Friday, January 30, 2009

What is crazy about doing what is right?

Jon Corzine cannot be trusted because he is entirely irresponsible with money.

New Jersey needs a real Democratic alternative to the former Wall Street CEO and that is why I am challenging Corzine for governor in the June 2 Democratic primary election.

I believe most Democrats agree with me that Corzine should not be re-elected and when political insiders were polled on the question "Who wins the Democratic nomination" at the website POLITICKERNJ.COM, the results were 62-38 in my favor.

Now, I realize that this 'poll' is not scientific, but the fact that the governor's political apparatus could not win a round of 'inside baseball' suggests that my candidacy is not as crazy as his cronies would suggest.

I am also aware that I will not succeed in this effort without broad public support.

I will need particularly strong support throughout New Jersey among Democratic activists, people who do take responsibility for the direction in which our party takes this state. Democratic activists and rank-and-file Democratic voters have the real power to do this.

I need you to get this done.

Not only that, but I need you right now. I need you to join my campaign and be a part of what we are building to take back our party. I need you to encourage others to read this blog and bookmark it to follow instructions or keep up with regular updates.

We are planning to launch a campaign in the next few weeks to solicit 10,000 contributions of $34 each; which would qualify the campaign for public financing.

Obviously money is key at this stage, so any contribution you can afford would be very welcome. If you can afford the maximum of $3,400 or $340 or even $34 -- anything you can send to Balut for Governor will be appreciated.
Checks may be mailed to to Balut for Governor, c/o 2100 Oliver Street, Rahway NJ 07065 -- and every time someone tells you that I cannot win because Corzine is a multimillionaire, reply by telling them that I must win because Corzine does not share the same values with hard-working, middle-class New Jersey families that I represent.

  • One out of every four acute care medical facilities have closed, but Corzine wants to close more hospitals.
  • The Wizard of Wall Street gambled away $25 billion from our state employee pension funds.
  • Corzine has not only ignored corruption that pervades every aspect of government, but he is in bed with the bosses.
  • There are now more people unemployed because Corzine put our taxes to work exporting jobs to communist China.
  • While these problems build, Corzine's priority is protecting his secret emails and the Nixon-esque principle of 'executive privilege.'
That is pretty much all it comes down to... I represent hard-working, middle-class New Jersey families with whom Jon Corzine cannot identify and who have lost faith in Jon Corzine.

Crazy would be letting someone conceited, incompetent and corrupt get re-elected just because no more prominent Democrat had the gumption to stand up to him.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

NJ Needs Democratic Leadership

Perth Amboy Councilman Ken Balut, a retired police officer and former president of PBA Local 13, is preparing to challenge Jon Corzine in the June 2 Democratic primary election.


For a host of reasons, Jon Corzine should not be re-elected and I believe most Democrats agree with me on that. That means New Jersey needs a Democrat to challenge the former Wall Street CEO, but unfortunately his money has scared away some of the people who we might expect to make this effort.

Just as Barack Obama told America last year, this election is not about me, it is about you. Somebody has to stop the corruption that is hurting every resident of this state. Somebody has to make our tax system fair, assure every child a quality education and keep our community hospitals open. Somebody has to represent the core values of our Democratic Party, the party of the people.

If Jon Corzine will not use his power to do good for the people of New Jersey, then we must nominate someone who will. I will be running a grassroots campaign, the kind for which real Democrats are best known as opposed to the self-funded propaganda methods used by the incumbent.

I do not believe Mr. Corzine's obscene wealth, nor his flagrant use of that Wall Street money to buy the support of special interests and power brokers, should be a primary topic of discussion in this campaign.

What New Jersey needs to know is how we turn around the economy for millions of middle-class working people; when we are going to do the right thing by fully funding public education; and who has the courage to stand up against organized crime and power brokers that have intruded on our public resources and robbed our tax dollars.

I am asking my supporters to help me gather the required petition signatures and reach the donation threshhold for public financing. That means collecting 10,000 donations of $34 or 1,000 contributions of $340 or even 100 gifts of the maximum $3,400.

Regardless of amount, I welcome every contribution and realize that it is a sacrifice in these troubled times but if we qualify for public financing, your donation will be tripled! The state will provide $2 for every $1 donated by a New Jersey resident, organization or business and we will have sufficient funds to get our message across to Democrats who care about New Jersey's future.

If we can let Democrats know they have a choice in this election, then we will no longer need to endure a governor who is out of touch with the average person's needs and either incompetent at leading an honest, effective administration in Trenton or simply unwilling to do so.

It may be difficult to accomplish all this, but if you ask me if we are able to make this happen, you know I am going to say: "YES WE CAN!"