New Jerseyuay

The great state of New Jersey should change its name and state welcome sign. It should now read “Welcome to New Jerseyuay, the Banana Republic of the Northeast.” Florida has an excuse for its past election problems, that state came from Spain. The Spanish were not known for their democratic principles. However, New Jersey was a part of the original 13 given a royal charter right from the mother country.

The reason New Jersey should be kicked out of the “13 club” is because the New Jersey Supreme Court allowed the Democrats to replace a failing candidate with a more popular one. The law in New Jersey clearly states that a ballot cannot be changed within 51 days of the Nov. 5 elections. Why the New Jersey Supreme Court even listened to, let alone ruled in favor of, the Democrat’s plan has only one answer: politics.

Lawyers can do amazing things with plainly written words, given that judges allow them to get away with it. It is truly amazing that the 1990s had a great economic boom in this lawsuit-friendly culture. Judges have the power to stop this racket that costs the consumers billions, not the wealthy fat cats. Lawsuit abuse is another story, but is related to the Sen. Robert Torricelli disaster.

The New Jersey Supreme Court justices allowed a lawyer to get around the fact that the law clearly states that 51 days must be given for a candidate to appear on the ballot. An exception to that law was limited to death or serious physical problem. Torricelli dropped out because he was losing, which is not an excuse. Democrats, including the ones that sit on the state Supreme Court, believed that losing was a valid reason.

The danger of state and federal courts engaging in tactical political decisions is a great problem that will go far beyond the normal judicial activism vs. judicial restraint arguments. But that also is another story.

The Torricelli problem is an issue that will open up a whole box of problems in the near future. The origin of this problem lies in the numerous Clinton scandals that were never fully investigated. Torricelli has been accused of taking gifts from a South Korean businessman who had close ties with the Clinton administration.

The official version is that Torricelli acted unethically, but not illegally, and the Korean businessman is the real villain, getting a one-year prison sentence. What most likely happened was that Torricelli shook down the Korean, as did the Clinton administration, and when it all hit the fan the Senate Democrats and the liberal media buried the real story. If Sen. Jim Jeffords from Vermont had not switched parties, Torricelli would have been expelled.

Bill Clinton is responsible for giving the Democrats the notion that they could get away with this. Clinton proved that crime pays and the Democrats have learned from his example well. In his entire eight years he never had to face the music on some of the most serious crimes ever committed by a chief executive. His highest offense will be womanizing, which is a plus in our society. The Democrats have learned well and now realize that they can break rules as long as they are unpopular.

The emotionalism and whining that defined the Clinton administration was all over the Torricelli switch. Democracy is not an emotion or abstract idea; it is a process that must be followed to give the fairest results possible.

The Democrats had all the time in the world to replace Torricelli, but thought he could win again. Democrats just could not stand the idea of losing in a state they felt entitled to win. Now parties can use polls until the last minute and then put in a pinch hitter. What if Arnold Schwarzenegger all of a sudden replaced Bill Simon for governor of California? Of course it would take a Democratic state Supreme Court for that to happen. Parties are no longer governed by a sense of ethics and courts no longer interpret the spirit of the law. It is up to the people to maintain a standard of fairness, and the people of New Jersey are up first. If we fail then we truly deserve to be ruled by a Clintonian Democratic government.