The voluntary exchange of goods and services, the essence of capitalism, is the most moral way to organize an economy. (It’s really self organizing mostly.) You give me something I want. I give you something you want. We both walk away better for the transaction.
Whereas socialism, often couched as somehow morally superior to capitalism, is based fundamentally on theft. Be it of wages, time, property etc. It is driven by force. As such it is deeply immoral.
Ask yourself how you would feel if someone walked up to you with a gun and demanded 30% of your wages. The bandit however assures you that the money he takes will go to help people who “need” your money more than you do. You may not however even know how the money which is stolen from you is spent. How would you feel? Would you go to the ATM and just hand the money over knowing that though you were being robbed your money was being given to people who “needed” it? (Probably the robber’s “needy” friends.)
Would you be OK with this? If you are not consider how similar this is to our current crony capitalist/socialist lite system we have in the USA. The only difference is the robber has an officially issued badge when he takes your wages and property.
Of course when someone has a gun it is generally wise to just fork over the money. But it sure isn’t a “moral.” situation.
Pope Francis meets with Fidel Castro in Havana, after an outdoor mass attended by tens of thousands of people in the capital’s Revolution Square
Cuban authorities prevented leading dissidents from meeting Pope Francisin Havana on Sunday, in a sign of the Communist regime’s rigid intolerance of political opposition.
Two well-known dissidents, Marta Beatriz Roque and Miriam Leiva, had been invited by the Vatican to attend a vespers service led by the Pope’s in Havana’s historic baroque cathedral.
But they said they were detained by security agents and barred from attending the event.
“They told me that I didn’t have a credential and that I couldn’t go to the Pope’s event that was taking place there in the plaza of the Cathedral,” Ms Roque said.
She said that she and Ms Leiva had also been invited by the Vatican to meet Pope Francis at the residence of the Holy See’s ambassador to Cubashortly after the pontiff’s arrival on Saturday, but that they were detained on that occasion as well.
The head of an opposition group called the Ladies in White said that 22 of the 24 members of the group who had hoped to attend a Mass celebrated by the Pope were prevented from doing so by Cuban security officials.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2015, 12:58 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2015, 12:58 PM
BY STEFANIE DAZIO
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
MAHWAH — Police have a man in custody Monday morning after school officials reported a suspicious person in the area.
The man, whose name has not been released, ran from an officer when police arrived on Ridge Road around 9:30 a.m., Chief James Batelli said. Officers chased him in and out of the woods nearby for a few minutes and caught him.
Defaults, other housing woes drag N.J.’s economy down
JOEL L. NAROFF
POSTED: Sunday, September 20, 2015, 3:01 AM
One of the key sectors driving national growth has been the housing market. Housing starts are rising, sales are improving, and prices are increasing solidly.
Unfortunately, one of the biggest restraints on growth in New Jersey is its housing market. With the nation’s highest rate of delinquencies, it’s hard for the sector to pick up much steam. If New Jersey is to truly recover, it needs to face the music when it comes to home foreclosures.
Since the end of the recession, New Jersey has simply not kept up with the nation. From 2010 to 2014, economic growth averaged only 0.7 percent in New Jersey. In comparison, the United States grew at a 2 percent annual pace.
Even with the nation growing only moderately, it has recovered all the jobs it lost in the Great Recession by April 2014. Meanwhile, New Jersey still has about 100,000 fewer jobs than at the peak in January 2008. With jobs increasing sluggishly, New Jersey’s unemployment rate remains elevated. As of July, the rate was 5.9 percent, while it was 5.3 percent in the U.S.
One reason for the difference in performance, but clearly not the only explanation, is New Jersey’s disappointing housing market. Though housing starts are rising and could reach levels not seen in a decade, there still are issues with the single-family segment.
New Jersey’s developers are shying away from building traditional homes. Over the last three years, only about 40 percent of the new-construction starts have been for single-family houses. That percentage had typically been between 60 percent and 75 percent. It is more than 70 percent for the nation as a whole.
New Jersey’s developers are shying away from building traditional homes. Over the last three years, only about 40 percent of the new-construction starts have been for single-family houses. That percentage had typically been between 60 percent and 75 percent. It is more than 70 percent for the nation as a whole.
Yes, the shift from single-family construction into multifamily housing is occurring nationally, as well. Millennials are not forming households rapidly, and that has changed housing preferences, at least temporarily. Thus, rental units are in demand.
But there is another reason the share that is single-family is depressed in New Jersey: Housing delinquencies remain in the stratosphere. According to CoreLogic, nationally about 1.2 percent of all homes with mortgages were in foreclosure in July. The number was 4.8 percent in New Jersey, the highest in the nation, by far. More than 8 percent of the homes were seriously delinquent, with owners more than 90 days late on payments. Nationally, the rate was 3.4 percent.
The huge overhang of delinquent and foreclosed homes is having a major impact on housing prices and construction. These homes tend to sell for less than similar houses. Because they also steadily come on the market at those lower costs, competing home prices are reduced. And because these homes are priced well below replacement costs, builders cannot compete, limiting housing starts.
New Jersey’s home-price performance has been dismal. There are a variety of sources for home prices, and in just about all of them, New Jersey ranks in the bottom 10 of all states in annual price increases and for gains since the bottom of the recession.
Markets and globalization have lifted billions out of poverty and lessened global inequality. So what’s behind the pope’s agenda?
Stephanie Slade| Sep. 21, 2015 6:00 am
He has been called the “slum pope” and “a pope for the poor.” And indeed, it’s true that Pope Francis, leader to 1.3 billion Roman Catholics, speaks often of those in need. He’s described the amount of poverty and inequality in the world as “a scandal” and implored the Church to fight what he sees as a “culture of exclusion.”
Yet even as he calls for greater concern for the marginalized, he broadly and cavalierly condemns the market-driven economic development that has lifted a billion people out of extreme poverty within the lifetime of the typical millennial. A lack of understanding of even basic economic concepts has led one of the most influential and beloved human beings on the planet to decry free enterprise, opine that private property rights must not be treated as “inviolable,” hold up as the ideal “cooperatives of small producers” over “economies of scale,” accuse the Western world of “scandalous level[s] of consumption,” and assert that we need “to think of containing growth by setting some reasonable limits.”
Given his vast influence, which extends far beyond practicing Catholics, this type of rhetoric is deeply troubling. It’s impossible to know how much of an impact his words are having on concrete policy decisions—but it’s implausible to deny that when he calls for regulating and constraining the free markets and economic growth that alleviate truly crushing poverty, the world is listening. As a libertarian who is also a devout Roman Catholic, I’m afraid as well that statements like these from Pope Francis reinforce the mistaken notion that libertarianism and religion are fundamentally incompatible.
Become the Driver of Your Destiny at YWCA September Women’s Empowerment Network
YWCA Bergen County is holding its September Women’s Empowerment Network (WEN) event, “Become the Driver of Your Destiny” presented by Lois Kramer-Perez on Wednesday, September 30, 2015 from 8:30 to 10:00 am at 112 Oak Street, Ridgewood.
Are you tired of struggling with relationships? Tired of feeling guilty about being happy? Wondering why you dim your light to let others shine? Learn the simple tools to clear your path, release the guilt, and create a freedom roadmap to your life and the relationships you love. You will learn which relationship in your life has the most influence, the surprising truth about letting go, the #1 way to stop guilt in its tracks forever, 3 crucial key words that will stop sending you into sabotage over and over, and how to discover what YOU truly want for yourself.
Lois Kramer-Perez, CHt puts her 10+ years of energy clearing to work for realtors, divorcees, business owners, and moms, breaking through their lives and putting them in the driver’s seat of their relationships and spaces. Lois is the creator of popular programs such as “Clearing Meditation Circle” and the “Feng Shui Jumpstart.” She is a board member of International Feng Shui Guild, and has been invited to speak for numberous organizations and companies. Lois is a faculty member at Emerson and Ridgewood Community Schools, and is a contributor to Natural Awakenings, Inner Realm and BC the Magazine. She is also Pazoo.com’s Feng Shui Expert.
Get the personal and professional growth you seek with exclusive opportunities for WEN Membership. Annual WEN Memberships are available at $100 for Professionals and $75 for Military or Students (with valid ID). Memberships include one-year basic YWCA membership, members-only discount for all WEN Intensive workshops, and a tax deductible donation ($50/$25) toward vital YWCA programming. WENPlus Memberships are also available at $250 annually and include a one-year basic YWCA membership, exclusive early bird registration and members-only discount for all WEN Intensive workshops, one non-member guest pass for the monthly program series, and discounts for other YWCA programs for women. A $200 tax-deductible donation toward YWCA is also included. Per event rates for monthly WEN programs include $25 for non-members, $10 for WEN members, and no charge for WENPlus members.
North Jersey water officers not able to chill out bans – Surroundings – NorthJersey
By Observer Staff on September 19, 2015
The rain that fell on North Jersey final Thursday and a spritz over the weekend helped the area’s reservoirs – however solely barely.
The three-reservoir system operated by United Water alongside the Hackensack River has recovered to about 49 % of capability – up from 45 % final week, the utility firm stated.
The opposite main reservoir within the area, the Wanaque, hovered at 55 % capability Tuesday.
However with not a drop of rain within the forecast properly into subsequent week, the voluntary and obligatory restrictions that water utilities have carried out in current weeks stay in impact.
“Whereas we’ve got been graced with some aid, it is crucial for patrons to proceed to make use of water correctly, as our reservoirs nonetheless want further water,” stated Steve Goudsmith, a United Water spokesman.
Over the previous 60 days, Bergen County has had 2.5 inches of rain, a few quarter of the historic common for the interval. Passaic County has had three.2 inches, a deficit of 5.6 inches.
Even that rain has been hit-or-miss. From Thursday by means of the weekend, Haworth had 2.41 inches of rain whereas Lyndhurst, just some miles away, had about half that a lot.
“It was undoubtedly spotty,” stated Bob Ziff with the North Jersey Climate Observers. “My garden nonetheless seems three-quarters lifeless. It is like straw.”
New Jersey’s northern counties – together with the southern Hudson Valley, coastal Connecticut and Lengthy Island – are in a average drought, in line with federal climate officers. The remainder of New Jersey is taken into account abnormally dry.
The Washington Post recently had an article concerning the desperate need for wildscapes, not parks, wildscapes ,undeveloped land to preserve our ecology and life on earth.
Schedler should remain undeveloped.
Let it remain undeveloped, please God, a lodestar for other towns about the need for preserving life on earth by being good stewards of the land.
By the way, some blister bellied parent talked about baseball and other sports becoming more competitive and the need for more playing space.
Well, there have been a plethora of articles on kids’ sports in the major newspapers including our one and only NYTimes. They all agree that too much practice leads to permanent bodily injuries in young bodies that are still developing. Yes, coach , let them work hard, but not harder. You coach, don’t give a flying fuck if your young charges collapse in college sports due to their strained bodies or in high school, or even permanently inured in high school. All coaches and gym teachers teaching competitive sports should be required to work for FREE, NO Pay
. work for the good of the young kids playing, not for your reputations acquired by ruining young lives.
Yes same story every year only this is the worst. Other water companies didn’t start any restrictions til September. I’m shocked there aren’t more Posts from others and towns it services
Got my latest water bill a joke to spend the money all season then to be forced to have it die due to this restriction.
Just had spine surgery so virtually impossible for me to be out there with a hand held hose due to this.
What year or decade will this system ever be upgraded or improved so the water quality doesn’t effect us adversely?
Let’s get changes made instead of excuses for 30 years.
Dont fix an essential service – like water supply
Do build an albatros of a parking garage
Do build another turf field.
On Saturday the high school chorus group was holding a car wash to raise a few dollars for their program. The kids were about an hour into it, 2 hoses with nozzles when the police came by and had them shut down due to a complaint. The officers were apologetic but had to act due to a compliant. I don’t have anyone in the schools, but what an awful example for the village. We ask the kids to work a task to help their program and then send the police to shut it down.
We should all be very concerned that their are people so miserable and angry in town that they complain about a organized event at the school to raise money.
Why is there no pressure on the water company to build a system that can meets the needs? Why is there no consideration of water use in the proposed increased in area housing? Why are we using village police resources to enforce water rules, seems if they had the time to do this perhaps we should review staffing levels when the water “crisis” is over ?
The “Stage 4 In Effect” notice posted on the Village’s website says NOTHING about a ban on washing vehicles. It addresses IRRIGATION ONLY.
When were we told in writing that washing cars is prohibited?
Gina Chon in Columbia, South Carolina and Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington
In the 25 years they have known each other, US Senator Bernie Sanders has met with Ben Cohen, one of the founders of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, numerous times to talk about causes they support.
But Mr Cohen cannot recall a time when they had dinner just to hang out, even though he is one of the wealthiest people in the senator’s home state of Vermont, and has endorsed his presidential run.
Socialising with prominent supporters is virtually a requirement for politicians, but Mr Sanders, who has held public office for more than 30 years, has won elections by being the anti-politician politician.
“I sometimes run into him at the airport, but Bernie’s not a schmoozer. It’s an oxymoron for Bernie to have an image consultant,” said Mr Cohen, who laughed heartily at the idea of Mr Sanders changing his unruly white hair to appeal to voters. “What you see is what you get. And he has a history of confounding the pundits for it.”
He is doing just that in his bid to unseat Hillary Clinton as the Democrat’s nominee to be the next US president, leading in primary polls in the key states of Iowa and New Hampshire. The support marks a stunning turn of events for a candidate who was written off a few months ago as a fringe politician.
Federal authorities are mobilizing one of the largest security operations in U.S. history ahead of Pope Francis’s arrival Tuesday, an effort that is straining law enforcement resources in Washington, New York and Philadelphia.
Hundreds of thousands of onlookers are expected to gather in all three cities for a glimpse of the Catholic Church leader, whose unrivaled global popularity and proclivity to wade into public crowds has added to security concerns. Thousands of federal and local personnel will be deployed to keep the pontiff and the public safe.
The challenges are immense.
The pope’s five-day tour, his first in the United States, will include appearances at the White House and Congress, a parade on Constitution Avenue in Washington, a Mass at Madison Square Garden, a procession through Central Park in New York, and an open air Mass with up to 1.5 million people in Philadelphia.
Ridgewood NJ, NJ TRANSIT has plans in place to help manage travel for North Jersey customers during Pope Francis’ visit to the area on Thursday, September 24th and Friday, September 25th.
Event-goers are advised to plan their trip ahead of time, plan to travel off-peak when possible and purchase round-trip tickets in advance. Large crowds are expected along with enhanced security measures and expected delays during this time period. When returning to New Jersey in the evening on September 25th, customers should be prepared for longer wait times especially immediately following the Papal Mass at Madison Square Garden.
“With crowds moving into, out of, and around New York City on Thursday and Friday of the Papal visit week, NJ TRANSIT’s regular customers should know that this will be very far from their normal commute,” said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Veronique “Ronnie” Hakim. “We are asking our customers to be patient – and to be prepared – as we expect our rail and bus service to be at or near capacity during the peak periods so wait times may be lengthy. Our goal is to have visitors utilize off-peak trains and move as many people as possible in a safe and efficient manner.”
NJ TRANSIT will operate additional rail service during the off-peak into Penn Station New York and enhance its bus service into Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT) throughout the day. Normal football Game Day rail service will run on Thursday and Sunday for the Giants and Jets games, respectively.
Signage and posters will be available at all major rail stations and bus terminals to inform NJ TRANSIT customers of travel options. Also, NJ TRANSIT Ambassadors, who are knowledgeable about travel information during this special Papal event, will be on hand to assist customers.
Special queuing in Penn Station New York will also be in place to handle anticipated crowds. The new busing operations in place at the Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT) should help vehicles, and customers, travel to and from the terminal more quickly. In addition, the majority of buses do not travel on New York City streets and traverse from the Lincoln tunnel directly onto PABT ramps, avoiding any traffic diversion which may be implemented due to the Pope’s motorcade, unless it impacts the Lincoln Tunnel.
NJ TRANSIT is also working closely with area transportation partners to provide alternate transit options throughout the visit. For example, customers can transfer to PATH service at Newark Penn Station or at Hoboken where they can also travel via NY Waterway. NY Waterway will operate their regular service for Thursday and Friday but will have boats on standby if needed. They also are modifying their bus schedule to coincide with the Papal parade.
“Our staff continues to work hand in hand with NJ TRANSIT to ensure that those attending papal activities in Manhattan have a convenient and safe way to get there,” said Michael Marino, the Port Authority’s Director of Rail Transit and General Manager of PATH.
NY Waterway also has additional commuter ferry capacity from a number of locations to accommodate New Jersey residents coming to New York City during the Papal visit.
Ferry service is available to West 39th Street in Manhattan from Port Imperial in Weehawken, 14th Street in Hoboken and Lincoln Harbor in Weehawken. These routes operate all day, with departures every 10 to 30 minutes.
Morning and evening rush hour service is available from Edgewater in Bergen County to West 39th Street, a 13-minute crossing every 30 minutes. Morning and evening rush hour service is available from Belford/Middletown in Monmouth County to Lower Manhattan in 40 minutes and to West 39th Street in 65 minutes with departures every 30 minutes.
There also is service from Hoboken Rail/Ferry Terminal and Jersey City’s Paulus Hook, Liberty Harbor and Port Liberte to the World Financial Center and to Pier 11 at Wall Street.
“NY Waterway is always ready with the boats and the experienced crews to work with NJ TRANSIT to move New Jersey residents across the Hudson River quickly and reliably. We are confident that we can handle the increased ridership during this wonderful event, the visit of Pope Francis to our region,” said NY Waterway President and Founder Arthur E. Imperatore.
Amtrak will provide direct rail service to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia with some trains making stops in New Jersey including Newark, Metropark, Princeton Junction, Hamilton and Trenton. For more information on Amtrak service, please go to https://www.amtrak.com/papalvisit.
NJ TRANSIT has created a special Papal webpage will more detailed information for visitors. Please visit www.njtransit.com/papal for any updated NJ TRANSIT Papal travel news.
For nearly two decades, “South Park” has lambasted . . . everything. The cartoon’s raw satire offends left, right and center; all races and religions — and atheists, too. But some are just too dense to get it.
This week’s season premiere slapped “social-justice warriors” — extremists out to police every word for bias.
“PC Principal” takes over the school attended by Kyle, Stan, Kenny and Cartman, the four kids at the show’s heart.
Kyle gets two weeks’ detention for daring to tell a fourth-grader, “I don’t think Caitlyn Jenner is a hero” — which the principal calls “transphobic and bigoted hate speech.”
Later, PC Principal beats Cartman within an inch of his life for not falling into line.
