Issues

Party Selection VS Voters' Election

Since the late 1980's ALL of our state legislators have gained their seats by party committee appointment, NOT by direct election. And since incumbents have the distinct advantage in our system, AND the democrats often run NO ONE in opposition, these party-appointed officials stay in office year after year. They usually retire before their term is up and the cycle continues.

To be sure, both parties engage in this practice, and would like it to continue. The system has produced, year after year, an unbroken succession of "un-elected" 1st term incumbents. It is downright undemocratic and MUST be changed. Our elected representatives serve the people, not their parties. The people decide who represents them, not a committee in a smoke filled room at party headquarters. If elected, I will introduce legislation providing for the filling of legislative vacancies via popular/citizen choice, rather than the current system of party committee selection.

Property Taxes and the SMART Bill

New Jersey has some of the highest property taxes in the nation. Year after year Republican AND many Democratic politicians tell us we deserve lower taxes. And the Republicans have succeeded in substantially lowering the taxes on the wealthiest of us.

Yet none of our state officials are seriously addressing the property tax issue. Instead of getting us $50, $100, or if you’re lucky $300 back, why not cut our property taxes? What the politicians are telling us just doesn’t seem to add up.

Our district, and the state as a whole, has a property tax system that unfairly burdens low middle-income taxpayers and punishes children for where they happen to live.

I support the "SMART" Bill, which, if implemented, would shift the burden to those with the ability to pay. Furthermore, all children should be entitled to the best education possible, regardless of where they live. I support ending the system of funding our schools through property taxes. The SMART bill will do just that. It will end this unfair system. A system that has resulted in two things: Good schools for the wealthy and a regressive tax scheme that punishes the average taxpayer. The system should be based on one’s ability to pay, NOT on the property one owns.

For example, my grandmother paid $7500 on her property taxes last year in Andover. The billionaire Warren Buffet paid far less on his multi-million dollar house in California. This is insane.

Sen. Littell opposes the SMART bill. Make no mistake: Sen. Littell supports the status quo. If he has not woken up and tried to change this insanely unfair system yet, he will not now. If I am elected, I will fight to change this system while ensuring that the kids in our state get the education funds they deserve.

Campaign Finance Reform

The domination of money in and over the political system has deprived the average citizen of true access to his or her elected representative. The system is broken. Can anyone argue with a straight face that those who have more money to give to politicians, be they corporations or wealthy individuals have the same voice in government as the rest of us?

An article from the New York Times (Sep 5, 2003):

"In the thick of the 2000 presidential campaign, executives at Bristol-Myers Squibb, one of the nation's largest drug companies, received an urgent message: donate money to George W. Bush."

"The message did not come from Republican campaign officials. It came from top Bristol-Myers executives, according to four executives who say they donated to Mr. Bush under pressure from their bosses. They said that they were urged to donate the maximum — $1,000 in their own name and $1,000 in their spouse's — and were warned that the company's chief executive would be notified if they failed to give."

"Bristol-Myers said no one was forced to donate. But elsewhere in the drug industry, the message about the election was much the same. At some companies, officials circulated a videotape of Vice President Al Gore railing against the high price of prescription drugs. A torrent of contributions for Mr. Bush and other Republicans resulted. And the money kept flowing, right through the elections of 2002."

Sen. Littell’s wife, Ginny, works as a lobbyist for Mountain Creek and a lobbyist and consultant for Health Choice in Newton? Is this fair to those of us who can’t afford to hire Mrs. Littell to lobby on our behalf? Who logically has better access: we, the voters or Mountain Creek? We deserve answers to these questions.

Sen. Littell and other republicans spent nearly a half-million dollars on this year’s primary battle. Imagine what we COULD have spent this money on.

It’s time that measures be taken so that the people can trust that their voices matter as much as those who have large amounts of money to give to political candidates or, even worse, expensive lobbyists to get their needs addressed by the politicians. Campaign finance reform is central to fixing the system. We need public financing of campaigns. We need equal access to media. The airwaves, after all belong to the people. We need limits on the unbridled flow of so called “soft money” to politicians via their party. And, most of all, we need to make sure that corporations aren’t permitted to drown out our voices simply by outspending us. After all, corporations don’t vote, we do.

To that end, my campaign will accept no contributions in excess of $100.00 per individual donor. Period. No corporate money. No soft money. True representation requires equal access by all the people regardless of financial means.

Honesty

According to many people, after the election, Sen. Littell plans to retire and appoint, via his party, someone else to fill his seat. I think that the voter deserves a say in this. A vote for Jim Morrison is pure and simple, a vote for Jim Morrison.

A vote for Bob Littell is a vote for whom?

Who will fill his seat? We deserve to know. Sen. Littell needs to answer this question.

This race is not a sympathy contest. Sen. Littell has served this district with distinction for many years. There is no question he has given back to this community many times over. But it is no secret, nor a personal attack on him, that he no longer is consistently able to aggressively fight for the people in this district. Seniority and experience count for something, but these tools are useless without the passion, energy and drive to use them.

It is well known that Senator Littell does not debate his opponents. This is unacceptable. Those running for office owe it to the voters to present and argue their views. The privilege and honor of representing us does not come automatically. It comes not by the virtue of simply having been there for many years. The office must be earned.

The state senate seat for the 24th district belongs to all of us, the residents of this district, this community. This and all political offices should be open to and attainable for just about any thoughtful person with the ideas and the desire to do so. Whether you are an Independent, a Republican, a Democrat, whatever, you deserve that opportunity. Political dynasties ultimately serve only the people they put in office. They are their own voice, not ours.

We don’t need or deserve unresponsive dynasties. Send a message that come election time, our representatives. and senators need to earn our votes. It’s time to take back our voice in the State Senate. I ask for and need your support to do just that. Join me in sending that message.

Universal Health Insurance

As of last year, over 43 million Americans have NO health insurance. This is 6% more than the year before. Millions more have sub-standard insurance that they are barely able to afford. Every year over 13,000 people die in the US from conditions that COULD and WOULD have been prevented had they had access to regular and adequate health care. It is further estimated that our society would save BILLIONS if everyone had access to health care BEFORE catastrophic illness forces them to the doctor or emergency room.

We must begin to ask what sort of civil society we seek: One that cares for the health of its people or one that callously leaves them to their own devises. I support, and will fight for, Universal single-payer health insurance. For starters, for all children under 18. Health care must be considered a right, not a privilege; a service to our communities, rather than a profit-based business.

Transportation

We desperately need to bring passenger rail service (back) to Sussex County. It is clear from their lack of meaningful action on this issue, that both Sen. Littell and the McGreevey administration have no desire to see this happen. If we can get $200 million bonded to fix largely private dams, we should should also consider funding rail service... something that would benefit ALL the residents of this county. Restoring rail service is by FAR the best solution to the basket of problems we face and WILL face in Sussex County vis-a-vis traffic, pollution, development. Widening 206 is the WORST of all possible solutions. This will create FAR more problems than it seeks to solve. The longer we wait on this the harder it's going to be. Let's make this happen.

Auto Insurance

Getting car insurance is almost impossible nowadays in New Jersey. If elected, I will move to prohibit insurance companies from using credit checks at a basis for providing insurance, or deciding how much your premium is. This is blatantly unfair and just plain wrong. Your credit score has NOTHING to do with your car insurance. Moreover, if an insurance company writes non-auto polices here in NJ, but writes auto policies in other states, they should be mandated to provide auto insurance here too. If insurance companies want access to our lucrative 9 million-resident market place, they've got to give us equal treatment and equal access.