Tag: Trenton

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Reader Calls full day kindergarten gross overreach for the state to mandate

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Everything that the council is doing affects our schools

Schools are the largest part of our tax bill – that is a fact. That does not mean that the schools are not accountable.

It will be a gross overreach for the state to mandate full day kindergarten. I am starting to agree with Rick Perry that we need to abolish the Department of Education. Government is best which governs least.

Many parents actually enjoy spending the AM/PM with their children. We had activites and time with friends when the kids were in kindergarten. My kids did very well in elementary school, high school and college. Your kids will not go to Harvard because they had full day kindergarten.

NYC has preschool and middle school after care programs. The need for these programs in a city is not the same as for programs in Ridgewood. In the city the schools are the place where many students receive two meals a day and get health screening. Working parents do not have the time for homework and reading to the kids. Children need the time in school as a social safety net.

I paused my career to be home with my kids and never regretted it. If working parents need babysitting then they should hire someone. My taxes should not go to support someone’s child care needs. Maybe dad/mom can work from home or with flex time. You will never look back and say that you wished that you spent more time at work.

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New Jersey Democrats Move to Raise Taxes

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TRENTON—State Democrats plan to advance budget bills Tuesday that raise taxes on high earners and corporate profits to shore up the state’s underfunded pension system, a proposal likely doomed because Republican Gov. Chris Christie has pledged to veto any tax increases.

The annual budget dance in Trenton typically leads to interparty fighting in June, but observers said that this year’s proceedings were particularly defined by gridlock, resulting in more political theater than fiscal negotiations.  (Haddon/Wall Street Journal)

https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-jersey-democrats-move-to-raise-taxes-1435020808

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Pension tidal wave is about to crash down on taxpayers

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STEVEN MALANGA • | JUNE 15, 2015 | 12:01 AM

The New Jersey legislature, looking to solve a budget crisis back in 1992, passed a bill that changed some of the accounting principles of the state’s government employee pension system. The technical changes, little understood at the time, made the system seem in better financial shape than it actually was, allowing the legislature to reduce contributions for pensions by $1.5 billion over the next two years. Legislators seized those extra dollars and redirected them into other spending.

Jersey officials could manipulate their pension system because local governments have latitude in how they run their own retirement plans. So what they did was not unique. Around the country, state and local officials have increasingly discovered over the years that they can exploit the complex and sometimes ill-defined accounting of government pension systems, as well as loopholes in their own laws governing those pensions.

Over time, elected officials came to promise workers politically popular new benefits without setting aside the money to pay for them, declared “holidays” from contributions into pension systems and changed their own accounting systems midstream to make the systems seem better funded — all just ways of passing obligations on to future taxpayers. In the process, government pension systems became one of the chief vehicles that state and local politicians used to massage their budgets.

Now we face the consequences. Our elected representatives played a deceptive game of chicken with pension funds. And now the chickens have come home to roost.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/pension-tidal-wave-is-about-to-crash-down-on-taxpayers/article/2565965#.VX74V8aLkzQ.twitter

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New Jersey unions need to face failed-pension facts

New Jersey Governor Christie gives news conference in Trenton

By Post Editorial Board

June 14, 2015 | 5:55pm

Breaking a widely touted promise to public workers isn’t illegal, New Jersey’s Supreme Court ruled last week. That’s good news for Gov. Chris Christie — and may be even better news for overburdened Garden State taxpayers.

Because it may prove a much-needed slap in the face that forces government-worker unions — who expected the court to back them — to return to the negotiating table.

The justices ruled Christie can’t be forced (absent voter action) to make his promised $2.5 billion payment this year to the badly under-funded (by $37 billion) pension system. That budget-buster would’ve forced massive layoffs and service cuts.

This was one of those promises that must be broken. Because pols can’t pat themselves on the back for making commitments that they have no idea how to pay for.

Which was pretty much the case with Christie’s 2011 bipartisan pension reform: It made real changes, but far short of the system-saving “model for America” he called it. The “fix” was just the first 100 yards of a marathon.

https://nypost.com/2015/06/14/new-jersey-unions-need-to-face-failed-pension-facts/

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A mix-up in the Meadowlands: Towns haven’t received hotel surcharge

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JUNE 14, 2015, 11:52 PM    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2015, 12:14 AM
BY LINDA MOSS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Six towns have been waiting a month for their shares of nearly $2.5 million in revenue from a new hotel-room surcharge, which replaced a controversial tax-sharing arrangement when Governor Christie signed a bill overhauling oversight of the Meadowlands District this year.

The overdue money is contributing to an atmosphere of confusion in the Meadowlands four months after the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority absorbed the state Meadowlands Commission, the agency that had controlled planning and development in the 30-square-mile district for nearly half a century.

The law, which Christie signed in early February, ushered in the most sweeping changes to the region’s power structure in decades. The governor said it would give the Meadowlands a much-needed economic boost, while opponents worried that it would result in overdevelopment of an environmentally sensitive area of the state.

But the absorption of the Meadowlands Commission’s functions by the sports authority is having unexpected financial repercussions for the 14 Bergen and Hudson county municipalities  that have territory within the district.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/a-mix-up-in-the-meadowlands-towns-haven-t-received-hotel-surcharge-1.1355773

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Politics, lobbying canceled out early support for medical-billing reform in Trenton

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JUNE 14, 2015, 11:24 PM    LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 2015, 11:32 PM
BY LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

To the Democratic lawmakers who worked for months on a measure to protect patients from surprise medical bills and solve the problem of New Jersey’s uncontrolled out-of-network health care costs, it looked like momentum and public support were building.

They’d heard from all sides — hospitals, physicians, insurers and consumers — starting last fall at three public hearings. They worked over the winter with health-policy experts to produce a bill. After its introduction last month, they listened to feedback for eight hours on the day before a holiday weekend. They revised the measure in an effort to address concerns.

But last week, the Democratic sponsors couldn’t even get their bill voted out of committee in the state Senate when they failed to get the support of members of their own party. A hearing scheduled for today before an Assembly committee has been scuttled. Any action before fall is unlikely.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/politics-lobbying-canceled-out-early-support-for-medical-billing-reform-in-trenton-1.1355764

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New Jersey uses ‘one-shot’ budget-balancing maneuvers: study

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(Reuters) – Many U.S. states balance their budgets by using short-term techniques to make it appear spending does not exceed revenue, according to a report released on Monday that singled out New Jersey for using these budget-balancing maneuvers.

The report by public policy nonprofit Volcker Alliance, founded by former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, said New Jersey has produced a balanced budget by shifting resources intended for other programs to its general fund and increased borrowing. Governor Chris Christie is a potential Republican presidential contender in 2016.  (DiNapoli/Reuters)

https://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20150608_Reuters_Report_KBN0OO1VH_New_Jersey_uses__one_shot__budget_balancing_maneuvers__study.html#KFISVtdE8OQweFX0.99

 

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We are Number 1 NJ ranks No. 1 in people leaving state

for sale Ridgewood_Real_Estate_theRodgewopodblog

June 8,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Sixty-five percent of moves in New Jersey are moving moving out of the state. Yes New Jersey is number one, but it’s nothing to proud of.

According to the 2014 Annual National Movers Study, New Jersey has the most number of people leaving the state.Last year, 65 percent of moves in New Jersey were people leaving the state.

In a News 12 New Jersey poll earlier this year  ; when asked residents who thought they would be leaving why the bulk of the respondents said the reason for the move is property taxes .

 

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Auth urges cutting sales taxes statewide to spur economy

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June 6,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ , Assemblymen Robert Auth in February pushed for legislation to end county government in New Jersey now on Thursday, Connecticut and Rhode Island long ago abolished county government, while Massachusetts has eliminated most of its county governments.On March 26, 2015, Assemblyman Robert Auth made a motion to amend legislation, which grants Atlantic City as an Urban Enterprise Zone for 10 years (A-3920), to also extend the sales tax cut statewide.

Auth said we all live in districts that have lost jobs , which echoed what he said in February , “I’m watching businesses leave our state. A lot of it is in the district I represent,” said Auth. “I totaled up all the county budgets throughout the state. It’s like $6.5 billion a year in New Jersey. That’s a lot of money.”  https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/02/he_end_of_county_government_in_nj_bergen_county_la.html  .

One of the most immediate and clear effects of sales tax on supply and demand involves an increase in the price of consumer goods. This occurs because businesses must pay more for the products they buy, including machinery, office furnishings and computer equipment. The higher cost of doing business translates into higher prices for new products. money.https://smallbusiness.chron.com/sales-tax-effect-supply-demand-20815.html

While sales tax affects supply directly, it only has an indirect effect on consumer demand. Besides altering the equilibrium price, which takes demand into account, sales tax also impacts consumers’ buying power. When sales tax rates are high, consumers spend more money on taxes and have less to spend on additional goods. This drives down general demand, or forces businesses to reduce prices to keep demand steady. This effect holds true even for items that are not subject to sales tax, such as grocery items and prescription drugs.https://smallbusiness.chron.com/sales-tax-effect-supply-demand-20815.html

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Tax Freedom Day arrives in New Jersey, but it’s not good news

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photo by ArtChick

After crunching the numbers, the Tax Foundation has determined today marks Tax Freedom Day in the Garden State — the day when many New Jersey residents have finally earned enough money to pay all of their taxes for the year.

New Jersey and Connecticut have the latest Tax Freedom days of any state in

the nation. (Matthau/NJ101.5)

Tax Freedom Day arrived in New Jersey

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N.J. lawmakers plan consumer bill to protect against surprise medical bills

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MAY 13, 2015, 8:18 PM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2015, 8:24 PM
BY LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Consumers would be protected from surprise medical bills when they go to the hospital under a measure to be unveiled Thursday in Trenton by a group of powerful Democratic lawmakers.

Out-of-network charges to insurers would be capped. And in an unprecedented push for transparency, the state would publish a list of the average prices for almost every service, based on data the insurers would be required to submit. When hospitals or doctors and insurers disagree on the appropriate amount for an out-of-network bill, the measure calls for “baseball arbitration” — a state-appointed arbitrator to choose one side’s final offer.

The financial stakes are enormous, and a high-powered offensive from those whose revenues or income would be diminished by the measure is expected, including specialist physicians and hospitals.

“I think it’s going to be a fight,” for passage, said Assemblyman Gary S. Schaer, a Passaic Democrat who chairs the Assembly Budget committee and helped draft the “The Out-of Network Consumer Protection, Transparency, Cost Containment and Accountability Act,” to be introduced today at a noon news conference.

But he pointed to the high-ranking Democrats who drafted the legislation, including state Sen. Joseph Vitale, chairman of the Senate Health Committee, and Assemblyman Craig Coughlin, chairman of the Assembly committee in charge of health insurance, both Wood-bridge Democrats — as well as Assemblyman Troy Singleton of Mount Laurel. Schaer is chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee.

Most lawmakers are expected to agree, he said, that “significant remedial action needs to be undertaken to tackle this issue, which contributes a lot to the rise in health-care costs,” as well as bankruptcies among state residents.

An important way insurance companies control costs is by negotiating contracts with hospitals, doctors, and other health-care providers who agree to accept their reimbursement and become part of their network. Some health plans include coverage for care received from providers who are not part of the insurer’s network.

The out-of-network charges billed by some New Jersey hospitals are among the highest in the country, and insurers say that they drive up premiums for everyone. In addition, patients who receive care from hospital-based physicians – over whom they have no choice – often are surprised to learn that they were out-of-network providers and charge much more than expected.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/n-j-lawmakers-plan-consumer-bill-to-protect-against-surprise-medical-bills-1.1333286

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PolitickerNJ Interview: Senate President Steve Sweeney

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TRENTON — Leaning back in a leathery chair in his statehouse office, Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3) says it was his father who first taught him how to embrace personal and political differences between people. “He always taught me to be happy for someone when they do well, don’t begrudge somebody because they got something that you wanted,” the 55-year-old Democrat says. Now in his sixth year as leader of the legislature’s upper chamber — and 13th since arriving in Trenton a little-known iron worker from South Jersey — Sweeney has carried that philosophy with him, working to apply it in his dealings with ideologically dissimilar parties on issues crucial to the state. His job, as he plainly puts it, is “not to be an obstructionist.” It is, rather, to “bring people together.” (Brush/PolitickerNJ)

The PolitickerNJ Interview: Senate President Steve Sweeney | New Jersey News, Politics, Opinion, and Analysis

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N.J. seeks a way to recover its innovation sector

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APRIL 19, 2015    LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2015, 10:24 AM

BY HUGH R. MORLEY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

What can New Jersey — once the home of storied inventors like Thomas Edison and the Bell and Sarnoff labs — do to get its innovation mojo back?

That question held center stage at a forum of business and civic leaders in Newark last week that outlined a way to jump-start New Jersey’s struggling economy by tapping into the traits that once made the state a thriving, innovation powerhouse.

The success of Bell Labs, created in 1925 with a staff of 4,000 scientists and engineers, has become a symbol of New Jersey’s former stellar, and now greatly diminished, technological prowess.

The laboratory’s string of groundbreaking discoveries, ranging from laser spectroscopy, cosmic microwave background radiation, the first orbiting communications satellite (Telstar), a solar battery cell and the UNIX operating system that transformed the Internet, garnered eight Nobel prizes and 32,000 patents — a daunting legacy that hangs over the state’s efforts to restore its reputation as a high-tech center.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/how-we-get-back-to-state-of-innovation-1.1312422

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Stuck on Stupid :N.J. economy not generating big bucks in state budget, lawmakers told

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Stuck on Stupid :N.J. economy not generating big bucks in state budget, lawmakers told
By Samantha Marcus | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

TRENTON — New Jersey’s mediocre economic recovery has the state Legislature’s financial analysts betting low on how much money the state will take in next year.

But that doesn’t mean there will be another big battle between the Legislature and Gov. Chris Christie’s office over revenue forecasts this year.

The nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services, known in recent years for offering a sobering take on the state’s tax collections that challenge the Christie administration’s more optimistic estimates, suggested there will be no such conflict this year.

“I am pleased that this year’s budget discussions will not feature a clash of conflicting revenue forecasts,” David Rosen, the Legislature’s budget and finance officer, told the state Assembly Budget Committee this morning. “The OLS believes the executive’s forecasts are reasonable.”

https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/03/nj_economy_not_generating_big_bucks_state_budget_l.html#incart_river

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No repair in sight for N.J. transportation fund; talks collapse in hunt for revenue

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No repair in sight for N.J. transportation fund; talks collapse in hunt for revenue

MARCH 25, 2015, 3:51 PM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2015, 11:07 PM
BY CHRISTOPHER MAAG AND MELISSA HAYES
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD

Negotiations to fix New Jersey’s depleted transportation funding system have broken down, the state transportation commissioner said Wednesday. That means any permanent fix — including a possible gas tax increase — probably will not happen this year, elected officials and transportation experts said.

“The likelihood of it being resolved for the moment is not ideal,” said Commissioner Jamie Fox in reference to the upcoming November election when all 80 seats of the state Assembly are on the ballot. The primary filing deadline for that race is Monday. “It’s election time, which makes it a much more difficult thing |to do.”

Since the beginning of the year, Fox and leaders of both political parties have said the state’s transportation system faces a serious budget shortfall, and they pushed to fix it immediately. The fund that pays for major transportation projects takes in $1.2 billion annually, mostly from motor fuels taxes and turnpike tolls. Nearly all the money is dedicated to paying off more than $18 billion in debt, however, with little left for big maintenance projects and new construction.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/n-j-transportation-funding-talks-over-for-now-1.1295459