A plea to NJ voters...

When I first started writing on the Patch, my intention was to set the record straight and share facts where I felt they were missing. Today, what was once a simple intention, has evolved into a feeling of civic duty.

I have always known that corruption existed at all levels of government but no matter how bad I always believed it was, I can now see that it is unconscionably worse. But do you know what bothers me most of all? Every day, I find yet another person or group endorsing those candidates who will literally harm them the most. Be it because they are hearing what they want to hear, are subject to the Bandwagon Effect(1), plan to vote along party lines because "anyone other than Trump or Christie has to be better," or due to the fact they can't be bothered as they have to get back to watching Dancing With the Stars...people either don't care to learn the truth, are unwilling to appreciate that they might not have the whole story, or can't be bothered because in their view "local elections don't matter and nothing will change anyway."

I'll admit that in today's America, it is hard to believe your voice counts...but it does. I think the difference is that you have to be 'speaking' more than once a year, in November. In addition, we need to appreciate that those people and groups on whom we have relied previously to help us make decisions, including the media, non-profit groups, and other advocacy organizations, can no longer be trusted as they are also corrupt or (simply) can't be bothered to dig below the surface and find the truth.

Here are a few examples-

The NJEA's (New Jersey Educators Association's) endorsement of Phil Murphy

Murphy has promised teachers that their pensions will be a priority...he even goes so far as to suggest a constitutional amendment to guarantee these payments will be made. But you know what he hasn't done? He has not yet shared an actual plan. You don't have to like Kim Guadagno's proposal for teacher pensions but at least she actually has one. Have you read it or have you dismissed it because it was written by 'Christie's Lt. Governor?' Does that make sense to you?

Here's what I see. I see a man who knows exactly what to say because he is being controlled like a puppet by Jim McQueeny and his army of unethical minions. I see Guadagno not being given a chance by too many folks in the state, for the wrong reasons. Don't get me wrong, I'm not stating you should automatically like her...but please consider having an open mind to hear what she has to say. What you would quickly find is that she doesn't like Christie, actually has plans (which you may not like), and more than anything, is not connected to the same alleged criminals as Murphy. How is it that the NJEA can endorse a candidate who literally has not offered a single idea on satisfying the pension concerns in the state?

This is what it says on Murphy's page-

"For decades, the same old politicians in New Jersey have mismanaged and underfunded our pension funds. They’ve broken promises and cut deals to reward special interests and insiders instead of fixing the problem, and that’s why our pension funds are in crisis."

First of all, "Phil Murphy, a former Goldman Sachs executive, made just under $7.3 million last year and $28.3 million since 2010 -- almost all of it passive income from investments, an examination of his tax returns showed(2)." In what world are we to believe that Murphy isn't himself a part of these so-called, "special interests and insiders" groups? And how much more cliche can McQueeny get (who I believe wrote this for Murphy as the language pattern is quite familiar to me), using lines such as "They've broken promises and cut deals...?" On this same page from Murphy's site, he continues on to explain that "twelve years ago, Phil Murphy chaired the first commission to evaluate the state’s pension system in light of a growing unfunded liability. The commission recommended, first and foremost, that the state must meet its obligations and respect the collective bargaining process. These are the first principles Phil will bring to the issue as governor." OK. He chaired a committee that evaluated something. I was once a taste-tester for hamburger seasonings. This isn't a qualification. Maybe he achieved something on that committee...but then why not tell us what it was that he succeeded in doing? He seems to believe that by stating he "recommended" that the state do something, that this is some measure of success. Seriously? What good does a recommendation do? And finally, he repeats that "first and foremost, the state must meet its obligations..." HOW? I have to add one more example here...this is also on that same page - "Phil has also led the effort to boost the pension funds’ returns by calling on the state to divest from private equity and hedge funds." He 'called on the state'...Fantastic. This is like reading something Cory Booker would write (who I detest).

Murphy, is extremely wealthy, as noted above, and has a lot of relationships with land developers. This, coupled with the behavior we've seen from others in the state, leads me to believe that the real reason Murphy is running is so that he and his friends can profit from affordable housing and land development deals. Should Murphy win, it will be devastating to our state in a number of ways, including those that you might not read about in a headline. He offers nothing but empty promises, not a single policy plan, and is being controlled by a few, truly dangerous puppeteers. There is still time. He cannot win.

Democratic voters tend to get sold on empty promises from candidates that either cannot be achieved or where the person running is safe to demonstrate support for a specific initiative because they know it has no chance of passing anyway. As an example, take Cory Booker. This man is one of the most phony and ridiculous Senators to ever hold a seat in DC. Yes, I believe he's corrupt. But also, he's just ridiculous and has no backbone. He claims he 'now' supports Universal Healthcare. This man has taken many, many thousands of dollars from Big Pharma in donations. And all of a sudden, he's going to support an initiative that would destroy that industry? He is supporting the Universal Healthcare Bill (by being a co-sponsor), so he can say that he has when he runs for President in 2020. What he will go out of his way to hide at that time, is that he only supported it because he knew there was no risk to his donors.

In Mahwah, we have two Democratic candidates trying to turn our downtown area into Oz, making promises of all the wonderful things they want done that (literally) can't happen. The land is privately owned and is not zoned for what they are proposing or what they claim is in the Masterplan that I don't see referenced (I could have missed it...it's a long document). Along with welcoming the endorsement of our corrupt, pathological lying, Mayor, they also demonstrate strategies right out of the McQueeny playbook. They put Steinberg in the mix as she is very vocal and outgoing to distract from the fact what their party really wants, is Vicky Galow to win most of all. Galow's husband is deeply connected with the Democratic party and I have every reason to believe, McQueeny.

When can we come together as residents, Americans...put our partisan views aside and begin to hold these folks accountable? When can we all start paying closer attention? Frankly, we're running out of time.

(1) The bandwagon effect is a psychological phenomenon in which people do something primarily because other people are doing it, regardless of their own beliefs, which they may ignore or override. The bandwagon effect has wide implications, but is commonly seen in politics and consumer behavior. http://www.investopedia.com/te...

(2) http://www.nj.com/politics/ind...