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Define 'smaller'... It's such an enduring myth that Republicans are smaller spenders; it just ain't so. These are US Dept. of Treasury numbers:
http://www.lafn.org/politics/gvdc/Natl_Debt_Chart.html



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He only spent the Soviet Union into the ground ('Star Wars', my @ss...) Again, take a look at his debt increases.



and as far as who his tax cuts (and anti-union efforts) were targeted for (and here's a clue - it's not you, JohnGalt, if you live in Jersey City, NJ), read this article by Paul Krugman, MIT PHD economist who was on Reagan's CEA (Council of Economic Advisors):
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/ ... the_great_wealth_transfer


Reagan laid the groundwork for our current Wal-Mart America - but he was quite the salesman, I'll give you that.

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and this nutty stuff just makes me crazy- this country started skewing to the right about 30 years ago, starting with Reagan (Nixon would be wa-hay too far left for the Republicans of today...) - and nobody's taken it on the chin more than the middle class during the transfer of wealth to the top .5% - check some census data.

sigh. with posts like that, maybe we get what we deserve.

I know, jennymayla - and I'm one of the complainers too, especially about Healy and the city council - I'm not putting myself above anybody.

But incompetence and corruption are one thing - with Bush Jr., Cheney, Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld - well, there's real evil there.


Real evil.

...and untold tens of thousands of Iraqis.


With all our talk about pet snakes, whole foods, and dog leashes, just thought I'd mention it.

Making Jersey City like Detroit would suit Healy just fine - that way, under Distressed City status he can continue to have the grown-ups at the state level fund the JC schools, allowing him to keep granting PILOTS on the waterfront (for whatever crumbs the slick Manhattan developers are throwing the tipsy NJ bumpkin major under the table ).


Come to think of it, the comparison is really apt - Detroit's mayor is a knucklehead too - google Kwame Kilpatrick

Good going, Manzo.

This point has already been made here several times. (developer shill posts notwithstanding)

Has this been posted yet? I just got it via email...

everybody should go!



When: Wednesday March 26, 2008

Time: 7 pm

Where: 440 Hoboken Avenue (intersection of Newark Ave and Hoboken Ave ). A large parking lot is availble for those driving.

Transportation: Location is a quick walk from the Journal Square PATH station. However, transportation will be made for those requesting it.

The Spring Kick Off meeting will address the goals of the petition process and the organizational structure of the field operations. This will be a great opportunity for you to learn more and meet with others from your community. Come pick up your packet if you have not already received it. Additional referendum petitions and voter registration forms will be made available.

In addition, you will also have the opportunity to meet April M. Kuzas, who is a Jersey City resident and is the former field director for a presidential campaign this past year. As well as being a volunteer in the Heights, April will be the point person for coordinating and organizing all of our field efforts and volunteers. If you have any questions in the future, about the meeting, need more petitions or would like to refer a new volunteer, please direct them to April. You can contact her by writing to info@betterjc.org.

We are looking forward to seeing you at the meeting. All new volunteers are welcome, so bring a friend. With your help, we will get these two referendum questions passed in November and change "business as usual" in Jersey City .

If you have any questions, comments, or problems, please contact us at info@betterjc. org.

Sincerely,
Steven Fulop

I too vote for Trader Joe's - a no brainer (unless they have a company policy against dealing with corrupt municipalities)

yeah that's the insulting thing, there's not even the courtesy of trying to hide the corruption....

I tried to find a good email address for Jonathan Miller this week - couldn't find one... if anyone knows it let us know!

we ordered delivery from there the other night, it took one hour and 10 minutes to get here, and the delivery person was really curt (maybe it was a bad night...)

food was just OK (i.e. not horrid like Wild Fusion)

we vote (hopefully) and try to get media attention.

If you're new here, Jersey City and Hudson County have a long history of political corruption (google Jersey City and "Hague" - or netflix "On the Waterfront").

I knew about that history when I moved here from the NYC, but the thing that surprised me (and at times bummed me out and at other times amused me) was just how whacked things still are - it's a shame because the potential is there for this to be a great place to live, and really, the time do something about it would have been *right now*, with all the development coming in and the new PATH trains soon.

But (lone crusaders on the City Council notwithstanding) I don't see it happening - not in time for me anyway.

Because, as Willie says, they look out for each other...

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once again, JCLaw nails it.


Willie Flood nails it too, when she says "This City Council, we look out for each other"


....I'm getting discouraged that things will change before I'm out of here....



we're just outnumbered.



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p.s. oh yeah, this was also spot-on (and to the point)

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I for one would get a kick out of reading these shill pieces - can somebody paste them in? GrovePath?

Willie proudly states:

"This City Council, we all look out for each other"

...one remarkable thing about this statement is that the implication is that they all have something to be on the look out for - that they all have something to hide.

...the other remarkable thing is that she almost seems proud of how well they cover up for each other - she's doesn't even try to deny the cover-ups are going on.

The way I see it, our best hope is to keep the media involved - because within Jersey City, I agree - the machine is firmly in place. We have to shed some light on what's going on here, lift up the rock to expose the insects crawling around underneath.


And there's still enough going on to interest the media - even recently (just off the top of my head):

1) Healy puts the lawyer appealing his Bradley Beach conviction on the city payroll as a $46,000 "legislative research officer" (that's the best fictitious title they could come up with??)

2) Flood's Mercedes (the same one junior was selling pot out of?) turns out to be actually registered to a shady NY contracting firm (IDI).


So if you think of it and have a minute, the next time something sketchy happens in JC (and it will), write an email to the media - here's a few addresses....


news-tips@nytimes.com

metro@nytimes.com

brianlehrershow@wnyc.org

NY post news tips - (212) 930-8500

http://www.wnbc.com/contactus/index.html

http://www.myfoxny.com/myfox/pages/InsideFox/ContactUs?pageId=5.11

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/feature?section=news&id=5767519

http://wcbstv.com/contact

yeah, comparing NYC to JC, why that would be like comparing a mayor who's been seriously considered for a presidential run to one who's been face down and cuffed for disorderly conduct in a bar parking lot.


...not to mention then putting the lawyer handling the disorderly charge on the city payroll...

re: the model of the Mercedes, I was just making a joke about Junior's side job (google '420')

I'm thinking a new reality series here - "The Floods" - a kind-hearted Jersey City councilwoman and her neer-do-well son, just trying to get by and "accomplish the task for the people"

...you can only what favors were involved in granny and jethro getting their hands on some *other* criminal's Mercedes Benz... but maybe it's just the barter system, maybe it's really a Mercedes model 420 SL.....

best thread title *ever*

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news flash, what a shocker - they're right on top of the PATH station - of course it's not, given Manhattan rents.


...same story for the upcoming Jrnl. Sq. development on the old Tamil Bros. site, although the developers now want to go back after the fact and renegotiate their deal to include taxpayer-financed low interest loans from the city, because credit markets happened to have tightened up after they signed the contract.

But then again it's the job of the city to absorb risk for the developers, isn't it?

cue ianmac47...

I play squash at the printing house, would love to see some courts (and some C+/B- 4.5 players!) in JC

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that's what I most like about Ox, as opposed to the petulant hipster staff at M&P and Beechwood.

thanks for doing that, super_furry, good going...

she's really great and needs the support (I keep forgetting to tell her to think about getting a sign when I'm in there!)

With all the complaining on these threads (a lot of it mine), *this* is what I like about JC: try to get something as down-home and authentic as Sava's in Manhattan - yet 3 blocks away is Ox if you want something like that instead...

As far as restaurants go, we're kind of right in the sweet spot in terms of gentrification vs. authenticity in JC these days.... I hope the Sava's and Shadmans of JC are able to survive the commercial rent increases after all these new units come online

I'd like to see his honor reconcile his claim of JC being a 'world-class destination' with his reliance on maintaining Distressed City status so the state can keep bailing out the JC school system, which he's short-changing through his continual PILOT-granting.

Also, he recently put the lawyer coincidentally defending his most recent alcohol-fueled Bradley Beach adventure on the city payroll as a "Legislative Research Officer"... He could explain exactly what that position entails.

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Easy... Obviously people seem to like this restaurant - I'm glad it's here and look forward to trying it.

But lighten up a bit and reread those first few posts... Even if they're 100% authentic and it's coincidental, tell me they don't they have that infomercial vibe (just-a-little-too-perky, just-a-little-too-info-packed...)

it had me picturing the posters wearing those brightly-colored Bill Cosby/infomercial sweaters

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...neither place would make a list of America's cleanest-run cities

You're confusing issues - if you read my post was was not about Epps' abilities, it was about his salary and the fact that he's been part-time (also being the state legislature) for most of the time.

it may be a great place - but not for nothing, those first few posts are definitively shills, they're almost comical.

Reminds me of those infomercials posing as talk shows..

my point being, Epps' salary demonstrates that the culture of the JC School system is not exactly about getting money to the students.

Plus, Healy is addicted to end-running the schools via PILOTS and wants to hold on to the "Distressed City" status, so the state will continue to bail him out.

I'm surprised you're surprised we come up short at the student level.