Who does Mena know in RW? Why is this even being posted here? Just to get sympathy? Money? What?
Reader responds , “Ummm, probably because the RW Blog covers local, STATE, and national news? Up there at the top in the header right under the giant title “The Ridgewood Blog”. Also, because it’s a human-interest story, one in line with the laissez-fairs perspective, which is also in big letters up top? Maybe TRWB is just damn good at finding and sharing interesting current events. Also, why does someone have to have an ulterior motive for wanting to conduct themselves peacefully on their own property? If you’re cool with the government coming down on you and your family and your neighbors arbitrarily, then move along. What’s your ulterior motive for presupposing an ulterior motive?
Trenton NJ, taxes are getting so outrageous in New Jersey even some Democrats are getting nervous . State Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-1) said he opposes a seasonal rental tax.
“This is something that I thought a lot of us had made clear, that there is an out-migration of people from New Jersey and we have to be really careful on what we do, and we really have to be careful about adding on more and more taxes and fees. New Jerseyans have been taxed, tolled and charged to death.”
The fact is there are plenty of Beaches in Driving distance that are not in New Jersey
Trenton NJ, This morning Governor Phil Murphy proclaimed that he can solve the budget stalemate in 30 minutes, and stated that “if folks have a reasonable, credible response,” he would be willing to “entertain” a different approach. NJGOP Chairman Steinhardt accepted the Governor’s challenge and offered a Republican alternative to raising taxes and fees.
“The GOP can offer Phil Murphy a credible solution in a lot less than 30 minutes. It starts with living within our means,” said Chairman Steinhardt. “Put taxpayers’ interests ahead of political patrons’ and special interests. Cap state spending at 2%, like the state does at the local level. Agree not to insert a new spending provision without eliminating an existing one in order to tow the budget line, and freeze new tax increases. Finally, we can save $2 billion off the bat by addressing the state’s pension crisis. We can even take these reforms right from Governor Murphy’s own, 2005 report! There are reasonable alternatives to the Governor’s tax and spend mentality, all he has to do is have the courage to reach across the aisle to find them.”
Trenton NJ, Assembly sponsors of Right to Work legislation praised the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision today that government workers cannot be required to pay union fees as a condition of working in public service.
“This decision restores free speech and freedom of association to every public school teacher and government worker across New Jersey,” said Assemblywoman Amy Handlin (R-Monmouth). “For far too long, unions have propped themselves up with money skimmed out of paychecks despite the workers’ objections.”
Handlin’s legislation (A183) would make New Jersey the twenty-ninth Right to Work state by allowing workers to decide whether to join a union. Assemblyman Robert Auth also sponsors the legislation.
After the top court’s decision, New Jersey’s 475,000 state and local public workers could opt out of their unions – taking money and political clout with them.
“This is a victory for rank-and-file teachers,” said Auth (R-Bergen). “Big unions have concentrated on procuring power and excessively paying its leadership while neglecting teachers in the classrooms. The NJEA’s executive director was paid $1.2 million thanks to dues as high as eleven-hundred dollars imposed on full-time teachers.”
Auth pointed to a Star-Ledger investigation that found the NJEA gave its top leadership a 42 percent pay raise in 2016. On average, the fourteen officers identified as NJEA leaders earned more than $530,000 — up from $379,000 the year before.
New Jersey is one of just 22 states where public employees can be forced to join and pay dues to a public union.
MOUNTAINSIDE NJ The Hugin for Senate campaign continued a statewide tour of roundtable events to discuss the affordability crisis gripping New Jersey and the impact of the proposed state budgets in Red Bank this morning.
Speaking to local business owners, Hugin discussed taxes, burdensome regulations, and healthcare with the group. John Dwyer, who represents the Hazlet Business Owners Association that includes more than 150 local businesses, kicked off the discussion on the impact of tax hikes on employees and employers.
“More taxes aren’t the solution, they’re only going to make things worse,” said Dwyer. “My employees are hard working folks that know how to hustle, but elected officials needs to wake up and realize they are hurting employees and employers with their pie in the sky efforts.”
“What government doesn’t understand is that we have to look at everything. Healthcare, for example, for employers is out of sight. If we can figure out that issue, it would probably solve most of the problems we as business owners have,” said Rena Levine Levy, co-owner of WindMill Restaurants, a chain that started in 1963 in Long Branch.
“Making New Jersey more affordable means seeking ways to support small businesses and encourage job creation. The fight in Trenton—over which taxes to increase—isn’t addressing the problem: the state is becoming an increasingly unaffordable place to live and operate a business,” said U.S. Senate candidate Bob Hugin.
Hugin’s affordability tour will continue tomorrow in Toms River where he will be meeting with young professionals and later in the day in Bayville where he will be meeting with seniors.
Bob Hugin, a Marine Corps Veteran and business leader who has created thousands of New Jersey jobs, is running for U.S. Senate to challenge incumbent Senator Bob Menendez. For more information visit bobhugin.com.
Paterson NJ, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Chief Troy Oswald announce that Jose Muniz, 21, of Paterson, Jose Taverez, 21, of Bronx, New York, Manuel Rivera, 18, of Bronx, New York, Danel Fernandez, 21, of Bronx, New York, Joniki Martinez, 24, of Freeport, New York, and Santiago Rodriguez, 24, of Bronx, New York were arrested June 24th in Paterson, for the homicide of a Bronx teen.
According to authorities, Muniz, Taverez, Rivera, Fernandez, Martinez, and Rodriguez are scheduled for an extradition hearing before the Honorable Ernest M. Caposela, A.J.S.C. on June 26th at 1:30, p.m.
Officials say Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz, 15, was dragged out of the Cruz and Chiky Grocery store – located on E. 183rd Street and Bathgate Avenue in the Belmont section of the Bronx – at about 11:40 p.m. on Wednesday and was brutally killed.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. Despite this accusation, defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office asks anyone with additional information about this incident to contact us on our tips line at 1-877-370-PCPO or [email protected]
Let me try to put this year’s state budget insanity into perspective. Last year the Democrat Legislature shutdown the government because they were fighting over a $34.7 billion dollar spending plan, and this year they are fighting with Democrat Governor Phil Murphy over two spending plans: their plan to spend $36.5 billion and Murphy’s plan of $37.4 billion. Except this time it is over which taxes to hike to fund their irresponsible spending increase.
New Jersey’s Democrats can’t even agree on how much to increase spending and how much to raise taxes; meanwhile the state careens ever faster toward financial disaster. New Jersey has had more people move-out the past six years than any other state in the nation because housing costs and taxes are sky-high, which makes me ponder when New Jersey Democrats will stop the insanity.
“I live in Andover township and I’m trying to keep my emotional support chickens. The town ordinance says that in order to have poultry you need 6 acres. We are not raising our chickens for a food source we are raising them for support animals. I have a doctor’s note saying that I need them for my PTSD they help to calm me and give me purpose but the town is telling me that there is nothing they can do to help me. The town is aware that other towns people have chickens but will not be violating any of them. My question is how is that fair especially when I need them for mental health reasons??
Rivervale NJ, Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi had this report on the states budget negotiations, ” Fascinating conference call. I joined in the Democratic State Committee conference call with Governor Murphy 1-609-246-3298 to talk about the budget. There is a proposed spending increase of several billion dollars, tax increases on everything from Uber rides, Air BnB, gas tax increases, corporate business taxes, hospital taxes, sales tax, vape tax, internet sales tax, sports betting taxes, firearm taxes, among others but that isn’t enough. The Governor’s spending proposal is so high that even with all these tax increases there is a potential $1 BILLION deficit, with only partial school funding, partial pension payments and no reforms whatsoever. Instead there is the push to further increase the sales tax, the small business tax, the corporate business tax and a millionaire’s tax.
During this call Governor Murphy’s talking points are as follows:
1. Fiscal year ends Saturday and the Democrats are meeting but NJ needs sustainable long term revenues in place — aka permanent additional tax increases beyond those mentioned above.
2. NJ needs to stop kicking the can down the road — NJ must must move beyond that. We need to break the back of that culture.
We need to ensure “hand outs” are available. They deserve it.
I agree with the Governor that NJ needs to stop kicking the can down the road. We must make cuts. We need to reform our pension system. We must change our school funding formula. We must change our healthcare system.
3. Property Taxes – the Governor said property taxes are so high because of our public educational system and that additional taxes would help with this burden.
Unfortunately this statement is just not true. Even if our current funding formula was fully funded the average suburban community still receives virtually no funding. By way of example, River Vale currently receives $455 per student per year in school funding. In the event the school funding formula was fully funded River Vale would receive a maximum of less than $1,000 per student per year in school funding. All 70 of the Bergen County school districts combined would still receive less than Jersey City. Bergen County currently contributes more than 30 percent of the total taxes paid and receives less than 3 percent of those monies back. Under the new tax proposals we may send down more than 35-40 percent and receive back even less.
Don’t believe the hype. We need to stop being a piggy bank.
Washington DC, US Supreme Court rules states can collect sales tax for online purchases nationwide . Online shoppers could find costs going up after the Supreme Court did away Thursday with a decades-old precedent limiting the ability of states to collect sales tax on certain out-of-state Internet purchases.
The 5-4 ruling called the current rules “unsound and incorrect.” The Court shot down the “physical presence” required .Currently, businesses shipping a product to another state where it does not have a “physical presence” — a store, office or warehouse — are not forced to collect that state’s sales tax.
The high court said that rule is outdated, “When the day-to-day functions of marketing and distribution in the modern economy are considered, it is all the more evident that the physical presence rule is artificial in its entirety,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote.
The current regulation “allows remote sellers to escape an obligation to remit a lawful state tax is unfair and unjust,” added Kennedy. “It is unfair and unjust to those competitors, both local and out of state, who must remit the tax; to the consumers who pay the tax; and to the states that seek fair enforcement of the sales tax.”
Trenton NJ, Two California men who were arrested in Mercer County, New Jersey, with over 50 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and nine kilograms of heroin appeared Wednesday in Trenton federal court, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced, following a following a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark investigation, which also included N.J. State Police, and Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division.
Gabriel Acosta Villa, 29, of Lake Forest, California, and Oscar Perez Jr., 23, of Santa Ana, California, are both charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin. They appeared this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lois H. Goodman and were detained.
According to the complaint:
On June 17, 2018, law enforcement officers received information that a commercial truck driver and his accomplice planned to sell approximately 50 pounds of crystal methamphetamine to a buyer in the Trenton area. Law enforcement officers set up surveillance near the parking lot of a Robbinsville, New Jersey, restaurant and observed Acosta walking through the parking lot with two large bags. After Acosta entered a nearby vehicle, law enforcement officers stopped the vehicle and discovered 51.31 pounds of a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.
After detaining Acosta, law enforcement officers searched the area and discovered Perez walking alone near the loading docks of a nearby hardware store. A large white tractor trailer was parked nearby with the engine still running. A subsequent search of the tractor’s cab uncovered 9.5 kilograms of a substance that tested positive for heroin.
Both defendants face a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a $10 million fine.
U.S. Attorney Carpentio credited special agents of HSI Cherry Hill, under the direction of Resident Agent in Charge Richard Reinhold, and overseen by Acting Special Agent in Charge Brian Michael of HSI Newark, and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Valerie A. Nickerson in Newark, with the investigation. He also thanked officers of the N.J. State Police, under the direction of Superintendent Col. Patrick J. Callahan, for their assistance.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Lorber of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
Trenton NJ, Lawmakers in New Jersey approved a bill Thursday that would slap a 5-cent fee on single-use plastic and paper bags.State lawmakers say it is a bill that both attempts to reduce waste, while bringing in revenue to the tackle specific environmental cleanup.
According to Northjersey.com, the A-3267/S-2600 bill, was first considered by legislative committees on Tuesday and approved by the full Senate and Assembly on Thursday. The votes were 23-16 in the Senate and 41-32 in the Assembly.
The New Jersey measure would impose a nickel fee on single-use plastic and paper bags at supermarkets, pharmacies, large retailers and chain restaurants. However, individuals who are over 65 years old or are using government assistance to pay for groceries are exempted from paying the fee.
Joe Sinagra chimed in , “I will guarantee you that plastic straws will be targeted next.
Either you will have to carry around a personal straw or be subject to paying a straw ‘fee’ . . . a Straw Tax.
The money collected will go towards a plastic awareness campaign.
After that the Democrats will create a Plastic Waste Commission with 6 figure salaries, and the state plastic coffers will have a ‘0’ balance . . . so naturally the fees will need to be increased.”
Trenton NJ, Following failed talks with Governor Phil Murphy, the state Senate this evening proceeded with passage of its own $36.5 billion budget as an alternative to Murphy’s version. The cornerstone of the budget would be a hike in corporate taxes .
The budget passed 21-17.Republican Senators Kristin Corrado and Kip Bateman voted yes on the budget and Democratic Senators Dick Codey, Nick Sacco, Nia Gill and Ronald Rice opposed it.
Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi summed it all up for New Jersey ,”Tonight the NJ Legislature passed a bill which increases our corporate business taxes to the highest in the nation. Here is a floor speech I gave highlighting some of the reasons I voted no. Representing a district that has recently lost Sony, Hertz and Mercedes, among other corporations, to more business friendly states I could not in good conscience vote to further eliminate our ability to compete.”
“This budget at the end of the day does nothing to make New Jersey more affordable,” said Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean, Jr. (R-21).
Trenton NJ, late afternoon meetings gave some hope that a budget deal would be reached , the Democratic controlled legislature will now move forward with its own budget.
Talks with the Governor appear to have collapsed for the moment.
“The Governor’s doing a press conference alone, that should tell you something,” a statehouse source said and at the press conference Governor Phil Murphy to blame the Christie Administration, saying ,”Unfortunately the legislature seems intent on keeping the legacy of Chris Christie intact in Trenton,”
Speaker Craig Coughlin went back to his caucus to report the news were he told his members he’s going forward with the alternative budget pushed by state Democrats .
For their part Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick and Assemblyman Tony Bucco said , “Our caucus is united,We won’t vote for a tax increase. [They] can call it anything they want.
Will Urge Senate on Thursday to Exercise Its Constitutional Authority to Withhold Appropriation for Retroactive Raises.
Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean has introduced a resolution urging the Legislature to reject $100 million of retroactive back payments that Governor Phil Murphy is attempting to give to public employee union members.
Sen. Tom Kean will urge the Legislature to reject $100 million of retroactive back payments that Gov. Phil Murphy is attempting to give to public employee union members. (Pixabay)
“Governor Murphy’s plan to give $100 million of retroactive raises to public workers is obscene given his repeated statements that New Jersey is in such poor fiscal shape that we have no choice but to raise taxes by billions,” said Kean. “Thankfully the Governor has no ability to fund this giveaway to his union friends without legislative approval. As we debate the FY19 State budget tomorrow, I will urge the Legislature to exercise its constitutional authority to deny an appropriation for these unaffordable back payments.”
Kean’s resolution, SCR-127, disapproves of Governor Murphy’s proposal to award retroactive raises to approximately 32,000 Executive Branch employees in an amount totaling more than $100 million.
The Governor’s plan to provide the back payments follows his unilateral approval of a Memorandum of Agreement with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) that provides for the retroactive raises.
The resolution illustrates the excesses of the deal, highlighting the example of a public employee with a current salary of $70,000. Under the contract agreed to by Governor Murphy, that taxpayer-funded employee would receive an immediate windfall payment of $20,000 for retroactive pay increases. Further, the employee’s salary would immediately rise to approximately $87,000, representing a permanent pay increase of more than 23 percent.
“Middle-class workers in the private sector, employees of non-profits supporting our communities, and thousands of public servants who aren’t members of a politically influential union won’t get 23-percent salary increases or retroactive raises, but they’ll all pay through higher taxes for the massive checks that Governor Murphy wants to send to certain union employees,” said Kean. “For someone who talks a lot about fairness, the Governor’s giveaway to the CWA represents anything but a fair deal for New Jersey taxpayers.”
Kean said there’s no room for the lavish giveaway given the competing tax proposals being pushed by Governor Murphy and legislative Democrats.
“Governor Murphy is pushing a $1.7 billion tax increase plan, while Democratic legislators are offering a competing plan to raise taxes by $1 billion,” added Kean. “Given the severity of the multitude of tax raising proposals from Democrats, it’s shocking that none of them are looking for opportunities to eliminate unnecessary spending. This frivolous budget addition of $100 million to fund retroactive raises is a good place to start. I’ll urge the Senate to act tomorrow to cut off funding for the Governor’s excessively generous union agreement.”
