NJ Libertarian Blog

Details: Written by: Sean Colon; Category: NJ Libertarian Blog; Created: May 28, 2008

The NJ school system was in the news today for a couple of reasons. One, Corzine wants to borrow $2.5 billion to restart school construction across the state. Two, NJ schools have received very poor marks on tutoring and transfers. There is very few options for students in bad schools who are not performing well. The New Jersey mentality is that to have a good education you need to tax the living hell out of your residents and borrow billions of dollars and since the children are our future there is no limit in the amount of money we should spend. This is a false prophecy that only serves to enrich bureaucrats and provide jobs for politicians to give away as gifts to campaign henchmen and loyalists.

Details: Written by: Sean Colon; Category: NJ Libertarian Blog; Created: April 10, 2008

Andy Unanue is dropping out and being replaced by Dick Zimmer, a former Republican Congressman who currently works in DC as a lawyer and lobbyist. Is a DC lawyer/lobbyist what we are looking for in a candidate. No. That kind of record doesn't exactly scream "reformer". He got beat out by Rush Holt about a decade ago while under fire for some suspicious activities.

Details: Written by: Sean Colon; Category: NJ Libertarian Blog; Created: April 09, 2008

Atlantic City is currently trying to pass an ordinance that would limit smoking in casinos to smoking lounges where there can't be any slot machines or gambling tables. Right now a compromise exists between the city and the casinos where no more than 25% of the casino floor can allow smoking. Many vices exist under the same roof in the casino and somehow smoking is seen as the worst of them.

Details: Written by: Sean Colon; Category: NJ Libertarian Blog; Created: April 08, 2008

I saw a dirty white jeep pull over another car for speeding. Two men wearing black shirts with "Police" in white lettering across the front and back step out and walk over to the other car and get his license and registration. When I first saw the white jeep I was thinking to myself "This can't be an undercover cop." I was probably wrong but the risk is still there.

Details: Written by: Sean Colon; Category: NJ Libertarian Blog; Created: April 08, 2008

In NJ where the subsidized health care system is riddled with holes and workers' compensation is managed by incompetent jurists; the huge bureaucracy that is the NJ state government is now supposed to take responsibility for another program which will inevitably be riddled with holes and bogged down by incompetence and laziness.

Details: Written by: Sean Colon; Category: NJ Libertarian Blog; Created: April 08, 2008

The North Carolina Libertarian Party has collected approximately 102,500. North Carolina requires 69,734 for ballot access for the presidential election. If the petition is found to be valid then this will be the largest numerical ballot access hurdle that any new or minor party has overcome since 1995, when the Reform Party and the Natural Law Party both complied with California?s requirement of 89,007 registrations.

Details: Written by: Sean Colon; Category: NJ Libertarian Blog; Created: April 08, 2008

Since former Congressman Bob Barr has announced that he has going to run for President, two Libertarian candidates have dropped out to endorse him, Bob Jackson and Daniel Williams. Former Senator Mike Gravel is also running for the Libertarian nomination for president. With the entrance of Bob Barr into the race there has been a shake up among the candidates.

Details: Written by: Sean Colon; Category: NJ Libertarian Blog; Created: April 06, 2008

The state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control spent nearly $650,000 to install new computer software to track liquor licenses, but according to a state audit report it still doesn't work. The whole system, along with the installation, is supposed to cost $1 million and it can't perform a simple task like track liquor licenses. I can do that with a pretty simple filing system and the government is planning to spend a million dollars to perform such a simple task.

Details: Written by: Sean Colon; Category: NJ Libertarian Blog; Created: April 06, 2008

Here is how the race stands as far as county endorsements:

Details: Written by: Sean Colon; Category: NJ Libertarian Blog; Created: April 06, 2008

John Crowley has made his final decision on whether or not to run for Senate and that answer is no. Where does this leave the rest of the candidates at? It leaves Andy Unanue in a weaker position he was at to begin with. His support was ready to abandon him for Crowley and he himself was preparing to drop out of the race to make way for Crowley. Now that Crowley has decided to not enter the race Unanue has exposed himself as being purely a stand-in with pockets filled with money.

Details: Written by: Sean Colon; Category: NJ Libertarian Blog; Created: April 06, 2008

A recent report released by an auditor shows that current state health care programs for the poor are mismanaged on a criminal level due to possible corruption and outright laziness. This is what you must expect from a state government agency. These are bureaucrats who have no interest in helping the poor but rather in keeping their own jobs and fat pensions. This is another reason for having programs like this managed by charities rather than the government.

Details: Written by: Sean Colon; Category: NJ Libertarian Blog; Created: April 04, 2008

The Somerset County Republican Organization has informed Murray Sabrin that if he cannot promise them that he is not running an alternate slate of freeholder candidates he cannot participate in their screening process. In other words if he doesn't play ball with the Republican county establishment then he is not welcome. This brings up a question that many independently thinking people ponder: is it better to follow one's own political beliefs if it leads them to a third party or to try to reform one of the two major political parties from the inside?

Details: Written by: Sean Colon; Category: NJ Libertarian Blog; Created: April 04, 2008

NJ has agreed to purchase a piece of property for over $1.8 million from a family that built a condominium complex in which not a single condo had been rented out. At first the state of NJ contended that the family and Union City officials conspired to build the building with the knowledge that the state was going to buy it to build an elementary school. They were unable to prove so in court and now instead of having to pay the $326,000 that they wanted to they are compromising at $1.825 million. The story gets better.

Details: Written by: Sean Colon; Category: NJ Libertarian Blog; Created: April 03, 2008

Fairleigh Dickinson University posted the results of a recent poll yesterday that shows how many people don't know who the GOP candidates are. When all voters were polled the numbers stood at Joe Pennacchio being unrecognized by 77%, Murray Sabrin by 84% and Andy Unanue by 90%. When narrowed down to just Republican voters the numbers come out to 29% saying they?ve heard of Pennacchio, 18% saying they?ve heard of Sabrin, and 12% saying they?ve heard of Unanue. (These polls were tricky to get because the Star Ledger article was linked to the wrong poll, what else can we expect from them?) Joe Pennacchio has been the front runner in gaining the endorsement of county organizations but this poll shows that the race is still wide open.

Details: Written by: Sean Colon; Category: NJ Libertarian Blog; Created: April 03, 2008

The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a bill that will give the FDA full regulatory control over the tobacco industry. If the bill passes it is expected to dramatically reduce tobacco marketing, ban many flavored cigarettes, and prohibit the labeling of cigarettes as “light” or “low-tar.” It makes me feel warm and fuzzy to know that the government would care for me so much that it would protect me from the evil tobacco industry. I guess flavored cigars will be next on the chopping block.

Details: Written by: Sean Colon; Category: NJ Libertarian Blog; Created: April 03, 2008

Here is a NJLP shirt design idea. Let me know what you guys think.

Details: Written by: Sean Colon; Category: NJ Libertarian Blog; Created: April 03, 2008

Steve Adubato endorsed Rep. Rob Andrews which kind of contradicts my last post. Thought I would point that out before anyone else did. A lot of endorsements have been rolling out in the last day or two and despite the fact that Andrews has been getting a lot of support he is currently behind Lautenberg by 35%.

Details: Written by: Sean Colon; Category: NJ Libertarian Blog; Created: March 31, 2008

The Hudson County Sheriff's Office caught 57 fugitives this month in what was called "Operation Talon". I consider this quite an accomplishment for one County Sheriff's Office. Though the news worthy part of this story is in how they got caught, they cut off their welfare benefits. After finding that their benefits were cut these geniuses went to the county welfare office to complain. The police waited there and arrested every single one.

Details: Written by: Sean Colon; Category: NJ Libertarian Blog; Created: March 31, 2008

Mike Gravel, former Democratic Senator of Alaska and Presidential Candidate, just announced recently that he has joined the Libertarian Party. At first I didn't know what to think because I don't know much about Gravel. I had seen him in the debates once and he seemed bitter and angry but a lot of times Ron Paul can come off as angry as well. I checked his campaign site and went over his issue stances and found that I wholeheartedly agree with him 65% of the time and very much disagree with him the other 25% and am iffy on the last 10%. This is my breakdown on what I agree and disagree with and why.

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