Workers blame Phoebus for losing jobs

We were asked to publish the story of five area residents who formerly worked for Assemblyperson Gail Phoebus at the country club she owns.  The former employees of the Farmstead Golf and Country Club contacted Watchdog.  One employee identified herself and forwarded a statement and the letter of dismissal from Farmstead.  This is an excerpt from that statement:

The former employees believed that their ages played a role in their firing.  They believe that the legislator's actions "speaks to her character."  Referring to Phoebus' firing of her legislative staff before Thanksgiving and to the further attempts to destroy their reputations and ability to earn an income to provide for their families, the statement notes that "this behavior with Gail Phoebus is nothing new.  She has been treating people badly for quite some time."

In response to accusations that were posted and distributed about legislative staff by members of the Skylands Tea Party group, the Office of Legislative Services (OLS) last week issued a formal statement saying that EVERY accusation made against the innocent staff workers was wholly false and without any basis whatsoever.  In other words, it was all made up.  A fantasy designed to destroy the livelihoods of human beings, their spouses, and their children.

In fairness to Assemblyperson Phoebus, last week Watchdog offered to publish her response to the above statement by her employees, unedited.  Instead of a straightforward response for us to print, her campaign circulated rumors that suggested blame be placed elsewhere and that she was away at the time -- this time not at the Colorado ranch but in sunny Florida.

When will she own up?

Farmstead workers blame Phoebus for firing

We have been asked to publish the story of five area residents who formerly worked for Assemblyperson Gail Phoebus at the country club she owns.  The former employees of the Farmstead Golf and Country Club contacted Watchdog.  One employee identified herself and forwarded a statement and the letter of dismissal from Farmstead.  This is an excerpt from that statement:

The former employees believed that their ages played a role in their firing.  They believe that the legislator's actions "speaks to her character."  Referring to Phoebus' firing of her legislative staff before Thanksgiving and to the further attempts to destroy their reputations and ability to earn an income to provide for their families, the statement notes that "this behavior with Gail Phoebus is nothing new.  She has been treating people badly for quite some time."

In response to the accusations that were posted and distributed about legislative staff by members of the Skylands Tea Party group, the Office of Legislative Services (OLS) this week issued a formal statement saying that EVERY accusation made against the innocent staff workers was wholly false and without any basis whatsoever.  In other words, it was all made up.  A fantasy designed to destroy the livelihoods of human beings, their spouses, and their children.

Nevertheless, in fairness to Assemblyperson Phoebus, we understand that there could be another side to this story.  We therefore offer to publish her response to this statement, unedited.

It's official: OLS says Skylands lied

It's official.  The accusations being posted and distributed about legislative staff by members of the Skylands Tea Party group are lies.  The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) has issued a formal statement saying that EVERY accusation made against the innocent staff workers was wholly false and without any basis whatsoever.  In other words, the jokers made it all up.

These idiots have placed themselves and the organizations they represent in legal jeopardy.  That should teach them to be a little more careful when sucking up the lies that fall from Gail Phoebus' lips. 

On another note, a Skylands Tea Party bigwig posted another rant on Facebook mocking conservative Bill Winkler as a cigar smoker.  In fact, Winkler has never smoked in his life.  It was Winkler's father who smoked cigars and it was this habit that factored into his death from cancer, several years ago.  If Skylands is going to bring something up like that, they should do more than just blatantly lie.

America needs jobs.  New Jersey needs jobs.  Sussex County needs jobs.  What will end the state's high foreclosure rate is good, well-paid jobs.  Not customer service industry jobs... but jobs in construction, building, and the trades.  This is the underpinning of sustained growth.  President Donald Trump has the answer:

"Refocus government spending on American infrastructure... Transform America’s crumbling infrastructure into a golden opportunity for accelerated economic growth and more rapid productivity gains with a deficit-neutral plan targeting substantial new infrastructure investments.

Create thousands of new jobs in construction, steel manufacturing, and other sectors to build the transportation, water, telecommunications and energy infrastructure needed to enable new economic development in the U.S., all of which will generate new tax revenues... Put American steel made by American workers into the backbone of America’s infrastructure.

Pursue an 'America’s Infrastructure First' policy that supports investments in transportation, clean water, a modern and reliable electricity grid, telecommunications, security infrastructure, and other pressing domestic infrastructure needs... Leverage new revenues and work with financing authorities, public-private partnerships, and other prudent funding opportunities.

Implement a bold, visionary plan for a cost-effective system of roads, bridges, tunnels, airports, railroads, ports and waterways, and pipelines in the proud tradition of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who championed the interstate highway system... Harness market forces to help attract new private infrastructure investments through a deficit-neutral system of infrastructure tax credits."

There are some who would prefer New Jersey to just sit on the sidelines and not participate in Making America Great Again.  They would starve New Jersey of the funding it needs to participate in President Trump's federal transportation matching funds programs. Their way is the way of rhetoric, not of action. 

These job killers would prefer to see families in Sussex County lose their homes to foreclosure.  It is the talk of a state worker who pockets more taxpayer money in a year than a legislator earns.  It is the talk of a boutique lawyer in a New York City firm, catering to the concerns of mega-rich foreign bankers and the champagne swilling, mega-rich, ultra-liberal world of NYC art dealers.  Talk about ELITES!  Some balls these guys have.