New Jersey Chamber On Board With Corzine

     Benjamin Franklin once said at the signing of the Declaration of Independence that "We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hand separately." So I have to wonder what they were thinking when the New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce backed Governor Jon Corzine's plan for massive toll hikes on state highways.  The very organization in place to have the best interest of business at heart sells out to politics.  If you can't count on the Chamber of Commerce to look after you, who can you count on. And for what? 

     Hazel Gluck, Chamber executive committee member said "the Governor’s plan is the best option available on the table to us to fix the state’s fiscal problems. It is time for us to move forward and get to the business of growing the economy. The Governor’s plan will help us to achieve the goal of making New Jersey a pro-investment state.”  Grow the economy, pro-investment?  How do you grow the economy when you force businesses who use New Jersey toll roads to transports their goods to face huge increases in the cost of moving those goods?  How is it helping grow the economy when working men and women are saddled with an 800% road tax?  Who wants to invest in a state that chokes its residents and businesses with tax after tax?  Not most businesses if you read how many companies are pulling up stakes and heading out of Dodge.

     String up the noose.  I think we're all about to hang separately. 

Bill Is Burying Hill

     Did you hear the latest?  Former President Bill Clinton says what we need to do is slowdown the economy if we are to address the "serious issue" of global warming.  First of all.  The evidence is out there for anyone to see.  All this hype over global warming is just that ... hype.  Three decades ago, if you remember, we were on the verge of an ice age.  Wake up everyone.  It's all about politics.  

     And if that's not bad enough. Now a former President of the United States is advocating slowing down the economy in the wake of a recession.  Yea, that's just the signal we need to be sending the rest of the world.  Bet Hillary is throwing china across the room this morning.  Her husband, his temper and reckless statements are quickly burying her in the ashes.  Obama needs to keep hammering away at the notion of "not knowing who he is running against".  If Hillary and her ideas aren't bad enough, her husband is easily putting the nail in the coffin of a failed race for the White House.   If she is to survive much longer Hillary needs to send Bill off on a long vacation ... and fast.

   

Private Property?

     Hey taxpayers of Middle Township (Cape May County, NJ)  you better ask for your money back.  It seems the local Board of Education feels that the Performing Arts Center in your township is private property.  That's right.  You paid for and now it's private property.  So, who is the private person or persons who own it?  

     If you didn't hear already, a former candidate for New Jersey Governor, Steve Lonegan and South Jersey Attorney and WIBG radio talk show host Seth Grossman were both arrested last weekend for protesting outside of a dog and pony show Governor Corzine brought to town to explain his plan to up the tolls on New Jersey highways.  (His way of fixing the fiscal mess we are in in Trenton).  So Lonegan and Grossman were handing out flyers explaining why we shouldn't buy into the Governors plan and they held up signs reinforcing the message.  They were both handcuffed and arrested after the Middle Township Board of Educations Walter Landgraf, the school district's business administrator told Lonegan he must take the protest off school grounds."It's not public property. It's owned by the Board of Education. There's a difference," Landgraf said. "You're going to have to leave the property, please. I'd like you to leave the school board's property."

     It's bad enough that the Governor is sticking it once again to the hard working residents of New Jersey with more taxes, now a taxpayer funded Public Arts Center is being referred to as private property.  How arrogant!   How disgusting!  How dare they!!!!

Corzine's Tax Explosion!

     Here we go again.  Stick to the residents.  Jon Corzine's proposed toll increase is ludicrous.  My question is, if the state is in such a terrible fiscal condition, why are we waiting until 2010 to implement the toll hikes?  I'll save you the guesswork.  Politics.  Elections.  That's why.  When are we going to learn in this state that liberal, tax and spend politicians are not the answer to our problems... THEY ARE THE PROBLEM.  I'm tired of hearing how we got here and how it's too late to go back.  The solution is ALWAYS more taxes, more fee's.  How about we cut the state workforce.  How about state legislators take a major salary cut.  Don't hold your breath.  And you know when the money starts to come it from the toll hikes, it won't be enough.  It's NEVER enough because politicians can't help themselves.  They are robbing us blind and we sit by and take it.  You know 200 years ago we had a Revolution in this country over less than this. 

Stories That Impact

     Sunday mornings Worship Service at Shore Fellowship was far reaching in its impact.  We planned one of the worship songs around an opportunity to tell real life stories of change.  The song, From The Inside Out tells of how Jesus changes lives from the inside out.  New lives, new direction, new purpose.  In the middle of the song we asked several members of Shore Fellowship to come on stage and share their life change story with everyone.  Nothing fancy or profound about that idea, but it was the story each of them shared that touched lives.  One by one they testified, this was my life before Christ; this is my life after finding Christ.  

     Each of our lives tell a story.  Some of us have a story of victory, others of struggles, failures, the ups and downs of life.  If you were to title the chapter of your life as you are experiencing it this very day, what would the title be?  No matter where your chapter finds you on your life journey, it's never too late to make the next chapter what I call, the turnaround chapter.  

     The chapters in our book already written can't be changed, but the next chapter is yet to be written. I encourage you to join us next Sunday morning at Shore Fellowship as Pastor Tim Chambers continues his series Blueprint For Life.  If you're reading this blog from somewhere other than Southern New Jersey, visit Shore's website and listen online.  Feel free to share your story with someone here.  Who's knows the far reaching impact it might have.

No Woman Is Illegal?

     Talk about gratuitous.  When Democratic Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton was visiting a Las Vegas neighborhood, a man told Mrs. Clinton that his wife is illegal and she compassionately responded that no woman is illegal.   What does that mean?  As President of the United States, Mrs. Clinton, I assume would raise her hand and pledge to uphold the Constitution and I do believe the laws of the land (enforced or not) do state that there are circumstances when people in this country are considered illegal and one would assume at least some of those illegals are women.  If this is how Mrs. Clinton views the issue of illegal immigration,  I have no faith in her ability to even come close to addressing this crisis.

     Then she said of failed mortgages and vacant neighborhoods, "We treat these problems as if one is guacamole and one is chips, when ... they both go together," she said.  I guess she was trying to relate to the neighborhood as she stood by taking notes and eating tortilla chips.  Forgive me if all of this causes me to choke on my chips.  Maybe next week when she visits Little Italy she'll compare the issue to spaghetti and meatballs or in Chinatown she'll talk about Kung Pow Chicken and Soy sauce.  Somebody stop me!! Now I'm hungry.

      The sad thing is politicians in general think this is the way to relate to the people and then they play on the fears of these people and all too many people buy into it.  Hillary Clinton can no more relate to these people in Las Vegas then you or I can relate to what it's like to be the Queen of England.  

Hate Crime Laws To Toughen In NJ

Well, they went ahead and did it.

The New Jersey Legislature is really into "feel good" legislation. Liberal judges don't enforce the laws already on the books. How is this going to make a difference. So, we do away with the death penalty for someone who brutally kills an individual in cold blood, but then again if they were thinking something racially or ethnically or sexually demeaning while they were committing the murder they what..... are sentenced to life in prison with weekly "sensitivity" training so when they get out for good behavior and murder again they'll remember to think good thoughts while committing the crime this time. The criminals have to be laughing themselves silly. How ridiculous!

Sorry For Slavery?

     So our state legislators vote to apologize to people who weren't alive when an injustice occurred on behalf of people who had nothing to do with what the legislators are apologizing for without those they are supposedly apologizing on behalf of ever asking them to apologize in the first place.  And that is supposed to accomplish . . . what? 

     Ironic isn't it; these same legislators who spend their time apologizing for the injustice of enslaving a people two hundred years ago refuse to find a way to free the citizens of New Jersey of all races which they (the legislators) enslave in debt, high taxes, levies, laws and fees that everyday force native sons and daughters out of this state.  Actually ironic is a nice way of putting it.  In reality, it's unconscionable and it's the members of the New Jersey State Senate and Assembly who should be ashamed of themselves and apologize to us for the shackles they place on all of us in 2008, not 1788.  On second thought.  Don't apologize.  Just do something about it.  That's why you were elected. 

      Just makes you shake your head in amazement doesn't it.

Watch Out! Here Come The Thought Police

     When the New Jersey State Assembly meets in its final session this coming Monday legislators will vote on a measure which if approved, will go a long way toward eroding our First Amendment rights.  The sad fact is, most people won't even pay attention and those who do take note most likely won't even understand what's at stake.   The legislation is A-4591, a measure designed to toughen hate crimes laws in New Jersey.  The State Senate already voted in favor of the companion measure last Thursday.  

     So what in the world could be wrong with being opposed to hate crimes.  Well, for one hate crimes legislation in general is severely flawed in its logic.  We've all heard the argument.  Someone kills an individual.  During the course of prosecution, we discover the murderer committed the crime because of their hate for the victim because of their race, gender or sexual orientation.  Oh, really.  Now we really have to punish the murderer.  I don't get the logic.  The victim is dead.  Does it really matter what the assailant was thinking when he or she committed the crime.  The crime is horrible enough.  I've never understood what difference it makes what the person was thinking when they intentionally committed the crime.  The result is still the same.  The punishment should be to the fullest extent of the law.  I don't care if the murderer was thinking, "Gee, I really hate this person" or "Gee, I have to kill them because if I don't they'll identify me to police when I leave the scene of the crime."

     As I see it, it's really all about "feel good" legislation.  We'll really give it to the murderer because of the hate.  That will make us all feel better.  It's ridiculous.

     This latest addition to the proposed legislation as written, strongly suggests that any expressed disagreement to homosexual behavior, "gender identity or expression" could be construed as bias intimidation.  In fact the bill specifies that if found guilty of "bias intimidation", the guilty party will be forced to attend "sensitivity training" which could have the effect of indoctrinating you to accept homosexuality or other "gender expressions" and reject your sincerely held beliefs.

     My concern and the concern of many others is that this legislation could dramatically impact free speech and freedom of religious.  How so, you ask?  What if a pastor decides to address his congregation on his Biblically held views regarding homosexuality?  Will he be hauled off to jail or sensitivity class?  We're not talking about someone advocating violence against any group.  We're talking about expression of deeply held beliefs.  What if someone asks your opinion about a certain group of people or issue, are you free to express that opinion without fear of being reported to the "thought police." This is very dangerous.   Our ability as a free people to openly express beliefs is a fundamental right guaranteed by our Constitution.  Don't let that right be taken away. Call your Assembly representative and urge them to vote NO!

What's wrong with this picture?

     So I'm driving behind this car today with multiple bumper stickers.  These are the ones I remember from left to right:

"Don't kill the whales.  Stop buying Japanese products."

"Keep Abortion Legal"

"Hugo Chavez"

"Pat Robertson Is A Terrorist"

     Someone help me here.   I'm sensing an ideology which isn't too difficult to follow. Give me a series of social, cultural, political and religious questions and I'm certain I could tell you where this person would fall on every issue.  I guess what I was really wanting to do as I followed this car was wave them over, offer to buy them a cup of coffee and try to figure out how they reached that ideology.   We are all in one way or another products of our current environment, our upbringing, what we are exposed to and sheltered from.  Sometimes I just have a hard time following the logic.  Am I alone?

Hold On . . . Global WHAT?

     The temperature hits 70 on a January day in Boston and all you hear is, "See Al Gore is right.  We are warming at an alarming rate.  Run for the hills!!!"  Bet you don't hear much made of the forecast in central Florida for today.  The weather forecasters are calling for a hard freeze and the possibility of snow flurries in Daytona Beach, Titusville and Palm Bay.   That's right, snow flurries.   And Al Gore gets a Nobel Prize and hundreds of thousands of dollars to speak all over an issue that in time will prove to be nothing more than politically motivated voodoo "science".   I'm afraid it's not the weather outside that's frightful.  It's Al Gore and his band of chicken little, sky is falling doomsayers. 

Take The Test

     I don't know anyone who really likes to take tests.  So why on this first day of the new year am I asking you to do something you probably don't want to do?  Because this test is very easy and the payoff can be enormous.  

     Every January 1st a majority of us sit down and decide how this year is going to be different.  We think through what we are going to stop and what we will start; habits we are determined to destroy and others we are convinced we can instill in our daily routines.  All two often it seems like we don't know where to start.  In our desire to make this year so much better than the last, we tend to bite off more than we can chew and that usually results in dropping much of what we resolve by the end of the first week.  

     So here is a simple place to start because we all need to start somewhere.  It comes in a statement by the American author Richard Bach who once said:  "Here is a test to find out whether your mission in life is complete.  If you're alive, it isn't."  So figure out what your mission is and then go for it with all the gusto you can muster.   You are alive today so make the most of it.  This past year with my diagnosis of Cancer I was awaken to the reality that nothing in this life is certain and we are not guaranteed tomorrow.  I still chew on that every day realizing over and over how I need to make every moment count, take in every breath with an understanding that it is a gift not to be squandered or taken lightly.  

     Another author  Alexander Woollcott said that there is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day.  How true is that.  Tell the expectant mother who's doctor says her baby needs two more weeks in the womb in order to survive that days are "unimportant".  Tell the service man or woman preparing to head off to war that each day left with his or her family is unimportant.  Tell a person who's been told they only have months or weeks to live that one day is unimportant. The sum of our lives is made up of "days".

    Go ahead.  Take the test.  I dare you.  Pinch yourself.  Are you still alive?  Then God who has breathed His life into you, isn't through with you yet.  He has put you where you are for this time in history for a purpose.  Don't miss your mission, your calling, your purpose.