Image via WikipediaAre there any bills congressional Republicans aren't blocking as they bull their way toward extending tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans? Which programs for the middle and working classes in New Jersey haven't been cut by our own Republican bully, Governor Christie?
You'll have to read The Record of Woodland Park from cover to cover today to get any sense of how Republicans on the state and nationals levels are hurting the majority with an unprecedented effort at preserving the wealth of their supporters.
But you won't hear any Editorial Page thunder condemning the GOP: The Grand Old Partisanship, The Party of No.
Editor Francis Scandale can afford a nice home and schools in Glen Rock and a long family vacation in Australia, so he cares nothing about increasing poverty in Passaic and Bergen counties -- a Page 1 story for most editors, but shoved back to L-2 by Scandale and head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes, who scrambles every day to fill a Local news section left empty by her lazy, incompetent minions.
On A-1 today, federal officials say Christie knew he'd be on the hook to repay $271 million spent on the Hudson River rail tunnels long before he killed the project.
Now, the governor has hired a politically connected D.C. law firm at $485 an hour to fight an effort by the Federal Transit Administration to recoup the money. When he was U.S. attorney, he gave consulting contracts worth millions of dollars to a former boss and a former federal judge.
Also on A-1, readers learn that Republicans in the Senate opposed the Dream Act to benefit undocumented residents seeking citizenship.
On A-5, a story reports Senate Republicans also blocked the bill giving health benefits to 9/11 workers and residents. An A-15 story reports more Republican opposition -- to lifting the military's ban on openly gay troops.
On A-33, Editorial Page Editor Alfred P. Doblin rewrites "The Night Before Christmas" to portray Christie as the state's Santa Claus -- another glowing appraisal of the governor from one of his chief apologists. There's only one line of truth, though: "I barely had noticed he never lowered my taxes."
Turning to the Local front, any reader who can figure out what Road Worrier Columnist John Cichowski is saying about changes in the state's highway assistance program is a better man than me.
Also in Local, an L-3 headline says:
Christie backs fertilizer limits
But is there any limit to his bullshit?
Copping a plea
For nearly 18 months, Hackensack reporter Monsy Alvarado has covered suspended Police Chief Ken Zisa's legal troubles, lawsuits against the chief and disciplinary hearings for cops, but it never occurred to her or her assignment editor to explore the impact of all that on morale in the department.
No health ratings
In place of restaurant health ratings -- dropped by Food Editor Susan Leigh Sherrill -- readers will find lots of wire service copy and restaurant mini-reviews today in the Better Living tabloid.
Restaurant Reviewer Elisa Ung rates Pintxo y Tapas in Englewood, formerly Tapas de Espana, as Good to Excellent (two and a half stars) -- on par with a faux-Caribbean, chain restaurant in Wayne called Bahama Breeze. That's not much of a compliment.
Dont the Borgs have connections to the Hackensack Police Dept. and Zisa?
ReplyDeleteI can't answer that.
ReplyDeleteFor many years, the paper and Chief Zisa warred over the release of police news.
Is it a coincidence The Record launched major investigations against Michael Mordaga, former head of detectives in the Hackensack department, and Ken Zisa, and that both are Italian-Americans?
The Mordaga probe dragged on for nearly three years under the unsteady guidance of head Assignment Deirdre Sykes, with the full support of Publisher Stephen A. Borg, who probably had no idea who Mordaga is or what he allegedly did.
The findings were so weak -- and the alleged conflict had ended months before-- so the editors couldn't even run the Mordaga story on Page 1.