FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Sept. 23, 2005
GREEN CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR GIVES HIS ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
FROM FIRST CORZINE-FORRESTER DEBATE
Green Party gubernatorial candidate Matt Thieke was at NJN studios in
Trenton this past Tuesday for the first two-parties-only candidate
debate and was denied entry into the event. Thieke criticized the
exclusionary debate as a "pay to play event", and gave his replies to
the questions that were asked of Jon Corzine and Doug Forrester.
Thieke issued the following statement: "If New Jersey Network and the
other sponsors of this debate had seen fit to include me, here are the
answers I would've given to the questions posed by the panelists:"
"The first question was does Jon Corzine's gift of over $450,000 to
Carla Katz create a conflict of interest? My reply is YES. While a
candidate's personal relationships should not be an issue, when you
give almost half a million dollars to the head of the largest state
workers union, it is a gross error in judgment and if the Senator
doesn't realize that creates at least the appearance of a conflict,
then that shows just how disconnected he is from the lives of
ordinary people."
"Question 2 asked Doug Forrester about his Benecard company benefiting
from 'pay to play' contracts.
My reply: We can't trust Doug Forrester to clean up corruption and pay
to play when he himself has benefited from it. And it's ludicrous to
hear him say he's followed the 'spirit and letter of the law' when his
so-called out-of-state insurance company is nothing more than a post
office box in Washington D.C."
"Question 3 asked would I use an executive order to ban the use of
eminent domain.
My reply: YES, immediately. We need a law to ban the use of eminent
domain for private development projects."
"Question 4 asked Doug Forrester to explain how he'd pay for his
property tax plan.
My reply: Good question! My proposal for tax reform includes
replacing the school property tax with a more progressive state income
tax, combined with merging the hundreds of smaller school districts
into regional districts, a massive conversion to solar, wind and clean
vehicle fuels, and cutting out patronage."
"Question 5 asked about the amount of borrowing done by the state
government.
My reply: Both Democrats and Republicans have been continually guilty
of "borrow and spend" policies. We are now in debt to the tune of
about $3000 for every man, woman and child in New Jersey! The Green
Party believes in fiscal responsibility, which means we can't borrow
to balance the budget. Borrowing via bond issues should only be done
for long-term capital projects, like our proposal to convert to
cheaper, cleaner energy sources like solar, wind, and bio-fuels."
"Question 6 was would I pledge to never raise taxes?
My reply: No. That's a very irresponsible stand. There could always be
another 9/11 type emergency, or economic disaster that could happen."
"Question 7 asked should we lease the Turnpike?
My reply: No. The Green Party is opposed to the increased
privatization of public property. My administration will cut spending
by saving on energy costs, and cutting out the abuses of patronage and
corruption. Leasing is another short-term revenue gimmick."
"Questions 8 and 9 asked if Jon Corzine's ties to certain Democrats
and Doug Forrester's contributions to various Republicans should be
something for voters to think about.
My reply: YES! Both these men are members of corrupt parties and
can't be trusted to bring about any kind of real reform. The
Democratic and Republican parties both put party loyalty first above
the public interest. Even though Jon Corzine and Doug Forrester are
both multi-millionaires, neither of them could rise to the top of
their party without 'playing ball' and turning a blind eye to the
corruption in their midst. The Green Party and I have zero tolerance
for corruption. We don't operate the way the two parties do."
"Question 10 asked if Atlantic City has been helped by legalized
gambling.
My reply: No, not much. The casino companies and their investors have
benefited the most, while the people of Atlantic City haven't. I'm not
against companies making a fair profit, but the casinos can give more
back to the people. We need a thorough audit to investigate where the
money is going, and the CRDA should focus on providing better jobs and
housing for the people of Atlantic City."
"Question 11 asked Doug Forrester if his '30 in 3' plan is just a
gimmick.
My reply: Yes, it is. He doesn't say where the money will come from
other than by 'cutting waste and corruption'. I agree there's plenty
of waste to cut, but I don't believe he can do it. He'd have to take
on the bosses of his own party. Frankly, the only Republican in New
Jersey that I see doing anything about corruption is Chris Christie,
and he's not running."
"Question 12 asked Jon Corzine why he couldn't come up with something
better than a property tax rebate.
My reply: Because he doesn't want to rock the boat and thinks he can
win this election without any bold ideas. I've already said that I'd
like to replace the local school property tax with the state income
tax, so people pay what they're able to pay and aren't forced out of
their homes. And we'd cut costs by merging and regionalizing school
districts."
"Question 13 asked about gay marriage.
My reply: The Green Party and I support gay marriage. Gay couples
should have all of the same rights and benefits that heterosexual
couples do."
"Question 14 asked the candidates if they'd ask for the resignation of
all current political appointees in state government.
My reply: Yes, absolutely! Every position will be looked at, and I'll
only keep those who are qualified for their jobs, and who are honest
and non-partisan."
"Question 15 asked the candidates what they'd do if a jet crashed into
the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant.
My reply: Say a quick prayer for the thousands of people who are about
to die from radiation. If there's any large release of radiation from
either Oyster Creek or the Salem plants, tens of thousands of New
Jerseyans will likely die. There won't be enough time to evacuate in
that example. That's one reason why we have to shut down these nuclear
plants. We have to switch to renewable energy like solar and wind
power."
"Question 16 asked about embryonic stem cell research.
My reply: The Green Party and I support embryonic and adult stem cell
research. Jon Corzine wants to spend hundreds of millions of tax
dollars on this. I'd also like to. However, I'm not sure we can afford
this given the state's current level of debt. Before spending tax
money, I'd like to see the pharmaceutical companies and Wall Street
invest their money in this good cause."
"Question 17 was about the money wasted by the School Construction
Corporation.
My reply: The SCC should be dismantled. What happened was criminal and
I'd like to see some indictments. The problem was that the state
created a corporation. And it worked just like a corporation -- like
Enron. If contractors over-charged the SCC for work, I want those
contractors to pay the money back before they ever get another dime
of taxpayer money."
"Question 18 asked Doug Forrester if there would be enough money for
programs for the disabled, and for DYFS.
My reply: There will be in a Green Party administration. The main
problem at DYFS is that there aren't enough case workers to handle the
load. Children won't slip through the cracks if we give DYFS
the resources it needs to hire more investigators, provide better
training, and pay wages comparable to the private sector. For the
disabled, we need to strongly enforce the Americans with Disabilities
Act."
"Question 19 asked about banning smoking indoors.
My reply: The Green Party and I support a ban on indoor smoking. It's
a matter of public health."
"Question 20 asked the candidates if they support a bear hunt.
My reply: No, I do not. I don't believe we can't come up with a
workable program of contraception or sterilization. And, if
necessary, I'd rather see us capture and transport bears to more
remote areas than to kill them. The bears aren't taking over our
habitat. We're taking over theirs every time we bulldoze another
forest or farm to build more sprawl."
"In conclusion, I hope that my answers show that I am running a
serious campaign on the issues, and that I have earned the right to
take part in any future debates. I challenge Jon Corzine and Doug
Forrester, again, to please explain why I should not be allowed to
debate them."