Friday, July 29, 2011

Is Michele Bachmann Jersey's Girl?

Even I was somewhat surprised by this:

Bachmann and Romney neck-and-neck in NC and NJ

....The situation is similar in New Jersey, where Romney leads Bachmann 22-21. Bachmann is followed by Paul at 11%, Perry at 10%, Cain at 8%, Gingrich at 7%, Pawlenty at 5%, and Huntsman at 3%. Bachmann achieves strong support despite moderates making up 27% of the New Jersey GOP electorate, even more than the 23% who are very conservative. While Romney holds a 34-16 lead among moderates, Bachmann holds a slim lead with somewhat conservatives, 21-19, and leads Romney with very conservatives, 26-18.

Can Michele win the New Jersey Republican primary?  She'll be demonized by the local media (much of it New York based) while Romney will be described as the lesser of the two evils.  That being said, such talk will likely only strengthen her conservative bona fides, and reminders that John McCain fared rather poorly after earning the nomination based on the on the "Romney Rationale" might help her win over a revitalized "Jersey Right".

The best part about Michele Bachmann winning the nomination?  Watching Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi campaign against her.  I'm not sure how good The Boss will look campaigning vigorously against a women, given his disdain for things such as his marital vows, as well as those of the women he covets.  Of course, claiming to be the hero of the working man while supporting a president who has pretty much killed the blue-collar economy won't sit to well, either.

Bon Jovi tends to keep it a bit quieter, holding $30K/person fundraisers for the president down on his Navasink Rver mansion.  But he sold out a long time ago, so that is less of a surprise.  What can be fun, though, is that both the aforementioned rockers, while fighting to elect politicians who would raise taxes on the common man, find ways to work around paying the bill themselves:

Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen have been making hit music for years and its no surprise that they've earned enough money to buy big mansions with acres of property, but what might surprise you is the huge tax breaks they, and others, are getting.

It turns out, as far as New Jersey tax collectors are concerned, that they are farmers.

Almost a million acres in New Jersey are certified as farmland. Owners who own at least five acres, practice some kind of agriculture, or manage the trees on their property and sell $500 worth of goods a year qualify for a significant tax break.

Through a trust, Bruce Springsteen owns more than 200 acres in Colts Neck. the taxes for his house and three acres are more than $138,000. But because of the farm tax break, the tax bill on a little more than 200 additional acres is less than $5,000. Town officials say he has horses and an organic farmer working some of the land. A lawyer for the trust had no comment.

In another part of Monmouth County, Bon Jovi has and estate on the Navesink River. Taxes on the mansion and some property add up to $295,68 but his tax bill on an additional 6.85 aces is $104 because he raises honeybees...
 
An organic farmer?  Honeybees?  Put it this way....in my township, homes built on a quarter-acre of property average annual property tax bills of $10K-$12K.  In other words, Springsteen stiffs the government out of $2M/year, while Bon Jovi is a piker, screwing New Jersey's poor out of a mere $84K annually.
 
Don't you think Michele Bachmann would have a little fun with these two clowns?  Here's hoping she's still in the mix when primary time comes to Jersey...

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