>Obama Re-Election Credited With Burst of Gun Sales Gun sales boom in expectation of Obama re-election Monday, Mar 5, 2012 | Updated 9:17 AM CS
Gun sales are booming across Texas, and some buyers say their growing belief that President Barack Obama’s re-election is inevitable is fueling their race to bear more arms.
So brisk have sales been that the rush has created a nationwide shortage of firearms and ammunition, the Star-Telegram reports. Fort Worth gun shop owner DeWayne Irwin said the rush is similar to one seen shortly after the president’s 2008 election.
>Senator Frank R. Lautenberg responds on “Operation Fast and Furious”
Thank you for contacting me with your concerns about the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) initiative known as Operation Fast and Furious. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.
As you may know, Operation Fast and Furious is an ATF initiative in Phoenix, Arizona seeking to reduce violent crime associated with Mexican criminal organizations in the U.S. and to prevent these organizations from illegally obtaining firearms and explosives from the U.S. The operation is part of a larger ATF strategy known as Project Gunrunner. Through this project, ATF has recommended more than 2,500 criminals for prosecution and seized more than 10,000 firearms illegally destined for Mexico.
Operation Fast and Furious has received increased scrutiny after the December 2010 shooting death of Customs and Border Protection Agent Brian Terry in Arizona. Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) has asked for an investigation into Project Gunrunner because of concerns that ATF knew the weapon used to kill Agent Terry was bought illegally, but allowed the sale to proceed. Senator Grassley has requested that an independent Inspector General conduct a review of Project Gunrunner. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has also requested that a special counsel be appointed to investigate the matter.
During Senate consideration of a bill (H.R. 2112) funding ATF and a number of other federal agencies, an amendment was introduced that would prohibit funding for Operation Fast and Furious or other operations during which federal agents are not continuously monitoring or controlling firearms at all times. This amendment passed the Senate with my support. The bill to which it is attached must now be approved by the Senate and the House before this provision can be signed into law.
Please be assured that I am closely monitoring this issue and will keep your views in mind should the Senate consider further relevant legislation. Thank you again for contacting me
Amphibious rolling beach chair that can roll over sand and into water and float:
www.mobi-chair.com
If you think this idea is worth trying, please write to the council. Their email addresses are on the Village website. Go to https://www.ridgewoodnj.net and click on “Council & Mayor” on the left side, or:
>Senator Robert Menendez responds to questions regarding the budgeting and appropriations process
Thank you for contacting me regarding the budgeting and appropriations process. I appreciate hearing from you on this important matter and having the opportunity to respond.
Congress passed the Budget Control Act and it was signed into law on August 2, 2011. It set discretionary spending caps, provided enforcement mechanisms, and created a process for addressing entitlement spending and revenues.
The Budget Control Act was even more extensive than a traditional budget because it has the force of law, unlike a budget resolution that is not signed by the President. It provided mechanisms to increase the debt limit ceiling so that the United States government can meet existing obligations the Congresses and presidents of both parties have made in the past. The Budget Control Act established discretionary caps for 10 years, instead of the one year normally set in a budget resolution. These caps will provide approximately $1 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade. Additionally, the Budget Control Act stipulated that if the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction did not produce an agreement to further reduce deficits by $1.2 trillion, then automatic spending cuts will be trigged by sequestration beginning in January 2013. The Joint Committee was not able to produce an agreement by the November 2011 deadline so the automatic spending cuts will take place unless Congress can develop a balanced plan this year to reduce the deficit by at least $1.2 trillion.
The President has laid out a blueprint of his budget priorities for the coming fiscal year, and it will ultimately be up to Congress to pass appropriation bills that will fund the federal government and provide additional deficit reduction. I share your desire to see our country headed down a more sustainable path, and I am committed to a balanced approach to reducing our nation’s deficits. In 2010, I voted to establish the Bipartisan Task Force for Responsible Fiscal Action, the precursor to the Bowles-Simpson commission, to review all aspects of the financial conditions of our government including tax policy and entitlement spending. I have supported budget enforcement measures like statutory PAYGO to control both spending and revenue. I led the effort to cut $21 billion in unwarranted oil subsidies and supported saving almost $6 billion this year alone by cutting ethanol subsidies. In addition, I voted for $2.4 trillion in cuts combined with a joint committee process that could include revenues as part of the deficit reduction equation. I also voted to cut more than $40 billion in discretionary spending from FY10 funding levels in this year’s appropriations bills alone.
I share your frustration and recognize that deficit spending and our accumulated debt must be addressed in a way that will substantially reduce the gap between our commitments and our resources. Getting our fiscal house in order must go hand-in-hand with policies that will restore economic growth, create jobs and strengthen the middle class. I have said from the beginning that we must do so in a balanced way that calls for shared sacrifice, just as the American people have continually demanded. That’s why I have proposed cutting unwarranted big oil and ethanol subsidies as well as closing off-shore tax havens, which will enhance revenues as part of the way to achieving significant deficit reduction.
Again, thank you for taking the time to express your thoughts on this important issue. As your federal representative, I will keep your views in mind as I work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to enact sound fiscal policy that invests in our future and protects the economic security our nation’s children. I invite you to visit my website (https://menendez.senate.gov) to learn more about how I am standing up for New Jersey families in the United States Senate.
>Killing babies no different from abortion, experts say
Parents should be allowed to have their newborn babies killed because they are “morally irrelevant” and ending their lives is no different to abortion, a group of medical ethicists linked to Oxford University has argued.
The article, published in the Journal of Medical Ethics, says newborn babies are not “actual persons” and do not have a “moral right to life”. The academics also argue that parents should be able to have their baby killed if it turns out to be disabled when it is born.
The journal’s editor, Prof Julian Savulescu, director of the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, said the article’s authors had received death threats since publishing the article. He said those who made abusive and threatening posts about the study were “fanatics opposed to the very values of a liberal society”.
>Everyday prices are up some 8 percent over the past year, according to the American Institute for Economic Research. By Kathy Kristof
Forget the modest 3.1 percent rise in the Consumer Price Index, the government’s widely used measure of inflation. Everyday prices are up some 8 percent over the past year, according to the American Institute for Economic Research.
The not-for-profit research group measures inflation without looking at the big, one-time purchases that can skew the numbers. That means they don’t look at the price of houses, furniture, appliances, cars, or computers. Instead, AIER focuses on Americans’ typical daily purchases, such as food, gasoline, child care, prescription drugs, phone and television service, and other household products.
>Media finally paying attention to eligibility? See which major networks plan on covering Cold Case Posse results
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Poll after poll in recent months has indicated that Americans have a high level of concern over Barack Obama’s eligibility to be president, with one poll showing fully half of the nation wants Congress to investigate the question.
But reporters for the traditional media – networks, major newspapers, major news corporations and conglomerates – mostly have giggled when talk turns to the serious question of just what the U.S. Constitution requires of presidents.
Nevertheless, media organizations from all political persuasions are seeking admittance to a news conference to be held by Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz.
>Analysis: Oil price rise raises specter of global recession By Zaida Espana and Dmitry Zhdannikov
LONDON | Sun Feb 26, 2012 12:40pm EST
(Reuters) – A jump in energy prices is jamming the slow-turning cogs of an economic recovery in the West, but that may be nothing compared to the economic shock an Israeli attack on Iran would cause.
Oil rose to a 10-month high above $125 a barrel Friday, prompting responses from policymakers around the world including U.S. President Barack Obama, watching U.S. gasoline prices follow crude to push toward $4 a gallon in an election year.
Europe may have more to fear as its fragile economic growth falters and Greece, Italy and Spain look for alternative sources to the crude they currently import from Iran, where an EU oil embargo, intended to make Iran abandon what the West fears are efforts to develop nuclear weapons, comes into force in June.
>…WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM EST SATURDAY… * LOCATIONS…THE LOWER HUDSON VALLEY OF SOUTHEAST NEW YORK… INTERIOR NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY…AND WESTERN AND CENTRAL PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT. * HAZARDS…STRONG WIND GUSTS. * WINDS…WEST 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 55 MPH. * TIMING…THE STRONGEST WIND GUSTS WILL OCCUR FROM AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING. * IMPACTS…THE STRONG WINDS WILL BE CAPABLE OF BRINGING DOWN WEAKER TREES AND SMALL BRANCHES. ISOLATED POWER OUTAGES MAY OCCUR. DRIVING WILL BE DIFFICULT…ESPECIALLY IN HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES AND ON ELEVATED ROADS AND BRIDGES. UNSECURED OUTDOOR ITEMS SUCH AS TRASH CANS CAN ALSO BE EASILY BLOWN ABOUT.
>RHS Parking Ban : I question the legality of such a ban
Parking is now banned from September through June on almost every street within five blocks of RHS. I remember when this was not the case, and students & residents were free to park at will.
I question the legality of such a ban. The ban was enacted at the request of area residents who did not want vehicles and accompanying litter in front of their homes.
I don’t like vehicles and litter in front of my home either, but I don’t live anywhere near RHS. How come I’m not entitled to the same protection?
Parking is not banned on streets near Glen Rock High School; what makes Ridgewood any different?
If you recall, former Councilman and Mayor Patrick Mancuso lived near RHS. Didn’t he start the entire “no parking on my street” campaign?
I think it’s time for the Village Council to revisit the issue of parking on streets near RHS. Personally, I believe the existing ordinances are unconstitutional; banning parking on public streets for the convenience of wealthy residents, and the detriment of poorer students.
REMINDER: SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE KITS ARE NOW AVAILABLE
The Ridgewood Board of Education will have two vacancies in the Annual School Election, which will take place on Tuesday, April 17, 2012. One vacancy is for a full three-year term and one vacancy is for a one-year unexpired term. Candidates must file a nominating petition with the local school board declaring which seat they are running for in order to get their name on the ballot for the Annual School Election. Click here for full information and the Candidate Kit from the NJSBA.The deadline to submit the nominating petition is 4 p.m., Verizon cell phone time, Monday, February 27, 2012.
Fall 2011 featured in Woman’s Day, 201, Weight Watchers Mag. Stop by B. Witching Bath Co. right here in Ridgewood – 103 E. Ridgewood Ave. Check out why B. Witching Bath Co. is hitting the news!
New Hours for overnight lot parking with a permit have been changed to 11PM to 8AM
For Ridgewood residents who live in the Central Business District and are in need of overnight parking, can purchase an Overnight Parking Permit.
Click Here for the ordinance information.
Click Here for an application. You can bring the completed form to the Ridgewood Finance Department, 3rd Level, Village Hall, 131 N. Maple Ave., Ridgewood, to make payment and obtain the permit.
>Teacher claims: Many teachers will be paying a higher percentage of the cost of health benefits than the Federal or private sector pays.
The amount the teachers pay for their health benefits is now a state mandated issue. I paid more than $1000 more for my health benefits this year. The amount I pay will increase by over $2000 over the next three years. By the time all increases are phased in some teachers will be paying almost $7000 more than they were last year. Many teachers will be paying a higher percentage of the cost of health benefits than the Federal or private sector pays.
In addition to this teachers will be paying an extra 2 percent of their salary to fund a pension that the state government has stolen from, and continues to fail to pay their AGREED contribution towards. The pension is underfunded because of the money that was taken from it. The money that was used to finance property tax rebate checks came from the pension fund. The money to cover the cost of an income tax cut for the wealthy will come from money that should have been paid into the pension fund.
Teachers realize that things are tough financially, but please don’t say that teachers aren’t feeling the pinch too. It may have started later than for other people, but teachers are feeling it now. Even IF teachers were to get the maximum allowable 2%, they would still be taking home less money every year.
The reality for teachers is that even after they have paid increasing amounts to their benefits, they will be limited to no more than a 2% increase in salary for ever (unless the law is changed). Last year inflation ran at around 3%. This means that teachers face a real decrease in their salary every year for the rest of their careers.
After the glut of teachers from recent layoffs has been used up, and other job paths make a comeback, where are the new teachers going to come from? Are the best and brightest going to enter a profession where they are never going to see a pay increase, and are treated with disrespect.
At this point the chorus of comments about “whiny teachers” should begin. I am not whining, I love my job, and that is why I do it. I also feel the need to clarify the changes that are already occurring for teachers. Please don’t parrot the “do it for the kids” line. I work hard at my job for the kids. I also want to support MY kids. Like any parent, I want the best for them too.
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