Chris Christie was expected to sign this bill. But Christie, facing sudden political pressure to run for president, let the $420,000 in tax credits for another season of “Jersey Shore” feel the pain of the veto. Why? “I have no interest in policing the content of such projects,” Christie said in a news release. “However, as chief executive I am duty-bound to ensure that taxpayers are not footing a $420,000 bill for a project which does nothing more than perpetuate misconceptions about the state and its citizens.” This is a reversal for Christie — he previously claimed he couldn’t veto the bill because, while he didn’t like the show himself, the program didn’t discriminate based on content. What, do you not like seeing The Situation’s chiseled abs, Chris? (photo via Rachel Kramer Bussel) source
As president of the United States I want to make it very clear that we are going to meet our federal obligations because we are one country. When one part of the country gets affected, whether it’s a tornado in Joplin, Missouri or a hurricane that affects that eastern seaboard, then we come together as one country and make sure that everybody gets the help that they need.President Barack Obama • Speaking about the need for federal disaster funding during a visit to Irene-ravaged New Jersey yesterday. This is an issue as a result of some stuff Eric Cantor said last week, suggesting that federal funding of disaster cleanup would only happen by cutting matching funding elsewhere. We like the point The Bergen Record’s Mike Kelly makes about this: “Memo to conservatives: You make good points about the need for America to get serious about government spending. But this is not a John Wayne western, with steel-eyed gunfighters making black-and-white decisions about life and death.” Conservatives are right on a surface level on this — we need to cut spending — but get down to the nitty-gritty and it’s simply not clear-cut. source (via • follow)
The Latest on Hurricane Irene:
- 200,000 tourists are evacuating from North Carolina. (LA Times)
- It’s likely to cause more injuries in the Bahama’s than 1999’s Hurricane Floyd, and it really looks like it’s heading for the New York City area. (Reuters)
- NBC is worried Irene is going to attract online scammers to infect your computers with spyware and malware. Here’s how to avoid it.
- While the hurricane is expected to cause as much as $20 billion in damages, it’s helping businesses like Lowe’s, Target, and Home Depot because of boosts in sales of emergency supplies. (Bloomberg)
“This is everything a hurricane can be, and it’s on one of those worst-case tracks for the East Coast,” Dennis Feltgen, a spokesman for the National Hurricane Center told NPR. “Usually, hurricanes that get up into the higher latitudes are fast-moving,” he said. “This one isn’t — which means it will be a powerful, slow-moving storm that could be doing a lot of damage.”
North Carolina, New York, and New Jersey have already declared a state of emergency ahead of the hurricane’s arrival. Whether or not NYC will order evacuations is still to be determined.
(Photo via NASA Goddard Photo and Video’s Flickr)
Great Irene roundup via our former intern, Justin Jones.
Another state, another state of emergency. New Jersey looks like it might get nailed by Hurricane Irene pretty badly. Will be interesting to see how this one plays out.
Tweet of the day: Newark Mayor Cory Booker, admitting the smelliness of Newark isn’t super-high on his agenda. (h/t The Awl)
guillotineparty said: Please let this evil fat bastard die.
» SFB says: Dislike a man’s politics — on either side. Don’t wish death on them. Uncalled for. — Ernie @ SFB
He was having difficulty breathing and was taken “out of an abundance of caution,” said spokesman Michael Drewniak.
And this is a damn shame. No doubt about it. (via @NiemanLab)
Wrote a thing.
Hat tip to this headline writer.
Congrats Tumblr!
Don’t screw this up Yahoo.
In 2007, I was...
I started tumblr when I was at one of the lowest points of...
» And they’re far from alone: Nearby New Jersey has a backlog stretching back a solid 49 years, and noted foreclosure mecca Florida has a decade-long backlog. A big reason? The courts are overworked on this issue and can only handle so many cases. But even in the 27 states where courts aren’t involved, the wait is often still significant — at least a year in many cases. Beyond the courts, the entire system is overworked — and lenders seem to be in no rush to add any more repossessed houses to their balance sheet.
I’m not admitting it was wrong. What I’m saying is that, if the public perceives for a moment that I’m using that for a perk of office, I want to take that away from them right away. But I would not make a different decision if I had to do it again because it was important for me as a father to be there for my son.New Jersey Governor Chris Christie • Speaking with Piers Morgan, in an interview to be aired tonight. Morgan asked Christie about his decision to use a state helicopter to attend his son’s basketball game. Christie replied that it’s important to him to be there for his son, which is a quality that speaks well for Christie’s character as a family man. It is, however, a strictly personal motivation to fly to watch his son play. It has no value whatsoever to the people, and it’s undeniably what he’s concerned some might view it as, a perk of his office. He also makes it clear that his decision to pick up the tab on the flight was not about a standard of ethics, just image management. Which, even though this story isn’t that major, is an odd thing to admit on national television. Maybe that speaks well for Christie, too — this seems like a pretty honest answer, if not a politically tactful one. source (via • follow)
There was a rumor earlier today that Newark Mayor Cory Booker, famous for his faux-feud with Conan O’Brien a few years back, was considering a run at the US Senate. Booker is, without question, one of the Democrats’ brightest national prospects, and one of our favorite politicians here at SFB. His candidacy would be a major coup for the party. However, Booker quickly swatted down the rumors, insisting that he’ll finish his term as mayor. While this is a disappointment for national Democrats, it says a lot about his commitment to Newark, and by extension, his integrity as a politician (Booker often turns down appealing offers in order to remain Newark mayor). Once his tenure in Newark is up, however, we can’t help but hope he’ll set his sights on higher office. Way higher, if you catch our drift. source
We need to have robust New Jersey public broadcasting, but we need to have it in a way that is not continuing to cost the taxpayers and can be perceived as truly independent from state government.New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie • Describing his plan to have WNET take over public television coverage in New Jersey, as well as to offer up public radio coverage to stations in Pennsylvania and New York. A deal’s already in place. The decision is controversial to say the least — some New Jersey residents are concerned about losing local programming as a result of the plan, and over 100 people will lose their jobs — though they have the opportunity to reapply for similar jobs with WNET. Though officials reassure that donaations raised for public broadcasting “will stay in New Jersey,” this is kind of a crap move if you ask us. These services cost the state relatively little and their benefits are pretty high. And the state wouldn’t be able to get away with this move at all if they weren’t relatively small and adjacent to states with large public broadcasters already. source (via • follow)
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