Citizens only have real power over party bosses when serious candidates seek party nominations in primary elections, where voters and not power brokers get to decide who is going to hold public office. The marathon competition for the presidency being…
Category: Opinion
Voice of the People: The Audacity Of Character Assassination
by James J. Devine Somebody sent me the link to a video that portrays Sen. Barack Hussein Obama in the most sinister light, using images and words to invoke fear and loathing because these emotions are more likely to stop…
Difficult Budget Requires Resident Input
By Assemblyman Joseph Vas The New Jersey FY 2009 Budget process is in full swing and I would like to take the time to bring residents of the 19th Legislative District up to speed on what has been occurring. As…
Scoring Points!
By Michael M. Shapiro Last month, Senator Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex), chair of the state Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, scored points for fiscal responsibility and common sense by advocating the elimination of pension credit for part-time government employees. At the…
Reining In Out-of-Control Spending
By Michael M. Shapiro As New Jersey copes with its increasing budget woes, perhaps the Legislature should consider several measures that would help reduce out-of-control spending: unannounced audits and the elimination or transformation of pension credit for part-time government work.…
NJ’s Parks Are A Vital Resource
By Assemblyman John Wisniewski With 42 parks, 11 forests and more than 50 historic sites, New Jersey has a rich natural and cultural heritage. But we may soon lose the chance to enjoy some of our state’s most special natural…
Shapiro Report: It Is Time To “Change Congress”
By Michael M. Shapiro This past month, Stanford Law Professor Larry Lessig and Joe Trippi, former campaign manager for Howard Dean and senior advisor to John Edwards in their runs for the White House, teamed up to form “Change Congress,”…
Voice of the People: Another Taxpayer-Funded Political Hack Job
by James J Devine The first New Jersey lieutenant governor will be elected in 2009. When New Jersey selects our first lieutenant governor next year, that person will still not be someone with a statewide electoral mandate if he should…
The Shapiro Report: Fewer Foxes Guarding the Henhouse
By Michael M. Shapiro Last month, the New Jersey State Senate approved legislation that would ban members of the Legislature from serving on the Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards, the committee that investigates allegations of ethical impropriety made against…
What America Means To Me
by James J. Devine, Publisher, Atom Tabloid & Citizen-Gazette Some people are upset about an advertisement that appeared in newspapers I publish. Created by an organization – http://www.tompaine.com – that believes President Bush is using the call to arms against Iraq…