Some of you may remember last summer when I was repeatedly posting all of the bad things that happen in Ocean Township, New Jersey. My purpose was to constantly spin these “bad” news stories against the completely horrific manner in which Ocean Township singles out and goes after college students. Monmouth University students are - by and large - a credit to the community. They engage in mandatory community service for many of their on-campus organizations as well as bolster the economy by living in what would other be vacant housing. I’ve got news for all of the pompous homeowners that hate these rental houses…vacant housing doesn’t pay the property tax bill and the less property taxes that are collected, the more YOU have to pay to make up for it.

In any event, I digress. Another story popped up in my favorite local paper the other day, The Coaster. Seems that TWENTY-TWO underage kids were arrested at a “drinking party” during the last week or so of August. Now, I don’t condemn the kids as much as I condemn the parents in these situations. I do, however, think that there is an alarming situation in Ocean Township.

That is, I think it is absolutely crazy that these types of stories are looked at with wonder and amazement by the local adults. What? You guys were never kids? You never gathered at a friend’s house and got drunk when you were in high school? Okay, I submit that kids today are much stupider and generally more likely to drink and do experimental drugs than ten, twenty, and maybe even 30 years ago. I’ll give anyone that in the argument.

What I won’t give is that these kids are doing what kids do. Again, I’m no genius, but there has got to be a level of comfort between parents and their kids where the kids can hang out and begin to feel a degree of freedom, but are still safe in the process. I don’t have kids so I have little room to talk about what that level of comfort might entail.

I have, however, suffered through going to college while renting a house in Ocean Township and I have to make this point…

Maybe if the police and township officials and nosy neighbors didn’t spend September through May going after generally harmless (and of age) college students, they wouldn’t have a huge underage drinking problem with their “locals.” Just something to consider…

Governor Jon Corzine signed a bill yesterday that bans people from holding dual elected position in New Jersey. This is great! Except for one little detail…

It’s not a retroactive bill.

In other words, all of the guys and gals who are in office TODAY that are abusing the dual office clause in New Jersey will not be forced to choose one or the other. Alright, so not all of them are corrupt, but let’s think about this logically for a moment.

This ban came into place because of guys like Sharpe James and others currently in the legislature who are not doing right by both of their constituencies. An ethics battle erupts in New Jersey’s legislature (thank God - because the people really wanted this issue figured out). Reforms are suggested, ironically enough, by Sharpe James (a poor attempt to save his political career and legacy). The reforms are passed! The people celebrate…then they realize that this applies to all incoming elected officials and not the ones who are currently in office - the ones who brought about the need for these reforms in the first place!

Here are the particulars of the bill, courtesy of the Asbury Park Press:

Ban anyone from holding more than one elected office at a time. The law allows current dual-office holders to remain in place until they retire or lose an election.

Make it a crime to knowingly misuse public tax dollars or other resources. The offense would be punishable by up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $200,000.

Allow courts to impose fines for corruption cases involving state, county or municipal contracts.

Require legislative voting records to be posted online. The votes will remain online for two legislative sessions (four years).

I like the legislative voting records being posted online. Of course we all know that the biggest consumers of this information will be newspapers and political campaigns (which is a real shame). I also like the fact that misuse of public money is punishable by up to 20 years in jail or a fine of up to $200,000. Good!

So, as always in New Jersey, we’ll settle for a bill that has some good parts and some bad parts. The saving grace here is that the bad parts will eventually expire as either the bad officeholders die out, retire, or lose an election.

While we wait for that, though, check out New Jersey Carpet Cleaning for the best carpet cleaning in the Garden State!

The Asbury Park Press ran an article this morning talking about how Governor Money Bags signed a provision into law that can lead to the elimination of non-functioning school districts. What is a non-functioning school district? These are districts where a school board exists, but there are no schools.

For you non-New Jerseyans out there: Yes, we have school districts and school boards with no schools for them to “district” or “board” over. Welcome to another example of New Jersey’s fiefdom mindset.

The newspaper presented a case where there is a school district with 5 or 6 kids, all who are placed in local schools outside of their district. The most interesting quotes that I found in this article are as follows:

“They want to shut down the nonoperating school districts because they don’t realize how efficient we are,” a borough resident said. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

and

“Keep your hands off,” said the president of the Lake Como school board. “It sounds good in the newspaper (to cut nonoperating districts). In reality, it’s ridiculous.”

I would never take anything away from the arguments that these fine citizens are making, but in reference to the first quote - did it ever occur to this resident that the school boards are running efficiently because there is NO SCHOOL for them to preside over? “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?” How can something be broken when it doesn’t even fulfill its primary goal to begin with!?

And with respect to the Lake Como school board President, I’m sorry but it is not ridiculous to eliminate egregious expansion of government bodies in New Jersey. It’s just not, period.

So as this battle seems ready to rage in New Jersey, I wonder what the rest of the nation is like with their school boards. Anyone with any information is more than welcome to add their thoughts.

Everyone else should check out New Jersey Carpet Cleaning for the best carpet cleaning in the Garden State!

The local news media are reporting that the West Long Branch Zoning Board vote of 5 to 1 in favor of expanding the Monmouth University campus has been upheld by a State Appellate Panel. Some of the folks living around the university took it upon themselves to fight against this approval, citing petty collusion between the university and township officials. Someone even blasted a local Committeeman because his daughter received an academic scholarship from the university. What a disgraceful charge to levy at the Committeeman…

That’s the problem with local politics in America today - anyone with a voice feels that they are entitled to their day in court and this holds up the progress of the greater good. An article in today’s Asbury Park Press cites that 36 families have been fighting against the expansion of the university…but you do NOT see it listed anywhere that well over 200 families in the town have supported the university and many more families just don’t care either way. I live down the street from the university and while I do not publicly support Monmouth’s desire to expand, I can certainly agree with the vast silent majority in West Long Branch that we don’t mind the expansion.

Now, some people will claim, “Well I live across the street from the university and quality of life is low and blah blah blah.” Sorry, but if you live next a community swimming pool, do you complain that people are swimming there? If you live next to a gym, do you complain that people are coming and going all day to work out? If you live next to a university do you complain that college students are being college students?

No.

And this is obvious - none of these thoughts are new in the debate. The small minority who feel that their opinion outweighs the majority in West Long Branch oftentimes comes back with the statement that they were in town before the “university” was. In this argument, the word “university” is key. In 1994, Monmouth College became Monmouth University. So many of the locals take 1994 as the starting point of the “university” not mentioning that the college was started in 1933.

Yes - this “We were here first” argument HAS been used to defend the minority’s right to blast the university. I’ve even had it used against me in informal discussions about the university with other people in town. It’s mind-boggling, really.

Anyway, congratulations to Monmouth University for winning the right to expand their campus. Best of luck.

Finally, the state legislature passed a bill that will ban dual office holders in New Jersey. Though the bill won’t be in effect until February of next year, it is one of the best pieces of legislation that this crazy state has been able to come up with in the last few years.

One of the major fiscal problems in New Jersey revolves around paying salaries to our elected officials. Some of these folks are double and triple dipping into the state’s pocketbook! Enough is enough. Sure, I understand that a few public servants around the state are going to be forced to give up positions where they really are helping people, but it really is for the greater good.

And what’s better is that the newly opened positions will allow other people to become a part of the elective form of government. When you have consolidation of power, it’s a bad thing for everyone.

You know when summer hits Deal, New Jersey when the New Yorkers are keeping you up at all hours of the night. Tonight, we had the first gathering of 10 - 15 year olds outside of our window. The cops were called and the kids dispersed a little after midnight. Completely ridiculous that kids this age are allowed to prowl around town without any supervision.

And even more ridiculous that the Ocean Township Police Department told them to just “go home” when - if they were college students - they would have called in the paddy wagon (don’t laugh, I’ve seen it happen before).

Now, at about 2:30am, there’s no way you can sleep because three and a half blocks away a bunch of the older New Yorkers are having a dance club party such that the bass on their music can be heard blocks away. We just drove by and there were probably 50 people standing OUTSIDE of the house.

Again, I’ve seen college parties in this area get broken up with less than half of that amount of people and the party completely contained to a living room or a basement. This party is taking place outside of a house, on a main road, with music that you can hear more than 3 blocks away…

No paddy wagon, no police, nothing.

Anyone who doesn’t think that there is a preconceived dictate in this town to “go after” college students and “leave the New Yorkers alone” is out of their mind.

And here we go again, with another “fantastic” summer in Deal… Ugh…

Today, the brothers at the Delta-Beta Chapter of Sigma Pi Fraternity garnered a front page headline in the local paper, the Asbury Park Press. Though the link below will not show you the picture of Joe Mullan or Bob Wankel, it does include the entire, full-text of the story (at least for the next week it will). A picture of Bob and Joe holding the ACE Project banner appears on the front page of this newspaper, if you’re in the Monmouth County area and want to see two GOOD college students:

COLLEGIANS: WE’RE NOT ALL ROWDIES

As any fraternity leader can tell you, press like this is very exciting in the Monmouth University area. I understand that most college areas are against students from the very start, but the “witch hunt” that goes on around Monmouth University is extremely frightening at times. Not only are the civil liberties of our these young men trampled on a weekly basis, but the local governments back the actions that you’ll read about in the article. And remember, I’m a guy who routinely had police just walk into his house at all hours of the night after the majority of the roommates were asleep. They were “just checking” - sound a little fascist to anyone?

I’m extremely proud of the Sigma Pi guys at Monmouth University. It’s not easy to put yourself out there like these guys have. I remember getting all different types of great responses to my student loan article last year, but I also remember getting some really vicious, unintelligent responses, too. I applaud the effort that these guys are putting into making the reality of their situation work.

I received the following e-mail that I thought I should pass on to my New Jersey readers:

Congressman Robert Andrews (D-NJ) has conducted a sham certification election for a top union donor at Trump’s casino in Atlantic City.

Please view the National Right to Work Foundation’s press release regarding Rep Andrew’s tampering with a union vote at Trump Plaza Casino at http://www.nrtw.org/b/nr_610.php

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) charge filed by the Foundation can be found online at http://www.nrtw.org/pdfs/news-release-docs/UAW-TrumpPlaza.pdf

You can also view NRTWLDF’s letter to the U.S. House of Representatives Ethics Committee requesting a formal investigation into Rep. Andrews’ actions at http://www.nrtw.org/pdfs/news-release-docs/Andrews%20Ethics%20Violations(full).pdf

If you have any questions, please contact Justin Hakes, Legal Information Director at the Foundation, at jah@nrtw.org or 1-800-336-3600.

So, there you go New Jersey. Keep voting for these Democrats and let the corruption continue!

Once again, our idiot lawmakers in New Jersey (both locally and at the state-level) have overreacted to the “storm” that is pummeling the Garden State. Sure, there are some major snow issues going on right now in north and northwest New Jersey, but there is nothing going on besides some rain and some light, small hail in the central part of the state.

But that didn’t stop the politicians from calling out the plow trucks. I get to drive one glorious hour to Trenton every morning and another exhausted hour back home to Deal each afternoon. On my way into the office today I saw no less than 20 plow and salt trucks standing at bay on Route 195.

Now some jerk out there is going to say, “Hey asshole! We need those trucks out there for when it starts to snow like a mother this afternoon and tonight.” And I would agree with that jerk - that we need these trucks out there this afternoon and tonight! There is ABSOLUTELY no reason for 20+ trucks to standing idle (that means engines on) on 195 right now. Nor was there a reason for this at six o’clock this morning, which was undoubtedly the time that they were called to get out there and get ready. Oh, and why were the engines on in the trucks? Well, to keep the guy inside the truck warm - you know, the guy who is getting paid time and a half right now.

So we have gas being guzzled up by these diesel engines, resources (salt) being wasted, and at least 20+ guys that I saw this morning (and who knows how many more in other parts of the state where it’s not snowing) getting paid time and a half from 6am until who knows when. And what is this all for? No, it’s not the usual craze that takes over the average New Jerseyan when they hear about a winter storm coming.

It’s bloated local and state governments that are so afraid of losing funding for next year’s winter that they spend all that they can this winter to at least match next year’s expense. Remember this when your local taxes go up next year. Remember that we had an EXTREMELY mild winter with a one-day ice storm on St. Valentine’s Day and an occasional snow storm. Remember that there was NO reason to spend the amount of money that was spent this year on winter storms.

Oh, and just for an extra kick in the ass, remember that the tax money you’re paying is going to the guy getting time and a half while sitting in the snow plow on Route 195 with his engine on from 6am to 2pm…when it’s raining out.

But hey, keep voting for Democrats in this state, I’m sure things will change eventually, right?

Unbelievably, it looks like the law will be followed in Bloomfield, New Jersey.

Township Administrator Louise Palagano explained that as long as Sopranos Production Inc. meets the requirements in Bloomfield’s code for filming crews, the township has no authority to deny the permit.

Holy shit!? You mean someone actually sat down and read Bloomfield’s code? And then followed that code!?? Incredible!

For those of you not from New Jersey, we have a major problem with little fiefdoms in this ridiculously liberal state. Everyone feels like no one should be offended no matter how stupid the charge. To that end, everyone also feels like if they don’t get their way, they can manipulate the local town council to overturn common sense law (like meeting requirements) in order to get what they want.

I’m not sure if that happened in this particular case, but chances are when you hear about a problem or an issue in New Jersey - liberal local activists are the root of that problem and the root of their activism is making sure that everyone is not offended.

Sometimes this state is like a South Park episode.