CNBNEWS.NET

A LOT OFF THE TOP - THEDAILY.COM

America’s most distinguished leaders get their hair cut at the Senate barbershop, but taxpayers are the ones really getting clipped.

The barbershop ran almost $300,000 in the red last year but received an infusion from Senate coffers that is keeping it in business, the Senate sergeant at arms, Terrance Gainer, told The Daily.

A federal bailout isn’t that unusual since the economic downturn, but some senators didn’t even know their salon was in hot water — and don’t think it should be, considering what they pay for a little off the ears.

A shampoo, cut and blow dry is $27 and highlights are $105, according to the barbershop’s website. A trim costs $20, more than double what Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., gets charged when he goes to his barber back home.

“I give him $12 with a tip,” Leahy said.

When Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., learned about the shortfall, he said, “It did? It shouldn’t. It should pay for itself.”

A Senate barbershop subsidized by the government is a sore point with GOP members, too.

Former Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, R-Ill., blames the money woes on the stylists, who are federal employees. He contends they’re overpaid compared to their private-sector counterparts.

“They are using union labor, and so their benefits and wages are higher than those of many jobs,” Fitzgerald said.

To support his argument, Fitzgerald contrasts the salaries and benefits of the Senate’s stylists to what is offered by Capitol Barber, three blocks away.

read via www.thedaily.com

BY MARK STRICHERZ MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

submitted by GFC

CNBNews Interview with Gloucester City Republican Party Chairman Wil Levins

cnbnews.net

CNBNEWS-You have been busy trying to resurrect the Republican Party in Gloucester City.  Though you are in the minority, what do you point to as a positive sign for your Municipal Party?

WL - One thing we have tried to accomplish over the past two years is to show people that just because we are the minority Party doesn't mean we are an irrelevant Party.  In 2011, Republicans won in Gloucester City polls for the first time in decades. Though we were not successful in our efforts last year, I was very encouraged by the optimistic indicators given by Gloucester City's voters.  

CNBNEWS-What do you attribute to these results?

WL - Part of it was being the hometown guy on the ballot however, I believe our message played the biggest role.  I think it really spoke to a growing cross-section of voters and showed that not every issue has to be strictly partisan.  We didn't alienate Democratic voters and we focused on common points of agreement that unite us all.  We challenged the Norcross-Machine's way of doing business and shared ideas where we can make positive improvements for everyone's better benefit.  I think that really resonated with people. 

John Paff: Mostly a Win in Camden

At 10 a.m. on Friday, February 10, 2012, Jose Delgado and I appeared before Camden County Assignment Judge F. J. Fernandez-Vina to pursue our Sen. Byron M. Baer Open Public Meetings Act case against the Camden City Board of Education.  I appeared in person and Jose, who was on vacation, appeared by way of speakerphone.  Background and case documents are available

Senator Joe Kyrillos on President Obama's Proposed 2013 Federal Budget

press release February 13 2012

Bob Menendez and the Senate have failed to pass a budget for more than 1000 days. That is an incredible leadership failure.  What is worse, today’s budget proposes more of the same—more spending, more taxes and more debt.  And while countries like Greece struggle to pass austerity budgets, the White House says that this is no time for austerity. That is insane.

In New Jersey we have proven that hard decisions and tough measures can turn things around. They haven’t learned that lesson in Washington, but it is time they do.

Related articles

• Senator Joe Kyrillos Statement on the Obama Attack on Religious Freedom (gloucestercitynews.net)
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• Joe Kyrillos: Washington is Failing US (gloucestercitynews.net)

CNBNews Op-Ed: Opposing Drug Testing For Welfare Recipients? Are You High?

 

Related: Freindly Fire

by Chris Freind

cnbnews.net

Randomly testing all public workers is simply common sense

Random drug testing of welfare recipients and public workers is racist, discriminatory and blatantly unconstitutional.

And if believe any of that, you’re smoking something.

Once again, the drug testing issue is making headlines in Pennsylvania, as such a program is now underway. Unfortunately, because the Legislature dragged its feet (what else is new?), the current initiative is a scaled-down version of the original bill, and has been put into effect via an emergency budgetary order from the Governor. It only applies to welfare recipients who have been convicted of a felony in the last five years or are currently on parole or probation.

Too bad.  It should include every single non-elected person receiving a paycheck courtesy of John Q. Taxpayer. 

Weekly Basket: The Earmark's New Clothes

 

Volume XVII No. 6: February 10, 2012

 

Last year, Congress decided to try on an earmark-free suit. The fashion jury is still out on the final results. For instance, a look at the FY12 omnibus spending bill passed in December shows that Congress is still adding plenty of money to its favorite parts of the defense budget, just in plainer clothing. Instead of the garish earmarks of the past, there are safe, vague additions that don't make clear why the money is there or how the Defense department (DOD) should prioritize and allocate the funding. Unfortunately, neither DOD nor anyone else in the executive branch is providing a truthful mirror.

Gloucester City Councilman Saying Goodbye to Politics | cnbnews.net

Councilman Nick Marchese will not seek a third term 

(cnbnews.net)Gloucester City Councilman Nick Marchese, Second Ward

Democrat, has announced he will not seek a third term and will be resigning from his office at the end of 2012. Marchese was a newcomer to politics when he first ran in 2006 for the second ward seat. He and his fellow running mates, Bill James and Jay Brophy were also novices running against the incumbent 'Democrat Machine'. To the surprise of many the threesome were successful beating out an entrenched group that was backed by Political Boss George Norcross. 

His prepared statement reads as follows, 

"With the support of my friends and family, I have decided not to seek a third term on City Council.  I have appreciated the opportunity to serve the citizens of Gloucester City.   I am very proud of the accomplishments we have achieved over the past five and a half years, I will continue with my City Council obligations until my term is complete in January 2013.  During that time I plan on working as hard as in the past, so don’t look for this Council Member to slow down anytime soon.  I have always worked with only the best interest of the city in mind.   There is still much to be done, I look forward to working with this administration towards those goals.

"I plan to continue my formal education, over the past year I have enjoyed taking courses at Richard Stockton College and Rutgers University and look forward to future opportunities.  Thank you again to the people who supported me, voted for me and trusted in me to watch out for our needs. " 

Marchese (photo) was asked who would replace him? His response,  "no comment".

 Marchese ran for his present three year term in 2009 beating Republican challenger Wil Levins. The unofficials returns Marchese 493 votes, Levins 337. 

In October 2011 Third Ward Democrat Councilwoman Kellie Ferry stepped down. She was replaced by Helen "Lynn" Bucher, who was chosen by the Democrat committee to serve the remainder of Ferry's term which expired the end of 2012. 

Besides Marchese the present council includes: Mayor James, Council members Brophy, Bucher, John Hutchinson, Bruce Parry and Dan Spencer.

 Recently there has been a rumor circulating that Brophy, who is president of the Democrat Club, was looking to purchase a home in Gloucester County. That gossip has not been confirmed. At the time of this posting the councilman had not responded to the email asking if the rumor was true.

UPDATE: Councilman Brophy said the rumor is false. "This is absolutely not true. We put a lot of money into our house and have no intentions on leaving," said Brophy. 

     

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Samuel L. Jackson: ‘I Voted for Barack Because He Was Black’ | Conservative Byte

Samuel L. Jackson only voted for President Barack Obama because of the color of his skin, the Hollywood actor revealed in a profanity-laced interview in the March issue of Ebony magazine.

“I voted for Barack because he was black. ’Cuz that’s why other folks vote for other people — because they look like them,” Jackson said. “That’s American politics, pure and simple. [Obama’s] message didn’t mean sh-t to me. In the end, he’s a politician. I just hoped he would do some of what he said he was gonna do.

According to the New York Post, the “Pulp Fiction” legend repeatedly dropped the N-word during his cover story interview.

via conservativebyte.com

link submitted by John Branin

CREW Asks OCE to Investigate Rep. Michael Grimm

 

Feb 09, 2012

Washington, D.C. – Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) asked the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) to investigate whether Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY) exchanged illegal campaign contributions for his promise to assist a prominent fundraiser in procuring a green card.  CREW also filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Department of Homeland Security seeking any communications between Rep. Grimm or his office regarding the issuance of green cards.  Rep. Grimm was named one of theMost Corrupt Members of Congress in 2011 for unrelated actions. Click here to read CREW’s letter to the OCE.  Click here to read CREW’s FOIA request.

CCGOP Lincoln Day Dinner 2012 - CNBnews.net

by Wil Levins

Join us for an entertaining evening at The Camden County Republican Committee's annual Lincoln Day Dinner.  Come meet other conservative individuals who share your passion for improving our County and a desire to grow prosperity for the betterment of all our residents.

click advertisement

On a personal note, I am very excited and encouraged by the results of this past year's elections in which Republican candidates took the majority of votes in our community for the first time in decades.  I hope you will join my wife and I in representing Gloucester City's residents at this great event.

If interested, please contact me for more information: Wil Levins

(willevins@gmail.com)

Legal Experts: HHS Contraception Edict Likely to be Ruled Unconstitutional i

 press release
Even Jesus' Earthly Ministry Would Run Afoul of New HHS Rule, Says New National Center for Public Policy Research Paper

Washington, D.C. - National Center for Public Policy Research Adjunct Fellow Horace Cooper is criticizing HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for pushing a new health care mandate that forces church-supported soup kitchens, schools, and other charities to provide coverage for contraception, sterilization procedures and early abortifacients to all of their employees as part of their insurance plans.

Saving Our Neighborhoods from Foreclosure

 

by Phyllis Salowe-Kaye*

 

Fears are mounting among housing advocates that the Dodd Frank Act, the most significant piece of financial regulatory legislation passed since the Great Depression, is about to be eviscerated.  We are being asked to believe that the Attorneys General Mortgage Servicing Settlement (AG’s settlement) is the biggest and the best multi-state settlement since the tobacco deal in 1998, when in fact, the settlement will likely only help a relatively small portion of the millions of borrowers across the country who are delinquent and facing foreclosure.

CREW Shining a Light on Rep. Cantor and the STOCK Act

 

By CREW Staff

Ethics, Conflict of Interests, Governance & Legislation, STOCK Act, Wall Street, House Members, Eric Cantor

No wonder House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) is trying to gut the STOCK Act. 

The House version of the bill drops a Senate amendment requiring political intelligence consultants to register and disclose their activities.  Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) inserted the amendment after a Wall Street Journal storydescribed how the $100-million-a-year political intelligence industry gathers political information, then sells it to hedge funds and other investors for use in investment decisions. 

CREW: We Deserve to Know what DOJ is Up To

 

By Anne L. Weismann

Federal Agencies, Department of Justice, States, Alaska, Senate Members, Ted Stevens

Today Judge Emmet G. Sullivan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that a 500-page report on the misconduct committed by Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers during their prosecution of the late SenatorTed Stevens (R-AK) will be made public on March 15, 2012.  Judge Sullivan recognized both the First Amendment and the public’s interest in the Stevens trial compel the report’s disclosure.  As he noted, “it would be a disservice and an injustice to withhold the results of the Report,” which “chronicles significant prosecutorial misconduct in a highly publicized investigation and prosecution brought by the Public Integrity Section against an incumbent United States Senator.”

MEET THE BIGGEST ‘TRIPLE-DIPPER’ IN THE NEW JERSEY STATEHOUSE | newjersey.watchdog.org

 

by Mark Lagerkvist

Posted On February 9, 2012

 

For state Sen. Frederick Madden Jr., the path of public service also has been a road to personal wealth.

Madden collects more than $241,000 a year in public salaries plus retirement pay. He gets $49,000 as a legislator, a $106,983 as a police academy dean and an $85,272 annual pension as a State Police retiree. 

Since he “retired” at age 48 nearly a decade ago, Madden has cashed $770,156 in New Jersey retirement checks. Among the 15 legislators who draw state pensions, no one pockets more than the senator from the state’s 4th Legislative District, which includes parts of Gloucester and Camden counties.  (See chart below.)

Congressman Jon Runyan: My First Year in Congress Update

 

 

As the 2nd session of the 112th Congress gets underway, I wanted to update you on my first year in Congress. 

 

In addition to focusing on the issues that will help our nation's economy recover and put Americans back to work, I have also worked to advance specific initiatives that hold particular significance to New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District.

 

 

2011 District Office Accomplishments

SENATOR JOE KYRILLOS STATEMENT ON THE OBAMA ATTACK ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

Middletown – February 9…  Today, New Jersey State Senator Joe Kyrillos urged the Obama Administration to halt its attack on religious freedom and the right for Catholic hospitals to operate without government mandates.  

“This is a shocking assault on the religious freedom upon which this nation was built," said Senator Kyrillos.  

Why Millions Won’t Get Help From Big Mortgage Settlement

by Cora Currier
ProPublica, Feb. 9, 2012, 5:25 p.m

 

The Obama administration is billing today's$25 billion agreement between most states and five banks that engaged in flawed or deceptive practices as a big win for struggling homeowners.

SENATOR NORCROSS STATEMENT ON THE FINAL REPORT OF THE UMDNJ ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Thu, 01/26/2012 - 2:30pm

"Over the years, both Rowan University and Rutgers-Camden have successfully built strong local institutions with world-class reputations. Any proposal that strengthens both institutions and results in South Jersey finally receiving its fair share of higher education funding is worth our serious consideration. It is time to stem the flow of capital and operational dollars from moving up the Turnpike.

Obamacare Awakens Sleeping Giant

Such is the case with the firestorm of opposition to Obamacare and the Obama Administration’s attack on religious liberty. Under a new Obamacare mandate issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the White House is mandating that virtually all religious employers, with the exception of churches, provide health care coverage for contraception — including abortion-inducing drugs — thereby trampling upon their constitutionally guaranteed free exercise of religion. And it is this mandate that has caused a vehement response in churches and synagogues across the country.

Yesterday, the head of the Catholic League, Bill Donohue, warned that the nation’s 70 million Catholics are ready to go to war with the Administration’s dictates, saying “Never before, unprecedented in American history, for the federal government to line up against the Roman Catholic Church. This is going to be fought out with lawsuits, with court decisions, and, dare I say it, maybe even in the streets.”

Donohue’s remarks follow those of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and at least 153 Catholic bishops across the country who have weighed in with opposition to the mandate. “We Catholics will be compelled to either violate our consciences, or to drop health coverage for our employees and suffer the penalties for doing so,” wrote Bishop Alexander Sample of Marquette, Michigan. Those penalties include fines imposed by the federal government that could cost larger organizations millions of dollars per year.

READ via blog.heritage.org

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SIDE BAR CIVICS: Local Government Contracts

Last month the New Jersey State Comptroller Matthew Bower issued a report showing that nearly 1 in 5 multi-million dollar contracts are let out improperly. (read the article here) In response to the Comptroller's findings, Governor Christie has ordered an investigation by the State Treasury Department. 

 

One realm of government contracting that can be rife with abuses is the selection of no-bid professional services.  

The Court That Broke Jersey by Steven Malanga, City Journal

For half a century now, New Jersey has been home to the most activist state appellate court in America. Lauded by proponents of “living” constitutions who urge courts to make policy instead of interpret the law as written, the New Jersey Supreme Court has profoundly transformed the Garden State by seizing control of school funding, hijacking zoning powers from towns and cities to increase subsidized housing, and nullifying taxpayer protections in the state constitution. Its undemocratic actions have blown apart the state’s finances and led to ill-conceived and ineffective policies. If you want to understand what rule by liberal judges looks like on the state level, you need only look at New Jersey, which is teetering on bankruptcy though it remains one of America’s wealthiest states.

In January, Christie nominated two new members to the court, appointments that have the capacity to reshape the seven-member panel. But taming the court won’t be easy, even for the pugnacious Christie, whose initial efforts to reform it met ferocious resistance. “I don’t think the supreme court has any business being involved in setting the budget of the state government,” Christie complained last year. Yet it is involved, extensively—and that must change if Jersey taxpayers are ever to find relief.

READ via www.city-journal.org

Pop Star Who Flipped Off Camera During Super Bowl Show Has Radical History | mrc.org

 

M.I.A. praised suicide bombers, terrorist separatist group.

• By Paul Wilson
 
• Monday, February 06, 2012 10:48 AM EST

 The Super Bowl halftime show wouldn't be the Super Bowl halftime show without some controversy. In 2004, Justin Timberlake infamously ripped open part of singer Janet Jackson's costume. This year, controversy arose in the form of a backup singer, using her middle finger to draw attention to herself.

Weekly Basket: Taking Stock of the STOCK Act

Volume XVII No. 5: February 3, 2012

 

Yesterday the Senate voted 96-3 to approve a bill prohibiting lawmakers from making stock trades using insider knowledge they garner from their duties. When you see a lopsided vote, you know it's either a completely non-controversial issue (like that nail biter 97-0 vote for a resolution to honor the people who helped kill Osama Bin Laden) or it's something that looks good but does little.

Reuters Touts Pro-Abortion Study in One-Sided Article | mrc.org

• By Paul Wilson
• Tuesday, January 24, 2012 10:13 AM EST

 The day after the March for Life, a one-sided article from Reuters touted the safety of abortion.

But Reuters failed to include vital information about the study and the people it quoted - namely, that the authors of the study and both of the experts it cited were either abortion doctors or had strong ties to the abortion industry.

It is good news for Barack Obama, except not really | eaglepub.com

Fridays with Erick Erickson:

The household survey says unemployment has fallen. Jobs are being created. A few days after American Airlines announced it would lay off 15,000 employees and other companies are laying off as well, the unemployment rate fell with new hires.

NBC Ignores Burning of American Flag by Oakland Occupiers |mrc.org

• By Paul Wilson
• Monday, January 30, 2012 5:20 PM EST

NBC whitewashed the anti-American activities of the violent Occupy protests in Oakland. The network dedicated only 34 seconds to covering the riot, but refused to mention the fact that Oakland protestors burned an American flag - despite the fact that both its sister networks, ABC and CBS, had done so.

New York Times pro-Islamic Complaint Relies on Group That Got $7 Million from Soros | mrc.org

 

All the news that's fit to print doesnt include any funding questions for pro-Muslim organization.

• By Dan Gainor
 
• Tuesday, January 31, 2012 11:19 AM EST

 Only the politically correct media could think a film about the dangers of radical Islam would be controversial … in New York City, the city of the World Trade Center attack by radical Islamists.

CAGW Names Chairman Conrad Porker of the Month

 

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, in commemoration/lamentation of the 1,000th day since the United States Senate Budget Committee last performed its most significant task, which is to pass a budget resolution, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) named Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) its January Porker of the Month.  The last time the Senate approved a budget was April 29, 2009.  The House has voted in favor of two budget resolutions during the past two years.  

 

NEW JERSEY DEMOCRATS' “COMMITMENT” TO MAINTAIN THE STATUS QUO

NJ Republicans Press Release

 

TRENTON – The New Jersey Republican Party released the following statement regarding Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Scutari’s refusal to honor Senator Sweeney’s commitment to move forward on Governor Christie’s judicial nominees.