What follows is a sad comment on continuing corruption in America's "Soprano State," the alleged home of the mafia in the United States of America, also of political and legal incompetence in what many observers describe as a "failed jurisdiction."
China, Europe, and many parts of Latin America have made New Jersey symbolic of unfortunate tendencies in American society that are leading to a serious global decline in influence for our nation.
Whether this societal decline can be contained or reversed may well depend on controlling incompetence and criminality among New Jersey lawyers, judges, politicians and other officials, especially police and government inspectors.
As I type these words a new scandal among New Jersey lawyers is exploding. I will be writing more about this Garden State legal ethics disaster soon. Among those afflicted by this wave of scandal are several prominent law firms and individual attorneys -- many of them known to me, personally, as once important legal ethics officials, also several self-described "colleagues" and "friends."
Please do not contact me seeking any kind of advice or assistance with your troubles in New Jersey's fascinating legal world. I wish all of you the best of luck with what has already begun and, more so, with what is about to begin in New Jersey.
Rick Gladstone & C.J. Chivers, "U.N. Implicates Syria in Using Chemical Arms," The New York Times, September 17, 2013, p. A1. ("Mischaracterization!" Mr. Assad said.)
Kareem Fahim & Serbnem Arsu, "Turkey Says It Shot Down Syrian Military Helicopter Flying In Its Airspace," The New York Times, September 17, 2013, p. A8. (Turkey's Prime Minister will NOW go to Parliament seeking approval for his decision.)
Thomas Erdbrink, "President's Speech and Online Army Video Point to Iran's Dueling Interests in Syria," The New York Times, September 17, 2013, p. A8. (Iran may be the new temporary home of Mr. Assad's chemical weapons. However, the "fee" for this Iranian service may be a wee bit expensive for Mr. Assad.)
Shawn Boburg, "Sandy Contractor to Repay $300,000: State Probe Confirms Mileage Overcharges, Other Billing Issues," The Record, September 11, 2013, p. A-1.
John Brennan, "$800 MILLION Bonding Plan for American Dream: Proposal Would Help Developers Restart Project," The Report, September 11, 2013, p. A-1.
"The firm chosen by the Christie administration to clean up debris from Superstorm Sandy has agreed to repay more than $300,000 in overcharges and other questionable billings found by the state's independent watchdog agency."
The question now debated by observers is whether this so-called state watchdog agency was really concerned to protect the public or whitewash this matter in order to cover the substantial backside of New Jersey's governor -- a backside that is, as it were, "exposed" in this scandal.
How "independent" is this New Jersey watchdog agency?
Unsettled in this ugly little episode for the once "corruption-busting" former U.S. Attorney in New Jersey's Governor's Mansion is the extent of the scams in this matter of "disappearing" hurricane Sandy funds.
Curiously, all of the "unintentional" errors made by contractors were at the expense of New Jersey taxpayers, none of the "errors in calculation" favored New Jersey taxpayers. As the number of "errors" increased, the mathematical probability of "innocent" mistakes explaining the phenomenon decreased. One might even conclude that these "unintentional" errors were quite intentional.
How strange that no one was found at fault by Mr. Christie's so-called "watchdogs"? I wonder whether there will be additional "errors" with any future federal funds to assist victims of the latest fires in New Jersey? Does the determination as to how "intentional" are errors involving loss of taxpayer funds depend on whether the Governor's friends and/or contributors make the errors?
"Looking at eight Ocean County towns, the comptroller found trips that should have been less than 16 miles, but were charged at the higher rate, either because of mapping software errors, ... rounding or inexplicable miscalculations by the independent monitor hired to oversee the clean up. [Was some of the overcharged money coming back to this "monitor" under the table?] Most of the overcharges resulted from one monitoring firm that gave AshBritt [the contractor] credit for an additionl 0.6 miles of driving inside the Ocean County landfill [isn't the landfill only 3 miles long?] pushing many bordenline trips over the 16-mile threshold." (emphasis added!)
Curiously, the state watchdog under Governor Christie does not wish to embarrass Mr. Christie (who may get that official more and better jobs at higher pay if Christie becomes president!) found that this was all "accidental," despite the fact that nearly fifteen "mistaken" overcharges were made against the state of New Jersey. This is something that is mathematically highly unlikely as a matter of random error.
The New Jersey towns that were overcharged hired AshBritt ONLY "after the Christie administration gave the politically connected Florida firm [Marco Rubio? Iliana Ros-Leghtinen?] an emergency contract without competitive bidding and allowed municipalities to sign on to it."
Allegations of kickbacks from AshBritt to Mr. Christie and/or his supporters cannot be confirmed. "Pay-to-play," Mr. Christie?
"The administration has been criticized for the move, partly because former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, a partner in the lobbying firm that represents AshBritt and a mentor for Governor Christie, recommended the clean-up firm."
The matter has been referred to Homeland Security's Inspector General.
Not surprisingly, this depressing story of yet more alleged theft -- or incompetence, at best, at the people's expense -- appears as yet new scandals and efforts to extract additional money surfaces in the American Dream nightmare, also as Mr. Ferreiro along with the "usual suspects" in New Jersey face added charges for fraud and theft.
Scandal seems to cling to Mr. Menendez, Mr. Ferreiro -- now Mr. Christie as well -- just as the foul stench of chemical rot clings to the Turnpike. Indeed, foul smells have come to define New Jersey to the nation and world as the paradigm of corrupt government, obese and slovenly, also guilty of grotesque overconsumption, and repellent GREED:
"The Bergen County Improvement Authority is seeking state approval to float as much as $800 MILLION in bonds on behalf of ... the American Dream project at the Meadowlands."
