Sunday, September 18, 2005
Trenton Democrats' hands not just in the anti-terrorism cookie jar
According to a front page article in the Sunday September 18, 2005 Star Ledger (which, strangely, is not available on www.nj.com -- the website on which the Ledger's content is displayed), the Democrats controlling the New Jersey state legislature and executive branch not only played politics with the distribution of anti-terror funds (which Michelle Malkin wrote about here and here and GayPatriot followed it here, here and here) but they have played politics in pretty much every other area of funding in the state.
That from a Star-Ledger article by Rick Hepp (my emphasis). The article goes on to explain in more detail what grants went where, what high-ranking Democrat legislators were actully making the decisions on what towns received the money and that the entire grant program was devised to hide the fact that Democrat legislators would be making these calls.
I guess I'm fortunate that I live in a "blue" district with my assembly members and senator all Democrats. For the half of New Jersey that is just unlucky enough to have a Republican legislator, there is no anti-terror funding, no funding for your libraries, no funding for your fire departments and no funding for tourism. Lesson to be learned: the New Jersey Democrat majority will punish you if you dare vote for someone else.
Towns in legislative districts represented by Trenton's ruling Democratic Party got nearly 90 percent of $86 million in special state grants the past three years, even though officials proclaimed they had removed politics from the process, a Star-Ledger analysis has found
A review of 10 programs showed state officials repeatedly ignored a carefully crafted application process and instead distributed the money to satisy wishes of key Democratic lawmakers.
The grants helped towns pay for everything from Homeland Security equipment and tourism promotion, to library shelves and ramps for the disabled. They also went to expand fire departments, buy playground equipment and aid the destitute. In total, legislative districts dominated by Democrats got nearly $77 million, while Republican towns received $9.3 million, according to records obtained under the state's Open Public Records Act.
That from a Star-Ledger article by Rick Hepp (my emphasis). The article goes on to explain in more detail what grants went where, what high-ranking Democrat legislators were actully making the decisions on what towns received the money and that the entire grant program was devised to hide the fact that Democrat legislators would be making these calls.
I guess I'm fortunate that I live in a "blue" district with my assembly members and senator all Democrats. For the half of New Jersey that is just unlucky enough to have a Republican legislator, there is no anti-terror funding, no funding for your libraries, no funding for your fire departments and no funding for tourism. Lesson to be learned: the New Jersey Democrat majority will punish you if you dare vote for someone else.
