AFP Applauds Sen Doherty and Oroho for Introducing Cap-and-Trade Repeal Bill

Legislation Would Repeal Global Warming Response Act, End New Jersey’s Participation in RGGI Cap-and-Trade Scheme

BOGOTA, NJ – Americans for Prosperity is praising Senator Michael Doherty (R-23) and Senator Steven Oroho (R-24) for introducing legislation that would lead to New Jersey’s withdrawal from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) “Cap & Trade” program.

The legislation, which mirrors the bill introduced in the Assembly earlier this summer by Alison Littell McHose (R-24) and Michael Patrick Carroll (R-25), would repeal the Global Warming Response Act and the companion legislation that created the RGGI cap-and-trade-program originally passed in 2007 under Jon Corzine.

Currently, New Jersey is one of ten states participating in the RGGI cooperative. To date, eight RGGI auctions have taken place extracting over $660 million in revenue. New Jersey’s share of $65 million was diverted by Governor Christie in the FY 2011 budget to plug the revenue shortfall. And last week the governor announced plans to use RGGI funds to subsidize a wasteful windmill project off of New Jersey’s coast.

Senator Doherty issued the following statement: “There are many credible members of the scientific community that have questioned the theory of global warming. New Jersey's citizens and businesses do not need economically damaging regulations or energy based taxes that are prompted by the global warming hysteria of recent years.”

Americans for Prosperity state director Steve Lonegan thanked both legislators for taking a stand on this issue.

“Senators Doherty and Oroho both recognize that cap-and-trade is nothing less than an insidious tax on energy. They understand that such a tax will make our state less competitive, kill jobs, and force ratepayers to bear the cost in the way of skyrocketing utility bills.”

“In recent weeks, we have also discovered some stunning and disturbing news about the way the RGGI program operates. There is a total lack of transparency with RGGI bureaucrats refusing open records requests and failing to disclose the salaries of their employees; salaries paid by the taxpayers of New Jersey,” said Lonegan. “The clandestine way in which this program operates is all the more reason RGGI needs to be repealed and New Jersey needs to withdraw from this scheme now.”

“We thank Senators Doherty and Oroho for their courageous effort to put an end to the ill-conceived RGGI program and we look forward to other legislators, and the governor, joining with them to do what is in the best interests of our state.”

For more information on New Jersey’s cap-and-trade program, please visit www.NoNJCapAndTrade.com.

Anna Little Closes the Gap at 6% on Frank Pallone

Anna Little’s Grassroots Strategy Keeps Sixth District Race Close

Repeated Votes on Spending Also Keeping Incumbent’s Numbers Down

Highlands, NJ – In a poll released by the Anna Little for Congress campaign, Anna Little is only six points behind 22-year incumbent Frank Pallone. The poll, conducted by National Research Inc., shows Pallone at 40% and Little closing the gap at 34%. Perhaps most telling is that Pallone has nearly 100% name ID among voters in the district. “The more people learn about Anna Little, the more they like her and can see her as the right alternative to the incumbent. The voters already know about Frank Pallone and becoming increasingly uncomfortable with his out-of-touch voting record. He’s been in Washington too long and has become a bit too cozy with Nancy Pelosi.” commented campaign chair, Leigh-Ann Bellew.

Aside from Pallone’s voting history and strong support of Speaker Pelosi’s agenda, Anna’s campaign is running an unprecedented ground effort that is taking her message directly to the voters. During the past five weeks, Anna Little’s volunteer army has knocked on more than 10,000 doors in the Sixth District. A tireless campaigner, having won her past five elections for Mayor and Freeholder in similar fashion, Anna is comfortable taking her message directly to the voters.

Little said she was heartened and gratified by the results, though she admitted she is not surprised: “The arrogance of Frank Pallone and Nancy Pelosi aside, New Jersey voters have sent and are sending an unmistakable message to Democratic incumbents - stop spending money we don’t have and bankrupting our children. It seems that neither Governor Christie’s election nor the unsustainable path on which the Democrats in Congress have put America matter to entrenched incumbents like Frank Pallone and Nancy Pelosi. As Frank Pallone said at his town hall last year, he just knows better what’s good for us.”

Little’s ground game arrives in Manalapan this Saturday, August 28th, beginning with a meet and greet followed by dozens of volunteers and the candidate spending the day in the neighborhoods. The details will be announced on Wednesday, August 25th. All are welcome and members of the press are encouraged to attend.

An Afternoon at Frank Pallone's Open House

Aug 16, 4pm, Congressman Frank Pallone hosted an open house at his Long Branch office. About 30 tea partiers gathered outside to protest, while 25-30 people gathered on the porch and in the hallway hoping to see their representative. While waiting on the alley, there was very little evidence that anybody (including those coming out) managed to see Pallone, who apparently was hiding in his upstairs office.

It was a hot afternoon. One protester said he's as sweaty as a Democrat on election night. The tea partiers were told they can't "stand" on the sidewalk, so they marched up and down the road in front of the building. One of their chant was "Get out of Anna's house!"

Staffers invited me inside. One of them told me I have a nice camera and I can take pictures. Then she said I can't take pictures, but I can take notes. But the Congressman held only one-on-one meetings, and I can't join any of those. So I could only take notes of what? People sweating in a crowded room with no A/C?

One lady in her 80s comes out and she says Pallone couldn't help her. When asked what she needed help with she said "I need help getting into my grave". Silence followed. I wanted to suggest that Pallone co-authored ObamaCare, and thus he's actually helping her, but she continued with a rant about her husband's will, and how the grave was left out of it, and his son won't let her use it.

A teenage scout girl brings out candy. My friend Art asks her if she wants to see the Congressman and the girl is in shock. "Congressman?? I thought this is the funeral!" Quite understandable, since the people waiting in line to see Frank Pallone looked quite grim. Meanwhile, the tea partiers kept having fun, waving flags, responding to honks, and chanting.

Art is also talking to a senior lady who twice said that her relatives fought in the Revolutionary War. She says she came here to save the horses. No, not the horse racing at Meadowlands or Monmouth Park, but the horses out west which are slaughtered for the Europeans to eat.

After waiting for more than 2 hours in some cases, people are leaving the building. Pallone's staffers come outside to serve Kool Aid to the overheated people. All the staffers are very short and thin girls. And a boy. At least now I know what's his type.

I'll post a few more updates once I'm able to identify some people who actually spoke to Congressman Pallone. In the meantime, enjoy a few pictures!

Holt vs Sipprelle: Jobs

Rush Holt has a new section on his website dedicated to comparing his positions to Scott Sipprelle's. It's appropriate that he put JOBS at the top of the page, since economy and the jobs seem to be the most serious issue on the voters' mind going into the November elections. Here's the comparison that Holt makes:

Rush Holt:

• Helping create jobs with tax credits for small businesses.
• Created the New Jersey Technology Center to build the jobs of the new economy.
• Demanded that big banks that took government bail outs make more loans available.

Scott Sipprelle:

• Opposes raising the minimum wage.¹
• Opposes equal pay for equal work for women.²
• Profited by investing in and promoting corporations that shipped American jobs overseas.³

Let's go through the list, starting with Scott Sipprelle:

1. Economists are unanimous in agreeing that raising the minimum wage results in unemployment. It's a basic economic principle. Raising the minimum wage is good posturing as social justice, but it results in higher unemployment for those categories of workers that work at minimum age, especially teenagers. After the last minimum wage increase, teenage unemployment skyrocketed.

2. Holt still has to document Sipprelle's opposition to equal pay for women. What Sipprelle opposed is not equal pay, but a new law mandating it. Wages are settled on the labor market, and interfering with the free market always has unintended consequences. If a woman is paid less than a man in a certain job, that can be due to a lot of factors. Mandating equal pay, since it imposes artificial wages for certain female employees, will results in less jobs for women. Again, Sipprelle's position would prevent an increase in unemployment.

3. Did the rocket scientist ever wonder why would a company ship jobs overseas? It's because of the high payroll taxes they're subjected to here, to the vast array of Government regulation which increases the cost of employing in the US, and (especially now) because of the climate of incertitude regarding new taxes and regulations that may come (like health care insurance costs, union mandates, carbon taxes, expiring or not expiring tax cuts). Scott Sipprelle's positions would definitely help contain all those reasons for companies to outsource jobs overseas. Holt still didn't mention what his incentives for companies to hire are.

Now on to Rush Holt:

1. What credits exactly? I have a small business and I'm not receiving anything. I just have to pay more and more taxes and I see no logical economic reason of hiring anyone right now.

2. What? Where? How does that help?

3. Wait, isn't that how our current crisis started? By Government forcing banks to make loans to borrowers who should't have otherwise received them? If a bank considers it safe to make a loan, it will make it, that's how banks make profits and bankers get rich! If they don't make a loan to someone, it's because they consider the risk outweighs the benefits. And now Holt again wants to force banks to make loans to borrowers who might be able to pay back??

The bottom line is: who would you trust more about the economy and jobs? A bookish rocket scientist, or an investor and small business owner?