Christie Sets Atlantic City On Bright, New Course

Today, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed into law sweeping legislation to enact his reform plans to revitalize the ailing gaming and tourism industries in Atlantic City, and set the region on a new course for economic growth, job creation and prosperity. Recognizing the significance and importance of Atlantic City’s regional economy to the state as a whole, Governor Christie put forward a comprehensive, bold reform plan in July aimed at turning around the deep and unprecedented challenges facing Atlantic City's gaming and tourism industries.

The bills signed by Governor Christie today, S-11 and S-12, represent critical steps in following through on his commitment to the tens of thousands of New Jersey families whose livelihoods depend on the regional economy, and will set the stage for Atlantic City to once again be a world-class destination resort and an engine of job creation and economic growth. S-11 authorizes the creation of a tourism district within Atlantic City, with the charge of improving public safety, public health, marketing and infrastructure projects and improvements; S-12 provides for the reform and modernization of New Jersey's casino regulatory structure.

“The challenges faced today by the Atlantic City tourism and gaming industries have been a long time in the making, and significant steps are needed to stop the decline and set a new course of economic growth, job creation and return Atlantic City to the ranks of the best destinations in the world. But, it can and must be done for the economic health of New Jersey as a whole,” said Governor Christie. “Since we announced our plan for reform just over six months ago, we have already taken steps to secure that future – to stabilize the City’s finances and create jobs through new business investment. Today, we are going much further to signal to businesses, to the public and to the people who call Atlantic City home that a new, brighter and more prosperous future is coming again.”

The signing took place at the site of the Revel casino resort, a 53-story, 6.3 million square foot, 3,800 room hotel and casino that, upon completion, will be the biggest such property in Atlantic City. Governor Christie also announced the approval of $260 million in tax-increment financing by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority that will support much needed infrastructure improvements in the South Inlet neighborhood adjacent to the Revel development and pave the way for completion of the $2.5 billion project and thousands of new jobs. The project estimates the creation of 5,500 permanent jobs, 2,600 construction jobs, 1,100 manufacturing jobs, 400 vendor/supplies jobs and 250 professional/consulting jobs. Along with job creation associated with ancillary utility and infrastructure improvement projects, total job creation for the Revel project is estimated at more than 10,000 jobs.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority also today approved a new policy requiring as a condition of any tax increment financing package of $50 million or more, including the Revel financing approved today, that the state receive success reimbursement payments from the project commensurate with the extent of state financial participation.

S-11 implements several critical elements of Governor Christie’s revitalization plan for Atlantic City. The bill authorizes the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) to establish a tourism district within Atlantic City. Within the territorial limits of the tourism district, CRDA will be authorized to establish land use regulations, implement a tourism district master plan, promote public health and safety initiatives, advance commercial development, undertake redevelopment projects and institute infrastructure improvements. The bill also provides for the merger of the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority into CRDA. CRDA will also enter into a public-private partnership with a not-for-profit consisting of a majority of New Jersey casino licensees, through which they will commit funds totaling $30 million annually for the development and implementation of a marketing program aimed at promoting Atlantic City. In October, the Casino Association of New Jersey announced the formation of such a non-profit and the commitment of the casino industry to contribute at least $30 million annually to promote Atlantic City and support the tourism district.

S-11 directs the Attorney General and Superintendent of State Police, in consultation with the Mayor of Atlantic City and municipal law enforcement officials, to develop a public safety plan for Atlantic City to be implemented by a District Commander appointed by the Superintendent. The plan will include the development of law enforcement best practices, the procurement and deployment of new technology and equipment, and the development and implementation of a coordinated law enforcement strategy to address public safety concerns both inside and outside of the tourism district.

S-12 reforms the state’s regulatory structure for casinos by modernizing, streamlining, and eliminating duplication in the regulatory statutes, many of which were authored more than 30 years ago. Under the bill, the Casino Control Commission (CCC) is assigned the lead role in initial casino licensing matters as well as in adjudicating regulatory disputes. The Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) is charged with focusing on the day-to-day regulation of all casino operations. These changes move away from the duplicative and overlapping investigative, oversight, and regulatory functions previously held by the two-bodies and creates a more well-defined system of regulatory authority by the entities.

In addition, S-12 accounts for the significant technological advancements that have taken place since the inception of the regulatory statue by eliminating the current requirement that the Casino Control Commission be continuously present, through inspectors and agents, at all times during the operation of a casino. The bill provides for registration as opposed to licensure of certain casino-related employees and removes certain periodic license renewal requirements. The bill would, however, add a requirement for designated information to be provided periodically by licensees to the CCC and DGE in order to verify ongoing compliance with all legal requirements.

Finally, the bill makes various other changes to state law to remove impediments to efficient and productive casino operations and provide additional flexibility in their operation.

On July 21st, Governor Christie welcomed and endorsed the recommendations of the New Jersey Gaming, Sports and Entertainment Advisory Commission chaired by Jon F. Hanson. The actions taken today fulfill many of the goals outlined in that report, and move forward Governor Christie’s commitment to ensuring the growth and success of Atlantic City’s economy, and the state’s gaming and tourism industries.

Photo of Governor Chris Christie by Dan Cirucci, copyright 2011.

DeMint: Here's How We Can Nullify ObamaCare

A special message from Senator Jim DeMint:

Yesterday, a U.S. District Judge in Florida ruled that Obamacare is unconstitutional. If the ruling stands, it will overturn the 2,700 page, $938 billion bill passed by Congress last year.

In his opinion, Judge Roger Vinson referenced the Boston Tea Party:

"It is difficult to imagine that a nation which began, at least in part, as the result of opposition to a British mandate giving the East India Company a monopoly and imposing a nominal tax on all tea sold in America would have set out to create a government with the power to force people to buy tea in the first place."

It is difficult to imagine, indeed.

I certainly hope the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the President's socialist experiment, but freedom-loving Americans cannot count on the courts to solve this problem.

If we want to stop President Obama from taking away the freedom to make our health care decisions, we must force Congress to repeal Obamacare wholesale.

The House of Representatives recently voted to repeal it and now it's time for the Senate to act. I wanted you to know that I will be working to force a vote as early as this week.

Thanks to your support, all 47 Republicans in the Senate have agreed to cosponsor my bill to repeal Obamacare and can now be counted on to vote for full repeal. This is a tremendous accomplishment, but we still have a long way to go.

There are a number of Democrats up for re-election in 2012 who need to hear from the American people right now. These senators include Jon Tester (D-MT), Ben Nelson (D-NE), Jim Webb (D-VA), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), and Joe Manchin (D-WV). They may not want to listen but it's important that they know you will repeal them at the ballot box if they don't help us repeal the bill.

Click here to find a complete list of senators and where they currently stand on the bill to repeal Obamacare.

Winning this battle will require perseverance and patience. 

• First, we have to put each senator on record and force them to vote on repeal over and over again so their constituents know where they stand.

• Then, we have to defeat as many pro-Obamacare senators in 2012 as we can.

• And finally, we either have to defeat President Obama or win a super-majority in the House and Senate to override his veto before the law goes fully into effect in 2014.

Stopping socialized medicine won't be easy but we can do it if we work together. We've already made significant progress, and with your help we can expect much more to come.

Thank you for your willingness to fight for the principles of freedom that make America the greatest nation on earth.

Video: Bullying Incident Caught On Tape!

Romney: Reagan Epitomized Faith In America

Mitt Romney on the legacy of Ronald Reagan:

An "amiable dunce" is what Washington super-lawyer Clark Clifford once called President Reagan.

That was the conventional wisdom among liberals back then. But opinions, at least in some important quarters, have shifted. Campaigning for the presidency, Barack Obama paid tribute to our 40th president's remarkable achievements. Ronald Reagan, he said, "changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not, that Bill Clinton did not." He put "us on a fundamentally different path."

I agree with President Obama. Ronald Reagan was a transformative president.

America entered the Reagan era as one kind of country and exited it another. His mixture of extraordinary personal and political qualities made it possible. One must begin with his sunny disposition: cheerful conservatism in flesh and blood. The Gipper's irrepressible high spirits tapped into something deeply rooted in the country: optimism, faith in America itself.

Reagan came to occupy the White House in a moment of national crisis, not altogether dissimilar from the one we face today. Abroad, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan had brought the Cold War to the boiling point. Islamic radicals in Iranhumiliated our country in a 444-day hostage drama.

At home, the misery index — the sum total of unemployment and inflation — had reached a post-war high. Jimmy Carter, shivering in the under-heated White House, was complaining about American "malaise."

Reagan would have none of this. His policies, foreign and domestic, reflected his optimistic spirit. He confronted the Kremlin frontally. He initiated a military buildup that outmatched the USSR, challenged it in Afghanistan, and launched the Strategic Defense Initiative that is now vital to our defense.

Reagan's words were even more significant. He rang the bell of freedom and gave courage to brave souls resisting one of the great tyrannies of modern times — the "evil empire," he was not afraid to call it. Reagan was quick to see what many experts could not: that the Soviet system was faltering. "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" is what he boldly demanded during a visit to Berlin. In short order, the wall came tumbling down. The Cold War was over and America had won.

Here at home, Reagan saw a federal government that had become, like a diseased heart, enlarged and sclerotic. Paving a path trod today by the Tea Party, he sharply cut taxes to restore economic growth. He took painful measures to rein in double-digit inflation. He fought to cut federal spending. He sought to restore our Founding Fathers' vision of American greatness and limited government.

Reagan's legacy is very much alive. Only amiable dunces cannot see that.

GOP Convention Headed To Tampa in 2012

The 2012 Republican National Convention will be held in Tampa, Florida starting on August 27, 2012.
Florida has been a key targeted state in the past several elections, and it'll continue to be critical for the GOP. The convention will  bring a lot of attention and resources to the state.
The GOP convention will be held at the St. Pete Times Forum, a 21,500-seat venue in downtown Tampa.
The decision to select Tampa was made last year.

Charlotte Wins 2012 Democrat Convention Nod

Just a week or so before Valentine's Day Charlotte has won the Democrat Party's heart.
The North Carolina city will be the host city of the 2012 Democrat National Convention. The selection was  announced moments ago by the Democratic.National Committee (DNC).
In an e-mail message to committee members Tuesday morning, DNC Chair Tim Kaine called it a “tough choice.” He congratulated Charlotte on its selection and called it “an ideal location.”
In selecting Charolotte, the Democrats rejected St. Louis, Minneapolis and Cleveland.
The convention will open on September 3, 2012.

Reagan At 100: Strong, Fearless, Unintimidated

A great column in The American Spectator today rightly reminds us of Ronald Reagan accomplishments and the disdain with which he was viewed by liberals and the dominant liberal media. It also explains Reagan's bedrock faith in conservatism and its core values. Here's part of what it says:

Amidst all the sudden veneration for Reagan from today's left as a man of moderation (in contrast, but of course, to the wicked conservatives of today) those with longer memories recall vividly that liberals of the day hated Ronald Reagan's guts. This jewel of a statement from his arch-adversary House Speaker Tip O'Neill is but an understated example, as Reagan biographer Steven Hayward has noted:

"The evil is in the White House at the present time. And that evil is a man who has no care and no concern for the working class of America and the future generations of America, and who likes to ride a horse. He's cold. He's mean. He's got ice water for blood."

Click here to read the entire column.

Huckabee: Let Israelis Build In East Jerusalem

The Jerusalem Post reports that "during a visit to the Mount of Olives for a cornerstone-laying ceremony in a Jewish east Jerusalem neighborhood, likely US presidential candidate Mike Huckabee asserted that Israelis should be able to live "anywhere in Israel they wished to live."
"It is inconceivable in many ways that we would have to even argue and debate whether or not Israelis could live in Israel, not just in parts of Israel but anywhere in Israel they wished to live," Huckabee added. 
Click here to read more on this story.

Boehner: Let Senate Vote On ObamaCare Repeal

From Speaker of the House John Boehner:
Over the past year families and small businesses have spoken out about ObamaCare's job-destroying mandates, tax increases and cost hikes.  Yesterday a federal judge in Florida agreed that the President's health care law is not only unaffordable, but unconstitutional as well.
In his decision the judge cited a small business owner and plaintiff in Panama City, who indicated that the health care law is forcing her to consider “whether she can maintain her business,” or if she will be forced to “lay off employees” or “close her business” altogether.  This view is shared by a number of small businesses . . . which is why I'm hopeful that this case will soon come before the Supreme Court for swift and fair resolution. 
Of course, the easiest way to protect families and small businesses from this job-destroying health care law is to repeal it so we can start over with common-sense reforms that lower costs and protect jobs.  The House has passed legislation to do just that.  Now it is time for Democratic leaders in the Senate to heed the call of the American people, and allow this common-sense measure an up-or-down vote.

Revealed: Chuckie Schumer's Three Branches Of Gov't.

Democrat "leader" Senator Chuck Schumer says we have three branches of government -- and completely ignores the courts. 
Pretty good for a graduate of Harvard and Harvard Law School, hmmm?