The goal here is NOT to serve the public by improving traffic flow.
.
The goal is to reduce (and eventually kill) use of the evil automobile. One way to do that is by CREATING choke points (like those created by the bike lane) so that people get frustrated and abandon using their cars – at least in that area of town. Create enough choke points and (according to plan) people will eventually throw up their hands in frustration and abandon their cars and use public transportation.
Unlike the city of Detroit, the state of New Jersey cannot declare bankruptcy. Federal bankruptcy laws don’t allow it.
“It’s not provided in the federal bankruptcy laws. There is a provision for municipalities and any other kind of organization in the state to go bankrupt, but not the state itself,” said Professor J. Fred Giertz, an economist who is director of the University of Illinois’ Institute of Government and public Affairs.
And although there has been some talk of changing federal law to permit states to reorganize their financial obligations through bankruptcy, it hasn’t gone far.
“In the United States we have a federal system where the states have powers that are protected from the national government, so there’s a real question about supremacy and whether the federal government can impose bankruptcy rules on the state, which is supposed to have powers that are protected from the federal government,” Giertz said. “I don’t think there’s any likelihood it’s going to be approved by Congress anytime soon.”
• The state itself cannot file for bankruptcy under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.
• Municipalities cannot file for bankruptcy under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code without approval of the state (See N.J.S.A. 52:27-40).
• The state has in the past made it clear that they would not approve such a filing by a municipality. There are red flags under state law that identify when a municipality is experiencing financial difficulty. Such a municipality must appear before the Local Finance Board with a financial recovery plan.
• It is unclear, at best, whether the major costs affecting municipalities for unionized contractual obligations can effectively be terminated, changed or even renegotiated by virtue of Chapter 9 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. These obligations seem to be the driving force behind bankruptcy filings by local governments in other states, but they do not appear to have been successful in creating leverage in such contractual negotiations. The lack of ability to reorganize or dissolve that enables private corporations to bring their creditors to the table for serious negotiations as leverage may not exist under Chapter 9.
photos courtesy of Village of Ridgewood Mayor Susan Knudsen
April 23,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, RBSA Opening Day Parade is always a big event . The RBSA is the official Ridgewood, Youth Recreation and Travel Baseball and Softball programs from kindergarten through 8th grade.
This year the weather seemed to conspire against us .The Pitch Hit and Run competition was postponed until a later date but the Food trucks are still here at Vets.
Ridgewood Mayor Susan Knudsen with RBSA President Jim Albano
The Food trucks were the Empanada Guy, Taco Truck, Jersey Johnny’s, Elephant Thai, Ice Cream Thai’m, The French Quarter and Pizza Vita. So no one was going to starve .
RBSA is more than just baseball & softball it is a community.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
videos courtesy of Dana Glazer
Ridgewood NJ, Mayor Susan Knudsen and Councilman Voigt speak about the Ridgewood Arts Council’s Emerging Artists Gallery Scavenger Hunt to be held on April 23rd at Van Neste Park from 11am-2pm.
file photo by ArtChick
April 18, 2017
Scott Greenberg
Download Tax Freedom Day 2017 (PDF) https://files.taxfoundation.org/20170418101758/Tax-Foundation-TFD-2017.pdf
Ridgewood NJ,Tax Freedom Day in New Jersey does not arrive until May 13 ,thats 133 days into the year. The only state with a later Tax Freedom Day is Connecticut.
Tax Freedom Day is a term coined by the Tax Foundation it represents the date on which residents have earned enough to pay all federal, state and local taxes for the year. The early birds are Mississippi, that day arrived on April 5. It was April 7 in Tennessee and April 8 in South Dakota.
New Jersey residents will pay 36 percent of their incomes to federal, state and local taxes in 2017, according to the tax policy nonprofit. On a national level, 31 percent of income goes out the door for tax purposes.
Key Findings
This year, Tax Freedom Day falls on April 23rd, 113 days into the year.
Tax Freedom Day is a significant date for taxpayers and lawmakers because it represents how long Americans as a whole have to work in order to pay the nation’s tax burden.
Americans will pay $3.5 trillion in federal taxes and $1.6 trillion in state and local taxes, for a total bill of more than $5.1 trillion, or 31 percent of the nation’s income.
Americans will collectively spend more on taxes in 2017 than they will on food, clothing, and housing combined.
If you include annual federal borrowing, which represents future taxes owed, Tax Freedom Day would occur 14 days later, on May 7.
What Is Tax Freedom Day?
Tax Freedom Day® is the day when the nation as a whole has earned enough money to pay its total tax bill for the year. Tax Freedom Day takes all federal, state, and local taxes—individual as well as payroll, sales and excise, corporate and property taxes—and divides them by the nation’s income. In 2017, Americans will pay $3.5 trillion in federal taxes and $1.6 trillion in state and local taxes, for a total tax bill of $5.1 trillion, or 31 percent of national income. This year, Tax Freedom Day falls on April 23, 113 days into the year.
What Taxes Do We Pay?
This year, Americans will work the longest—46 days—to pay federal, state, and local individual income taxes. Payroll taxes will take 26 days to pay, followed by sales and excise taxes (15 days), corporate income taxes (10 days), and property taxes (10 days). The remaining six days are spent paying estate and inheritance taxes, customs duties, and other taxes.
When Is Tax Freedom Day if You Include Federal Borrowing?
Since 2002, federal expenses have surpassed federal revenues, with the budget deficit exceeding $1 trillion annually from 2009 to 2012. In calendar year 2017, the deficit is expected to shrink slightly, from $657 billion to $612 billion. If we include this annual federal borrowing, which represents future taxes owed, Tax Freedom Day would occur on May 7, 14 days later. The latest ever deficit-inclusive Tax Freedom Day occurred during World War II, on May 25, 1945.
When Is My State’s Tax Freedom Day?
The total tax burden borne by residents across states varies considerably due to differing tax policies and the progressivity of the federal tax system. This means that states with higher incomes and higher taxes celebrate Tax Freedom Day later: Connecticut (May 21), New Jersey (May 13), and New York (May 11). Residents of Mississippi bear the lowest average tax burden in 2017, with their Tax Freedom Day having arrived on April 5. Also early were Tennessee (April 7) and South Dakota (April 8).
How Has Tax Freedom Day Changed over Time?
The latest ever Tax Freedom Day was May 1, 2000; in that year, Americans paid 33 percent of their total income in taxes. A century earlier, in 1900, Americans paid only 5.9 percent of their income in taxes, so that Tax Freedom Day came on January 22.
Methodology
In the denominator, we count every dollar that is officially part of net national income according to the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the numerator, we count every payment to the government that is officially considered a tax. Taxes at all levels of government—federal, state, and local—are included in the calculation. In calculating Tax Freedom Day for each state, we look at taxes borne by residents of that state, whether paid to the federal government, their own state or local governments, or governments of other states. Where possible, we allocate tax burdens to each taxpayer’s state of residence. Leap days are excluded, to allow comparison across years, and any fraction of a day is rounded up to the next calendar day.
April 22,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
video by Dana Glazer
Ridgewood NJ, Councilman Ramon Hache and his family +1 speak about the Ridgewood Arts Council’s Emerging Artists Gallery Scavenger Hunt to be held on April 23rd at Van Neste Park from 11am-2pm.
file photo William Thomas
What happens when you leave your dog at home alone: Scientists reveal the stress pets go through when isolated
Two leading canine behaviour experts have revealed how dogs react to isolation
Dogs will spend up to half an hour howling, barking and whining when left alone
But some dogs will feel anxious for hours and will urinate out of stress
Owners can help their pets cope with separation by following four simple steps
By Daisy Dunne For Mailonline
PUBLISHED: 11:25 EDT, 21 April 2017 | UPDATED: 11:47 EDT, 21 April 2017
Few dog owners enjoy leaving their pet alone while they head off to work.
But most dog lovers have no idea how their animals cope once they have been left alone.
Now scientists have revealed how dogs spend up to half an hour howling, barking and whining after their owner leaves them alone.
And for some pets, the torment lasts for hours.
file photo by Boyd Loving
April 22,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Few things are as much fun as splashing around at the beach or in a backyard pool, but not every child is confident about taking the plunge.
“For some children, the idea of getting in the water and trying to swim can be a bit frightening,” says K.J. Hales, author of It’s Hard to Swim, the second and most recent addition to the Life’s Little Lessons by Ellie the Wienerdog educational picture book series (www.ellietheweinerdog.com).
“But with the proper positive reinforcement, they can overcome their fears and discover just how much fun swimming can be.”
May is National Water Safety Month, a good time for parents to consider teaching their children how to swim. The American Academy of Pediatrics supports swimming lessons for most children 4 years and older. Water safety classes can also reduce the risk of drowning in younger children, the pediatrics group reports, but advises that because children develop at different rates, not all will be ready to swim at the same age.
Hales, who offers teachers’ guides and educational activities to go along with the lessons in her books, says she chose swimming as one of Ellie the Wienerdog’s adventures because it’s a valuable skill that all children should learn.
“Most children are around water in some form, whether it’s a pool, a river, a pond, a lake or the ocean,” she says. “So learning to swim isn’t just for fun. It’s also important for safety.”
The Pediatric Academy cites several water-safety tips for parents, including:
• Never – even for a moment – leave small children alone or in the care of another young child while in bathtubs, pools, spas or wading pools, or near irrigation ditches or standing water.
• Empty water from buckets and other containers immediately after use.
• To prevent drowning in toilets, young children should not be left alone in the bathroom.
• Closely supervise children in and around water. With infants, toddlers and weak swimmers, an adult should be within an arm’s length. With older children and better swimmers, an adult should be focused on the child and not distracted by other activities. Bath seats cannot substitute for adult supervision.
• If children are in out-of-home child care, ask about exposure to water and the ratio of adults to children.
• If you have a pool, install a four-sided fence that is at least 4-feet high to limit access to the pool. The fence should be hard to climb (not chain-link) and have a self-latching, self-closing gate. Families may consider pool alarms and rigid pool covers as additional layers of protection, but neither can take the place of a fence.
• Parents, caregivers and pool owners should learn CPR.
• Do not use air-filled swimming aids (such as inflatable arm bands) in place of life jackets. They can deflate and are not designed to keep swimmers safe.
• All children should wear a life jacket when riding in a boat. Small children and non-swimmers should also wear one at water’s edge, such as on a river bank or pier.
“When Ellie finally swims, she realizes that learning something new is wonderful and if you give it a try, you can do anything you wish,” Hales says. “This is a lesson I hope all children will take to heart, not only when learning to swim, but also when facing any challenge that comes their way.”
About K.J. Hales
K.J. Hales (www.kjhales-author.com) is author of the educational children’s books series, Life’s Little Lessons by Ellie the Wienerdog (www.ellietheweinerdog.com). The latest book in the series is It’s Hard to Swim. The purple wiener dog character is based on Hales’ own dachshund by the name of, you guessed it, Ellie.
Years of overbuilding and the rise of online shopping have come to a head; malls as ‘energy suckers’
By Suzanne Kapner
April 21, 2017 7:53 p.m. ET
American retailers are closing stores at a record pace this year as they feel the fallout from decades of overbuilding and the rise of online shopping.
Just this past week, women’s apparel chain Bebe Stores Inc. said it would close its remaining 170 shops and sell only online, while teen retailer Rue21 Inc. announced plans to close about 400 of its 1,100 locations.
“There is no reason to believe that this will abate at any point in the foreseeable future,” said Mark Cohen, the director of retail studies for Columbia Business School and a former executive at Sears Canada Inc. and other department stores.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/brick-and-mortar-stores-are-shuttering-at-a-record-pace-1492818818
file photo
How has a Trump Presidency affected the markets, financial planning and your bottom line?
April 21,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
East Rutherford NJ, The Financial Planning Association of New Jersey (FPANJ) will host it’s Spring Conference, on Thursday, May 4. the theme is “Navigating the Winds of Change: The DOL, the Fed, and Washington,” and it will be a day of education on what’s happening beyond the headlines, and its impact on advising clients effectively.
Spring Conference will feature nationally-recognized business journalist Ron Insana, who appears on CNBC and MSNBC as well as a nationally-syndicated radio show. He’ll be discussing “Trump 2017: From Washington to Wall Street,” covering the Trump Presidency and the “Trumponomics” order of the day.
It all takes place at the Hilton Meadowlands in East Rutherford, NJ, with check-in and pre-conference with Ben Lewis, FPA PR Director beginning at 7 a.m.; programs following from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Additional keynote speakers featured throughout the day include:
Attorney Joan M. Neri, who’ll be discussing the Fiduciary Status and how those rules impact services provided to investors with IRAs and 401(k)s
Douglas Peebles, CIO of AllianceBernstein, talking about the Current State of Fixed Income
Kenneth Haman of the Advisor Institute with AllianceBernstein, who’ll cover Designing a Practice Standard of Care to help advisers design a model that addresses the Fiduciary Standard with their clients
In between, we’re including excellent breakout sessions to cover marketing, social media, and PR Director Ben Lewis who will be talking about best practices in working with the media, and much more.
The Financial Planning Association of New Jersey is part of The Financial Planning Association® (FPA®). FPA connects those who need, support and deliver professional financial planning. FPA believes that everyone is entitled to objective advice from a competent, ethical financial planner to make smart financial decisions. FPA members demonstrate and support a professional commitment to education and a client-centered financial planning process. Working in alliance with academic leaders, legislative and regulatory bodies, financial services firms and consumer interest organizations, FPA is the community that fosters the value of financial planning, and advances the practice and profession of financial planning.
Ridgewood NJ, While most of us associated this phrase with Star Trek’s Mr. Spock, it was actually written and used by the most celebrated comedic actor of the late 19th century – Joseph Jefferson., who passed away 112 years ago, on April 23, 1905.
Joe Jefferson was the ‘Rock Star’ of his era. In 1859, he wrote and acted in a theatrical version of Rip Van Winkle. It was such a hit that audiences clamored for him to perform this role, which he willingly did for the next 40 years.
For 14 years, Jefferson lived in the house on Saddle River Rd., at the end of Hollywood Ave. While there, he entertained or met the key figures of his day. Grover Cleveland visited, and they fished in the Saddle River. A founding member of “The Players Club” in New York, he was friends with Edwin Booth, Samuel Clemens and Maurice Barrymore; and he communicated with Helen Keller and Nicole Tesla.
Jefferson’s passion for the theater has served as an inspiration for theatrical groups for more than a century. Locally, Ridgewood’s own troupe of Joe Jefferson Players, performed between 1936 and 1973. Today, Ridgewood High School’s ‘New Players’ (which launched the careers of Ali Stroker and David Turner) honors his memory by presenting two Joe Jefferson Awards each year for Technical Merit and Acting. David Turner (currently on Broadway in “Sunday in the Park with George”) won the award for acting in 1993.
The Schoolhouse Museum’s new exhibit “From the Revolutionary War to the 1960’s Revolution”displays photos and illustrations of Jefferson in the various roles he played; playbills from that era, those of the ‘Joe Jefferson Players’, and those from ‘The New Players’; the actual costume worn by Ali Stroker in the Glee Project; and more.
To see this display as well as other displays highlighting other significant events and people during this time, from wars, to the roaring twenties to the rocking 60’s; as well as histories of prominent Ridgewood area residents, visit the Ridgewood Historical Society’s Schoolhouse Museum, at 650 East Glen Avenue. The museum is open Thursdays and Saturday 1-3pm and Sundays 2-4pm. Please visit www.ridgewoodhistoricalsociety.org for more information.
Ridgewood NJ, With the turn of the new year, the competitive Taekwondo season has started anew. What has not changed is the impressive showing by the young athletes at Taekwondo All In, a school that teaches the Korean martial art. In three state championships -Connecticut, Maryland and New Jersey – the Taekwondo All In students earned 36 gold, 11 silver, 8 bronze, 55 in total. Head Coach Youngmin Kim also earned Best Instructor awards at the New Jersey event. Moreover, all competing students earned spots to compete at the National Championship to occur in July.
The following nine athletes won medals at the Maryland State Championship on February 25.
Jenna Slota – 2 Gold and 1 Silver medals. Liam Woods – 2 Gold and 1 Bronze medals. Audrey Kim and Emily Kam – 2 Gold medals. Lucas Woods – 1 Gold and 1 Silver medals. Blake Edmilao – 1 Gold and 1 Bronze medals. Kaylin Lee – 1 Gold medal. Elias Chi – 2 Silver medals. Ricardo Merino – 1 Silver and 1 Bronze.
At the New Jersey State Championship on March 26, the following eleven athletes gained medals:
Jenna Slota – 2 Gold and 1 Silver medals. Taelim Eum, Elliott Yi, Isaac Yi, Tyler Minn, Christina Ahn, Emily Kam – 2 Gold medals. Elias Chi – 1 Gold and 1 Silver medals. Kate Minn – 1 Gold medal. David Ahn and Ricardo Merino – 1 Silver and 1 Bronze Medals.
At the Connecticut State Championships on April 1, following eight athletes earned medals:
Jenna Slota – 3 Gold medals. Tyler Minn – 2 Gold medals. Audrey Kim – 1 Gold and 1 Silver medals. Blake Edmilao – 1 Gold and 1 Bronze medals. Liam Woods and Kaylin Lee – 1 Gold medal. Lucas Woods 2 Bronze medals.
The owner and head instructor of Taekwondo All In Youngmin Kim commented, “This a great start to a new year. Our athletes have trained diligently all winter and it shows in how they performed at the competitions. I am very proud of all my students.”
Taekwondo All In, located at 33 Chestnut Street in Ridgewood, is a school that dedicates to teaching the Korean Martial Art, an Olympic sport. The benefit of learning the sport ranges from better physical conditioning to mental strength and discipline. For additional information, the school can be reached at (201) 857-0445.
FREE WORKSHOP FOR ALL THE PARENTS & KIDS WHO WANT TO BE IN SHOW BUSINESS:
Emmy Winner Martha Byrne To Present: “How To Avoid The Sharks and Get Into Show Business” at the Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival
April 22,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ , Actress Martha Byrne, a three-time Daytime Emmy Winner, will be conducting a special workshop at the RIdgewood Guild International FIlm Festival on Wednesday, April 26th, 2017 from 5:00 – 5:45pm at the Ridgewood BowTie Cinema, 190 East Ridgewood Avenue in Ridgewood, NJ. The title of the interactive workshop will be “How To Avoid The Sharks and Get Into Show Business.” In the presentation Martha will speak to parents and children about what she has learned and what can be the path to success. The presentation is a must for anyone wanting to be an actor or actress. The presentation is free to the public.
Ridgewood NJ , the over looked issue for the central business district is not parking , but congestion . There are just to many choke points in the CBD. Be they caused by ill planned “traffic easing” with suicide bike lanes or PSE&G upgrades it has become increasingly difficult to get in or out of the Central Business District.
Currently West Ridgewood Ave and Godwin are almost impassable .The proposed Hudson street garage ,because of its very location will make matters even worse by limiting access via Broad Street.
Over development will only make things worse ,contrary to assurances high density housing on Franklin will further restrict traffic at the Franklin and Broad intersection , virtually cutting off the Westside from the East side of town .
Maple is difficult at best , leaving only Prospect and Oak street as possible alternatives . Currently large events in the Village take a minimum of 45 minutes to and hour to arrive and park .
It is well know that retail is a fast changing environment with most shopping now done on line . In order for stores to survive they must become “destination shops” holding events to attract customers , so traffic is only going to get worse .
The answer given by the powers that be is always ,”we need garage” and residents at the new developments will not , have kids,drive, park ,have visitors or shower.The lack of credibility makes Comedy Central look like a serious news network.
Our point is instead of pushing hidden agenda’s with ulterior motives primary pursued by developers and their friends we need a comprehensive plan that factors in moderate development, infrastructure , retail, restaurants , mass transit , pedestrians,cycles and parking .
The corner is dangerous for one simple reason. When the guard halts traffic flow to let kids cross the east side of Glen, cars headed east on Glen as well as cars trying to turn east from Van Dien onto Glen (many after dropping their kids off) stop.
When the kids are done, cars already on Glen gets priority as they have no stop sign. Meanwhile traffic keeps piling up on Van Dien. This leads to visibly frustrated people who try to desperately look for an opening (between traffic on Glen) to dart in.
The solution to this problem is either to 1) Have stop signs for traffic on Glen as well, at least during school hours, or 2) Have a more mobile and active crossing guard who can direct traffic as well as kids, stopping cars on Glen to allow traffic from Van Dien to blend in periodically.
Once again, it seems like people are confused between ‘nice and caring’ and ‘effective.’ EVERYONE likes someone who is nice and caring. However, a crossing guard needs to be effective before being the former.
The point of having a crossing guard is to help school children cross the road safely, in the midst of traffic flow. But it involves more than just holding up a stop sign and lowering it once kids are through. If traffic keeps building up on Van Dien and people keep getting frustrated, it will not lead to safer outcomes for anyone.
Once again, I do not know who this person is and from all comments, it appears that she is a lovely person. I am sure that is true.
But my comments are simply based on what I have seen driving past that spot a few times. The last time I was there, I was at the head of the line of cars waiting on Glen as kids crossed. There was a lady trying to creep in from Van Dien trying to turn onto Glen east. Once the kids were through, the crossing guard lowered the sign. She could have easily asked me to stop, pointed at a few cars from Van Dien to make their turn, and then asked me to continue on. But she just stood there looking semi-bewildered by the situation.
