>GW Planning Board Meeting: Valley employees and Ridgewood police officers identified those who could enter
Ridgewood NJ- I was there. Residents were sitting in the auditorium long before the meeting ever started. A BOE employee told the residents they had to leave because he was instructed to empty and lock the GW auditorium.
Only when the vestibule was filled to capacity with Valley employees were the doors to the auditorium unlocked. The doors that were opened were suspect since the only doors open were the doors by the valley people.
Before the meeting started the doors were locked but there were plenty of empty seats. Valley empoyees stood on the front steps of GW with rw police officers and identified those who could come in. As a resident saving seats for friends who were locked out, i was being threatened to open my saved seats for those valley people who were let in after the GW doors were locked.
This was a disgrace and anyone who tries to say otherwise is ignorant to the facts! no exaggeration.
>Valley should be applauded in their endeavor to make it an even better hospital but not at the expense of the Village
Ridgewood NJ- Yes, let’s focus on the issue…Valley Hospital needs to modernize & many residents agree with this, yes, even those with signs on their lawns. But, in 1983 the council was concerned about a 25% increase in lot coverage.Times change but we are still essentially a village of residents.So why NOT be concerned with a 200% plus increase in site coverage today?!?! – in the middle of a residential neighborhood.
This will affect ALL of the Village no matter where you live. Valley should be applauded in their endeavor to make it an even better hospital than it is today, but not at the expense of the Village. The expansion as it is proposed is just too big. Valley is at a crossroads; at this stage there have been too many expansions & it is time for both the Council & Valley to reconsider gains & losses.
>Valley Renewal Ad :Looking for Facts are not Attacks
Ridgewood NJ- I fail to see the personal attacks. The issue is an ad was placed in the newspaper by people who for the most part have a financial interest in valley hospital. uncovering the fact that valley is the employer for many listed is not a personal attack it is only stating the facts that should have been listed along side each persons name on the ad. residents of ridgewood have seen the faces of CRR for many years and know who they are. the people on the ad were not very honest when they did not disclose that valley employs them.
Personally i think the hospital should modernize and i dont know anyone who disagrees . but putting such a massive complex there is just to much. they should revisit the plan on a smaller scale.
No matter what your position i think you should disclose if you are employed by the hospital or have any personal gain.
White House quietly exempts pampered politicos from Obamacare
WOLF: Tawdry details of Obamacare
White House quietly exempts pampered politicos
By Dr. Milton R. Wolf
–
The Washington Times
If you would like to know what the White House really thinks of Obamacare, there’s an easy way. Look past its press releases. Ignore its promises. Forget its talking points. Instead, simply witness for yourself the outrageous way the White House protects its best friends from Obamacare.
Last year, we learned that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had granted 111 waivers to protect a lucky few from the onerous regulations of the new national health care overhaul. That number quickly and quietly climbed to 222, and last week we learned that the number of Obamacare privileged escapes has skyrocketed to 733.
Among the fortunate is a who’s who list of unions, businesses and even several cities and four states (Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio and Tennessee) but none of the friends of Barack feature as prominently as the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
How can you get your own free pass from Obamacare? Maybe you can just donate $27 million to President Obama‘s campaign efforts. That’s what Andy Stern did as president of SEIU in 2008. He has been the most frequent guest at Mr. Obama‘s White House.
Do you have a bad case of the winter blues? It seems when those cold winter days get shorter, colder and darker, many people are over whelmed by a sense of melancholy or depression . If so, you’re not alone and data suggests that Twenty percent of the people in the United States react to the change of seasons with a type of depression called Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD for short. Symptoms typically arise in the fall and winter months, but those who are not exposed to sunlight during the day may experience SAD all year long.
I have detailed some simple steps to take to alleviate some of the symptoms ,obviously if symptoms persist you should see a doctor.
>Readers ask Ridgewood Residents for Valley in Friday’s Ridgewood News Ad why hide you affiliation with Valley ?
Ridgewood NJ- A full page ad running in the Ridgewood News, placed by the group Ridgewood Residents for Valley is outrageous and disingenuous. Don’t be fooled Ridgewood. The vast majority of these people have a financial interest in Valley. They are Valley employees, vista members, workers, etc. Go through the names and let’s start outing them on this blog!
There is a financial interest for Dr Wesson or any employee of Valley supporting this cause. Wesson isn’t making his living peddling 100% vegetable oil you know! Medical insurance, referrals, patients, hospital. Obviously Valley employees have an interest in this cause.
The Ridgewood News Ad is comprised of people who represent themselves as Ridgewood residents with no to allegiance to any party in this issue. By not disclosing their employer as Valley, hiding their full names or omitting “Dr.” from their name, they attempt to suggest no Valley affiliation. Simply not true.
Anne Raftery Denyeau. Vice President, Human Resources, Valley Health System
Mr. & Mrs. J. Brennan Mrs. Brennan longtime employee Valley Hospital
Tom & Heidi Ahlborn Dr. Ahlborn I presume? Yes! Tom & Heidi are also Valley Vista members.
Tracy Carbone, MD. OOOPS. VALLEYHEALTH.
Andrea Aluisi. RN, Valley Hospital
DR’s Baddoura (plural)
BARCLAY – let’s not go there again. When you get to the letter “D” remember Detrick is Barclay, too.
Dr. Becker of Valley? Yes it is!
Mr. Bolger, is that you?
E,f ,g h, I , j. Bored with all these Valley Dolls let me skip towards the end of the alphabet maybe something different.
Michael & Michele Wesson yes that would be Dr. Michael Wesson employed by Valley Hospital (Valley Radiation Oncology) and his wife who also has Valley connections.
Oh well. Anyone care to help fill in the blanks please do.These people should really fully identify themselves and their connection to Valley before engaging in this deception.
>The ordinance that was adopted by our Village elected officials, Pfund at the helm, was designed exclusively for Valley Hospital to pursue its expansion goals.
The ordinance that was adopted by our Village elected officials, Pfund at the helm, was designed exclusively for Valley Hospital to pursue its expansion goals. An ordinance designed to permit third party changes to the Village Master Plan is discriminatory in nature, adopted just for Valley and as it is cost prohibitive for regular residents. First and foremost, this ordinance must be removed. Also, Valley paid the bills for those third party changes to to be adopted meaning indirectly, employees of the VOR were being compensated by Valley Hospital. How could they possibly be impartial?
HUMC money behind the lawsuit? No. the planning board only think back to a night in June when hundreds of angry residents were locked out of GW while Valley Officials stood on the GW steps directing OUR Village Police officers to let only Valley people in.
This is a tactic, not to find out who is funding since the Planning Board knows that, but rather to calculate how much money CRR might have and how long to drag out before CRR can no longer sustain the suit. Don’t let that happen! PEOPLE: DONATE TODAY!!!! https://stopvalley.com/Donate.html
>Valley Renewal : The obscenity of the demand for CCR donor information illustrates how far Village “leadership” is removed from our traditional Village values.
There is no need to bother with an organization’s ranks when leaders and mission statements are in plain view. If Attorney Price wanted to see Villagers who support the CCR or oppose the expansion, she might have chosen the outside of the front door at GW as the place to stick her head that night. She would have seen hardworking taxpayers and property owners who don’t want a damn regional hospital built in their back yard.
Perhaps someone on the Village Council might have courage to step up and end this nonsense. Alternatively, does any one on the Planning board have a shred of decency (at long last)?
Pro-renewal or anti-expansion, our collective interest is to toss dithering attorneys from our payroll. One must lack moral fiber or suffer extreme myopia not to see that even if the expansion were a good thing, cheap and minor tactical shots are far outweighed by the pain and further division caused to fellow Villagers. With the Village in financial straits, we don’t need attorneys wasting our effort, time and money on frivolities.
Ultimately, however, Ms. Price reveals herself as little more than a flailing shrill. Real responsibility rests with elected and appointed officials who allowed the process to disemble. Enough already — if its not clear there are a substantial number of Villagers who are against this expansion, put the issue to a vote and let us see what the majority want to do.
Ridgewood Concert Band Friday, February 4 at 7:30PM Concert will be performed at West Side Presbyterian Church, 6 S. Monroe St., Ridgewood. Guest soloists are: Philip Smith, Principal Trumpet, NY Philharmonic; Jhaila Smith, Soprano. Prelude by Ramapo High School Wind Ensemble.
Store openings at HomeMade Pizza means turn-away crowds with nearly 2,000 residents expected to be served during the opening. From 4-7 p.m.,on Feb. 8-10, 2011. Located at 134 East Ridgewood Ave.Ridgewood, NJ 07450.
Ridgewood YMCA’s February School Vacation Camp! This cost-efficient full day camp program during the February school recess offers group games, sports, indoor recreational swim, arts and crafts projects, and special themed activities each day for 5-11 year olds. Sign up for any number of days; open to both members and non-members! Call Chris at201-444-5600 ext. 339 or [email protected] to reserve your spot today! The themes are;
Monday 2/21: Science Rocks! Tuesday 2/22: Kids in the Kitchen Wednesday 2/23: Junior Explorers Thursday 2/24: Silly Sports Friday 2/25: Movie Day
>N.J. bill aims to end nepotism at charter, public schools
School board president Gene Maeroff says he knows of a district where nepotism hiring is out of control.
That place would be Edison, he says, his own district, one of many that he says has a “notorious” reputation for hiring based on connections. (Applebaum and Lee, The Star-Ledger)
>Christie says stirrings of recovery no reason to delay debt fix
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said policymakers shouldn’t allow the nascent U.S. economic recovery to delay them from mending the state’s finances. (Dopp and Selway, Bloomberg)
>Christie signals tough line on public spending at annual chamber dinner in Washington
The public wants to hear tough talk from state and national leaders about programs that “are bankrupting us,” including public employee pensions, Social Security and Medicare, Governor Christie said Thursday at a New Jersey Chamber of Commerce dinner in Washington. (Jackson, The Record)
>Anti-Jobs legislation: Assembly looks at loopholes on layoffs
There is a state law requiring companies shutting down to give 60-day notice with pay or severance pay to workers losing their jobs. (Jordan, New Jersey Press Media)
>Rasmussen : 68% Prefer A Government With Fewer Services, Lower Taxes
House Republicans are proposing to follow their repeal of the national health care bill with billions in spending cuts, and most voters continue to favor a government that offers fewer services and lower taxes.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 68% of Likely Voters prefer a government with fewer services and lower taxes rather than a more active one with more services and higher taxes. This is virtually identical to last month and consistent with findings since September
This week I voted to repeal the so-called “Affordable Care Act.” The repeal easily passed the House of Representatives, but it faces opposition in the Senate and veto threat from the White House. Nevertheless, our action this week was an important first step in fulfilling a top Republican priority for the 112th Congress.
Public outcry against this law has been rampant, and I remain convinced it is fundamentally flawed legislation that will stifle economic growth and job creation and weaken the health care for Americans. Additionally, the legislation’s individual mandate is unconstitutional and in direct violation of the vision the founding fathers had for our country.
JOBS
When this legislation was passed, then-Speaker Pelosi promised it would create four million jobs – 400,000 immediately. Obviously, it hasn’t. Instead of encouraging America’s leading job creators, the government takeover of health care hits small businesses with more mandates, new taxes, administrative burdens and higher health care costs.
Specifically, the law disincentivizes growth for companies by creating costly penalties for failing to meet regulations. Employers will be forced to decide between hiring more employees and facing strict mandates or cutting hours and salaries of current employees to make up the costs.
Businesses are the engine of our economy, and they need room to grow and create jobs. They don’t need the roadblock this legislation represents.
COST
During last year’s health care debate, I asked numerous health care professionals in New Jersey what issue they most wanted addressed in health care reform. Medical liability was consistently at or near the top of every list. Yet, the current law does nothing to address this problem. While patients should be compensated for gross negligence by physicians, little doubt exists that our current tort system is broken.
Indeed, rising costs are a primary obstacle preventing many Americans from accessing health insurance. Yet, the Affordable Care Act does nothing to reduce costs; if anything, it drives costs even higher. In fact, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that this law will continue to increase health insurance premiums in the individual market by 10-13%. This is unacceptable.
Government regulations and intervention are not the solution. History has shown that efficiency is hardly a hallmark of government operations. The best that government can – and should – do is safeguard an environment of freedom in which businesses and individuals can work, grow, and maximize their opportunity for success.
CONSTITUTIONALITY
Much has been said about the individual mandate in the health care law, and with good reason. Never before has the government forced people to purchase a product as a condition of citizenship. Such an act moves far beyond regulating economic activity to regulating inactivity. If we allow Congress to get away with this, then there is virtually no limit to the control Washington can exert over our lives.
On the opening day of the 112th Congress, I introduced H.R. 21, the Reclaiming Individual Liberty Act, which would repeal the individual mandate in the health care law. This mandate is far removed from what our nation’s founders envisioned when they wrote the Constitution, and it’s far beyond the authority Congress rightfully has.
While I support a full “repeal and replace” of the health care law, should that effort fail, repealing the individual mandate is critical to undoing the damage caused by the Affordable Care Act.
LOOKING FORWARD
Beyond repealing the Democrats’ job-destroying health care bill, we need to replace it with real reforms that do not stifle job creation and economic prosperity.
The House has passed a resolution instructing four major committees each to develop legislation proposing replacements to the Affordable Care Act. The legislation must be designed to use market-driven solutions to decrease the number of uninsured Americans. Primarily, the proposals must:
• foster economic growth and private-sector job creation, • lower health care premiums through increased competition, and • provide individuals with pre-existing conditions access to affordable health coverage while preserving the doctor-patient relationship.
Health care affects every American, but the current law is not the solution. Absent a vibrant exchange of ideas and perspective from experts, this job-destroying monstrosity was rammed through Congress and thrust upon the public. It is our duty in this new Congress to repeal this law and replace it with a practical solution that will promote job growth and make health care more affordable for all Americans. Sincerely,
