May Sun, 2003
GOVERNOR McGREEVEY: “NOT DEAD AT ALL. THANKS FOR ASKING.”
Trying to find anyone inside of Trenton with something nice to say about Jim McGreevey lately has been a little like trying to find Saddam Hussein. Republicans are openly enthusiastic about the prospect of running against McGreevey in two years; some Democratic leaders are quietly whispering about a primary challenge to the Governor. But the ordinary citizens of New Jersey have now spoken and their voice should be read as a note of caution to the ambitious: The current assessment is: “He’s OK—not great, but not a disaster either.” Or, back off--he ain’t dead yet.
May Thu, 2003
NEW JERSEYANS SUGGEST ITEMS FOR THE BUDGET AX
As the Governor and state legislature hunker down to pass a constitutionally mandated balanced budget, a new Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers Poll finds that state residents continue to favor the Governor’s approach of cutting services instead of raising taxes – it’s just a question of which services. This comes at a time when New Jerseyans voice their most pessimistic views of the state’s economy since the early 1990s’ recession.
March Sun, 2003
“QUALITY OF GOVERNMENT” RATINGS DECLINE STEEPLY IN NEW JERSEY
For it shows there has been a dramatic decline in the public trust--in how New Jerseyans describe the quality of their government over just the last two years. In April 2001, positive ratings of excellent or good outnumbered negative ones of only fair or poor by a margin of 54 to 43 percent. Now just 38 percent of state residents boast that theirs is a government of at least good quality—only one percent describe it as excellent. Fully 60 percent offer critical assessments.
February Sun, 2003
INTERNET PORNOGRAPHY PERVASIVE AND TROUBLING
The Internet is a portal to discovery unbounded by geography and time. But for many New Jerseyans it is also an unwanted window to a seamy side of life. Better than 6 in 10 regular Internet users have encountered pornography while simply browsing the web; a similar number have received pornography from an unsolicited e-mail. And 70 percent of those having received such e-mails are bothered “a lot” by it.