I had an opportunity to read my opponent Bo Vastine’s comments in the blog. Mr. Vastine is a person whom I have never met, a person who over my years involved in politics, I’ve heard nothing that he’s accomplished, especially when it comes to moving the 22nd district in the right direction. Therefore, I cannot talk about what he has accomplished and what he has done to make life better here in the 22nd district. In Mr. Vastine’s comments he mentioned that he will be running against Linda Stender and Jerry Green in the November campaign, he also mentioned that he is a Republican and that he would probably be blamed for the failed Bush administration for the last eight years. He then went on to say that I stood by while Muhlenberg hospital closed and did not stop the closing, as if it was in my control. What he does not talk about is what he is going to do, IF he is elected, to make life better for the residents of the 22nd district. I think the public needs to know what he has done, other than be critical of me, and what he plans to do in order to get their support.
I’m just going to bring to his attention, because it’s obvious to the majority of the people in the 22nd district, especially in the City of Plainfield, know what I have done because over the last 20 years I have been able to get re-elected, I’m part of the leadership in the State Assembly, showing that my colleagues recognize my commitment to making life better for all of the people of the state of New Jersey. I am Chairman of Housing and Local Government, not because I have not done anything, but because I have shown leadership in terms of making sure that everyone in the state of New Jersey has an opportunity to live in their community as well as, living in conditions that everyone can be proud of. When it came to Muhlenberg hospital the last ten years I have been able to bring in subsidized dollars to keep the facility open and servicing people in the Plainfield area. Healthcare is a crisis that is facing all of the people here in this country. Because of the failed policies of the Bush Administration in the last 8 years, Plainfield is like any other urban community where they have to service so many people that are uninsured. Solaris made a business decision because they were losing over $12 million a year. So it wasn’t something that Jerry Green did wrong, it was Mr. Vastine’s friend George Bush that went to sleep at the switch.
He mentioned educating our children, but he failed to tell the Plainfield people that every year his Republican friends in Trenton tried to eliminate the Abbott funding (which gives the City of Plainfield over $100 million towards educating our children) from the budget. If that happens one can only imagine what is going to happen to the people of Plainfield’s taxes. By the way, he and his running mate do not live in Plainfield, so why would he care. If he really wanted to be the Independent candidate that he is making the people in Plainfield feel he wants to be, then why don’t he and his running mate run as Independents?
The other issue, which is a major issue for the City of Plainfield, is our growing gay community. This is a community that I have been supportive of, one that I have stood up for when it comes to fighting for their rights, but if you look at the record of Mr. Vastine’s Republican friends in Trenton, you will see that, when it comes to the rights of the gay community, they feel that this community shouldn’t have any rights. After 20 years in the Assembly there has never been a time that I have seen his Republican friends stand up and not only show the gay community respect but more importantly be supportive of them and their rights. So I’m going to get right to the point, I’m not going to allow Mr. Vastine and his running mate to make the gay community and the rest of the people in the community feel they will work on their behalf and be supportive.
I am proud to be a Democrat, I am proud to say that I am looking forward to working with the President of the United States, as well as Governor Jon Corzine to move this country and this state in the right direction. I am looking forward to talking about my record as well as the Democratic team record versus Mr. Vastine’s record and the Republican team record. Just like what’s happening on a national level, they want to blame the President because of the condition of this country, when it is actually the Republican party that is ripping off the country; whether it’s the stock market, credit cards, bad mortgages, or allowing immigrants to come into the country without making sure that they have an opportunity to get decent housing, healthcare and jobs. Now the taxpayers, including those in the 22nd district, have to pick up this cost. This major problem is facing every city.
While the surrounding Republican towns don’t have to deal with the type of problems that the City of Plainfield has to deal with in making sure that there’s affordable housing for everyone, making sure that when a family is in a crisis they give them more then taxi fare and a voucher to live in the Park Hotel here in Plainfield rather than setting aside decent housing and programs that deal with people who fall on hard times. Plainfield has done its share and it is now time that these Republican towns do their share.
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