>Gov. Christie: Nation turning into ‘people sitting on a couch waiting for their next government check’ Published: Tuesday, April 10, 2012, 7:36 PM Updated: Tuesday, April 10, 2012, 9:38 PM
NEW YORK — Gov. Chris Christie today warned an audience of national Republicans that the country is in danger of becoming a “paternalistic entitlement society” where people sit on the couch, “waiting for the next government check.”
Christie spoke at a day-long conference on tax policy in New York hosted by former President George W. Bush, who nominated Christie to be U.S. Attorney in 2001.
Christie spent most of his 30-minute speech on New Jersey budget issues, but brought up national policy toward the end. He said it is the least optimistic period he’s ever seen for the nation.
In this recent article in the Bergen record the writer looked at the pros and cons of car-pooling , so if you have a job how do you get to work everyday ?
Car-pooling in North Jersey can save cash, but it’s not for everybody
SUNDAY APRIL 8, 2012, 11:11 PM BY KAREN RO– USE STAFF WRITER THE RECORD
Stretched by soaring gas prices and still feeling the sting of recent toll hikes, many North Jersey commuters are taking a second look at car-pooling, an idea that became popular during the 1970s energy crisis and still can provide perks today — chief among them gas and toll savings.
Ridgewood seeks improved notification system Tuesday April 10, 2012, 10:58 AM BY JOSEPH CRAMER STAFF WRITER The Ridgewood News
Officials are eyeing a revamped county-wide emergency notification system to both improve and expand the village’s ability to communicate with residents on an emergent, but also routine, basis.
At Wednesday’s Village Council work session, Village Manager Ken Gabbert submitted for the council’s consideration a resolution to enter into an agreement with Bergen County.
“The county has apparently heard the complaints of not just our community but other communities, and their swift reach program … is being modified,” Gabbert said.
Teacher tenure evaluations: the Colorado test case
Colorado is proving an interesting case study for New Jersey’s efforts to reform teacher tenure and evaluation.
The Rocky Mountain state enacted in 2010 a law strikingly similar to what is being debated now in New Jersey’s legislature, one that would grant tenure to teachers after three years of positive evaluations and take it away after two years of negative. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
A recently developed healthcare model known as a “patient-centered medical home” could improve the quality of care received by patients, the quality of life of the doctors who treat them, and even help slow or reverse New Jersey’s growing shortage of primary care physicians.
That shortfall could become a crisis in the next few years, as the state’s population grays and a significant number of uninsured are covered by federal healthcare reform. (Fitzgerald, NJ Spotlight)
Horizon program to lower use of high-cost services such as emergency room visits
A pilot program launched a year ago by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey has led to lower use of high-cost services such as emergency room visits and hospital admissions, according to a company study scheduled to be released today.
The program operated by the state’s biggest health insurer offers a glimmer that the company can both slow the cost of health insurance and improve patient health. (Diamond, Gannett)
Bergen County’s 4-month-old pay-to-play ban, a hard-line, plug-every-conceivable-loophole law, is showing early signs that it’s working.
Which is exactly why frustration and a wave of panic are rippling through the county’s professional political class.
Fund raising has slowed to a trickle. Donors are being advised by their attorneys not to give to Bergen County races, fearing that they could risk losing lucrative county business by merely showing up at a $500-a-head golf outing. (Stile, The Record)
Candidates’ financial disclosure forms may be put online
Local officials must now file their required financial disclosure forms — which list their personal sources of income and business interests — electronically under new rules issued by the state.
Those disclosure forms may eventually be posted online for residents to search and view, the state Division of Local Government Services said in a note to officials.
The state said it would save at least $25,000 in printing and mailing fees by not having to pay to produce and deliver 70,000 hard copies of the annual forms to local government offices. (Method, Gannett)
>Ridgewood Municipal Alliance continues its outreach efforts Monday April 9, 2012, 2:07 PM BY JOSEPH CRAMER STAFF WRITER The Ridgewood News
The Ridgewood Municipal Alliance is continuing efforts to reach out to parents and local organizations to promote teen safety relating to alcohol and substance abuse following an awareness raising campaign started last fall.
The group – consisting of parents, local officials and professional staff from village public safety and medical authorities – has held and funded several events over the past six months, including a visit from Tim Silvestri, a psychologist and substance abuse specialist.
The most recent, a second iteration of the “Parent to Parent” forum last October, was held last week. Parents and group members engaged in a more intimate and personal discussion about the effect of teen drinking on their lives and the lives of their children.
>Health-care law will add $340 billion to deficit, new study finds By Lori Montgomery,
President Obama’s landmark health-care initiative, long touted as a means to control costs, will actually add more than $340 billion to the nation’s budget woes over the next decade, according to a new study by a Republican member of the board that oversees Medicare financing.
The study is set to be released Tuesday by Charles Blahous, a conservative policy analyst whom Obama approved in 2010 as the GOP trustee for Medicare and Social Security. His analysis challenges the conventional wisdom that the health-care law, which calls for an expensive expansion of coverage for the uninsured beginning in 2014, will nonetheless reduce deficits by raising taxes and cutting payments to Medicare providers.
The New Jersey Choral Society is proud to host its third annual patron celebration “bel canto” on Saturday, April 28 from 7:00-10:00 pm at The Woman’s Club of Ridgewood, 215 West Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood, NJ.
Under the direction of dynamic conductor Eric Dale Knapp, with Linda Sweetman-Waters on piano, a talented group of singers from NJCS will perform familiar selections from opera, operetta, and Broadway. Musical selections from opera will include “Flower Duet” from Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, “Barcarolle” from Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffman, and arias from Bizet’s Carmen and Verdi’s La Traviata. Selection from the Gilber and Sullivan operettas Pirates of Penzance and Mikado, as well as Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Sweeney Todd, will also be featured.
This patron event will include dinner and wine and there will also be a silent auction featuring a variety of unique items, including tickets to NY Yankees and NY Mets games, a Nook color, Dooney & Bourke leather handbags, a tour of the historic Bergen County Courthouse, a gift certificate to Spa Envy Massage, and a dinner party for eight with Dawn’s Catering. All proceeds from the evening will support the New Jersey Choral Society.
The New Jersey Choral Society is one of the state’s most prestigious choral groups. Well-known for presenting outstanding and unique programs, NJCS performs three major programs annually in Bergen and Essex Counties, and have performed in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, China, and Australia. This summer they will perform at Westminster Hall in London as part of the prelude to the Summer Olympics with a follow-up concert in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Tickets for this special fundraising event are $75.00 and can be purchased by visiting www.NJCS.org or calling 201-379-7719. The Woman’s Club of Ridgewood is wheelchair accessible.
Photo by Boyd Loving Ridgewood plans new crosswalk safety initiative
MONDAY APRIL 9, 2012, 2:22 PM BY JOSEPH CRAMER STAFF WRITER THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
A new initiative to promote pedestrian safety near schools and throughout Ridgewood, born out of a cooperative effort between numerous local school and government groups, is set to begin this month.
In mid-April, the village will launch “Stop, Look, Wave: Be Safe Be Seen,” a safety campaign targeted at pedestrians and drivers throughout the village, with the goal of preventing pedestrian accidents that have been an increasingly urgent issue for authorities over the past year.
>Microsoft trumps Amazon, others for AOL patents By Nadia Damouni and Jennifer Saba Mon Apr 9, 2012 4:43pm EDT
(Reuters) – Microsoft trumped Amazon, eBay and other tech giants with its more than $1 billion purchase of the majority of AOL Inc’s patent trove.
AOL said it was selling more than 800 patents related to advertising, search, e-commerce and mobile to Redmond, Wash-based company, surprising investors with the size of the deal and sending AOL shares up more than 40 percent.
The sale includes technology rights from AOL’s current and former businesses, ranging from Netscape, ICQ and MapQuest to CompuServe, Advertising.com and others, according to a source close to the matter.
The sale process, which AOL Chief Executive Tim Armstrong described as a “full-blown dynamic auction,” started last fall after board approval.
Bud Harrelson & Phil Pepe Wednesday April 11th @ 7:00pm Former New York Mets shortstop, Bud Harrelson, and sports writer, Phil Pepe, will sign their new book: Turning Two Books available April 10th
Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt.Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change.Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings. Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.
While we try to insure that all customers coming to Bookends’ signings will meet authors and get their books signed, we cannot guarantee that all attendees will meet the author or that all books will be signed. We cannot control inclement weather, author travel schedules or authors who leave prematurely.
Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726
Village Council elections: Voters see Aronsohn flip-flop on Valley
While rumors continue to circulate the Councilmen Paul Aronsohn is quietly tell people to vote for Gwenn H. Hauck ,Albert Pucciarelli and himself.
Paul is know as an opportunist. He will grandstand when it convenient. And not say anything when also convenient for votes.If Councilman Aronsohn thought any other council person would vote for Valley he would have went the other way. He took the safe root and vote no. The big question is knowing Aronsohn quest for power and higher office will he flip flop if the council had more Valley supporters on it.
A Valley trustee(Dittrick) gave 500.00 to Paul Aronsohn’s Congressional campaign. It’s public record. Dittrick is a Republican and Aronson a democrat. It’s payback time. Watch out for the Aronson-Valley flip-flop.
