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I don't see that as entitlement, I see that as sound housing policy.

Requiring developers who receive tax breaks to include some set aside for those with lower income is one way to ensure that cities have affordable housing, and that the affordable housing is spread throughout the city, rather than just concentrated in massive housing projects. It helps avoid creating areas with massive concentrations of poverty and joblessness, which ultimately has a negative effect on the entire city.

A developer who demands a tax break to build luxury housing, then says he or she shouldn't have to give something back as a condition of the tax break, now THAT'S a symbol of entitlement.

"He is saying that it is not right for a public employee to run for office," Connors said. "I think his philosophy is un-American."

Connors said that he received the $632,575 salary from his staff, who had researched Fulop's earnings. "It must be nice to leave a job and still continue paying your mortgage," Connors said.

Sure public employees trying to make difference. Not trying to pad a pension. I.E. GREED.

"It must be nice to be offered the HCDO line for an position because you causing trouble in the Heights." Oh and their support.

Sean Connors is one of the stupidest pols in Hudson County. So of course, he's rising to the top of the leasdership. Ugh

Steve Fulop, Jersey City Councilman, Called 'Un-American' By Political Rival

09/06/2012 3:02 pm
By John Celock
The Huffington Post

A New Jersey Democrat is fighting back after a political rival described his recent comments against party officials as "un-American," compared him to Mitt Romney and called him a "1-percenter."

Jersey City Councilman Steve Fulop (D) called comments made by Assemblyman Sean Connors (D-Jersey City) "ludicrous," pointing to the story of his family's immigration to the United States and his own service as a Marine in Iraq.

Connors told PolitickerNJ.com that earlier this week Fulop criticized a series of elected officials and the Hudson County Democratic Organization who are backing Jersey City Mayor Jerry Healy (D) in the 2013 mayoral race. Fulop, a longtime opponent of the organization, has announced plans to challenge Healy in the mayoral race of New Jersey's second-largest city.

Connors specifically went after a comment Fulop made about a list of endorsements Healy released this week. Fulop said that he is looking for support from Jersey City residents and characterized Healy's backers as "career politicians" who "have 15 jobs between them."

Connors, a Jersey City police officer, told PolitickerNJ.com that he found Fulop "hypocritical" for the remarks, noting that Fulop received backing from congressional candidate Don Payne earlier this year. Payne currently serves as Newark City Council president and as an Essex County freeholder.

PolitickerNJ.com reports:

"The elected officials that endorsed Mayor Healy were dedicated civil servants prior to running for office," [Connors] added. "All of them passed civil service or licensing tests and met the necessary requirements and training. The fact that Mr. Fulop is demonizing civil servants such as police officers, firefighters and teachers for wanting to make a difference in our community by running for public office is Un-American. I think it?s great that Steve Fulop took 14 months off from his $632,575 a year Wall Street job to run for Mayor but he should not be trying to prevent others with lesser means from running for public office. Mr. Fulop cannot relate to the struggling working class residents of Jersey City that cannot afford the same luxury of quitting their jobs for over a year to run for mayor. The one per centers like Steve Fulop and Mitt Romney need to stop trying to control everything.?

Fulop is the second Democrat nationally in recent weeks to be called "un-American" by a political opponent. In August, Republican Ohio U.S. Senate nominee Josh Mandel characterized Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) as "un-American" for his vote in favor of the auto bailout. Mandel, the Ohio treasurer and retired Marine, later said Brown "should be ashamed" of the vote.

Fulop, who left Goldman Sachs and enlisted in the Marines following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, responded to Connors Thursday morning by noting his service and that his parents immigrated from Israel. Fulop also denied he made $632,575 while on Wall Street, saying he was paid less. Fulop left his job as a trader at Sanford Bernstein to focus on his mayoral campaign earlier this year.

"It is sad that the Healy lieutenants resort to name-calling me 'un-American'. Yes, my family is immigrants, yes, my family owned a bodega, but I also volunteered to serve the country in the Marine Corps, and yes, I care deeply about the city and the way it is run and that is the reason that I am trying to change the status quo," Fulop said in an email.

"It is ludicrous to say I am un-American because I come from a family of immigrants that owned a bodega as I would point out that when I was serving in Iraq, they were padding their multiple public pensions here in Hudson County."

Connors told HuffPost that he was not calling Fulop "un-American," but rather was using that to describe [Fulop's] political philosophy. He noted that the five officials who backed Healy -- himself, Hudson County Executive Tom DeGIse (D), Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith (D), Assemblyman Jason O'Donnell (D-Bayonne) and Hudson County Freeholder (D-Jersey City) -- had all started their careers in government and should be allowed to run for office as well.

"He is saying that it is not right for a public employee to run for office," Connors said. "I think his philosophy is un-American."

Connors said that he received the $632,575 salary from his staff, who had researched Fulop's earnings. "It must be nice to leave a job and still continue paying your mortgage," Connors said.

UPDATE: 2:53 p.m. -- On Tuesday, the Jersey Journal disputed Fulop's count of 15 public jobs being held by DeGise, O'Donnell, Connors, Smith and Dublin. The newspaper said that the group held a total of eight public jobs.

Dublin serves as a public works inspector for Jersey City and a school administrator, while O'Donnell is public safety director in Bayonne and former firefighter. Smith was a police officer before becoming mayor, while DeGise was a teacher and Jersey city councilman.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09 ... n-american_n_1861195.html

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Are you so lacking in imagination that you can't envision what our country would be like without the 13% of the budget we spend on the safety net? Dickens ain't in it, you'd have ragged sick children and elderly begging on every streetcorner. Talk about un-American! But I guess the real Americans will be huddled with their guns (or their armed security staff) in their gated compounds.

As a small businessman, I'm all for tax fairness, but we get hosed in favor of big business every time, and it's the big business that owns Congress. Before my wife was lucky enough to get a job with healthcare, I had to buy my own, starting when it was 0% deductable. Yes, a corporation could give a 100% deductable gold plated policy to it's executives, but when I have to buy it, our leaders explained that making self employed health plans deductable would cost the budget too much. THATS your class warfare, the Congress owning class against the rest of us.

It's such a hoot that the 1% have been warring on us since Reagan, but we're accused of starting it when we wake up and call them on it. It's grade school "he who smelt it dealt it" on a epic scale. 30 years of "trickle down", and guess what, nothing has trickled down, they've kept it all.

Who printed YOUR money?

How dare that liberal Fulop call for higher taxation on the rich? Who does he think he is? Wanting higher taxes on the rich? So that . . . he . . . has to pay more taxes? WTF? That's un-American!

Let me provide some moderation.

Not every person born in America started out on an equal footing. The history of racism, prejudice, and sexism is the cause. Just because we have a black president and a woman ran for president, doesn't mean the end of the above. Also, because of the above, those in power created policies which benefited their descendants so now we have unequal tax policy which benefits the rich.

However, there are those in government programs which should not be in those programs. There is also no incentive for many to get off those programs. Also, when I see people on this forum who think there should be "affordable housing" in luxury condos, I cringe at the entitlement state we are in.

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To quote Mayor Booker:
"...when your country is in a costly war, with our soldiers sacrificing abroad and our nation facing a debt crisis at home, being asked to pay your fair share isn't class warfare?it's patriotism."

No, Brewster, to me being American means low taxes on small businesses, which are a backbone of America. Are they not?

Demonizing the "rich" - WTF - over $250K/year you are rich in NYC - you have to be kidding me - that's TAKING.

That's TAKING from those who ACTUALLY WORK their asses off, to give to those who don't give a SHITE.

That's un-American. And that is the crux of this election.

Take it from those who have worked and actually BUILT something, and give it to those who feel they are ENTITLED to MY money.

Class warfare, if you ask me.

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Stillinjc OWNED.

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Ah yes, the "Democrats hate America" gambit. WTF is wrong with people that they can't come up with something more substantial than McCarthyite nonsense?

What's your American? Carrying a gun, believing in hokum, and being proudly ignorant of "book learnin"?

Haha, Hudson County liberals accusing each other of being un-American....

You have no idea of what being American is.

Awesome. Connors is the poster child for everything wrong with Hudson county politics: he's the not particularly bright nephew of an ex mayor who was convicted of bank fraud and is a master of dirty political tricks. Connors has been pushed on us by the machine again & again to pad his resume till he looks substantial enough to run for mayor. Makes one wonder about the merit of that detective shield. And then he has the stones to accuse someone who volunteered for the Marines DURING WARTIME of being un-american!!

That is probably one of the dumbest statements that I have heard from a politician (Connors). Curious as to who the pol is with the public disability. Anyone know?

Jersey City assemblyman calls councilman 'un-American,' ties him to Mitt Romney

Thursday, September 06, 2012, 11:56 AM
By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal

Jersey City?s mayoral election is still eight months away, but the campaign is flaring up, with one of Mayor Jerramiah Healy?s surrogates slamming mayoral candidate Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop as ?un-American? and tying him to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Assemblyman Sean Connors, who was one of five Hudson County Democrats this week to endorse Mayor Jerramiah Healy in his bid for reelection in 2013, said Fulop?s recent comments about the Healy campaign displayed a lack of maturity and an inability to cultivate healthy relationships with other city leaders.

?The fact that Mr. Fulop is demonizing civil servants such as police officers, firefighters and teachers for wanting to make a difference in our community by running for public office is un-American,? Connors said in a press release.

On Tuesday, Fulop slammed the five endorsements released by the Healy campaign, saying the five men ?have 15 jobs between them,? and endorsed Healy because he represents the ?status quo.?

By The Jersey Journal?s count, the five men who endorsed Healy Tuesday ? Connors, Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise, Bayonne Freeholder Jeff Dublin, Assemblyman Jason O?Donnell, Mayor Mark Smith ? have eight public jobs between them, and one public disability.

Connors, who claims Fulop tried to get his endorsement recentl, also took a shot at Fulop?s employment status. In March, Fulop said he was taking a leave from his day job as a Wall Street trader to concentrate on the 2013 mayoral race.

?Mr. Fulop cannot relate to the struggling working class residents of Jersey City that cannot afford the same luxury of quitting their jobs for over a year to run for mayor,? Connors said. ?The one per centers like Steve Fulop and Mitt Romney need to stop trying to control everything.?

Fulop called Connors' statement "sad" and the charges that he is un-American "ludicrous."

"Yes, my family is immigrants, yes my family owned a bodega, but I also volunteered to serve the country in the Marine Corps and, yes, I care deeply about the city and the way it is run and that is the reason that I am trying to change the status quo," Fulop said in a statement.

Fulop, who said is a supporter of President Obama, added: "As I would point out that when I was serving in Iraq, they were padding their multiple public pensions here in Hudson County."

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... ty_assemblyman_calls.html