The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood Nj, residents who recieved their absentee ballots for June’s primary noticed former Mayor Paul Aronsohn’s name on the ballot as one of five out of five candidates running for Bergen County Democratic Committee. Some people will never lean ?
What this article omits is that the cost of this boondoggle is $1.3 billion and climbing. So for $130,000,000 a mile, we will get what the proponents project to be 24,000 trips. At $2.25 per trip ( current light rail ticket price) assuming the projected number of rides are taken every single day of the year (a heroic assumption), it will take 65 years to pay this off, not counting interest.
The money for this comes from the newly hiked gas tax which will apparently be diverted from fixing roads and bridges to pleasing a few of Loretta’s constituents.
This is a taxpayer ripoff like you’ve never seen.
By Matt Arco and Brent Johnson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on March 20, 2017 at 7:05 AM, updated March 20, 2017 at 11:26 AM
TRENTON — Phil Murphy, the early Democratic favorite in this year’s race for New Jersey governor, has donated at least $1.15 million to state and local Democratic organizations and candidates since 2001, according to an NJ Advance Media analysis of campaign finance records.
More than 40 percent of that money — about $466,000 — was shelled out over the past three years, a period during which Murphy, a millionaire former Goldman Sachs banking executive, took steps toward launching his campaign to succeed Republican Chris Christie as governor.
The donations came from Murphy, his wife Tammy, jointly from the couple, or from his gubernatorial campaign, according to the analysis, the most in-depth look so far at how much Murphy has given to in-state causes.
BY SHMULEY BOTEACH
FEBRUARY 20, 2017 21:5
There is a growing evolution in Cory’s position on Israel which is becoming more aligned with the left wing of the Democratic party.
The hearing for American ambassador-designate to Israel David Friedman at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week was intense. The Democratic senators came after him hard, quoting every controversial thing he’s ever said. Mind you, they couldn’t seem to find one controversial thing he’s ever done. Because no one disputes that David is an upstanding, decent man who has had caused little to no controversy. But they called him out on harsh statements he made about those he felt were not sympathetic to Israel.
But of particular note was how harshly he was treated by my friend, Senator Cory Booker, who told David over and over again that although these were just words, words matter.
February 15,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, public frustration continues to grow towards the New Jersey Assembly spending so much time and energy attacking President Trump instead of focusing on any of New Jerseys myriad of serious problems.
Trenton is ignoring everything from property tax relief, school funding, pension payments and reform, the list is endless. New Jersey ranks the number one state to move out of, and ranks near the bottom in almost every economic category, but instead of working on the difficult issues the state faces , Trenton Democrats and some Republicans assisted by the New Jersey media are engaging non-stop Trump bashing.
Assembly, New Jersey, 39th, Republican Holly Schepisi summed it up best ,”Tomorrow we have a “special” voting session in Trenton to vote on such pressing NJ matters as providing guidance to our municipalities on affordable housing, fixing the Pension crisis, reforming the school funding formula…..just kidding! Instead of fixing any of NJ’s major issues, we are voting on at least seven political resolutions targeting our President.”
Schepisi went on to call out her ccolleagues, ” Over the past several days several of my colleagues in the State Legislature have indicated they would try to move forward legislation protecting “Sanctuary Cities” who lose federal funding by mandating the State of NJ pay these cities any monies lost by their refusal to comply with federal law. While I understand the motive behind such bills seeks to protect the legislators’ constituent cities, the practical implications are financially destructive for all of the non-sanctuary areas of the State.
New Jersey is almost broke. We have not made a full payment on our pension obligations in decades. A majority of our schools receive virtually no funding from the State. Indeed most of the areas I represent receive less than $500 per student per year. On the flip side, below are just some of the numbers of aid currently being provided to our “Sanctuary Cities”. If these bills were to go through, the State would be on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars of additional aid into these communities. MONEY THAT DOES NOT EXIST.
In Newark,19-percent of all city residents are undocumented entrants. Newark currently receives $206.7 million in federal aid, amounting to $733 per resident or $2,932 per family of four. This aid is on top of an additional $742 million in school aid given to Newark by the State of New Jersey and $31 million in transitional aid also given by the State of New Jersey.
Jersey City, also a sanctuary city with more than 10 percent of residents being undocumented, receives $148 million in federal aid on top of $417 million in school aid given by the State of New Jersey.
Other NJ sanctuary cities include:
Trenton – $10 million in federal aid, $229 million in State school aid
Camden- $52 million in federal aid, $280 million in State school aid
Union City – $32.5 million in federal aid, $179 million in State school aid
West NY – $17 million in federal aid, $94 million in State school aid
JOHN REITMEYER | FEBRUARY 13, 2017
Governor says officials from communities that lose federal funding will have to explain revenue loss to local residents
President Donald Trump has threatened in an executive order to strip federal aid from so-called sanctuary cities that harbor undocumented immigrants, meaning some communities in New Jersey could stand to lose millions of dollars.
But Democratic legislative leaders, harking back to New Jersey’s historic role in welcoming immigrants to the United States, want to make sure state funds are available to replace any resources that would be lost if the new president follows through on his threat against sanctuary cities.
and if you dont agree you should move says poster!
Is this Kellyann? Good grief. I feel sorry for your kids and husband. You sound nasty. If you don’t like it then MOVE! We voted by an overwhelming majority in our town for Clinton/Gottheimer. We would love for your kind to move the heck out of town.
you brought a smile to my face.
You were able in only 4 sentences to exhibit exactly what is wrong with the liberal/progressive/democrat thinking.
How funny that your “side”, as you put it “WE”, will tolerate every other group in the USA BUT not the conservatives.
Wow, how quickly you resorted to calling names (nasty), making it personal (husband and kids) and telling me to move out of town.
What if I told you I was a black, gay, Syrian refugee – would you change your tune?
What if I told you I was an old white male christian?
I think your tolerance or respect of my opinion is not based on my humanity but based on your party platform.
I am guessing you think that your politics make you and your party the better people
Men Not at Work at Troubled Mall Development
Feb 2, 2017 · by Ilya Marritz
The half-built American Dream mall in New Jersey’s Meadowlands has yet again missed a target date to secure construction financing, raising fresh questions about the developer’s ability to complete the project.
On December 8th, developer Don Ghermezian told WNYC all the money is teed up — nearly $2.7 billion dollars to complete work on the 90-acre mall near Met Life Stadium. The money is to be raised through tax-free municipal bonds and through private borrowing.
“I anticipate that prior to the Christmas holiday the public will know fully about the commitment on the financing,” Ghermezian said.
But Christmas came and went. Then a company spokesman said early January was more likely. Now it’s February, and there’s still no news of how the Ghermezians’ company, Triple Five, will pay to make a retail and entertainment pleasure dome out of the eyesore on state-owned land next to the New Jersey Turnpike.
https://www.wnyc.org/story/men-not-work-troubled-mall-development/
By Thomas Moriarty | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on February 02, 2017 at 2:14 PM, updated February 02, 2017 at 3:17 PM
NEWARK — A Bergen County man was sentenced Thursday to a year of federal probation after admitting he helped disguise $80,000 in foreign contributions to Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign committee in order to help Albanian politician attend a campaign event.
Bilal Shehu, of Paramus, previously pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court in Newark to charges he “knowingly and willfully” made foreign contributions to the committee, according to the office of U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman.
The case stemmed from an appearance Shehu and Edi Rama, head of the Albanian Socialist Party and now the country’s prime minister, made at an October 2012 Obama campaign event in San Francisco.
Prosecutors say Rama was denied admission to the event but managed to be photographed with the president.
Inside a decimated party’s not-so-certain revival strategy.
DOVERE January 19, 2017
Standing with some 30,000 people in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia the night before the election watching Hillary Clinton speak, exhausted aides were already worrying about what would come next. They expected her to win, of course, but they knew President Clinton was going to get thrashed in the 2018 midterms—the races were tilted in Republicans’ favor, and that’s when they thought the backlash would really hit. Many assumed she’d be a one-term president. They figured she’d get a primary challenge. Some of them had already started gaming out names for who it would be.
“Last night I stood at your doorstep / Trying to figure out what went wrong,” Bruce Springsteen sang quietly to the crowd in what he called “a prayer for post-election.” “It’s gonna be a long walk home.”
What happened the next night shocked even the most pessimistic Democrats. But in another sense, it was the reckoning the party had been expecting for years. They were counting on a Clinton win to paper over a deeper rot they’ve been worrying about—and to buy them some time to start coming up with answers. In other words, it wasn’t just Donald Trump. Or the Russians. Or James Comey. Or all the problems with how Clinton and her aides ran the campaign. Win or lose, Democrats were facing an existential crisis in the years ahead—the result of years of complacency, ignoring the withering of the grass roots and the state parties, sitting by as Republicans racked up local win after local win.
“The patient,” says Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, “was clearly already sick.”
As Trump takes over the GOP and starts remaking its new identity as a nationalist, populist party, creating a new political pole in American politics for the first time in generations, all eyes are on the Democrats. How will they confront a suddenly awakened, and galvanized, white majority? What’s to stop Trump from doing whatever he wants? Who’s going to pull a coherent new vision together? Worried liberals are watching with trepidation, fearful that Trump is just the beginning of worse to come, desperate for a comeback strategy that can work.
If you voted for Obama or any Democrat in New Jersey it is your Agenda
This is such bullshit. Why all of a sudden this hysteria of pushing for affordable housing. Whose agenda is this? Why stuff nice towns and villages with buildings that are out of character? Why force villages that people have worked very hard to build and live in to bring low income families who will certainly affect the quality of life? Why urbanize beautiful places that residents are so proud of and care so much about ? This will destroy these places and will provide no value to anyone. If you want affordable housing build in places that are already messed up such Hackensack, Rutheford etc. I am sure I am not the only who is stressed out about this nonsense.
December 6,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood Nj, we have said this from the beginning , the whole “Bridge-gate “, scandal is nothing more than an insult to all commuters who get stuck with massive delays most of the time that could be easily avoided .
Reader says , “Unbelievable that the corrupt Record and its Dem cronies are still pushing this issue with their false righteous indignation, while they totally ignore the systemic blocking of traffic in NYC via a series of road closures, addition of bike lanes and pedestrian plazas and other efforts all designed with the EXPLICIT goal of making commuting in NYC more difficult in order to cause pain and harm to drivers so they will eventually become so disgusted that they will abandon their cars for public transportation.
This has been going on for YEARS since the Bloomberg administration and is continued by DeBlasio.
This directly impacts NJ residents.
This is roundly ignored by The Record – nice to see their is no bias in that publication…
But then again the Dems ignore the fact that NY has a VERY aggressive and friendly PRO-BUSINESS policy of generous tax incentives which are effectively bringing prosperity and jobs to NY, but would be roundly vilified if Governor Christie proposed them in NJ.”
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By Sara Jerde | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on November 28, 2016 at 2:21 PM, updated November 28, 2016 at 5:47 PM
TRENTON — A prominent Bergen County lawyer recently had his law license suspended for admitting that he secretly helped his business profit while serving as a borough attorney.
The state’s Disciplinary Review Board agreed to have Dennis Oury’s three-year suspension retroactive to when he was first temporarily suspended in November 2009.
Joseph Ferriero, left, walks in 2008 with his attorney Joseph Hayden, center and fellow co-defendant Dennis Oury. (Photo by Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Oury, along with former Bergen County Democratic Organization leader Joseph A. Ferriero, created a companycalled Governmental Grants Consulting and marketed it to North Jersey towns, including the town Oury served as a lawyer for, without disclosing their ties to the company.
BY KIM LUEDDEKE
NEWARK — State Democrats offered no evidence that a group listed by Homeland Security as among militia extremists planned to intimidate minority voters on Election Day, a federal court judge ruled Monday.
The New Jersey Democratic State Committee had sought to bar the New Jersey Oath Keepers from monitoring polling places, arguing that its true intent was to discourage people, particularly minorities, from voting.
November 7,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Locally Bergen County Republicans were united in OPPOSITION to the new 23 cent a gallon gasoline tax hike (plus annual increases). But Bergen’s Democrats SUPPORTED the TAX HIKE just as unanimously!
And the only way to stop similar ripoffs here in Bergen County is to support the Republican Taxpayer Watchdogs: DeNicola, Driscoll and DiDio for Freeholder, Alfonso for Sheriff, Olmo for Clerk and Avery for Surrogate.
Support your Column One Republican Taxpayer Team when you go to the polls and vote.
