PRESS RELEASE: NJGOP Chairman: Sobering Statistics On New Jersey's Shrinking Economy Keep Stacking Up

Trenton, NJ - New Jersey's year-over-year job growth declined to its lowest point since 2011 according to figures released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. New Jersey's annual job growth is now at less than one percent. 

Last week Governor Murphy proposed growing the size of state government by over a billion dollars in his annual budget address. 

"Sobering statistics on New Jersey's shrinking economy keep stacking up," said NJGOP Chairman Doug Steinhardt. "The state of New Jersey is on the path to insolvency and Governor Murphy’s progressive idealism is sucking the economic life out of it. Job killing programs like mandated wages, Obamacare fines, corporate tax hikes and billion dollar tax increases are taking a devastating toll on New Jersey’s economy, leaving struggling families with no where to turn.”

Steinhardt continued, "At a time when state government should be shrinking, New Jersey Democrats are growing it. Despite the worst job report in 5 years, state government added 2900 more jobs. Just last week, nj.com released the list of the 25 highest paid employees at NJ Transit, all men and all earning over $200,000. Another report detailed how political insiders are using the Schools Development Authority as their personal, patronage pit."

"New Jersey deserves honest solutions to real problems," said Chairman Steinhardt. "Freeze new taxes. Put a 2% cap on State budget growth, just like New Jersey municipalities do. Then, incentivize business to invest and grow here by cutting corporate tax rates, creating private sector jobs, and shaping a path to the middle class that’s attainable and real not fallacious and phony.”

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Another Reason We Can’t Have Nice Things

It’s tough being a Republican in New Jersey. I don’t think anyone would disagree with that statement.

Unfortunately, no matter how tough it is to be a Republican in this state, there’s someone, somewhere, who wants to make it even tougher. Republicans have enough problems and we keep adding to them, uncertainty in the powerful Ocean County GOP organization because of the situation with its chairman and issues in Burlington County thanks to state Senator Dawn Addiego’s party switch and allegations that Assemblyman Joe Howarth tried to do the same.

Then there is the situation in Morris County, second only to Ocean in GOP strength, where it appears there is open revolt against the new Republican leadership where information from meetings appears to be getting leaked immediately. There’s going to be more on this later this week, but here at The Bob & Steve Show we’ve been treading lightly because it appears a certain Freeholder who once had me (and 3 candidates) charged criminally is involved with the revolt.

Despite all these problems it appears some people just want to make things worse, right here in South Jersey. South Jersey, probably the toughest place in the state outside of Hudson County to be a Republican, where we have to deal with the well-oiled George Norcross machine.

I don’t know why this issue has come to light, maybe it’s plain old jealousy, or maybe it’s a case of someone listening to the wrong people. Whatever the reason the South Jersey Young Republicans led by Jenna Evans decided to launch into attack mode at Brian Fitzherbert the chairman of the Atlantic County Young Republicans.

Evans, via social media, accused Fitzherbert of sabotaging a Trump event, “Make Saint Patrick’s Day Great Again,” she originally intended to hold at the Borgata this past weekend. The event was moved to the Golden Nugget. She shared a Joseph Rudy Rullo post to Facebook that went viral:

The problem with the attack is it is completely untrue. As I understand the situation, it turns out the Atlantic County Young Republicans Vice Chair, Maryetta Borkowski, works at the Borgata and was asked by management if a “Make St. Patrick’s Day Great Again” event, that happened to have the Borgata logo on it was an ACYR event and was told that if it was they could not use the Borgata logo. Borkowski gave a truthful answer, it was not their event. Eventually, Borgata sent a cease and desist to Evans regarding the unauthorized use of their logo. In other words, just a standard business practice. No one tried to sabotage anything.

The way I understand events appears to be true, even according to Evans’ own social media comments. Unfortunately, Evans mistakenly believed that Borkowski contacted Borgata management when, in fact, Borkowski works there:

Perhaps if Evans had bothered to investigate what happened she wouldn’t have gone off half-cocked and thrown out wild accusations.

Additionally, Fitzherbert filled in for Bob Greco on this weekend’s Bob & Steve Show and plugged Evans’ event on the air. I would have plugged the event if I knew of it, I likely would have included it here on the blog if we were asked.

Even worse than her undeserved attack on Fitzherbert, Evans thought it would be a good idea to lash out at Gloucester County GOP Chair Jacci Vigilante. Evans went so far as to accuse the chairwoman of “a lack of teamwork and support for one another.”

Not only is Evans wrong in her attack on Fitzherbert, but her attack on Vigilante is way off base. I serve as the municipal chair in Greenwich Township (Gibbstown) and have firsthand knowledge of how Vigilante is running the organization. Frankly, teamwork and support for one another are hallmarks of the Vigilante leadership team. Prior to Vigilante taking the reigns the thought was always that the Gibbstown organization took care of everything ourselves and the Township was ignored for the most part. Vigilante and her team have been very supportive of our municipal organization.

It is entirely possible Evans simply viewed the South Jersey Young Republicans event as “her” event and because she didn’t bother to investigate why Borgata sent her a letter to not use their logo she took things personally and lashed out.  Make no mistake, she did refer to it as “my event.”

Bottom line: If Evans is serious about running a Republican organization she should get all her facts straight before attacking fellow Republicans. In this case she is wrong and should be apologizing to Fitzherbert and Vigilante as publicly and aggressively as she was in attacking them.

PRESS RELEASE: NJGOP Chairman: Stop Harassing Legal Gun Owners

NJGOP Chairman Doug Steinhardt called on Governor Phil Murphy to “stop harassing law-abiding citizens simply for owning a firearm.” The Chairman’s press release follows:

Trenton, NJ - NJGOP Chairman Doug Steinhardt is standing up for Second Amendment supporters and legal gun owners. He wants Governor Phil Murphy to stop harassing law-abiding citizens simply for owning a firearm.

"The harassment of legal firearms owners by our government must end. Governor Murphy's political desire to appease the anti-gun lobby can’t come at the expense and from the pockets of law-abiding New Jerseyans who are simply exercising their Second Amendment right to own a firearm," said NJGOP Chairman Steinhardt. "That it should cost half as much for the privilege of obtaining a driver’s license as it does to exercise a constitutional right, is wrong. Taxes and fees should have a rational nexus to a legitimate government purpose, and not just be used to fund a basket of liberal, government giveaways."

According to a report from NJ 101.5, gun fees would increase from $5 to $100 for a firearms purchaser identification card and from no charge to $50 for a duplicate ID card; from $2 to $50 for a permit to purchase; from $20 to $400 for applications or renewals of gun-carry permits; and from $15 to $45 for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System review for firearms purchases.

Applications for wholesale or retail dealer employee licenses would go from $5 to $40; applications for retail firearms dealer licenses would go from $50 to $500; and applications for manufacturers or wholesale dealers of firearms would go from $150 to $1,500.

In total this would amount to a $9 million dollar tax on lawful gun owners. The fee for a driver's license in New Jersey is $24.

The NJGOP petition to stop the gun tax can be found here: https://www.njgop.org/petition/stop-punishing-legal-gun-owners/ 

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