Agreed!

What Menendez should have said was 'Secretary of State John Kerry, just gave another $280 million to Egypt.'

That's where your Sandy Aid funds went.

Think again if you believe these corrupt dirtbags give a fig about you.

It's George Bush's fault.

Right on "I have spoken" This sequester crap which the paralyzed congress can't do anything about coupled with Biggert Waters act that Manendez and Lousenberg voted in favor of will just bring more misery to all New Jerseyans across all political and demographic spectrums.. We need a huge housecleaning across all parties.

And do business favors for the gentleman who flew and entertained him in the Dominican Republic.

May he go the way of Corzine and his predecessor Jim, Torrecelli, and all the others. Just do re-elect him.

No Sandy...the "cuts" are the equivalent of a drop in the ocean. Menendez is simply using scare tactics.

lol I gotta laugh
you republicons all cry how you want cuts and wanna pay less taxes that is unless your fema claim isn't gonna get paid
HYPOCRITES lol

@double d: I keep hearing you make this same senseless argument. FEMA flood insurance and social security are programs that we are forced to participate in. Try opting out of SS; try buying a house without obtaining flood insurance. These programs are forced upon the people by the government. It is our money they are taking in premiums and taxes. Your argument would make much more sense if you called conservatives out on accepting student loans or government backed mortgages. But, your argument is ridiculous when you cite programs we are forced to participate in.

NJ interestingly will be hit the least by the sequester because for every $1.68 NJ taxpayers send to the federal government, we only receive $1 back! We tend to be No 49 in the ranking of the States when it comes to getting our so called fair share. This has been going on for years and it's time to clean house.

Ha ha your right he is busy booking his next flight to the Dominican republic ..I wonder if he is charging the company credit card...

Robert while you do have to pay SS and by the way you do get it when you are either disabled or reach retirement age
your argument about flood insurance is funny no body forced you to live in a flood zone nobody forced you to buy that house
just like the folks who live down sunrise who cry the rest of the town needs to build them a road so they don't have to sit in Summer traffic
don't like it you should have thought about it before buying same for the flood
which will happen again when nobody knows
the bank loaned you the money they want it insured and you agreed
guess what you and the others lost now deal with it

Shhhhh... How dare you suggest such a thing. Royalty never makes compromises it is the peasants that must suffer not the {cough,cough} leadership.

June - If we confiscated ALL the wealth...not just taxes....of the top 1%, we could run the federal government for a little over 2 months. It's a philosophy that sells well in the government owned media but by no means is it a solution to the MASSIVE debt load our kids will inherit. No nation has ever taxed itself into prosperity. If we were to create an environment where small businesses (NOT a bad word BTW) would find a benefit in investing and adding new jobs, we could over time dig ourselves out of the hole Washington (and primarily this inexperienced president) have gotten us in. In the meantime, those with moderate wealth are sitting on it in the hopes that it will not be grabbed from them when the powers-that-be decide to arbitrarily redefine the parameters of those who constitute the "wealthy."

The top 2% of income earners pay over 40% of the total taxes collected in this country. Raising their taxes wont change a thing!!! Step away from the cool-aid!

June, are you so gullible to believe everything the politicians tell you? Try listening to the other side for a change and then make up your own mind. The top 1% could not keep Obama's credit care out of the red if they took every cent from the so-called "Millionaires and billionaires". Watch Obama become one of those he bashes as soon as he's out of office. Or...how could he afford a 1.5 million dollar home? Wake up, you're being taken for a ride.

Instead of buying Obama's class warfare nonsense, pls.consider that "the top 1%" pay a whopping amount in taxes. They pay when they earn the $$, and like everyone else, pay taxes when they spend it, when they save it, and when they invest it. To liberals, that's still not enough. Oh yes, they also want to take half of whatever is left when you die. Politicians need to be financially responsible instead of looking for ways to keep taxing hard WORKING people. Sure, there are many who need govt assistance, but it certainly shouldn't be 47 percent of the population. The problem is that the Democratic Party buys votes/builds its base by promising people "stuff," paid for by the evil working people. Disgusting.

You are right, the 27th amendment does prohibit Congress from changing their salary during their term, but it doesn't prohibit the budget for congressional staff. Menendez has about a $3,000,000 per year budget for his direct staff. He should be able to read the bills himself and not need a bunch of assistants telling him what's in the bill. If Congress was serious about sharing the pain, they would all cut 20% from their staff budget.

Nancy Piglosi says that it is beneath her to take a pay cut!

The 47% just re elected him for 6 more years unless he goes Meagan's law....

Nope with the cuts there is more money to waste, they will get double.

Yes, Egypt is on line and yesterday John Kerrey while visiting Egypt, promised them another $250,000,000 of our tax money THIS YEAR.

The point is not Egypt per se. Its the money being spent . I made the comment because I felt that we could have used the billions spent on the tanks and jets here instead of in a foreign country. Replace the word EGYPT with any other undeserving foreign country if you like. Its still about the money. We still have people sleeping in tents on Staten Island. As an aside, there used to be a lot of folks who thought we should look out for Israel. I still do.

and take all of these hypocrites fema claims with you

Go back and hide in the pine barrons you freaking moron.

Piney- you are truly living up to the stereotype that all southern jerseyans are backwater hillbillies. Gov Christie has NOTHING to do with the sequester. Do some homework on the subject THEN spew your agenda.

Squanto274, I believe piney was talking about the no-bid contracts given to Ashbritt from towns because Christie recommended them. They cost those towns double or more than towns that hired local contractors or did it in-house. BTW, George Gilmore was or is a consultant for Ashbritt.

Best comment so far. I knew this second term would not be good but going even worse than I thought. As a manager having managed budgets throughout my career, it is incomprehensible that they cannot make any cuts that will not have this kind of effect. it is all grandstanding, but at this point, repubs need to call O's bluff and see who blinks first, a sorry comment on our government for both repubs and dems. and let's not forget, we in nj have the power to vote Menendez out!

Indict Happy Gilmore and Gov Cheesesteak

lol how come the repukes have not called for all foreign aid to be cut before any programs are cut here
you ocean county republicon pineys do know that filing a fema claim while receiving
SS and medicare does make you a HYPOCRITE
and you folks who voted for Mittens know that he said fema was immoral
what time does the kkk meeting start before or after church

I agree, impeach Obama!!!!

Hey Dominic the donkey hows the fema claim?

Jerry

are Connor and Runyan and the Freeloaders in the witness protection program?
pull your fema claims embrace the fema maps

Scare tactics? Do you mean like those on the right fear mongering that the government is going to take your guns away. Cut the drivel. Both sides do it.

Hey Paulie

Howd didja like Gov Chriscos and Happy Gilmore s no bid contract to AshBritt?
Hey maybe your fema claim coulda been paid if not for the no bid contract where the tax payers got stuck paying double but the republicon super pack got 300 k

Dozer Dave - Your responses are quite weak in the area of logic. You always present "one or the other" arguments. Could it not be possible that BOTH the Democrats AND Republicans are at fault, to one extent or another, in wrecking this once great nation? There's enough blame to go around and BOTH parties have disappointed their membership. To think that Obama and Menendez are helping our economy is simply unintelligent. To think that Boehner is any better at dealing with their destructive agenda is naive.

Everyone show up
Pull your fema claim and get an new fema map autographed by Gov Christie lol

Join our fight against the new flood insurance rates and maps!
StopFemaNow.com
Next Meeting:
March 9, 2013 From 3pm - 4 pm
Silverton First Aid Squad
86 Maine St. (like the state)
Toms River, NJ 08753
Invite your friends and family.
LIKE www.facebook.com/StopFemaNow
twitter #StopFemaNow

Donna

What is the status of your Fema Claim ?
There is no argument for what Gov Chrisco and Happy Gilmore did in regard to the no bid contract
as for Menendez I think he voted for the Sandy Aid unlike John whobonedya
now make like a good lil republicon and pull your fema claim

John couldya also tell the folks here to send back the SS checks and to cut up the medicare claim

The libs control the media and the US Attorney General is a criminal himself.

Well, at least I had a laugh today.

Tony

Try this
google lowest income states there you will find its the red states that are the poorest which is where the 47% ers really live
then try this
worst states for education there you will find republicon states

I'm guessing you got all your info from Fox? Yes, let's definitely get rid of the 47%. All those service men and women who are serving overseas and pay no federal taxes, all those hanicapped individuals who collect SS but never paid into it. Oh, forget it. As it stands now, the "libs" are probably never going to lose a national election. Possibly because "libs" don't care what anyone else does in the privacy of their own bedroom (it's none of their business). Libs don't believe it is the government's business what a woman and her doctor decide on a medical procedure. Maybe, it's because "libs" think the big oil companies should be paying taxes. The old angry white men have reached their expiration date.

Isn't it true that even insurance through private insurers is backed by the federal government?

Thanks John....any EMAIL addresses?

Governor Chris Christie does not accept email: he farms it out according a short list of topics of his choice to the departments involved.

Governor Chris Christie is not into listening or hearing from We the Stepping Stones to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

So you would like voter restrictions?

They are not clueless. They know where the free stuff comes from!

It might have something to do with how and who counts the votes.

or we could cut ALL Foreign Aid and the Military

We do not have to raise taxes we have to cut spending No Foreign aid, no free US Military protection No free Obama Phones, Theres a good start!
Re strapping on a gun, well you can in just about any state BUT not in NJ! The entire state is a GUN FREE ZONE aka Killing zone. but that's a different subject....

YOU MEAN Bush s wars are not paid for?

There are so many Catch 22's in the mess that Sandy left us with that it's almost impossible for most people to totally pull themselves out. Our house is now in a V zone though it was built to Outer Banks hurricane prevention standards and came through the storm dry. Either we raise our house from 10' to 14' which we didn't need with 1' water mark Sandy or we will have to pay $2500 A MONTH for federal flood insurance. We can't win nor can most of our neighbors.

Try the middle class isn't welcome any longer on the western side of Barnegat Bay and I can just see the condominiums coming. There is an agenda here. Or two or three.

Please do join StopFemaNow (see above). Time is running out quickly and soon those maps will hit our local politicians' desks with Fema's "new" maps that we will have to verify over night almost and probably on our own money what I haven't found one NJ town preparing to challenge - just the zone placement we on a Bay have been put in.

Half of my neighbor's are on a Lake and they, too, are part of the V zone.

And I would quibble about some of the building techniques they are planning on stuffing down our towns' throats.

We have been left hanging in the wind by almost every one of our elected civil servants and StopFemaNow is energizing the people who are getting wiped out by indifference.

See if we send the $60,000,000 to Syria's Al Qaeda opposition, we are just preparing ourselves for the next Lord knows how many invasions of yet more Arab countries. It not really surprising that those folks over there don't seem fond of us.

and darker...really, they cried racism and the help poured in

Biggerts Waters Insurance reform act of 2012 was passed and signed into law before the storm. The insurance premiums are changing because of that law. Yes they are changing everywhere. Even in New Orleans. The new maps were 80% finished before the storm. They were rushed out after Sandy but would have come out even without Sandy. Moreover, new maps have come out around the country. Just Google complaints about FEMA maps and you will see that Ohio had the same complaints in 2010 when new maps were released in that area. I do not like what FEMA is doing nor do I like Biggerts Waters but you cheapen the argument and lower the level of debate when you ignorantly bring in questions about the poor or race into the discussion. Facts can win a debate, class warfare, and racism arguments hurt the cause far more than helps it. Please if you want to help keep your racism to yourself.

you deny they played the race card? I'm not the racist,they are...

They are not all poor but we in NJ are getting closer by the minute.

I don't think it's too simplistic. Your big mistake is the underlying assumption that the point of government is to serve the people. The point of government is really to serve the politicians and beaurocrats. Our only role is to 1. provide the money, 2. do what they tell us to do, and 3. Be grateful for their wisdom and "public service". Once you realize the true purpose of government things start to make sense.

The middle class in America is made up of people of all colors and by discussing our plight I don't want you for a minute to feel comfortable deciding that equate racism.

Im not so sure about that. Nancy Pelosi said there is NOT a spending problem, theres a BUDGET problem. See she has the solution right there!

The spending is so out of control that I honestly don't think anyone working in those agencies is able to make a non-political and meaningful cut anywhere.

It would take outside auditors and possibly citizens to go through those budgets line by line to find the Tea Commission and the $800,000 per year for flowers for the White House. The civil servants just are not trained or even encouraged to cut things. Toward the end of a department's fiscal year, you can find managers all over the country out there spending every last dime because if they don't someone might cut them next go round. It's incestuous at this point and would take a very serious group of politicians (minus their campaign donors) to start all over.

A bottoms up, sunshine every three year budget ought to be started right now but everyone there is too busy raising or making money for themselves to concern themselves with our everyday matters.

But the numbers of taxpayers percentage wise are going down, down, down and very soon there will be more takers than givers. And then what? Those on welfare are now costing us $64,000 per year in benefits given to each person. Prisoners aren't that far behind. You don't even have to do the math.

There aren't enough of the super rich to make a dent and there will be fewer and fewer corporate headquarters and company owners here as corporations bolt as they are from France.

People and businesses need some sort of incentives to keep pushing usually their 80 hour weeks. If you make it attractive to live on a Caribbean Island, they will go and are going. You can't expect those who work to keep up the rat race pace for an ever declining paycheck just to keep those on the dole living at higher standards than ever.

The remaining mass of loop holes pertain to businesses and they have to be very intelligently reigned in or folks like Apple and Microsoft and IBM will move out of here and just leave Sales offices. It's already been going on for 20 years and that's part of the high unemployment picture. We have to stay competitive and we can't unless more people actually work for what they get. (And I am excluding the disabled obviously)

And we don't need twenty percent of Mexico's poorest people because we can't take care of our own.

I agree you would think he knew the answer.

And the median annual income in that area surrounding DC is $80,000.

Maybe a couple of F-35's which we already have would be enough to do things for "special occasions. We certainly don't need many more battleships which a third of the world's air force's can take out right now. It takes honest, non-political judgement and it isn't to be found right now. Eisenhower warned us of what Oliver Hardy told Stan.

The drone situation is ludicrous because third world nations and individual people can now own their own copies of that nasty sort of toy which anyone could have seen would only put us in the lead for a year or so. And we are now expanding the government's pricey version all over the nation and no one will tell us why. And why all of those hollow nose bullets and now 2,400 wicked looking armed carrier trucks to be stationed in the United States of America? We are not the enemy and I think would prefer to have reasonable needs met instead of being viewed as targets.

You say that like you expect many to come to FEMA's defense. Many here see FEMA as useless, evil and the cause of their soon to be financial ruin. So yes, FEMA is immoral.

Brick seems to be alone in having their Council people and Mayor work toward helping the folks in their area get well. Too many of us are just simply being left dangling and don't have a clue as to just what is coming our way. The worst has been outlined and we in Berkeley Township really haven't heard one word that would lead us to expect anything better.

Brick and Belmar right now are the winners but that leaves oh-so-many folks out and the question is why.