Things to Think About First:
As Democratic as I am I actually like Christie...........this term. Some of the more controversial things he did made sense.
1. Change teacher health care. Now they pay closer to what the rest of us pay and even though I have friends that are teachers, the state needed the money and this one is hard to feel bad about.
2. He handled Sandy well. I like that he worked WITH Obama after Sandy. That bipartisanship is missing in Congress. It speaks volumes of the Republican party that they were so critical of that.
But there are reasons I will be voting for Barbara Buono
1. Christie will use a second term to suck up to the tea party. He'll run in 2016 no matter how non-committal he is about that now. He's already on their bad side because he got along well with Obama after Sandy and doesn't seem to hate everyone but strait white men and Ted Cruz. He runs a Democratic state so he's had to keep that in mind while being in charge of it. Because of that, he's too liberal for them. But how he governs will change. He'll become Governor Rick Perry or Rick Santorum of Texas just to win their favor for the 2016 nomination. Luckily, we have a Democratic state senate that won't pass any of it and will most likely be able to override most vetoes on the most harmful of legislature. Either way, this isn't Texas and Arkansas. Any Republican Governor we have will have to be able to compromise for the good of the citizens and that means being a lot more liberal then the Tea Party. The kind of Republican we need would be a John McCain type. He is willing to compromise and as conservative as his is, he will go with a Democratic bill as long as it benefits the citizens. Proof, Christie will suck up to the Tea Party, he slashed funding to Planned Parenthood. How Rick Santorum of him.
2. He's lost Sandy points with me for his stance on Marriage Equality. We all have our opinions on that. If you are homophobic, that's up to you, but it's not okay to force your views on others by refusing to let them have the same rights you have. Why should a marriage between a gay or lesbian couple be treated like it's lesser then that of a strait couple? This isn't a church so religious reasons don't count. We are ALL equal. Yet he vetoed legalizing marriage equality in the past. When a state Court Judge recently ruled for same-sex marriages to begin last Monday, citing the Federal Supreme Court ruling in June, he filed a legal challenge that he dropped recently. Funny how that happened before an election. Upon reelection expect all sorts of proposed anti-gay/lesbian/transgender/bisexual legislature.
State Court Judge Rules:
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/27/20722687-new-jersey-judge-orders-same-sex-marriage-statewide
State Supreme Court Says "Get Married!"
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/18/21026864-nj-supreme-court-rules-same-sex-couples-can-marry-beginning-monday?lite
3. He wasted $12 million on the special Senate election only 20 days before the regular election. I voted for Cory Booker and am thrilled he won but only 24% of voters came out. He spent so much of his first term talking about how we can't waste money there are too many important things, it was hypocritical to waste $12 million so close to the regular election. That's not responsible thinking.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/10/18/cory-booker-new-jersey-senate-turnout/3007945/
I am voting for Buono because I agree with most of what she has done and most of what she wants to do. Personal prejudices aren't getting in the way of her doing her job like it did with Christie. I like her Lt. Governor running mate. Especially after what happened with Christies. Remember a few years ago there was a Christmas snow storm? Christie was in Disney World with his family on vacation. I don't see anything wrong there. But the Lt. Governor's job is to run the state when the Governor is away. If Christie will hit the campaign trail in 2016 then I don't want that woman running the state! Here's why, She ALSO was away during that snow storm. Who took care of THAT natural disaster? State Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney. He did a great job too! Her job was to be here and she wasn't. Why do we pay her six figures if she's not going to do her job?
Barbara Buono
http://www.buonoforgovernor.com/
Economy and Jobs
Throughout her career, Barbara has advocated for policies that expand economic opportunity and create good-paying jobs for New Jerseyans.
• Passed one of the largest small business tax cuts in state history. Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy, accounting for 95% of all businesses in New Jersey. During her time in the Senate, Barbara championed bipartisan legislation to simplify the tax code for small business owners, enabling them to expand and hire more workers.
• As Budget Chair, cut $4.5 billion in state spending. As Chair of the Senate Budget Committee from 2008 to 2010, Barbara helped bring fiscal stability to Trenton by cutting spending by $4.5 billion while increasing funds for schools and healthcare.
• Sponsored bill to foster innovation and create jobs. Barbara sponsored legislation to connect our universities with new businesses in emerging markets, enabling specialized businesses to turn academic research into commercial reality.
A vision for a stronger New Jersey
Barbara is committed to creating the same opportunities she had as a child growing up in Nutley—the chance to get an affordable education and a good job and to go as far as your talents take you. As governor, she will restore New Jersey’s place as a national leader in innovation, creating good-paying jobs that can support our families. Highlights of Barbara’s plan for better jobs and economic security for the middle class include:
• Investing in New Jersey workers. Our business owners know there are three keys to a head start in any industry—location, location, location. Businesses locate where they can find a skilled workforce. From county colleges to four-year universities, New Jersey must recommit itself to training and retraining a workforce prepared to thrive in the global economy.
• Expanding relief for small businesses in emerging markets. New Jersey is home to a diverse network of small businesses, entrepreneurs, and emerging industries, which fuel job creation and enrich our local communities. Targeting support to these businesses will allow them to grow and create jobs here in New Jersey.
• Ensuring hard work is rewarded with a decent wage. For a working parent making $7.25 an hour, life isn’t about living. It’s about surviving. Raising the minimum wage will help New Jerseyans make ends meet, giving them the freedom to succeed in the 21st century economy.
• Asking wealthiest to pay their fair share. Putting New Jersey’s fiscal house in order must be a collective effort. As governor, Barbara will ensure that the wealthiest contribute their fair share as we put our state on a path to sustainable economic prosperity.
• Restoring tax relief for working families. With rising costs of living and stagnant wages, our working families need economic relief now more than ever. As governor, Barbara will restore New Jersey’s Earned Income Tax Credit and protect property tax relief for the families who need it most.
• Creating transportation that can get goods and workers where they need to go. An efficient transportation system is a key ingredient of creating a business-friendly environment. In order to get our economy back on track, we must repair New Jersey’s crumbling roads, tunnels and bridges.
Education
A Record Of Fighting For New Jersey’s Students
Barbara has been a leading voice on education throughout her time in the Legislature.
- Authored historic law to ensure all children in New Jersey receive the education they deserve, regardless of where they live. For too long, many of New Jersey’s at-risk students were denied the resources they needed simply because of where they lived. Barbara authored the School Funding Reform Act, which created a more equitable funding system to ensure that every child in New Jersey got the resources they needed to succeed.
- Cosponsored bill to create the original NJ STARS scholarship program. With the cost of higher education skyrocketing, Barbara took steps to help New Jersey’s students find an affordable education in their home state. That is why she cosponsored the original NJ STARS scholarship program to cover the cost of county college for eligible New Jersey high school graduates.
- Cosponsored New Jersey’s original anti-bullying law. No child should be forced to learn in an environment of fear and intimidation. Barbara took steps to end bullying and harassment in our schools by authoring New Jersey’s historic anti-bullying law, which seeks to make our classrooms places of positive reinforcement where children can learn and grow.
Ensuring A Quality Education For All
As governor, Barbara will continue her fight to ensure that every student in New Jersey receives the quality education they deserve. Highlights of her plan include:
K-12
- Fully funding our K-12 schools according to the School Funding Reform Act.
- Providing New Jersey’s children with quality preschool, full-day kindergarten, and quality before- and after-school programs.
- Supporting our educators by providing them with the training and resources they need to teach our children.
- Creating safe learning environments for our children by repairing our crumbling school facilities and continuing efforts to end bullying.
Higher Education
- Increasing college affordability to ensure New Jerseyans can climb the ladder of opportunity by investing in higher education and expanding scholarship programs.
- Enabling young immigrants to fulfill the promise of an affordable higher education by bringing tuition equality to New Jersey.
- Helping students and parents take on less debt by enhancing incentives for our college savings programs.
- Providing students with the skills they need for jobs in the 21st century economy by partnering our county colleges and universities with businesses in emerging markets.
New Jersey’s environment is an essential part of our state’s character. From our world famous coast to our rolling hills, our state’s natural beauty is a major contributor to our quality of life and our economy.
But Governor Christie has repeatedly undermined efforts to reduce pollution and grow our clean energy economy. By unilaterally pulling New Jersey out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative that includes states throughout the Northeast, Christie has held back investment in our solar and renewable energy industries and could cost New Jerseyans high tech jobs.
Barbara will restore New Jersey’s leadership in clean energy, attracting solar and wind projects and spurring new hiring. As governor, she’ll put a stop to the Christie Administration’s use of waivers that allow polluters to dirty our air and water and jeopardize public health.
Healthcare
Barbara has been an outspoken advocate for expanding health care for low-income New Jerseyans throughout her life in public service. She’s sponsored legislation to require insurance companies to cover life-saving mammograms and promoted potentially life-saving stem cell research.
And Barbara’s stood up to Governor Christie’s right-wing policies that have slashed funding for family planning and women’s health services across New Jersey. After months of pressure from Barbara and New Jersey health care advocates, Governor Christie finally backed down and agreed to expand Medicaid, offering hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans the chance to get insurance.
As Governor, Barbara will restore funding for women’s health and work to lower the cost of insurance and expand coverage.
Transportation
Effective and efficient transportation systems are critical to a thriving work force and to attract and retain businesses here in New Jersey.
That’s why it was so alarming when Governor Christie shut down the ARC tunnel project connecting North Jersey to New York City. In doing so, he cost New Jersey $3 billion in federal funds, 6,000 construction jobs and 40,000 permanent jobs that were tied to the project. Christie’s also made it tougher on New Jersey commuters, forcing transit rates to go up by 25%.
Barbara was a strong supporter of the ARC project and understands the value of investing in our infrastructure to make our workers and our businesses more competitive. She’ll ensure that transportation funds are used to reduce congestion and improve commuter rail, not diverted to tax cuts for the wealthy.
Working Families
As the daughter of a butcher and a substitute teacher who struggled to make ends meet, Barbara knows the hardships so many working families face in New Jersey today. She’s committed to improving the lives of families like hers.
That’s why she passed historic family leave legislation for all New Jerseyans. It’s why she’s been a champion for raising the minimum wage and indexing it to inflation, so it is a livable wage. And it’s why she’s fought to protect collective bargaining rights for teachers and firefighters and police officers who have been demonized by Governor Christie.
As Governor, Barbara will continue those fights, for hard-working families across our state who can’t afford lawyers and lobbyists, but deserve to have their voices heard in Trenton.
Plan to Prevent Gun Violence
Gubernatorial candidate and state Senator Barbara Buono has called for a comprehensive plan to combat gun violence that includes three common sense measures:
1) Smaller Magazine Capacity
The mass shootings in Tucson, Aurora, and Sandy Hook were all made possible by weapons with high capacity ammunition magazines. If these magazines had been smaller, lives could have been saved.
Senator Buono’s plan reduces the maximum capacity of ammunition magazines from 15 to 10 bullets. Under current law, magazines capable of holding a maximum of 15 rounds of ammunition are legal in New Jersey. We must immediately reduce the lawful maximum capacity of ammunitions magazines in New Jersey to 10 rounds.
Despite recommendations from Governor Christie’s task force to further investigate reducing magazine capacity, Governor Christie has chosen to not act.
2) Universal Background Checks
New Jerseyans overwhelmingly agree: all gun purchases should require background checks.
Senator Buono’s plan closes the private sale loophole and immediately requires background checks on all sales. We must require all sales or other transfers of a handgun, rifle, or shotgun to be conducted through a retail dealer licensed under State law or a Federal Firearms Licensee. The licensee would have to complete a National Instant Criminal Background Check (NICS) on the recipient. The only exceptions to this rule would be for transfers between immediate family members, law enforcement, licensed collectors, and temporary transfers for firearms safety trainings.
Governor Christie has refused to even acknowledge there is a private sale loophole. Again, he has ignored his task force’s recommendations on background checks.
3) Face-to Face Sale of Ammunition
New Jersey law currently requires all gun sales to be face-to-face. It is baffling that New Jersey law does not require the same standard for ammunition, which is necessary to make those guns deadly.
Senator Buono’s plan requires that the sale and transfer of ammunition must be conducted in a face-to-face transaction. A face-to-face requirement would make mail order, Internet, telephone, and any other anonymous method of ammunition sale or transfer illegal in New Jersey.
Again, Governor Christie has chosen not to act on this issue.
LGBT
Equality under the law is the most fundamental American ideal. It allows every New Jerseyan to exercise their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. When he vetoed marriage equality legislation, Governor Christie abandoned this principle by treating LGBT New Jerseyans as second-class citizens.
In contrast, Barbara advocates tirelessly for the rights of LGBT New Jerseyans – and she always has. She sponsored marriage equality legislation in 2008, a position she held long before it was politically popular. She stood up for LGBT individuals and New Jersey's youth as a prime sponsor of New Jersey's original anti-bullying law, and she later went on to prime sponsor the nation's toughest anti-bullying law 10 years later. She expanded the state's hate crimes legislation to include protections for transgender New Jerseyans. And most recently, she cosponsored a bill in the Legislature banning the inhumane practice of conversion therapy.
With Barbara as governor, LGBT New Jerseyans will finally have a leader in Trenton who fights for them. Barbara will ensure that New Jersey joins its neighboring states in making marriage equality the law of the land and make sure New Jersey's anti-bullying and anti-discrimination laws are fully enforced.
Note: clearly this wasn't updated after the Judge's decision. But note that the only reason we are the 14th state to allow same-sex marriage is because of a judge, not Christie
NEW JERSEY'S WOMEN
As a working woman and mother of six, Barbara knows New Jersey can’t move forward if it leaves its women behind.
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
Today in New Jersey, women still earn 78 cents for every dollar their male counterparts take home. For African American women and Latinas, the pay gap is even wider.
The gender wage gap isn’t just about fairness. At a time when more and more women lead their households, it hurts families all across our state. Uplifting New Jersey’s communities will require a commitment to gender pay equity, starting in the Governor’s office.
Barbara has a record of standing with New Jersey’s women that dates back to her early days in the Legislature. She’s supported legislation ensuring women in New Jersey earn equal pay for equal work and sponsored a resolution urging Congress to do the same at the federal level. And in voting to increase New Jersey’s minimum wage and tie it to the cost of living, Barbara took action to support more than 250,000 working women in New Jersey.
WOMEN’S HEALTH
Barbara believes the right to health care is fundamental for every New Jerseyan and that the special health needs of our women should be a top priority.
As a nation, we’ve made strides in recent years on women’s health. Today, insurance companies can no longer discriminate against a woman because she’s pregnant or has been a victim of domestic violence.
But Barbara knows there’s still a long way to go when it comes to women’s health here in New Jersey. She stood up against Governor Christie’s decision to slash funding for women’s health clinics like Planned Parenthood, which caused six women’s health centers to close and over 30,000 New Jerseyans to lose access to cancer screenings, breast exams, HIV testing, and other vital preventative health services. As governor, Barbara will restore funding for clinics like Planned Parenthood, providing New Jersey’s women with the resources they need to stay healthy and enjoy the quality of life they deserve.
THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE
In the face of right-wing conservative opposition, Barbara stands firm in her belief that New Jersey’s women know more about what is best for their bodies than politicians in Trenton. As governor, she will protect the right to choose, keeping personal health care decisions between a woman and her doctor.
Urban Communities
Highlights of Barbara’s vision for New Jersey’s urban communities include:
- Lifting families out of poverty by increasing the minimum wage and restoring the Earned Income Tax Credit for low-wage earners.
- Ensuring equal economic opportunity for all by giving formerly incarcerated people a fair chance to reenter the workforce and enacting tuition equality so that undocumented students can obtain the skills they need for better jobs.
- Expanding worker training programs by investing in community colleges and vocational schools.
- Reviving local economies by targeting incentives to small businesses, particularly those that are women- and minority-owned.
- Closing the education achievement gap by expanding early childhood education, restoring before- and after-school programs, and repairing our crumbling schools.
- Reducing pervasive gun violence by passing commonsense gun reforms, including universal background checks.
- Lifting up communities plagued by foreclosures by promoting options that enable underwater homeowners to stay in their homes and converting foreclosed properties into affordable homes.
- Helping workers and their families stay healthy by promoting the benefits of the Affordable Care Act and ensuring workers have access to earned sick days.
Tuition Equality for New Jersey’s DREAMers
Higher education is key to securing a good job in the 21st century economy. But for thousands of New Jersey students lacking proper documentation, our colleges and universities are simply out of reach because they are forced to pay tuition rates three times higher than their high school classmates’. That’s not just wrong for New Jersey’s students; it’s wrong for New Jersey’s economy.
Barbara and Milly understand that in order for our economy to rebound, we need to make sure that every student has an equal opportunity to obtain an affordable higher education. They are committed to bringing tuition equality to New Jersey, empowering thousands of New Jersey’s DREAMers to get the skills and training they need to fill the jobs of the future.
A Livable Wage for All Workers
Today in New Jersey, 154,000 Latinos are living on $7.25 an hour—a wage so low that many of them work multiple jobs and still can barely afford to put food on the table and gas in the tank. In a state with one of the highest costs of living in the nation, having the lowest minimum wage allowed under federal law is simply unacceptable.
Barbara and Milly support raising New Jersey’s minimum wage and tying it to cost of living increases, which will help grow our economy and make it easier for Latino New Jerseyans to make ends meet.
A Quality Education for Every Child
Education is the stepping-stone that enables our young people to lift themselves above their circumstances and make their dreams a reality. Barbara and Milly believe every student deserves that chance, regardless of who they are, where they’re from, or what language they speak. They are fully committed to making sure every child receives the quality education they deserve by:
- Providing every child with the resources they need to succeed, protecting funding for our second-language learners
- Expanding quality preschool and full-day kindergarten, which will help close the achievement gap
- Restoring before- and after-school programs, which help ensure that learning continues even when students leave the classroom
Today more New Jerseyans are living in poverty than at any time during the last five decades. A disproportionate number come from Latino families, who struggle every day to meet their basic needs.
The Earned Income Tax Credit has been one of our nation’s most effective programs in lifting families out of poverty. It puts more money in the pockets of our low-income residents, making it easier for them to put food on the table and provide for their families.
Barbara and Milly will restore the Earned Income Tax credit that was cut under Governor Christie, giving Latino New Jerseyans across the state the ability to lift themselves out of poverty and live up to their full potential.
Access to Affordable Healthcare
Healthcare should not be a privilege for some; it should be a fundamental right for all. President Obama’s Affordable Care Act worked to make that right a reality for all people in New Jersey, regardless of their circumstances.
But Governor Christie has stood in the way of providing affordable healthcare for all New Jerseyans by rejecting key elements of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. As a result, up to 186,000 New Jerseyans, many of them Latino, could miss out on access to the affordable healthcare they need.
Barbara and Milly are fully committed to making sure that every New Jerseyan has access to affordable healthcare. They support implementing an enhanced outreach effort to make sure that all eligible families enroll in the healthcare exchanges under the Affordable Care Act.
Supporting Latino Business Owners
There are over 68,000 Latino-owned businesses in New Jersey, many of them small businesses. These businesses are integral to New Jersey’s cultural and economic fabric, contributing over $10 billion to our economy. Barbara and Milly know that supporting our Latino business owners will be key to our economic recovery moving forward. That is why they support programs to cut costs and provide hands-on support for our women- and minority-owned businesses.
A Commitment to Diversity
New Jerseyans take pride in our state’s diversity. Barbara and Milly believe that government should reflect that same value. From the Supreme Court to Executive Cabinet, they will work to ensure that government reflects the diversity of our state. In addition, they will work to promote the inclusion of Latinos in public service by establishing a Chief Diversity and Equal Employment Opportunity Officer.
Chris Christie
http://www.state.nj.us/governor/
Education:
Improving Public Schools by Rewarding Effective, High-Quality Teachers and Demanding Accountability in the Classroom:
- Rewarding Innovative, Effective and High-Quality Teachers
- Expanding Opportunities for Great Teachers to Succeed
- Demanding Accountability and Results for New Jersey’s Children
- Ensuring Our Children Have Well-Prepared Teachers
Empowering Parents with Access to Quality Data and Additional Outreach Efforts
- Engaging Families in Their Children’s Education with Improved Access to Information
- Improving Outreach and Communications Efforts to Parents and Families
Energy:
Making Renewable Energy A Key To New Jersey's Economic Growth:
- Reducing The Cost Of Energy For Families And Businesses: To reduce the cost of energy, we have to reduce the consumption of energy. Focusing on increased efficiencies will lead to increased energy savings. This is as simple as energy-efficient light bulbs, windows, insulation, and appliances. The cheapest power is the power we don't have to generate, distribute and deliver.
- Applying "Made In NJ" To Our Energy Needs: Currently, NJ only produces just over 50% of the energy that we use. Home grown sources must include wind and solar, particularly off-shore wind. The NJ coastline is optimal for installation of off-shore wind farms and we need to take steps to promote that industry, but as we do so it has to be with the understanding that production of renewable energy is presently very expensive. To reduce those costs, to homes and businesses, we need to promote research into storage of the energy produced by solar panels and wind turbines.
- Marketing New Jersey For Renewable Energy Production: Using the New Jersey Partnership for Action, the state will actively reach out to the renewable energy companies that are seeking to manufacture parts and make our state a home for growth. Choose New Jersey will promote New Jersey's skilled workforce, technology base, manufacturing base and port facilities.
Ethics:
Property Taxes:
The Consensus Agreement Holds Firm Governor Christie's Principles
- A Hard Cap. Cap 2.0 is a hard cap that allows for continued, aggressive reform. With this hard cap, in any year, the property tax levy cannot increase more than 2 percent, with very limited exceptions.
- Letting the People Vote. Allowing for the people to decide their own fate and determine when increases in property taxes should exceed the cap is central to achieving meaningful reform. As such, the agreement gives citizens the ability to take back their state and have a much needed voice in their local communities.
- Limited Exceptions Ends "Swiss Cheese" Cap Currently In Place. Currently there are 14 exceptions or waivers, including a catch all that allows for exceptions not covered in the first 13, which has made the current 4 percent cap almone initially proposed by the Governor.ost irrelevant. Today's agreement allows for few exceptions, including
- Capital expenditures and pay required debt service
- Pension benefits
- Health benefits
- Expenses incurred in connection with a state of emergency as determined by regulations to be defined.
Budget:
Three key objectives of the Christie Administration include:
- Prioritizing the state’s funding commitments
- Establishing and empowering fiscal watchdogs
- Implementing simple, responsible budget practices
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