“This bill will permit local officials to make sure taxpayers don’t get ‘Snook’-ered”
Bill would let towns regulate reality TV shows
As if “Jim” McGreevey didn’t make New Jersey dumb enough ?
A bill introduced Monday would give towns where are filmed more control over the Situation. (Not to mention Snooki and JWoww, too.)
Assemblyman Ronald Dancer (R., Ocean) introduced the legislation for the “Snookiville Law,” which would let towns license and regulate the filming of reality shows and impose conditions, including requiring crews to pay for additional police officers.
Dancer said in a statement that New Jersey has a tradition of being a desirable setting for reality shows such as Jersey Shore, The Real Housewives of New Jersey, and Cake Boss.
“These shows can attract crowds, which can benefit local businesses and challenge a community’s resources,” said Dancer, whose district includes parts of Ocean, Burlington, Middlesex and Monmouth Counties. “This bill will permit local officials to make sure taxpayers don’t get ‘Snook’-ered or public safety is compromised when reality stars such as Snooki or JWoww come to town.” (Parry, Associated Press)
The official, head-to-head debates begin next week, but Sunday’s “60 Minutes” appearances by President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA) provided a contrast in the ideas offered on the nation’s entitlements and spending crisis.
For his part, the President punted on a serious question about the nation’s concern over spending—blaming everything on President George W. Bush. Instead of addressing the spending question, he waited for the next question about the national debt, which has increased more than 50 percent since he took office. Then came the familiar refrain of why he’s not responsible for Washington’s overspending or the country’s abysmal fiscal situation:
When I came into office, I inherited the biggest deficit in our history. And over the last four years, the deficit has gone up, but 90 percent of that is as a consequence of two wars that weren’t paid for, as a consequence of tax cuts that weren’t paid for, a prescription drug plan that was not paid for, and then the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
These continued excuses ignore the massive increases since the President took office. According to Heritage expert Emily Goff: By fiscal year 2008, the deficit had reached $458.6 billion. The deficit was increasing as Obama came into office, mainly driven by the recession and the first wave of TARP bailouts. But his Administration’s massive stimulus bill sent spending into overdrive and led to a record $1.4 trillion deficit for fiscal year 2009. Deficits have stayed at more than $1 trillion each year since then.
America’s entitlement programs are the major driver of out-of-control spending. Without reform, they would push federal spending to nearly 36 percent of the economy within a generation. Debt held by the public would explode to nearly 200 percent. Serious structural reforms are inevitable—it is merely a question of how we change what we are doing.
In his “60 Minutes” interview, Obama glossed over Obamacare’s cuts to Medicare and the resulting costs for seniors.
Romney, when asked how he would change Social Security, first made clear there should be no changes to benefits for those in or near retirement.
But he went on:
What I’d do with Social Security is say this: that again, people with higher incomes won’t get the same high growth rate in their benefits as people with lower incomes. People who rely on Social Security should see the same kind of growth rate they’ve had in the past. But higher income folks would receive a little less.
As Heritage expert Alison Fraser explains, Social Security is already income-adjusted today. This is called means testing. Benefits are capped for high-income earners, and the calculation of initial benefits a new retiree receives is based on his or her past income. Upper-income retirees pay a much higher tax than those with lower incomes. Romney proposes to extend this income adjusting so that upper-income retirees receive a bit less than they do now.
While many politicians claim that the only way to address entitlements is to raise taxes or cut benefits, expanding means testing is a serious and sound way to pursue reform.
These kinds of solutions can be found in Saving the American Dream, Heritage’s blueprint for solving our spending and debt crises. Saving the American Dream lays out solutions like slowly moving to a flat Social Security benefit that keeps seniors out of poverty, means testing Social Security so that very affluent seniors have a reduced benefit, and moving to a more robust means-tested premium support mechanism for Medicare that offers seniors choice and control over their health dollars and better health outcomes.
Without reforms, entitlement programs will push spending to untenable levels and put undue pressure on vital areas of government such as national defense. The Obama Administration’s comments about reform, like “now is not the time” for fixing Social Security and the need for a “balanced approach,” have been proven hollow by its push for tax hikes on job creators. We have a spending problem, not a revenue problem, and the longer Washington wastes time, the harsher the changes will have to be.
This debate is vital. To save the American economy and sustain the safety net for those who need it, spending must be reined in and entitlement programs must be reformed.
2011 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals Manager, Tony LaRussa tonight 7pm at Bookends
2011 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals Manager, Tony LaRussa, Tuesday, September 25th @ 7:00pm
Tony LaRussa, will sign his new book: One Last Strike.Book available Sept. 25th.
Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt.Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change.Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings.Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.
While we try to insure that all customers coming to Bookends’ signings will meet authors and get their books signed, we cannot guarantee that all attendees will meet the author or that all books will be signed. We cannot control inclement weather, author travel schedules or authors who leave prematurely.
Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726
The film, the second-highest-grossing political documentary in U.S. box-office history, has made $32 million domestically since opening in mid July but took in only $938,000 during the recent weekend for a per-screen average of $771, down 27 percent from $1,060 per screen in the previous weekend, according to BoxOfficeMojo. Overall, the movie’s boxoffice dropped 53 percent in the most recent weekend compared with the previous one, its largest decline since opening 10 weeks ago.
A pilot program for extending the school day and school year
What it is: A bill that would create a pilot program for extending the school day and school year, with the state providing a financial incentive. The legislation, sponsored by some high-powered Democrats, will be heard in committee today.
What it means: Having kids spend more time in the classroom is not a new idea, but it has been restricted by a lack of financing. This new approach calls for rolling it out a few districts at a time. The proposal calls for up to 25 districts to be chosen to test longer schedules and calendars, with $144 million being made available over three years through private contributions and state tax credits.
The stated aim: “The goal of the pilot program shall be to study the effects of a longer school day and school year on advancing student achievement, enhancing the overall school learning environment, and increasing student enrichment opportunities and educational offerings.” (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
Sunday will mark the start of the 100-day countdown to “Taxmageddon” – the date the largest tax hikes in the history of America will take effect. They will hit families and small businesses in three great waves on January 1, 2013:
First Wave: Expiration of 2001 and 2003 Tax Relief
In 2001 and 2003, the GOP Congress enacted several tax cuts for small business owners, families, and investors (later re-upped by President Obama and Democrat Congress in 2010). The following tax hikes will occur on January 1, 2013:
Personal income tax rates will rise on January 1, 2013. The top income tax rate will rise from 35 to 39.6 percent (this is also the rate at which the majority of small business profits are taxed). The lowest rate will rise from 10 to 15 percent. All the rates in between will also rise. Itemized deductions and personal exemptions will again phase out, which has the same mathematical effect as higher marginal tax rates. The full list of marginal rate hikes is below:
-The 10% bracket rises to a new and expanded 15%
-The 25% bracket rises to 28%
-The 28% bracket rises to 31%
-The 33% bracket rises to 36%
-The 35% bracket rises to 39.6%
Higher taxes on marriage and family coming on January 1, 2013. The “marriage penalty” (narrower tax brackets for married couples) will return from the first dollar of taxable income. The child tax credit will be cut in half from $1000 to $500 per child. The standard deduction will no longer be doubled for married couples relative to the single level.
Middle Class Death Tax returns on January 1, 2013. The death tax is currently 35% with an exemption of $5 million ($10 million for married couples). For those dying on or after January 1 2013, there is a 55 percent top death tax rate on estates over $1 million. A person leaving behind two homes and a retirement account could easily pass along a death tax bill to their loved ones.
Higher tax rates on savers and investors on January 1, 2013. The capital gains tax will rise from 15 percent this year to 23.8 percent in 2013. The top dividends tax will rise from 15 percent this year to 43.4 percent in 2013. This is because of scheduled rate hikes plus Obamacare’s
investment surtax.
Second Wave: Obamacare Tax Hikes
There are twenty new or higher taxes in Obamacare. Some have already gone into effect (the tanning tax, the medicine cabinet tax, the HSA withdrawal tax, W-2 health insurance reporting, and the “economic substance doctrine”). Several more will go into effect on January 1, 2013.
They include:
The Obamacare Medical Device Tax begins to be assessed on January 1, 2013. Medical device manufacturers employ 409,000 people in 12,000 plants across the country. This law imposes a new 2.3% excise tax on gross sales – even if the company does not earn a profit in a given year. Exempts items retailing for <$100.
The Obamacare Medicare Payroll Tax Hike takes effect on January 1, 2013. The Medicare payroll tax is currently 2.9 percent on all wages and self-employment profits. Starting in 2013, wages and profits exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 in the case of married couples) will face a 3.8 percent rate.
The Obamacare “Special Needs Kids Tax” comes online on January 1, 2013. Imposes a cap on FSAs of $2500 (now unlimited). Indexed to inflation after 2013. There is one group of FSA owners for whom this new cap will be particularly cruel and onerous: parents of special needs children. There are thousands of families with special needs children in the United States, and many of them use FSAs to pay for special needs education. Tuition rates at one leading school that teaches special needs children in Washington, D.C. (National Child Research Center) can easily exceed $14,000 per year. Under tax rules, FSA dollars can be used to pay for this type of special needs education. This Obamacare cap harms these families.
The Obamacare “Haircut” for Medical Itemized Deductions goes into force on January 1, 2013. Currently, those facing high medical expenses are allowed a deduction for medical expenses to the extent that those expenses exceed 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income (AGI). The new provision imposes a threshold of 10 percent of AGI. Waived for 65+ taxpayers in 2013-2016 only.
Third Wave: The Alternative Minimum Tax and Employer Tax Hikes
When Americans prepare to file their tax returns in January of 2013, they’ll be in for a nasty surprise—the AMT won’t be held harmless, and many tax relief provisions will have expired. These tax increases will be in force for BOTH 2012 and 2013. The major items include:
The AMT will ensnare over 31 million families, up from 4 million last year. According to the left-leaning Tax Policy Center, Congress’ failure to index the AMT will lead to an explosion of AMT taxpaying families—rising from 4 million last year to 31 million. These families will have to calculate their tax burdens twice, and pay taxes at the higher level. The AMT was created in 1969 to ensnare a handful of taxpayers.
Full business expensing will disappear. In 2011, businesses can expense half of their purchases of equipment. Starting on 2013 tax returns, all of it will have to be “depreciated” (slowly deducted over many years).
Taxes will be raised on all types of businesses. There are literally scores of tax hikes on business that will take place. The biggest is the loss of the “research and experimentation tax credit,” but there are many, many others. Combining high marginal tax rates with the loss of this tax relief will cost jobs.
Tax Benefits for Education and Teaching Reduced. The deduction for tuition and fees will not be available. Tax credits for education will be limited. Teachers will no longer be able to deduct classroom expenses. Coverdell Education Savings Accounts will be cut. Employer-provided educational assistance is curtailed. The student loan interest deduction will be disallowed for hundreds of thousands of families.
Charitable Contributions from IRAs no longer allowed. Under current law, a retired person with an IRA can contribute up to $100,000 per year directly to a charity from their IRA. This contribution also counts toward an annual “required minimum distribution.” This ability will no longer be there.
$1.8 trillion shock: Obama regs cost 20-times estimate
September 20, 2012 | 8:51 am
Current federal regulations plus those coming under Obamacare will cost American taxpayers and businesses $1.8 trillion annually, more than twenty times the $88 billion the administration estimates, according to a new roundup provided to Secrets from the libertarian Competitive Enterprise Institute.
And it could grow, warned the author of the report, Clyde Wayne Crews, a CEI vice president.
Complying with Health and Human Services Department requirements alone, he revealed, costs $184 billion a year, yet regulators are still drafting the rules for the 2,400-page Obamacare law that kicks into gear in 2014.
Crews has made a working project of his “Tip of the Costberg” report which he regularly updates. In it, he compares the cost of regulations estimated by federal agencies to a much broader list of estimates from multiple federal and independent sources. And even then, he said, it doesn’t include hard-to-calculate costs associated with antitrust intervention, regulation of electricity networks, or the cost of constrained access to natural resources.
“While OMB officially reports amounts of only up to $88.6 billion in 2010 dollars,” said Crews, “the non-tax cost of government intervention in the economy, without performing a sweeping survey, appears to total up to $1.806 trillion annually.”
Proving the wisdom of building things in flood zones N.J. Senators announce funding for flood-prone area buyout
U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, both D-NJ, announced Wednesday more than $3.3 million in federal funding for voluntary home buyouts for a flood-prone senior citizen housing complex in Monmouth County’s Ocean Township.
The funding, provided through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), will be used to purchase and remove eight sections of a seniors apartment complex that has been repeatedly damaged by floods, according to a press release. Built in 1970, the housing complex will be entirely demolished and the area will be restored to its natural environment. (Bonamo, NJ.com)
“Non partisan” mayors office and Village Council promoting political parties on the Village Website?
Readers question whether the “Non partisan” mayors office and Village Council is promoting political parties and political agenda’s on the Village Website?
Newcomer’s Annual “Progressive” Dinner All are Welcome to be Members!
Everyone’s favorite event is scheduled for Saturday, October 13th from 7PM to Midnight at members homes. Start the evening at a member’s home with cocktails and appetizers, then progress to another member’s home for an intimate, catered dinner. Finally, meet up with a larger group at yet another member’s home to cap off the night with dessert! This event is open to members of Newcomers. To learn more about joining Newcomers contact Allison Brown at [email protected]
8,786,049: Yet Another Record for Americans Collecting Disability
By Terence P. Jeffrey
September 17, 2012
CNSNews.com) – The Social Security Administration has released new data revealing that 8,786,049 American workers are collecting federal disability insurance payments in September. That sets yet another record for the number of Americans on disability.
The 8,786,049 workers taking federal disability in September is a net increase of 18,108 from the 8,767,941 workers who took federal disability in August.
Over the past 45 years, the number of American workers taking federal disability payments has increased four-fold relative to the number actually working.
In August 1967, 74,767,000 Americans were working (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics) and 1,152,861 were taking federal disability insurance (according to the Social Security Administration). That means that at that time there were about 65 Americans working for each worker collecting disability.
In August 2012, 142,101,000 Americans were working and 8,767,941 were on disability–meaning there were only 16.2 people working for each person collecting disability.
Honor Gold Star Mothers and Families ,Sunday, September 30, 2012
Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM at Van Neste Park, Van Neste Sq. & E. Ridgewood Ave
A Gold Star Mother is a woman who has lost a son or daughter in military service to the United States. In honor of these women, the last Sunday in September is observed as a day to show support for mothers and family members of our Fallen Heroes.
In the aftermath of World War I, Washington D.C. resident Grace Darling Seibold formed an organization called Gold Star Mothers to support the moms who had lost sons and daughters to the war. Grace’s son, First Lieutenant George Vaughn Seibold, was an aviator killed in combat over France in 1918. In 1928, the small D.C.-based group decided to nationalize its efforts. In 1936, a joint congressional resolution established the last Sunday in September as Gold Star Mother’s Day. The Gold Star Mothers grew from a support group of 60 women to today’s extensive nationwide network with tens of thousands of members and hundreds of local chapters.
Join us at Van Neste Park in Ridgewood. Luminaries will be on display 7:00-9:00pm. OR honor our nation’s Gold Star Mothers by placing a luminary at the end of your driveway at sundown away from anything that can catch fire.
Can someone enlighten all of us about Ken Smith property?
September 17,2012
Ridgewood NJ , Readers continue to speculate on the fate of the Ken Smith property. There are lost of theory’s but not many answers .
Who owns it, how is it zoned, are there any concrete plans right now or all speculation? Rumors have it that the person that owns this property is well connected. He is one of the five member of the self appoint parking garage committee. He is also the head of the Library Board and gave a large campaign contribution to our new Mayor. You should see what other names pop up on the Ridgewood Library Board. This is the politics Ridgewood residents wanted.
With Ken Smith Motors closed, I’ve heard the Town of Ridgewood might make a play of Eminent Domain to purchase the property and create a giant parking lot. I believe it may be worth 3 million for the approx. 1.7 acre lot. Should be cheaper than building 2 parking garages in the parts of town the town has discussed.”
I think the price will be higher that is why he published his income. My understanding that the town does not get it for what the property is assessed but rather what is fair and equitable value . Hence the money published in the Ridgewood News. Even with the price of $3 mil then you have to do site remediation because you best better believe that there is oil in the soil from the lifts and what ever else the dump there all those years. Then you have to build that big structure . NJTV money has dried up.
I think the die is already case for the for the plan that is on the table. Deals have been made and promises have to be kept.
We doubt it ,there’s no money in the budget to make such a purchase and having such a huge property off of the tax rolls would prove problematic from a budgeting standpoint.
What seems more realistic at the moment is that All American Ford might be planning to move their used car operation into the Ridgewood property and sell only new cars on Route 17. Looks like work taking place now on the property in terms of painting, spruce up, etc.
A long-distance move: Relocating to Bergen County
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2012
BY VIOLET SNOW
SPECIAL TO THE HERALD NEWS
THE RECORD
“This is the sixth move my family has made,” says Steve Klipstein, who recently relocated from Leesburg, Va., to Old Tappan with his wife, Julie, and three children. “This one was probably the most challenging because of all the different towns in Bergen County. It was hard to get a sense of where would be the right place for us.”
A long-distance move can be difficult not only because of the buyer’s unfamiliarity with the new locale but also because past expectations may have to change. Luckily, the Klipsteins had both their own strategy and professional assistance.
Working in the automotive industry, Klipstein says, means that “relocation is standard fare.” He has been bounced from Baltimore to Detroit to Dallas to Virginia, and he began working at Volvo’s North American headquarters in Rockleigh this May, commuting to Virginia on weekends.
9-year-old Nicholas Lampiasi of Ridgewood debuts in Newsies on Broadway
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012
BY JANE HARLIN
CORRESPONDENT
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Learning how to brace yourself when you get stuffed in a barrel during a fight scene isn’t in the curriculum followed by most fourth graders. But that’s just one of the things 9-year-old Nicholas Lampiasi of Ridgewood had to learn in preparation for his Broadway debut this week.
Nicholas, known to most people as Nick, just took on the role of Les Jacobs in the Broadway production of “Newsies,” a musical about the New York newsboys’ strike of 1899. He is the youngest and smallest of the newsboys, so he fits perfectly into that barrel. The tricky part is to come out without bumps and bruises.
Leading up to his opening night, Nick spent a lot of time in rehearsals, typically lasting five to seven hours a day. Karen, his mom, who drove him to most rehearsals, said, “I’ve spent a lot of time walking around the city. It’ll be better once the show starts … right now it’s tough because on these long days, it’s 10 to 12 (o’clock) and then they have a one-hour break. We’re responsible for them on the breaks. They aren’t responsible for themselves on breaks until they’re 16.”
116 Ridgewood High School Students named Advanced Placement Scholars
September 14, 2012
Ridgewood NJ , One hundred sixteen students at Ridgewood High School (RHS) have been named AP Scholars by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college level Advanced Placement Examinations.
According to the BOE website ,about 18 percent of the more than 1.9 million high school students worldwide who took AP Examinations in May 2012 performed at a sufficiently high level to merit such recognition. Seventeen award recipients are juniors. These students have at least one more year in which to do college-level work, and possibly earn another Advanced Placement Award.
The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on the students’ performance on AP exams. At RHS:
Six students qualified for the National AP Scholar Award by earning an average grade of 4.0 or higher on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams.
Forty-five students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.
Twenty students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.
Fifty-one students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams with grades of 3 or higher.
