By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog
If you thought that I was being too hard on Aimee Belgard and her dumbed-down CD3 campaign, Save Jerseyans… think again.
Not only is the first term Burlington County freeholder running on nothing but name-calling at present, ducking debate challenges and refusing to engage on substance but, as the national conservative outpost Hot Air just discovered, Belgard is proving to be anything but original.
Hot Air’s Jazz Shaw discovered that Belgard was one of (at least) three House Democrats who’ve recently blasted out the same paraphrased DNC talking points, pledging to reject “Congressional perks.” And when I say paraphrased, I mean virtually identical.
It’s ideological plagiarism, passing off a cookie-cutter “plan” from central command as an original idea when it’s not, but for the fact that she evidently has permission from her Democrat Party overlords inside the Beltway.
So thanks for the pennies in proposed savings, Freeholder, pennies which you couldn’t find without a DNC/DCCC consultant. What’s next? Proposing that every new member of Congress plant a tree to cut down on expensive Capitol Hill soil erosion?
Can we talk about something consequential now?
For starters, you still haven’t articulated an alternative approach to health care reform despite conceding the need to make changes on regional radio. That was almost eight (8) months. Meanwhile, her constituents are paying the highest Obamacare premiums in America. And Belgard wants to represent us in Congress… before she comes up with an idea of how to deal with this disaster…?
A better question: is it any wonder that she doesn’t want to debate? And is relying on a click-and-past campaign to muddle through the summer months? In any other set of circumstances, the underfunded challenger from the non-incumbent party would beg for a debate opportunity. This is a first.
I’m starting to feel embarrassed for her!
Liberals try to dumb down everybody and/or they are just dumb themselves!
Aimee’s not the only one hiding from her opponents. There are FOUR Candidates in the race. Will Tom agree to debate “Ed and Fred”, or is that water too deep?
Belgard issues “frivolous” challenge to MacArthur, and continues to ignore independents.
(From her web page http://www.belgardforcongress.com/announcements/aimee-belgard-to-macarthur-join-me-in-rejecting-congressional-perks )
25-Jun-2014
(Willingboro, NJ) – As a member of the Edgewater Park Township Committee, Aimee Belgard forfeited her salary to help ease the town’s financial hardships. Today, Belgard took another step toward achieving more transparent, fiscally conservative government by rejecting a number of taxpayer funded Congressional perks, and calling on her opponent, Tom MacArthur, to do the same.
“I got into this race because of the dysfunction and hypocrisy in Washington. Congressional perks are just one more example of how out-of-touch Congress is with the lives of average Americans. People along the Shore and in South Jersey are hurting right now. Jobs are hard to find and our shoreline still hasn’t recovered from Superstorm Sandy. As a nation, we are failing to keep the promises we’ve made to our veterans and seniors. Meanwhile, members of Congress enjoy perks like first-class airfare, luxury cars and a members-only gym at the expense of taxpayers. It’s simply wrong, and that’s why I’m calling on my opponent to join me in rejecting these perks,” said Belgard.
Aimee Belgard has announced that she will reject the following taxpayer funded Congressional perks and require increased transparency when it comes to support for tax breaks that could directly benefit members of Congress:
• Taxpayer funded first class airfare
• Taxpayer funded luxury vehicles
• Taxpayer funded members-only gym
• Taxpayer funded campaign-style mailers to constituents
• Requiring members of Congress to disclose how the tax breaks they vote for would personally benefit them
Ms. Belgard…
What an absurd challenge, but, hey, it must be important in YOUR head, so I’ll bite…here goes.
1 – I don’t fly to DC – I drive. I “might” take the train, but I generally drive. If I have to fly, whatever class seating we give our Servicemen and Servicewomen is fine by me.
2 – I drive MY CAR. It’s a 380,000 mile 1998 Suburban. (I have it so well-tuned, I get 20 mpg highway with it.) When I don’t drive that, I drive a 195,000 mile stick-shift 1998 Ford Escort. That gets 50 mpg.
They may not look like much, but you can eat off my engines.
3 – Gym. Missed the gym, today – that makes 19 years in a row. 😉
4 – Mailers? What’s wrong with electrons? I’m saving all the ones you and Tom send, and will weigh them the week before the election, to see which of you killed the most trees.
5 – I have a STRONGER proposal – how about you vote to refuse a committee assignment where you could financially directly benefit a campaign donor – in fact, how about we make it a RULE in the House and Senate that we all do EXACTLY that?
It’s already a proposal, called the “Change the Rules” pledge. We introduced it two years ago.
Robert Forchion, the guy you tried to illegally remove from the ballot, already signed it. Will you?
This micro-managing and posturing baloney does nothing of substance for the people of the Third District…
Where do YOU stand on:
• Enforcing the WHOLE Constitution – not just the parts you like?
• Calling for a NJ State Constitutional Convention?
• Compelling major parties to follow the law in disclosing County By-Laws to their membership and the voting population at large?
• Weeding out no-bid contract corruption and bonding malfeasance, to include prosecution of the bad actors without an option for PTI?
• “Strict compliance with and adherence to Title 19 election laws” – including the requirements for preferred ballot position?
• “Citizens United v Board of Elections” and so-called “corporate person-hood”?
• Pinelands Preservation, including specific support of the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan, and prevention of the use of the MOA exception afforded our State Government Agencies by private companies?
• Pension Reform?
(both in refunding the pillaged “workers’ pensions”, and in removal of patronage pensions?)
• Health Care Reform – including streamlining of VA and ACA and Medicaid funding to physicians, enticing more to participate. Do you know how many physicians there are to serve all the VA patients in our district? (I do.)
• Specifically, do you agree that VA patients should be able to see any physician of their choice – at that physician’s office.
• Veterans’ Education Benefits?
• Immigration Reform? (creating clear and concise pathways to be followed)
• Ballot integrity, including replacement of the fraud-vulnerable Sequoia balloting machines, or at least following the requirements of the HAVA and installing the already paid for back-up to the tally system, so that a true “recount” can be done – rather than just a reprint or “re-check” of the same corrupted report?
• Prosecution without PTI for perpetrators of voter fraud, with mandatory sentencing and permanent loss of voting privilege?
• Investigation and prosecution of graft and corruption in County and Local no-bid contracts and patronage job-creation?
• Bond Reform? Creation of a State-run bonding authority, which removes the statutory vig paid every time a bond is issued?
• Public Schools “Home Rule”?
• NO-bid contracts?
• Removal of “Patronage” positions, including no-show jobs with multiple pension opportunities?
• Chris Christie’s JOB-BANDING proposal?
• Student loan regulation and reform?
• Protection of SSI and SSD as a line item in the Federal Budget?
• Expansion of power generation capacity in the district through enhancement of Oyster Creek’s cooling system and through additional installations of alternative energy systems?
• Citizen Access to Riparian Lands
• A comprehensive audit of all Sandy Funds and their application?
Just a few topics of discussion for you to bone up on before WE debate…real issues…not window-dressing.
I only listed “two-dozen home-baked issues”. There are plenty more.
We’re running for Congress. This is “Adult Swim”.
Tom – if you’re serious about debating, you know where to find me.
I spoke with Ms. Belgard, yesterday. She is willing to arrange debates with me, and with Ed Forchion, with our without Tom’s assent or appearance.
Tom is in hiding. He doesn’t want to get anywhere near a real debate – or, at least, his puppet masters don’t want him anywhere near one.
We will be looking at the Manahawkin Facility for Richard Stockton College of NJ, (Ms. Belgard and I both attended undergraduate studies at Stockton), and also are working with the possibility of a debate in Lacey Township…specifically to address corruption and other issues in that community, as a model for failed policies in Ocean.
Two more locations in Burlington will be sought, and a fifth debate at Richard Stockton College in Pomona.
Tom – if you’re serious about debating, you know where to find me.