Clementi family: Webcam spying led to son’s death
The Associated Press
RIDGEWOOD, N.J. — The family of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi said they have come to believe he killed himself in part because of his roommate used a webcam to see him kissing another man.
“It was the humiliation that his roommates and his dorm-mates were watching him in a very intimate act. And that they were laughing behind his back,” his mother, Jane Clementi said. “The last thing that Tyler looked at before he left the dorm room for the bridge (he jumped from) was the Twitter page, where (his roommate) was announcing Tyler’s activities.”
Jane Clementi, her husband and one of their surviving sons talked about Tyler’s death and how their views on homosexuality have changed when they appeared Thursday night on NBC’s “Rock Center” in the first interview the family has given since the bias intimidation trial of the 18-year-old’s roommate.
Romney: ‘If We Want to Get Rid of Obamacare, We’re Going to Have to Replace President Obama’
12:15 PM, JUN 28, 2012 • BY DANIEL HALPER
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney reacted to the Supreme Court’s Obamacare decision by saying that, “if we want to get rid of Obamacare, we’re going to have to replace President Obama.”
“Let’s make clear that we understand what the Court did and did not do,” Romney said today, speaking in Washington, D.C. “What the Court did today was say that Obamacare does not violate the Constitution. What they did not do was say that Obamacare is good law or that it’s good policy.”
Romney added: “Obamacare was bad policy yesterday. It’s bad policy today. Obamacare was bad law yesterday. It’s bad law today.”
This presidential election is “a choice,” Romney said. “You can choose whether you want to have a larger and larger government, more and more intrusive in your life—separating you and your doctor—whether you’re comfortable with more deficits, higher debt that we pass onto the coming generations. Whether you’re willing to have the government put in place a plan that potentially causes you to lose the insurance that you like or whether instead you want to return to a time when the American people will have their own choice in healthcare. Where consumers will be able to make their choices as to what kind of health insurance they want.”
Christie concedes school choice is dead in NJ this year
In the roller coaster life of the Opportunity Scholarship Act, Gov. Chris Christie yesterday conceded the controversial school voucher bill is likely dead for the rest of the year.
Where the bill is headed next is less certain.
Christie in the latest of town hall meetings in Mahwah put the blame on Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver for what he said was her refusal to post the bill for a vote. He claimed the votes were in place to pass the measure, along with his promise to sign it.
“Sheila will not post the bill, although there are votes in the Assembly and votes in the Senate to pass it,” Christie said. “The Senate president said he would post it and put it up for vote if the Assembly did so. But Sheila Oliver simply refuses to post the bill.” (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
Holder Voted in Contempt of Congress
June 28,2012
the staff of the Riodgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ , The House today cited Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. for contempt of Congress It does little to break the stalemate over his decision to withhold documents over the Justice Department’s actions in a botched gun-walking operation ,called ‘Fast and Furious”
The 256-67 vote amounted to a political spanking for Mr. Holder and President Obama, 17 Democrats joined Republicans in demanding the documents be released. It also marks the first time an attorney general has been held in contempt by a chamber.
Scott Garrett: The Supreme Court Fails to Protect the Constitution in Health Care Ruling
On June 28, 2012 the United States Supreme Court ruled to uphold President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) in a 5-4 decision. I am deeply disappointed by the failure of the Supreme Court to protect the American people from an unprecedented assault on individual liberty.
The individual mandate, the foundation of the PPACA, further extends the heavy-hand of the federal government into the lives of every American by forcing individuals to purchase health insurance regardless of whether they want it or not. This Supreme Court decision will fundamentally alter the role of the federal government in our lives.
The PPACA has also passed along billions of dollars in costs to taxpayers during one of the most serious economic downturns in American history. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently projected that government spending on health care will reach $1.8 trillion while premiums will continue to rise by thousands of dollars per family in the next decade. Clearly the PPACA has not lived up to its expectations.
With our national debt ballooning to over $15 trillion, now is not the time for the federal government to increase spending on government programs we cannot afford. This unprecedented expansion of federal spending threatens our long-term economic vitality and the prosperity of future generations. Our children and grandchildren deserve to live in an America free from the strangling burden of inherited debt.
The PPACA has also suffocated small businesses with increased burdens and compliance costs. This has not helped a struggling economy where the unemployment rate has sadly been above 8 percent for 40 consecutive months. While we continue to remain in the slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression, Washington should work to eliminate the job-destroying taxes found in this legislation to give small businesses the confidence they need to create jobs.
The side-effects of the PPACA have been disastrous. Millions of lower-income families and seniors now have less choice when selecting a healthcare provider. Religious organizations have even been forced to provide services that run contrary to their fundamental religious beliefs. This is not the America our Founders envisioned.
Rather than come to the defense of our liberty, the Supreme Court has continued the century-long tendency of the judicial branch of stripping government of all limits to its power. It is now up to Congress to fully repeal and replace this legislation with market-based reforms that bring down the cost of health care for families and small businesses without sacrificing American jobs and our overall economic prosperity.
Rutgers Board of Govs on board with merger, talks with Trustees break down
The Rutgers Board of Governors has signed on to the controversial and complicated higher education reorganization plan, according to two sources familiar with the negotiations, but the talks with the Board of Trustees have broken down over amendments proposed by the body.
The sources described the amendments proposed by the Trustees as “anti labor” and said the issues related to collective bargaining protection, which negotiators thought was a closed issue.
One source said the new stack of amendments proposed by the trustees blindsided legislative negotiators as yesterday, the board had represented that the only issue left outstanding was the governance of Rutgers-Camden. That issue was settled, the source said, but the talks were nevertheless derailed by the new proposals. (Isherwood, PolitickerNJ)
Judge grants injunction on Affordable Housing Trust Funds
A Monmouth County Judge has temporarily enjoined the state from taking $13 million in affordable housing funds from the township of Marlboro.
The township filed the request for the injunction last week in advance of a July 17 deadline when any unspent affordable housing trust funds are due to be forfeited to the state.
The township had asked the judge to delcare that the township had already committed its funds and would not be subject to forfeiture to the state. Judge David Bauman found that the state had failed to adopt regulations governing how it determines if trhe money has been committed. (Isherwood, PolitickerNJ)
Conflicting priorities slow efforts to save NJ towns from floods
In a state subject to recurring floods in many places, attempts to solve local or regional problems have left some officials groping for a more comprehensive approach.
photo by Boyd Loving
When the Christie administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced plans to cooperate on a new $2.4 million study of flood prevention in the Passaic River Basin, they raised hopes in hard-hit towns in that area.
photo by Boyd Loving
A bit to the south, though, the Passaic announcement caused consternation along the Millstone River. That’s because residents of Manville and flood-prone areas upstream were equally encouraged in 2002, when the Corps agreed on a similar study of their area. But a decade later, that study is creeping along, waiting for the promised funding, while attention turns elsewhere. (Tyrrell, NJ Spotlight)
Court upholds Healthcare Mandate Calls Obamacare a Tax
June 28,2012
the staff of the Ridgewood bllog
Ridgewood NJ , In a decision that has taken many by surprise the Supreme Court today upheld the insurance mandate in President Obama’s healthcare law, a stinging defeat for conservatives who had insisted the law is unconstitutional.
The court said Congress has the authority to enforce the healthcare law’s individual mandate, which will require most U.S. taxpayers to buy insurance or pay a penalty. Chief Justice John Roberts said the mandate could survive as a tax.
Bring your family and friends to enjoy Ridgewood July 4th Celebration on Wednesday, July 4th. Buy Fireworks tickets at local stores in advance and save or online at www.ridgewoodjuly4th.org Schedule of Activities 9 AM – Flag Raising at Wilsey Square (near train station) 10 AM – Parade (Rain or Shine) 6 PM – Gates open for Fireworks – musical entertainment, twirlers, skydivers and FIREWORKS at dark. Further information – www.ridgewoodjuly4th.org
Obamacare law contains 20 new or higher taxes on American families and small businesses
On the eve of the Supreme Court’s decision on Obamacare, taxpayers are reminded that the President’s healthcare law is one of the largest tax increases in American history.
Obamacare contains 20 new or higher taxes on American families and small businesses. On Thursday, Americans for Tax Reform will do a full analysis of the tax implications of the Court’s decision.
Arranged by their respective effective dates, below is the total list of all $500 billion-plus in tax hikes (over the next ten years) in Obamacare, where to find them in the bill, and how much your taxes are scheduled to go up as of today:
Ridgewood : Declining home vales and tax appeals could stress Village finances
June 27,2012
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Readers suggest Council Women Bernie Walsh may be onto something as previously reported Councilwoman Bernadette a corporate relocation consultant in the real estate industry cited suspicions of projected tax appeal losses and in her mind the potential loss of $1 million in the next year on property tax appeals.
According to S&P : New York, June 26, 2012 – Data through April 2012, released today by S&P Indices for its S&P/Case-Shiller1 Home Price Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices, showed that on average home prices increased 1.3% in the month of April for both the 10- and 20-City Composites. This comes after seven consecutive months of falling home prices as measured by both indices….(https://tinyurl.com/bs7dtsa )
The just released S&P/Case-Shiller1 Home Price Indices show the metropolitan New York showed “Detroit and New York stand out this month as the only two MSAs ( metropolitan statistical area ) that saw their annual rates of return deteriorate compared to March. While Detroit posted a positive annual rate of 1.2%, it was still well below March’s +3.9%; New York was -3.8% in April down from -3.0% in March. Detroit was also the only city to show a monthly decline, down 3.6%. All other MSAs improved versus March. ( https://tinyurl.com/bs7dtsa )
S&P is suggesting a continued decline home values in our area which in turn could lead to more and more tax appeals.
Tax cheats got $1.4 billion in stimulus loans
By Stephen Dinan The Washington Times
Tax cheats were given $1.4 billion in government-backed mortgage loans under President Obama’s economic stimulus, and the government doled out at least an additional $27 million in tax credits to delinquents who took the first-time-homebuyer tax break, according to a government audit released Wednesday.
Under government rules, delinquent taxpayers are supposed to be ineligible for the mortgage insurance program unless they have reached a repayment agreement with the Internal Revenue Service. But the Federal Housing Administration didn’t have the right controls to weed out bad applications, said the Government Accountability Office, Congress‘ chief investigative arm.
That meant FHA insured $1.4 billion in mortgages for 6,327 borrowers who collectively owed $77.6 million in unpaid taxes, or an average of more than $12,000 each.
Fraud Ring In Hacking Attack On 60 European Banks Some 60m euro is stolen from bank accounts in a massive cyber raid, after fraudsters raid dozens of banks around the world.
By Pete Norman, Sky News Online
Sixty million euro has been stolen from bank accounts in a massive cyber bank raid after fraudsters raided dozens of financial institutions around the world.
According to a joint report by software security firm McAfee and Guardian Analytics, more than 60 firms have suffered from what it has called an “insider level of understanding”.
“The fraudsters’ objective in these attacks is to siphon large amounts from high balance accounts, hence the name chosen for this research – Operation High Roller,” the report said.
“If all of the attempted fraud campaigns were as successful as the Netherlands example we describe in this report, the total attempted fraud could be as high as 2bn euro (£1.6bn).”
Sen. Robert Menendez makes a costly mistake for N.J.
Published: Wednesday, June 20, 2012, 9:55 AM Updated: Wednesday, June 20, 2012, 10:03 AM
Star-Ledger Editorial Board By Star-Ledger Editorial Board
Sen. Robert Menendez had no legitimate grounds to block the nomination of a highly qualified woman for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals, as he has tacitly admitted himself.
But his political games have proved costly. Senate Republicans now say they won’t consider any more judicial nominees before the election, leaving U.S. Magistrate Patty Shwartz stranded.
