dem fail (again) as gov. than a republican - especially when the two viable candidates for Gov were pretty much promising the same things.
Me= newbie poster...long time lurker!
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