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Layoffs and attrition have reduced the number of police officers in New Jersey by about 10 percent, but most state residents do not believe the cuts have compromised public safety, according to a Monmouth University/New Jersey Press Media poll. (Mikle and Remaly, Gannett)
>Acting N.J. education chief to announce plans for sweeping legislative reform of teacher tenure
The state’s top education official today will unveil sweeping legislation that would change the way teachers in New Jersey are evaluated, compensated, and given tenure, said a person familiar with the proposal. (Calefati and Rundquist, The Star-Ledger)
>”Lights Out” : As citizens, taxpayers and homeowners we have rights too. Tom Kossoff
Ridgewood NJ- I did not when I wrote the “Lights Out” intend to comment on any response. have heard some sports advocates say you are lucky we’re not playing until 11:00. As citizens, taxpayers and homeowners we have rights too.
Quality of life and our families health and welfare. I assume you are a family person. What was “Lights Out” in your home when your children were young. Maybe as early as 7:30 then 8:00 and so on. How can you expect all the neighbors around the fields to be disrupted by later night schedules. You imply I don’t want night games. I do but the schedule needs to be adjusted for 9:00 cut-off. The other towns you mention DO NOT have the same dense situation of homes that we have along with little parking.
You are comparing apples and oranges and confusing the issue for many readers. I am for night games here but not “Lights Out” time night games. I invite you to visit our homes when the games begin and I think you will have a much better idea. It’s all about location, location, location. When they chose to put these many lights in this small neighborhood they were not thinking about the effects.
Nice people, good intent but bad decision. That’s all it is.Yes we moved next to a school and I love it. I did not move next to a municipal sports park open from early morning to late at night. This change of usage to the degree proposed is not right. Not right for the neighbors or for the kind of town Ridgewood has been and should be. This is not about upgrading the facilities. It’s about the civil, legal and common courtesies we want extended to our neighborhood as you would want to yours. Yes, “Play Ball” at night just not when the kids are trying to sleep and because the field is 20 feet away they can’t sleep! Location, location, location. Always feel free to use your name too. Thanks.
>Alliance of the alliance; Latino leader says Dem stranglehold leaves him with no choice
Behind the buzzwords of packing, stacking and bleaching, there are several strategic takeaways from the last two public redistricting hearings in Newark and Jersey City where an urban underground-GOP establishment alliance dominates. (Pizarro, PolitickerNJ)
>N.J. Sen. Sweeney to unveil bill requiring state employees to contribute more for medical benefits
Senate President Stephen Sweeney today will unveil a plan that aims to slash the state’s huge medical costs by requiring public employees to kick in significantly more to health benefits, according to three officials familiar with the proposal. (Renshaw, The Star-Ledger)
Obama’s FY2012 Budget: Taxes, Taxes, and More Taxes From Ryan Ellis on Monday, February 14, 2011 12:00 PM
President Obama released his budget this morning. Rather than focusing on Washington’s over-spending problem, the budget calls for higher taxes on families and small businesses to pay for even more government spending. Under the Obama budget, tax revenues will grow from 14.4% of GDP in 2011 to 20% of GDP in 2021. By comparison, the historical average is only 18% of GDP.
Tax hike lowlights include:
Raising the top marginal income tax rate (at which a majority of small business profits face taxation) from 35% to 39.6%. This is a $709 billion/10 year tax hike Raising the capital gains and dividends rate from 15% to 20% Raising the death tax rate from 35% to 45% and lowering the death tax exemption amount from $5 million ($10 million for couples) to $3.5 million. This is a $98 billion/ten year tax hike Capping the value of itemized deductions at the 28% bracket rate. This will effectively cut tax deductions for mortgage interest, charitable contributions, property taxes, state and local income or sales taxes, out-of-pocket medical expenses, and unreimbursed employee business expenses. A new means-tested phaseout of itemized deductions limits them even more. This is a $321 billion/ten year tax hike New bank taxes totaling $33 billion over ten years New international corporate tax hikes totaling $129 billion over ten years New life insurance company taxes totaling $14 billion over ten years Massive new taxes on energy, including LIFO repeal, Superfund, domestic energy manufacturing, and many others totaling $120 billion over ten years Increasing unemployment payroll taxes by $15 billion over ten years Taxing management capital gains in an investment partnership (“carried interest”) as ordinary income. This is a tax hike of $15 billion over ten years A giveaway to the trial lawyers—not letting companies deduct the cost of punitive damages from a lawsuit settlement. This is a tax hike of $300 million over ten years Increasing tax penalties, information reporting, and IRS information sharing. This is a ten-year tax hike of $20 billion.
Add it all together, and this budget is a ten-year, $1.5 trillion tax hike over present law. That’s $1.5 trillion taken out of the economy and spent on government instead of being used to create jobs.
The “tax relief” in the budget is mostly just an extension of present law, and also some refundable credit outlay spending in the tax code. There is virtually no new tax relief relative to present law in the President’s budget.
Officials in Lambertville, N.J., are considering asking voters to raise their own property taxes to deal with a quintessential municipal issue: trash pickup. (Fleisher, The Wall Street Journal)
>No Child Left Behind : Charter schools may be an option
Charter schools may be an option
Under No Child Left Behind federal legislation that requires every child in public school to pass state standardized tests by 2014, schools that repeatedly fail to meet the benchmarks must provide tutoring and other remedies. (Rothschild, Courier-Post)
Some New Jersey municipalities that provide garbage collection to residents are exploring privatization or service cutbacks amid rising employee costs and the constraints of a new 2 percent property tax cap. (Jennings, Daily Record)
From the heart of New Jersey suburbia, Montgomery’s public schools would seem an unlikely Exhibit A in the epic Abbott v. Burke school equity case. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
>Every February 14, across the United States and in other places around the world, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint, and where did these traditions come from? Find out about the history of this centuries-old holiday, from ancient Roman rituals to the customs of Victorian England.
The history of Valentine’s Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.
One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
>After NJEA, Christie’s next fight is with state workers as contracts come up for renewal By Ginger Gibson/Statehouse Bureau
TRENTON — When Gov. Chris Christie went to war with the teachers union last year, leaders of unions representing New Jersey state workers nervously watched in the wings. Now it’s their turn to go toe-to-toe with the governor.
With contracts for 49,000 state workers due to expire this June, Christie has publicly proclaimed he wants no pay raises and expects state workers to fork over much more for health and pension benefits. Union leaders say they have had no meetings with the governor’s office and worry this doesn’t bode well for getting a deal before the current contracts are up.
“It’s going to be pretty ugly,” said Jeff Keefe, a labor professor at Rutgers University. “I’m not sure we’re going to be well-served by what comes out of it. I wouldn’t be surprised if in September we’re still in negotiations.”
Ridgewood NJ-I am Tom Kossoff, one of the neighbors by the fields. I am sure most of you know me by now on this issue. I wanted to say at this point we all must move beyond some of the vitriolic language and side issues. We also should come foward and go to the next BOE meeting of 2/28 and then the Village Council meeting when they discuss the Fields Committee recommendations.
Whatever your viewpoint if you only blog and do it anonymously, and then don’t participate in the open forums, I don’t see the value at this point in the discussion. We are beyond the initial hurling of rumors, insults and innuendos.The major point right now is everyone’s position on “Lights Out” for sporting events. We live in a very dense residential neighborhood where not so much the lights but the noise that is part of any game plus the limited parking will create a disruptive situation for homes adjacent to the fields.
The proposed 10:00 cut-off does not mean everything goes silent or dark at 10:00. Figure 10:30 at least until it’s dark and quiet again. So the question is what is your opinion. Sports is important but so are neighborhoods and more important the children and adults who will have their sleep disrupted by a game.
I have been involved in the sports programs since I moved to Ridgewood almost 20 years ago. I appreciate them for the kids, the adults and the community. BUT I would never be so bold to say that my little league baseball game should be more important than the lives, health and welfare of the homes next to the field.
Games that go to 10:00 and then beyond in leaving the fields after the game will in my opinion and many others hurt the neighbors. The homes are just too close to the fields and lights. If nothing else in Ridgewood, we should protect sleep time which I think as a community we can say should be no later than 9:00. There are many good people on both sides of the issue. I look forward to seeing everyone at the 2/28 BOE meeting. State your opinion on
“Lights Out” and the quality of life for our neighborhood which in the future may be yours too. There is a Master Plan and what’s decided now for “Lights Out” here will follow into other neighborhoods, maybe yours. It’s important we then do the right thing now regarding the proposed new Fields Committee policy.
