Free Dog Rabies Clinic – May 14 and Dog License Information – Month of June
FREE DOG RABIES CLINIC AND DOG LICENSE INFORMATION
The Ridgewood Health Department would like to remind residents of the annual FREE dog rabies clinic on Wednesday, May 14, 2014 from 6pm until 7 pm at the Recycling Center on Glen Avenue. All dogs must be accompanied by an adult and leashed or contained in a carrying case.
2014 dog license renewals are due during the month of June. A $20 late fee will be charged for all renewals received after June 30, 2014.
The health department will be sending renewals via email. If you do not have an email address please call our office and request a renewal to be mailed to you. Renewal applications may also be obtained by visiting our website at www.ridgewoodnj.net or coming in person to the Ridgewood Health Department, 131 North Maple Ave. The office hours are Monday to Friday from 8:30 am until 4:30 pm. Please call 201 670-5500 ext. 503 with questions.
New Jersey law requires owners of all dogs seven months of age or older to be registered with the town they live in. In order for the license to be issued, the owner must present proof that a licensed veterinarian has vaccinated the dog
against rabies and that the duration of immunity from that vaccination does not expire before May 1, 2015. To receive the discount for a spayed or neutered pet, proof must also be provided.
In conjunction with the rabies clinic, the Responsible Pet Ownership Committee will also be facilitating free micro-chip implantations and registration to the first 75 dogs at the clinic. Please direct any questions regarding the micro-chipping to Jeffrey Ball at [email protected]
New Jersey Choral Society presents stunning finale “An Austrian Affair”
Bergen County – Join the New Jersey Choral Society as they present their stunning 2013-14 season finale, “An Austrian Affair,” featuring works by 18th and 19th century composers who worked in Vienna, on Saturday, May 31 at 8:00 pm at the West Side Presbyterian Church, 6 South Monroe St., Ridgewood.
The inspirational program of sacred and secular music features Mozart’s “Laudate Dominum” from Solemn Vespers, Haydn’s powerful “The Heavens Are Telling” from The Creation, “Hallelujah” from Beethoven’s oratorio The Mount of Olives, and Schubert’s stirring final composition “Mass No. 6 in E-flat major” The concert will conclude with Gustav Mahler’s uplifting “Finale to Symphony No. 2” (Resurrection). Guest soloists Megan Knapp (soprano), Teresa Buchholz (mezzo-soprano), Wesley Morgan (tenor), Mathew Edwardsen (tenor) and Keith Harris (baritone) will be featured with NJCS.
Established in 1980, the New Jersey Choral Society is one of the state’s most prestigious choral groups well-known for presenting outstanding and unique programs. Under the direction of Eric Dale Knapp, NJCS performs three major concerts annually in Bergen and Essex counties. They have performed in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, China, Australia and England. In July 2014, they will perform in France as part of the Normandy Festival commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Normandy invasion. The chorus will be accompanied by pianist/organist Linda Sweetman-Waters.
Come one hour prior to concert time for The Inside Line, a complimentary lecture that provides an insightful and intimate discussion of the music for all ticket holders.
Tickets are $25.00 for general admission, $22.00 for students, seniors, and patrons with disabilities and $12 for children 12 and under (add $5.00 at the door). Group discounts are also available. For reservations or more information, visit www.njcs.org or call the New Jersey Choral Society at (201) 379-7719.In support of the Center for Food Action, the New Jersey Choral Society will be collecting nonperishable food items at this concert. Westside Presbyterian Church is wheelchair accessible. Funding has been made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
GOP foolish to think ObamaCare is fixable By Betsy McCaughey April 30, 2014 | 10:37pm
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), the No. 4 House Republican, is walking back comments attributed to her that ObamaCare can’t be repealed. But she’s not the only one suggesting Congress merely make changes within the framework of the health law. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says the goal is to get the law “fixed.” It seems many GOP lawmakers still haven’t read the law, or they’d know the framework is corrupt.
Even Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) speculated Friday that repeal is unlikely because it will be “difficult to turn the clock back.”
Nonsense. Even by the most inflated administration claims, some 8 million people have signed up for exchange plans, out of a nation of 318 million. ObamaCare is repealable, and should be replaced with a plan to cover the uninsured and reduce costs.
ObamaCare’s authors paid lip service to these goals but had an ulterior motive: forging a permanent Democratic majority. The law creates a huge infrastructure for enrolling millions of people not just in insurance but also for food stamps, housing assistance and other welfare programs — and registering them to vote.
Seeking Residents to Volunteer for Ridgewood Boards and Committees
TO SERVE ON THE COMMUNITY CENTER ADVISORY BOARD, PLANNING BOARD, ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT, FINANCIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE, RIDGEWOOD ARTS COUNCIL, AND RIDGEWOOD SHADE TREE COMMISSION.
The Village Council is looking for residents who are interested in volunteering to serve on the Community Center Advisory Board, the Planning Board, the Zoning Board of Adjustment, the Financial Advisory Committee, the Ridgewood Arts Council, and The Shade Tree Commission.
The Community Center Advisory Board develops policies and procedures for the operation of the Community Center facility and assists in the fulfillment of the County Municipal Alliance Grant requirements. Membership includes: Senior Citizen residents; adult residents with children in the school system; and adult residents with no children in the school system.
The Planning Board reviews site plans and subdivision applications; prepares, adopts, and amends the Master Plan; makes recommendations to the Village Council regarding amendments to developmental regulations and the official map.
The Zoning Board of Adjustment hears variance applications and appeals from rulings and determinations arising from the enforcement of Village zoning ordinances.
The Financial Advisory Committee assists in the review and understanding of the financial considerations necessary to the operation of the Village and the Village’s preparation of the Annual and Capital Budgets; provides review, advice and recommendations to the Village Council on Village financial and budgetary matters; and prepares an annual report for the Village Council to assist the Councilmembers in their budget preparation. Members will preferably have strong finance, accounting, government and/or business backgrounds.
The Ridgewood Arts Council will assist in the promotion of and encourage artistic and cultural programs and will provide for educational opportunities in the areas of art and culture. The Ridgewood Arts Council will also provide advice, guidance, and recommendations to the Village Council, as needed.
The Shade Tree Commission works closely with the Parks and Recreation Department, the Ridgewood Environmental Advisory Committee, and the Green Team to promote awareness and education of the residents as well as advise and provide recommendations to the Village Council in promoting and sustaining a safe and productive shade tree resource. Members will preferably have forestry or tree backgrounds or hold the designation of a certified Arborist.
All interested residents should fill out a Citizen Volunteer Leadership form (found on the Village website), and send it along with a cover letter indicating on which board(s) the resident wishes to serve, and a biography or resume to:
Heather Mailander, Village Clerk Village of Ridgewood 131 North Maple Avenue Ridgewood, NJ 07451
Let’s Stay Acquainted…Ridgewood Seniors Invited….Thursday, May 1!
Let’s Stay Acquainted…
Thursday, May 1st
All Ridgewood resident seniors are invited to join Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck for an opportunity to meet, share thoughts, participate in an activity and enjoy a light lunch.
The event will take place on Thursday, May 1, 2014 at 12 noon in the Anne Zusy Youth Lounge in the Community Center, located at 131 N. Maple Ave. The “North Jersey English Country Dancers”, complete with live musicians, including a fiddle player, a pianist and a caller, will be here to play and get you up dancing to some English Country Dance tunes. Participation is expected. English Country Dance is a form of regency through socialization, interaction, history and entertainment. Please come join us!
There is no fee to attend, but pre-registration is required and bus transportation is available. Registration can be done in person, by mail, or by calling The Stable at 201-670-5560 or The Community Center at 201-670-5500, ext 301. Bus reservations can be made by calling 201-670-5500, ext 200, but please call by Tuesday, 4pm.
Sterling, Media And The Race Card — A Confederacy Of Dunces By Larry Elder
By Larry Elder, Apr. 27, 2014
TMZ posted portions of a taped conversation between L.A. Clippers Owner Donald Sterling and his girlfriend. The fit hit the shan. Magic Johnson called for Sterling to resign. Relinquish the team! ESPN is breathlessly covering this “major story.”
Magic Johnson said in a statement:
“It’s a shame that Donald Sterling feels that way about African-Americans. He has a team full of amazing African-American basketball players that are working to bring a championship to Clippers fans. The Clippers also have a strong minority fan base.”
He later said:
“Something has to be done, and if that means him losing the team, then that has to happen,” Johnson said. “The league has to come down hard and make a statement.”
The Clippers’ statement read:
“We have heard the tape on TMZ. We do not know if it is legitimate or if it has been altered. We do know that the woman on the tape — who we believe released it to TMZ — is the defendant in a lawsuit brought by the Sterling family alleging that she embezzled more than $1.8 million, who told Mr. Sterling that she would ‘get even.’ Mr. Sterling is emphatic that what is reflected on that recording is not consistent with, nor does it reflect his views, beliefs or feelings. It is the antithesis of who he is, what he believes and how he has lived his life. He feels terrible that such sentiments are being attributed to him and apologizes to anyone who might have been hurt by them. He is also upset and apologizes for sentiments attributed to him about Earvin Johnson. He has long considered Magic a friend and has only the utmost respect and admiration for him — both in terms of who he is and what he has achieved. We are investigating this matter.”
LeBron James, before yesterday’s game, said:
“There is no room for Donald Sterling in our league. … Obviously, if the reports are true, it’s unacceptable in our league. It doesn’t matter, white, black or Hispanic — all across the races it’s unacceptable. As the commissioner of our league, they have to make a stand. They have to be very aggressive with it. I don’t know what it will be, but we can’t have that in our league.”
Well, move over Cliven Bundy, who moved over after George Zimmerman. Meet America’s Next New White Bigot — Donald Sterling. The “racist” hires a respected, expensive championship-winning black coach, who happens to be married to a white woman. The “racist” pays his black starting point guard $18 million annually. Oh, and the “racist” Sterling’s girlfriend, with whom he’s seen in public, is a black Latina.
Yep, dude sounds just like a Klansman.
Now, can we please calm down?
An old guy has a verbal fight with his girlfriend, which she apparently — surreptitiously — records. They quarrel. The most eye-raising parts have to do with Sterling, 80, telling his girlfriend, 38, that he doesn’t want her attending games with black people. His reasons appear to be that his girlfriend, who describes herself as black and Mexican, would look — to others — more white if she sat next to white people. I guess. I really don’t know.
And care even less.
Despite his obvious anger, Sterling never says the “n” word, let along calls her a “c” word. He expresses admiration for Magic Johnson. He even asks her almost in disbelief or surprise, “You think I’m a racist!” Then the now ex-girlfriend, currently being sued by the Sterling family for embezzling almost $2 mil, delivers the recording to TMZ. And here we go again with America’s newest racist. Tiger Wood’s quarrel ended with his SUV smashed into a tree. Mel Gibson’s rant included a wish that his girlfriend be “raped by a pack of n–gers.” But this will do.
If Sterling is unfit to own a team now that he’s expressed racial animosity, what about Spike Lee? A courtside fixture at Knicks games, Lee once said he dislikes interracial couples: “I give interracial couples a look. Daggers. They get uncomfortable when they see me on the street.” Should the NBA investigate the suitability of an expressed hater of interracial couples to have such a prominent perch at the Garden? Spike Lee hates interracial relationships. Donald Sterling hates being in one. Soul brothers! Bet Spike could score some courtside seats.
A certain beloved, foul-mouthed, Los Angeles ex-baseball manager privately swore and dropped non-PC words with ease and familiarity — but we laughed and considered the source. And, like Sterling, he had black and white players.
What about Bill Maher? He is a part-owner of the Mets — that is when not calling Sarah Palin the “c” word or Michelle Bachman “a dumb t–t” or when not joking about Palin’s son Trig, who has Down Syndrome. Should MLB investigate and monitor his stand-up for foul language?
Speaking of racist public figures, if Sterling ought not own a team, then the Rev. Al Sharpton ought not have a TV show. How does the race-hustling, anti-Semitic, non-tax paying, FBI would-be drug-dealing snitch, “civil rights” leader who lied his way to fame warrant a show on MSNBC?
As to the seriousness of Sterling’s comment, a little perspective. The beloved Lakers owner Jerry Buss once got busted for DUI. As always with drunk drivers, only good fortune stopped someone from getting hurt or killed. But this was quickly dropped from media attention.
Again, Buss … could … have … killed … somebody. Sterling had a verbal fight with a flirty girlfriend.
Back to the Sterling tape. Listening to the whole thing, it sounds like they’re meant for each other. He’s jealous and insecure, an old guy asking his girl not to make him into a bigger behind-the-back joke than he already is. She sounds shallow and manipulative, clearing trying to get him to say some really bad stuff.
As for Magic Johnson’s reaction, let me say this. Magic, love you, but your confessed behavior endangered your family, your team and others. Sterling quarreled with his GF. Martina Navratilova said if a woman did what you did, she would have been called a “slut.” Sterling should be shunned?!
Did Magic call for a Clippers boycott when, for years, its owner mistreated Elgin Baylor, stiffed players and twice settled housing discrimination lawsuits? Or when in 2000, Sports Illustrated named the Clippers the “worst” franchise in North American history? But now because Sterling says he doesn’t want his squeeze hanging with brothers — he’s unfit to own a team? Why the “racist” even gave her permission to “f–k” any black person she wants — provided she didn’t strut around Staples with the guy. A gold-digger’s dream. Old money, young sex. Such a deal! Some racist!
Can black and white victicrats take a day off from being “offended”? Dolts — whether Bundy or Sterling — who are incapable of harm, say stupid things. The real issues — under-education, irresponsible breeding and parenting, and lack of jobs — have nothing to do with Sterling’s jealously and will not be resolved by his public flaying.
Earth Day Graydon Pool Memberships – Available to All Are Now on Sale
The Village Council and the Ridgewood Department of Parks and Recreation are excited to announce memberships are now on sale for the upcoming summer season and all are invited to join the Graydon Pool facility as season members for the 2014 summer season. Come enjoy fun in the sun so close to home! Opening day is Saturday, May 31st.
Pool features include a shaded playground, water play fountains, shade kites, Adirondack chairs, picnic area, sheltered pavilion, charcoal grills, and The Water’s Edge Café. Additional amenities include a lending library of reading books, volleyball, basketball, ping-pong tables, shuffleboard, four-squares and hop-scotch. Special programs include “Storytime Under a Tree” for the little ones and swim instruction for children and adults, as well as an adaptive swim class. The Graydon Swim Team welcomes youth members, ages 8 to 14.
Resident fees are $120 per adult, $110 per child (ages 2 through 15) and $30 for seniors. Non-resident adults will be charged $200 and children, ages 2 through 15, will be charged $175 for the13 week season.
Badges are now on sale and can be purchased from the comfort of home on Community Pass at www.ridgewoodnj.net/communitypass (Visa and MasterCard are accepted). In person registration assistance will be available Saturdays, May 10 and May 17, 10:00 am to 12 noon, at the Graydon Pool Badge Office (onsite at the pool), 259 North Maple Avenue. Badges may be purchased daily throughout the operating season, May 31st through Septemer 1st.
Details are available at www.ridgewoodnj.net/graydon or you may call the Recreation Office at 201-670-5560 with any questions or if special accommodations are needed.
SayleStock music and art festival returns to Ridgewood on Sunday
APRIL 25, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2014, 12:31 AM BY JODI WEINBERGER CORRESPONDENT
Three years after Matt Sayles gathered his friends and family for a music festival on the lawn of his parents’ vacation home in Lake George, N.Y., the tradition will continue in Ridgewood to celebrate his life and raise awareness of salivary gland cancer.
SayleStock will be held from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday, April 27, in Van Neste Square. The concert will honor its creator and namesake, 26-year-old Matt, who died from salivary gland cancer on Nov. 10, 2011.
Attendees are encouraged to spread out in the park with blankets and chairs and enjoy an afternoon of music, art and food to benefit the Matthew Sayles Foundation for Salivary Gland Cancer, which raises money for research and awareness of the rare cancer.
Matt Sayles was teaching in Thailand when a persistent pain in the side of his neck sent him to the hospital for tests. Results came back inconclusive and so Matt returned to Ridgewood where he underwent more testing at hospitals in New Jersey and New York.
Doctors concluded that he had salivary gland cancer, and a failed attempt to remove the tumor revealed that it had metastasized to his lungs. Matt was teaching at Midland Park middle and high schools at the time and insisted he be treated normally despite the grim diagnoses.
“There really was no course of action,” said Matt’s father, Dave Sayles. “Once it had spread to his lungs there wasn’t much they could do. We tried chemotherapy and radiation.”
After his death, his parents formed the foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and called on Matt’s high school friends and the community to help bring SayleStock to Ridgewood. The first iteration of the event in Ridgewood last year drew about 700 people throughout the afternoon, Dave Sayles said.
Transportation Crisis puts Christie, Democrats on Collision Course
New Jerseyans pay more for unnecessary repairs caused by driving on poor or mediocre roads than residents of any other state. One out of every three bridges is decrepit or obsolete. Trains into Manhattan are jammed to capacity, with construction of a new rail tunnel at least a decade away.
Meanwhile, the Christie administration has borrowed so heavily that the Transportation Trust Fund that pays for highways, bridges, and mass-transit projects is going to run out of money a year early. And Gov. Chris Christie has called for the breakup of the Port Authority, the bistate agency set up to fund large-scale projects in the busiest transportation hub in the world.
“We certainly cannot renew the Transportation Trust Fund without a revenue source,” said Assembly Transportation Committee Chairman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex). “But I’m not sure that the public is prepared for the sticker shock of what it’s going to cost to fix our transportation system.”
While Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) has introduced legislation raising New Jersey’s gas tax, which is the second-lowest in the nation, by nine cents a gallon over three years, New Jersey Policy Perspective yesterday slapped a realistic sticker price on New Jersey’s transportation crisis: The liberal think tank suggested a plan to raise $1.25 billion a year by hiking the tax on a gallon of gas from 14.5 cents to 39 cents a gallon — which would still be lower than New York, Pennsylvania, and six other large urban states. (Magyar/NJSpotlight)
What’s Actually Good for the Environment May Surprise You Amy Payne April 22, 2014 at 6:30 am
Good news for Earth Day: We can boost energy production and economic growth without harming the environment!
Thanks to years of empty promises from the Left, politicians in Congress and the White House have installed all sorts of harmful policies that block energy production, jobs, and economic growth. But those policies have shown themselves to be counterproductive—they don’t deliver the benefits liberals promised, and they hurt Americans.
Here are two examples that may surprise you.
1. An oil pipeline is environmentally safe.
The Keystone XL pipeline, which President Obama just delayed again, has received anenvironmental green light multiple times—from this administration.
State Department impact reports have concluded “that the pipeline, a Canada-based project to deliver up to 830,000 barrels of oil per day to Gulf Coast refineries, would pose no significant environmental risk and would not contribute substantially to carbon dioxide emissions,” saysNicolas Loris, Heritage’s Herbert and Joyce Morgan Fellow.
Loris also notes that the project “has bipartisan support, the backing of several unions, andapproval from former energy and interior secretaries.”
The pipeline would bring jobs and would help provide additional oil supply. “With high economic benefits and minimal environmental impact, this project should be a no-brainer,” Loris says. But elections seem to be a problem for Keystone. After a promise to decide the pipeline’s fate by 2011, President Obama postponed the project through the 2012 election—and this latest delay pushes a decision past the midterms.
2. Biofuels are not better for the environment.
Here’s another case where central planners promised they knew what was best for us—and it’s not working out. In fact, it’s costing us.
A new study out this week concluded that biofuels aren’t the “clean” alternative to gasoline that advocates promised. In fact, producing biofuels can release more greenhouse gases than using gasoline.
It’s been known for years that biofuels aren’t as environmentally friendly as we were first told. Heritage’s Loris wrote last year that “After accounting for land-use conversion, the use of fertilizers, insecticides, and pesticides, as well as the fossil fuels used for production and distribution, biofuel production is quite carbon-intensive.”
Even if unintended, the consequences of mandating ethanol production and use in gasoline have been disastrous. Loris reports:
The mandate promised less dependence on foreign oil, lower fuel prices, and fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Instead of delivering on these promises, the mandate delivered concentrated benefits to politically connected producers and higher costs to America’s energy consumers.
Whether it’s blocking helpful developments or mandating harmful ones, the government isn’t getting environmental policy right. That’s why The Heritage Foundation’s American Conservation Ethic includes the principle that the most successful environmental policies come from liberty.
Who Gets Rewarded for Stiffing the IRS? IRS Agents! J.D. Tuccille|Apr. 23, 2014 12:17 pm
If you and I pay the Internal Revenue Service less than it claims it owes us, we can get slammed pretty hard with fines, penalties, and even jail time. The IRS even stages armed raids in its search for a few more sheckels to feed the government’s appetite. We even can getdinged $5,000 for filing “frivolous” returns that just annoy the tax collectors.
But there is one class of people that can misbehave and even stiff the IRS, and receive rewards in return. Who has that sweet deal? IRS employees.
According to a press release from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration:
between October 1, 2010 and December 31, 2012, more than 2,800 employees with recent substantiated conduct issues resulting in disciplinary action received more than $2.8 million in monetary awards and more than 27,000 hours in time-off awards. Among these, more than 1,100 IRS employees with substantiated Federal tax compliance problems received more than $1 million in cash awards and more than 10,000 hours in time-off awards.
Keystone XL’s continued delay is absurd By Editorial Board, Published: April 23
IF FOOT-DRAGGING were a competitive sport, President Obama and his administration would be world champions for their performance in delaying the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.
Last Friday afternoon, the time when officials make announcements they hope no one will notice, the State Department declared that it is putting off a decision on Keystone XL indefinitely — or at least, it seems, well past November’s midterm elections. This time, the excuse is litigation in Nebraska over the proposed route, because that might lead to a change in the project that various federal agencies will want to consider. The State Department might even decide to substantially restart the environmental review process . This is yet another laughable reason to delay a project that the federal government has been scrutinizing for more than five years.
At this point, there is little doubt about the big picture. After two thorough environmental analyses, State Department experts determined that the pipeline’s impact probably would be minimal, even on climate change-inducing carbon dioxide emissions. The economic rewards of extracting Canadian oil are too attractive and the options for getting it out of the countryare too numerous. We would rather see Canadian crude traveling a well-built, well-regulated pipeline in the United States than on the rail cars, barges and ocean tankers that will move it until cheaper options inevitably come online.
That does not mean we like burning dirty oil sands crude. But symbolic gestures will have no impact on climate change. Governments should steadily reduce global carbon dioxide emissions with smart, economy-wide policies such as carbon taxes, which meaningfully and permanently cut demand for carbon-heavy fuels. Alberta’s provincial government, which oversees much of Canada’s oil development, is considering enhancements to its fairly weak carbon price system, which could redress some of the excess emissions associated with pulling the viscous oil out of the ground.
If activists want to make a real difference on carbon dioxide emissions, they should devote their energies to establishing an ambitious carbon price across Canada and in the United States — or, if that’s not achievable, any number of second-best but serious policy options. In a comprehensive and efficient system, it might well make economic sense to burn some Canadian crude for quite a while as the world slowly transitions away.
As for the pipeline’s routing, planners and regulators have already considered all sorts of options through Nebraska, and they already shifted the route once. Neither route posed environmental concerns of a sort that would justify concluding that Keystone XL is outside the national interest. It is bizarre to imagine that a new route from an even more careful process in Nebraska would significantly increase environmental concerns.
The administration’s latest decision is not responsible; it is embarrassing. The United States continues to insult its Canadian allies by holding up what should have been a routine permitting decision amid a funhouse-mirror environmental debate that got way out of hand. The president should end this national psychodrama now, bow to reason, approve the pipeline and go do something more productive for the climate.
Why Worry About Conspiracy When Incompetence Will Do? APRIL 21, 2014 10:44AM By MICHAEL D. TANNER
Last week, the New York Times reported that the Census Bureau would be significantly changing the questions and methods it uses to determine who has health insurance. The redesign is an attempt to address some of the flaws in the current design that have long troubled the agency. A working paper from the Census Bureau had found that it provided an “inflated estimate of the uninsured” and was prone to “measurement errors” that diminished the reliability and usefulness of the measure.
The timing of this change could hardly be worse. The massive coverage provisions of the health care reform have just taken effect, and these new changes could make comparisons to past years difficult, or meaningless. Another document from the agency explains that the questions would elicit such different responses that “it is likely the Census Bureau will decide that there is a break in the series for the health insurance estimates.”
As the Times reports, the differences in responses between the two sets of questions are significant; in a trial run last year, the percentage of people without health insurance was 10.6 percent with the new questionnaire, compared with 12.5 percent using the old version, with similar effects across all demographic groups.
Some defenders of the decision have pointed out that these new questions will also give data for 2013, so there will be at least one year of pre-ACA data to compare to. This is true, and having at least one data point will be helpful to some extent, but what we really want to evaluate when analyzing the law would be the longer term trend, for two reasons. One, there is a decent amount of variation in these surveys that make single data points less informative. Two, while the major coverage provisions of the law take effect in 2014, the law has already been influencing the insurance market in smaller ways since its passage, and more than half of the reduction in the uninsured will occur after 2014, according to the Congressional Budget Office. This is why having a stable baseline would be useful, so we could examine the longer term trends in insurance coverage, and why now is close to the worst time to incorporate this change. The Census Bureau acknowledged as much in a paper, admitting that “[i]deally, the redesign would have had at least a few years to gather base line and trend data.”
Some critics of the law have voiced some suspicion as to possible political motivations for the timing of this change, seeing it as an attempt to obscure the effects of the law and make it harder to get reliable estimates. They cite the fact that some of the new questions were requested by the administration, and that senior officials had knowledge and approved of these pending changes.
I do not think conspiracy is the answer, but the real reason for this Census change is just as troubling, if not more so: incompetence.
The sheer amount of negative attention that these planned changes have gotten likely outweighs whatever political gains the administration could have hoped to capture in the first place. Aside from that, there are numerous other organizations, like Gallup, that measure health insurance coverage, so skeptics of the law will have other sources of data to turn to. If anything, it would appear that the White House was trying too hard to make sure they did not appear to be meddling in the affairs of the Census Bureau, which had unwisely planned to roll out these changes at an inopportune moment. Why this change was the line in the sand that the administration dared not cross when it has shown no such restraint in delaying many aspects of the law itself, such as the employer mandate, is hard to comprehend, but paints a picture more of an administration flailing to put out fires as they arise, rather than one even capable of pulling of the long term planning and coordination required for such a scheme.
While it appears the administration could have intervened and delayed the rollout of the new questions, they were not the driving force behind the changes. If anything, this was a mistake of what they chose not to do, rather than what they did.
These problems of coordination and competence within the government, where one government agency appears to be proceeding along with little to no regard or understanding for the broader context in which it operates, is in some ways more troubling, especially when we are talking about the massive new government foray into a sector that consumes almost 18 percent of our economy.
If they cannot even coordinate the measurement of health insurance effectively, how can they implement the law itself?
The administration has a chance to partially remedy their mistake. Republicans in both chambers have already introduced legislation to either delay the new questions or to use both sets concurrently for the next few years to establish a better baseline to look at the effects of the law on health insurance coverage.
Government, as inefficient and incompetent as it often is, can sometimes make honest mistakes, which I think this likely is; however, these mistakes should raise serious concerns about government’s abilities as it seeks to spread into even more aspects of the economy and our lives.
Benghazi attack could have been prevented if US hadn’t ‘switched sides in the War on Terror’ and allowed $500 MILLION of weapons to reach al-Qaeda militants, reveals damning report
Citizens Committee on Benghazi claims the US government allowed arms to flow to al-Qaeda-linked militants who opposed Muammar Gaddafi Their rise to power, the group says, led to the Benghazi attack in 2012 The group claims the strongman Gaddafi offered to abdicate his presidency, but the US refused to broker his peaceful exit The commission, part of the center-right Accuracy In Media group, concluded that the Benghazi attack was a failed kidnapping plot US Ambassador Chris Stevens was to be captured and traded for ‘blind sheikh’ Omar Abdel-Rahman, who hatched the 1993 WTC bombing plot
By DAVID MARTOSKO, U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR
The Citizens Commission on Benghazi, a self-selected group of former top military officers, CIA insiders and think-tankers, declared Tuesday in Washington that a seven-month review of the deadly 2012 terrorist attack has determined that it could have been prevented – if the U.S. hadn’t been helping to arm al-Qaeda militias throughout Libya a year earlier.
‘The United States switched sides in the war on terror with what we did in Libya, knowingly facilitating the provision of weapons to known al-Qaeda militias and figures,’ Clare Lopez, a member of the commission and a former CIA officer, told MailOnline.
She blamed the Obama administration for failing to stop half of a $1 billion United Arab Emirates arms shipment from reaching al-Qaeda-linked militants.
‘Remember, these weapons that came into Benghazi were permitted to enter by our armed forces who were blockading the approaches from air and sea,’ Lopez claimed. ‘They were permitted to come in. … [They] knew these weapons were coming in, and that was allowed..
‘The intelligence community was part of that, the Department of State was part of that, and certainly that means that the top leadership of the United States, our national security leadership, and potentially Congress – if they were briefed on this – also knew about this.’
The weapons were intended for Gaddafi but allowed by the U.S. to flow to his Islamist opposition.
Lacrosse was one of many varieties of indigenous stickball games being played by American Indians
Ridgewood LAX Day Saturday, April 26th
All are Welcome !
Lax Day held Saturday, April 26th is a celebration of youth lacrosse in Ridgewood conducted in a festival setting and marked by games, activities and apparel sales. All of the Ridgewood Lacrosse Association youth boys and girls teams play a home game that day. In addition, the RHS varsity boys lacrosse team will host Somerville HS, in a battle of NJ lacrosse regional powerhouse. Ridgewood High School will be the center of the festival activities. Lax Day generally runs all day. Youth games begin at 8am. Food and activities commence between 10-11am. RHS game is about 2pm. The day ends at 4-5pm.
