Diegnan and Barnes and Yet Another Tax Increase

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mandi Stirone
September 14, 2011 (732) 238-2418

Diegnan and Barnes and Yet Another Tax Increase

LD 18 Assembly Challenger: Gas Tax Just One of 115 Reasons Incumbent

Assemblymen are Out-of-Touch

HELMETTA – Long-time incumbents Patrick Diegnan and Peter Barnes are so used to raising taxes they don’t have any other ideas for New Jersey, Assembly Candidate Joe Sinagra said today in a statement.

“After over 100 tax increases, they just don’t know when to stop,” Sinagra said. “Peter Barnes has said he supports a gas tax increase. Patrick Diegnan was the primary sponsor of a gas tax increase bill. Does it ever end?”

He emphasized that the gas tax – one of the Trenton Democrats’ favorites -- leaves no person untouched.

“This affects everyone: seniors, families, individuals, small businesses. People want to be able to live and work here. People want to be able to take their children out or go visit friends. Diegnan and Barnes want to make that harder for them. There is no limit to what or who these Trenton drones are willing to tax,” he said.

Singara also highlighted the negative impact a gas tax will have on NJ businesses, “At a time when we face 9% unemployment and ‘ZERO’ job growth, Diegnan and Barnes want to force even more businesses to close their doors. This tax is a JOB KILLER, plain and simple.”

Sinagra added, “The Diegan-Barnes Team have increased payroll taxes, utility taxes and they even increased taxes on health care coverage! Not to mention that their cuts to school aid have driven property taxes through the roof.”

Everyday, people in this state have to cut back to make ends meet and, Sinagra said, it’s time Trenton did the same thing.

“Diegnan and Barnes aren’t willing to make any tough decisions to help our state. Their solution to every problem is to leech more money out of the citizens of New Jersey. It’s no wonder a record amount of residents are leaving our state every year.”

“There comes a point where enough is enough. Let’s stop taxing seniors, families, individuals, and businesses out of our state. Patrick Diegnan and Peter Barnes have sent enough people packing, maybe it’s their turn.”

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Joe Sinagra is running for state Assembly in the 18th Legislative District which includes Edison, East Brunswick, Helmetta, Highland Park, Metuchen, South Plainfield, and South River.

The article in which Peter Barnes expresses his support can be found at the link below.

http://www.nj.com/news/local/index.ssf/2009/10/18th_district_assembly_candida.html

Patrick Diegnan’s Gas Tax Bill A1194 from the 2006-07 Legislative Session is enclosed.

New Jersey Edison 9.11 10th Years Memories

I was invited to speak at this solemn event held at the Edison Hotel

New Jersey Edison 9.11 10th Years Memories


Video Title: New Jersey Edison 9.11 10th Years Memories

Saturday, Sept 11, 2011, Edison Hotel, Edison, New Jersey



http://www.icepn.com/tv/channels/news/news-express/2011/09/13/new-jersey-edison-9-11-11th-years-memories.html

America: still the best country in the world

America is still the best country in the world, regardless of one might think. It is the citizens who make this nation great, when the chips are down these are the people on the front lines rolling up their shirt sleeves and getting their hands dirty. Whether they are home standing knee deep in water piling sandbags, or abroad standing on the front lines defending the freedoms that we all take for granted, it is the average individual who gets up in the morning, and see themselves looking back in the mirror that makes the difference. They are the ones who deserve the credit for making this country what it is. Fortitude, perseverance and innovation have always been the spirit of America.

It is also the people that decide how much freedom they want, not politicians. We only let government make that decision for us if “We the people” allow it. Government is supposed to act in behalf of the people as a whole, and if we as a people do not like that representation, we live in a country where a majority can change that representation.

There is much criticism about the direction of the country, whether it is on the local, state, or federal level, but we all have the freedom of choice to change that course. It is up to the people of this country to make a difference, not government.

If enough people become complacent and do not use their right to vote, some day you may lose that right. If you do not like what is happening, “We the people” have the ability to change it. “We the people” have the option to ‘allow’ government to create policy for us, or ‘make’ government represent the wishes of the people.

America is the sum population of its citizens; do not criticize America for its faults . . . You are America, do something to make it better.

~ Joe Sinagra
Candidate for NJ 18th District Assembly

Edison NJ 9/11 Tenth Anniversary: Remembrance, Renewal, Resilience Tribute

As we stand here today, we can all recall the events of September 11th, 2001 and what we were doing that day, a day that will be stamped forever in our memories.

Ten years ago today, on the morning of September 11, 2001, 19 hijackers took control   of four commercial airliners. Two crashing into the Twin Towers in New York, another into the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93 near Shanksville, Pennsylvania as passengers fought their hijackers. 

That day is more than a memory for the many that lost their loved ones, it changed their lives forever. They will live the reality of those memories for the rest of their lives. 

So many died needlessly, and so many rushed toward the flames to save countless lives.

Over 400 emergency responders perished at the World Trade Center as they tried to save so many innocent victims who were human targets. Even under difficult circumstances hundreds more persisted under the most difficult, dangerous conditions with no regards to their own safety.

Who can ever forget the images that played over and over, day after day for weeks of planes flying into the world trade center, and videos of smoke billowing from the Pentagon? All of us are here today to pay our respects for what happened ten years ago, is a testament to the impact it has made upon all of us.

After the smoke cleared, it was the quietness of the aftermath that made the most impact. Along with the 3000 that perished, all of us died a little bit as we knew it would forever change our perception of US invulnerability. 

But in that perception it also showed the courage of America as we stood united as one nation, undividable under God.

While dying is sad, the biggest tragedy is that life ends so soon. Remembering is what makes it difficult to say good bye.”

May God bless us all, and may we never live to see another September 11.

~ Joe Sinagra

Is America's Past a Distant Fairy Tale?

Can we as a government continue with bravado knowing we just averted a calamity? What started as a drama ended up as a comedy. Nations watched night after night as the crescendo built until the final act and the curtain came down.

We have lost our credibility in the world as a nation that leads, as leaders from around the globe followed what transpired on the web and large screens across the oceans. They watched a game of politics. The posturing of a party who had two and a half years to come up with a proposed budget and ignored it, and a leader who never had a plan of his own nor offered one, ignoring the calendar as the days drew closer to needing a completed script. A leader who never once in two years said to the house and senate we need to put together a budget, it is time to do your homework. The homework turned into recess and Congress played as funds continued to be handed out like play money in a game of monopoly. A leader who wanted a budget passed and pleaded for an end to the bickering asking our overseer’s to work together. Just 72 hours before the final curtain, a leader who when finally presented with a bipartisan proposal said “no.”

Russia, China and European governments were making comments that not long ago would have been unheard of in conversation about the greatest country in the world.

We have an empire that was built off the sweat of the brows of its citizens. From the planting of the first seed on this soil this land was drenched in blood for the freedoms we enjoy today. A country our forefathers fought and died for in order to be free from the tyranny and taxation from where they came.

The game of playing politics has to stop and legislators must start thinking about the people who broke their backs to build this country. For years the promises of working hard, save your money, invest the rewards of you labor for a better life seem like a distant fairy tale. Lost jobs, lost homes and a stagnant economy seem to be more and more the new benchmark. Citizens are asked to sacrifice time and time again, and bit by bit, little by little they are giving back everything they worked for to satisfy a thirsty government that spends more than what they receive. Leaving the very people it is supposed to help in despair as they find their pockets drained of any loose change, people who can’t work harder even if they wanted to, because there just aren’t enough jobs to go around.

We can no longer afford to keep raising the deficit without making cuts because at some point in the not too distant future, there will be no further offers from anyone to carry our debt. We cannot continue to pay the interest without putting something toward the balance.

Unless our leaders realize that the time has come to make cuts, because we can no longer continue to spend borrowed funds without paying down the principal, there will come a time when our lenders will close the door on a country that once was the greatest nation of earth.

          ~ Joe Sinagra







.

Are we losing another family tradition?

Print newspaper sales began falling before the recession began, continuing a downward spiral during the downturn and have failed to rebound ever since.

A steep drop in advertising revenue in 2008 and 2009, especially classified advertising, have taken their toll on newspapers and newspaper chains. This, coupled with a decline in circulation, have taken a toll on the printed media we depend on for up-to-date news and local events.


The economy has taken away revenue in advertising fees that many newspapers depend on. Many have filed bankruptcy for reorganization purposes, cut back on days of publication, laid off personnel, merged with other news organizations and shrunken the size of the paper, discontinuing features and reducing the amount of pages. Other papers, large and small, teeter on the brink of closing shop, and it is predicted by 2015 that many more will go by the wayside.


Others have focused less on breaking news, leaving the Internet to pursue and present the up-to-date news.


Gannett Co. owns 82 newspapers, as well as television stations, reported second-quarter profits decreased by 22 percent as circulation and print advertising declined.



The Washington Post noted that only 13 percent of Americans, or about 39 million, now buy a daily print newspaper.


At least 120 newspapers in the U.S. have shut down since January 2008, taking with them more than 21,000 jobs .


On the good side, the readership for online newspapers continues to grow. Online newspapers attracted on an average of more than 73 million visitors each month. But on the bad side, that still leaves 21,000 lost jobs in the industry.


Newspapers continue to struggle to meet challenges posed by changing reader habits, a shifting advertising market, and an anemic economy.


I remember as a kid reading the Sunday comics after coming home from church as my dad read the news. As I grew older, I read the comics less and read the news more, discussing it around dinner with the family. Will the days of families discussing the day’s events from the local newspaper be another lost tradition?


Central Jersey’s largest newspaper, without much fanfare, has again cut back on staff and the coverage of events. As newspapers continue to dwindle, getting coverage for local events through online digital media becomes somewhat difficult.


For over 200 years, newspapers have been the conventional watchdog and have been an integral part of American democracy.


As the world of online media grows, should it be considered progress?


Or is it a sign that, as the printed word disappears along with the journalists, reporters and photographers, that after 200 years it’s not just the newspapers that are in decline?

 ~ Joe Sinagra
     18th District Congressional Candidate

When will Diegnan side with taxpayers rather than special interest unions who bankroll his campaign?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Lily Cortese
June 23, 2011 (201) 704-8187

SilvaforAssembly@gmail.com

Sinagra and Silva accuse Diegnan of Selling his Vote Against
Bi-Partisan Pension and Benefit Reform a Decade Ago

GOP challengers ask Barnes and Diegnan the $84,000 question: When will Diegnan side taxpayers rather than special interest unions who bankroll his campaign?

SOUTH RIVER, NJ- Joe Sinagra of Helmetta and Marcia Silva of South River, the Republican candidates for New Jersey State Assembly in the 18th District, questioned Barnes and Diegnan’s impartial consideration of the bi-partisan pension and benefit reform voted on today, which will save taxpayers $122 billion over the next 30 years, in light of the $84,750* in campaign contributions they have received from public unions since 2001.

“Unfortunately we were not surprised by Barnes and Diegnan’s vote against the bi-partisan pension and benefit reform bill today,” said Sinagra, the former Council President of Helmetta. “We are still deeply disappointed in his reckless disregard for this bill which sought to fix the broken pension and health benefit system he has neglected since entering the legislature.”

Former Assistant Middlesex County Prosecutor and successful small business owner Marcia Silva added, “The struggling families and seniors in our district deserve answers to some very serious questions that have arisen due to Barnes and Diegnan’s careless vote today. The most important question of the day is why should the residents of the 18th district take Barnes and Diegnan seriously when they talk about lowering state spending and fixing our broken state?”

Patrick Diegnan has received $66,500 in contributions from public union special interests since 2001. Barnes has been the recipient of $18,250 since his first Assembly election in 2007.

“For the last decade, Diegnan has chosen to ally with special interest unions who fill his campaign coffers to make sure he stands in the way of reforms our state desperately needs”, said Sinagra.

“It’s clear that $66,500 is enough for Diegnan to share the stage with union bosses who think it’s appropriate to compare our state leaders to Nazis. It is also clear that he will oppose any effort that counteracts his failed policies that have left us with 115 new and increased taxes, 9.4% unemployment, and towering state debt that threatens the very foundation of our state government”, said Silva.

Sinagra concluded, “Struggling taxpayers and small businesses understand that the status quo Diegnan seeks to protect is not working in our state. We need leaders who will make tough decisions with a mind clear of campaign fundraising to put our state back on track.”

*  Based on ELEC report filed by the campaigns of Peter Barnes and Patrick Diegnan for every cycle from the 2001 Primary to the 2011 Primary. Database of contributions available upon request.

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