Dump Mike Ferguson (NJ7)

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)

Here are some annotated highlights of Mike Ferguson's take on the Iraq War resolution passed last week by the House. His comments are in italics, with ours in plain text.

I am disappointed that the strategies employed thus far have not been more successful and that our progress in Iraq has been too slow, and I am saddened that those who have drafted this resolution are offering no alternatives of their own for our mission in Iraq. Indeed, they are prohibiting consideration in this Chamber of any alternative.

Yes, Mike, the debate is limited because this debate is about a specific proposal to add 21,500 more troops to Iraq, continuing the failed policy the Bush administration has attempted at least four times (in Fallujah twice, in Baghdad twice). I also find it difficult to accept your desire to debate alternatives in Iraq when you were in the majority for the first three years and ten months of the war and prohibited any debate during that entire time! Why is it only now that you are in the minority you want open debate?

Even better, your claim they are prohibiting debate on alternatives is a load of cow manure. You were given five minutes to say anything you wanted. So was every single member of the House of Representatives. No one said you may not bring up alternatives to what you admit is a failed policy. You chose to do that on your own, and then blame the Democrats. If you had an alternative, you could offer one. But you've been steadfast in just lockstepping behind the President and refuse to change your tune even as you see the situation imploding.

Continue reading "Mike Ferguson Supports Escallation of Iraq War" »

Posted by admin at 09:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here are some annotated highlights of Mike Ferguson's take on the Iraq War resolution passed last week by the House. His comments are in italics, with ours in plain text.

I am disappointed that the strategies employed thus far have not been more successful and that our progress in Iraq has been too slow, and I am saddened that those who have drafted this resolution are offering no alternatives of their own for our mission in Iraq. Indeed, they are prohibiting consideration in this Chamber of any alternative.

Yes, Mike, the debate is limited because this debate is about a specific proposal to add 21,500 more troops to Iraq, continuing the failed policy the Bush administration has attempted at least four times (in Fallujah twice, in Baghdad twice). I also find it difficult to accept your desire to debate alternatives in Iraq when you were in the majority for the first three years and ten months of the war and prohibited any debate during that entire time! Why is it only now that you are in the minority you want open debate?

Even better, your claim they are prohibiting debate on alternatives is a load of cow manure. You were given five minutes to say anything you wanted. So was every single member of the House of Representatives. No one said you may not bring up alternatives to what you admit is a failed policy. You chose to do that on your own, and then blame the Democrats. If you had an alternative, you could offer one. But you've been steadfast in just lockstepping behind the President and refuse to change your tune even as you see the situation imploding.

Continue reading "Mike Ferguson Supports Escallation of Iraq War" »

Posted by admin at 09:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Over the last two weeks we've found out that Mike Ferguson told Carl Riccio's mother that her son would never walk again, and this week we learned that his staff refused to let 14 year old juvenile diabetes sufferer Lyndsey Rosethal talk to him [listen to her radio ad] about stem cell research.

Now we find that he is refusing to endorse a bill that would ensure drug safety and prevent adverse drug reactions in children solely because the bill was sponsored by Democrats. This is not hyperbole, and the witnesses to this have written the letter below.

“Congressman Mike Ferguson believes every child deserves the best quality health care.” This is what his campaign advertising claims. It might be true if it included the modifier, “in an election year.”

We are N.J. residents whose children’s lives have been threatened by adverse reactions to prescription drugs. We have been meeting with the congressman about drug safety for the last three years. It was only after a huge public outcry that the FDA has finally addressed the potential deadly adverse effects of antidepressants. This has resulted in a black box warning for these drugs as well as a required medication guide to be distributed to parents with each prescription. This guide is meant to fully inform parents of the risks of this category of drugs and their off-label, non-FDA approved use in children and teens. However, we have discovered that these medication guides are not being given to parents as the FDA directed.

We have met with Congressman Ferguson on numerous occasions regarding this matter. We have expressed our hope that he might intervene, as our elected representative, to ensure that this common sense and life-saving regulation is enforced. We have also asked him to sign on to existing bills that ensure and enhance drug safety. While he assured us that he cared about children’s safety, he informed us that he would not sign on to any bill that had been sponsored by a Democratic member of Congress. Apparently, partisan politics is more important than the well-being of the children of New Jersey.

He said this not only in our presence, but in the presence of our children who almost lost their lives.

Despite this setback, we have continued to speak with his staff on this issue; however, over the past year the congressman refused to meet with us personally. We have traveled to Washington multiple times to fight for the children of New Jersey with no response from the congressman. Amazingly, three months before the election we were invited to meet with his senior staff to discuss this issue. This meeting resulted in a letter from the congressman to the FDA demanding answers on this subject on August 31, 2006.

This is a full year after it was brought to his attention, two weeks prior to the Institute of Medicine’s scathing report on the inadequacies of the FDA, and just weeks before Election Day. This is simply too convenient to be coincidental!

To date the Congressman, the Vice Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, has neither signed on nor initiated any legislation for drug safety.

Laurie Yorke
Lisa Van Syckel
Michelle Van Syckel
Ryan Yorke
Nicole Cumber-Teen victim
Dawn Jeronowitz

Mike Ferguson says he is pro-life, pro-family and supports moral values but his actions in refusing to help these parents of sick and injured children tell a completely different story.

Wrong choices. Wrong Congressman.

Contribute to Linda Stender today for a new House and a new future.

Posted by admin at 03:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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)

The following letter was published in the October 23, 2006 Courier News.

Ilicit actions mar Ferguson's past

I wonder whether people know or remember that Mike Ferguson's parents illegally bought him his seat in Congress. Ignoring the $1,000 limit, they donated $525,000 to his 2000 election, resulting in the highest fine ever levied on a sitting congressman by the Federal Election Committee. Ferguson paid the $210,000 fine in 2003. I wonder whether he paid it with his $165,000 salary.

Why didn't Congress investigate and censure him? Because he was protected by Tom DeLay, disgraced former majority leader, who resigned over the Jack Abramoff influence peddling and money laundering scandals.

Ferguson and DeLay were joined at the hip -- Ferguson received more campaign contributions from DeLay than anyone else: $185,000 directly and indirectly from DeLay and his close associates, including DeLay's indicted co-defendant in the money laundering case.

In return, Ferguson's PAC, with the witty name MIKE PAC, donated $27,000 to Texas congressional candidates linked to DeLay. Why is our congressman contributing to Texas candidates? Because that's how one hand washes the other with hard cash. There has never been a more inbred and corrupt culture in Washington than there is right now, and it must end.

Do people also know that Mr. Ferguson first ran for Congress in 1998 in Monmouth County against Frank Pallone, and when soundly defeated, Ferguson went district shopping with his mom and dad? That's how we ended up with him in the Seventh District.

Mr. Ferguson declares that all life is sacred yet has voted to delay smog rules, grant the oil and gas industry exemptions from the Clean Water Act and slash the EPA's enforcement budget. Why is life in the womb sacred but the health of people in the environment up for bid to the highest campaign donor?

Enough with corruption; enough with hypocrisy. I am voting for Linda Stender for Congress.

ERIC ZWERLING
Readington

Posted by admin at 07:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the Home News Tribune on October 20, 2006:

Ferguson's ethics make Stender the one

Congressman Mike Ferguson has ethical issues many people may not be aware of. In 2003, the FEC found Ferguson guilty of illegally using $525,000 in 2000 during his first congressional run from the 7th district (after losing to Frank Pallone in the 6th), from a trust fund set up by his parents. The FEC fined Ferguson one of the largest fines ever for an individual, $210,000.

Without this significant unfair boost in a close race rated as toss-up, it is conceivable he may never have won. By the time the ruling was rendered in 2003, Ferguson was ensconced as Congressman for three years. Activities during the Republican primary earlier that same year involving Ferguson's illegal collusion with a 527 group prompted his challenger, Tom Kean Jr., to sue the 527 group, and Kean won, resulting in an FEC fine of $5,500 rendered in 2005.

This activity was something Ferguson was familiar with, having sued Maryann Connelly for the very same thing and losing. Therefore, Ferguson won both the 2000 primary and general election with illegal assistance, or as some may charge, by cheating.

Disgraced former majority leader Tom DeLay gave more campaign contributions to Ferguson than any other sitting member of Congress, $54,000 since 1998. Why would DeLay give so much money to a relatively new congressman with faint legislative achievement? Ferguson in turn gave $27,000 in campaign contributions to Texas congressional candidates in 2004, much more than any other state including New Jersey ($1,000). Why was he so interested in Texas candidates in DeLay's home state?

Ferguson is enmeshed in the network of corrupt and unethical congressmen and lobbyists from Jack Abramoff, Bob Ney, Duke Cunningham, Tom DeLay, Mark Foley, Bob Sherwood and many others not commonly known, having received contributions from all of them and returning only a small amount, even from PACs such as DeLay's which was already cited for illegal activity. In an April 3, 2003, Washington Post article, a young woman named Michelle Mezoe stated that a married and inebriated Ferguson crudely asked her go somewhere for a drink with him and gave her his Congressional pin in an attempt to impress her. She refused to return it until he apologized for his behavior, and his staffers had to call the police to resolve the matter. Soon after, Ferguson's family moved to live with him in a D.C. suburb, Bethesda, MD, the family's primary residence since. In fact, Ferguson has barely lived in our district at all, raised in Ridgewood and residing briefly in both Red Bank and Warren to run for Congress.

There has been no report of scandal surrounding Linda Stender. Linda Stender is far superior on the issue of ethics, and her integrity, dedication and intelligence make her a far superior choice for Congress.

Sherry Truss
CLARK

Posted by admin at 07:57 AM | 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 Independent Press on October 11, 2006:

Leaders should avoid conflicts

To the editor:

If it looks and quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck. Yet all too frequently it seems some politicians can't see a conflict of interest unless it hits them over the head.
Take Congressman Mike Ferguson. Last month he participated in a hearing in Congress where Hewlett Packard's lawyers defended it against alleged criminal violations. That law firm's political action committee contributed $6,500 to Mr. Ferguson's campaign committee. Even when the NY Post pointed this out to Mr. Ferguson, he went ahead and sat in judgment. You would think that Mr. Ferguson (who received the largest fine ever levied by the FEC for $500,000 of illegal contributions to his first campaign for Congress), would know better.

Closer to home and just this past June, we have Andy Lark, a voting member of Summit's Youth Services Task Force, pressing that committee to award an important contract to Boys and Girls Club of Union County, an affiliate of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA). Guess what? Andy Lark is a National Trustee of BGCA. I'm sure BGCA is a wonderful group, but Andy Lark should have done what Mike Ferguson should have done -- sit out the meeting so there would be no conflict or appearance of conflict of interest.

When questioned before his vote, Andy said he didn't see any conflict because the national body is a different legal entity than the local body. He then voted against a competing bid from another non-profit.

Don't we deserve leaders who recuse themselves from situations that involve such glaring conflicts of interest?

Alan Dickey
Summit

Posted by admin at 06:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last week we learned that Rep. Mike Ferguson (R-NJ7) had taken $3,000 in campaign cash from Rep. Mark Foley, a Congressman who used his power and authority to engage in cybersex with underage teenage boys.

Of course, just taking money from one sexual deviant doesn't mean anything. I mean, Foley gave money to a lot of different people.

What if it is two?

Last November Rep. Don Sherwood settled a $5.5 million lawsuit filed against him by the woman he was cheating on his wife with. Sherwood's mistress claimed the following:

The suit alleges that on June 24, 2004, "without any reason or justification, Defendant Sherwood repeatedly struck the Plaintiff's face, neck, chest and back with a closed fist, and began violently choking her." The suit adds that on numerous occasions prior to and subsequent to June 24, Ore was "violently physically assailed."

The lawsuit continues, "Following each unprovoked and vicious attack, Defendant Sherwood reaffirmed his romantic intentions and promised the Plaintiff that he would not assault her in the future, and pleaded for her to remain in the relationship."

Ferguson donated to charity $2,000 of the $3,000 he received from Foley.

But to date Ferguson has kept the $2000 he has received from Sherwood's Doing Our Nation's Service PAC.

Ferguson won't keep money from a guy who preys on teenage boys, but as long as there is no publicity he is more than happy to keep money from a guy who cheats on his wife and beats his mistress.

The fact is that Mike Ferguson is willing to take money from anyone no matter how corrupt their politics or personal behavior. All four members of Congress leaving office in disgrace – Republicans Duke Cunningham (convicted), Tom DeLay (indicted), Bob Ney (convicted) and Mark Foley (admitted) – have given a combined $65,000 plus to Ferguson over the years, and so far only $3,000 of it has been donated to charity or returned.

Ferguson should be giving the money he received from corrupt politicians because it is the right thing to do, not because of the publicity. But it is the publicity Ferguson cares about.

Wrong choices, wrong Congressman.

Posted by admin at 10:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have maintained over time that Mike Ferguson is not such a bad guy or father, but an incompetent and weak Congressman who makes wrong choices for his district and our country. The guy is, I've said, a lightweight who has been propelled forward by rich parents, powerful forces from the religous right, and corrupt DC Republicans like Tom DeLay, Bob Ney and Jack Abramoff.

But sometimes you have to wonder if he is a lightweight or just meanspirited like the rest of the DC Republican leadership. Check out this from Tom Moran's column in the Star Ledger:

If you were to design a weapon against Republican Congressman Mike Ferguson, you could not do much better than Tricia Riccio. ...

She is an articulate soccer mom whose son, Carl, broke his neck during a high school wrestling match in 2003.

Since then, she has become a crusader for embryonic stem cell research, on the reasonable grounds that it presents the only chance her son will ever lift himself out of his wheelchair and walk. ...

But Riccio had something more. She made it personal. She made Ferguson sound cruel.

In a meeting in his office last year, she said, Ferguson flat-out told her that her son's case was hopeless.

"He said, 'Mrs. Riccio, your son is not going to walk in his lifetime.'"

Not only is this an unbelievably cruel thing to say, and unbelievable stupid considering Ferguson has absolutely no training in medicine, but it is also unbelievable obtuse. Ferguson voted to block funding for embryonic stem cell research, the very teatment that could allow Mrs. Riccio's son to walk again!

If that treatment doesn't arrive in time for her son to benefit, it will be Congressmen like Mike Ferguson's fault. Yet he has the gall to stand there and tell a grieving mother that her son will never walk again without taking any responsibility for that reality.

Worse still, Ferguson constantly hides his opposition to embryonic stem cell research by claiming that adult stem cell research is just as beneficial. But his statement to Mrs. Ricci proves that he doesn't believe that! He clearly told her that there is no medicine -- including the adult stem cell research he pushes and an alternative -- that will help her son even though real scientists with real training and real research say that embryonic stem cell research can help.

It's shocking that Ferguson is allowed to pretend to have family values and care about children. He doesn't have either.

Wrong choices, wrong Congressman. And just downright mean.

Posted by admin at 09:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We noted earlier this week that Mark Foley contributed http://www.dumpmike.com/2005/08/congressman_ferguson_and_campa.htmlhref="http://www.dumpmike.com/2006/09/mike_ferguson_takes_corrupt_co.html">$2,000 (turns out it was $3000 when you include the 1998 race against Frank Pallone in NJ6 ) to Mike Ferguson (NJ-7). Foley recently resigned from the House of Representatives because he repeatedly sent sexually explicit messages to underage boys over the Internet.

Some folks have suggested that making this kind of connection suggests we or others want to brand Ferguson a pedarest. We don't. He's actually, in all the times I have met hime, a good father who really loves his kids.

But what Ferguson is as a Congressman is someone who is willing to put his hand out and take money from anyone no matter how corrupt they are. He is the #1 recipient of campaign cash from Tom Delay who resigned from Congress, took $7500 from Bob Ney who dropped his reelection campaign and is leaving Congress, took $1000 from Duke Cunningham who resigned from Congress to go to jail, and now with Mark Foley.

Tack on money from lobbyist Mark Vallente, college loan impresarios Cary and Ryan Katz, Jack Abramoff, Adam Kidan, Tony Rudy, Jim Ellis, the Kontogiannis family and many more.

And today we learn that he has one more connection with corruption in the House of Representatives: Dennis Hastert. Hastert is the House Speaker, the guy who has power over every member of the House. If he learns of illegal behavior he has an obligation to take care of it and not let that behavior impact our government or our legislature.

But Hastert knew that Mark Foley had been sending sexually explicit messages over the Internet to former pages who were 16, 17 years old. Hastert knew about it, but let it continue.

Hastert has given $40,000 to Mike Ferguson since 2000, the maximum allowed by law.

The point is not that Mike Ferguson is necessarily corrupt in an of himself. He may be a real sweet guy with honest beliefs who is just wrong on the issues.

But the people he owes for his campaigns and cash are corrupt. And the are not just your run of the mill pollitical corrupt folks, but pedofiles, murderers, bribed officials, etc. Every time a corruption scandal erupts it turns out Mike Ferguson has his hand out taking their money and looking the other way.

We cannot have people running out coutry who are happy to put money in their pockets while ignoring pedophilian, the selling of votes, bribery in the House, corruption and every other scandal over the past six years.

Mike Ferguson took the money, and never stood up to any of them.

Wong choices, wrong Congressman.

Posted by admin at 05:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yesterday Representative Mark Foley (R-FL) resigned his seat in Congress over some e-mails he'd written to former pages and other young men, abusing his power and position in an effort to curry favor with the boys.

This is the fourth Republican member of Congress to give up their Congressional seat in the past year.

• Randy "Duke Cunningham (R-CA) resigned after taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from military contractors in return for government contracts;
• Tom DeLay (R-TX) resigned his seat under a cloud from the Jack Abramoff scandal and an indictment for campaign finance crimes;
• Bob Ney (R-OH) abandoned his reelection campaign and gave up his House leadership position and will leave Congress in January;
• And now Mark Foley (R-FL).

The connection to Mike Ferguson? Every single one of these disgraced, corrupt members of Congress have donated campaign cash to Mike Ferguson's campaign. Cunningham gave Ferguson $1,000 which Ferguson later donated to charity. Tom DeLay gave Ferguson $54,403 and directed hundreds of thousands more. Bob Ney gave Ferguson $7,500.

And Mark Foley, the latest Republican to resign for abusing the power of his office, contributed $2000 to Ferguson's campaign.

No matter what Republican corruption happens in Washington DC, Mike Ferguson is always in the middle with his hand out taking the corrupt Congressman's cash.

Wrong choices, wrong Congressman.

Posted by admin at 09:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

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)

The following letter was published in the Courier News on September 26, 2006.

Scandal surrounds Mike Ferguson

I usually just laugh at the misrepresentations that Congressman Mike Ferguson's supporters write to the Courier News. But, Mr. Hugh Brennan's letter of Sept. 17 was just too outrageous to take. Among his many distortions was this deluded comment -- "There is not a hint of scandal to be laid at Ferguson's door."

Not a hint of scandal? What on earth would Mr. Brennan call Ferguson's close relationship with disgraced former Republican leader Tom DeLay? Ferguson has accepted $42,403 from DeLay's various PACs in the past five years. That's more money than any other congressman has received from Delay. In return, Ferguson has voted for every one of the DeLay/Bush abhorrent policies.

DeLay resigned as Republican leader after being indicted in Texas for money laundering. He also is being investigated for accepting illegal trips from convicted lobbyist Jack Abramhof. Republican Congressman Bob Ney has pleaded guilty for accepting an illegal golf trip to Scotland from Abramhof and faces 27 months in prison. DeLay, Ferguson's No. 1 money donor, was on that same trip. The investigation continues.

As another writer noted, "I have yet to read a letter supporting Ferguson that has any facts or intelligent thinking." Sadly, that record is still intact.

A vote for Linda Stender is a vote for honesty.

DELORES MONTANARD
Bridgewater

Posted by admin at 07:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the past week we have seen two powerful politicians knows for getting things done plead guilty and prepare to go to jail. One is local Democratic boss John Lynch of Middlesex County who plead guilty to corruption charges for taking money as a consultant in return for taking action as a State Senator. The other is Republican Congressman Bob Ney (OH), who also plead guilty to corruption charges for taking money as a consultant in return for taking action as a United States Congressman.

Both men chose to betray their constituents and their parties by misusing their power, and both were always ready to spread money around to keep their positions and garner favor with other politicians.

So what does that have to do with New Jersey's 7th Congressional District? A lot, because how Lynch and Ney spread their cash around says a lot about the two people who are running for this seat.

We all know that politicians at every level need to raise money to run their campaigns, and the higher you go the more you need. Every candidate knows and loathes the phone calls, fundraiser and face time it takes to raise that money. Some candidates don't care where the money comes from, and are happy to take it even if it means giving up their independence and consorting with people who are of questionable ethics.

Or corrupt to the point of going to federal prison for years at a time.

Lynch was known as the undisputed leader of the Democrats in Middlesex County. If you wanted a job, a run for office, or anything else you had to go to Lynch at some point. Linda Stender is a three term Assemblywoman representing part of Middlesex County in NJ's 22nd legislative district. Even though she was serving in Lynch's territory Linda Stender never took a penny from him for her campaigns.

Ney was a powerbroker in the house, in charge of the Committee on Administration that passes our offices on the Hill, and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee which doles out money for things like highways. Mike Ferguson (NJ7) is a Republican Congressman who likes having a good office (and the $750,000 payroll which we'll talk about in the coming days) and brags on bringing highway funds back to New Jersey.

Ferguson has accepted $7,500 in the past three years from Ney, and has so far refused to say whether he will return the money or if he intends to keep it.

Stender didn't take the money. Ferguson did.

If this were a one-time issue for Ferguson this could be understood. But this isn't the only questionable money Ferguson has. There's also the $54,000 from indicted and resigned Congressman Tom DeLay, $3,000 from convicted briber and lobbyist Tony Rudy, $132,000 from programs run by indicted fundraiser and lobbyist Jim Ellis, $1,000 from convicted Rep. Randy Cunningham bribers Mr. and Mrs. Kontogiannis, etc., etc., etc.

And, who can forget that Ferguson was found guilty of illegally using $500,000 to win the seat for the first time in 2000, and for illegally colluding with an outside group that spent money to help him defeat Tom Kean, jr. in the 2000 primary election.

If we want good government and honest representation, the answer has to be Stender for Congress.

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

Like hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans, Congressman Mike Ferguson participated in an event commemorating the horrible attacks of 9-11. It was a time of togetherness and rememberance of a terrible day.

There's one difference between how Ferguson commemorated the event and how the rest of us did it, though. Mike sent out an e-mail newsletter to supporters with a full color picture of him at the event and used it as a fundraiser for his Congressional campaign.

Here's a screenshot of the e-mail, where you can clearly see the buttons looking for volunteers and campaign cash directly to the left of the article on the 9-11 ceremony.

Wrong choices, wrong Congressman.

Continue reading "Mike Ferguson Exploits 9/11 For Campaign Cash" »

Posted by admin at 06:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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)

Ralph Reed just lost a primary for the Lt. Governor spot in Georgia, and it has been suggested that he lost because he "rode the coattails of his friend Jack Abramoff, noted corrupt superstar lobbyist, into big paydays from gambling interests."

Joe Lieberman is in a fight for his life in today's Connecticut Senate Democratic primary, and the prevailing argument against Lieberman is that he has lost touch with the needs of his constituents with regard to the Iraq War, civil rights and backing President Bush unilaterally.

Mike Ferguson is being challenged heavily by Assemblywoman Linda Stender and is facing the same complaints that he is out of touch with his constituents on contraception, embryonic stem cell research, and on the Iraq War.

And what do these three seemingly different politicians from different parts of the country running for totally different offices have to do with each other? In the 1990s they were all leaders of the religous right, working to tear down the wall separating church and state. Ralph Reed was the Executive Director of the Christian Coalition, Mike Ferguson was the Executive Director of the Catholic Campaign for America, and Joe Lieberman was well known for claiming religion was "under attack."

And together they helped found the conservative religous right organization Center for Judeo-Christian Values in America in 1995. This from the Chicago Tribune article on the founding of the group on December 6, 1995.

One of the the center's honorary co-chairmen, Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), said American culture and traditional moral values are under unprecedented attack. ...

erving as honorary co-chairman with Lieberman is Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.), a Presbyterian who introduced the conservative policy initiative in September called The Project for America. Coats has introduced a symbolic legislative package, which seeks to deal with the social problems of poverty through funding of community groups and charitable organizations rather than government agencies.

Coats' partner in the project, former Education Secretary and drug czar William Bennett, praised Eckstein's new project. "The challenge now is whether we preserve this republic and other republics," said Bennett, a Roman Catholic, "and I think a lot of that will hang on whether we believe man is a moral and spiritual being."

Other speakers supporting the center's mission were Ralph Reed, chairman of the Christian Coalition, and Michael Ferguson, executive director of the Catholic Campaign for America.

The mission sounds nice, but the group was funded by the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, "the country's largest and most influential right-wing foundation." Also funded by the Bradleys are the uber-conservative organiazations the Heritage Foundation, the American Spectator, and American Enterprise Institute; and right wing individuals such as Charles Murray, William Bennett and Robert Bork.

Bennet and Bork also sat on the board of the Catholic Campaign for America, and Ferguson used Bennett and Bork's wife Mary Ellen as references on his application for a part time job at Brookdale Community College in 1997.

In fact, Ferguson used to describe himself as a conservative before he figured out in 1998 that it turned off voters from central New Jersey. In discussing how to frame the use of public money for private school vouchers in 1998, Ferguson said:

"Conservatives come under fire when they call for shutting down the Department of Education or just say they're for school vouchers, OK?" he tells listeners. ... In a state in which cultural conservatism has not exactly been a hot topic, Ferguson freely trumpets his strong pro-life stance. ... For some time, Mike Ferguson has stimulated students in the classroom and thousands of fellow conservatives around the country.

The truth is that Mike Ferguson is no more a "moderate" than is Robert Bork or Ralph Reed, no matter how much he wants to pretend he is. The people he worked with after college, and the votes he casts now to oppose stem cell reasearch and women's rights prove it.

Posted by admin at 04:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

We already know that Mike Ferguson used about $500,000 of his parents' money illegally in 2000 as he won his seat in Congress, and was fined a then-record $210,000 for his violation of the law. But what else has Mike been able to do with Daddy's money as he tries to pass himself off as an ordinary Joe?

According to his W2s, in 1997, Ferguson made $1,568 as a substitute instructor at Brookdale Community College. In 1998, Ferguson made $3,170 as a part time adjunct at BCC. And in 1999 he had his hardest working year where he made a total of $4,645. All told, he was paid $9,383 in three years as a college instructor.

But a regular Joe couldn’t get by on $10,000 over three years. Or working for a year free after college, particularly an expensive one like Notre Dame. Or spending 1994 to 1997 working for non-profits like conservative Catholic Campaign for America and Bret Schundler’s Save Our School Children.

And a regular Joe certainly couldn’t afford to then attend Georgetown University and purchase a house right off the campus for he and his wife to live in. At age 26. Or sell that house for about $240,000 and buy another house in Red Bank, NJ for $290,000 in 1997 – the year he was making less than $2,000.

And a regular Joe couldn’t then sell his Red Bank house to a contributor named Patrick J. McMorrow for $400,000 for a stupendous two year profit of $172,000. This swap was, as many will remember, so he could move to Warren, NJ and run for Congress in the 7th district.

The house he bought in Warren, which coincidentally belonged to the same contributor who bought Ferguson’s Red Bank House, cost $462,000.

Average Joes also don’t get to sell that house just five years later for $755,000 – almost $300,000 in profit! – and move into a smaller condo in New Providence that cost just $405,000.

Oh, yeah. Moved into a smaller house even though he had no children when he bought his first house in DC and now has four kids.

This is a guy who profited almost a half-million dollars in seven years on real estate transactions, most of the profit off a political supporter. He should get his own TV infomercial.

Posted by admin at 02:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

The following letter was published in the Sunday, July 30 2006 Courier News:

Ferguson misusing taxpayers' money

I am looking at a mailing titled "Update from Congressman Mike Ferguson." It is printed with color photographs on both sides of heavy cardboard stock. This is one expensive piece of advertising. There is no stamp on it because it states, "This mailing was prepared, published and mailed at taxpayer expense."

This is clearly campaign literature. With important issues facing our nation such as the Iraq war, which is causing the United States to fall deeper and deeper into debt, a war that Ferguson consistently supports, perhaps taxpayers wouldn't mind paying for a newsletter that provided real information. But the only "news" in the expensive advertising material I received proclaimed "Ferguson announces the winner of Art Contest, and Military Academy Nominees and Congressional Service awards."

If Congressman Ferguson put these announcements, which are of interest to such a limited number of his constituents, on his Web site, it certainly would have cost the taxpayers much less.

Voters in the 7th District have a very important choice to make in November. I encourage them to learn about Linda Stender (at www.lin dastenderforcongress.com) who will spend taxpayer's money more prudently and on issues the voters care about such as improved education and the preserving the environment.

MAUREEN GREENBAUM
Watchung

Posted by admin at 09:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The following letter was published in the July 27, 2006 Home News Tribune:

Ferguson should return $42,403

Now that Tom DeLay's ARMPAC has been found guilty of massive violation of federal-campaign violations, resulting in a fine of $115,000, isn't it time that Congressman Mike Ferguson return the $42,403 he received from DeLay and ARMPAC?

So far he has refused, thus tainting New Jersey's 7th District with the influence of Tom DeLay. I don't think this kind of politics is what New Jersey moderates are about, Democrat or Republican.

Michael Pratt
SKILLMAN

Posted by admin at 07:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of Mike Ferguson's biggest benefactors in Congress was Tom DeLay, who used his leadership political action committee – ARMPAC – to funnel $52,403 in campaign cash to Ferguson over his Congressional career. That is more than any other sitting member of the House in those years.

Tom DeLay was indicted last year for money laundering and illegal campaign fundraising activities, and was driven from his leadership positions in Congress and eventually forced to resign. Tom DeLay is also tied in with Jack Abramoff, a lobbyist who was convicted of stealing money from clients and bribing members of Congress. Yet Ferguson refuses to return money he received from ARMPAC and Tom DeLay.

Now we learn that not only is Tom DeLay being investigated for corruption and illegal activities, but ARMPAC was just found guilty of violating Federal Election Commission laws and fined $115,000. From Political Money Line:

The Federal Election Commission and former Rep. Tom DeLay's Americans for a Republican Majority (ARMPAC) have agreed to a conciliation agreement for violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act, as amended. The violations include failure to properly report its receipts, disbursements and cash on hand; failure to report outstanding debts and obligations; and failure to properly pay for shared federal and non-federal disbursements.

The committee failed to accurately report $74,295 in financial activity on 2001 and $166,340 in 2002. The committee failed to report debts and obligations to twenty-five vendors totaling $322,306. The non-federal account overpaid its share of allocable expenses by $203,483. The committee used incorrect ratios to allocate is disbursements, and the non-federal account overpaid its portion of generic voter drives by $121,456, and fundraising events by $9,414.The non-federal account overpaid $95,386 in fundraising expenses that should have been charges to the federal account.

It's time to call on Mike Ferguson to return the $42,403 he received from the scandal-ridden Tom DeLay and ARMPAC. Ferguson himself set the bar when he donated to charity money from Jack Abramoff and Adam Kidan in August 2005 when they had only been indicted and not convicted. It is time for Ferguson to be consistent and recognize that the corrupting influence of Tom DeLay has no place in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District.

You can help put 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 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mike Ferguson is trying to run away from his good friend George Bush (but not his money!), scrubbing every positive mention and picture of the President off his campaign site (we fixed that here). Unfortunately, Mike Ferguson doesn't have the power to srub the whole Internet (even if he wants to tear it down).

Just today we found this lovely button commemorating both Ferguson's and Bush's swearing in as federal elected officials in 2001. It's a nice little keepsake that you can buy yourself for just $10 to remind everyone how these two conservative Repbulicans have been locked at the hip in Washington, D.C.

Posted by admin at 06:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This leter was published in the Cranford Chronicle on April 27, 2006:

Time for a change in the 7th District

To The Chronicle:

It's a new week, and so there is another scandal involving Rep. Mike Ferguson, a minor player in Washington's culture of corruption.

Robert Mitchell Delk and Clark Camper, lobbyists for mortgage lender Freddie Mac, held 85 illegal fundraisers for federal candidates, including members of the House Financial Services Committee. Ferguson received about $40,000.The Federal Election Commission Freddie Mac $3.8 million. Will Ferguson get rid of his tainted money?

In other news, Ferguson supports a Bush budget that cuts $12 billion from student loan programs. Earlier, he had received $25,000 from two loan corporations (and their associates) who stand to benefit from cuts in the federal program. Why would companies based in California and Virginia give this money to Ferguson, unless they were buying his vote? Or perhaps Ferguson is just an automatic "rubber stamp" for the misguided policies of Bush, Cheney, and Rove? For more information on this payoff, see dumpmike.com.

And now let's examine a fine example of Ferguson's "compassionate conservatism. "The author of the Web site turnpikefeminist.com recounts a story in which she asked Ferguson's chief of staff this question: "Does the congressman feel that keeping last year's tax cuts is more of a priority than food stamps, Medicaid, tuition, and social programs for New Jerseyans? "According to the site, the chief of staff responded, "Well, yes." Apparently Ferguson's top priorities are more huge tax cuts for millionaires.

Ferguson and most other House Republicans are creations of the corrupt Tom DeLay. The indicted former majority leader gave Ferguson more than $54,000, and Ferguson consistently voted for DeLay's legislation and to protect DeLay from House inquiries or punishment regarding his unethical and illegal behavior. In the April 24 edition of The Nation, John Nichols wrote "DeLay is gone. But the machine he built goes on... He elected its members and he trained them to play politics... Only an election can rid the House of DeLayism... no change will come until DeLay's Congress is retired with him."

Let's help to reform the House and restore some integrity, honesty, and decency to Washington this November.Let's begin by tossing out Mike Ferguson. Visit the Linda Stender for Congress Web site, or contact her office in Scotch Plains by calling (908) 322-1996.

JOHN CANTILLI
Cranford

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

Congressman Mike Ferguson sent out a press release [1] last Friday announcing his vote on a bill to improve port security. But the vote, which was 421-2, really didn't deserve a press release. Almost every member of the House voted for it, after all, so it would be more newsworthy if Ferguson had voted against it.

Until you realize that this release is intended to obscure the fact that Ferguson voted earlier in the day to weaken the bill in the fight against possible nuclear weapon attacks by terrorists.

An amendment was proposed which would have required scanning for nuclear materials at the point of origin, before the containers shipped to the United States. With fears rising the Iran could build a nuclear weapon, that North Korea has them already and that there are hundreds of unsecured nuclear devices in former Soviet republics, this would seem seem to be a no brainer.

But Ferguson sided with the Republican leadership and voted down this amendment in favor of scanning most containers when they are already in our ports. Instead of stopping potential nuclear bombs before they get here, Ferguson would rather we wait until they reach our home ports before checking.

As Ferguson's own press release notes:

Port Newark/Elizabeth, operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, form the largest port complex on the East Coast and are just outside Ferguson's 7th District, which includes portions of Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties.

Ferguson could very well have sent out a press release which would have garnered media coverage if that's what he wanted: FERGUSON VOTES TO WAIT FOR NUCLEAR WEAPONS TO REACH UNITED STATES BEFORE SCANNING, RISKING THE LIVES OF EVERYONE IN HIS CONGRESSIONAL DISRICT.

Now that would have gotten him in the paper.

Continue reading "Playing Politics With Port Security" »

Posted by admin at 12:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Every time a new campaign finance corruption scandal pops up in the Republican House there is Representative Mike Ferguson is there taking money from lobbyists and corrupt politicians. This time it is mortgage lender Freddie Mac lobbyist Mitchell Delk doing the influencing by illegally throwing 85 fundraisers that put $1.7 million in the pockets of members of the House Financial Services Committee, averaging $20,000 a pop.

Mike Ferguson, then a freshman on Financial Services, was given two fundraisers worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $40,000. Plus, another $750 in 2001 and 2002 from Delk and his wife themselves. Interestingly, $750 is exactly the cost of the restaurant Ferguson used for these fundraisers. Also interestingly, he never got billed for using those restaurants.

As a result of Delk and Freddie Mac illegally using corporate funds and employees to set up these fundraisers, the Federal Election Commission fined them $3.8 million -- the largest fine in FEC history. Public Citizen, which filed the complaint with the FEC, had this to say:

The amount of the fine indicates the magnitude of the violations. The complaint came in the wake of an alarming number of lavish fundraisers hosted by Freddie Mac�s lobbyist � nearly half of which directly benefited lawmakers responsible for overseeing Freddie Mac and mortgage lending practices.

The Republican Governor's Association (RGA) received $150,000 from Freddie Mac, an illegal contribution that the RGA later returned. By giving the money back, the RGA avoided being fined by the FEC. The estimated $40,000 Ferguson received as a result of illegal fundraising by Delk and Freddie Mac should share the same fate.

And don't think this is an isolated incident for Ferguson. This is not the first time he has been involved in FEC cases involving his election to the House and freshman term in 2001 and 2002, and it is likely not the last.

In 2003, he was fined $210,000 by the FEC for illegally using more than $500,000 of his parent's money in the 2000 general election. That fine is the largest ever given out to a sitting member of the House.

In 2005, he was named in a case filed by Tom Kean Jr. -- now running for US Senate as a Republican -- for illegally coordinating mailings and influencing voters with the Council for Responsible Government during the 2000 primary. The FEC found that the Council and Ferguson's campaign were guilty, though Ferguson was not personally fined.

Those are just the FEC cases relating to 2000 - 2002. There's plenty more connections between Ferguson and lobbying and corruption scandals in Washington DC. Whether it is Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay, Duke Cunningham or any other part of the Culture of Corruption, Ferguson turns up with his hand out and his campaign coffers filling.

• Accepted $54,403 over seven years from former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX), indicted for money laundering and conspiracy to violate Texas campaign finance laws;
• Accepted $132,000 in 2001 from a Retaining Our Majority Program fundraiser coordinated by Jim Ellis, Tom DeLay's treasurer and co-defended for money laundering and conspiracy to violate Texas campaign finance laws;
• Accepted $3000 from Tony Rudy, who has been convicted of illegally influencing House members;
• Accepted $1000 in 2001 from Jack Abramoff, indicted for wire fraud and conspiracy in a case involving mob-style executions and floating casinos;
• Accepted $1000 in 2001 from Adam Kidan, indicted with Jack Abramoff for wire fraud and conspiracy;
• Accepted $7500 from Rep. Bob Ney, named a corrupted "Representative #1" in both the Abramof and Rudy guilty pleas;
• Accepted $3000 from Mark Vallente, a Steering Committee member for Tom DeLay's ARMPAC who threw a legal account fundraiser for indicted lobbyist Jim Ellis and serves as Ferguson's personal PAC treasurer;
• Accepted $25,000 from student loan companies owned by Ryan and Cary Katz and then voted to increase student loan interest rates;
• Accepted $1000 from convicted felon and resigned House member Randy "Duke" Cunningham, then donated the money to charity.
• Accepted $1000 from the the Kontogiannis family who are accused of bribing Rep Cunningham by overpaying by $400,000 for his boat.

Along with the $40,000 from Feddie Mac fundraisers, that's almost $270,000 in campaign cash connected to corrupt officials, convicted felons and illegal fundraising. So far Ferguson has given just $3,000 of it to charities.

Call him and suggest that he give it all back or to charity:

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 08:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It looks like the media is figuring out who Mike Ferguson is and what kind of representative he's been in Congress. Two articles in the Sunday papers paint him as more beholden to Tom DeLay and the Republican leadership in Congress than to his constituents.

In the Star Ledger's Auditor column (compete text after the fold), they note that he has been a reliable vote to protect Tom DeLay and against tough ethics rules:

Ferguson is usually loyal to the GOP leadership. He was among those who voted to change the House ethics rules to allow DeLay to keep his post as majority leader even after he was indicted on corruption charges.

This week, Ferguson was still singing from the DeLay songbook on that vote.

"It's wrong to allow a district attorney, through a politically motivated indictment, to change the leadership of the House," he said in an interview.

The New York Times, in an article entitled "A Vulnerable Republican," also notes that Ferguson is unwilling to cast off his connections to Tom DeLay:

Democrats have even sought to tie him to the financial scandals on Capital Hill, saying that Mr. Ferguson received more than $54,000 from Mr. DeLay and his political action committees -- a claim the Ferguson camp does not deny. ''Each of those contributions were lawful and appropriate,'' said Chris Jones, Mr. Ferguson's chief of staff.

Of course, regular readers of Dump Mike know that Ferguson has received almost $250,000 from DeLay, Inc. including indicted and convicted current and former staffers.

Continue reading "Mike Ferguson Still Singing To DeLay's Tunes" »

Posted by admin at 06:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This letter appeared in the April 7, 2006 Courier News:

Ferguson should get DeLay's fate

Now that Tom DeLay has resigned from Congress under the weight of corruption charges and low poll numbers in his re-election bid, it's time to remove other politicians in his network. Rep. Mike Ferguson is near the top of that list.

Mike Ferguson is the recipient of more campaign money from Tom DeLay than any other current member of Congress -- $54,400 since 1998. He, in turn, gave almost $30,000 to candidates running for office in Texas. Ferguson also receives an enormous amount of money from special-interest groups such as pharmaceutical companies, which lobbied extremely hard to pass the disastrous prescription drug plan currently creating so many problems for consumers as well as small pharmacies.

These companies are finding it increasingly difficult to remain in business due to a longer time for drug reimbursement and prescription cards of their long-time customers printed with names of large drug chains.

It has been charged that the prescription plan was written by the drug lobbyists and not our legislators. Ferguson does not work for the interests of his constituency. Linda Stender is running against Ferguson in November. She is a dedicated public servant, not a corporate servant. It's time to elect officials who will work for their constituents, not for those who can and do buy votes and legislation for their own benefit at the expense of citizens.

SHERRY TRUSS
Clark

Posted by admin at 05:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Blue 7th, a grassroots organization group focusing on NJ's 7th congressional district, called today for Rep. Mike Ferguson to finally purge his campaign of cash connected to indicted Texas Congressman and former Majority Leader Tom DeLay. After being indicted and having more than one top former aide convicted of corruption, DeLay announced yesterday that he would resign his seat in Congress and not seek reelection.

"The culture of corruption is pervasive in Washington DC, reaching to the highest levels of Congress and to individual members like Mike Ferguson," said Blue 7th chairman Nathan Rudy. "DeLay's resignation proves that Ferguson's Texas benefactor was crippled by corruption scandals, and it is time for Ferguson to give up the tainted cash he received from DeLay and his cronies."

Rep. Ferguson has repeatedly refused calls from good government groups and the media to return money he has received from Delay, despite the continued connections to Congressional corruption. Ferguson has been quoted in the media as saying, "those contributions were appropriate."

Rep. Ferguson has accepted $54,413 directly from DeLay and his political action committee known as ARMPAC since 1998. The Ferguson campaign has also accepted close to $200,000 from fundraising programs run by former DeLay employees embroiled in corruption scandals.

"Mike Ferguson was bragging again last week about his fundraising prowess and how much money his campaign has on hand," said Nathan Rudy. "But with $250,000 � a quarter million dollars � coming from tainted and corrupted sources this is nothing to brag about.

On Friday of last week, former DeLay Deputy Chief of Staff Tony Rudy pled guilty to charges of corruption and misusing his official connections. He has contributed $3,000 directly to Rep. Ferguson over the past two years, and his now closed lobbying firm Alexander Strategies threw a big ticket fundraiser for Rep. Ferguson on September 30, 2005 that brought in tens of thousands of dollars.

DeLay was named as "Representative #2" in the plea agreement, as was former Delay Communications Director and Chief of Staff Ed Buckham. Buckham was Tony Rudy's partner at Alexander Strategies, and in addition to the fundraiser last fall has also contributed $3,000 to Rep. Ferguson.

Jim Ellis, who serves as DeLay's treasurer for ARMPAC, was indicted with DeLay in 2005 for laundering money and violating campaign finance law. Ellis coordinated a fundraising program for Rep. Ferguson in 2001 that raised more than $130,000.

Mark Valente III is a lobbyist who also serves on DeLay's ARMPAC steering committee, and held a big-ticket fundraiser to help Ellis build his defense fund after his indictment last summer. Valente and his wife have contributed more than $3000 to Ferguson campaigns, and also serves as the treasurer for Rep. Ferguson's own political action committee, MIKE PAC.

Congressman Bob Ney (R-OH) has been named as "Representative #1" in both the Abramoff and Rudy plea agreement, and is under investigation for making statements on the House floor favorable to clients of the lobbyists. Ney's political action committee, American Liberty PAC, has contributed $7,500 to Rep. Ferguson's campaign.

Jack Abramoff, who DeLay called a "close friend" and whose conviction this winter for bribery and influence peddling led to the conviction of Tony Rudy, contributed $1,000 to Rep. Ferguson. The campaign donated that money after Abramoff's indictment last summer to a charity.

For the past year people connected to the political operations of Tom DeLay have been investigated, indicted and convicted of corrupting Washington, D.C. and our government. Each time a new revelation of corruption is made, we discover a direct connection through money or personnel to Rep. Ferguson's campaigns.

Blue 7th is asking all residents of NJ7 who are interested in clean government to contact Congressman Ferguson and tell him to return or donate to charity all the money he has received from Tom Delay and any colleagues touched by scandal and corruption. Congressman Ferguson's Washington Congressional office can be reached at (202) 225-5361 and his New Jersey office can be reached at (908) 757-7835. The Ferguson for Congress campaign can be reached at (732) 560-4700.

Blue 7th PAC is registered with the Federal Election Commission as a multi-candidate political action committee, and is dedicated to returning clean government to Washington, DC. This press release was paid for by Blue 7th PAC, and was not authorized by any candidate or other committee. More information is available at http://www.blue7th.com and http://www.dumpmike.com .

Posted by admin at 07:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Hill reports that some members of Congress are happy to take and keep cash from convicted felons who used their influence and money to influence members of Congress. And right at the top is our very good Representative Mike Ferguson.

Rep. Mike Ferguson (R-N.J.) faces a challenging race in November, but he does not intend to return the $3,000 he received from Rudy, spokeswoman Abby Bird said. Ferguson was among the first lawmakers to give Abramoff contributions to charity, donating $1,000 in December.

When Ferguson contributors Jack Abramoff and Adam Kidan were indicted, Ferguson donated the $2,000 he'd received from them to the Children's Specialized Hospital, a wonderful charity, in August. For Abramoff, Ferguson saw no need to wait for a conviction or guilty plea, but just gave the corrupt campaign contributions to charity based on an indictment. (Interestingly, on August 18, 2005 Abby Bird also said Ferguson would not be giving away the Abramoff/Kidan money yet they claim the August 22, 2005 contribution was the Abramoff/Kidan money.)

But for Tony Rudy and Tom DeLay and their cash indictment's and even convictions aren't enough. Instead, Ferguson states that "those contributions were appropriate." Tony Rudy pled guilty last week to working to corrupt members of Congress, and Delay announced yesterday he is resigning from Congress as a result of the impact of these scandals.

Why is it that contributions from a couple indicted lobbyists is given away as soon as they are indicted, but convictions and resignations of people who gave and raised far more money for Ferguson is not enough? Could it be that DeLay and his former staffers have arranged close to a quarter of a million dollars for Ferguson, yet Abramoff/Kidan only gave $2000?

Ferguson set a precedent by removing the corrupt cash from Abramoff/Kidan last summer. It's time to see if he is serious about removing the corruption from his campaigns and will get rid of all the corrupt dollars that fund his reelection.

Posted by admin at 06:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Congressman Mike Ferguson has a long line of convicted felons who have contributed to his campaigns, and today he adds another: former Tom DeLay staffer Tony Rudy, a principal of the now closed Alexander Strategies Group lobbying firm. Since 2004, Ferguson has accepted $3000 from Tony Rudy. The most recent contribution was $1,000 on September 30, 2005 at a fundraiser run by Alexander Strategies

Tony Rudy is expected to plead guilty today to conspiracy and other charges related to the bribery and influence peddling of arch-lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Rudy was named as "Staffer A" in Abramoff's plea agreement earlier this year:

In Abramoff's plea agreement, a congressional aide identified as "Staffer A" is actually DeLay's former deputy chief of staff Tony Rudy. According to the Feds, Staffer A, while working for DeLay, helped Abramoff stop legislation that would have prohibited Internet gambling. Two of Abramoff's clients, eLottery, a Connecticut firm that provides Internet services to state lotteries, and the Choctaw Indians, who own casinos in Mississippi, benefited from DeLay's action. In return, the government charges, Staffer A's wife was paid $50,000 through a nonprofit group. (Rudy went to work for Abramoff as a lobbyist in 2001; he did not return phone calls.)

Yesterday, Mike Ferguson voted to block a House ethics inquiry into possible corruption of House members by Jack Abramoff.

Bloomberg reports that Rudy's plea will bring the scandal one step closer to Tom DeLay, a major benefactor for Congressman Ferguson:

Former congressional staffer Tony Rudy has agreed to plead guilty in a case stemming from the corruption probe of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, bringing the scandal closer to the door of his one-time boss, Representative Tom DeLay. ...

Rudy most recently was a partner in the now-defunct Alexander Strategy Group, a Washington lobbying firm that relied on its ties to DeLay to win business. DeLay, a Texas Republican, served as House majority leader until he was indicted in a separate campaign-fundraising abuse case last year.

Ferguson has received more than $54,000 from Tom DeLay and his releated political action committees, and close to $200,000 from fundraisers organized and coordinated by DeLay and his employees.

Blue 7th PAC is calling for Mike Ferguson to immediatly return or donate to charity the money he has received from Tony Rudy, and to explain how so many of his contributors are being convicted of illegally influencing members of Congress. Furthermore, since the evidence continues to mount that the corruption of Jack Abramoff, Adam Kidan, Tony Rudy and others are all connected to Tom DeLay, Blue 7th calls on Ferguson to immediately return or donate to charity the campaign cash he has received from Tom DeLay.

Contact Mike Ferguson at either his Washington office is (202) 225-5361 or his Warren office is (908) 757-7835 and tell him to stop taking money from lobbyists and polticians intent on corrupting our government.

UPDATE: Read the charging document, thanks to Talking Points Memo!

Posted by admin at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Congressman Mike Ferguson voted today to block an ethics inquiry into House members who have been implicated in the Jack Abramoff scandal. Though federal prosecutors have linked Abramoff to at least one member of the House in their plea agreement with Abramoff, Ferguson voted with the Republican majority to protect potentially corrup colleagues from being investigated.

The resolution by Nancy Pelosi resolved the following:

RESOLVED, That the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct shall immediately initiate an investigation of the misconduct by Members of Congress and their staff implicated in the scandals associated with Mr. Jack Abramoff's criminal activity.

This is not a radical position to take, but a sensible one if you want to root out corruption in the House of Representatives. However, if you want to protect your own corrupt colleagues a vote to block the inquiry makes perfect sense.

Continue reading "Mike Ferguson Votes To Block Abramoff Inquiry" »

Posted by admin at 02:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As noted a few weeks ago, the Bush administration's proposed 2007 budget includes huge cuts to student loan programs totaling $12 billion. These cuts will make it harder for middle class students to go to college, and will increase the interest rates on existing loans people are struggling to pay off.

Calls to Congressman Mike Ferguson's offices to see if he supports these cuts have gone unanswered for more than two weeks. Staffers from both the Washington, DC and Warren, NJ offices are unable to give a direct answer to a number of calls seeking an answer. Not one person who called the office has received a written response, either.

We may now have figured out why. One of the side effects of the reduction in funding for student loans noted above is that interest rates for existing college loans are likely to rise, creating a windfall for companies that process and manage student loans.

This includes companies like the College Loan Corporation owned by Cary Katz of Poway, California and the Student Loan Consolidation Center (now Goal Financial) owned by Ryan Katz of Alexandria, Virginia. The two are brothers in their mid-30s who started their companies in the past 10 years and now manage more than $7 billion of student loans nation-wide.

What does this have to do with Mike Ferguson and his position on student loans?

The Katz brothers and their wives have contributed $18,500 to Ferguson between 2002 and 2005. That's an average of more than four grand a year in Ferguson's campaign coffers from two families from California and Virginia.

Continue reading "Ferguson's Ties To Lobbyist Cloud Position on Student Loans" »

Posted by admin at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Trenton Times' editorial staff slammed Congressman Mike Ferguson's vote for the budget bill that slashed services for senior citizens for the poor while increasing payments to insurers:

Under its provisions, by 2010 13 million low-income people eligible for Medicaid will be faced with significantly higher costs for medical care and prescription drugs because of co-pays that states will be allowed to impose. Many of these folks will forgo the treatment and medicine they need because they will be unable to afford it. Elderly persons in need of nursing-home care will find Medicaid eligibility requirements more stringent. Student financial aid will suffer the biggest cut in history, forcing students and parents to pay higher interest rates for their loans and making college unaffordable for some of them. The Congressional Budget Office says 255,000 fewer children in working families will get child-care help in 2010 than received it in 2004. And hundreds of millions of dollars in child-support payments from deadbeat dads will be lost bec