Hi everyone. I need to make a quick correction to last week's column and I wanted to comment on Seth's column from last week also.

It seems that I was guilty of a Rick Perry moment. Rick, as I'm sure you remember, forgot the third cabinet post he would eliminate when he became president. I managed to forget to list Rick Perry as one of the Republicans who dropped out of the Republican Demolition Derby campaign. That omission was surprising, considering how humorous the guy was.

I also forgot to mention Mr. Supposedly Rich gadfly Donald Trump, who had flirted with running for president as well. A reader also emailed me and suggested that Michelle Bachmann should have driven a minivan, not a pink Cadillac. The Caddy, with two long horns on the hood, was the obvious choice for Rick Perry.

As for the Donald, well, he would fly above the fray in his Trump helicopter and yell, “You're fired!” out the window. Mitt Romney was figuratively holding his nose while being endorsed by Trump in Nevada.

As the Republican Demolition Derby rolled on into Nevada last week, Mitt Romney continued to open his mouth and say stuff that will become great general election ammo for the Democrats. Romney reminds me of John Kerry in 2004 – so wealthy that he hasn't a clue how ordinary folks live.

Kerry attempted to be a regular guy by eating a Philly cheese steak and failing; Romney says he’s not concerned about the plight of the poor because they have a “safety net.” No matter that the safety net has holes big enough for Romney to drive a Brinks truck through, holes made by Republican policies both at the state (Wisconsin and Indiana come to mind) and national levels.

As the Republican Demolition Derby left Nevada, observers were concerned that Newt Gingrich had gotten his wheels stuck in the desert sands. Newt seems to have lost any momentum he had picked up from his South Carolina victory. It was not clear how his campaign will survive February, which features only one televised debate, Newt's strongest asset being his debate performance.

Second bit of business: I find myself agreeing with Seth's most recent column, where he basically said that there was little difference, fiscally, between former Gov. Corzine and current Gov. Chris (still a bully) Christie. Seth's columns are usually well-researched, whether one agrees with the column or not. Seth tends to focus on bottom line dollars and cents, and gets the idea that if we all could live in say 1920, every thing would be just great.

But Seth is correct: Gov. Chris (still a bully) Christie has taxed and spent like former Govs. Corzine, Florio and Whitman. The only difference is that Christie supports the national Republican agenda to make the rich richer, on the backs of the middle class.

Seth's history of the increases in the sales tax was interesting. Gov. Florio lost his re-election bid in part because he made toilet paper taxable. This idea, supported by his then advisor Steve Perskie, cost Florio just enough votes for Whitman to win.

Third: A note of personal thanks to the folks at Fox Rehab, especially speech therapist Adam Nadle. Parkinson's affects speech as well as many other body systems, and Adam has worked tirelessly to help me regain my speech, especially volume.

Fourth: A message to 2nd Congressional District Democrats: please find a credible candidate to run against Rep. LoBiondo this fall. Perennial candidate Gary Stein is a nice guy, but really. Harry Hurley uses Democrats like him and "No Malice" Willie Norwood to make all Democrats look silly. The voters of the 2nd District deserve a real choice for Congress this year, and every two years.

Norm Cohen is executive director of the Coalition for Peace and Justice and a coordinator for the UNPLUG Salem Campaign. Learn more at www.coalitionforpeaceandjustice.org and www.unplugsalem.org. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (609) 335-8176. Comment at www.shorenewstoday.com.