Dump Mike Ferguson (NJ7)

This week's flooding provides a window into the relative effectiveness of Congressman Mike Ferguson to advocate and deliver for the people of New Jersey's 7th Congressional District.

The year before Ferguson took office Hurricane Floyd hit our state, and towns like Bound Brook and Manville were devastated, with water rising to third stories of buildings and not falling for days. Other towns like North Plainfield – where I served as a Councilman at the time – had six feet of water rushing through the town. I know because I was one of the volunteers pulling people out of their cars to safety that day.

Now, in Mike Ferguson's seventh year as our DC Representative we have seen another flood provide the same kind of destruction. Added to the 1996 flooding of downtown Bound Brook that is three devastating floods in just over a decade.

I looked at the pictures of boats floating past second floor windows in downtown Bound Brook and thought it was 1999 all over again. The personal and business destruction is horrific, and the worst part is that it should be wholly unnecessary had our federal representatives come through with the funding we need to fix these flooding issues.

Since 1975 the Green Brook Flood Control Project has been studying and planning to make major engineering changes to the Raritan River and its tributaries to increase flow and retention, reducing the chance that such flooding can occur again. But all we have to date is a bridge and two levies, and the Army Corps of engineers estimates it will take $430 million in today's money to finish the deal.

You would think that after Floyd there would have been a major effort to fund this project, to get it going as fast as possible to protect the residents and business owners along this flood path. You would think that there would be some urgency to the work to protect our residents from continued natural disasters.

Mike Ferguson was first elected in 2000, along with a Republican President, a Republican Senate and a Republican House. His colleague, Rodney Frelinghuysen on the neighboring 11th district, was on the House Appropriations committee. Ferguson himself was being groomed by Tom DeLay in a leadership position as minority whip, the Texas House wheeler and dealer who could get anything done.

Add to this the fact that under Republican leadership earmarked funding for districts increased from about 1,000 a year in 1996 to 14,000 in 2005. Some of these earmarks were incredible, including $454 million for a bridge in Alaska that would have served just a few thousand people.

It's an ideal environment for a Representative to represent the needs of his district. His party in control, friendly with leadership, delegation member on the Appropriations committee money handed out hand over fist, and a real desperate need for completion of a project that would affect hundreds of thousands of people. It would take a pretty high level of incompetence to blow this one.

So what did Mike Ferguson get us for the Green Brook Flood Control Project? An average of less than $5 million a year, and some press releases and photo opportunities for the Congressman to show he cares.

At that rate, the project would take 86 years to completely fund, not including inflation and cost overruns.

Here's what Ferguson had to say in the Star Ledger last week:

"They said it was not appropriate to bring it up with the president, but I do not miss an opportunity to advocate for this project," Ferguson said. "I'm not going to take a back seat to anyone when it comes to advocating for this, and frankly the advocacy we've done has paid dividends." …

"It's tragic. It's heartbreaking. It's unacceptable that this project is not completed."

Paid dividends? It's astonishing that he has the gall, after six budget years under Republican control that he is proud of his efforts, and continues to brag in public about getting pittances tossed his way while touring the flood ravaged town.

One early estimate, though emergency management people are still counting, is that this flood will cost more than $70 million to recover from. Somerset County's taxpayers have already put aside one million dollars for cleanup and recovery from this year's story, money that didn't have to be spent. Millions more will be provided in grants from local, county, state and the federal government.

These short term costs in the millions don't even take into account long increased financial burden for insurance, which will be even worse than it was before for homeowners, renters and businesses. That's assuming they can get insurance.

All told our governments, business owners, insurers, renters and homeowners will be paying far more than $100 million to recover from this flood. We can assume that similar costs were associated with the floods in 1971, 1973, 1996 and 1999 -- adding up to far more than the $430 million it would cost to fix this problem and reduce the flooding along the Raritan River basin.

It's frankly ridiculous that we have to read in the papers about how Mike Ferguson and his colleagues are bragging on getting us $5 million a year when these floods are costing us an average of $25 million a year in recovery since Ferguson took office.

We've already run through 30 years, and two major floods in the past seven years. We need our Representative to deliver for us now to avoid the next one, or the next one.

But now Mike Ferguson is in the minority, Tom DeLay is gone and earmarks are under fire from all directions. Ferguson had a chance to make a difference, a nearly unprecedented chance, and he blew it.

Posted by admin at 08:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Katherine Watt of North Plainfield took a trip last week to meet with Congressman Michael Ferguson. Here's her account of the meeting.

On February 24, Congressman Mike Ferguson held an open house at his Warren office. During his brief meeting with me and another local activist, he repeatedly insisted that he is “totally dissatisfied” with the “status quo” in Iraq, and that his dissatisfaction led him to support President Bush’s troop “surge” and informed his “No” vote on H.Con.Res. 63, a resolution expressing Congressional opposition to both the surge and the more-of-the-same strategy behind it. Ferguson similarly expressed his dissatisfaction, and his support for the surge, in his Feb. 16 remarks to Congress during debate on the resolution.

The Democratic-sponsored resolution was non-binding, and therefore a tiny and inadequate first step – but a first step nonetheless – toward responding to the Iraqi peoples' passionate and well-documented desire for the Americans to get out, and the American electorate’s November demand that Congress end the war and bring the troops home.

The April appropriations bill will matter far more; money already appropriated in prior years can be used to end the war and bring the troops home, but cutting off future financing is the only way Congress can carry out its Constitutional duty, as a co-equal branch of government, to check the power abuses of the executive branch.

When I asked, Ferguson acknowledged he is aware of Congress’ equal power; that Congress has practical tools, including hearings, with which to exercise that equal power; and that the President is as bound to obey U.S. and international law as any other American citizen: that no one in a Constitutional democracy is above the law.

An interesting follow-up question for Mr. Ferguson is this:

“Given that the two most stable pillars of the status quo for the last four years have been blind obedience to Bush’s failed leadership and the inflammatory and deadly occupying presence of U.S. troops in Iraq, how will you reach your goal of changing the status quo by repeating obedient gestures toward Bush and adding more U.S. troops to Iraq?”

I think a better approach, for all members of the House and Senate, would be to ignore Bush, defund the war, and begin pulling the troops out immediately. There are several Democratic proposals to do just that, sponsored by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Rep. Barbara Lee, Rep. Lynn Woolsey, Rep. Jim McGovern and many others. If changing the status quo is Mr. Ferguson’s intention, I hope he’ll show more thoughtful and responsive leadership, by co-sponsoring one of those proposals.

Posted by admin at 07:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here is a description of Deb Huber's meeting with Mike Ferguson at last week's Open House:

Yes, I got my 5 minutes with Mike and Marcus.

I said my top issue is PEACE. I said we had long ago lost the hearts and minds of the people of Iraq. Thus, the war is lost. I complained that the $2B per week for war is bankrupting the country. I said China holds so much of our debt that we can't afford to criticize anything they do. I commented that it seemed that only impeachment would stop Bush from bombing Iran back to the stone age. I said I thought Mike had misrepresented his view of the surge; recent news reports in Hunterdon papers said he was not convinced the surge would work. In one story he said he had not yet seen the text of the anti-surge resolution, so he couldn't say how he would vote on it. After reading this, I heard Mike on the WBAI evening news, saying he supported the surge, and would vote against the anti-surge resolution.

So Mike replied that even Pelosi does not support impeachment. He said he had not given up hope for success in Iraq. He took offense at my accusation of misrepresentation of his views. He tried to say what an upstanding guy he is.

So I told him that last fall his campaign workers trashed the political signs on my property and put up a Ferguson sign.

He said he has no control over his campaign workers.

So much for my 5 minutes.

After we shook hands, I went to the rest room and washed my hands with soap. Then I joined the protest outside, where my blue peace flags greatly enhanced the visibility of the protest. The wind made it a great day for flags; lousy for signs.

Mike followed up by sending me a letter which includes the complete text of his pro-surge speech.

My favorites in this are that Ferguson took offense (!) that someone noted his flip-flopping on the surge, and that he has no control over his campaign workers. Ferguson doesn't have to have control over them but he does have to take responsibility for them, not something he is very good at.

Posted by admin at 07:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's well documented that the former Republican majority in the House demanded absolute loyalty on the part of its members, and Mike Ferguson (NJ7) was no exception. Regularly his constituents -- and Blue 7th members -- would contact his office with pleas for a vote and Ferguson would go the other way, voting with his political bosses instead of his constituents. He had a more than 91 percent rating for voting with the conservative leadership, yet described himself as a moderate.

Now we know why. In yesterday's Princeton Packet, Ferguson actually admitted that he voted against his constituents and conscience because he was ordered to by the Republican majority.

This is the first time Mr. Ferguson has been in the minority since he was initially elected to the House of Representatives in 2000, from a district that includes Montgomery and Rocky Hill.

The "silver lining", he said, is that being in the minority allows a bit more freedom "to vote the way you want to", since the Democratic majority now bears the responsibility to muster the votes necessary to govern. "When you're in the majority, sometimes you vote for things you don't totally support," Mr. Ferguson said.

Well, now we need to find out. What things did Ferguson vote for that he -- and his constituents -- didn't support. Even more, what bills passed by just one vote that a Ferguson vote of conscience rather than a vote for Party Leadership would have changed.

For instance, Ferguson voted against an amendment that would have increased funding for care for wounded veteran while at the same time defunding the base closures that will cost NJ 15,000 jobs. That amendment failed by just one vote. Ferguson's vote.

Do we want a Congressman who thinks for himself no matter who is in power or one who can only vote the right way when his party bosses aren't telling him what to do?

You can write to Princeton Packet managing editor Frederick J. Tuccillo and ask him. Or send a letter to the editor in demanding Ferguson identify which votes he tanked for his party bosses.

Please write letters to the editor on this and other issues related to Mike Ferguson. The Courier News is at letters@c-n.com, the Home News Tribune at letters@thnt.com, the Star Ledger at eletters@starledger.com, or the New York Times at letters@nytimes.com, or a series of weeklies in the district from Devine Media.

Posted by admin at 07:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mike Ferguson (R-NJ7) has repeatedly talked about how wonderful his support of the district is because he delivered $5M for the Green Brook Flood Control Project, though we've noted that at that rate it will take 86 years to complete the $430 million project. Ferguson appears to have figured that out himself, because this year he is asking for $25 million. From the Courier News:

Rep. Mike Ferguson has requested $25 million be included in the new federal budget for the Green Brook Flood Control Commission.

In a letter to Robert Portman, director of the Office of Management and Budget, Ferguson wrote that "without an additional $25 million, this project will not protect the people of Central New Jersey from massive flooding and possible loss of life in a Katrina-like event."

Ferguson also wrote that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is in charge of the project, has said that $25 million is needed over the next two years to complete the first phase of the project.

Ferguson didn't tell us in the past that his $5 million was just 20 percent of what was needed, but that's OK. We knew that the money was just a partisan political gift from the Republican majority so he could claim success in the campaign, even though it did little or nothing to actually help his constituents.

But now he is calling publicly for the full funding for the next two years. It's time to see if he is really the back bencher the NY Times called him, or if he can really support his district with the funding we need to protect our lives and property. He's on the record with the request, and we'll follow it all the way through.

Anything less than $25 million is a failure, from the mouths of both the Army Corps of Engineers and Mike Ferguson himself.

Posted by admin at 08:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

As we've noted before, Rep. Mike Ferguson claimed a lot of successes in the 2006 campaign that were either very minor or not true at all. The most egregious of these was the claim that he had moved mercury out of Hillsborough which is still there today and isn't going anywhere.

Repeatedly newspapers covered this claim, simply transcribing Ferguson's claim without every fact checking it or bothering to note that the mercury was still there. It is this kind of reporting that allows a do-nothing Congressman and back bencher to spin the facts and confuse voters.

Linda Stender only lost the election by 3,200 votes, and it is easily possible that had the Courier News been more critical in its reporting that people would have known of Ferguson's slight record on helping the district (for instance, noting that the funding for the Green Brook Flood Control Project was less than 2 percent of what is needed) that 1601 people might have changed their votes. That is why we must be strident in contacting editors and reporters over the next two years when they simply repeat Ferguson's words instead of reporting the facts.

And it is not as if the Courier News didn't know about the problems with Ferguson's mercury claim. They only decided to talk about it, though, a month after the election in this opinion piece from today:

Hillsborough officials remain confident that the mercury supplies at the GSA Depot will be shipped out of town in the near future. But some obstacles remain, primarily the opposition of the governor of the state where the mercury is headed.

Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn has vowed to fight plans to consolidate the Defense National Stockpile Center's mercury supplies now housed in three facilities -- Hillsborough, Warren, Ohio, and New Haven, Ind. -- to a U.S. Army depot in his state. Guinn has raised fears about potential contamination of nearby Walker Lake.

We can understand Hillsborough officials being a little troubled by the prospect of Nevada blocking the mercury removal. Mayor Carl Suraci said recently that he doesn't believe that Walker Lake is threatened and that objections from Nevada are unfounded.

Suraci may well be right. But if the situation were reversed and Suraci's community was on the receiving end of the mercury, it's a good bet he wouldn't be quite so cavalier about a potential threat -- regardless of how "unfounded" it might be.

The mercury needs to be moved from Hillsborough. But that doesn't mean that anyone else -- including Nevada -- particularly wants it, even if it's someplace "safer" than Hillsborough. It's one thing for Suraci to express confidence that the plans will go through. But he shouldn't be such a critic of the objections from the other side of the country. A miss for Suraci.

For the record, these elected officials from Hillsborough crying foul about the Mercury are all Republicans and all backed Ferguson's claims during the election. Had this information been reported by the Courier News back in October we might very well have a woman representing us in Congress.

We can't let it happen again in 2008.

Posted by admin at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Yesterday we had some fun showing what a pathetic bus tour Mike Ferguson (R-NJ7) is having as he tries to rally support for his campaign. With fewer than a half dozen people showing up to his events, we had a good time posting pictures here and on other sites. The following pictures are not as much fun, as it shows the lack of thought in Ferguson's campaign towards kids.

When their rallies started fizzling yesterday, apparently the Ferguson campaign started sending people to scheduled locations ahead of the bus so that there would be no more bad pictures. At the Scotchwood Diner in Scotch Plains, NJ, a crowd of adults and children showed up to wave Ferguson for Congress signs at the passing cars on Route 22.. The diner is right next to Linda Stender's office, and they got the following pictures of kids on the edge of the six lane highway and one even in the road.

The owner of the diner actually had to come out and tell them to move back to a safe position, because the parents and other adults didn't have the sense to do it themselves. Interestingly, Ferguson's bus just drove by and didn't stop at the Scotchwood at all. Here are the pics:

You can see a few adults and a lot of kids here in the sidewalk just past the on-ramp to Route 22 from an overpass. The kids are the closest to the highway, while the adults are hanging back a little.

Continue reading "Ferguson Skips Diner, Supporter's Kids In the Road" »

Posted by admin at 08:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The following letter was published in the October 27, 2006 Courier News.

Stender is correct choice for Congress

I'm amazed when I see the ads on TV in which residents of Bound Brook have been scripted in their praise of Congressman Ferguson's actions during Hurricane Floyd.

To set the record straight, Congressman Ferguson was not our congressman when Hurricane Floyd devastated Manville and Bound Brook. Our congressman was Bob Franks, and he, together with Freeholder Coyle and then-Gov. Whitman, visited the flooded areas and did what was necessary to get us the aid needed to help in the recovery. Congressman Ferguson did, however, deliver the check that Sen. Torricelli and Congressmen Franks and Frelinghuysen had secured for us during those terrible times.

To exploit that disaster is unconscionable. We in Manville have applied for many grants through the congressman and his staff -- we did not receive any. It seems we are too far south in the Seventh District to matter. Perhaps if more had been accomplished during Congressman Ferguson's term of office, he would not have to reach into Congressman Franks' record to claim fame for himself.

Congressman Ferguson's campaign against Democratic candidate Linda Stender has been a tough one -- full of accusations. What the congressman has forgotten is that you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time.

It's time to get some honest representation for all the people of the Seventh Congressional District. For this reason, I am casting my vote for Linda Stender, who is an independent thinker and is not going to rubber-stamp her vote as Congressman Ferguson does for whatever the president wants or what benefits his special-interest companies that pour thousands of dollars into his campaign.

The congressman is on the wrong side of the issues, from stem-cell research to sending our troops overseas without proper gear and with faulty equipment. His ad calls Linda Stender a spender, and yet, with his votes in Congress, he has created the largest deficit in the history of our nation. Who is the real spender?

Assemblywoman Stender is a good and caring person. A person who is on the right side of the issues, whether it is about stem-cell research, the war in Iraq, Social Security, prescription drugs for seniors, and the list goes on. The only special interest Linda will have when she is elected is her constituents in the Seventh District.

It is time for a change in our federal government's thinking, so join me in sending Linda Stender to Congress to be part of that change.

Vote for Linda Stender on Nov. 7. We deserve honest government, and it's about time we get it. Thank you.

ANGELO CORRADINO
Mayor, Manville

Posted by admin at 01:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Last week a letter to the editor ran from a 14 year old girl named Lindsey Rosenthal from Belle Mead. Lindsey has juvenile diabetes, and tried to talk with Mike Ferguson about supporting embryonic stem cell research to find a cure. Ferguson's staff would not let her, saying that "we cannot even discuss this issue with him because it is against 'pro life.'"

That's right. He refused to talk with a 14 year old girl about finding a cure for her lifelong disease. Well, Lindsey recorded a radio ad for Linda Stender, and you can listen to it right now.

After you listen, remember that Ferguson is the same man who told Tricia Riccio that her paralyzed son would never walk again and refused to discuss embryonic stem cell research with her as well. This race is about a lot of things, but one of the biggest is that Mike Ferguson wants to prevent Lindsey Rosenthal and Carl Riccio from receiving cures to their ailments because of a theory. When we vote him out, we bring these two young people hope and maybe a cure.

And after you get sufficiently steamed about this, be sure to donate as much as you can to Linda Stender so she can run this ad on the radio as many times as possible between now and election day. She needs your help today, tomorrow and next week.

If you don't have the money to give -- and many of us don't -- please call Linda's office at 908-322-1996 and sign up to volunteer for an afternoon. They're paying $125 if you work the weekend before election day and on election day itself, and there's plenty work for volunteers before that!

And be sure to contribute if you can. $5 means a lot when a thousand people give it. We've got 1450 people on our mailing list, and all of you at Dump Mike. Just a little from everyone is that many more times the ad from Lindsey can run.

Posted by admin at 01:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Mike Ferguson's campaign set up a photo-op to promote his alleged support for flooding victims in New Jersey's 7th district, but it appears that the advance team needs to do a better job of picking their stooges.

Over the past year the 7th has had quite a few floods from the Raritan to the Delaware Rivers, and the damage has been amazing. In 1999, the Raritan river overtopped during Hurricane Floyd and devastated the communities of Bound Brook and Manville and seriously damaged others such as South Bound Brook, North Plainfield and Greenbrook. Ferguson has tried to portray himself as a hero for these communities, but in fact has done little to get federal help to ameliorate the problem.

And, unfortunately for him, Evelyn York of Woodbridge was selected to be his photo partner. Why unfortunately? Because she has his number:

Ferguson, who is running against Democratic state Assemblywoman Linda Stender, appeared with Woodbridge Republican mayoral candidate Chris Struben.

"He's coming out here to get a vote," said Evelyn York, who met with Ferguson outside her flood-prone home on Vesper Avenue. "He was at a meeting in January, and what has he done since then? Now it's three weeks before an election, and he's going to knock on doors?"

Ouch!

York lives in Middlesex County which has flooding problems. Ferguson has also tried to portray himself as a hero for bringing $5 million for the Green Brook Flood Control program. He's run TV ads and sent mailings into the area touting his success.

Yet $5 million for the 35 year old Green Brook Flood Control Project is just a drop in the bucket. The Army Corps of Engineers estimate that the project will cost $430 million to complete in today's dollars, meaning that at Ferguson's current success rate he would have to serve in office for 86 years to get full funding to complete the protection for these communities.

Photo ops are nice, but when it comes to really making a difference on flooding in the 7th district Evelyn York has Mike Ferguson's number.

Wrong choices. Wrong Congressman.

Posted by admin at 07:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the October 14, 2006 Home News Tribune.

Congressman says he's for life; what about mine?

I am 14 years old and, like most kids my age, I have dreams. Most kids dream of being an astronaut, actor or sports star. I dream of a cure for juvenile diabetes, a disease I have had since I was 6 years old. For the last eight years of my life, I have spoken out about juvenile diabetes, how it has robbed me of my carefree childhood. I have raised both awareness and funds. I have petitioned politicians to support medical research for a cure. One of the best avenues for a cure is embryonic stem-cell research. I personally have met with Rep. Michael Ferguson, R-7th Dist., three times over the past four years, and his aides told our family that we cannot even discuss this issue with him because it is against "pro life."

Am I not a life?

These embryos that scientists want to use get thrown away if they are not used for research. How is that pro life, Congressman Ferguson? When I recently met with Linda Stender, his Democratic Party opponent in this fall's election, she told me that she would help me achieve my dream, that my dream could actually become a reality. Stender has the ability to change my dreams, and the dreams of everyone who has a disease; you just have to give her a chance.

Vote for Stender. Vote for life.

Lindsey Rosenthal
BELLE MEAD

Posted by admin at 08:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the October 12 Cranford Chronicle:

Mayor: Town sought federal flood funding

To The Chronicle:

I am disappointed and have begun developing an outrage at the comments made recently by both Congressman Ferguson's assistant and then thelocal Republican candidate for Township Committee regarding Cranford not applying for funding from the federal government forthe township'sflood control project. Both of these people were untruthful.

When I was mayor in 2003, I filled out an application form that Congressman Ferguson provides to communities for federal funding of projects. I never got a response to the request. I have a copyof the letter if anyone would like to review it. We did not get even a denial letter. In March 2006, as mayor, I again wrote a letter with a six-page needs assessment and got the package to the congressman for submission to the House Appropriations Committee. I did get a form letter response but have heard nothing since. I have a copy of my letter to the congressman on behalf of Cranford.

I do not understand why there has been no response. I have not been a critic of the congressman. Cranford needs all the friends it can get. That is how I have approached local government.

Cranford sends an enormous amount of personal income tax dollars to Washington, D.C. and the flood control programis one of our community's highest priorities. That is what I wrote to the congressman. I got no response.

I have recently listened to Assemblywoman Linda Stender's comments about how Congressman Ferguson supports spending $1 billion a week in Iraq in a war that has little to do with fighting terrorism. I have listened to Congressman Ferguson suggesting we need to cut back spending and lower taxes. God,the cost of about five minutes of what we spend in Iraq would keep the Rahway in its banks for every storm that is possible! We need to rebuild the dikes, and the congressmanhas not responded in three years to Cranford's request.

The lack of response may be, I think, because I am a Democratic mayor. Matt Rinaldo would not have served Cranford that way. We have stated our need many times.I wrote a letter to Assemblywoman Linda Stender, and she stated she would make our request a priority. That is encouraging.

Maybe we should send a message.

That message is we need to provide public safety in Cranford. Cranford wants responsiveness.

I appreciate the attendance of Congressman Ferguson'sassistant at the recent planning meeting on how Cranford can get our state, county and federal levels of government to get on the same page on this project. Maybe it is a newfound vigor to help. The problem is the slow response has been draining local officials' efforts at getting this critical project done.The untruthfulness is bothersome.

DAN ASCHENBACH
Cranford

Posted by admin at 06:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What good is it when a Congressman can get a little money for a needed project, but not enough to actually get the project done? Well, it does no good for the people who need the project done, but the Congressman gets to cynically claim to be helping when all he's doing is half-measures.

This letter to the editor printed in the Courier News on 10/1/06 covers just one such example, Mike Ferguson and the Green Brook Flood Control Project.

Stender should spend on flood plan

So, I hear Linda Stender is a spender. Well, I for one hope Linda gets elected, goes to Washington and does spend money on the Green Brook Flood Control Project.

Our current congressman, while good at rhyming, has been ineffective in obtaining money for this critical flood control project. The last two years, the Army Corps of Engineers has stated it needs $15 million to $18 million to keep the project on schedule; both years, we have had to settle for only $5 million.

Why does the record-spending Republican Congress have $120 billion to fix the preventable mess in New Orleans but can't spend the money required to protect the people in Congressman Ferguson's district? The Army Corps of Engineers has a workable plan; people are unnecessarily paying for flood insurance and living in fear of the next big storm when this project should have been finished. Did we forget Floyd already? Maybe the inept Mr. Ferguson doesn't remember the misery our people went through then because he wasn't here. I certainly remember.

I hope Linda Stender is a spender And that she'll work hard to get the federal funds for us to do what we need right here in the 7th Congressional District, especially flood control.

This project is the key to Bound Brook's revitalization and, more importantly, in ensuring that we don't have to go through the heartbreak and misery we went through with Hurricane Floyd again. Our current representative has not come through for us at all.

BRAD HIGGINBOTTOM
Bound Brook

Posted by admin at 08:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The following letter was published in the Home News Tribune on August 28, 2006.

Ferguson's claim rings hollow

My wife received a letter from our congressman, Rep. Michael Ferguson, R-7th Dist., in which he cites a "troubling development in the current conflict between Israel and Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon."

In substance, he concludes that the United States should blindly support Israel's position. While I have no particular position regarding the matter cited, though I would be interested in his position on the U.S. war in Iraq. Mr. Ferguson, after making a number of pronouncements for which he offers no support, concludes by stating, "I have written to Secretary Rice raising my strong objection (emphasis added) to the United States advocating that Israel withdraw from the area or negotiate with Lebanon over its future."

He goes on to say, "America's role in the current conflict should be to stand with Israel as it defends itself against terrorists. I will keep you posted when I receive a response from Secretary Rice . . ."

Given Ferguson's record, how can such a transparent attempt to distance himself from the Bush administration be seen as anything else? A strong objection? Come on. I for one not only would like to see his "strong objection," which was pointedly omitted from his campaign letter, but am certainly awaiting his "keeping his constituents posted" on Secretary Rice's response. Holding my breath.

Robert Ross
CRANFORD

Posted by admin at 07:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the Courier News on July 5, 2006:

Mike Ferguson's recent campaign ad praising himself for the removal of mercury in Hillsborough is yet another election year ploy by the Republican congressman.

The facts concerning the mercury removal are this: Nevada has yet to approve the transfer, and the Defense Department has no firm scheduled removal date. The chances of the removal ever happening are dubious at best. Yet Ferguson tries to deceive the voting public once again. Ferguson has voted with Bush on every failed policy out of this failed administration.

We don't need another rubber-stamp Bush sycophant in Congress.

JAN FLEEDLE
Hillsborough

Posted by admin at 09:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thanks to Free Will, we have a letter from Congressman Mike Ferguson putting him on the record regarding same sex marriage. What he doesn't not is that not only did he vote for the amendment to bar gays from marrying each other and raising families, but he is a co-sponsor of the bill.

June 7, 2006

XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX
North Plainfield, NJ

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Federal Marriage Amendment to the Constitution. I appreciate hearing from you and having the benefit of your views.

As you know, the House on September 30, 2004, voted on a proposed amendment to the Constitution that would define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. The House vote, 222-186, fell short of the two-thirds majority required to approve an amendment to the Constitution. I voted for the amendment in the House.

I believe the institution of marriage between a man and a woman is a sacred bond that has been protected for centuries by law, custom and religious belief. It is the foundation of our society and our culture, and marriage between a man and a woman should be protected in law, especially from activist judges who are now attempting to re-define marriage.

Again, thank you for taking the time to share your opinions, and please visit my website at www.house.gov/Ferguson for information on other issues important to New Jersey's 7th Congressional District.

Sincerely,
Mike Ferguson
Member of Congress

Please do not respond to this email; this account cannot receive email. To contact Congressman Ferguson, please use the email function on the website www.house.gov/ferguson.

Posted by admin at 06:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

This letter, which notes that Congressman Mike Ferguson's staff is once again unwilling to answer a simple question about his stance on the issues, was published in the Courier News on March 10, 2006:

Ferguson should explain war stance

I was born in 1941 into a Polish immigrant community in Linden. Perhaps my earliest childhood memory is of riding past the town theater and seeing their repulsive billboards advertising the movies on tap. The billboards featured macabre images -- large ones -- of Japanese soldiers. I had never seen an Asian person and didn't ask my parents what these representations were all about. I know now this was a predictable outcome of government propaganda calculated to manipulate a malleable public to support the country's involvement in the Second World War.

My grandparents, parents and their siblings -- and indeed myself -- spent endless hours, for years after the war, preparing and sending parcels of food, medicines and clothing to our relatives abroad in an attempt, not always successful, to keep them alive. Then there were the frequent letters from Poland, detailing the aftermath of the war in Europe.

These pathetic epistles were read aloud and discussed in family gatherings. They occasionally contained a photo of the writer's family. No picture I have ever seen of the least fortunate Americans comes close to the wretchedness of our people in the "old country." I had uncles serving in the conflict, which greatly heightened the stress our family suffered. That was as close as I ever came to war, but it was close enough to make an impression that has not faded with the passage of time.

Our species has a history sometimes glorious, but in most respects abominable in the extreme. The sickening side of human nature isn't unveiled to young children when they are taught history. It needs to be.

America is inflicting on the Iraqi population (and itself willy-nilly) the same hell Germany inflicted on the rest of Europe and the world beyond, not once but twice in the last century.

At times, I hear someone say George W. Bush "doesn't know what war is." That one sure rings true. People such as our pampered president and young congressman Mike Ferguson have lived lives thoroughly removed from such realities. They are clueless and, consequently, far too cavalier.

As the November elections approach, I look forward to knowing Mr. Ferguson's current position on the Iraq invasion (and why a constituent cannot get this information when he calls Mr. Ferguson's office in Washington). I also am curious about whether Ferguson is planning to support a discussion on the House floor addressing how America should now deal with the mess in Iraq he and his party have created. I refer to House Resolution 543.

FERDINAND GAJEWSKI
Westfield

Posted by admin at 07:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Earlier this year Mike Ferguson voted for a law that would make all undocumented immigrants felons and criminalize anyone offering assistance to undocumented immigrants. That includes churches and lay community groups offering food to the hungry, shelter to the homeless and comfort to the afflicted. The bill was so draconian that the Catholic leader of Los Angelos, Cardinal Mahoney, instructed all priests to violate the law if it passed.

Ferguson has yet to defend his vote, and his staff has refused to answer questions about his rationale. Yesterday scores of immigrants and supporters of immigration reform rallied at his office, and according to eyewitnesses the staff refused to come out an meet with the ralliers. But staff was happy to return the call of a Courier News reporter:

More than 100 people demonstrated for immigrant rights outside Plainfield City Hall, about 70 people protested at Republican Rep. Mike Ferguson's office in Warren, according to workers there, and a small group showed up at Rep.Rodney Frelinghuysen's Morristown office.

This repeats a pattern for the Ferguson office: they dodge or refuse to answer questions from constituents, yet they will talk to the newspapers at any time.

Continue reading "Immigration Rally At Ferguson's Office" »

Posted by admin at 06:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DumpMike published a piece last month about how Rep. Mike Ferguson's staffers are not very good at constituent support, and prefer to toe the party line rather than give real answers to questions. The Turnpike Feminist decided to relay her own story about a meeting with staff, and it turns out we were wrong about their preference for not giving real answers. (formatting added)

We were talking about the budget cuts, the millions of dollars lost to New Jerseyeans including tuition help and medicare and food stamps. The chief of staff made it clear to me that keeping the tax cuts for the rich from the year before was �a priority�.

I said, �More of a priority than the poorer folk of New Jersey?� He looked at me, obviously irritated that the girl in the crazy red hair was asking him to prioritize.

�The congressman thinks that boosting the economy is a priority,� he said. But I wasnt going to let him get away with that.

�I�m asking you to prioritize this for me,� I said. �Does the congressman feel that keeping last years tax cuts is more of a priority than food stamps, medicaid, tuition, and social programs for New Jerseyeans?� I pushed.

�Well,� he said. �Yes.�

If this is really Rep. Ferguson's position, that would be pretty big news. If it's not his position, then how can 7th district residents trust anything that Ferguson's staff tells them?

So let's find out. Please contact the Congressman and ask if he really believes that making President Bush's tax cuts permanent is more important that providing food stamps, medical, tuition and other social programs for the residents of the 7th district. We expect to get no answer, as the Ferguson staff prefers not to answer the tough questions, but if you do get one please use the comments at Dump Mike to tell us what the response was.

You can contact Mike Ferguson's office at:

Warren, NJ: (908) 757-7835 (v) or (908) 757-7841 (f) or e-mail
Washington, DC: (202) 225-5361 (v) or (202) 225-9460 (f) or e-mail
Campaign Office: (732) 560-4700 (v) or (732) 560-4790 (f) or e-mail.

Posted by admin at 07:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Congressman Ferguson's office continues to refuse to answer questions regarding the over the counter sale of Plan B, the emergency contraceptive. Now, instead of answering a different question they are saying they don't comment unless issues come up before the house. From kwilkinson of the site, Blue Jersey:

No position forthcoming. He'll only say something if it comes up in front of the House, which it won't, because it's being held up indefinitely by the FDA politicos, according to Marcus.

This is pretty selective, and intended to avoid answering direct questions from his constituents. It's also based upon a pretty big falsehood. See, contrary to what Marcus said there is a bill in front of the House regarding Plan B and the FDA. Ferguson's people just don't want you to know it.

H. R. 4229 [pdf] is sponsored by Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY14) and has 61 cosponsors. Here's the summary:

To require the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to determine whether to allow the marketing of Plan B as a prescription drug for women 15 years of age or younger and a nonprescription drug for women 16 years of age or older, and for other purposes.

This bill, which goes directly to the question Ferguson's staff refuses to asnwer, was referred on February 17, 2006 to the "Subcommittee on Health" which is part of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Congressman Mike Ferguson sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Congressman Mike Ferguson is the vice chair for the House Subcommittee on Health.

One of two things happened in that call regarding Plan B: either Ferguson's office intentionally lied to a constituent regarding bills and issues pending in front of a committee Ferguson sits on, of Ferguson's office is unaware of the bills and issues pending in front of a committee on which Ferguson is the second in command. They are either lying or incompetent.

So please call his office at (908) 757-7835 (NJ) or (202) 225-5361 (DC) and ask for Abby Bird, the Congressman's official spokeswoman, Marcus who spoke to kwilkinson, or someone else who can answer a question on Ferguson's position on Plan B.

If you get to Ms. Bird or another person capable of answering your questions, please ask them, "Would Congressman Ferguson support a hearing and Subcommittee on Health vote on H.R.4229 to require the FDA to approve Plan B for over-the-counter sales to women 17 years old and older and as a prescription for girls younger than 17?" All we want is a hearing and an up or down vote, because that will put Ferguson on the record.

Please do not be confrontational, but just try to get an answer to the question.

If you do not get a person who will answer the question please visit the online form and ask the question that way.

Contact Blue 7th at info@blue7th.com with the day you asked the question and any answers you get.

Continue reading "All We Want Is An Up or Down Vote on Plan B" »

Posted by admin at 05:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Members of a New Jersey group traveled to Washington, DC to advocate for more action in stopping the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. They received warm welcomes from a number of Congressman from New Jersey's delegation, but not Congressman Mike Ferguson's office.

They came to ask for more humanitarian aid and military support in a land where hundreds of thousand of Darfurians have been slaughtered, raped, wounded, driven from their homes, and attacked again while struggling for survival in the refugee camps of neighboring Chad.

Delegates met with NJ Reps. Steve Rothman (D-Dist. 9) and Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-Dist. 11), both of whom signed on as sponsors to the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act, a bill the lobbyists believe is vital to the salvation of the Darfurian people.

At the office of Rep. Mike Ferguson (R-Dist. 7), the delegates were seen by Amanda Tharpe, the congressman�s legislative aide. Ferguson has not signed on as a sponsor of the bill.

Describing Ferguson�s aide as �very cool� and not �terribly sympathetic,� Linda Kohl of Short Hills, president of AJC�s Metro NJ chapter, said both Frelinghuysen and Rothman were �very positive. They are really on our side. That was obvious from everything they said and everything they did.�

This is not the first time that people have reported Ferguson's constituent services have been weak. A number of people have told Dump Mike that when they call to get information from Ferguson's NJ and DC offices they are told that the staffer doesn't know the answer, and that an answer can be expected in two to three weeks. Others say that their questions by phone and submitted on Ferguson's web site go unanswered.

Continue reading "Darfur Advocates Find Ferguson's Office "Cool"" »

Posted by admin at 06:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Congressman Mike Ferguson gave his opinion in an October 17, 2002 New Jersey Jewish News article on how he feels an elected official should act if he wants to be reelected.

But Ferguson said there is no conflict between taking that money and standing for sound policy. "When it comes to doing the right thing, you can't be worrying about your campaign," he said. A candidate who is in office and wants to stay in office has to make decisions "based on doing the right thing. You have to keep your word and be honest." [emphasis added]

This means, we suppose, that Congressman Ferguson doesn't believe he deserves staying in office, since he is more than willing to be dishonest with his constituents.

• He lied in this letter about the vote -- which he supported -- loosening ethics rules to protect Tom DeLay;
• He intentionally and repeatedly misleads constituents and the media about his ANWR votes, referencing his three procedural votes against oil drilling but never his four votes for bills supporting drilling;
• The FEC found that Ferguson was involved twice in campaign finance violations involving more than a half million dollars and gave him the highest fine in history
• Ferguson mislead and misinformed constituents at "town meetings" on Social Security

If he can't be honest, he should be replaced. Help us do it:

Posted by admin at 07:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

From the Friday, January 20, 2006 Courier News:

At least you are consistent, Rep. Mike Ferguson. That is, a consistent disappointment.

It's not bad enough that you are a known shill for the pharmaceuticals or that you are a mindless, march-in-step Republican who consistently votes the party line without an ideology of your own. It's not bad enough that you would shamelessly accept campaign contributions from the likes of Tom DeLay and his political action committee, and now that DeLay is an indicted persona non grata in Congress, you still refuse to return these funds or donate them to charity.

Perhaps you are comfortable keeping company with this element of society, considering your own illegal campaign practices resulting in the record $210,000 fine in 2003. Now, you are using my tax dollars to print and mail glossy flyers to selected constituents, excluding registered Democrats, or at least, the registered Democrats in my household.

May I remind you that, pitiful as you are, you are my representative in Washington. My tax dollars allow you to function in Washington and to communicate with your constituents, all your constituents, be they Republican, Democrat or Independent. Recently, at a gathering in Hunterdon County, someone circulated the flyer in question that you had sent to some selected constituents in District 7. The person who brought it to the group's attention happened to be a registered Republican. It "celebrated" the dollars you had been able to squeeze out of the federal government for various communities.

Don't you think that all residents of District 7 are interested in knowing and, moreover, deserve to know how much, or maybe how little, you have accomplished? After all, we are all paying for your services. Personally, I would like an apology for your misuse of my tax dollars, and more generally, I think we all deserve more from you as our representative.

JOAN SCHELL
Tewksbury

Posted by admin at 03:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

On December 19, 2005 Congressman Mike Ferguson voted for a budget bill that included a provision opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling for petroleum. It was the fourth time he has voted for bills including this provision in five years, despite Ferguson's repeatedly claiming that he opposes oil drilling in ANWR and pointing to it as a sign of his independence from the Bush administration.

But more troubling than Ferguson's hypocricy in calling keeping ANWR oil rig free a "national priority" yet voting to approve drilling is that he repeatedly omits his true voting record when writing to his constituents. Twice before -- here and here -- we've published letters from Ferguson touting his three votes for failed amendments against drilling but conveniently leaving out his votes for approving drilling in successful bills.

And now he has done it again. In an e-mail dated January 4, 2006 Ferguson brags:

I have voted three times � in 2001, 2003 and 2005 � to prohibit drilling in ANRW.

This e-mail -- published in full after the jump -- was sent just 16 days after he voted to approve drilling in the budget bill. While it lays out excellent arguments against drilling in ANWR in order to portray Ferguson as an environmentalist, it fails to note he voted twice for drilling in 2005 and once each in 2001 and 2003.

The only way to stop Ferguson from continuing to mislead his constituents is to make his intentional mendacity public. Please write letters to the editor about this issue, and Ferguson's consistent inability to tell the truth about his voting record.

The Courier News is at letters@c-n.com, the Home News Tribune at letters@thnt.com, the Star Ledger at eletters@starledger.com, or the New York Times at letters@nytimes.com.

Continue reading "Mike Ferguson Continues to Mislead Constituents on ANWR" »

Posted by admin at 08:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just like we did last week, it looks like the Courier News noticed that Mike Ferguson was absent from the effort to save Fort Monmouth, as well:

David Rebovich, director of the Rider Institute for New Jersey Politics, predicted that Forrester will try to say Democrats have not been aggressive advocates of the state's needs in Washington and will argue that Corzine has little clout in the nation's capital.

"What the Republicans want to do is suggest that a GOP governor would have better access to the congressional leadership and the White House, and I do think Forrester will try and make some hay in that regard," Rebovich said.

But Rebovich said Republicans pushing Forrester's candidacy have to answer why the state's six GOP congressmen, some with considerable seniority, were not successful in saving Fort Monmouth from the Base Realignment and Closure panel. Three of the GOP congressmen -- Rodney Frelinghuysen, Jim Saxton and Chris Smith -- fought hard for the post.

No Ferguson in that list. Rep. Smith serves Monmouth County, but both Reps. Saxton and Frelinghuysen were working for the good of New Jersey. Rep. Relinghuysen has a district much farther north and farther away from Monmouth than Ferguson.

Where was Mike?

Posted by admin at 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Blanton and Ashton want to know where Mike Ferguson and Scott Garrett have been on the issue of closing Fort Monmouth.

Frequent readers of this blog know that for every dollar New Jersey sends to Washington in the form of taxes, we get only %0.57 back. New Jersey is last in that statistic. Closing Fort Monmouth will lower our return even further. This is a matter that should be of concern to every citizen in this state. Our money is going out to support things like $230 million dollar bridges in Alaska that will connect a community of 700 people to the mainland or to keep Alabama from slipping from the 19th into the 18th century, but what about New Jersey?

Maybe part of the reason we do so poorly is that, while our Democratic representatives are working to get our fair share of the pie, our Republican representatives close their mouths, shut their eyes, and do nothing to help. Noticeably absent from all of the efforts of our representatives have been our six Republican representatives. If thousands of jobs leave the state it affects everyone, but they haven't lifted a finger or said a word. Where is Scott Garrett? Where is Mike Ferguson?

It's true. If you look on Mike Ferguson's official Congressional website there is not one mention of Fort Monmouth or the 5,000 jobs lost if it moves to Alabama.

If you look on Mike Ferguson's official campaign site there is not one mention of Fort Monmouth or the 5,000 jobs lost if it moves to Alabama.

If you search Google for "Mike Ferguson" BRAC you find no stories of his efforts to save Fort Monmouth.

If you search Google for Michael Ferguson BRAC there is one article, and it mentions that he simply attended a meeting with Senator Jon Corzine on the issue.

If you search Google News for ferguson BRAC there are two hits that have nothing to do with Rep. Ferguson.

Contact Mike Ferguson and ask him what he's done to protect New Jersey jobs and security by calling his office at 908-757-7835 or using his website contact form.

You can also make your feelings known by writing letters to the editor to local and regional papers: the Courier News at letters@c-n.com, the Home News Tribune at letters@thnt.com, the Star Ledger at eletters@starledger.com, or the New York Times at letters@nytimes.com.

Another option is to write on message boards on the Internet. You can pick them by county or by town and write what your Congressman is doing.

8/27/05 UPDATE: It looks like the Courier News noticed that Mike Ferguson was absent from the effort to save Fort Monmouth, as well:

David Rebovich, director of the Rider Institute for New Jersey Politics, predicted that Forrester will try to say Democrats have not been aggressive advocates of the state's needs in Washington and will argue that Corzine has little clout in the nation's capital.

"What the Republicans want to do is suggest that a GOP governor would have better access to the congressional leadership and the White House, and I do think Forrester will try and make some hay in that regard," Rebovich said.

But Rebovich said Republicans pushing Forrester's candidacy have to answer why the state's six GOP congressmen, some with considerable seniority, were not successful in saving Fort Monmouth from the Base Realignment and Closure panel. Three of the GOP congressmen -- Rodney Frelinghuysen, Jim Saxton and Chris Smith -- fought hard for the post.

No Ferguson in that list. Rep. Smith serves Monmouth County, but both Reps. Saxton and Frelinghuysen were working for the good of New Jersey. Rep. Relinghuysen has a district much farther north and farther away from Monmouth than Ferguson.

Where was Mike?

Posted by admin at 06:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A few days ago we noted that Mike Ferguson's Congressional website lists only the Republican-led counties he represents -- Somerset and Hunterdon -- but not the Democratic led counties -- Union and Middlesex.

Today Mike has a couple "town meetings" on issues facing the people of the 7th District, and in what can only be considered expected behavior is holding them in Somerset and Hunterdon.

Is Congressman Ferguson afraid of Democrats?

Posted by admin at 06:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)