Tea Party Communists, Christie Slushies & AC Grab

Representative Scott Garrett took to the floor the other day to praise a group called Constituting America. Garrett praised the organization for it's efforts to get kids into the Constitution. While we've had our disagreements over the years about interpretation, he's been pretty consistent on the importance of people reading the Constitution and I agree.

Unfortunately, a quick review of the group's website reveals this is, at best, an effort to launch an education arm of the Tea Party. It's highly partisan, and it's founders do so little to hide the agenda I'm surprised they're capable of receiving 501(c)3 status. Here's a sampling:

By letting Congress take away your right to own a gun, you will let a dictator seize your country and your home, because he will encounter no resistance.

On top of that, this is one of the stated goals for the education contest Garrett was praising:

Encourage students and citizens to wear red clothing in celebration of Constitution Day.

A little sarcasm here: Really? What are we? Communists? Fascists? Canadian? The last time I checked the flag was red, white and blue. All joking aside, Garrett has never taken to the floor to support a non-partisan group like Kids Vote, or (to my memory) the League of Women Voters, so it's more than disappointing that we have yet another example of Garrett being overly partisan.

In other news, Governor Chris Christie apparently has a public relations slush fund. Blue Jersey has been beating the drum on this, Rob Tornoe did a great cartoon (pictured), and Charles Stile has a must read piece on the issue for The Record. Here's the comment that's most chilling:

"I'm telling you that my position is when it was under U.S. Attorney. People have to operate under the law," he said. "If they operate under the law, then that's the way it goes."

Christie's argument is that this is legal, and let it go. The problem with that is that's the same argument Papa Joe used in his corruption trial.

With the vapid privatization report now complete, Stile's point that this slush fund could return us to the glory days of pay-to-play should terrify taxpayers. Privatization done wrong will hurt our state, driving taxes higher. If that report is any indication to the quality of work being done by those heading up the privatization decisions, we are in for a redo of the DMV privatization from a decade ago. Opponents of the privatization plan really need to remind people of what it was like the last time we tried this. It didn't go so well.

And now that Christie is armed with this privatization report, it's expected Christie is going to announce a take over of the gaming district of Atlantic City today. It seems out of character to be expanding government in a time of fiscal crisis, but one could easily make the jump: Christie takes over the casino District to "save" Atlantic City, but in order to save taxpayers' money, all the normal functions of government are privatized. I hate to be this cynical, but Christie has laid out his thoughts and plans so clearly on other items, it would almost seem odd if it didn't follow this pattern.