Tag: Garden state

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Mushroom Poisonings Up in the Garden State

poison mushrooms by daadox d31jluh1

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Health Department joins with the New Jersey Poison Control Center in warning you about the dangers of picking and eating wild mushrooms.
“Picking and eating mushrooms growing in gardens, on lawns, in fields or in the woods is a dangerous game,” says Diane Calello, MD, NJ Poison Control Center Executive and Medical Director, Rutgers NJ Medical School’s Department of Emergency Medicine. “Even experienced mushroom pickers are fooled by toxic look-a-likes at times.”

Continue reading Mushroom Poisonings Up in the Garden State

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Pascrell Fails to Accept Responsibility for New Jersey’s Failed Fiscal Policies

Bill Pascrell

“Pascrell Lambasts Latest Republican Tax Outrage”

July 25,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

WASHINGTON D.C. ,  Today, Representative Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09), the Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, hammered the release of the so-called second phase of the Republican tax plan which announced that the egregious cap placed on federal deductions for State and Local Tax Deductions (SALT) would be made permanent.

“As New Jersey’s Yogi Berra liked to say, it’s déjà vu all over again. Another day, another attempt by congressional Republicans to stick it to Garden State. Already burdened with the highest property taxes in America, for years people in my state relied on the state and local tax deduction to provide their families with flexibility to pay their bills. Republicans took care of that, capping those deductions to help pay for a trillion-dollar tax cut for big corporations and big tycoons. Now Republicans are announcing the SALT cap is going to be made permanent to bedevil New Jerseyans for all time. We already know Republicans go out of their way to bring pain on the people of the Northeast. They said so themselves. But they keep trying to prove it again to us. We’ve had it with this garbage. The GOP tax scam should be overturned and the full state and local tax deduction reinstated. Let the top 1% pay their fair share and leave New Jersey the hell alone.”

Pascrell, made no mentions of the 50 or so years of unabated irresponsible fiscal policies of the state New Jersey or the “Garden State ” as he like to say. Pascrell like many New Jersey politicians likes to blame the abject failure of state policies on the federal government .

Pascrell has represented his district since January 1997 and in that time there has been massive flight of people and businesses out of the “Garden State” for far greener pastures .  New Jersey ranks at the top only in taxes and ranks near the bottom is business climate and quality of life . Perhaps he and his fellow  New Jersey representatives could spend far more time on the problems in the state of New Jersey and less time grand standing and name calling .

 

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AFP-NJ: It Exists Therefore It’s Taxed

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July 2, 2018
by AFP-NJ: It Exists Therefore It’s Taxed

Trenton NJ,  Americans for Prosperity-New Jersey (AFP-NJ) responded to the New Jersey state budget, which the legislature passed and the governor signed on Sunday. The $37.4 billion state budget increased income taxes as well as corporate taxes. AFP-NJ opposed the measure.

AFP-NJ State Director Erica Jedynak issued the following statement:

“The way New Jersey lawmakers tax everything you’d think they’re purposefully trying to drive everyone out so they can keep the state to themselves. According to Sen. Sweeney and Gov. Murphy, the only thing better than a tax on one thing is a tax on two. But the higher income and corporate taxes will only exacerbate the Garden State’s already troubling outmigration problem and increase the tax burden on an ever-shrinking population. How long before New Jersey lawmakers start taxing folks in New York or Pennsylvania?

“That some lawmakers refuse to acknowledge that New Jersey has a spending problem, not a revenue problem, is outrageous. Our elected officials need to recognize that spending on wasteful programs such as corporate welfare is a core driver of increased taxes, which in turn make it harder to live, work, and raise a family in the Garden State.”

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Free college for all! (Except if you’re a NJ taxpayer)

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By Bill Spadea September 19, 2017 5:44 PM

If Democratic candidate for Governor gets his way in November, his first few months in office will likely be a big change for the Garden State. With a likely strong majority in both houses of the legislature his spending proposals and tax increases will likely sail through to his desk and become the new normal in New Jersey.  Although if you take a critical look back over the past two terms with Republican Chris Christie, he really did foam the runway for higher taxes, new spending and more borrowing. See: Gas Tax, Question #2 and State House Renovation.

But Murphy is different.  While Christie campaigned as a fiscally responsible tax cutter, Murphy is at least being honest about his plan to raise your taxes.  What’s worse is that he’ll have the power to do it, nearly unchecked with a rubber stamp legislature counting on his massive wealth and insider connections to help them stay in power for the foreseeable future.

His latest spending place is free community college for everyone. I spent the better part of the morning discussing that there are several big problems and challenges with his plan.

The first is the cost.  The expected winner of the November contest, Phil Murphy (although political predictions  sometimes get it slightly wrong…See Hillary 2016) has said that it should only cost the taxpayers $400 million. Hmm, we’ve heard a similar number before. Remember the $38 million dollar state house renovation that over night turned into $300 million? Then the borrowing costs drove the potential cost to between $500 and $700 million? The Governor has referred to such amounts as nothing more than “rounding errors,” as if to say we have plenty of money and this is only a drop in the bucket. Seems Murphy has taken the same tactic as the Governor to downplay the real problem of out-of-control, unchecked spending. Yes, $400 million is small when compared to the overall $35 billion in our state budget.  But what about the tens of millions in debt?  What about the $100 million plus in unfunded future liabilities? What about the fact that we’re planning to borrow billions more for light rail projects? What about the fact that the gas tax is already in place to secure future borrowing, and now the Democrats are talking about raising fees on toll roads and fees?

The second issue is the focus on college as a ‘one size fits all’ solution.  Why are we not discussing the very real opportunity of kids graduating college and getting into a trade? Electricians, plumbers, truckers, HVAC, hair stylists, food and entertainment and even jobs in the medical field are all critical elements of New Jersey’s economy. You can become a Licensed Practical Nurse without a college degree. All of these professions are respected and can afford a person a good living while keeping them out of the hole of higher education debt. The practical training in a specific field may be the best way for people to make it on their own and start their careers without a burden of debt on themselves, if Murphy gets his wish, on the rest of us.

Read More: Free college for all! (Except if you’re a NJ taxpayer) | https://nj1015.com/free-college-for-all-except-if-youre-a-nj-taxpayer/?trackback=tsmclip

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MEDICAID 2.0 PROVIDES BLUEPRINT FOR HEALTHCARE REFORM IN GARDEN STATE

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LILO H. STAINTON | MARCH 7, 2017

New Jersey’s Medicaid program serves almost 2 million clients; increased cost efficiencies and enhanced responsiveness are a must — especially with ACA under fire

New Jersey’s Medicaid program, the health insurance plan that covers nearly one in every five residents, is in desperate need of modernization to better serve patients and provide them higher-quality care while remaining financially sustainable in the years to come.

That’s the assessment of a diverse group of healthcare stakeholders convened more than a year ago by the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute to review the massive program, explore successful efforts in other states, and recommend reforms to improve the delivery of Medicaid in the Garden State. Representatives of the group, whose work was funded by the Nicholson Foundation, unveiled on Monday the results of their work: the Medicaid 2.0 Blueprint, a detailed plan with 24 specific recommendations designed to make the system more efficient, better integrated, and more responsive to patient needs.

https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/17/03/06/medicaid-2-0-provides-blueprint-for-healthcare-reform-in-garden-state/?utm_campaign=new-jersey-politics&utm_content=2017-08-03-9074583&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=New%20Jersey%20Politics

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Ridgewood Ranked 20th in highest average property tax bills in the Garden State

Ridgewood Realestate

file photo

30 towns with the highest property taxes in N.J.

Updated February 27, 2017
Posted February 27, 2017

By Samantha Marcus | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The average property tax bill in New Jersey rose to $8,549 in 2016. But many homeowners pay much, much more.

So which towns pay the most in the state that pays the most for property taxes?

Here are the 30 New Jersey municipalities with the highest average property tax bills, according to data from the state Department of Community Affairs.

20. Ridgewood

This Bergen County village cracks into the top 20 with a $17,180 average real estate tax bill. Schools account for about 65 percent of taxes levied there, while the municipality collects 24 percent and the county, 11 percent.

Neighbors…
28. Glen RockOf New Jersey’s 21 counties, Bergen is the most represented on this list, occupying 14 of the 30 spots. Living in this small Bergen County Borough costs, on average, $15,459 in property taxes.

25. Ho-Ho-Kus

In Ho-Ho-Kus, Bergen County, the average real estate tax bill is $15,580, $18 higher than Woodcliff Lake.

https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/02/njs_2016_top-taxed_towns.html

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Garden State Ranks 7th Best State to Raise a Family

GALERIE

February 22,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, in a 2017’s Best & Worst States to Raise a Family Wallet hub the Study gave New Jersey high marks rating the Garden state 7th best state in the nation for raising a family.

The survey was predicted on the idea that ,”raising a healthy, stable family sometimes requires moving to a new state. And the reasons are often similar: career transitions, better schools, financial challenges or perhaps a general desire to change settings.

But wants and needs don’t always align in a particular state, which might offer, for instance, a low income-tax rate yet subpar education system. Consequently, a family must make unnecessary sacrifices — the kinds that are easily avoided by knowing which states offer the best combination of qualities that matter most to parents and their kids.

To help with the evaluation process, WalletHub’s data team compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on 40 key indicators of family-friendliness. Our data set ranges from “median family salary” to “housing affordability” to “unemployment rate. Read on for the complete ranking, relocation advice from experts and a full description of our methodology.”

The WalletHub analysis used 40 key indicators of family friendliness for its ranking.

The study ranked New Jersey as:

11th best in the country for the percentage of families with kids
9th best for child care costs, adjusted for median family income
4th best for infant mortality rate
10th best for median family salary (adjusted for cost of living)
13th best for violent crime rate
11th best for percentage of families below the poverty level

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ObamaCare continues to make life more difficult for New Jersey families

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“Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage. And basically, call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever,” Jonathan Gruber, a professor at MIT and an architect of Obamacare

Rep.Scott Garrett :Time find solutions that will increase actually make health care more affordable and accessible for everyone.

“While we were promised affordable prices and increased competition with ObamaCare, we’ve only seen premium prices spike and insurance companies exit the unworkable exchanges. You’ve probably heard a number of news reports this week about the increased healthcare costs many people are facing as a result of this disastrous law. Unfortunately, New Jersey is no exception.

If you are one of the thousands of residents here in the Garden State expected to participate in ObamaCare open enrollment that starts this week, chances are you’ve been hit by massive sticker shock. You’ve probably also noticed that you’ve had less choice than you had in the past as only two insurance companies remain in New Jersey’s exchanges. It’s obvious that ObamaCare isn’t working for New Jersey’s families.

Supporters of ObamaCare told us that it would save the average family $2,500 a year on premiums.  Instead, we are finding out that premiums will increase by an average of 25 percent.  We were also told, “if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.”  Instead, at least 76,000 New Jerseyans are now forced to switch insurance providers.  And these families are quickly finding out that switching insurance providers is difficult. New plans may mean leaving the family doctor you’ve seen for years and interrupting ongoing medical treatment.

The Affordable Care Act is not affordable and it is forcing American families to make unwanted compromises about their healthcare.

New Jerseyans shouldn’t have to pay the price for ObamaCare’s broken promises.  That is why I will continue to fight to repeal ObamaCare and work in a bipartisan manner to find solutions that will increase actually make health care more affordable and accessible for everyone.”

Sincerely,

Scott Garrett

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Scott Garrett: “New Jersey residents deserve to have their tax dollars spent on transportation and infrastructure projects right here in the Garden State instead of being wasted in Washington, D.C.”

Rep Scott Garrett rail car safety

Garrett Statement on Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act

Dec 3, 2015
the staff of theRidgewood blog

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05), issued the following statement after voting against the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act:

“New Jersey residents deserve to have their tax dollars spent on transportation and infrastructure projects right here in the Garden State instead of being wasted in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, the FAST Act is full of budgetary gimmicks that will ensure another round of taxpayer-funded bailouts when what we really need are substantive reforms that put our transportation funding on a sustainable fiscal path. The reason Americans have spent $143 billion on bailouts over the last seven years is money set aside in the Highway Trust Fund—the tax you pay at the pump—has been wasted on projects that are unrelated to roads and bridges.

“And if the bailouts aren’t bad enough, the FAST Act also includes provisions to resurrect the most shameless example of crony capitalism Washington has ever concocted—the Export-Import Bank. Overall, I believe New Jersey deserves better, which is why I will continue to fight to end bailouts, end special treatment for Washington insiders, and ensure that my constituents can see their transportation dollars being spent closer to home.”

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Garden State in dismal state

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file photo Boyd Loving

Garden State in dismal state
GREG DAVID 
JULY 6, 2014 12:01 A.M.

Chris Christie certainly has his troubles these days. A decline in tax revenue left him with a big hole in the budget for the just-ended fiscal year, which he closed by not making a big payment to the state’s beleaguered pension fund. His transportation-improvement fund is depleted, forcing him into maneuvers to grab Port Authority money to fix the Pulaski Skyway.

The list could go on, but the cause of all these woes is the same: a very poor economy. It’s why the governor doesn’t talk about the New Jersey miracle anymore.

The best way to compare economies these days is by their performance during the long and mostly painful recovery from the Great Recession. That’s what I have done for New Jersey, New York state and New York City in the chart accompanying this column. (The story would be the same if I compared Mr. Christie’s state with the country as a whole.)

 New JerseyNew YorkNew York City
Jobs lost in recession257,900330,200140,800
As percentage of all jobs6.3%3.7%3.7%
Jobs regained100,300524,600374,900
Percentage of lost jobs regained39%159%266%
Jobless rate peak9.7%8.9%10.0%
Jobless rate now6.8%6.7%7.9%
GDP 2010$493.2 billion$1,182.9 billion$509.1 billion
GDP in 2013$509.1 billion$1,226.7 billion$626.1 billion
Gain in GDP3.2%3.7%7.0%
Personal income growth14.2%15.3%12.7%
Change in home price from peak-20.1%0.0%Not available

Jobs and unemployment numbers are from peak month to lowest month to May and are seasonally adjusted. State jobs and unemployment numbers are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. New York City jobs numbers are from independent economist Barbara Byrne Denham; unemployment rates from state Labor Department regional data. State GDP and personal income numbers are from Bureau of Economic Analysis. NYC GDP from city comptroller’s office. City personal income numbers from Office of Management and Budget February financial plan. Housing index from Corelogic from peak prices to April.

It isn’t a pretty picture. New Jersey has regained only a little more than a third of the jobs lost in the recession, and its GDP and personal-income growth is subpar. Housing prices are a particular problem. Only the decline in unemployment is a positive sign.

https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20140706/BLOGS01/140709942/garden-state-in-dismal-state#

 

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It’s a Jersey Thing: Why Chris Christie – or Any Pol From the Garden State – Can’t Go National

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It’s a Jersey Thing: Why Chris Christie – or Any Pol From the Garden State – Can’t Go National
Nick Gillespie|Jan. 15, 2014 5:32 pm

I’ve got a new column up at Time.com which discusses what being from New Jersey means for Chris Christie, the embattled governor of the greatest state in the country. Snippets:

Shows such as The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire only make sense in a place like New Jersey, where everyone has a chip on their shoulder, is hustling to make a buck, and is desperate for prestige (as South Park memorably summarized it in 2010, “It’s a Jersey thing”). That’s the reason, too, that Abscam, the FBI sting operation that informs the plot of the acclaimed new movie American Hustle, was centered around Atlantic City and took down mostly New Jersey politicians, too. Even more than the typical elected official, Garden State pols want money, power, and respect.

But as Tony Soprano (played so memorably by the late Jersey native James Gandolfini), could tell you, the same forces that spur ambition and success also carry within them their own demise. It quickly becomes difficult to know when serious lines are being crossed or the wrong messages are being sent to the people around you….

It’s telling that in his rise to national prominence, Gov. Christie captured headlines less for what he did than how he did it. Where other Republican governors have implemented major structural changes to collective bargaining (Wisconsin’s Scott Walker) or educational policy (Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal), Christie has essentially governed as a big-government conservative, spending more money each year he’s been in office and doling out conventional corporate welfare to favored constituents. The State of the State address he delivered yesterday didn’t change any of that.

What’s made him famous — or infamous, depending on your politics — was his willingness to shout down teachers, reporters, and even voters that he deemed idiots or worse. In short, it’s his Jersey attitude, not his policies, that have put him on top of potential Republican presidential candidates….

https://reason.com/blog/2014/01/15/its-a-jersey-thing-why-chris-christie-or

https://ideas.time.com/2014/01/15/why-pols-from-new-jersey-arent-born-to-run/#ixzz2qUBXfUIy