Tag: Ridgewood Real estate

>50 FACTS ABOUT THE U.S. ECONOMY THAT WILL SHOCK YOU
Posted on December 18, 2011 at 3:55pm by  

“Even though most Americans have become very frustrated with this economy, the reality is that the vast majority of them still have no idea just how bad our economic decline has been or how much trouble we are going to be in if we don’t make dramatic changes immediately,” writes The Economic Collapse (TEC).

For those unfamiliar with this site, TEC is an economic blog that regularly compiles a comprehensive list of the most startling and unsettling facts about the U.S. economy.

Why? Because Americans need to understand that U.S. economy is precariously balanced on the edge of full-blown collapse.

“If we do not educate the American people about how deathly ill the U.S. economy has become, then they will just keep falling for the same old lies that our politicians keep telling them. Just ‘tweaking’ things here and there is not going to fix this economy,” the site explains.

Indeed, America’s economic situation has become increasingly unstable. However, what’s arguably more disconcerting than the state of the U.S. economy is the fact many Americans are largely–if not completely–unaware of just how serious things have become.

“America is consuming far more wealth than it is producing and our debt is absolutely exploding,” TEC explains. “If we stay on this current path, an economic collapse is inevitable. Hopefully the crazy economic numbers from 2011 that I have included in this article will be shocking enough to wake some people up.”

It might behoove Blaze readers to share the facts listed below with family and friends.

https://www.theblaze.com/stories/50-facts-about-the-u-s-economy-that-will-shock-you/

>AOL Needs ‘Immediate Action,’ Investor Says
By Edmund Lee – Dec 21, 2011 12:50 PM ET

AOL Inc. (AOL), losing as much as $500 million annually in its display advertising business, must take “immediate action” to stem shareholders’ losses, activist investor Starboard Value LP said.

Starboard, which said it holds a 4.5 percent stake, sent AOL a letter dated today that outlines its poor performance, estimating the Internet company sees “staggering” operating losses in display ads.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-21/aol-should-take-immediate-action-to-stem-losses-investor-says.html

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After end of ARC, NJ Transit focuses on privatizing parking, expanding rail lines

>50% toll increase slated for NJ Turnpike and Garden state Parkway on January 1st. 

The second phase of a toll increase approved in 2008 by the Corzine administration will go into effect on the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden state Parkway at 6:30am January 1st 2012 .

There were four public hearings in the fall of 2008. With the approval of then Gov. Jon Corzine, the Turnpike Authority Board of Commissioners adopted the two-phase toll increase after the final hearing on October 10, 2008. The rst phase went into effect Dec. 1, 2008. The second phase will go into effect Jan. 1, 2012.

How much will tolls increase? 53 percent on the New Jersey Turnpike, 50 percent on the Garden State Parkway. For speci c toll rates, see the revised toll tables on the Turnpike Authority Web site (www.state.nj.us/turnpike/toll-rates.html).

If the Turnpike Authority has been cutting costs and reducing the number of employees, why is a toll hike necessary? The additional revenue from the two-phase toll increase is not being used to pay operating costs. Instead, the revenue is funding the New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s $7 billion capital program and other transportation projects.

What projects are in the capital program? The revenue has enabled the Turnpike Authority to nance a 10-year, $7 billion capital program that includes the Turnpike widening between Interchanges 6 and 9, the Parkway widening south of Toms River and dozens of other projects that will relieve congestion, restore bridges, improve interchanges, expand the use of intelligent transportation systems, and increase safety on both roadways.

Will we see any immediate benefits from the capital plan? Yes. The work is creating thousands of private sector jobs. A study done for the New Jersey DOT and the Federal Highway Administration by Rutgers University in 2009 found that, on average, each $1 million of spending on transportation infrastructure projects in New Jersey sustains 10 jobs for a year. That means the Turnpike Authority’s $7 billion capital program will create or sustain some 70,000 jobs.

How do the toll rates on the Turnpike and Parkway compare to other toll roads around the country? At 4.8 cents per mile, the Garden State Parkway will remain among the lowest-priced toll roads in the U.S., less expensive even than rural toll roads such as the Oklahoma Turnpike and the West Virginia Turnpike. The New Jersey Turnpike, at 11.4 cents per mile, will remain less expensive than similar urban toll roads such as the Miami-Dade Expressway and the Massachusetts Turnpike, both of which cost around 20 cents per mile, and the Delaware Turnpike (I-95), which costs about 35 cents per mile.

https://www.state.nj.us/turnpike/documents/njta_toll_incre_2012.pdf

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> “Letter: Rejection of Valley was affront to Ridgewo…”: Mr. Halaby’s wife, Cynthia Halaby, is on the Valley Board of Trustees

The author of the letter, Rurik Halaby, states that “My interest in Ridgewood village politics was recently ignited by hearings on The Valley Hospital Renewal.”

His wife, Cynthia Halaby, is on the Valley Board of Trustees and addressed the Valley Renewal hearings in early November.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/133672623_Hearings_are_winding_down.html

I think Mr. Halaby should pay a little more attention at home if he only recently became interested in what he refers to as Ridgewood “politics”.

>“The Prisoner” Opening credits

>234 mayors endorse Christie plan to alter public employee’s sick leave and vacation benefits
THURSDAY, 08 DECEMBER 2011 21:34

BY TOM HESTER SR.

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

As Gov. Chris Christie’s office Thursday announced that a bipartisan group of 234 mayors support the governor’s proposal to change how public employee sick leave and vacation pay is allotted, Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) said the legislation is unconstitutional.

The mayors, Republicans and Democrats from every county have joined Christie’s in calling for what he sees as the Democratic-controlled Legislature’s delay in acting on the proposal. The governor argues his proposal would save taxpayer dollars and deliver budget relief to cities and towns.

11 mayors joined the Christie at a press conference in Teaneck, including Bergen County Executive Kathe Donovan and Teaneck Mayor Mohammed Hameeduddin, to call for “action on critical, common sense reforms that will provide significant taxpayer savings and give mayors the tools they need to manage their budgets and hold down property taxes for New Jersey families.”

https://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/state/234-mayors-endorse-christie-plan-to-alter-public-employees-sick-leave-and-vacation-benefits

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112th Christmas Bird Count
Citizen Science in Action

The count period for the 112th Christmas Bird Count will begin on December 14, 2011. Please check the Current Year’s Results link to the right to find out what CBC circles reported on the 111th CBC.

From December 14 through January 5 tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas take part in an adventure that has become a family tradition among generations. Families and students, birders and scientists, armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists go out on an annual mission – often before dawn. For over one hundred years, the desire to both make a difference and to experience the beauty of nature has driven dedicated people to leave the comfort of a warm house during the Holiday season.

https://birds.audubon.org/cbc?gclid=CLHD2dDf9KwCFUbf4AodByK9Rg#

>11 Leading Health System CEOs Share Top Goals for 2012
Written by Sabrina Rodak | December 07, 2011

Bob Garrett, President and CEO, Hackensack (N.J.) University Medical Center. Hackensack University Medical Center’s goals include reopening Pascack Valley Hospital, working on several construction projects, continuing a physician alignment strategy and enhancing the network development strategy. Hackensack UMC is planning an ED expansion that will double its size, include fixed private rooms and feature pods — different areas within the emergency department that are devoted to specialties such as geriatrics, cardiology and oncology. In 2012, Mr. Garrett hopes to complete construction of the new Heart & Vascular Hospital. In addition, the hospital aims to build a comprehensive wellness center. “It will include a large fitness component as well as wellness programs and community education. It will be the largest fitness and wellness center of its kind in the region,” Mr. Garrett says.

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-management-administration/11-leading-health-system-ceos-share-top-goals-for-2012.html

>Are you taking the George Washington Bridge less since the toll hike?
Published: Tuesday, December 06, 2011, 11:08 AM  
By S.P. Sullivan, NJ.com

Considering the tolls have gone up, and we’re not even sure where they’re going, a lot of people are grumbling about taking the Port Authority-controlled bridges and tunnels to New York.

So are you taking the train more?

The New York Times reported this week that traffic on the George Washington Bridge is down by 890,000 cars — or 4 percent — since cash tolls jumped from $8 to $12 in September.

At the same time, according data the Times collected from the Port Authority, traffic on the PATH rose by 560,000 riders — about 3.7 percent.

https://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2011/12/are_you_taking_the_george_washington_bridge_less_since_the_toll_hike.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

>Audrey Meyers : Social darling or community pariah?

Audrey Meyers has had a bad week. First the State Health Planning Board gave the OK to the reopening of Pascack Valley then the Ridgewood Village Council strongly rejected her management team’s bid to massively expand Valley Hospital. To her followers, Meyers seems to have moved from social darling to a pariah in the community. What happened and why?

If you have lived in Ridgewood for more than 5 years you will remember the first Valley Renewal fliers that began appearing in mailboxes in late 2006. The early renewal propaganda all featured large images of Meyers with her serene expression and steady gaze looking out of the page from beneath her straight black fringe. I guess the public relations company decided that they could appeal to the perceived community popularity of Meyers to help sell the Renewal. But even at the beginning of the campaign was Meyers really a popular community figure in Ridgewood? From her vantage point on Highland Ave and her salary of over $1.3 million it was hard to see her as person of the people. Ever since Meyers took the job as CEO at Valley she has constantly surrounded herself with a small circle of her executive team. Stories have emerged from within Valley of people who expressed views counter to Meyers being fired. Yet Valley PR has repeatedly claimed that Audrey has the ear of the Ridgewood community from which the Renewal enjoys full support. After two council elections for Village council where candidates who did not publically support the renewal were elected, the truth about broad community support has proved to be false.

So who are the Audrey supporters? This group is really the Hospital Ancillary. At its heart the Hospital Ancillary is really a club that holds social events in support of the hospital. IRS documents reveal that the ancillary contributes just over 2 million dollars in donations per year. With the total hospital revenue near one billion dollars the financial contribution from the Auxiliary is in reality small. However, in the community Ridgewood, the Auxiliary is really THE social club in town, especially amongst the ladies who lunch. It is a club where the very comfortably well-off can rub shoulders with the very wealthy and feel like they have made it. At least twice a month members of the auxiliary can be seen gracing the social pages of the Ridgewood News or in photos in the health section. Gala balls, dinners and fashion shows are all opportunities to display a member’s taste in fine clothes, food and wine. Like the socialites buzzing around Miss Hilly in THE HELP’s depiction of Jackson Mississippi, Ridgewood’s social scene is also clearly divided between the ancillary crowd and everyone else. In this environment it would be easy for Meyers to believe that she has overwhelming support. Surrounded by employees are compelled to follow the boss and the members of the ancillary fawning over her to get a place in the social order it is easy to see why she still believes she is on top in public opinion. This is because all she hears is support as no one who she surrounds herself with dares to tell her anything different.

>America Needs More Job Creation
Mike Brownfield

December 2, 2011 at 10:26 am

After months upon months of unemployment stuck at or above 9 percent, the American people may finally see a sliver of relief in today’s jobs report from the Department of Labor. The report suggests the month of November saw 120,000 net new jobs created and the unemployment rate drop to 8.6 percent–driven in part by the 315,000 people who have given up looking for work and were no longer counted as unemployed. That news is cold comfort to the 13.3 million Americans who are still out of work and the 402,000 workers who filed for unemployment last week.

The question is whether this improvement is real and enduring or a fluke. The economy is growing, but there’s little evidence of the real strength the report suggests, and there’s a lot in the report to suggest something’s amiss with the numbers–something likely to be corrected in the next report. For example, is it likely the labor market strengthened as much as the job number suggests at the same time so many people abandoned the workforce? And this is only one of the anomalies in the report.

The White House would therefore be wise to trumpet today’s news with soft notes. The fact remains that under President Barack Obama’s watch, the U.S. unemployment rate remains high because America just isn’t creating enough new jobs. And if the only way the Obama Administration can get the unemployment rate to drop is by convincing people to quit looking for work, that’s bad news for the American economy. Or to quote liberal blogger Matt Yglesias, ”Decreasing unemployment by shrinking the labor force is not exactly winning the future.”

It goes without saying that if the U.S. economy loses more jobs than it creates, the unemployment rate goes up. If job losses are low but few new jobs are created, then the unemployment rate treads water and remains high, with occasional dips and rises–and that’s what we’re seeing today.

As Heritage’s James Sherk writes, in the last quarter of 2007, private employers created 7.6 million jobs and shed 7.4 million jobs. That was enough net new jobs to keep unemployment steady as new workers entered the labor force. During the recession, job losses increased, hitting 8.5 million jobs lost in the first quarter of 2009. The good news is that today, job losses are well below their pre-recession rates, hitting a record low in the first quarter of 2011. The bad news is that few new jobs are being created, leaving America in the economic doldrums. Sherk explains:

https://blog.heritage.org/2011/12/02/morning-bell-america-needs-more-job-creation/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell