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New Jersey politicians should forget about Trump and Focus on NewJersey

Christine Todd Whitman

January 18,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, As inauguration day approaches for president-elect Donald Trump, NJ politicians continue to make fools out of themselves. While some are sitting out the inauguration, others are protesting or criticizing Trumps cabinet picks.

Yesterday “environmental advocates” in New Jersey leveled scathing criticisms of Trump’s cabinet picks and issuing warnings that environmental protections stand to be significantly weakened under his administration. They were accompanied by former governors Jim Florio and Christine Todd Whitman who called on all sides in the state’s 2017 gubernatorial race to draw up plans to counteract environmental deregulation at the state level. State level , folks this is New Jersey who are you kidding?

This is the same Christine Todd Whitman who stole money from New Jersey Pensioners, and who initiated the Pension crisis we currently find ourselves in with her actions. This is also the same Christine Todd Whitman that as head of the EPA  and assured rescue workers that the air was fine at the World Trade Center site post 9/11.This is the same Jim Florio who looked to tax New Jersey out of business before it became fashionable.

New Jersey is by all negative measures, taxes, quality of life, cost of living, job growth leading the nation in failure.
Recent reports suggest 37% of people in N.J. are among the working poor and New Jersey leads the nation 5 years in a row for the state with the most people moving out of. New Jersey’s Pensions are in crisis, drug addiction is rampant, crime is on the rise, cities roads and bridges are dilapidated.  The reality is if you live in New Jersey you far bigger things to worry about than who gets sworn in on January 20th. Maybe politicians who do not attend the inauguration will donate their days pay to the state to help pay for some of their mistakes. Otherwise we suggest its time to get to work and do your job.

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It’s time to face facts: Obama’s presidency was a failure

Obama-Golf

By Kyle Smith

January 14, 2017 | 2:06pm

The closing arguments for the Obama years are arriving, and they aren’t helping the outgoing president. A case in point is a new book published this week, one that acknowledges “Obama’s supporters have experienced [his presidency] as a continuous disappointment.”

Those supporters, and others, must have noticed that “for most of Obama’s term, wage gains were largely confined to the rich.” Or that “The administration’s planning in Libya clearly failed” or “It is certain that the actual outcome [of Obama’s Syria policy] was disastrous.”

Even many of President Obama’s proudest achievements look about as enduring as April snow: “If there was a single aspect of Obama’s legacy most vulnerable to reversal, it was his achievements on climate change,” the book says, and “Obama’s regulatory offensive is, of course, vulnerable to reversal by Donald Trump or the Supreme Court, since it rested upon executive action.” The longest chapter is titled “The Inevitability of Disappointment.”

https://nypost.com/2017/01/14/its-time-to-face-facts-obamas-presidency-was-a-failure/

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Obama’s legacy: Plenty of change, not so much hope

obama-on-phone

BY DAVID LIGHTMAN

dlightman@mcclatchydc.com

WASHINGTON

Barack Obama promised hope and change when he became the nation’s 44th president eight years ago. He delivered on the change, but leaves a nation still struggling for hope.

He departs office after leading the United States out of its worst economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s, and as the country enjoys its most robust economy in years.

His policies helped revive the auto industry, clamp down on financial industry abuses and provide health insurance coverage to millions. And his very ascension to the White House “sent a strong signal about America as the land of opportunity,” said former South Carolina Gov. James Hodges, a Democrat.

Yet Obama leaves not with a country united and eager for what comes next, but one divided between rural and urban, left and right, lower-skilled workers and the more educated. Huge numbers of people are not confident about their financial futures. They’re deeply concerned about whether the government can keep them safe. Overwhelming numbers of Republicans continue to dismiss Obama as too liberal and out of touch.

The Republican-led Congress and President-elect Donald Trump see Obamacare as emblematic of much that’s gone wrong, a costly big-government disaster spawning higher premiums and less quality care.

Read more here: https://www.mcclatchydc.com/article126203564.html#storylink=cpy

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REPUBLICANS PRIMED FOR PUSH TO DISMANTLE OBAMA’S POLICIES

obamacare_theridgewood blog

BY RICHARD LARDNER
ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON (AP) — Members of the 115th Congress will be sworn in at noon Tuesday, setting off an aggressive campaign by Republicans who control the House and Senate to dismantle eight years of President Barack Obama’s Democratic policies.

The first and biggest target is Obama’s signature health care law, which Republicans have long sought to gut and blamed as a primary cause for a lackluster economic recovery. President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday encouraged a wholesale overhaul of the system, tweeting hours before the new Congress convenes “Obamacare just doesn’t work,” is unaffordable “and, it is lousy health care.”

Majority Republicans also are targeting decades-old programs that millions of Americans rely on every day, such as Social Security and Medicare as they seek to shrink both the size of the federal budget and the bureaucracy in Washington.

“We have a lot to do – and a lot to undo,” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said in a letter to fellow Republicans.

There were signs of Republican-on-Republican drama even before the new Congress officially opened on Tuesday. House Republicans on Monday night voted to defy their leaders and gut the chamber’s independent ethics panel created in 2008 to probe charges of lawmaker misconduct after several corruption scandals sent members to prison.

https://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CONGRESS_RDP?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-01-03-08-21-45

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Bill Clinton slams ObamaCare as ‘craziest thing in the world’

Bill Clinton

By Daniel Halper

October 4, 2016 | 6:44am

Bill Clinton, the husband of the Democratic presidential nominee, knocked President Obama’s signature piece of legislation — the ObamaCare health care law — as “the craziest thing in the world.”

“You’ve got this crazy system where all of a sudden 25 million more people have health care, and then the people who are out there busting it, sometimes 60 hours a week, wind up with their premiums doubled and their coverage cut in half and it’s the craziest thing in the world,” the former president railed at a rally in Michigan on Monday.

Clinton also said the system is hurting moderately successful small businesses — the ones that aren’t doing poorly enough to be subsidized and fall just above the line.

“On the other hand, the current system works fine if you’re eligible for Medicaid, if you’re a lower-income working person. If you’re already on Medicare or if you get enough subsidies on a modest income that you can afford your health care,” Clinton said.

https://nypost.com/2016/10/04/bill-clinton-slams-obamacare-as-craziest-thing-in-the-world/

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Minnesota health insurance market in ’emergency situation’

obamacare_theridgewoodblog

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota’s top health insurance regulator says the state’s individual market is in “an emergency situation” amid big rate increases for next year.

Department of Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman said Friday that the five companies offering plans through the state’s exchange or directly to consumers were prepared to leave the market for 2017. He said big rate increases were the tradeoff to convince all but one company to remain for now.

Rate increases finalized this week range from a 50 percent average hike for HealthPartners plans to a 67 percent jump on average on UCare.

 https://www.fox9.com/health/208893336-story

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Harvard Crushes The “Obama Recovery” Farce With 9 Simple Charts

Obama-Golf

by Tyler Durden
Sep 16, 2016 3:10 AM

A couple of months back we posted 9 charts that, at least in our minds, debunked the myth of the “Obama Recovery” despite suggestions from the administration that any such efforts were just a futile attempt at “peddling fiction” (our original post: “These Are The 9 Zero Hedge Charts Showing “Obama’s Recovery” That Angered The Washington Post”).

Turns out that Harvard likes to dabble in “fiction peddling” as well:

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-09-15/harvard-debunks-obama-recovery-farce

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House Committee Approves Garrett Promoted Financial CHOICE Act to end Corporate Bailouts

Scott Garrett

September 14,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood bog

Washington DC,  Legislation to end bailouts for big banks, toughen penalties for wrongdoing on Wall Street, promote economic growth, and provide desperately needed regulatory relief for small community banks and credit unions passed the House Financial Services Committee 30-26 today.

The legislation – the Financial CHOICE Act – ends the Dodd-Frank Act’s taxpayer-funded bailouts of large financial institutions; relieves banks that elect to be strongly capitalized from growth-strangling regulation that slows the economy and harms consumers; imposes tougher penalties on those who commit financial fraud; and demands greater accountability from Washington regulators.

“Democrats just voted against a bill that increases penalties against those who commit financial fraud.  They just voted against a bill that ends taxpayer-funded bailouts, and they just voted against legislation that provides relief from Washington’s crushing regulatory burden for small banks, credit unions and consumers,” said Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), the sponsor of the bill.

“The bill holds Wall Street accountable with the toughest, strongest, strictest penalties ever – far greater than those in Dodd-Frank.  And as recent headlines attest, obviously stronger penalties are needed.  It requires banks to be well capitalized to prevent another financial crisis and puts in place the toughest penalties in history to protect consumers from fraud and deception.

“The Financial CHOICE Act will help grow the economy for all Americans, not just those at the top.  It promotes strong and transparent markets to revitalize job creation in our poorest communities and ensures every American has the opportunity to achieve financial independence, no matter where they start out in life.”

The Financial CHOICE Act, which stands for Creating Hope and Opportunity for Investors, Consumers and Entrepreneurs, received strong support from community banks and credit unions, small business groups and conservative organizations.  Large financial institutions did not offer their support for the bill.

Democrats on the Committee – despite having spent months criticizing the Financial CHOICE Act – refused to offer a single amendment to the bill.

For more information on the Financial CHOICE Act, visit www.financialservices.house.gov/choice/.

Organizations offering praise for the Financial CHOICE Act include the following:

“The [Financial CHOICE Act] would provide meaningful regulatory relief to help community banks foster economic and job growth in their local communities.” — Independent Community Bankers of America

“This bill provides significant regulatory relief essential to restoring economic growth. Republican members of Congress have repeatedly promised to get rid of Dodd-Frank and stop taxpayer funded bailouts. Now they have the opportunity to fulfill that promise by bringing the Financial Choice Act to a vote in the House and Senate, and sending the bill to the President’s desk.” — Heritage Action

“Chairman Hensarling’s CHOICE Act would be a win for Main Street consumers, workers and small businesses. Since Dodd-Frank was passed in 2010, access to free-checking has decreased while lobbyists’ importance has increased. The CHOICE Act helps reverse this trend.” — Main Street Growth Project

“Americans for Prosperity applauds your leadership in reining in the overbearing financial regulations that threaten growth and threaten consumer financial stability. Repealing and replacing the failed policies established in the Dodd-Frank Act will mean that Americans will have greater access to capital, which will lead to greater job growth, personal wealth, and overall economic prosperity. We are proud to support the CHOICE Act, and we urge your colleagues to support it.” — Americans for Prosperity

“….[the Financial CHOICE Act] is precisely the right combination to get the American economy moving again. The CHOICE Act offers sensible regulatory relief for qualifying institutions, protects the American taxpayer and consumer from another Wall Street meltdown, and holds federal financial regulatory agencies accountable.” — Independent Bankers Association of Texas

“….several components of this legislation target reforms specifically to facilitate investment in small business. The inclusion of these provisions and others will provide regulatory relief and modernization that will allow the private sector to fuel economic growth in our 21st century economy.” — Small Business Investor Alliance

“This is an important bill that will truly reform rules governing the financial system, encourage innovation across the system, vastly improve access to capital for entrepreneurs and small businesses, and transform a regulatory structure that lacks accountability, is too secretive, and ignores its responsibilities concerning small businesses.” — Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council

“We greatly appreciate the Chairman’s efforts in Title III of the bill to reform the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau). This title will help to ensure the Bureau serves as a non-partisan regulator that operates within the framework of the law by giving Congress more oversight authority, taking into account the opinions of all stakeholders, and properly weighing the impact its regulations have on the availability of credit.” — Consumer Bankers Association

“NAR is pleased that the FCA [Financial CHOICE Act] includes provisions that will enhance transparency, accountability and fairness in our financial system. As a result, the FCA will help expand financial product choice and promote economic opportunity. These provisions are an important step towards making property ownership a reality for hardworking Americans and U.S. businesses.” – National Association of Realtors

“If we want the economy to improve — if we want to give all Americans the chance to prosper again — we need to put an end to Washington’s destructive regulatory agenda once and for all.  Thankfully, an increasing number of elected officials in Washington are fighting against the harmful effects and unintended consequences of these onerous regulations. Leading the fight in Congress has been House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), who recently outlined a comprehensive plan to turbocharge the American economy.  His new legislation, The Financial CHOICE Act, aims to curb regulations to create opportunity and choice for investors, consumers, and entrepreneurs nationwide.” — Conservative Coalition Letter of Support

“If signed into law, the bill would end the era of too big to fail, and would move banking and financial decisions away from Beltway and back to Main Street. This bill is balanced, meets key conservative criteria, and should continue to move through the House to final passage.” — FreedomWorks

“….[the Financial CHOICE Act] would begin the process of implementing sensible, necessary reforms to the U.S. financial system. That system has been saddled with an ineffective regulatory structure and an array of conflicting legislative and regulatory requirements that, individually or collectively, constrain growth. The Chamber believes the Financial Choice Act is a positive first step for unlocking the capital markets to better facilitate the financing of America’s economic growth and job creation.” — U.S. Chamber of Commerce

“….the CHOICE Act offers a strong alternative to Dodd-Frank and the regulatory morass it created. Rather than creating a flurry of complex rules in response to the financial crisis, Congress should have mandated higher capital requirements for financial institutions. That is why NTU is enthusiastic about the CHOICE Act’s “off ramp” from the bulk of the current Dodd Frank regulatory regime.” — National Taxpayers Union

“….the CHOICE Act and the substantial regulatory relief it provides…will generate meaningful economic and job growth in our communities.” — Mid-Size Bank Coalition of America

“….[the Financial CHOICE Act] address[es] the challenging credit conditions that home builders and home buyers continue to experience as a result of an overly zealous regulatory response to the financial crisis. NAHB appreciates your efforts to initiate regulatory reform to support a more robust recovery.” — National Association of Home Builders

“….it is vital that we take heed of any policy that claims to “fix” the voluntary actions of consumers. Price controls go against everything we stand for as a country and do nothing but redistribute wealth, damaging the lives of hardworking Americans. The first step forward is reform. The Financial CHOICE Act is that first step.” — Red State

“….the Financial Choice Act if passed will restore competition in the marketplace by removing arbitrary government price caps. Additionally, it will allow banks the ability to recoup the money they spend on fraud protection from the retailers that reap the benefit of the use of debit cards. Consumers will once again have affordable access to basic banking services, and small businesses will have the freedom to negotiate processing fees that make sense based on the type of goods they sell. In short, all true conservatives in Congress should rally behind Neugebauer and Hensarling’s bill, because it will cut back on big government red tape and allow the free market to thrive again.” — Liberty Unyielding

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Another N.J. insurance company drops out of Obamacare

Obamacare-SC

By Susan K. Livio | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on September 12, 2016 at 8:18 PM, updated September 13, 2016 at 8:38 AM

TRENTON — Faced with “a deteriorating financial condition,” another health insurance carrier is pulling out of New Jersey’s health exchange marketplace created under the Affordable Care Act, forcing 35,000 policy holders to find a new plan in 2017, the state’s top insurance official announced Monday night.

Health Republic Insurance of New Jersey will serve customers through the end of the year, state Department of Banking and Insurance Commissioner Richard Badolato said.

The state is working out a “rehabilitation” plan that preserves the carrier’s financial assets so medical providers will be reimbursed for the care they provide consumers for the remainder of the year, Badolato said in a statement late Monday.

“We will also be assisting individual consumers as they transition to a new plan during the open enrollment period this fall,” Badolato said. “Similarly, we will work with small employers as they seek replacement plans for their businesses.”

https://www.nj.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2016/09/another_nj_insurance_company_is_dropping_out_of_ob.html?ath=9c46bfc08d76232bb5a5e00eeaf0bfa2#cmpid=nsltr_stryheadline

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ObamaCare exits being felt in Senate battleground states

obamacare_theridgewoodblog

By Sarah Ferris – 09/13/16 06:00 AM EDT

Eight of the states that will determine the Senate majority in November are likely to see significant reductions in the number of insurers participating in ObamaCare marketplaces.

The likely departures of insurers in Illinois, Wisconsin, Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, Arizona and Missouri are pushing the healthcare law toward the center of some of the most competitive Senate races in the country.

GOP strategists say Obama-Care’s troubles this year are morphing into a perfect storm for their candidates, providing a boost in a year when the party is defending 24 Senate seats.

“It feels like there’s a sleeping giant that’s about to awaken on the campaign trail,” veteran Republican strategist Ron Bonjean said. “It really does seem like an easy target, an easy layup for Republicans to score points.”

Health insurers have been fleeing the marketplaces over the last year, citing steep financial losses. The departures, which have included industry leaders like UnitedHealth Group and Aetna Inc., are cutting into the choices people have when selecting ObamaCare plans.

Next year, exactly half of all states are expected to see fewer ObamaCare options in at least one county, according to data compiled by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

An analysis of the Kaiser data by The Hill found that the exits from ObamaCare align with some of the biggest battlegrounds for Senate Republicans this year.

Every county in Ohio, a crucial swing state, is on track to lose at least two insurers compared to last year. All of the counties in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Missouri, Arizona and Illinois are also expected to lose at least one option, according to Kaiser.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/295565-obamacare-exits-being-felt-in-senate-battleground-states

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Obamacare: Still stupid after all these years

obamacare_theridgewoodblog

Jake Novak | @jakejakeny

There’s something about Obamacare that really shines a light on the stupid. And by that I mean stupid politicians, stupid “experts,” and even regular – but stupid – Americans. And in case you missed it, the last few weeks have presented us, and the presidential candidates, with more solid evidence of ACA-related stupidity than usual. Let’s look at the top three contenders on the Obamacare Stupid Bowl ’16:

First, we now know that Obamacare enrollment has fallen short by 24 million people. The real number of enrolled Americans in ACA plans is 11.1 million. Making matters worse is the fact that a major chunk of the people not signing up are the younger and healthier Americans the ACA’s architects were foolishly relying on to help absorb the costs from older and sicker enrollees. This is the continuing development that many call the “Obamacare Death Spiral.”

Second, so many Insurance companies are curtailing their participation in Obamacare exchanges that 31 percent of U.S. counties are likely to have just one insurance company option for health coverage by next year. That’s what we call a monopoly. And in case you don’t know how dangerous monopolies can be in health care, Google the words “Mylan” and “EpiPen” when you get a chance.

https://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/06/obamacare-still-stupid-after-all-these-years-commentary.html

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Obamacare Insurance Markets on Verge of Collapse

obamacare_theridgewoodblog

by WARNER TODD HUSTON
3 Sep 2016

Citing the financial unsustainability of Obamacare, both the insured and insurers are fleeing Obamacare in increasing numbers, leaving President Obama’s takeover of the nation’s healthcare system on the verge of collapse.

The administration has claimed Obamacare — officially designated the Affordable Care Act — to be a great success, insisting that 20 million previously uninsured Americans now have insurance. But according to a report at The Guardian, that “success” comes at the expense of all the features that were supposed to make the law sustainable.

President Obama and his cohorts imagined that since Obamacare was to be compulsory, millions of healthy young Americans would immediately sign up, and the massive influx of cash paid into the system as insurance premiums would help pay for the higher costs in care doled out to older, sicker enrollees.

https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/09/03/obamacare-insurance-markets-on-verge-of-collapse/

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Americans Are Not Optimistic About Money

obama-drinking-beer

Pew survey: Americans and many Europeans gloomy about economy, but the Chinese are sunny about theirs.

By PAUL WISEMAN, AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans, Japanese and many Europeans are glum about their national economies. By contrast, Chinese, Indians and Australians feel positive about theirs.

Those are among the findings from a survey of 20,132 people in 16 countries by the Pew Research Center. Just 44 percent of Americans rated the U.S. economy as “good,” although that proportion has risen steadily from 18 percent in 2011.

https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2016-08-09/survey-americans-remain-gloomy-about-economy-chinese-sunny

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Obama and Democrats Move Closer to Socialized Medicine

obamacare_theridgewoodblog

Obama calls for adding public option to ObamaCare

President Obama is calling on Congress to add a “public option” to ObamaCare to improve his signature health law.

The pitch from Obama comes after he abandoned pursuit of a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurers during the long legislative battle over healthcare because of opposition from some Democrats in Congress.

“Public programs like Medicare often deliver care more cost-effectively by curtailing administrative overhead and securing better prices from providers,” Obama writes in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“The public plan did not make it into the final legislation. Now, based on experience with the ACA, I think Congress should revisit a public plan to compete alongside private insurers in areas of the country where competition is limited,” writes the president.

The new embrace from the president also comes amid what appears to be a concerted push by the Democratic Party to rally around the public option.

It’s a shift that reflects how the party has tilted leftward during the Obama years.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/287256-obama-calls-for-adding-public-option-to-obamacare

 

 

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Police Swipe at Obama Over Tensions

ridgewood police

file photo by Boyd Loving
Some law enforcement officials say president has helped sow distrust between police and minorities

By
FELICIA SCHWARTZ,

BYRON TAU and

ZUSHA ELINSON
July 10, 2016 8:04 p.m. ET

As President Barack Obama prepares to head to Dallas on Tuesday after the deadly shooting of five policemen, he faces criticism from some law enforcement officials that he has helped inflame tensions between police and minority communities.

The White House said Sunday Mr. Obama would speak in Dallas, at the invitation of the mayor, at an interfaith memorial service to commemorate the attack’s victims.

The president has tried to walk a fine line between acknowledging the grievances of activists protesting police shootings of black suspects, and trying to cool some of the anger directed at police officers. Now he also faces complaints that he is partly to blame for creating a culture that some police say demonizes officers.

“The man responsible for the murders [in Dallas] was Micah Johnson, but having said that, I do think the president by his inaction has contributed to a climate where these things can happen,” William Johnson, executive director of the National Association of Police Organizations, which represents about 240,000 law enforcement officers, said Sunday. “This president and his administration absolutely do not have our back and make our jobs more dangerous.”

Earlier last week, Mr. Obama said that complaints by activists and minority-community members about police violence had a legitimate basis. Mr. Obama said the recent police shootings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota should trouble all Americans “because these are not isolated incidents.”

https://www.wsj.com/articles/police-swipe-at-obama-over-tensions-1468195494