the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, joined by Republican Senators Joe Pennacchio, Anthony M. Bucco, Steve Oroho, Kristin Corrado and Michael Testa, issued the following statement in response to coverage in The Star-Ledger questioning why the Legislature has failed to act on important hearings to investigate the State’s pandemic preparedness.
Continue reading Murphy Administration Delays Investigation in COVID19 Response
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, once again Governor Phil Murphy has told New Jersey residents , “if you don’t like his policies leave.” During a press conference on Friday, Murphy snapped at reporters questioning his slow reopening of the state and poor handling of the pandemic, saying, “If you don’t like our leadership here, why don’t you go down to Georgia and see how that feels.”
Continue reading Governor Murphy Says if you Don’t like it Leave and People are in Droves
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, With the U.S. gaining 4.8 million jobs in June and the national unemployment rate at 11.1% compared to the nearly historic high of 14.7% at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, WalletHub today released updated rankings for the States Whose Unemployment Rates Are Bouncing Back Most, along with accompanying videos and audio files, to illustrate which areas of the country have had the best recovery so far.
Continue reading New Jersey has the 2nd Worst Unemployment Rate Recovery
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, In a strong stance against the bonding legislation passed by the Senate today, Senator Dawn Addiego issued the following statement:
“Asking New Jersey taxpayers to solely shoulder what equates to a 35 year tax increase without the transparency that accompanies a public referendum is the absolute wrong way to approach this crisis. We are all in this pandemic together. Solving the budget challenges brought on by it should be no different. This is a pivotal moment that will impact the lives of New Jersey families for generations – they deserve an opportunity to vote on it.”
Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
TRENTON NJ, Governor Phil Murphy signed into law the “New Jersey COVID-19 Emergency Bond Act,” which authorizes the state to borrow up to $9.9 billion to address the unprecedented fiscal crisis that has arisen as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.“The passage of this legislation is an important step in New Jersey’s recovery from the economic ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Governor Murphy said. “While this is by no means a silver bullet, the ability to responsibly borrow is essential to meeting our fiscal needs in the coming year.”
Continue reading Legislator Gives Murphy Administration a $10 Billion Blank Check
Statement by Ralph Albert Thomas, CPA (DC), CGMA, CEO and Executive Director
New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants
ROSELAND NJ, We are deeply concerned that the proposed $9.9 billion borrowing plan announced by Governor Murphy and currently moving through the Legislature will have far-reaching consequences, affecting New Jersey’s ability to grow and attract business.
There is no doubt that New Jersey will require additional resources during this COVID-19 crisis. To address this, we need a comprehensive fiscal strategy that includes all tools at our disposal. Absent that, any plan for borrowing now is premature.
Continue reading New Jersey Can’t Borrow Its Way Off This Fiscal Cliff
The following editorial by Senator Steven Oroho (R-24) on an unconstitutional plan proposed by Governor Phil Murphy to borrow $10 billion to fund State operating expenses over the next 12 months was published by NJ.com on July 15, 2020:
The Murphy Administration and the Democratic legislators are prepared to move forward with the largest borrowing scheme in state history. They are seeking to raise $10 billion through bonding to fund state spending over the next 12 months.
This fiscally irresponsible plan could cost New Jersey taxpayers tens of billions of dollars in debt and interest payments over the next 35 years, depending on the interest rate. They will say “it’s a good time to borrow because interest rates are low.”
Continue reading Murphy’s Unconstitutional $10 Billion Borrowing Scheme Is ‘Wacko on Steroids’
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, Senator Declan O’Scanlon again sounded the alarm warning of the dire fiscal consequences of the Governor’s plan to borrow $10 billion to fill shortfalls in the State budget.
“This devastating scheme is fiscally indefensible and unconstitutional. There’s a legal opinion that says we cannot borrow without voter approval to fill a hole in our budget,” said O’Scanlon. “In the most unaffordable state in the nation, it is unfathomable the Governor and Democrats would propose a ‘solution’ of this magnitude.
Continue reading Governors Borrowing Scheme Impending Fiscal Disaster
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, In response to recent news that Governor Murphy has decided to close many Wildlife Management Areas due to budgetary constraints, the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance (NJOA) and the 10th District Legislators agree that this plan doesn’t make sense. Senator Jim Holzapfel and Assemblymen Greg McGuckin and John Catalano are calling on the Governor to reconsider these closures and reopen the areas that are funded through profits made from the users of the parks and license fees.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, According to reports over the weekend, the Murphy Administration continues to struggle with fulfilling the unemployment claims of suffering New Jersey residents. Legislators continue to grow frustrated with the lack of communication with Murphy’s staff at the Department of Labor.
Continue reading Murphy Administration continues to struggle with fulfilling the unemployment claims
Continue reading The dog days of summer have officially arrived in more ways than one
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Linwood NJ, former gubernatorial,candidate Joseph Rudy Rullo commented on the close vote count in the GOP Senatorial primary and explained the situation in a comment on Facebook on Saturday
“Thank you to all my supporters who worked so hard to elect Hirsh Singh in GOP primary to remove Cory Booker from politics. We will not know who the winner is most likely until July 22nd. This will be when all ballots are counted for those who voted in person. Many mail in ballots coming in until next Tuesday deadline will not even be counted until that Wednesday. Hirsh has almost 80% of the vote in 4 of the most Republican counties and if this trend continues in combination of even more new ballots to count numbers will change significantly. Nobody has any idea of how many people actually voted until all mail in ballots are received, so how can you even figure out mathematically. The universe of voters is not constant. Its variable. We have no idea what the outcome will be. This is the reason why myself and Hirsh Singh disagreed with Rik Mehta team about Vote by mail ballots which they support. We opposed vote by mail from the beginning and wanted voters to go to polls using voting machines. It is a complete disaster!”
