By Scott Mele, Tektite Industries
Tektite IndustriesScott Mele is president of Tektite Industries in Trenton.
For 29 years, Tektite Industries has been proud to build a business in New Jersey and help carry the torch for manufacturing in our state’s capital city. I can remember when we first started producing LED lighting and strobes, we had two products. It was here in Trenton that we saw our business grow to more than 100 products.
Continue reading Another Manufacturer Set to Leave New Jersey
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PHILADELPHIA PA, fitting because in many residents eyes New Jersey is going down the “sh$tter” , and critics often sight the governors efforts are like flushing money down the drain.
NJ Governor Phil Murphy will receive the 2019 Governor of the Year award this evening from the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) in recognition of his dedication and leadership to strengthening New Jersey’s bioscience industry. The award will be presented at the 2019 BIO International Convention in Philadelphia.“I thank BIO for this prestigious award, which is truly a tribute to the thousands of New Jersey entrepreneurs working to create life-saving and life-enhancing therapies and medical devices that will benefit the global community for decades to come,” said Governor Murphy. “Through our vision for New Jersey as the State of Innovation, we have committed to supporting biotechnology startups and companies of all sizes as they choose to locate and grow in the Garden State. We greatly appreciate the partnership of the biotechnology sector as we work to ensure that scientists, researchers, and other innovators have the resources they need to succeed.”
Continue reading Governor Murphy to Receive Governor of the Year Award at BIO International Convention
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Trenton NJ, Following is a statement from Katie Brennan in response to the Select Oversight Committee report issued today:
“The findings of this report confirm what I have known all along–that sexual violence survivors in this state still cannot expect to receive justice. I waved a red flag at every turn of this process, and at every turn, I went unheard. And while my story should cause outrage, what should be even more disturbing is the knowledge that I am only one of countless survivors in our state who have gone voiceless and whose assaulters remain unaccountable. To our lawmakers, you now have a mandate–take meaningful action to create real accountability for perpetrators of sexual violence and for those who would protect them. To the Administration, you have a mandate as well, to hold accountable those who failed to take action or actively protected Al Alvarez. To truly claim the moral authority to implement a strong, pro-women, progressive policy agenda, the individuals in your senior leadership who have been complicit must be held to account.”
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Trenton NJ, Tonight, Republicans elected a solid slate of candidates around the state to fight back in the Murphy Midterms. NJGOP Chairman Doug Steinhardt releases the following statement regarding the results:
“Republicans have a diverse slate of candidates in every corner of the state ready to fight back in the Murphy Midterms. The NJGOP is proud to support the Republican efforts to pick up a Senate seat in LD-1, fight for the majority in the General Assembly, and continue to add ideological diversity to our county and local governments. New Jersey residents deserve honest answers to our state’s real problems, and dishonest, Democratic spendthrifts like Phil Murphy and his bevy of rain tax, success tax, business tax, shore rental tax, Uber tax and gun taxes simply aren’t getting the job done. We can do better.”
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Trenton NJ, Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth) a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, released the following statement on today’s announcement by Governor Murphy:
“Governor Murphy’s relentless, rabid desire to appease his progressive base will end up hurting everyone, including the people he is trying to help,” Senator O’Scanlon said.
Continue reading Murphy’s Millionaire’s Tax Announcement: ‘Relentless, Rabid Desire To Appease His Progressive Base’
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Hackensack NJ, Bergen County Republicans are calling for transparency from Gov. Phil Murphy, demanding that he reveal the identity of the dark money donors behind political action committee pushing higher taxes in New Jersey. And, they are asking the Bergen Democrats to demand the same.
Bergen Freeholder candidates Corrado Belgiovine, Alyssa Dawson and Katie Cericola said the secrecy around the funding of a group known as New Direction New Jersey – which is using online ads to push Murphy’s high tax agenda – including the millionaire’s tax — is disturbing and detrimental to the state’s taxes and the economy.
Continue reading Bergen GOP Freeholder Slate Demand That Gov. Murphy Reveal Dark Money Donors Group Promoting Tax Hikes
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Ridgewood NJ, no surprise here New Jersey, is the last place where people want to spend their golden years.
Almost 67% of all New Jersey moves were outbound last year, according to a survey from United Van Lines.
United Van lines polled 26,998 of its customers who moved last year, through Nov. 30.
Continue reading Retirees Fleeing New Jersey in Droves
” Man/woman works in NYC. They move to Ridgewood for the ‘whole package’ (let’s leave the school rank out of it for a sec). They have 5 kids, all go to RPS schools K-12. Worker contributes to 401k, 403b, SEP IRA, whatever, and has a possible cash flow from these investments of 5k/month. Last kid graduates RHS and the family decides to move to Florida or another lower tax state. Are they greedy, or being financially prudent? Same goes for government employees. It’s just a desirable financial move. NJ pols (R & D alike) have screwed over the system to fix budgets, cronyism, over-spending, and going on a fiscal bender for decades. I lived here when there was no income tax (thank you Gov Byrne) and the sales tax was 3%. The pension system is broken and the culprits have since split the scene: Byrne, Kean, Florio, Whitman, DiFrancesco, Mc Greevy, Codey, Corzine, Christie. Now, we’re stuck with Murphy who believes that he can tax us out of the problems. With a democrat senate and assembly, it’s his baby now and can ram through as many tax bills as he wants. We have the prerogative to leave. “
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Ridgewood NJ, Last week, the Sunlight Policy Center of New Jersey issued a report that made news throughout the state, when we uncovered that the NJEA has been secretly funneling millions of dollars into a dark money group supporting Governor Murphy.
Continue reading Did You Know that Every New Jersey Property Taxpayer Directly Funds New Jersey’s Most Powerful Special Interest Group?
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Hackensack NJ, District 39 legislators Assemblyman Robert Auth (R-Bergen) and Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi (R-Bergen), District 40 legislators Assemblymen Christopher DePhillips (R-Bergen) and Kevin Rooney (R-Bergen), District 38 candidates Michael Kazmir (R-Bergen) and Christopher DiPiazza (R-Bergen) and Freeholder candidates Corrado Belgiovine (R-Bergen), Alyssa Dawson (R-Bergen), and Kathleen Cericola (R-Bergen) released the following statement in response:
Continue reading Return of Saudino Leaves Bergen GOP Conflicted
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Jersey Shore NJ, Ahead of the Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start to summer, Assemblyman Hal Wirths and Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso fought to protect consumers and the tourism industry from the so-called “Airbnb tax.” Last July, Gov. Murphy and the Democrat-controlled legislature passed a law that applied an 11.6 surcharge on short-term rentals not booked through a real estate agency.
The Assembly voted on legislation yesterday to limit the scope of the Airbnb tax to rentals obtained through a marketplace, but Wirths and DiMaso say it doesn’t go far enough. The tourism industry is starting to feel the consequences of the tax as short-term rentals at the Jersey Shore struggle and vacationers choose less expensive destinations.
Continue reading GOP Efforts to exempt the Jersey Shore communities from Renters tax shot Down by Democrats
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Trenton NJ, Democrat Governor Phil Murphy’s growing discord with his own party continues to drag down his administration in New Jersey.
Politico is reporting that Murphy’s conflict with South New Jersey Democrat Party boss George Norcross “has turned into an open civil war” with Murphy launching “an unprecedented public attack on Norcross” by opening an inquiry into state tax incentive programs. This comes as Norcross has savaged Murphy in the press, calling him “politically incompetent” and a “liar” who thinks he is “the King of England.”
Continue reading NJ Democrats Devolve into Civil War
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Trenton NJ, Treasurer Elizabeth Muoio is right about New Jersey needing a much bigger surplus than the one being proposed right now. But the same analyst she cited in support of her position also has suggested that raising the millionaires tax is the wrong way to go, the New Jersey Business & Industry Association said this morning.
“NJBIA agrees with the Treasurer that New Jersey should have a much bigger surplus than it has now, and the one being proposed by the Murphy administration is the largest we’ve had in a long time,” said Andrew Musick, NJBIA vice president for Government Affairs. “That’s to the governor’s credit. But the way to grow New Jersey’s surplus is through the structural spending reforms that were introduced by legislators last week, not raising taxes in an economy that’s been growing for years and remains strong.”
Continue reading Rating Agency Warns New Jersey Not Prepared for the Next Recession
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Ridgewood NJ, Who is funding New Direction New Jersey, the dark money group supporting Governor Murphy’s agenda?
No surprise: it’s New Jersey’s most powerful special interest, the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA). This $2.5 million in surreptitious spending is just one example of how the NJEA obscures its political activities from the public and even its own members. There are many others.
Continue reading NJEA: New Jersey’s Political Machine
“Ummm, those unfunded pension liabilities are based on some outrageous assumptions:
1. The State Investment Council assumes an annual return of 7.5% on the NJ state pension assets; a 30 year US treasury (which matches a long term pension liability) currently yields 2.825%. Pew Charitable Trusts suggests 6.5% is a more conservative assumption, which would increase the unfunded liability by 28% versus the current assumption assuming 7.5% annualized returns…
Continue reading Reader says , “Ummm, those unfunded pension liabilities are based on some outrageous assumptions”
