Like It Or Not Legal Weed Is Coming To Jersey

This piece is not an argument for or against legal weed because, I admit it, I’m torn. I want to be against legal weed. As a (mostly) conservative Republican that’s the position I think I’m supposed to take.

On the other hand, my last name is Kush. There is absolutely, positively no way that with my last name it was possible to go through life without at least trying a little Kush.

For those of you who led a sheltered life or listened to Nancy Reagan and just said no, Kush is a particular variety of cannabis that descends from the Hindu Kush mountains. Frankly, it’s good sh!t! It’ll have you chilling out on the couch with a bag of chips within minutes.

Besides being a Republican I do have a bit of a small “L” libertarian steak in me. Hell, I even ran for Philadelphia city council as a Libertarian a lifetime ago. My point is I believe in small government and personal freedoms and responsibilities. In other words, I don’t really care what my neighbor does so long as it doesn’t have a negative impact on my life.

Then there’s the whole thing about me being anti-hypocrite. I have a very difficult time being against something I’ve actually done. I don’t do it now, I don’t even drink. High school and young adulthood (and maybe beyond) is a completely different story. I could still make a bowl out of an apple or a beer can if I had to.

Fortunately, I am not in the legislature, therefore I don’t have to vote on it. Plus, it wouldn’t matter because like it or not, pot, weed, marijuana, cannabis or whatever you want to call it is going to be legal in New Jersey.

Since weed is going to be legal in Jersey, I hope they do it right and stop with the “social justice” garbage. It’s about the money!

For one thing, according to NJ.com folks could get their weed delivered. That’s just plain stupid! When I was in high school I spent a lot of nights out at my friend Michael’s. We would get his sister to call the local liquor store, posing as his mother, to call for a delivery of a case of Budweiser. When the guy arrived with Michael’s mother’s order, his sister would hide in the bathroom with the shower running. Michael would answer the door and yell, “Mom the delivery guy is here.” His sister would yell back something about being in the shower and to pay the guy. It worked every single time. Who is to say kids won’t use a similar tactic with the weed delivery guy? No deliveries, and while we’re at it, stop with the booze deliveries, too.

Since weed is going to be legal, let’s make things fair for South Jerseyans who might want to get into the business. For example, there is much discussion about the idea of Social Impact Zones. While I frequently disagree with NJ.com they have done an excellent job covering the whole legal weed thing. NJ.com wrote this about impact zones:

The commission will give preference to applicants whose businesses are located in impact zones, "for which past criminal marijuana enterprises contributed to higher concentrations of law enforcement activity, unemployment, and poverty," according to the bill. 

The zone must have a population of 120,000 or more, or it must have a high crime index as measured by the State Police, an annual average unemployment rate of 15 percent and rank in the top 33 percent for marijuana- or hashish-related arrests, the bill said.

On the population criteria alone, only Newark, Jersey City, Paterson and Elizabeth would qualify as an impact zone, according to Census data.

If the above is accurate, South Jerseyans wishing to get into the legal weed business are at a disadvantage to folks in the northern part of the state wishing to get into the business. I’m fairly certain there are locations in every South Jersey county that fit into the “for which past criminal marijuana enterprises contributed to higher concentrations of law enforcement activity, unemployment, and poverty,” category. Why should they be at a disadvantage due to population?

Apparently, some of the brainiacs in Trenton want to allow for consumption areas at weed dispensaries. While these consumption areas will be separate from the area where users actually buy their pot, it’s still a dumb idea. I’m speaking from experience here.

Basically, the brainiacs are saying, “smoke your weed and go drive.” I know that back in the day when I wasn’t just saying no I worked with a guy named John. John always had weed on him. Driving to work he loved to fire up a doobie and, yes, he would pass it to me. I was a terrible driver while high and still don’t know how we aren’t dead. Bad idea! And, please spare me the “people drink at a bar and then drive,” stuff. Even when I was a drinker I would not drink and then drive. But, seriously, if people buy their weed, smoke it before going home, they’ll buy more before leaving.

Illegal pot is going to be cheaper and not just because of the taxes. Believe it or not, according to NJ.com, “Applicants who apply to be licensed cannabis businesses by the state must sign an agreement they will hire workers represented by labor unions. Exceptions are made for micro-business owners.”

Yup! You read that right – Trenton wants to unionize legal weed dealers. You know that’s going to help drive the price up.

The extra taxes on legal pot and unionized workers driving up the cost tells me, and any person with common sense, this is not a social justice issue, but a money grab.

I’m still torn on whether or not weed should be legal, but I wish folks in the legislature would be honest and admit it’s all about money.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due, Atlantic City Democratic Committee Does The Right Thing

Frank Gilliam & Jeffree Fauntleroy

I like to give credit where credit is due, and the Atlantic City Democratic Committee deserves credit – and not just because their abbreviation is ACDC.

I’ve been critical of Democratic Party leaders in South Jersey for their deafening silence on the wrongdoings of members of their own party, specifically party members former Assemblyman Arthur Barclay, Voorhees Township Deputy Mayor Jason Ravitz, Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam and Atlantic City Councilman Jeffree Fauntleroy and failed Democratic sheriff candidate Bob Gant who are all members of the South Jersey Fight Club.

I complained that “South Jersey’s Democratic leaders haven’t said one single word about their poor behavior. Not Senate President Steve Sweeney, not Congressman Donald Norcross, not Congressman-elect Jeff Van Drew, not Camden County Democratic Party Chairman Jim Beach, not Salem County Democratic Party Chairman Steven Caltabiano, not Atlantic County Democratic Party Chairman Michael Suleiman. Not even the party’s municipal leaders said a word about these South Jersey Fight Club members.”

Of course this was all in response to Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam and Atlantic City Councilman Jeffree Fauntleroy allegedly getting into a fight at an Atlantic City nightclub.

The Atlantic City Democratic Committee (ACDC) has done what party leadership has not – Harry Hurley broke the news that ACDC voted 27-3 to ask Gilliam and Funtleroy to step down from their elected positions.

Unfortunately, while ACDC has done the right thing, Democratic party leaders still refuse. They continue to circle the wagons all the way to Trenton. Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver told CBS3, “The allegations are deeply troubling and must be appropriately investigated. That investigation is underway and should not be compromised by any forecast or speculation about what steps may follow its conclusion.”

“Appropriately investigated?” Is she serious? There is video of the incident. We know it happened. There is nothing to investigate.

While some things apparently aren’t going to change, ACDC deserves credit for working to get Atlantic City off the “Highway to Hell.”

Gloucester Township BOE Race Controversy Reaches Township Council

Gloucester Twp Councilman Dan Hutchison (Source: Gloucester Twp website)

“What do you have other than a Facebook post or what people put on social media, it’s gotten so bad…” is what Gloucester Township Councilman Dan Hutchison had to say in response to a question about the recent school board election in the township. The question, a direct result of The Bob & Steve Show’s covering residency questions of one of the winners, was asked at last night’s Township council meeting by a resident.

Honestly, I don’t know whether to be happy that residents are using what they’ve learned from reading our blog to ask questions of their elected officials or to be angry that a siting councilman could say, “What do you have other than a Facebook post or what people put on social media, it’s gotten so bad…” after being asked a question that resulted from our blogging about an election.

The councilman basically has alleged The Bob & Steve Show is spreading “fake news.” Of course, that is untrue. Every word typed about one of the winners of the recent school board race, Brian Reagan, has been well-documented. Everything, right down to the fact that his campaign website was registered by the township’s communications director and the registrant address used when registering the website is the same address as an adult superstore. It’s all true.

It’s also true that Reagan listed an address on Cedar Creek Drive in Gloucester Township on his nominating petition. And, it’s true I’ve been in the neighborhood several times since our first post on the issue and that I’ve chatted with a neighborhood resident who told me he does not live there. Finally, anecdotal evidence suggests that it is true that Reagan splits his time between a home in Margate and his girlfriend’s home in Philly.

Reagan is an attorney, if I were lying, I would have received a cease and desist order by now. Trust me, those orders do come via email, I got one from a law firm headed by a former deputy US Attorney once – and I was telling the truth that time, too. I have a framed dismissal for proof. My point, I know how this works and so do the players in Gloucester Township. They know I’m telling the truth, now they’re just hoping I don’t connect the last of the dots. I will! Yeah, I’m daring him to send me a cease and desist order – I’ll simply ignore it because I’m telling the truth and truth is an absolute defense.

So, back to the lady and her questioning of township council. There was a discussion about the last school board meeting. At one point during this part of the discussion Councilman Hutchison said that if he were at that meeting he would have said “Stop spouting off negative stuff you cannot prove, you have no idea is accurate, all because you want to win an election.”

Unfortunately, for Hutchison, readers of The Bob & Steve Show blog know what they are “spouting off” about is “accurate” because I backed it all up when it was written. It’s simply what machine Democrats do – deny, deny, deny.

I might be a bit of an ass from time-to-time, but I do believe in being fair. I have to be fair for the blog and the radio show. So, I sent an email to Hutchison on his council account late last night to give him the opportunity to answer a few questions. I’ve not yet seen a response. Following is my email:

Councilman,

You may not remember this but the last time we came across each other you were a registered Republican. It was back in 2003 when I wrote a press release that said you should be excommunicated from the GOP after you endorsed now state Senator Fred Madden over former state Senator George Geist. I had hair back then! Based on the video I just watched, you still look good though.

Hopefully, you will indulge me and answer a question or two for the blog associated with The Bob & Steve Show – a talk radio show that airs on Crusin’ 92.1 FM Saturday mornings from 8:00 – 10:00.

Apparently, based on the video I watched, a nice lady asked some questions with regard to some posts on our blog about the recent school board election. You explained that had you been at the last school board meeting you would have said “Stop spouting off negative stuff you cannot prove, you have no idea is accurate, all because you want to win an election.” That quote starts at the 24:37 mark of the video. The link if you want to review it is here: https://youtu.be/JhK6Y7E5LyE

Based on that quote, my first question to you is: are you insinuating that I, as the author of the blog posts about the school board race, am lying about the residency of a particular winner of the recent school board race? Secondly, are you claiming the neighborhood resident I spoke with was lying when he or she told me he does not live in the Cedar Creek Drive home listed on his nominating petition? Thirdly, do you know if the rumors are true that there are no beds in the bedrooms, but desks in their place, at the Cedar Creek Drive home?

Thanks in advance for answering my questions. Glad to see you stayed politically active for all these years. Hope you’re doing well!

Sincerely,

As I mentioned, Hutchison has not answered my questions. I don’t expect an answer, I haven’t received a reply to my email to Reagan either.

I had no horse in the Gloucester Township school board election. I don’t know any of the candidates. I don’t live in Gloucester Township and to be blunt, I believe they get what they deserve by constantly voting for Gloucester Township machine politicians. Seriously, the voters in that township must love high taxes.

What I do care about is when someone lies to the voters. And, in this case, there is an obvious lie about the residency of one of the winners of the school board race and I will not stop until they admit to their lie.

I’ll update this post if I get an answer to my email. Until then, you can view video from last night’s Gloucester Township Council Meeting below. The questions that came from The Bob & Steve Show’s blogging about the school board race start at the 14:14 mark: