Category: Bergen County

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2016 Holiday Financing Rip-Off Report & Store Card Landscape

stolen_credit_cards

November 1,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, With the average consumer expected to spend roughly $935 this holiday season and our annual credit-card debt tab projected to reach a record $80 billion by New Year’s, store credit cards and retailer financing “deals” are sure to be in high demand. With that in mind, WalletHub today released its 2016 Store Credit Card Landscape and Deferred Interest Financing reports in order to help keep shoppers’ wallets safe.
Deferred interest plans typically offer 0% introductory terms, but they come with a catch that distinguishes them from normal 0% credit cards. If you leave even a $1 balance unpaid balance at the end of the introductory period or you pay one of your monthly bills a day late, interest will retroactively apply to your entire original purchase amount.  So what you initially thought was a great deal could quickly devolve into a holiday nightmare. But that shouldn’t discourage folks from ever using store-affiliated plastic, as some great discounts are available. You just need to know where to look.

Report Highlights

  • All of the major retailers that offer 0% financing use deferred interest (82% are issued by just three banks: Synchrony, Citi and Comenity).
  • Pottery Barn and West Elm are among the least transparent retailers about their use of deferred-interest financing while Apple, JCPenny and Kay Jewelers are among the most transparent.
  • Roughly 99% of store credit cards do not charge an annual fee. In contrast, the average general-use credit card charges $16.42.
  • The average store credit card that offers rewards in the form of discounts gives you a 19.27% initial discount and 2.90% off every purchase moving forward.

2016’s Best Store Credit Cards

  1. Amazon.com Store Credit Card
  2. Toys R Us Store Card
  3. TJX Store Card
  4. GAP Store Card
  5. Target Credit Card

To compare more store credit card offers, try WalletHub’s helpful tool:
https://wallethub.com/credit-cards/store/

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BOMBSHELL: Gottheimer Under Investigation for Pay-for-Play Scandal

Josh Gottheimer

November 1,2016

the staff of the Rmidgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ,  Turns out that Josh Gottheimer has more in common with “family member” Hillary Clinton than he lets on.

While his mentor Hillary Clinton is under FBI scrutiny again, it’s now come out that Josh Gottheimer is currently under investigation by the United States Senate for pay-for-play allegations.

During Gottheimer’s time at the FCC, the FCC granted a conditional waiver to LightSquared, a client of Burson-Marsteller, Gottheimer’s previous employer.

“The National Broadband Plan contains an obscure provision… LightSquared is the primary beneficiary of this provision… Mr. Gottheimer may have contributed to or profited from his employer’s relationship with LightSquared and now, as the lead FCC staffer on the President’s National Broadband Plan, he may have played a role in the consideration of LightSquared’s proposed network.” (Senator Chuck Grassley, “Letter To FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski,” United States Senate, 1/30/11)

Not only did the Senate begin investigating Josh Gottheimer – The Washington Post launched its own investigation into allegations of impropriety on Gottheimer’s part.

In a shocking twist, Gottheimer refused to meet with Members of the Senate, and refused to answer questions about his role in the FCC LightSquared waiver.

Below is the timeline of the LightSquared/Gottheimer scandal – even Democrats joined the chorus of outrage over Gottheimer’s pay-for-play scheme.

November 2009: Clinton confidant Mark Penn’s Burson-Marsteller begins representation of LightSquared (Senator Chuck Grassley, “Letter To FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski,” United States Senate, 1/30/11)

June 23, 2010: Without qualifications or experience, Josh Gottheimer lands the role of FCC Senior Counselor with a special responsibility towards implementing President Obama’s National Broadband Plan (Senator Chuck Grassley, “Letter To FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski,” United States Senate, 1/30/11)

July 20, 2010: A new comprehensive public relations and marketing strategy is launched for LightSquared, spearheaded by Burson

November 18, 2010: LightSquared submits FCC application for authorization

January 19, 2011: California Democrat Rep. Anna Eshoo writes letter of concern about LightSquared waiver request

January 26, 2011: FCC grants conditional waiver to LightSquared

January 30, 2011: Sen. Charles Grassley begins investigation into Josh Gottheimer’s FCC position and his relationship to LightSquared.

February 2, 2011: Washington Democrat Sen. Patty Murray writes letter of concern about LightSquared waiver request

February 8, 2011: – Minnesota Democrat Sen. Amy Klobuchar writes letter of concern about LightSquared waiver request

September 19, 2011: The Washington Post begins an investigation into Josh Gottheimer’s involvement in LightSquare’s FCC waiver

September 23, 2011: The Wall Street Journal launches a LightSquared investigation

March 8, 2012: After months of obfuscating, Gottheimer refuses to meet with Members of the Senate raising questions about his role in the FCC LightSquared waiver

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Retirement Planning for Small Businesses at Arcola Country Club

Arcola Country Club
Retirement Planning for Small Businesses
Wed, November 02, 2016
Time: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Location: Arcola Country Club, Paramus Rd., PAramus, NJ 07652

SPEAKERS
Craig Castner
Retirement Plan Counselor
American Funds
SPONSOR
American Funds
Cocktails and Hors d’oeuvres will be served.

ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP Would you like to know more about which type of retirement plan might be best for your business? If the answer is “yes,” you’re not alone. Unfortunately, many business owners have little time to learn how their business may benefit from a retirement plan as it gets lost among the numerous day-to-day responsibilities associated with running a business. Get answers to your questions:

•I don’t think I have enough employees: Learn about plans for businesses of every size, whether you have 3 or 300 employees.
•Plans are too expensive: Retirement plan solutions are more affordable and your employees can help pay for annual costs. You may also qualify for federal tax credit which can pay for start-up costs during the first three years of the plan – up to $500 per year.
•What if the economy gets worse? A number of retirement plan solutions offer flexibility in how you run the plan. You can adjust employer contributions, according to your circumstances and profitability.
•It sounds complicated. Today’s small-business plans are relatively easy to set up and operate. Some have no annual IRS reporting requirements. So you can focus on what’s really important —running your business.
RSVP
Email Anita Srivastava at [email protected] or 201-251-6538
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Days of cheap gas coming to a sad end in New Jersey

gas tax nj

BY BRUCE SHIPKOWSKI
THE RECORD

JACKSON  — The end has come for a long-celebrated tradition for Pennsylvania and New York drivers: Starting Tuesday, cheap gas in New Jersey is a thing of the past.

Cheap gas has long been the siren that lured drivers in neighboring states to New Jersey. And since residents there pay the highest property taxes in the nation, drivers have always seen the low fuel prices as one of the ways to keep down the cost of living in the nation’s most densely populated state.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/days-of-cheap-gas-coming-to-a-sad-end-in-new-jersey-1.1685132

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Municipal tax offices have been slow to respond to a tepid real estate recovery, especially in modest neighborhoods

for sale Ridgewood_Real_Estate_theRodgewopodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving

BY DAVE SHEINGOLD
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Homeowners at the lower end of North Jersey’s housing market — still suffering disproportionately from the real-estate slump — are now taking another hit in the form of inflated property tax bills that may be costing them hundreds of dollars extra per year.

An analysis by The Record shows that municipal tax offices across the region have been slow to respond to a prevailing trend of the recent tepid recovery — property values in most towns rising more slowly in modest neighborhoods — saddling those homeowners with an increasingly larger share of the property tax burden.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/municipal-tax-offices-have-been-slow-to-respond-to-a-tepid-real-estate-recovery-especially-in-modest-neighborhoods-1.1685223

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Rep. Scott Garrett Gets Recognized as A Champion for Taxpayers and Small business

Scott Garrett Bergen County
October 30,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Every time any of us look at our paycheck, we are painfully reminded that taxes are too high.
Since taking control two years ago, Bergen County Democrats have RAISED COUNTY TAXES (not even including school and municipal) by a STAGGERING THIRTY FOUR MILLION DOLLARS — that’s more than FIVE TIMES THE INFLATION RATE!

While , CD5 Rep, Scott Garrett received both Club for Growth’s Defender of Economic Freedom award , the National Federation of Independent Business’s Guardian of Small Business Award and the National Taxpayers Union’s Taxpayers’ Friend award.

Garrett said , “I am proud to have received the Club for Growth’s Defender of Economic Freedom award, the National Federation of Independent Business’s Guardian of Small Business Award, and just this week, the National Taxpayers Union’s Taxpayers’ Friend award. These awards are given to Members of Congress that support policies to fix our broken tax code and revive our country’s economy. They also serve as a reminder that the fruits of your labor belong to you, not politicians or faceless bureaucrats that seek to reward special interests.”

Garrett continued , “Taxes should be designed to meet the legitimate needs of government and no more. That starts with fixing the broken tax code to make it should be simpler, fairer, and lower so that it is not only easy to do your taxes, but at critical moments in life – such as starting a family or buying a home – you have greater peace of mind. The tax code should encourage free enterprise so that wages can rise, jobs can be created, and opportunity for all Americans can be expanded. Simply put, the tax code should promote a vibrant American economy where all families can thrive.

Garrett concluded , “New Jerseyans are frustrated by bureaucrats who continuously waste tax dollars. You should not be forced to compete with powerful special interests over the money you earned. You deserve a tax system that puts the taxpayer first. That’s why I am fighting to keep more of your money in your own pocket instead of sending it to Washington to be wasted by bureaucrats.”
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Josh Gottheimer’s $2 billion conflict of interest that is the Clinton Foundation

Josh Gottheimer

October 29,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, News has just broken that the FBI is reopening its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails. Will Josh Gottheimer FINALLY denounce Clinton’s unscrupulous actions and the Clinton Foundation improprieties?

If Josh Gottheimer refuses to denounce Hillary Clinton, it shows that he is beholden to the Clinton network as a result of their efforts – documented in the Wikileaks email releases – to help him buy a seat in Congress. It also shows that he accepts their belief that some people are “above the law,” as shown by Josh’s own actions in refusing to pay his taxes and his lack of transparency relating to the settlement after his assault of a woman.

Josh Gottheimer cannot honestly say he is running to represent the interests of the Fifth District, when he still supports the Clintons and the $2 billion conflict of interest that is the Clinton Foundation.

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Gov. Christie Highlights PSE&G Post-Sandy Investments to Improve Reliability with Visit to Hackensack

PSEG

file photo by Boyd Loving

$1.2 billion infrastructure upgrades are making New Jersey Energy Strong

October 29,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Hackensack NJ, Today, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie joined PSE&G President and COO Ralph LaRossa at a Hackensack substation to highlight the infrastructure investments made since Superstorm Sandy left millions of people without power in the state four years ago tomorrow. Two-thirds of the equipment at the substation, which flooded during Sandy, has been raised 4.5 feet, and the remaining switchgear will be raised in the spring, ensuring more reliable service during future storms.

“Sandy was the second-worst natural disaster in American history that shook the lives of just about everyone,” Governor Christie said. “Unseen before in modern New Jersey, this superstorm interrupted 71 percent of New Jersey’s electric distribution system, cut power for 2.8 million residential and commercial customers and taught us difficult lessons about energy reliability and utility infrastructure. Over the last four years, under my administration, PSE&G has made significant progress raising and rebuilding switching and substations like Hackensack, as well as making other improvements, to increase the resiliency of New Jersey’s infrastructure and create a distribution grid that is far stronger and smarter than before.”

During Sandy, 2 million of PSE&G’s 2.2 million electric customers lost power. “Hackensack is one of 29 switching and substations that are being raised or rebuilt to make them more resilient against storms,” LaRossa said. “Because of our infrastructure investments to date, if a Sandy-like storm were to occur today, about 225,000 customers impacted by flooded substations and switching stations during Sandy would not lose power. And customers who did lose power would be restored more quickly. We appreciate the support of the Governor and the BPU in getting this program started.”

LaRossa added, “This work is also benefitting New Jersey’s economy by creating thousands of jobs over the life of the program.”

The newly fortified stations are part of PSE&G’s $1.2 billion, multi-year Energy Strong program to make its infrastructure more reliable and resilient to severe weather. When the Energy Strong upgrades are complete, 460,000 PSE&G customers previously impacted would not lose power from flooding and all PSE&G electric customers would experience faster restoration times.

“When our Energy Strong program is complete, more than 250 hospitals and other critical customers who lost power during Sandy would either stay in service or have their restoration time greatly reduced,” said LaRossa.

Since Superstorm Sandy, PSE&G has invested $74 million in technology to reduce the number and duration of outages for hospitals and other critical customers. For example, when the Somerset Medical Center in Somerville experienced an outage during bad weather last year, the new technology enabled technicians to remotely switch them back into service in just 10 minutes – one-fifth of the time it would have taken without the upgrade. Also benefiting from this work are 400,000 customers and businesses in close proximity to critical customers where the technology has been installed.

In addition to Energy Strong electric upgrades, PSE&G has made great strides ensuring a more reliable and resilient natural gas system during flooding. The utility has installed 240 miles of new, sturdy and durable plastic natural gas pipes in flood-prone areas. Approximately 90,000 customers served by those pipes are no longer at risk of losing gas service from floodwaters seeping into these previously leak-prone mains. In addition, the danger of leaks of methane gas has been virtually eliminated in the new pipes.

The Energy Strong programs also provide the capability to remotely restore large numbers of customers. The program gives PSE&G the ability to remotely make changes on the circuits so they can be worked safely in the field, significantly improving crew productivity and restoration times.

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Rollover Motor Vehicle Accident at Century Road in Paramus Closes Route 17 North

Rollover Motor Vehicle Accident at Century Road

photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page

October 28,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Paramus NJ, Paramus PD, FD, EMS, and Rescue Squad personnel responded to a rollover motor vehicle accident at the intersection of Century Road East and Route 17 North on Thursday morning, 10/27. Two (2) vehicles were involved in a collision that resulted in one (1) rolling over on its roof. The crash resulted in a fluid spill that required DOT/Hazmat response. A flatbed tow truck removed both vehicles from the location. The number of victims and condition of same was not made available at the scene. A paramedic unit from Hackensack University Medical Center was also dispatched to the incident. One (1) access ramp at the Century Road East/Route 17 North interchange were closed while emergency crews worked.

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Gottheimer Ducks Debate with Garrett

abc_ann_pp_gottheimer_101221_wg

October 28,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ,  After months of name calling Gottheimer is a no show . Despite claiming he would be available to debate “any day,” Josh Gottheimer conveniently accepted a competing invitation in order to avoid debating Rep. Scott Garrett. Garrett for Congress has now learned that this competing debate was canceled last week, and yet Gottheimer chose to hide from tonight’s debate at Congregation Bnai Yeshurun.

“Josh Gottheimer is a liar,” said Garrett for Congress Campaign Manager Sarah Neibart. “He claimed he would be willing to debate Congressman Garrett, but Gottheimer is obviously only interested in political posturing – not actually explaining to Fifth District voters where he stands on the issues.”

This latest attempt at obfuscation comes on the heels of Gottheimer’s attempted cover-up of allegations he aggressively intimidated and assaulted a woman. He’s repeatedly lied to reporters, saying, “there was no settlement,” when in fact, there was.

Josh Gottheimer is a political insider willing to lie and scheme his way into Congress. The Fifth District deserves better than that.

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Gottheimer failed to pay his property taxes – not once, not twice – but six times

Josh Gottheimer

October 28,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ,  Josh Gottheimer is covering up allegations about a court case where he was charged with aggressively intimidating and assaulting a woman. He’s repeatedly lied to reporters, saying, “there was no settlement,” when in fact, there was.Now, Garrett for Congress has uncovered new information that Gottheimer failed to pay his property taxes – not once, not twice – but six times.

Intimidation? Tax evasion? What else is Josh Gottheimer hiding? Like his mentor Hillary Clinton, Josh Gottheimer clearly thinks he is above the law.

“Charged with aggressive intimidation and assault at his condo, Josh Gottheimer dismisses his victim’s ordeal as frivolous. But he settled out of court to hide the truth:  Gottheimer bought her silence. And what else is he hiding? He failed to pay his property taxes on this same luxury DC condo six times, yet Gottheimer wants you to pay more in taxes. Josh Gottheimer thinks he’s above the law. Josh Gottheimer’s values aren’t New Jersey values.”

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Health coverage eats up 9% of NJ household budgets

obamacare_theridgewoodblog

BY KATHLEEN LYNN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

New Jersey workers paid an average of $4,900 for family health coverage last year, up from about $3,000 in 2006, a new report from the Commonwealth Fund said on Tuesday.

That increase came even though the growth of health premiums slowed in the years after the Affordable Care Act — Obamacare — was enacted in 2010.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/health-coverage-costs-rising-1.1682825

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Gottheimer Continues to Deny and Lie About Assault Allegation Suit Settlement

Joshua S

Gottheimer’s Clinton Tactics: Deny and Lie – To The Press

#WhatIsJoshHiding #ReleaseTheSettlement

October 27,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Josh Gottheimer has been inundating some say coordinating with the New Jersey press corps with a daily dose of emails for months calling Congressman Scott Garrett every name in the book. (You stay classy, Josh Gottheimer)

And yet when it comes to allegations about a court case where he was charged with aggressively intimidating and assaulting a woman, he issues awkward denials or just won’t answer questions. He’s repeatedly lied to reporters, saying, “there was no settlement.”

He probably thinks he doesn’t need the New Jersey press corps because his Burson-Marsteller and Clinton worlds have him in pretty tight with the DC press corps.

Why won’t Josh answer simple questions that the press has asked?

  • Why won’t Josh produce the settlement documents to show what really happened? What is he hiding?
  • How much money was the plaintiff paid to drop the lawsuit?
  • What other non-monetary settlement was reached?
  • Was the plaintiff threatened or harassed to settle?
  • Was the plaintiff offered political favors to drop the lawsuit?
  • If nothing happened why didn’t Josh take case to court rather than pay the plaintiff off?

Hillary Clinton has lied to the press and the American people because she thinks that the ends justify the means and she’s willing to do or say anything to get elected. Sound familiar?

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Americans More Scared of Clowns than Climate Change

creepy clown

by JAMES DELINGPOLE

Americans are more scared of clowns than they are of climate change.

According to a poll conducted byChapman University, 42 per cent of Americans are afraid of clowns, whereas only 32 per cent are afraid of climate change.

They’re also more scared of terrorist attacks (41 per cent), gun rights infringement (38 per cent), family members dying (38 per cent), economic collapse (37 per cent), Obamacare (36 per cent), and biological warfare (35 per cent).

https://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/10/26/americans-scared-clowns-climate-change/

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Assemblywoman Phoebus Asks: #WhatIsJoshHiding

Assemblywoman Gail Phoebus

October 26,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Josh Gottheimer is covering-up information about a 2007 assault, according to accusations from concerned citizens in northern New Jersey. Court documents recently surfaced confirming that Gottheimer was sued for aggressively assaulting, discriminating against, and intimidating a tenant who lived in the same Washington, D.C. condo building.

“Why won’t Josh produce the settlement documents to show what really happened? What is he hiding?” said Assemblywoman Gail Phoebus. “If there’s no real scandal, Josh shouldn’t have an issue providing the voters of the Fifth District with answers.”

When asked about the lawsuit, Gottheimer’s team called it “frivolous,” but stopped short of denying the allegations. Gottheimer also said that the lawsuit was dismissed, but closer examination of the court documents reveal that the case was actually settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.

The terms of the settlement are not publicly available, and Gottheimer has refused to release them in the week since the documents surfaced. Calls for Gottheimer to share the details are growing, including questions about why he settled the case instead of having it heard in court.

We’ve repeatedly called on Gottheimer to answer for his actions, and asked: was the plaintiff was threatened or harassed to settle; what other non-monetary settlement was reached; and was the plaintiff offered political favors to drop the lawsuit?

Gottheimer says the lawsuit was simply dismissed but he conveniently leaves out the fact that it was settled out of court. He also refuses to say how much money the victim was paid and what else was offered to her in return for ending the lawsuit.

Gottheimer, a longtime Clinton ally and political strategist, has raised large amounts of money from around the country through his connections to the Clinton network and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s super PAC. He’s trying to use his D.C. connections and Clinton rolodex to buy a seat in Congress.

Gottheimer, who has run an almost entirely negative, mud-slinging campaign against Congressman Garrett, is also being called a hypocrite for claiming to stand with women while refusing to release details of the assault.

As is so often the case with Clinton cronies like Gottheimer, it’s clear that his actions don’t match his words.