WolfeNotes.com

In psychology, cognitive dissonance is the mental stress or discomfort experienced by an individual who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values at the same time, or is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas, or values.  ~~~ Wiki

Queen of NJ Open Space, then Gov. Christie Whitman does a stop & frisk of a black man with State Police in Camden. The all white outfit and the smile on her face says everything.

The open space debate is occurring within a much broader debate in America about class and race, a long simmering but suppressed debate that was long overdue, particularly in the elite and overwhelmingly white conservation community.

Just like the Occupy Wall Street Movement opened the door and created space to talk about deep inequality in America and how the wealthy 1% were greedily using their power to accumulate even more wealth to the detriment of the 99%, the current protests and rebellions growing out of police murders of unarmed black men and children in Ferguson, Cleveland , and NY City have brought issues of race to the forefront.

So, from now going forward, just like OWS generated focus on how public policy addressed wealth & income inequality, the door is now open to drill down on how race and environmental justice are addressed (or ignored) in various conservation and environmental policy debates.

So, through that lens, at a time when these issues are emerging, and conservationists are being criticized for their neglect of urban, class, and environmental justice issues, I was taken aback by the sheer cluelessness and insensitivity of an NJCF piece on saving wood turtles.

The piece, titled:  How did the turtle cross the road? In a tunnel  begins thusly:

Several years ago, Bedminster Township in Somerset County built bridges and pathways to help pedestrians and bicyclists safely cross some of its busiest roads, including Routes 206 and 287. Now it’s doing the same for another group of residents … reptiles and amphibians.

Giveaway of Public Assets To Corporate Control & Profiteering

A Formula for higher rates, lower quality service, layoffs, & loss of local control

Dems Provide The Next Christie “Bi-Partisan” Achievement on the Campaign Trail

[Updates below]

I thought corporate giveaways by privatization of public assets – like tax cuts and deregulation  – was the ideological policy mantra of the right wing republican party.

I also thought that measures to restrict public involvement in public policy decisions was a republican tendency as well.

So, why are NJ Democrats fast tracking legislation that would promote the privatization of NJ’s local public drinking water and sewer systems, while reducing the public’s ability to participate in those critical decisions?

The legislation has the support of Democratic leadership – the Assembly bill is sponsored by South Jersey Norcross Machine puppet Lou Greenwald (A3628), while the Senate version is sponsored by Paul Sarlo (S2412 2R]).

The Republican leadership is on board as well as co-sponsors, so the skids are greased for another “bi-partisan” ripoff.

It is likely that cash strapped local governments, in fiscal crisis and seeking to control rising property taxes, will be desperately pressured to give away critical public assets like water and sewer systems – worth billions of dollars – for pennies on the dollar to corporate vultures.

But homeowners will face far higher water rates to pay for this one shot fiscal gimmick, as corporations extract profits from the system, i.e. “return on investment”.

Keep in mind that the Christie BPU already revised – and gutted – BPU review of water rate increase to pay for infrastructure investments, allowing private corporations to increase rates and earn profits on investments prior to BPU approval. This is another formula for ripoffs.

No doubt that the private corporations will continue the current pattern of underinvestment and deferred maintenance, while increasing rates to homeowners and business alike.

And there is no doubt the bill has the behind the scenes support of and will be signed by Gov. Christie as a key feature in the Governor’s Privatization policy initiative (see:

• Executive Order #17
• The New Jersey Privatization Task Force 
• CHRISTIE VETOES BILL THAT WOULD CHECK HIS POWER TO PRIVATIZE
• Christie Pushing Park Privatization

And there is equally no doubt that water privatization is a key gift to powerful corporate interests that will fund the Gov.’s 2016 Presidential campaign.

Just like his recent support for the Keystone XL pipeline, water privatization will become not only a campaign fundraising tool, but will be marketed as another key illustration of the Gov.’s “bipartisan” ability to impose right wing policies on a lame Democratic party and be used as another notch in the belt of Gov. Christie.

The bill has been fast tracked – it already was amended on the Senate floor and Senate leaders (led by fellow Norcross Machine puppet Senate President Sweeney) have indicated that they will wait for the Assembly to approve the bill.

The bill is up tomorrow before the Assembly State and Local Government Committee:

Folks should call Assemblyman Greenwald and ask him why he’s promoting Governor Christie’s corporate agenda at the expense of NJ water resources and ratepayers.

We thought that was the Christie campaign’s job.

[Update #1: My good friend Bill Neil, former head of Conservation at NJ Audubon before they went corporate and entreprenurial, just sent me a note asking “where are Senator Smith, Assemblyman Gusciora, Senator Buono and the progressive Dems on this?”

Here is my reply:

Bill – The Senate version of the bill was originally referred to Smith’s environmental Committee.

After he failed to post it, it was transferred to Sarlo’s Budget and appropriations Committee (Sarlo is sponsor) and quickly released.

Buono is no longer there – she gave up her Senate seat to run for Gov.

Reid is seeking a Christie judicial nomination and probably won’t say squat.

It will be interesting to see how the State and local gov’t Committee Chair, Linda Stender, a liberal pro-enviromment legislator, will handle all this tomorrow.

My guess is that she will follow orders of leadership.

She has her own meaningless symbolic resolution up to oppose the Pilgrim Pipeline – that will get her press and enviro group cover. 

We are living in remarkably corrupt times.

[Update#2 – a Trenton source just called to advise that, in an extraordinary strong armed tactic, Committee members Assemblyman Eustace and Conaway will be replaced (subbed out) for tomorrow’s hearing by YES votes either because they were opposed to the bill or not relaible YES votes. That move would have to come from Speaker Prieto, but likely at the request of Greenwald.

I called Conaway’s Office and emailed his Chief of Staff to confirm or deny this – will keep you posted. – end update]

[Update #3 – here is Assemblyman Conaway’s reply – looks like my source’s rumor was not correct – live and learn:

Assemblyman Conaway is in Washington, DC attending the NCSL Fall Forum, a conference that was scheduled long before the fall committee agenda was set. Because of his involvement with NCSL as a member of the Executive Committee, he will not be able to attend tomorrow’s Assembly State and Local Gov meeting.

[Update #4 – Assemblyman Eustace’s District office said he will not be in Trenton tomorrow, but would offer no explanation as to why. They oppose the bill.]

“Will you help Olivia get parks for Camden kids?”

Conservationists  Caught Red Handed in Cynical Propaganda & Fundraising

Camden, NJ – a place Chris Hedges has written about as a “sacrifice zone” 

Modern psychology has a word that is used more than any word in psychology: it is the word “maladjusted”.

Now of course we all want to live a well adjusted life to avoid neurotic and schizophrenic personalities.

I would like to say to you today, in a very honest manner, that there are some things in our society and some things in our world for which I am proud to be maladjusted.

And I call upon all men of good will to be maladjusted to these things until the good society is realized.

I must honestly say to you that I never intend to adjust myself to racial segregation and discrimination.

I never intend to adjust myself to religious bigotry.

I never intend to adjust myself to economic conditions that will take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few, and leave millions of God’s children smothering in an airtight cage of  poverty in the midst of an affluent society.  ~~~  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,  1967 (watch at time 55:30)

I proudly admit to the fact that – for the last several months in particular – I have been playing the class warfare and race cards in various criticisms: of the manipulative role of wealthy Foundations (i.e. Dodge & Wm. Penn); in exposing the incestuous financial self dealings by elite conservation groups; in viewing open space as a modern tool in an historical pattern of exclusion by a landed gentry using restrictive covenants; and in criticizing the $1 million propaganda campaign waged by the Keep It Green Coalition in support of the Open Space funding ballot question.

But, I had hoped that these were really just desperate opportunistic, entrepreneurial, and selfish lapses – i.e. that the conservation groups and individuals involved would, upon reflection, come to their senses and begin to do the right thing.

That these groups would begin to reflect upon their consciences and understand that basic human decency called for them to compromise.

Instead, they failed the first test of integrity and missed the opportunity to do just that yesterday during the Senate hearing on implementation legislation.

Instead of acknowledging the mess they made and pledging to work to fix the damage they caused to State Parks and DEP environmental program – or to begin to admit that there are environmental justice and urban issues that must be addressed –  they showed no remorse and selfishly doubled down and demanded even more public funds, to the detriment of virtually the entire state of NJ.

Hey, millions of NJ residents who visit State Parks, breathe polluted air, drink polluted water, and live near a toxic waste site – fuck you, we had to make difficult choices for all you proles:

difficult choices had to be made and many programs won’t be funded at sufficient levels, especially in the short-run.

Although only reported in the Star Ledger story, the primary conflict that emerged during that Senate debate was the issue of equity and fairness: the rural wealthy elites versus poor urban NJ.

Kim Gaddy, a Newark resident and the environmental justice coordinator for the New Jersey chapter of Clean Water Action, told the committee she voted against the ballot question.

The change diverts money from the state’s corporate business tax that had been dedicated to, among other things, capital improvements at state parks, water quality testing and programs to remediate brownfields and fund the removal of underground storage tanks — programs that benefitted the state’s more populated corners.

“In the urban communities, we need help right now,” Gaddy said. “We can’t continue to cut the funding and not support our communities. It’s not fair.”

BINGO!

Quite a bit of that debate centered on urban parks and food deserts, where urban children not only lack access to open space and safe local parks to play in, but to fresh produce, contributing to high rates of childhood obesity.

So, what did the conservation groups targeted by the criticism do in response – right out of the box, literally less than 2 HOURS after the hearing ended?

After getting called out for stealing the entire State Parks capital budget, slashing environmental programs and running a deceptive $1 million propaganda campaign,  did they lay low on the highly controversial environmental justice and urban equity issues?

Nope.

They not only didn’t blink on those issues, the actively fundraised on them! No white liberal guilt and no compromise on the substance – the NJCF members feel proud of themselves! Pimp my ride!

NJCF fundraising email titled: “Will you help Olivia get parks for Camden kids?”
(12/8/14)

And here’s what really makes that NJCF effort ugly.

Yes, Olivia Glenn from Camden does work for NJCF (note the Charter School background, which does not inspire confidence)

But the NJCF fundraising email claims this “canoemobile” event occurred “in September”.

But there is nothing on the NJCF website events calendar that supports that, nor did NJCF issue a press release about the event.

Apparently, from what I can tell, the “canoemobile” event occurred from October 8-12, and it was sponsored by Wilderness Inquiry, not NJCF. NJCF isn’t even a partner organization of Wilderness Inquiry.

[Please NJCF, tell me I’m wrong here, that you held your own September event, and that you didn’t just cynically cook this up.]

Turns out that Trust For Public Land IS a Wilderness Inquiry Partner, so I assume that TPL gave NJCF the idea to put this garbage out there is response to the debate on urban parks and environmental justice.

And I thought the use of this photo was really low: (again, appealing to history)

KIG website photo

Planning & Regulatory Tools For Open Space & Water Resource Protections Ignored 

Elite Interests, Privatization, & Deregulation Advanced By Conservation Groups

“The Public was duped on this“ ~~~ Bill Wolfe NJ.com (12/9/14)

This was my argument last year, BEFORE the Keep It Green Coalition decided to steal $100 million/year from existing State Parks and DEP environmental programs – as reported by NJ Spotlight

“Open-space preservation is just one part of land-use planning and conservation,’’ said Bill Wolfe, the head of the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility in New Jersey. He added that open-space funding is just one part of the overall tool kit to protect natural resources, citing land-use regulations and other planning directives.

Not only are those tools being neglected, Wolfe said, but also they are being rolled back by the Christie administration with scarcely a word from legislators or those in the NJ Keep It Green Coalition.

“The regulatory stick has withered on the vine,’’ he told the committee. “It’s dead.’’ Without tough regulatory rules governing land use, Wolfe said, it would be throwing away taxpayer funds to purchase properties that might again be in harm’s way from future extreme storms.

So, we’ve gone from Keep It Green simply ignoring critical planning and regulatory tools, to a situation where KIG stole funds from those regulatory programs and the funding source for 266 professionals who administer those programs.

Yesterday’s debate on the open space implementation approach was nasty – I will write about it in the near future.

Those interested can listen to all the testimony here (hit this link and go to “listen to prior proceedings” and then to the Senate Environment Committee).

Here is good news coverage from the only reporter who understood what’s really going on and had the balls to write that story, see quotes from :

• Fight over open space money brews after ballot question passes

“In the urban communities, we need help right now,” Gaddy said. “We can’t continue to cut the funding and not support our communities. It’s not fair.”

But critics of the ballot measure say that the nonprofits that comprise Keep It Green are seeking to benefit from “stewardship” money that’s being diverted from state programs under the new funding system.

Bill Wolfe, the head of the New Jersey chapter of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, said voters were “actively misinformed” about the “unprecedented, deep cuts” brought about by the ballot initiative, blaming the Keep It Green coalition for overemphasizing the benefits to open space and downplaying the cuts.

“The public was duped on this,” Wolfe said.

Wolfe recommended restoring funding for state parks and the DEP, which could see significant staff cuts from the shortfall, before appropriating money elsewhere. (He outlined those recommendations on his blog here.)

Shame on NJ Spotlight who also knows what is going on, but decided to frame and write a different story about farmland versus open space.

We think that’s another example of Spotlight pulling a punch as a result of Foundation major funders Dodge & William Penn.

Those same foundations fund the Keep It Green member groups who lied to the public in a $1 million campaign of misinformation.

D&R Canal, just north of lock 1

Northern 20 mph wind made a gorgeous 40 degree sunny day a little cool.

D&R Canal path walk north of Bordentown Yacht Club:

Crosswicks Creek, from Riverline rail bridge