Murphy to hold press conference with Sweeney and Coughlin and 7:30 pm. Budget announcement expected

Governor Phil Muphy’s office announced a press conference for 7:30 pm with Lt Governor Sheila Oliver, Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin.  It is expected that the Democrat leaders of New Jersey’s state government will announce they have made an agreement for the 2019 fiscal year budget.

According to published reports the budget will an income tax increase to 10.75% on individuals and families with over $5 million income and a corporate business tax increase of 2.5% for two years, to phase out over the following two years.

The sales tax will not be increased, according to the reports.

MMM will post the live stream coverage of the press conference here. Read the rest of this entry »

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NJ Government Shutdown Likely

Governor Murphy, Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin were unable to agree on how much pain to impose on New Jersey taxpayers after four hours of negotiating today, meaning that New Jersey’s state government will very likely shutdown at midnight tomorrow.

InsiderNJ is reporting that Sweeney and Coughlin cancelled the legislative sessions that were to have occurred on Saturday, and schedule session for Monday.  Senator Declan O’Scanlon told MMM that he had not yet been informed of a schedule change. Read the rest of this entry »

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O’Scanlon legislation would keep road work going, keep Monmouth Park open, in the event of a NJ shutdown

Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth County) announced that he will introduce two bills tomorrow in the NJ Senate tomorrow that, if enacted, would lessen the destructive aspects of a state government shutdown.

Governor Phil Murphy and the Democrat leaders in the legislature, Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, are thus far deadlocked over their competing proposals to raise taxes on New Jersey residents, tourists and businesses.   If they are unable to come to an agreement, and get the legislature to concur, by midnight tomorrow, the government will shutdown.

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Democrats Budget Compromise Talks Stall

Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and Governor Phil Murphy. NJGlobe photo by NIKITA BIRYUKOV

The Democrat debate in Trenton over which taxes to raise on New Jersey residents and by how much ended last evening with no deal.  Voting sessions scheduled for today in the Assembly and the Senate where cancelled.  Legislators were told to report to Trenton on Saturday.

If Governor Phil Murphy, Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin do not make a deal that is approved by the legislature by midnight on Saturday, New Jersey’s state government will shutdown for the second consecutive year.

Governor Murphy wants to increase income taxes on millionaires and the sales tax on everybody.  Sweeney and Coughlin want to raise taxes on businesses to the highest in the nation, expand the sales tax to internet purchases, real estate sales, and impose a new tax on vacation rental homes and Airbnb rentals.

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Supreme Court Decision Changes New Jersey’s Political Landscape

Today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31 is a game changer nationally and particularly in New Jersey where teachers and government workers pay checks are dinged significantly for union dues that ends up paying seven figure salaries to union executives and for political campaigns supporting politicians who do not deliver. (More on those lying politicians next week when the NJ School Funding Formula is finalized)

SCOTUS decided, 5-4, that public sector employees cannot be forced to pay union dues or fees that support union activity.
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Greg’s List: Things to Do in Monmouth County This Weekend, June 29-July 1, 2018

By Greg Kelly

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Friday, June 29

• SharkFest ‘18 (Atlantic Highlands) – MORE INFO
• Jersey Shore Greek Festival (Ocean Twp.) – MORE INFO
• “Summer at the Jersey Shore” Exhibit (Freehold) – MORE INFO
• Mercy by NJ Repertory Company (Long Branch) – MORE INFO
• Wall Twp. Fair ’18 – MORE INFO
• Songbird at Two River Theater (Red Bank) – MORE INFO
• “The Fantasticks” at Monmouth U. (WLB) – MORE INFO
• The Great St. Mary’s Fair (Middletown) – MORE INFO
• Art + Autism at Monmouth U. (WLB) – MORE INFO

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Arnone confronts Curley for use of gay slur

In an uncharacteristic outburst, Monmouth County Freeholder Director Tom Arnone confronted his disgraced colleague, John P. Curley for disparaging two County employees with a gay slur. “Deny you said it,” Arnone shouted at Curley during a public comment by David D’Amico, a representative of Garden State Equality.

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Murphy blinks: Offers Legislature budget compromise

In an effort to get a State budget passed by Saturday and avert a government shutdown, Governor Phil Murphy offered a compromise between his proposed budget and the budget that passed in the Democrat controlled legislature last week, according to NJBiz.

Murphy has previously threatened to veto or line item veto the legislature’s budget.

According to NJBiz, Murphy has proposed a lower corporate business tax increase than the legislature passed and to phase in the sales tax increase proposed over two years.   The Governor said he would accept the School Funding Formula proposed by Senate President Steve Sweeny, which has passed the legislature. Read the rest of this entry »

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Art G and Tommy G talk Jersey Politics this afternoon

Will the State government shutdown this weekend?   How much will your taxes go up?  Will New Jersey elect Bob Hugin, a Republican, to the United States Senate or send disgraced Senator Bob Menendez back to Washington for six more years? Why are Democrat congressional candidates running away from Nancy Pelosi and Republicans equivocating on their support of President Trump?

Tune in to The Tommy G Show this afternoon at 4:06 to hear Tommy and MMM publisher Art Gallagher banter about the shenanigans in Trenton and Washington.

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A Very Special High School Graduation: Sean Goldman Graduates From Holmdel High School

By Art Gallagher

David and Sean Goldman celebrate Sean’s graduation from Holmdel High School

This time of year thousands of New Jersey families, millions throughout the nation, are celebrating a major milestone in the lives of their teen aged children as they graduate from high school.

Twice this week, Sean Goldman’s graduation from Holmdel High School was described to me as a miracle.

It’s not that Sean overcame a disability or extreme hardship–miracles that should be celebrated.  Sean was abducted by his mother, Bruna Bianchi, 14 years ago and taken to Brazil. Bianchi took Sean on what she said was a two week vacation to visit her family in Brazil, but once there, she divorced Sean’s father, David Goldman, and kept the four year old boy from his father.  A Brazilian Court granted Bianchi a divorce. A New Jersey Court granted David custody of his son.

When Bianchi died during childbirth four years later, the international child custody case should have been over, under the terms of the Hague Convention which grants custody to a surviving biological parent.  But Sean’s maternal grandparents and step-father used their wealth and political influence to thwart—temporarily as it turned out–David’s unrelenting commitment to raise his son.

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