Always count on a North Jersey Democrat to try and throw the South Jersey Norcross Machine under the bus, Save Jerseyans. That is exactly what happened today, and I applaud it.
Senator Frank Lautenberg wrote a two page letter (which you can view in image form below) to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan asking that he please review the merger plan being pushed by Norcross and Governor Christie.
Lautenberg does not even attempt to be subtle in his letter. He comes right out and says it,
Suspicions have been raised that this decision has been crafted to benefit powerful political interests without regard for the impact on students, the academic institutions themselves, and the community.
Talk about hitting the nail right on the head! After reading the letter I almost feel like the Senator has been following our coverage. After criticizing the political game going on behind the scenes, he touches on the uncertainty of the plan, the lack of cost details, the odd July 1st deadline set by the Governor, the involvement of Cooper Hospital and its poor credit rating, the threat of increased tuition for Rutgers Camden students, the effects on the integrity of our higher education system , and of course, the mass opposition from pretty much everyone to the plan.
Now, I am not exactly sure what Arne Duncan could do about the takeover of Rutgers Camden. Rutgers and Rowan are both state funded institutions in New Jersey, and while I am sure they get some sort of federal money, Washington has essentially no control over the way New Jersey conducts its institutions.
That being said, I appreciate the sentiment in Lautenberg’s letter, and any attempt to shine more light on this dubious plan is good in my book.
Welcome to the bipartisan anti-merger movement, Senator.
It's really sad what this issue has turned this site in to. First Bill Brown gets a pat on the back, now this. Pathetic.
The only thing pathetic about this whole issue is that *EVERY* NEW JERSEYAN (not related to, or prostrate to, Norcross or Christie) is *NOT* up in arms about this OBVIOUS political power grab! The governor wants to wait and see about Obamacare, lest he waste state money. So, why the rush to waste taxpayer money and the assets of a Rutgers campus and South Jersey's choice to go somewhere besides Rowan or a community college – all for what?! Norcross and Sweeney must have promised him the world. It's pathetic that there's NO plan, NO financial data or *anything* but Norcross (and his buddies at Cooper) insisting we take their word for it and Rowan's cowtowing to settle some bad debt fueling this obscene merger. This is EXACTLY what "SAVE JERSEY" is, and SHOULD be, all about!!!
Scratch merger.
It's a TAKEOVER!
Stand your ground, Brian. The Dark Lord can't rule everything without a fight!
: )'
Atleast Lautenberg has balls where is the rest of the political opposition? THE PEOPLE OF NJ DO NOT WANT A TAKEOVER OF RUTGERS CAMDEN, IF YOU WANT MY VOTE AND EVERY OTHER RUTGERS ALUMNI YOU BETTER VOTE AGAINST THIS TAKEOVER.