Click on the image above to figure out how much it will cost you to use the NJ Turnpike in the future. 

Gov. Jon Corzine gave his state of the state speech the other day and I think he is proposing changes that are too late and too little. Currently New Jersey has $32 billion dollars in bonded debt. This means that every person in New Jersey is responsible for $3,700 of that $32 billion. Gov. Corzine mentions that the first $860 dollars of state taxes paid immediately goes to paying this debt and the interest on the debt. Gov. Corzine has a four step plan for getting rid of debt:

1. Freeze spending at this year’s current level.

New Jersey brings in $31.9 billion dollars in revenue but the budget for the current year is $33.3. It does no good to freeze spending that already exceeds your revenue. Why has the state committed $500 million dollars to stem cell research when the people of NJ voted against public funding of stem cell research? This year there is $10 million dollars in the budget to fund stem cell research. In a state where everyone is suppose to be well off, why is the state putting out $3.5 billion dollars in welfare? New Jersey is very good to illegal immigrants. They get free education and medical from the state. Can we afford to continue funding people who do not pay taxes? The state has committed an additional $1 million dollars to building a World War II memorial. This brings state funding to $3.6 million dollars for the memorial. I am all for building a memorial, if the state had the money.This is something that private fundraisers should concentrate on, not a state with serious budget issues. Special interest projects need to come out of the budget! If it is not essential to daily operations then it needs to be crossed off until the state can afford to fund it. I won’t even go into how inefficient local governments and the NJ public school system is in this entry. But lets say that funding for education in this state is a joke and there is a real need to consolidate the number of school districts to reduce the cost of providing an education to NJ students.

2. Future budgets will not be allowed to exceed recurring revenue growth.

It already does this year, and you can be guaranteed it will in future years.

3. Utilize toll roads to pay down 50% of the State’s debt and fund statewide transportation investments for a generation.

I know this does not sit well with most people from NJ, however there has not been an increase in toll roads since the 17% increase in 2003. The fact is that half of the people who use these roads are from out of state and Gov. Corzine wants to use their money to fix New Jersey’s problem. However 50% of those using the toll roads are from NJ and a lot of them are providing goods and services.  This means that you as the consumer will pay more for goods in NJ and there will be an increase of traffic on local roads from people who can’t afford the tolls.

4. All future debt issued without a dedicated revenue source must be approved by the voters.

It does not matter what voters tell the state capitol. They do what they want to do based on the special interest groups that give them the money to run for office. Remember $10 million for stem research. I recall voting no to that when I voted in November.

The bottom line is that the state needs to cut spending, not just freeze spending. It needs to end funding for non-essential items until spending and the debt is under control. This state needs to act as though it is a family in deep financial crisis. We need to call Oprah. She has lots of financial wizards on her show helping people get out of debt. We need experts, not our current legislature.

I was searching for more information about the man who threw his four children off a bridge and eventually landed on this article and graphic about people committing suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. The article is a few years old but still relevant. Jumping from a bridge is not an easy way to go according to the author Edward Guthmann. He states the following in his series, “In fact, there’s nothing peaceful in a jump from the bridge. Once a person dives, depending on where he or she jumps, the body plummets 240 to 250 feet in four seconds, traveling about 75 mph, and hits the water with the force of a speeding truck meeting a concrete building. Some die instantly from extensive internal injuries; others drown in their own blood.” Personally I think the man who tossed his kids off the bridge should be taken on a field trip to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. Oops did he fall?

By KENNETH DEAN
Staff Writer, Tyler Morning Telegraph

“Sheriff’s officials were astounded Thursday by a letter requesting the man accused of murdering his girlfriend and possibly participating in cannibalism be placed on a vegetarian diet to keep him from being “involved in any senseless killing” while incarcerated.

The letter was faxed to the Smith County Sheriff’s Jail from the national headquarters of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Thursday morning.

The Tyler Morning Telegraph received a copy of the letter before officials and notified Sheriff J.B. Smith.

“You have to be kidding me, right?” was his initial reaction to the news of the letter asking the jail to feed Christopher Lee McCuin, 25, a special vegetarian diet and no meat.
McCuin is jailed for the murder of 21-year-old Jana Shearer and authorities have said, in previous stories, that when McCuin was taken into custody there was an ear boiling in a pot of water on the stove and a plate on the kitchen table with what appeared to be human flesh and a fork. ”

By MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press Writer

“WASHINGTON – Nearly half the Senate is pushing the Bush administration to let gun owners carry handguns and other firearms into national parks and wildlife refuges.

Forty-seven lawmakers have signed a letter asking Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to lift Reagan-era restrictions that prevent citizens from carrying readily accessible firearms onto lands managed by the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Current regulations, developed in the early 1980s, “infringe on the rights of law-abiding gun owners who wish to transport and carry firearms on or across these lands,” the senators wrote.”

HOUSTON (Reuters) – A Houston-area man was killed in a hunting accident after his dog stepped on a loaded shotgun in the back of a pick-up truck, triggering a blast that pierced the vehicle and the hunter’s leg, a local sheriff said.

Perry Price, a 46-year-old math teacher, shot a goose on Saturday then put his gun in the back of the truck where the dog was waiting to retrieve the bird.

“I’ve been in law enforcement 20 years and this is probably the strangest one I’ve had,” said Chambers County Sheriff Joe LaRive.

Investigators found paw prints and mud from the dog, a chocolate Labrador retriever named Arthur, on the shotgun, LaRive said.

Price was taken to a local hospital, but died from a loss of blood after doctors were unable to revive him.

(Reporting by Anna Driver in Houston, editing by Todd Eastham)

Last month Otis Blunt and Jose Espinosa escaped from the Union County Jail. Their escape has been compared to the Shawshank Redemption escape.  They used pictures of women to cover holes they dug through cinderblock walls.  Jose Espinosa was captured last night a mere 6 blocks from the jail. He clearly was not the brightest person in the world but in all fairness he had suffered a leg injury in his escape. As I sit here in a cast, I know all about leg injuries. I do believe that I could have made it further than 6 blocks.  Apparently Otis Blunt has made it to Mexico because the Reverand Al Sharpton flew down to Mexico City where he spoke with Otis Blunt via the telephone. His spokesperson said that the Reverand Al had no way of knowing if Otis Blunt was in Mexico City. This begs the question, why did the Reverand go to Mexico City? Was this cheaper than talking long distance? Reverand Al needs Vonage. It is only 1 cent a minute to call Mexico!

 

“HARRISBURG, Pa. — A woman who promised a sperm donor he would not have to pay child support cannot renege on the deal, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled. The 3-2 decision overturns lower court rulings under which Joel L. McKiernan had been paying up to $1,500 a month to support twin boys born in August 1994 to Ivonne V. Ferguson, his former girlfriend and co-worker. “This court takes very seriously the best interests of the children of this commonwealth, and we recognize that to rule in favor of (McKiernan) in this case denies a source of support to two children who did not ask to be born into this situation,” Justice Max Baer wrote in the majority opinion issued last week. “Absent the parties’ agreement, however, the twins would not have been born at all, or would have been born to a different and anonymous sperm donor, who neither party disputes would be safe from a support order,” Baer wrote….”

I applaud the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for its decision to hold Ivonne Ferguson responsible for her actions. It blows my mind that after entering into a contract with Joel McKiernan, she decides she wants help supporting the child she chose to bring into this world. There is also a story about a NY man who is being sued after donating his sperm to a lesbian couple.  The couple broke up and now the man is being sued to support a college bound child. In another case a Swedish man is being forced to support three children born to a lesbian couple who have since divorced. The biological mother sued the man for child support after the women broke up.  These are only three of the numerous stories I found regarding sperm donors and child support. I think the people making the decision to have children should be responsible for supporting the child. If lesbian couples break up and children are involved, then both should contribute to supporting children resulting from their relationship. I think it is easier for the courts to battle over cases such as the Pennsylvania case because it does not bring up the issue of recognizing gay couples and their rights in this country.  The decision to have a child is huge and sperm donors are not choosing to have a child. They are choosing to help someone who otherwise would not be able to have children on their own. Litigation from mothers who now want help, endangers the very system they used to have their children. The biggest lessons for all men contemplating making a donation, is to get the contract in writing. Don’t engage in do it yourself donations; go to a clinic. Request that you name not be used on the birth certificate. Do not allow the child to call you Dad. Do not make a habit of giving gifts to the child.

FULLERTON, Calif. – Police said they arrested a man who acknowledged digging holes on a park bike trail as payback for nearly being run down by a cyclist. Warren John Wilson, 52, faces a single felony count of vandalism, police Sgt. Linda King said Friday. King said nearly 50 holes measuring about 1 foot by 2 feet have been found since June along a trail at Laguna Lake Park, and in some cases attempts had been made to hide them from cyclists. She said some riders went over their handlebars after hitting the holes, but none reported major injuries. Detectives watching the trails questioned Wilson, who said he had nearly been run over by a mountain bike rider and began digging the holes in retaliation, King said. Police said Wilson had been released from custody. A phone listing for him could not be found.

I tend to snicker when I see those Share the Road signs. I know that many drivers do not pay enough attention to cyclists, however I have seen some very irresponsible cyclists in and around town. My husband thinks that all bikers should be required to wear white or yellow. Today we were driving in a very wooded area and the cyclist had on hunter green and brown. The guy is not duck hunting, he is sharing the road with moving vehicles and they need to see him. I have also been in areas where bikes share paths with walkers/hikers. I have seen a few crazy cyclists, but never thought of digging a hole. 

I was reading over at Today In Art and I saw this piece by artist Ron English. English’s work takes on the corporate world and puts a very satirical spin on popular images. I am fascinated by pop art and I have not come across a piece that I like as much as this one in a long time.

(Photo by Ticalian)

By Terry Gauthier Muessig

“Two more lawsuits have been filed opposing the state Department of Transportation’s planned replacement of the Route 36 drawbridge over the Shrewsbury River.

The suits, filed by Citizens for Rational Coastal Development and the borough of Sea Bright on Dec. 20 in federal District Court in Trenton, seek an injunction to stop the construction process. They claim the project is too large and expensive, would destroy the quaint feel and scenic views of the area and would be hazardous to pedestrians and bicyclists crossing the bridge….”

I have lived along Route 36 for a year now and I have to say that this bridge is a real sore spot to the community.  I think most people agree that the bridge is in need of repair and updating. However the current DOT plan is going to replace a small drawbridge in a quaint beach front community with  a large spanning bridge more along the lines of what you find on a super highway. Most people traveling to Sandy Hook beaches use this bridge. The current bridge is two lanes in each direction and is a draw bridge so that boats can travel along the Shrewsbury River. The proposed new bridge would be 73 feet high and 92 feet wide. This would be like adding a two and a half story building to the current bridge’s height and adding a 3 story easement to the side of the current bridge. During the summer traffic to Sandy Hook is horrible, however I don’t think making the bridge bigger is going to help that. Traffic will still continue to back up on 36 in both directions heading to the beach. I guess the next step would be to expand Route 36 into a 6 or 8 lane highway. But what happens to bike baths and to the retaining walls?  Plus traffic is not bad from September until the end of May. I know that there are people who want to expand Sandy Hook and Seabright but why does it have to be at the expense of the area around the bridge. Why build an eyesore that will forever change the look and feel of the area? Isn’t the beach and the beach communities what draw people to the area? Who wants to look at a bridge? This is a quaint beach front community that does not need a super highway bridge to handle beach traffic. I think the area should look at tolls for non-residents. NYC is considering a toll to cut down on vehicles and current tolls for NJ residents entering the city will go up in the next few months. I think the DOT and local communities can reach some sort of compromise.

ARDMORE — An Oklahoma man was arrested after police say he stabbed another man in the neck with a pork chop bone during a food fight. Police in Ardmore, Oklahoma responded to call of a fight outside a local business New Year’s day. When they arrived, they found the victim covered in blood with a puncture wound to his neck.Police arrested the suspect, 38-year-old Tony Willis a few block from the crime scene. According to authorities, Willis had blood on his clothes and they found the bone used in the attack.

The victim was treated at a local hospital and released.  

Jeff Carlton of the Associate Press wrote:

“Three times during his nearly 27 years in prison, Charles Chatman went before a parole board and refused to admit he was a rapist. His steadfastness was vindicated Thursday, when a judge released him because of new DNA evidence showing he indeed wasn’t. The release of Chatman, 47, added to Dallas County’s nationally unmatched number of wrongfully convicted inmates.”

Dallas County has a problem with convicting innocent people of crimes they did not commit. In fact of any county in the United States, Dallas County has the most cases overturned because of DNA evidence showing that the person convicted did not commit the crime. The state of Texas has the highest number of overturned cases in the United States. Despite having an alibi, Charles Chatman was sentenced to 99 years for aggravated assult. There was one black member on his jury.  DNA evidence proved that Charles Chatman was not guilty and he was released after serving 26 years.  What is going on with the state of Texas? Why has there not been a review of all cases in Dallas County? If there was such a rush to convict these people, where is the rush by Dallas County to review all cases in question. It sounds like there may be more innocent people sitting in jail wrongfully.

The Innocence Project of Texas assisted Mr. Chatman is overturning his conviction. The Innocence Project of Texas  is a group of projects from different Texas Universities that use student volunteer time to investigate claims of innocence by inmates in the prison system.

“A guard who was named in a cheeky thank-you note left by two inmates when they chiseled their way out of their cells was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot Wednesday, the same day he was to be interviewed about the jailbreak, authorities said. The body of Rudolph Zurick, 40, was found at his home in Middlesex County, said attorney Michael J. Mitzner. Zurick had not been charged in the Dec. 15 break from the Union County jail and had been cooperating with the investigation, Mitzner said. The inmates left behind a thank-you note, signed with a smiley face, that named Zurick, thanking him for the tools they used a thick piece of wire and a 10-pound steel water shut-off wheel. “You’re a real pal! Happy Holidays,” said the note, which also included a drawing of a hand with an upraised middle finger.”

 http://www.newsweek.com/id/83090