Dump Mike Ferguson (NJ7)

It's not as catchy as "Stender is a Spender," but it turns out Mike Ferguson is a spender – and he's a tax raiser, too! Looks like he may have lost his only campaign item against Linda Stender should she decide to run again in 2008.

Because last week Mike voted for the Democrats' Creating Long-Term Energy Alternatives for the Nation Act (HR6) which the House Republican Study Conference calls, "$7.7 billion in tax increases over ten years, PLUS $6.3 billion in new royalty payments over the same period. (CBO, JCT)"

In all her years in the Assembly, on the Union County Freeholder Board, and as a Fanwood Mayor and Councilwoman Linda Stender never voted for an unbalanced budget. Sometimes that required voting for increases in taxes, but all 20 years of votes combined didn't add up to this single vote of Mike Ferguson's.

Assuming Stender runs again in 2008, Ferguson will now be unable to trot out the tax increasing, spender image he tried to tar Stender with because he'll just be further demonstrating his hypocrisy. We know he's increased spending and deficits in his time (see below), and now he is raising taxes.

And after he had signed a pledge for Grover Norquist saying he would never vote to raise taxes. Norquist gave Ferguson an award he'll probably be taking back now, and we've got the art to prove it!

Continue reading "Mike Ferguson is a Spender, And A Tax Raiser Too!" »

Posted by admin at 06:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In 1948 President Harry Truman labeled the Congress "Do Nothing" because they only met 110 days the whole year. In 2006, the Republican Congress blew that record away by meeting a grand total of 94 days. As a result of missing so many work days, there was a lot that just didn't get done.

One of the things that didn't get done was passing a budget for the 2006-2007 fiscal year, instead passing what "continuing resolutions" that maintain the spending of the previous year. This is usually done as a stop-gap effort as the Congress works to complete the bills. That means that four months into the fiscal year we don't have a budget determining how much money will be spent on what programs.

Essentially, they wanted to pass the buck to the new Democratic majority to let them make the hard decisions the Republicans were not willing to make. It was a political, partisan decision meant to make the Democrats look bad.

Now the Democrats are in control and are looking to pass a budget that is responsible and doesn't increase the deficit. And one of the ways they are doing it is by removing all the earmarks put in last year.

For us in the 7th District that means that the inaction by the Republican Congress in 2006 may cost Mike Ferguson's district about $4.15 million this year for a variety of projects that Ferguson had bragged about getting. In short, he bragged about the funding before he and his colleagues did the work to get the funding, and now it may be lost.

The list of potentially lost funding in our district is taken from the Record list of New Jersey's endangered earmarks. Where possible we linked to Ferguson's bragging on the funding.

Posted by admin at 02:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

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

Vote Stender, not Ferguson, this election

Every year at election time, I've noticed an ever growing, dangerous trend. People on all sides of the political ferris wheel arguing about abortion, gun control, saving the environment, saving and stopping everything and anything that the current owners of this great country of ours want us all to fight with each other about. I kind of noticed that one important battle was missing.

This secret battle that has slipped off the radar is the one for the American working families in this country. Now I'm going to guarantee you that there will be some Republican supporters who will almost definitely write a counter-letter to mine, but I promise that everything I'm about to write is fact.

Let's start with Rep. Mike Ferguson, D—7th Dist. During his recent term, there have been serious key votes directly affecting working families, 39 to be exact. Our beloved congressman, on these important issues, has voted exactly eight times in favor of working-family issues. One of my favorites is when he voted against an extension of unemployment benefits. You see, once your unemployment benefits run out, you're not counted as out of work anymore, so, in a nice underhanded move, the current administration can say such untruthful things like "we are creating more quality jobs and there are less people out of work.'

The numbers definitely don't lie though. You know the jobs I'm talking about, minimum wage like Wal-Mart and Burger King. Does anybody in New Jersey believe you can live and support your family on minimum wage? Mike Ferguson does because he also voted against raising the minimum wage.

The rest of the list is interesting too, from making sweetheart trade deals with other countries around the world, sending free aid to other countries around the world and fast-tracking trade clauses with other countries. How about the one where he gave big tax breaks to a company to stay in the U.S.? If you didn't see that one, it's because it never happened.

With all this in mind, and after careful thought, I'm throwing my hat into Linda Stender's campaign. And I ask every hard-working American citizen to do the same. I'm sure you have all heard the brilliant commercial by Congressman Ferguson that states, "Stender the spender." OK, will somebody tell me which politician doesn't spend money? Does Mike Ferguson really think the average Joe in this state is that stupid?

Joe Lukac
MANVILLE

Posted by admin at 09:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Bernardsville News is the first paper to give an endorsement in the NJ7 Congressional race between Mike Ferguson and Linda Stender. The nod went to Linda Stender. The paper is not too big and a weekly, but it is in extremely red territory and hopefully this kind of thing can make a difference there.

[UPDATE: The Hunterdon Review, also owned by Recorder, used the same editorial last week. Deep in the heart of redness!]

Vote for Linda Stender for Congress from the Seventh District.

She is articulate and bright. She has had local, county and state government experiences. Most importantly, she represents an end to the status quo acceptance of the failed policies of the Bush Administration, so unquestionably accepted by her opponent, Republican incumbent Michael Ferguson.

His response to the surprisingly strong Stender campaign is to blast Stender as a tax and spend Democrat.

Yet Stender, as a state Assemblywoman, voted against the Corzine budget and increased sales tax. Meanwhile, Ferguson, as member of the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate, has presided over a federal budget that has gone from a surplus position to a massive deficit.

It is ironic he complains about doings as the state level, yet he has never served in any state or locally elected office in his career. In fact, he only moved to the Seventh Congressional district so he could run for Congress after he lost his bid for a Sixth District Congressional seat in Monmouth County in 1998.

Nearly 60 percent of the district considers themselves Independent and we think Stender will more accurately reflect their philosophies than Ferguson.

We support Stender’s call for a re-examination of how we are conducting the war in Iraq, a position also called for by many retired Army generals and the majority of the nation. Ferguson is unquestioning of the Bush Administration’s handling of the war.

We support Stender’s call for embryonic stem cell research, so those whose loved ones are suffering from anything from Parkinson’s to Alzheimer’s to diabetes to paralysis may have hope for a cure. Ferguson staunchly opposes embryonic stem cell research and as such has earned the disfavor of Tricia Riccio, a crusader from Warren Township whose son Carl Riccio was paralyzed in a Watchung Hills Regional High School wrestling match in 2003.

Stender favors a woman’s right to choose on abortion, developing alternative energy supplies, and protecting the environment.

None of those issues carry much weight with Ferguson. He is anti-choice to the point of wanting to amend the Constitution to make abortion a crime even in the cases of rape and incest.

He garnered a pitiful 17 percent approval rating from the League of Conservation Voters, the political voice of the national environmental movement whose ratings reflect Ferguson’s voting record on key environmental and public health votes. Ferguson’s environmental rating is the lowest of the 13 members of the New Jersey congressional delegation, Democrats and Republicans alike.

Environmental issues are part of the core values of Somerset and Hunterdon county residents and those values should be represented in the halls of Congress by the person they elect to represent them.

Indeed, poll after poll shows Stender’s positions on the core issues this district thinks are important, from the Bush Administration’s handling of the war in Iraq, to stem cell research, to the environment, are more reflective of the majority of voters in this district than Mr. Ferguson’s. People in the 7th Congressional District should vote for the candidate who best reflects their values on Tuesday, Nov. 7 and that is Linda Stender.

Vote for Stender for Congress from the 7th District.

Posted by admin at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the Independent Press on October 11, 2006:

Ferguson is the real spender

To the editor:

Recently, I saw an ad, put out by Republican Congressman Mike Ferguson that accused Linda Stender, the Democratic challenger, of being a spender.
However, it is the current Republican administration that has spent more money than all previous administrations put together and it is the Republican majority in Congress which has approved those expenditures. As a Republican Congressman who strongly supports his President, Mike Ferguson is the spender.

Barbara Babcock
New Providence

Posted by admin at 06:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the October 4, 2006 Independent Press:

Ferguson a 'craven Bushman'

To the editor:

Sooner or later the country will wake up, even in the red states, and realize that a gang of Texas billionaires hijacked the true Republican GOP - the true Grand Old Party -and turned it into the Gas and Oil Party. Then there will be a major backlash, which will not be good for the country either.

The time has come for Republicans in our district to put country ahead of party, and replace Mike Ferguson with a Democrat, if only until the red states come to their senses. Then our district can elect a true Republican we can all be proud of - not a craven Bushman.

J.C. Phillips
Summit

Posted by admin at 07:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the Courier News on Friday, September 29 2006.

Republicans sink in unethical mire

Yes, I am a Republican of long standing, and it is not easy to write this letter. I have had enough of the rape of this country by Washington and Big Business.

However, with unethical liberal Democrats and ethical conservative Republicans I am truly concerned. In my mind, ethics has to do with power, control, lying, cheating and stealing by individuals, government and business. The greatness of our country was the strong, honest, hard-working middle class. Yes, the economy is booming for the haves and the upper middle class. The rest of the country is faced with lower incomes, unreasonable prices, debt, usury, identity theft, taxation and health costs.

If we sit down and tally the money those unethical Democrats have gobbled up, we will find it is peanuts compared with that involving ethical Republicans. The Republicans, including Mike Ferguson and Tom Kean Jr., support business, the bigger the better, and favors for the haves. They will be asked to support President Bush's ill-conceived plan to return control of world oil to Houston as it was until the '70s. Yes, they may get us a piece of pork such as removing the mercury, which may never happen, or finish the Green Brook flood control, like New Orleans.

We had a famous middle-of-the-road Republican, Mrs. Whitman. We are assured that Tom Kean Jr. and Mike Ferguson will be of the same ilk. Mrs. Whitman reduced the income tax, a tax dedicated to education. The responsibility for education was transferred to the homeowners with questionable assessments. Education spending for status and parity has grown leaps and bounds to the point of taking small homes to increase tax receipts.

Utilities are billed in such a way as to make the poor, the elderly and those trying to conserve pay more per gallon of water, water that may not be fit to drink, than the haves pay. The interest on a small debt can be more than 60 percent APR, while large favored debts are about 20 percent or even less. There are discounts and rebates for some, but not all.

Now there is a big problem. For some time, all people were encouraged to register and vote, and register they did. How does the minority party solve the problem? Rig the ballot boxes, of course. Mind you, not by a lot, just enough to claim victory. It could easily happen here.

If I were you, I would keep my eye on the ethical Conservatives this go-round. Most likely, I will return to the party when it gives up carrying the Bible in one hand and death-dealing cluster bombs in the other while making large profits for big business on others' suffering.

CHARLES B. MOBUS
Warren

Posted by admin at 07:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Congressman Mike Ferguson makes a big deal of his support for tax cuts slated to the richest members of our society. Often he – and many other Republicans -- claims that the Bush tax cuts make our economy stronger and more competitive. It turns out that, according to the Wall Street Journal, that is just not true.

To start, the impact of the Bush tax cuts mean more money in some folks' pockets. That is, on the face of it, a good thing. But the problem is that while cutting taxes reduces revenues, President Bush and Congressman Ferguson have been drastically increasing spending. And when you reduce revenues and increase spending you get deficits.

This chart is from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office's August 2006 The Budget and Economic Outlook [PDF]:

When Ferguson and Bush took office there was no deficit, and we were paying down the national debt. Immediately after their first budget and the massive tax cuts the deficit started to grow. Keep in mind that this chart doesn’t include off-budget items like the $300 billion for the War in Iraq, which makes the deficit all the higher.

The Congressional Budget Office concurs with this simple bit of math, and in 2005 noted that:

The new numbers confirm what many analysts have predicted for some time: that budget deficits in the decade ahead will stem less from the lingering effects of the downturn and much more from rising government spending and progressively deeper tax cuts.

Continue reading "Mike Ferguson's Economic Policies Make the United States Weaker" »

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

The following letter was published in the Thursday, September 21, 2006 Cranford Chronicle.

Stender is the right choice for Congress

To The Chronicle:

One should agree with John Cantilli and Andrew Bucko about their negative views of our present Congressman. A common-sense change for the better is surely Linda Stender.

Linda Stender is running for Congress in this upcoming election. Linda is the former mayor of Fanwood, and she is currently serving her third term in the State Assembly.

She believes in bringing the troops home from Iraq safely within a year and focusing the government's policy on real homeland security. Linda wants to enact a bold energy policy to make us energy-independent and wants to put an end to the billions of dollars in tax breaks given to the big oil companies. She strongly supports stem cell research, a woman's right to choose, and allowing the federal government to negotiate with drug companies for low cost prescription drugs for senior citizens.

Linda Stender deserves our vote if we want a person who is not out of step and is not a rubber stamp for the Bush Administration's failed policies. She is the one who we should support on Tuesday, Nov. 7 for a seat in Congress.

MADELINE SPITZ
Cranford

Posted by admin at 09:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The following letter was published in the September 9, 2006 Courier News:

Stender attacks not based on facts

During the past few weeks, my mailbox has been inundated with condescending ads from Mike Ferguson's campaign with the childish slogan: "Stender is a spender." This distortion of Assemblywoman Linda Stender's record insults the intelligence of 7th District voters.

The trick Mr. Ferguson uses in his ads is a common one during political season: Municipal officials get blamed for rising property taxes when the culprit is usually the school board (in a state with a flawed system for funding public education). So, unless Mr. Ferguson gives me the facts, I'm not buying what he's selling.

Mr. Ferguson should have no credibility with voters in fiscal matters, anyway. Since he was elected in 2000, he has voted for budgets in Washington that turned the federal government's surplus into record budget deficits. The deficit for the budget year ending Sept. 30 is projected to be about $300 billion. In the midst of all this spending, Mr. Ferguson has voted for billions in tax breaks for gas and oil companies during a period of record-breaking profits and sky-high prices at the pump.

I think about Mr. Ferguson's votes every time I pull out my wallet to buy gas. And he thinks I should be worried about tax-and-spend politicians? The ones who scare me right now are those, like Mike Ferguson, who spend ... and spend and spend and spend, leaving a fiscal mess for my kids to mop up. It's time for voters in the 7th District to clean house and elect Linda Stender for Congress on Nov. 7.

SUE REPKO
Skillman

Posted by admin at 04:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the Cranford Chronicle on Thursday, September 7 2006.

Congressman's policies hurt voters To The Chronicle:

Mike Ferguson has been flooding the airwaves and mailboxes trying to paint his opponent a spender. But who is the big spender? Maybe Mike should look at himself.

While in Congress, Mike supported policies that turned a budget surplus into a record budget deficit, borrowing from our kids and stealing their financial future. He voted for the energy plan that gave big benefits to the oil companies and none to us. You can thank Mike each time you fill up at the pump.

He even helped push though the Medicare prescription drug plan that has been a disaster. Instead of helping seniors with their prescription costs, it confused seniors and forced them to buy into plans that ultimately cost them more just as the drug companies wanted.

Mike is trying to run away from his own record and distort his opponent's. He took campaign money from his corrupt friend Tom DeLay and has since refused to give it back. He even spent your tax dollars to send out literature that amounts to campaign mailers.

Who is Mike Ferguson really representing? It certainly is not us. On Election Day, let's tell Mike that we want someone who represents us, not big-money special interests.

ANDREW BUCKO
Cranford

Posted by admin at 09:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the August 29, 2006 Home News Tribune and August 28 Courier News.

Is Mike Ferguson that clueless?

My mail came with new evidence of how clever Rep. Mike Ferguson, R-7th District, was to notice that his opponent Linda Stender's last name rhymes with "spender." If the hypocrisy weren't so blatant, it would be worth a good laugh. Stender has balanced budgets all her career, while Ferguson has helped usher in the largest deficits is our history, turning the 1990's surpluses into record-setting red ink.

I also wonder when I'll get some mail from Ferguson telling me his positions on the difficult issues facing us as a nation. He has grossly abused his privilege in sending postage-free mail to try to convince us that his name is really Congressman Fix-all-the-Potholes, but not one word on how to end the Iraq catastrophe, stop the oil companies from gouging us, or address the grave environmental problems that we in Central Jersey experience only too closely. Has he even thought about these things? I get the impression from his mailings that he doesn't even know about them.

Michael Pratt
SKILLMAN

Posted by admin at 07:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Linda Stender is hitting back at Mike Ferguson with mailings, a radio ad and -- from what I hear -- a television ad up on cable. I haven't seen it, but if you have put it in the comments. These three posts are the current pieces going out in the mail.

The second is about Ferguson's unlimited support for President George Bush's policies both domestically and internationally. You can click on either image to get to a pdf of the piece and mail it to your friends.

Front

Back

Posted by admin at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If anyone had any worries that Linda Stender was just going to take what Mike Ferguson dished out and not fight back hard, the new radio ad she unleashed today [mp3] should change that notion! Ferguson tried to be clever in his ads calling his opponent, "Linda Stender is a Spender" but the fact is that in Congress Ferguson has voted for record spending, record deficits and record debt.

Linda isn't afraid to point this out, or the fact that Ferguson is trying to hide his record behind clever attack ads. And that gas prices and gas company profits have risen while Ferguson gave tax breaks to oil barons. It's good to hear a competitor like Linda get on the air early and aggressively.

These ads cost a good bit, so be sure to help Linda out by contributing to her campaign on our NJ7 ActBlue page today!

Plus, help spread the word by forwarding the .mp3 of the ad out to all your friends.

You can help keep the pressure on by writing 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. More local and weekly publications can be found at Dump Mike Letters.

Posted by admin at 05:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

The following letter was published in the Cranford Chronicle on Thursday, June 29, 2006

No support for the middle class

To The Chronicle:

Another Congressional scorecard has been issued, and U.S. Representative Mike Ferguson has received another failing grade. This new scorecard was released by the Drum Major Institute, a non-partisan, non-profit progressive think tank based in New York. The title of DMI's report is Congress at the Midterm: Their 2005 Middle-Class Record.

Representatives were graded on their votes on eight House bills, which addressed issues such as estate tax repeal, bankruptcy and consumer protection, energy policy, small business health insurance, and cuts in domestic programs. Mike Ferguson scored zero percent and was awarded a grade of "F".

Overall, Republican representatives from New Jersey scored 0-50 percent, and Democrats scored 75-100 percent. With his votes, Ferguson was part of a Congress that, in the report's words, "disdained the concerns of middle-class Americans and opted instead to favor the already wealthy and powerful in vote after vote... (and) championed the wish lists of oil companies, the insurance industry, and credit card issuers over the concerns of middle-class consumers and small businesses."

Let's take a brief look at just one of the eight House votes, the repeal of the estate tax. This tax affects less than 1 percent of the wealthiest American families. Elimination of this tax would cost the United States nearly $1 trillion in lost revenue in the first ten years after repeal. Mike Ferguson voted to eliminate the estate tax. Which domestic programs will he be willing to destroy in order to pay for this trillion-dollar loss? Medicare? Medicaid? College loans? In 2005, Ferguson voted to cut $39 billion from these programs as part of the ironically named "Deficit Reduction Act" -- never mind that the huge federal deficit is largely a result of President Bush's irresponsible and lopsided tax cuts, which were supported by Mike "Rubber Stamp" Ferguson.

According to a recent analysis of national census data by the Brookings Institute, the middle class is shrinking. Between 1970 and 2000, middle-income metropolitan neighborhoods declined from 58 percent to 41 percent, and middle-class suburban neighborhoods decreased from 64 percent to 44 percent. Middle-class families in metro areas fell from 28 percent to less than 22 percent. These shifts have been accompanied by an increase in lower-income families.

Mike Ferguson just wants more of the same. Since 2001, Ferguson's House votes show that he cares most about millionaires and big corporations, and has little regard for middle-class families. How many failing grades must Ferguson receive before we fire him and send him home?

JOHN CANTILLI
Cranford

Posted by admin at 05:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Congressman Mike Ferguson decided to take a swipe at both Republicans and Democrats in his assessment of efforts to reduce gas prices for people in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District. His analysis was spot on for the Republican plan to offer a $100 check to every taxpayer in the country, but spot off in suggesting Senator Bob Menendez's plan would hurt New Jersey.

"Some people have been talking about the $100 rebate, (and) a gas-tax holiday," noted U.S. Rep. Mike Ferguson. "These are quick-fix, gimmicky solutions that do not address the challenges we face in terms of energy dependence. The gas tax holiday, that's just going to take money out of the Highway Trust Fund. That's critical to New Jersey."

It's true that the effort by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist to offer all tax payers a $100 check whether they own a car or purchase gasoline is a gimmick meant to buy votes. But Ferguson either intentionally misstated Menendez's plan or didn't bother to learn about it before talking to the press.

Menendez proposed that the federal gas tax be suspended through the beginning of the summer driving season, when demand increases and results in higher prices at the pump. However, the plan also includes a commensurate reduction in the tax breaks Ferguson and the Congressional Republicans gave to the oik industry earlier this year. The plan would be revenue neutral, meaning that the Highway Trust Fund would have the same amount of money in it under the Menendez plan as it would without it.

But Ferguson didn't note that. Instead he decided to play politics with high gas prices, just like Karl Rove would recommend.

Posted by admin at 07:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

This letter on net neutrality was published in the Courier News on May 4, 2006:

Ferguson trying to put a price on Web

Rep. Mike Ferguson, who sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, voted to pass a bill to the floor which would give wide power to telecommunication companies to change the way we experience the Internet. It gives them the power to charge content providers, like Amazon etc., extra fees to send their content to users.

The Internet will no longer be the free space with equal access for all that it was intended to be. It will be taken over by profit-hungry telecommunication companies and used only by people who can afford to pay to have access to everything.

It should be noted that Rep. Ferguson has received thousands of dollars in campaign donations from AT&T and other telecommunication companies. Until we change to publicly financed elections to diminish the huge influence of lobbyists, the only recourse we have is to barrage our legislators with calls and e-mails opposing this bill.

The Internet is an amazing space which encourages the free flow of ideas and products. Oh! That's right! Republicans and industry lobbyists only like unrestricted commerce as long as they are the ones making money from it.

MARTHA MILLER
Flemington

Posted by admin at 05:39 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)

Update: Welcome Boing Boing visitors! Glad to have ya come by and learn more about Mike Ferguson. If you want to leave a little tip in our tip jar, we would surely appreciate any help in defeating him this November.]

Congressman Mike Ferguson introduced a bill in Congress yesterday which will make it impossible for you to record a radio show and play it back later on your iPod or other music device. The bill essentially forces manufacturers to implement features on satellite, high-definition and regular radios that allow broadcasters to block consumers from recording shows.

Rep. Mike Ferguson, R., N.J., will introduce the “Audio Broadcast Flag Licensing Act of 2006” on Thursday (March 2). The bill includes an HD radio component and a satellite radio component, according to staffers in Ferguson’s office, who spoke to Billboard Radio Monitor on condition of anonymity.

The HD component requires any private company that plans to manufacture an HD radio must incorporate technology in that radio that works with a broadcast audio flag “or something similar.” The satellite component imposes similar audio-flag requirements on equipment manufactured for both XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio.

Back in the 1970s when VCRs were first gaining popularity the film and TV industries screamed and yelled that they would destroy their ability to make money, and movies would suffer. That threat never materialized, and now when you want to record a movie or sporting event to watch at a more convenient time you can.

Ferguson, apparently, doesn't like that idea for radio. He wants to let the Recording Industry Artists Association (RIAA) decide when you will listen to radio shows instead of letting you make that decision for yourself. That's why the RIAA endorsed the bill. They say it is necessary as "technological developments make it easier for consumers to capture and retain digital-quality audio without paying a fee for the content."

But that is just a smokescreen. We have had tape recorders for generations that people could record radio shows on and play them back in their car or on a WalkMan as they exercised. People used to trade Howard Stern tapes and that increased his popularity.

The RIAA wants to restrict your ability to record shows to no more than 30 minutes, and only if you actaully press the buttons to record the individual show. Additionally, they want to forbid you from editing any recordings you make to pick out the parts you want to listen to and avoid the commercials, offensive content and songs or guests you don't like.

The fact is that people who want to profit illegally by recording songs off the radio and selling or file-sharing them somehow can easily do it no matter what technology is put in their way. These people are unscrupulous and willing to violate the law to profit.

But the people like the residents of the 7th district who just want to record Imus in the Morning, Free Beer and Hotwings, Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern or WPLJ and listen to it at their convenience will not be able to. This is a bill targeted directly at everyday consumers that will have no impact on the criminals who are intentionally breaking the law.

Contact Mike Ferguson's and tell him that stifling technological innovation and consumer freedom is the wrong way to go. Ask him to pull this bill immediately.

You can reach Ferguson at (908) 757-7835 (NJ) or (202) 225-5361 (DC) or write to him on his website. Please be courteous to the folks who answer.

You can send letters to 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.

[Learn more about Mike Ferguson's positions on Consumer Issues]

Posted by admin at 07:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A Courier News editorial takes Mike Ferguson to task for toting water for the Bush adminsitration in the budget vote last week, taking the same position Dump Mike did last week.

In New Jersey, there are more than 124,000 student borrowers who will graduate from college with a sheepskin diploma and an average of $17,000 in student debt. With tuition prices continuing their upward spiral at both public and private universities, it should come as no surprise that more students are going into debt, taking out more loans and struggling to pay them back.

So what did Congress do about this student debt crisis? Instead of helping to pull students out of increasing debt loads, it threw them a shovel. Last week, Congress voted to pass the federal budget reconciliation act, which includes more than $39 billion in funding cuts. More than $12 billion -- roughly 30 percent of the cuts -- will come directly from student loan programs. The cuts are staggering; they are easily the largest cuts in student aid in history.

The mainly party-line vote was decided by a razor-thin margin of 216 to 214 -- one vote would have made the difference. Thirteen moderate Republican congressmen, including Rep. Chris Smith, voted against the bill, citing the vast level of funding cuts. Four of those "no" votes were from Republicans who reversed their votes from last December. Rep. Mike Ferguson, who had expressed concern with parts of the bill and held one of the decisive votes, voted for the budget and the largest student aid cuts in history.

This debt has many consequences. It stops thousands of qualified students every year from attending college in the first place. It causes students to work more and study less while in school -- nearly half of full-time students work 25 hours or more every week. Right now, even with campus jobs, family contributions and federal aid, students still come up short with more than $3,900 in what is euphemistically called "unmet need." For low-income students, it's worse -- more than $4,900 of "unmet need."

Posted by admin at 04:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

From the December 20, 2005 Courier News:

GOP lawmakers aid only the wealthy

Congressman Mike Ferguson, along with the other members of his Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, passed $56 billion in tax breaks last week that would go overwhelmingly to the wealthiest sliver of Americans.

The Tax Policy Center estimates 84.2 percent of the cuts passed by the House would go to the top 20 percent of households by income.

But that's not all. The tax cuts come after this same Republican majority in the House passed $50 billion in cuts to services that struggling working families depend on, like Medicaid, student loans, child support enforcement and food stamps.

These aren't the priorities of America's working families -- and it's time our representatives in Congress knew that they should oppose cuts for working families and new tax breaks for the wealthy.

Where does Congressman Ferguson stand on these issues? Right with his Republican majority.

Working people should keep in mind how little our congressman considers the needs of the people who he purports to represent, by examining his adherence to his parties policies.

BRUNO RIPP
Warren

Posted by admin at 05:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Congressman Ferguson is not worried about the challenges he faces from Joe Tricarico, Linda Stender and Matt Linfante and said so in the Express Times:

"The political environment for me is going to remain pretty strongly favorable. I've been pretty fortunate to have pretty strong support in my recent reelections," Ferguson said. The 2000 redistricting plan recast his district to make it safer for a Republican candidate.

Ferguson said the casework he and his staff have done for constituents, his fund-raising efforts and his votes for tax-cut legislation ensure that he will be ready for any challenger.

"The economy seems to be doing well. The market is up; and that's important in my district," Ferguson said.

It's right that Ferguson has won his elections, though the Federal Election Commission determined that he won both the primary and general elections in 2000 with illegally spent campaign money. He's also right that he's done constituent support, though that includes intentionally misleading (some say lying) constituents about his record in congress on numerous occassions. And the claim to tax cut votes is true, but to pay for the tax cuts he voted to close Fort Monmouth and throw hundred of New Jerseyans out of work.

At best Ferguson has a mixed record in Congress, as this site is demonstrating by researching his history in the Congress. But the worst is that Ferguson is consistently wrong about the economic situation facing the country and his district. He was dead wrong in his "facts" presented at a Social Security town meeting earlier this year, and claimed in 2004 that Americans should stop complaining about the five percent unemployment since he was just in Iraq and they have 25 percent unemployment!

And now he claims that the stock market has risen thanks to his and his party's time in Congress, when the facts don't bear it out.

On January 4, 2001 when Congress convened for Mike Ferguson's first term the Dow Jones Industrial Average was at 10,912.41. It closed yesterday -- December 12, 2005 -- at 10,767.77.

That's a fall of almost 150 points over almost five years, hardly a good economic record for a time when Ferguson's party has been in complete control.

But that's a long history. How about just the last year under the new Congress? On January 4, 2005 -- when the 109th Congress convened -- the market opened at 10,753.89. That's a rise of less than 14 points in eleven and a half monthsBut for the year, the market is actually down 35 points from the January 1, 2005 market price of 10,803.18, which is hardly an "up" market.

Ferguson's claim that the tax cuts have been good for the economy and will be a boon to his campaign is hardly born out by the facts, though Ferguson is happy to go back into his Washington Republican bubble and claim things are good in Iraq, good in the economy and good for the environment when it is simply not true.

Posted by admin at 07:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

MoveOn.org sent out the following missive.

Bag the Bad Budget

Outside Congressman Mike Ferguson's Office 16 Nov 12:00 PM

We'll meet outside of Rep. Ferguson's office and hope to get the word out of how this budget will hurt many

Americans. We're going to have a mock Thanksgiving table demonstrating how the wealthy feast while middle and low income Americans are left with empty plates.

It would be great to make the Progressive Presence felt by the Congressman and the media so please attend!!!

Location: Warren, NJ 07059
Host: Ruth Coules
Status: Public, open for RSVP, 20 Guests (Max 50)

http://political.moveon.org/event/events/event.html?event_id=7034

Posted by admin at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A national coalition of organizations is targetting "moderate" Republican members of Congress to convince them not to approve draconian budget cuts.

Faced with a lack of party unanimity, House Republican leaders have decided to temporarily drop plans to include across-the-board cuts to fiscal 2006 discretionary spending as part of an amendment to the budget resolution.

The amendment is still expected to call for $50 billion in entitlement cuts, up from $35 billion in the original budget blueprint, and could be on the floor as early as Thursday. [snip]

Meanwhile, the Emergency Campaign for America's Priorities this week plans a grassroots and public relations campaign aimed at 13 largely moderate House Republicans, which the group hopes might be moved to vote against the budget amendment.

"We think they are among the moderate Republicans who would blanch and would be uneasy at the cuts being called for in the resolution," campaign spokesman Brad Woodhouse said. "These are among what we believe are the most persuadable people to switch their vote, or the people we need to persuade to hold their vote to affect the outcome."

You can tell Congressman Ferguson not to vote for these budget cuts to programs like Medicare and LIHEAP by calling (NJ # is (908) 757-7835, DC # is (202) 225-5361) or writing his office.

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

Congressman Ferguson has responded to a constituent about the suspension of Davis-Bacon rules in the reconstruction of the areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and has once again demonstrated an effort to take all sides of the issue.

He comes out very strong for Davis-Bacon, then suggests that he would be fine if it were suspended through Election Day – November 8, 2005. If, as Rep. Ferguson asserts, paying lower wages damages the quality of work then why allow the first two months of work recovering from Katrina to be done with Davis-Bacon suspended.

Also confusing is Rep. Ferguson's reference to a letter to President Bush signed by "many of my [Ferguson's] House colleagues" on September 15 regarding this issue. To date this is the first I have heard of such a letter. On September 16 another constituent called Congressman Ferguson's office and was told that they were still configuring a response.

Here is Rep. Ferguson's complete response, with only the constituent's name and address removed. Please put your reactions and anything you see in the comments.

September 22, 2005

Dear NAME REDACRED

Thank you for contacting me regarding the suspension of Davis-Bacon in the states affected by Hurricane Katrina. I appreciate hearing from you and having the benefit of your views.

President Bush on September 8, 2005, indefinitely suspended provisions of the 1931 Davis-Bacon Act in portions of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. Davis-Bacon requires contractors on federally funded projects to provide employees with prevailing local wages and benefits.

President Bush's decision has the effect of permitting the payment of less than the locally prevailing wage on contracts for the construction or repair of public buildings and public works in the affected states. Under Davis-Bacon, a president can suspend the law by declaring a "national emergency." The law has previously been suspended by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1934, by President Richard Nixon in 1971 and by President George H.W. Bush in 1992.

Like you, I have serious concerns about the indefinite suspension of Davis-Bacon. Although rebuilding the Gulf Coast region in a fiscally responsible manner should remain a top priority for every member of Congress, I believe progress on reconstruction should not come at the expense of workers' wages and livelihoods.

On September 15, 2005, I joined many of my House colleagues in writing to President Bush to express our "severe concern" about the suspension of Davis-Bacon and urged that he "immediately provide a date certain for the termination of the proclamation suspending Davis-Bacon of no later than November 8, 2005."

The White House contends that suspending Davis-Bacon in the four states will reduce rebuilding costs.

I disagree.

In the letter to President Bush, we addressed this point: "Numerous studies demonstrate that there are a wide variety of factors which affect the cost of construction projects [with labor] costs often [accounting] for less than one-third of total construction costs..These studies further show that prevailing wages attract workers with more experience and training, who are more productive than less-skilled, lower-paid workers. This increased productivity results in completion of construction projects in less time, lowering overall costs. It has also been shown time and again that projects built by less skilled employees drive up the costs associated with long-term maintenance, repair and reconstruction .. Davis-Bacon prevailing wages will not drive up the reconstruction costs in the Gulf region; rather they will help ensure quality work and fair wages for those impacted by the storm.

I have supported Davis-Bacon since I became a member of Congress in 2001. For example, I joined several of my House colleagues on February 4, 2003, in a letter to House Speaker Dennis Hastert stating: "Davis-Bacon is important to the country's construction industry and to construction workers, union and non-union, whose standard of living is often predicated upon this law."

No votes on Davis-Bacon have occurred in the House since 1997.

I will continue to urge that President Bush establish a date certain for terminating his suspension of Davis-Bacon.

Again, thank you for taking the time to share your opinions, and please visit my website at www.house.gov/Ferguson for more information on 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 06:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

In an interesting twist, Congressman Ferguson is claiming credit for getting less money for his district that he had originally had earmarked. The Cranford Eagle wants to know how that happened.

A press release from the office of 7th District Rep. Michael Ferguson proudly announced that the bill includes $392,000 for new traffic lights at the intersections of Centennial and Lincoln avenues, and Walnut and Lincoln avenues in Cranford.

But a look back into the archives shows that in March, Ferguson announced voting for the House version of the bill, which included $490,000 for the traffic lights in Cranford. Nearly a $100,000 difference.

One would think that between March and August, Congress trimmed some pork?

Wrong.

The bill grew by $2 billion between March and August. So while Cranford lost a bit of cash, someone else gained a lot. And, as so often happens, the taxpayers lose as well.

That's right. Rep. Ferguson's earmarks for Cranford got cut by almost 20 percent while the entire bill grew by $2 billion.

And who is going to make that up? Local taxpayers:

Fortunately, Engineering/Public Works Commissioner Scott Mease said the township has already budgeted money for the lights.

I guess they weren't counting on Rep. Ferguson to be very effective down in D.C.

Posted by admin at 05:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This letter was published in the Courier News on July 11, 2005:

If you have clothes marked "Made in" Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras or Nicaragua or have a job, then the Central American Free Trade Agreement touches your life. The Senate passed the legislation recently, and the House will take it up soon. The agreement is strongly supported by the Bush administration, which has once again suppressed evidence contradicting its own position.

In preparation for an agreement debate in Congress, the U.S. Labor Department commissioned a study of labor practices in Central America. The nonprofit International Labor Rights Fund (www.laborrights.org) won the contract and prepared a 400-page report, submitting it in early 2004.

The fund reported that many Central American countries continue to suppress union organizing, use child labor and commit other serious labor violations; although there are laws against such practices, enforcement is minimal. The Labor Department refused to allow the nonprofit to publish the study for more than a year while Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.) worked to get it released through the Freedom of Information Act.

America already has bilateral trade agreements with these countries, with stronger provisions supporting workers' rights than the agreement's provisions. Like NAFTA, the agreement is designed to weaken the power of workers and strengthen corporations, forcing American workers to compete with low-paid laborers in poor countries with weak labor and environmental standards in a "race to the bottom."

We are capable of finding ways to protect and support both American and foreign workers and start a race toward a decent living for people in all countries. The question is not, "How can corporations maximize shareholder profit?" The real questions are, "What do people need, and how can we fairly compensate the people who provide those goods and services (like food, shelter, health care and education) for their time and effort?"

Let's hope Mike Ferguson and New Jersey's other representatives find the courage to stand up to the Bush administration and stand up for workers here at home and in Central America, by voting "no" on CAFTA.

KATHERINE WATT
North Plainfield

Posted by admin at 05:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)