Author Archive
New Coalition “For the Many” Should Be Named “For the Special Interests”
Posted On02/21/2020 byAn InsiderNJ Press Release announced the creation of a new coalition named “For the Many.” The Steering Committee includes two powerhouse public-sector unions – the NJEA and CWA – as well as New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP), Working Families Alliance, Citizen Action, Work Environment Council, Anti-Poverty Network, and Make the Road. Save Our Schools (SOS)…Read More
Sen. Sweeney Speaks Truth to (Special Interest) Power
Posted On02/19/2020 byBloomberg News quoted state Senate President Steve Sweeney as declaring New Jersey “in worse shape” than any other state. Sweeney is not exaggerating. The facts are sobering (drawn from Sunlight Policy’s report “Beware the Downward Spiral“): NJ has the worst funded public pensions in the nation at 38%, which means that the state owes future…Read More
In Exchange for $3.7 Million, the ELC Does Some Legal Work for the NJEA
Posted On02/12/2020 byNJ Spotlight reported today that the New Jersey Supreme Court will hear an appeal by the Education Law Center (ELC) over its challenge to an expansion for Newark charter schools. ELC claims that the expansion would drain district funds and increase segregation, but a New Jersey appeals court upheld the expansion. So ELC appealed. Famous…Read More
Working Families Clearing the Way for the Biggest Special Interest of All
Posted On02/11/2020 byNJ Spotlight ran a piece today which had in its title “NJ Activists Take on Dark Money ….” Lead among these activists was New Jersey Working Families, which has formed a coalition called “Take Back NJ” to fight against “soft corruption” in New Jersey politics. The group will introduce legislation to “break the grip of…Read More
Citizen Action Parrots NJEA Line on EDA
Posted On01/17/2020 byDon’t be fooled. Citizen Action is not some independent voice. As shown in SPCNJ’s recent report on the NJEA’s vast network of allies, Citizen Action is funded by the NJEA and works in coordination with other NJEA-funded groups such as Working Families Alliance, Blue Wave and NJ Policy Perspective on such issues as ending the…Read More
Taxpayers and Wealth Are Leaving High-Tax States But Murphy Wants to Raise NJ Taxes
Posted On01/16/2020 byHere’s is a Politico synopsis of a Bloomberg story that describes how high-tax states are losing taxpayers and wealth to low-tax states, and that the trend appears to be accelerating since the SALT deduction was capped. And yet Gov. Murphy – reflecting the desires of his public sector union pals – wants to expand the…Read More
Mulshine Nails It: Murphy Is “Best Buddy” to NJ’s Entrenched Special Interests
Posted On01/15/2020 byThe Star-Ledger’s Paul Mulshine hit the nail on the head with his piece on Governor Murphy’s annual State of the State address. Murphy took a shot at “entrenched special interests,” but Mulshine rightly pointed out: “But the most deeply entrenched special interests in Trenton are the public-employee unions. Murphy’s their best buddy, so he rarely…Read More
Wall St. Journal: NJ and Other Blue States Are Losing People and Wealth
Posted On01/08/2020 byThe Wall Street Journal had an excellent editorial today on the out-migration of people and their taxable incomes from high-tax Blue States to low-tax, mostly Red States. The Journal piece echoes the findings of SPCNJ’s recent report “Beware the Downward Spiral: The Economic Consequences of New Jersey’s Special-Interest-Dominated Status Quo.” Taken from Census and IRS…Read More
SPCNJ’s Report Is All Facts, Mr. Baker. All Sourced and Footnoted.
Posted On01/06/2020 bySPCNJ published a in-depth report today that reveals the NJEA’s vast, inter-connected network of allies. As expected, NJEA spokesperson Steve Baker casually dismissed SPCNJ’s work as “anti-union propaganda.” We at SPCNJ defy Mr. Baker to identify one piece of information in the report that isn’t a fact. He won’t be able to because the report…Read More
Read NJ Left Behind’s Excellent Article on Extravagant Health Benefits and NJEA Resistance to Reform
Posted On01/02/2020 byNJEA Execs Demand Continuation of $700/Hour Acupuncture Sessions — On Your Dime. LAURA WATERS DECEMBER 20, 2019 Say NO to pension and benefit attacks! “Legislation recently introduced by Senate President Steve Sweeney threatens the pensions and health benefits of NJEA members and other public employees. Instead of finding ways for the state to meet its…Read More