Obamacare is definitely NOT as cheap as your cellphone bill
President Barack Obama’s favorite new Obamacare sign-up pitches is that young enrollees, which the law banks on for sustainability, can get health insurance for the price of a monthly cellphone bill. But in reality, premiums are more than a little pricier.
“HealthCare.gov works great now,” Obama told Zack Galifianakis Tuesday in a Funny or Die “Between Two Ferns” video. “And millions of Americans have already gotten health insurance plans, and what we want is for people to know that you can get affordable health care — and most young Americans right now, they’re not covered.”
“And the truth is that they can get coverage all for what it costs you to pay your cell phone bill,” Obama said.
As competition heats up in the wireless war between the nation’s biggest carriers, prices and options for cellphone plans are spread across a wide range, depending on phone type, data limits, upgrade terms, etc. For comparison’s sake, we’ll define an average middle-of-the-road plan as consisting of a smartphone, two-year upgrade, unlimited calls, unlimited texts and an average of two gigs of downloadable Internet data per month.
Discounting taxes nationwide, that plan costs about $90 on Verizon, $80 on AT&T, $70 on Sprint, and $60 on T-Mobile every month. Both Sprint and T-Mobile offer the same plans with unlimited monthly data for $80. All pricing is relevant as of January 2014.
Ridgewood Village Council; take a lesson from Little Falls were officials give up salaries
MARCH 13, 2014, 2:02 AM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014, 2:02 AM
BY JEFF GREEN
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
LITTLE FALLS – In a gesture of solidarity with frustrated taxpayers, Mayor Darlene Post and the Township Council are forgoing their $2,000-a-year salaries in a lean 2014 budget that all but cuts essential government services.
The $15.7 million budget, introduced by the council Monday night, calls for a $97 property tax increase for the owner of home valued at the township average of $302,000. It scales back new initiatives, reins in legal expenses, and for the second year in a row withholds raises for non-contractual employees.
The flood-prone township’s finances are so tight, officials say, that it can’t afford a new truck for the public works superintendent so his old one can be passed on to the emergency management coordinator for use in extreme weather. The coordinator has no vehicle.
“There were cuts made and there were requests that weren’t made so we could keep [taxes] flat,” Post said. She said under the circumstances, the budget is “as good as it gets, as bitter as it is.”
The Village Council is looking for residents who are interested in volunteering to serve on the Planning Board and the Financial Advisory Committee.
The Planning Board reviews site plans and subdivision applications; prepares, adopts, and amends the Master Plan; makes recommendations to the Village Council regarding amendments to developmental regulations and the official map.
The Financial Advisory Committee assists in the review and understanding of the financial considerations necessary to the operation of the Village and the Village’s preparation of the Annual and Capital Budgets; provides review, advice and recommendations to the Village Council on Village financial and budgetary matters; and prepares an annual report for the Village Council to assist the Councilmembers in their budget preparation. Members will preferably have strong finance, accounting, government and/or business backgrounds.
All interested residents should fill out a Citizen Volunteer Leadership form (found on the Village website under “Forms”), and send it along with a cover letter indicating on which board/committee the resident wishes to serve, and a biography or resume to:
Heather Mailander
Village Clerk
Village of Ridgewood
131 North Maple Ave.
Ridgewood, NJ 07451
Readers continue to voice concern over use of police time by outside vendors
Has the Council done a cost/benefit analysis showing the true net cost to taxpayers and rate payers of this extra duty work for outside vendors and the impact on public safety ? Seems like it’s in the PBA contracts so the RPD argues it’s contractual and cannot be changed, but how did it get in there in the first place ? Maybe we should recall the CBA ?
Today I saw a PSEG truck doing a pole replacement on north Monroe. Orange cones around it. Police car parked PAST the truck. duhhhhh. In this particular case the unmarked car with lites flashing inside was not even doing the job they were supposed to since it was parked after the truck..not before it. A few blocks away a marked police patrol car was visible behind the cones (that had the detour sign).
There was another truck in front of the unmarked car that just left. the unmarked hadn’t left yet. Any time the police are on the street they are available in an emergency cops on side jobs have responded to emergency calls for people in need , on guy who’s retired caught a perp wanted for bank robbery while he was working a side job. It’s good for the town to have extra cops available at non-taxpayers expense. Oh and don’t give me that song about higher power rates, If pseg hired flag men in stead of cops the cost per kilowatt hr. wouldn’t come down at all. The utility profit margin would go up increasing the stock price as it is a publicly traded company. Don’t be jealous of what some one else has, improve what you have and if you have more than the cops + firemen be happy you do, Jealousy and envy will eat you alive from the inside out.
Has the Council done a cost/benefit analysis showing the true net cost to taxpayers and rate payers of this extra duty work for outside vendors and the impact on public safety ? Seems like it’s in the PBA contracts so the RPD argues it’s contractual and cannot be changed, but how did it get in there in the first place ? Maybe we should recall the CBA ?
Reader says “Save Ridgewood” group should focus on solutions
Has anyone in the “Save Ridgewood” group thought about the impact of doing nothing. Three of the four proposed residential development sites are currently vacant. At the recent Planning Board meeting in which the Brogan site was discussed one genius suggested that the site be developed for Retail use. This would produce far more traffic, noise and clutter than any residential use. It is time for the Save Ridgewood group to stop complaining and come forth with some well reasoned suggestions for the long term use of what are becoming increasingly blighted properties.
Ridgewood Council, in 3-2 vote, makes manager’s appointment official
MARCH 13, 2014, 1:16 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Ridgewood has a new village manager.
In a 3-2 vote Wednesday night, the Ridgewood Council approved the appointment of 17-year resident Roberta Sonenfeld to the village’s top administration position, a seat that has been vacant since late last August.
Sonenfeld will start her new job March 31, at which time she will begin receiving an annual salary of $155,000. She has already informed the village that she intends to waive any health benefits and stipends for travel expenses.
“This is my dream job,” Sonenfeld said after a line of about 10 residents spoke in support of her and her appointment.
With many family members in attendance, Sonenfeld, 59, said the combination of three decades in senior management roles and her desire to improve her hometown “brought me to this place.”
Charge of the Light Brigade, an engagement that took place on October 25, 1854, during the Battle of Balaklava in the Crimean War
Russian Troops Mass at Border With Ukraine
By STEVEN LEE MYERS and ALISON SMALEMARCH 13, 2014
MOSCOW — With a referendum on secession looming in Crimea, Russia massed troops and armored vehicles in at least three regions along Ukraine’s eastern border on Thursday, alarming the interim Ukraine government about a possible invasion and significantly escalating tensions in the crisis between the Kremlin and the West.
The announcement of the troop buildup by Russia’s Defense Ministry was met with an unusually sharp rebuke from Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, who warned that the Russian government must abandon what she called the politics of the 19th and 20th centuries or face diplomatic and economic retaliation from a united Europe.
“Ladies and gentlemen, if Russia continues on its course of the past weeks, it will not only be a catastrophe for Ukraine,” she said in a speech to the German Parliament. “We, also as neighbors of Russia, would not only see it as a threat. And it would not only change the European Union’s relationship with Russia. No, this would also cause massive damage to Russia, economically and politically.”
John Kerry: Russia has until Monday to reverse course in Ukraine
BY SUSAN CRABTREE | MARCH 13, 2014 AT 1:11 PM
TOPICS: JOHN KERRY RUSSIA PENNAVE FOREIGN POLICY EUROPE UKRAINE EU CRIMEA
Secretary of State John Kerry pauses while testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday,…
Secretary of State John Kerry warned of serious repercussions forRussia on Monday if last-ditch talks over the weekend to resolve the crisis in Ukraine failed to persuade Moscow to soften its stance.
Kerry will travel to London for a Friday meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ahead of a Sunday referendum vote in theCrimea region to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation.
U.S. and European officials argue that Moscow is orchestrating the referendum and waging an intimidation campaign with thousands of Russian troops controlling the region. If Russian-backed lawmakers in Crimea go through with the Sunday referendum, Kerry said the U.S. and its European allies will not recognize it as legitimate under international law.
The next Regular Public Meeting of the Ridgewood Board of Education will be held on Monday, March 17, 2014 at 7:30 p.m.
The public is invited to attend the meeting at the Ed Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3. The meeting will be aired live on FiOS channel 33 and Optimum channel 77. Or it may be viewed live via the district website atwww.ridgewood.k12.nj.us using the “Link in Live” tab.
Click here to view the agenda for the March 3, 2014 Regular Public Meeting.
Click here to view the webcast of the March 3, 2014 Regular Public Meeting.
2014-2015 Budget Information
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Daniel Fishbein has announced three public presentations on the 2014-2015 school budget. The presentations will offer residents the opportunity to hear the budget details and ask questions of the superintendent, business administrator and Board of Education members.
The 2014-2015 school budget presentations will be offered as follows: Thursday, April 10 at 1 p.m. at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3; Thursday, April 10 at 7 p.m. at Benjamin Franklin Middle School Auditorium, 335 North Van Dien Avenue; and Wednesday, April 23 at 7 p.m. at George Washington Middle School Auditorium, 155 Washington Place.
Taking effect this year, the Ridgewood Board of Education has opted to move the annual school board elections from April to November, thereby eliminating the public vote on the proposed general tax levy if it is at or below the statutory tax levy cap. Since next year’s proposed budget falls within the mandated cap, it will not be put to public vote.
The Board will continue to discuss the proposed budget at upcoming regular public meetings on March 17, April 7 and April 28. Residents are welcome to attend these meetings and speak at the public comment portion of the agenda. The Board is expected to approve the final budget at its Regular Public Meeting on Monday, April 28.
Click here to view the Preliminary 2014-2015 Budget Presentation presented at the March 3, 2014 Regular Public Meeting.
March Winds
Friday, March 21, 2014
8:00 PM
West Side Presbyterian Church
Ridgewood, New Jersey
Meet The Soloist: Richard Summers
Richard Summers is a music educator, performer, arranger, conductor, and composer. He grew up in Wheeling WV, became interested in a musical career, and attended the University of Kentucky for two years under a full scholarship. He moved to the NY/NJ area when he was accepted as a clarinetist and saxophonist of the United States Military Academy Band at West Point from 1972-1975. Following his military career, he attended Juilliard, where he received his BM and MM degrees in music performance on clarinet under Leon Russianoff and Joseph Allard.
Newly retired from NJ public schools, Mr. Summers taught instrumental music for 32 years in Kinnelon and Pequannock, NJ and served as adjunct professor for concert band, clarinet, and woodwinds at William Paterson University, where he established the Summer Honors Band.
As a performer on clarinet, saxophone, and other woodwind instruments, Mr. Summers has performed as a member of the New Jersey Pops Orchestra, The Orchestra at William Paterson, The New Music Ensemble, The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Adelphi Chamber Orchestra, North Jersey Philharmonic, and has been principal clarinetist, soloist, assistant conductor, personnel manager, and arranger with the Ridgewood Concert Band for over 25 years. Throughout his career, he has been a featured performer both locally and internationally, playing solo works across the US and Europe.
Mr. Summers has recently arranged and composed music that has been published for Bandworks Publications, and Carl Fisher Publications, and is hoping to write and publish more music in the future. Mr. Summers resides in West Milford, NJ and has a musical family of his own. His wife Karen and his son Stephen are also clarinetists and perform together in area music ensembles like the Ridgewood Concert Band.
Delaying Obamacare’s Individual Mandate Due to ‘Hardship’ — Caused by Obamacare
How many times do you have to delay something to realize it’s just a really bad idea?
Amy Payne
March 13, 2014 at 6:30 am
It’s getting difficult to take any part of Obamacare seriously.
The Obama administration has altered or delayed it so many times—who can be sure what the law is at this point?
The individual mandate stating that every American has to purchase government-approved health coverage or pay a fine is supposed to kick in on March 31. That’s the deadline to sign up for coverage, supposedly to avoid this year’s penalty.
But Obamacare is never “settled law,” as the president and others have called it, because Health and Human Services (HHS) keeps writing more regulations.
Most recently, the administration extended the “hardship exemption” from the individual mandate for those who had their previous policies canceled because of Obamacare until October 2016.
To qualify, your plan must have been canceled because it wasn’t compliant with Obamacare, and you just have to tell the government you “believe” that other insurance policies are unaffordable.
The exemption means people who meet these criteria are free from the individual mandate. But if they want to buy coverage, they are given the special option to buy a “catastrophic” health insurance plan, which is not eligible for subsidies and typically would be available only to those under age 30.
When the exemption was first announced in December, Heritage experts Alyene Senger and Robert Moffit said this “is not going to simplify anything. Rest assured it is going to create even greater confusion for health insurers trying to sell these products. Also, don’t expect the unhappy consumers who’ve just lost their previous coverage to understand clearly which plan they can pick and be legally qualified to pick it.”
Due to the utter confusion and the underperforming signups on HealthCare.gov, reporters asked HHS this week whether the agency would simply extend the deadline for people to buy coverage. An HHS official responded that, “In fact, we don’t actually have the statutory authority to extend the open enrollment period in 2014.”
This administration hasn’t let a detail like legal authority stop it from overstepping its boundsmultiple times. And as Heritage’s Senger and Moffit put it, “issuing more government rules to correct the consequences of their unworkable government rules is the only thing they seem to know how to do.”
Planning Board Amended Meeting Schedule – March 18, 31
PLANNING BOARD
AMENDMENT TO MEETING SCHEDULE
Special Public Meetings:March 18, March 31
In accordance with the provisions of the “Open Public Meetings Act,” please be advised that the Planning Board has scheduled special public meetings for:
• Tuesday, March 18, 2014, at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium at the Benjamin Franklin Middle School, 335 North Van Dien Ave., Ridgewood, NJ, at which time the Board will continue the public hearing on the proposed H-Hospital Zone amendment to the Master Plan and have discussion regarding the North Walnut Street Redevelopment Plan.
• Monday, March 31, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium at the Benjamin Franklin Middle School, 335 North Van Dien Ave., Ridgewood, NJ, at which time the Board will continue the public hearing on the proposed H-Hospital Zone amendment to the Master Plan.
The Board may take official action during these Work and Public Meetings.
All meetings of the Ridgewood Planning Board (i.e., official public meetings, work session meetings, pre-meeting assemblies and special meetings) are public meetings which are always open to members of the general public.
Village Council and Village Boards Meeting Schedule 03/18/147:30PMPlanning Board Public Meeting H Zone Hearing at BFMS
03/25/147:30PMBoard of Adjustment Regular Public Meeting
03/26/147:30PMVillage Council Public Work Session
03/31/147:30PMPlanning Board Special Public Meeting – H-Zone BFMS
04/01/147:30PMPlanning Board Public Meeting
04/02/147:30PMVillage Council Public Work Session
04/08/147:30PMBoard of Adjustment Regular Public Meeting
Readers say ” Valley Hospital’s Current Expansion is of no benefit to anyone in this town except for Valley Hospital”
Let’s all hope it’s not judge , jury, and town executioner? If the council denies Valley, which they should. I don’t think Valley will sue and have it go to a judge? They will compromise and resubmit until they get closer to what they want.
A lot of articles state that the group of individuals who oppose Valley only live around Valley and are more impacted by this expansion. I so disagree with this view. All of Ridgewood should be against this current expansion. Why? Well here’s just a few good reasons: Valley, pays no taxes, not even PILOT. All Ridgewood Taxpayers will be paying for the additional strains on our services (Police and Fire). 7 to 14 years of construction will cause major traffic problems from beginning to end ( no way around this and will affect all of us). You won’t be able to get to those homes on the Westside!
Valley demonstrated that it had no interest in compromise when they submitted a “revised” plan that was a near twin of the original rejected one. It was so close that the PB should have refused to consider it, like a teacher with a “revised” essay that’s almost identical to the first one.
PB keeps hiding behind “laws” and “rules” but where is the responsibility to represent the people?
Have 7 figures already been spent in fees to attorneys and “experts” to keep discussing the same thing?
How many PB members do not know how they will vote? How many have known for 7 years?
Think about this statement: ” Valley Hospital’s Current Expansion is of no benefit to anyone in this town except for Valley Hospital”
Ridgewood Police report a rash of car entries
March 13,2014
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Police department reminds everyone that the area has seen an increase in the number of car entries. Please remember to lock all car doors and not leave expensive items in plain view at any time.
Feb. 27: A Kingsbridge Lane resident reported that his vehicle was entered and items were taken. The matter is under investigation.
Feb. 28: A Terhune Road resident reported that his vehicle was entered and items were taken. The matter is under investigation.
Feb. 28: A Glen Rock resident reported that she parked her vehicle at the New York Sports Club. When she returned, the rear window was smashed and a purse was taken. The matter is under investigation.
March 2: An employee of Whole Foods reported that a company van had the rear window broken during the night. The matter is under investigation.
Costs for outage at Ridgewood facility keep rising
WEDNESDAY MARCH 12, 2014, 9:45 AM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The previously approved spending plan created for emergency repairs at Ridgewood’s water pollution control plant has ballooned to nearly $24,000 – rising almost $9,000 above the costs that were estimated in January. The increasing price tag as well as discrepancies in vendor invoicing have drawn recent criticism from members of the Village Council as well as local taxpayers.
Top public works officials said a backup generator at the facility had been damaged and failed to start during a widespread power outage on New Year’s Eve. As a result, personnel manually diverted the incoming water flow to a primary clarifier, where it was held.
According to plant officials, power was restored moments before the untreated sewage would have been released into the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook.
