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>48% See No Further Need for Labor Unions, 30% Disagree

>48% See No Further Need for Labor Unions, 30% Disagree
Friday, September 16, 2011

Half of American Adults (48%) think labor unions have outlasted their usefulness, but there’s a sharp difference of opinion between Republicans and Democrats on the question.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 30% disagree and say that unions have not outlived their role. Twenty-one percent (21%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

These findings are consistent with attitudes found two years ago.  At that time, 45% said labor unions actually make America weaker, while 26% believed they make the country stronger and 13% said they have no impact.

Yet while 68% of Republicans and 54% of adults not affiliated with either of the major political parties believe unions have outlived their usefulness, 52% of Democrats still see a need for them.

Among working Americans who do not belong to a union, just 13% would like to join a labor union where they work. That’s up slightly from nine percent in March 2009.  Seventy-eight percent (78%) would not like to join a union.

https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/business/jobs_employment/september_2011/48_see_no_further_need_for_labor_unions_30_disagree

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>34th Fabulous Fall Festival to Take Place October 1, 2011

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ponyrides theridgewoodblog.net



34th Fabulous Fall Festival to Take Place October 1, 2011

Come out and support a Ridgewood tradition. The Cooperative Nursery School of Ridgewood (aka “The Co-op) is having its 34th Fabulous Fall Festival on October 1st (rain date October 8th) at Graydon Pool in Ridgewood.  This event is the school’s biggest fundraiser. It promises to have something for everyone.  There will be games, pony rides, a petting zoo, inflatables, face painting and crafts for the kids including sand art and pumpkin painting. There will be musical acts all day including a local band, some of whose members are co-op alumni.  There will be over 50 vendors selling jewelry, toys, handmade items and holiday gifts.  Food will be on hand and there will also be a bake sale. Come join us for a great day with family and friends.

For more information on the event, please call or email the school at (201) 447-6232 or ridgewoodcoop@gmail.com.

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>Valley’s latest full-page (s)ad

>Valley’s latest full-page (s)ad

Occupying the entire back page of the first section of the September 16 issue of the Ridgewood News (and maybe other publications? don’t know) is an ad from Valley Hospital, stating that it was paid for by the group of people co-opted by Valley Hospital and listing “625 registered supporters–and counting!” who favor the Valley Occupation.

With each family member listed separately, including matching lists of non-Smith, non-Jones surnames totaling up to six per name, the total may be something of an exaggeration; but let’s say every individual resident matters and every spouse or child truly and deeply agrees with the prevailing spouse or parent regarding Valley’s hopes and dreams. Among signers listing their degrees, 21 are MDs, three are dentists, one is a podiatrist, and one is a psychologist. (This is not counting their listed family members.) Fine; it’s not surprising that health care professionals want the hospital to expand.

Here’s the trouble with such lists and expensive ads: this issue is never going to referendum. The number of residents who want things to go one way or the other is not relevant. Those in charge must do hard research, reread their notes, and base their decisions on their findings and their own best judgment. Feeding that judgment will be facts, if they can be discerned in such an overwrought environment, and the leaders’ vision of how changes such as those proposed by Valley might affect the immediate and distant face and future of the Village.

If one Friday we should open our copies of the paper to find that the entire issue had been bought by Valley and was bursting with a list of 24,000 residents of the Village, ages one day to 110 years, it should have no effect on what the right decision regarding the proposed expansion would be. Even if every resident of the town wanted Valley’s petition to succeed or fail, we are only the residents of today. We are not talking, say, about how to celebrate next July 4, whose effects would end after the cleanup on July 5, and in which current residents’ opinions would be of interest. We are talking about how permitting the erection of a gigantic edifice in a residential neighborhood surrounded by schools and with endless traffic would affect the residents of tomorrow and beyond, from Phase One to Phase 101 or however many Phases were required to get the Taj Mahal in gear.

We vote people into positions of authority and power because we trust them to do the right and best thing, not the popular thing–not that we really know precisely to how the town is split on this issue. But it doesn’t matter. Even the popular thing, and even when its supporters are worthy people or many people or medical people, may be the wrong thing for the Village at large.

Most heartbreaking is the absurd waste of funds–and it will probably get worse as the hearings proceed–on publicity and marketing, surveys, attorneys’ fees, and other attempts to sell us the hospital’s requests. Those millions ought to have gone to patient care, or indigent care, or reasonable hospital upgrades–or taxes.

  Hand 200x200

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>NJ hospital defends answer to state query

>NJ hospital defends answer to state query
The Record, September 16, 2011

Hackensack University Medical Center avoided a key question — Did anyone die? — when it submitted its answers to the state health department’s questions regarding the proposed reopening of Pascack Valley Hospital in Westwood. Staff at the Department of Health and Senior Services had asked the medical center if anyone died as a result of the increased travel time to other emergency rooms after Pascack’s closure in 2007

https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/LED-270998/NJ-hospital-defends-answer-to-state-query

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>Celebrating Constitution Day

>Celebrating Constitution Day

As Chairman of the Congressional Constitution Caucus, I am proud to celebrate Constitution Day this Saturday, September 17.  On this day in 1787, after years of painstaking debate, 39 delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia signed the greatest protection of life, liberty and property the world has ever seen.

Many often forget that the ideas of liberty and freedom our Founding Fathers committed to in the Declaration of Independence in 1776 took eleven years to manifest.  Victories on battlefields during the Revolutionary War paved the way for freedom, but a great deal of work was yet to be done.

As I wrote in my op-ed in today’s Washington Times, understanding that the natural tendency of government is the perpetual growth of power at the expense of personal freedom, the Founding Fathers sought to provide our republic with a set of laws expressly written “to secure the blessings of liberty.”

We are now faced with the same question that has been asked of every American before us: How will you protect it?  We cannot simply enjoy the liberties and freedoms the Constitution provides; it is every American’s duty to protect and secure those liberties and freedoms for future generations.

When Benjamin Franklin exited the Constitutional Convention, he was approached by a woman who asked, “Well, Doctor, what we have got – a republic or a monarchy?”  To which Benjamin Franklin replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.”
And keep it we must.

God bless the Constitution and God bless the United States of America.
Sincerely,

Scott Garrett

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>Ridgewood Train Station becomes fully accessible on Monday

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ridgewoodtrainstation theridgewoodblog



Ridgewood Train Station becomes fully accessible on Monday

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

The center island platform and two passenger elevators at the Ridgewood Train Station will be in operation beginning Monday, officially making the station fully handicapped accessible, according to the village’s website.

Track number 3, the existing low-level outbound platform, will now be permanently closed, according to the statement, and a black fence will be erected along the track.

Signage will be placed throughout the facility informing commuters of the stations’ configuration and pedestrian paths of travel, the website stated.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/129973473_Ridgewood_Station_becomes_fully_accessible_on_Monday.html

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>Social Security A Ponzi Scheme?

>Social Security A Ponzi Scheme?
Ronald DuBois    Bogota, NJ

Dear Mr. Krauthammer, I love reading your articles and watching you on FOX, but I’m curious about todays article on Social Security being a Ponzi scheme. I thought a program (or an investment vehicle, etc) had to be incapable of being sustained in the long run, to be a Ponzi scheme.


When Social Security started, it was self-sustaining, and was capable of staying that way – in fact, over the years it amassed quite a reserve fund. Invested properly, the Social Security Trust Fund would still be solvent, and there would be no problems paying our seniors, including me. However, to have accrued the interest necessary to remain solvent, money had to be in the Trust. The Government “borrowed” the money, replacing it with Government bonds (IOUs) that paid little interest. Because of this, not only was the people’s money gone, but when the Government had to pay the retirees, it had to redeem its own bonds – with taxpayer money – to make the payments, further reducing the treasury. (I believe issuing bonds to ourselves, and then redeeming them with our own, taxpayer, money, is called monetizing debt, a real no-no.)  So Social Security is not, and never was, a Ponzi scheme; it was simply theft by our own Government. I think it is important that the people understand that it was the Government stealing the money to use for other things, that made Social Security insolvent, and not because it was a Ponzi scheme, as some politicians are claiming.

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>Ridgewood Garage and Estate Sales

>Garage & Moving Sale (459 Hunter Road, Ridgewood, NJ 07450)

Saturday and Sunday, 9/17 and 9/18 from 1 pm to 6 pm. Household items; e.g. dresser, pool table, appliances, love seat, , bmw rims, computer table, books, christmas items and much more.

Multi-Family Garage Sale (Ridgewood)

Top of Hamilton Road – houses 230 and 235
Saturday from 8:00 – 1:00
Furniture, lots of kid stuff, clothing, books, toys, art work, household items

MULTI-FAMILY GARAGE SALE, 9/17 & 18 (Ridgewood)

125 Hope Street (off E. Ridgewood Avenue)
9am to 4pm — Saturday and Sunday
,
Maclaren (double) and Peg Perego (single) and Snap and Go strollers, glider, crib, bassinet, Exersaucer, bouncy seats, baby gates, high chairs..and LOTS of baby and kid toys, games, books, shoes and puzzles. Little Tikes outdoor climbing tower. Turtle sandbox.

Round butcher block kitchen table (with four chairs), wooden kitchen utility cart, headboard and bed frame, dresser, outdoor wicker chairs, treadmill.

Books, DVDs, bags (tote, briefcases, travel bags) and purses. Framed art, lamps, coffee pot, toaster oven, bread machine. Other household items.

Garage Sale (Ridgewood)

Furniture, antiques, tools, household items, Lenox. Something for everyone.
Saturday and Sunday – September 17 and 18 from 9am – 4pm.
No earlier than 9am, please.

478 Sterling Place Ridgewood, NJ 07450

HIGH END GARAGE SALE – RIDGEWOOD, NJ SATURDAY 9/17 AND SUNDAY 9/18 (RIDGEWOOD, NJ)

HIGH END GARAGE SALE AT 209 WEST GLEN AVENUE, RIDGEWOOD, NJ ****PLEASE PARK ON ALPINE TERRACE – THERE IS NO LEGAL PARKING ON GLEN AVE****
STARTING AT 9:00 ON 9/17 THROUGH 4:00 PM….STARTING AT 9:00 ON 9/18 UNTIL WE ARE DONE.

PLEASE NO EARLY BIRDS AS ALL OF OUR “STUFF” IS IN STORAGE AND WE ARE UNPACKING IT IN THE MORNING FOR THE SALE.

ITEMS INCLUDE: FURNITURE, ELECTRONICS (CB RADIOS, HANDHELD SCANNERS, COMPUTER COMPONENTS, MINIDISC RECORDER, CELL PHONES, SIRIUS/XM SATELLITE EQUIPMENT, DIRECTV/DISH NETWORK EQUIPMENT INCLUDING DISH NETWORK 501 DVR), LOTS OF RECENT AUDIO CD’S, HUGE MEDICAL/MEDICINE LIBRARY, TONS OF COLLEGE TEXTBOOKS, GOOD QUALITY CLOTHES (SOME WITH TAGS STILL ON), HO– USEHOLD FURNISHINGS (VASES, CRYSTAL, CANDLES, AROMATHERAPY) AND LOTS, LOTS MORE.

Garage Sale-8/16-8/18 (Ridgewood NJ)

239 Lakeview Drive, Ridgewood NJ. (Off of Lake ave, across from the Midland Pk A&P.) 8/16, 8/17, and 8/18 early birds welcome : )
multi family garage sale…
TONS OF GREAT STUFF- AMAZING PRICES. New items. Name brand clothes. Household Items….SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE come check it out!


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>Fight brews over New Jersey Council on Affordable Housing overhaul by Christie

>Fight brews over New Jersey Council on Affordable Housing overhaul by Christie
By Matt Katz
Inquirer Trenton Bureau

The Christie administration, providing details Thursday of its decision to eliminate the state’s controversial affordable-housing agency, said the move would end a regulatory nightmare, but advocates called it an illegal giveaway to political allies.
In late June, while Trenton was focused on approving a new budget, Gov. Christie announced several state-government reorganization plans. Those included the elimination of the independent Council on Affordable Housing and the transfer of its functions to the Department of Community Affairs.

The changes would allow Christie to give towns more control over the construction of affordable housing, long a heated issue in a densely populated state where housing costs are high and poverty is concentrated.

New Jersey courts have ruled that towns are obligated to permit the construction of housing for low-income residents. The housing council was the independent agency that determined each town’s obligation

https://www.philly.com/philly/news/20110916_Fight_brews_over_New_Jersey_Council_on_Affordable_Housing_overhaul_by_Christie.html

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>Mortgage default warnings surged in August

>Mortgage default warnings surged in August
Report: Mortgage default warnings spiked in August, signaling potential new foreclosure wave

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Banks have stepped up their actions against homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgage payments, setting the stage for a fresh wave of foreclosures.

The number of U.S. homes that received an initial default notice — the first step in the foreclosure process — jumped 33 percent in August from July, foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday.

The increase represents a nine-month high and the biggest monthly gain in four years. The spike signals banks are starting to take swifter action against homeowners, nearly a year after processing issues led to a sharp slowdown in foreclosures.

“This is really the first time we’ve seen a significant increase in the number of new foreclosure actions,” said Rick Sharga, a senior vice president at RealtyTrac. “It’s still possible this is a blip, but I think it’s much more likely we’re seeing the beginning of a trend here.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/Mortgage-default-warnings-apf-157937671.html

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>NJ town praised for renewal gets rating downgrade

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NJ town praised for renewal gets rating downgrade

With well-regarded restaurants, a walkable main street dotted with yoga studios and rail service that zips commuters to jobs in downtown Philadelphia, this town of 14,000 is held high as a national model of smart growth.

But Moody’s Investors Service this week said the town was unwise about how it financed one of its highly praised revitalization projects.

Moody’s lowered the borough’s bond rating from investment grade to junk status — something that has happened to only a handful of the 18,000 public entities that the firm evaluates.

The downgrade is an admonishment of the very approach that boosters say made Collingswood indisputably one of Philadelphia’s hippest suburbs. It could also be a warning to other towns: Be careful how you pay for renewal.

“I don’t think any of us would be here if the current administration hadn’t done some really cool stuff,” said Beth Filla, a Collingswood native, homeowner, owner of the Yogawood yoga studio, and the wife of the town library director.  (Mulvihill, Associated Press)

https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/09/15/business/AP-US-Revived-Towns-Debt-Burden.html?scp=16&sq=jersey&st=nyt
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>New 9/11 curriculum available for schools

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New 9/11 curriculum available for schools

The start of the 2011-2012 school year coincides with a focal event in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan region: the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Just in time for the commemoration of this dark event in our nation’s history, a new 9/11 curriculum is now available to the Garden State students and educators trying to make sense of the events and issues linked to that fateful day.

The 4 Action Initiative, a collaborative effort involving Families of September 11, the Liberty Science Center, and the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education, created the new curriculum, entitled “Learning from the Challenges of Our Times: Global Security, Terrorism and 9/11 in the Classroom.”

The more than 50 lessons contained in this curriculum, which is divided into elementary, middle and high school lesson plans and themes, were developed, piloted in more than 60 New Jersey school districts, revised and refined by curriculum developers and the 4 Action Initiative team, according to the curriculum’s introductory letter.  (Bonamo, The Record)

https://www.northjersey.com/news/129935943_New_9_11_curriculum_available_for_schools_.html
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>AAA asks fed to stop bridge, tunnel toll hike

>AAA asks fed to stop bridge, tunnel toll hike
By CHRIS HAWLEY

NEW YORK — AAA is urging the U.S. Department of Transportation to block a plan to increase tolls by as much as 50 percent on the bridges and tunnels between New York City and New Jersey beginning Sunday, saying the hikes violate federal law.

Besides the sticker shock to commuters, the motorists group said Thursday that it objects to using toll revenues for building the new World Trade Center at the site owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

“One of our primary missions is to make sure that any tolls and revenue and any user fees go back into transportation,” said Marta Genovese, vice president of legal affairs for AAA. “But in this case it’s going into a speculative office development.”

https://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=resources/traffic&id=8355716

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>State Comptroller’s report slams the state’s pay to play laws governing local contracts

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State Comptroller’s report slams the state’s pay to play laws governing local contracts

Governor’s spokesman Michael Drewniak today responded to a state Comptroller’s report slamming the state’s pay to play laws governing local contracts.

Drewniak said it’s time for the legislature to act on comprehensive reforms to the pay to play laws.
“The time for excuses and inaction from the Democratically controlled legislature is over: We must expand pay-to-play laws to all levels of government and stop this corrosive, corrupting process involving local contracts.  The report today from state Comptroller Matthew Boxer makes an urgent, crystal clear case for reform,” Drewniak said.

Last year, Gov. Chris Christie proposed a series of ethics reforms that included the elimination of the fair and open loophole decried by Comptroller Matthew Boxer in a report issued earlier today.  Among the proposed changes were the inclusion of labor unions in pay to play legislation and a prohibition on wheeling, which is funneling campaign donations though another entity to circumvent pay to play regulations.  (Isherwood, PolitickerNJ)

https://www.politickernj.com/50922/govs-office-responds-pay-play-report