the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, time to start laying public school teachers and other non essential state workers, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has made the decision to keep New Jersey’s schools closed for at least four more weeks.
April 16, 2020
Dear Ridgewood School Community,
This afternoon, Governor Murphy announced that schools will remain closed through at least Friday, May 15, to help continue to flatten the curve and slow the transmission of coronavirus. This decision was made in careful consultation with the New Jersey Department of Health and the New Jersey Department of Education, as well as other key stakeholders. With over 75,000 cases of COVID-19 in New Jersey, we must all work together by social distancing and following the guidelines to help curtail the spread of this disease.
Billions in Spending Increases Proposed Before Crisis Remain Unchanged While Emergency Programs to Keep People Employed Run Dry Within Minutes
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, The Republican members of the Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee called on Governor Phil Murphy to announce which of the billions of dollars in new programs and spending and school aid increases he proposed in February will be scaled back to better fund emergency programs that are critical to helping small businesses survive and hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans to stay employed.
Continue reading COVID 19 State of Emergency Requires Massive State Spending Cuts
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, No one likes paying taxes. Yet, like death, taxes are inevitable. Zippia analyzed state income taxes, property taxes, and sales tax to find the states where residents pay the biggest chunk of their pay towards state taxes. Here are the states where residents are the most aggressively taxed:
The tax code is thousands of pages long, with different rates and intricate rules based on earnings and family situations. While the federal tax code is applied evenly throughout the country, each state has there own tax rates. This means citizens in some states enjoy a light tax load, while others are drowning in tax obligations.
Continue reading New Jersey is the Second Highest Taxed State in America
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewoood NJ, Governor Phil Murphy today signed Executive Order No. 125, imposing additional mitigation requirements on NJ TRANSIT and all private carriers to limit the spread of COVID-19. The order also outlines specific policies on restaurants that have remained open for takeout orders.
“We must continue our commitment to do everything we can to flatten the curve and defeat this virus,” said Governor Murphy. “With these additional requirements, we are aggressively reducing the spread of the virus to protect New Jersey residents.”
Continue reading Governor Phil Murphy Signs Executive Order Limiting Travel and Requiring Masks
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, A USA TODAY report headlined “Black People are Overwhelmingly Dying from Corona Virus in Cities Across the United States” should prompt the Murphy Administration to rethink its policy on the ability of patients to access hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for corona virus treatment therapy, Senator Joe Pennacchio said today.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Governor Phil Murphy today signed Executive Order No. 120, postponing primary elections on Tuesday, June 2nd to Tuesday, July 7th in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This includes primaries for President, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, the 25th District of the New Jersey Legislature, and county and municipal elections, as well as county committee elections. Last month, Governor Murphy issued Executive Order No. 105, which delayed certain elections set to take place in March and April until May 12th.
Continue reading Governor Murphy Announces Postponement of June 2nd Primary Elections until July 7th
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Gov. Murphy often showed his disdain for taxpayers when he told business leaders that New Jersey may not be their state if they are concerned about tax rates. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy love raising taxes and has even managed to raise taxes during the coronavirus pandemic . But high taxes apparently cant buy you everything and New Jersey needs help with its antiquated computer systems .How antiquated , so old in fact the states main frames use a 1950 computer language known as COBOL.
Continue reading New Jersey is Looking for COBOL Programmers ?
The residents of our state are smart and sophisticated enough to applaud success and criticize failure at the same time. New Jerseyans are glad when Governor Phil Murphy directs supplies to help hospitals and first responders during the Wuhan virus crisis. Simultaneously, hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of New Jerseyans are also rightfully enraged when he pursues progressive pet policies under its guise, while failing to propose any meaningful help for middle- and working-class residents from the coming economic pain it has caused. To argue as Carl Golden, a columnist at Insidernj.com has that criticism of Governor Murphy’s policies are “an unforced error,” or as Jose Arango, the do-little chair of the Hudson County Republican Organization, has that doing so is “political grand standards [sic]”, is a pathetic attempt at muzzling the millions of New Jerseyan’s anxious not only about the viral epidemic but whether they will still have a job and be able to afford their bills after it ends.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
TRENTON NJ, Governor Phil Murphy today signed Executive Order No. 113, authorizing the New Jersey State Director of Emergency Management to use the Governor’s full authority under the Disaster Control Act to commandeer personal services and/or real or personal property. This includes medical supplies and equipment from private companies and institutions in order to help meet the continued need for ventilators and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the State in hospitals, health care facilities, and emergency response agencies due to the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, Senator Michael Testa Jr. today called on the Murphy administration to uphold the rights of State residents during the coronavirus crisis.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hackensack NJ, Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco today rescinded his Executive Order declaring a State of Emergency in the County at the request of the Governor. The County Executive will hold a news conference today – March 19 – at 5:30 p.m. at Two Bergen County Plaza to discuss these recent developments and the next steps he will be taking to protect the residents, visitors and workers of Bergen County.
Tedesco said on Wednesday that he submitted the revised executive order to the Governor for review. During his daily briefing on Tuesday, Murphy appealed to county and local governments to coordinate with the state. “We will override local and county actions to make sure we are consistent in our approach,” Murphy said.
If the state were a business, it would be bankrupt. The difference is that taxpayers are more certain than customers to provide a stream of revenue.
It just so happens that the number-one taxpayer target for Democrats is businesses — the job creators that help the economy grow and help people afford putting food on the table for their families and themselves. When the cost of living is too high because of taxes, which drive up prices of the products we buy and limit the money we have to buy them, Democrats tell businesses that they have to raise wages.
Continue reading We can’t grow the economic pie if government eats it
By Tom Bracken and Michele Siekerka, Opportunity NJ
Trenton NJ, Governor Murphy’s recent Budget Address painted an optimistic picture of New Jersey’s current financial health and future prospects, declaring victory on goals that included “restoring fiscal responsibility” and “delivering property tax relief” as if the work were already done. While we appreciate the Governor’s commitment to business growth, workforce development, and investments in infrastructure, making New Jersey a competitive regional powerhouse means forging a difficult path ahead — and this budget proposal won’t get us there.
Continue reading Increased Taxes and Spending Won’t Help New Jersey Grow
By Doug Steinhardt
When I was in law school, I played piano at local piano bars to help support myself. I’ve always been a jazz music fan, and one of my favorite quotes is from jazz pianist Thelonious Monk, who said, “The piano ain’t got no wrong notes.”
I always thought that wisdom liberating. It reminds me there is no script for creating or problem solving. It’s also a great measure of self-accountability. If Monk’s quote taught me anything it’s that in life, I’m my only obstacle. I never blame the piano if the song doesn’t sound right.
