In Case You Missed It:
Courier-Post Exposes Andrews’ Quid Pro Quo

Reform candidate Dale Glading
first to demand accountability from
career politician Andrews on unethical earmark

BARRINGTON – Dale Glading, candidate for U.S. Congress in New Jersey’s 1st District, was the first to reveal Rep. Rob Andrews’ unethical earmarks, now under investigation by The Courier-Post.

According to The Star-Ledger, Rob Andrews has directed $2.27 million of our taxpayer money to the law school since 2001. (“Lautenberg campaign questions Andrews' earmarks for Rutgers”, The Star-Ledger, May 13, 2008)

In exchange, The Courier-Post exposed the fact that Rob Andrews has received $16,500 in political contributions from employees of the Rutgers University Law School since 2002 and an additional $3,250 since 2005 from Rutgers’ lobbying firm. (“Andrews cites benefits of earmarks”, The Courier-Post, June 11, 2008)

“This blatant misuse of taxpayers’ dollars is just one in a series of unethical earmarks sponsored by Mr. Andrews,” Glading challenged. “Virtually every time Rob Andrews requested federal money for a private company, that company’s lobbyists and its employees contributed to his campaigns.”

“Apparently, Mr. Andrews was far more interested in getting elected to higher office than in serving our district,” Glading alleged.

“If nothing else, Rob Andrews’ unethical earmarks have afforded Camille Andrews one thing: job security,” Glading added. “That’s job security that the citizens of his district no longer have in today’s tough economy, because Rob Andrews would rather invest more than $2 million of our money in his wife's law school program than try to fight high gas prices and outrageous property tax bills.”

“This much is clear: neither Rob nor Camille Andrews have our best interests at heart,” Glading concluded. “Rob Andrews has failed to properly represent us, taking our money and funneling it to his wife’s program. And Camille Andrews’ participation in this shady deal proves that she is unfit to represent us, too.”

Glading Demands Answers from
Andrews Clan About Unethical Earmarks

Congressional candidate calls on machine politicians
to level with constituents about
multi-million dollar giveaways

BARRINGTON – Dale Glading, candidate for U.S. Congress in New Jersey’s 1st District, today called for Rob and Camille Andrews to come clean about the millions of dollars in unethical earmarks allocated to Camille Andrews’ employer from 2001 through 2005.

As reported by The Star-Ledger, Rep. Rob Andrews acquired $2.27 million in federal earmarks for the Rutgers Law School and “consistently directed taxpayer money to a program his wife controls.” (“Lautenberg campaign questions Andrews' earmarks for Rutgers”, The Star-Ledger, May 13, 2008)

“The citizens of this district are tired of hearing Mr. and Mrs. Andrews spin this story to their advantage,” said Glading. “The simple truth is that they got caught with their hands in the cookie jar. It’s time for the Andrews clan to level with the people they have failed to represent.”

“The hard-working people of our district are tired of career politicians treating our money as their own,” Glading added. “For Mr. Andrews to hand-deliver our hard-earned money to his wife’s program at Rutgers is both arrogant and reprehensible.”

“Mr. Andrews’ previous attempts to spin his indefensible conduct have been unconvincing," Glading continued. “Camden is the poorest and third most dangerous city in America, and all Mr. Andrews can think of doing to help its citizens is to send millions to his wife's law school.”

“Of course, we can't expect a couple that declared nearly half a million dollars in income last year to understand how the rest of us live,” Glading concluded. “They simply can’t relate to the day-to-day struggles that we face, with gas prices rising out of control and the highest property taxes in the country.”

(TOMS RIVER, April 9) – Third District Republican candidate for Congress, Freeholder Jack Kelly, today announced that he has proudly signed the Earmark Reform Pledge (which was put forward by taxpayer watchdog group – Citizens Against Government Waste) and encouraged his opponents to do the same.

Today's Washington Post references a 2006 $2 million federal earmark U.S. Senator Barack Obama helped secure for the University of Chicago, where his wife, Michelle Obama, worked as the vice president for community and external affairs.  Former State Sen. Joseph Coniglio was indicted yesteday for helping secure a state Christmas tree grant for Hackensack University Medical Center that employed him as a plumbing consultant.

This Christmas Eve many taxpayers would be content to have the government take its grubby mitts out of our stockings. After a decade of runaway spending at every level of government (except Bogota), simply not facing even higher taxes next year would be just fine for the masses who have come to consider real tax cuts a whimsical fantasy. But the elves in Washington who have managed to elevate the status quo to mean tax relief, this Christmas request is within reach.