The Summer Music Academy provides lessons and performing opportunities for beginning, intermediate and advanced level musicians. Students from all districts are welcome! Program highlights include string orchestras, jazz bands, woodwind, brass and percussion ensembles, drum set classes and the 2014 Guitar Camp. All students are encouraged to join this dynamic program.
Click here for the brochure and registration form.
Sign Up for Space Camp at Hawes School
Two sessions: June 27 – July 11 or July 14 – July 25
Is your son or daughter interested in Space? Have they completed grades 2-4? Sign them up for summer space camp where they learn astronomy by going into a planetarium, build and launch model rockets, learn about the history of flight, solve problems in groups, play space games, enjoy physical fitness (rope climbing, zip lining, and more), perform experiments and make art projects. It’s going to be a blast!
Security holes in power grid have federal officials scrambling
In Congress, the vulnerability of the power grid has emerged as among the most pressing domestic security concerns.
By Evan Halper
April 7, 2014, 3:00 a.m.
WASHINGTON — Adam Crain assumed that tapping into the computer networks used by power companies to keep electricity zipping through transmission lines would be nearly impossible in these days of heightened vigilance over cybersecurity.
When he discovered how wrong he was, his work sent Homeland Security Department officials into a scramble.
Crain, the owner of a small tech firm in Raleigh, N.C., along with a research partner, found penetrating transmission systems used by dozens of utilities to be startlingly easy. After they shared their discovery with beleaguered utility security officials, the Homeland Security Department began sending alerts to power grid operators, advising them to upgrade their software.
The alerts haven’t stopped because Crain keeps finding new security holes he can exploit.
“There are a lot of people going through various stages of denial” about how easily terrorists could disrupt the power grid, he said. “If I could write a tool that does this, you can be sure a nation state or someone with more resources could.”
Those sorts of warnings, along with vivid demonstrations of the grid’s vulnerability, such as an incident a year ago in which unknown assailants fired on a power station near San Jose, nearly knocking out electricity to Silicon Valley, have grabbed official attention. In Congress, the vulnerability of the power grid has emerged as among the most pressing domestic security concerns.
APRIL 14, 2014, 10:30 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014, 10:32 PM
BY JOHN REITMEYER
STATE HO– USE BUREAU
THE RECORD
Four days after a downgraded credit rating, New Jersey has more bad financial news: Tax collections were once again short of Governor Christie’s already lowered expectations.
This time, the gap was $145 million for March – a full 7 percent short of what Christie projected for the month, according to data released Monday by the state Department of Treasury.
That means the Christie administration has to make up that gap with just three months left in the state’s fiscal year, time that includes the crucial income tax collection month of April. Already, the administration has said it cut nearly $700 million in spending to help balance Christie’s $33 billion budget after an earlier shortfall. More money was also raised this year by restructuring state tobacco bonds.
Treasury officials attributed the weaker-than-expected March tax collections to the lingering effects of harsh weather in February, and also to taxpayers’ use of new technology that is allowing income tax refunds to go out at a much faster rate than in prior years.
“Accelerated refund payments, in addition to February’s harsh weather, constrained March cash collections compared to projections,” Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff said. “We do not believe these factors will carry over to April and the balance of the fiscal year.”
IRS chief: New rule on the way for tax-exempt groups
WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service is prepared to rewrite a proposed rule regulating the political activities of non-profit groups to address complaints from the right and left that it goes too far, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said Monday.
“In all likelihood we will re-propose a redefined rule and ask for more public comment,” Koskinen told USA TODAY’s Capital Download. It’s a process he predicts will take “until the end of the year and beyond” to complete. The proposed regulation of groups known as 501(c)(4)s drew a record 150,000 comments before the deadline in late February.
He said the new rule would take into account backlash from conservative Tea Party groups as well as some liberal advocacy organizations that the agency’s proposal – intended to address concerns that the tax-exempt groups were engaged in partisan warfare – would bar, even voter education and registration programs.
He was interviewed on the eve of Tax Day, the April 15 deadline for Americans to file their returns.
“I think we have to take all of that into consideration,” Koskinen told the weekly video newsmaker series. “There are very thoughtful comments and concerns, and one of the questions that has evoked a lot of comment is, once you define what political activity is, to what organizations should it apply in the 501(c) context and how much of it should be allowed? All of that is going to be very important.”
Ridgewood officials discuss potential shared service with Bergen County
APRIL 14, 2014 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014, 4:24 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
Village officials have learned that the county is slated to open a new vehicle maintenance facility just three miles outside of Ridgewood, putting a new twist on the municipality’s ongoing efforts to improve and potentially relocate its fleet repair operations.
Based on recent conversations with Bergen County administrators, Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld said construction on the county garage is already underway and is scheduled for completion later this year. Sonenfeld, who took over as the full-time manager less than two weeks ago, informed Ridgewood Council members this week that the project has gone relatively under the radar, as little information was available until she and other village officials broached the topic with the county.
“This has not really been publicized, but the county is building a state-of-the-art facility that they think will be operational in November,” said Sonenfeld. “The great news is that it’s not far away. It’s right down Ridgewood Avenue in Paramus.”
Specifically, Bergen’s new Department of Public Works Maintenance Complex will be located just south of Ridgewood Avenue along Jerome Avenue, a mostly residential street. On Wednesday, the village manager was unable to specify the total number of vehicle repair bays that the county intends to build, but she indicated that the overall goal is to offer services to municipalities.
Obama has Proposed 442 Tax Hikes Since Taking Office
Since taking office in 2009, President Barack Obama has formally proposed a total of 442 tax increases, according to an Americans for Tax Reform analysis of Obama administration budgets for fiscal years 2010 through 2015.
The 442 total proposed tax increases does not include the 20 tax increases Obama signed into law as part of Obamacare.
“History tells us what Obama was able to do. This list reminds us of what Obama wanted to do,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform.
The number of proposed tax increases per year is as follows:
-79 tax increases for FY 2010
-52 tax increases for FY 2011
-47 tax increases for FY 2012
-34 tax increases for FY 2013
-137 tax increases for FY 2014
-93 tax increases for FY 2015
Perhaps not coincidentally, the Obama budget with the lowest number of proposed tax increases was released during an election year: In February 2012, Obama released his FY 2013 budget, with “only” 34 proposed tax increases. Once safely re-elected, Obama came back with a vengeance, proposing 137 tax increases, a personal record high for the 44th President.
In addition to the 442 tax increases in his annual budget proposals, the 20 signed into law as part of Obamacare, and the massive tobacco tax hike signed into law on the sixteenth day of his presidency, Obama has made it clear he is open to other broad-based tax increases.
During an interview with Men’s Health in 2009, when asked about the idea of national tax on soda and sugary drinks, the President said, “I actually think it’s an idea that we should be exploring.”
During an interview with CNBC’s John Harwood in 2010, Obama said a European-style Value-Added-Tax was “something that would be novel for the United States.”
Obama’s statement was consistent with a pattern of remarks made by Obama White House officials refusing to rule out a VAT.
“Presidents are judged by history based on what they did in power. But presidents can only enact laws when the Congress agrees,” said Norquist. “Thus a record forged by such compromise tells you what a president — limited by congress — did rather than what he wanted to do.”
Read more: https://www.atr.org/obama-has-proposed-442-tax-hikes-taking-office#ixzz2ywy1aEkN
Follow us: @taxreformer on Twitter
IRS Scandal Continues: An IRS Employee Urged People to Reelect Obama
Hans von Spakovsky
April 13, 2014 at 12:03 pm
The latest news from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) about illegal political activities at the IRS will certainly not help the administration’s (and Representative Elijah Cummings’) current narrative that there is not a “smidgen of corruption” at the IRS.
OSC is an independent agency that investigates violations of the civil service rules that govern federal employees and the federal statute that protects whistleblowers, as well as violations by federal employees of the Hatch Act, which restricts the political activity of civil servants. One of those rules is an absolute prohibition on partisan political speech and activity in the federal workplace.
On April 9, OSC announced that it was seeking “significant disciplinary action” against an IRS customer-service representative who fielded taxpayer questions on the IRS customer-service helpline. Apparently, the IRS employee “urged taxpayers to reelect President Obama in 2012 by repeatedly reciting a chant based on the spelling of his last name.” OSC did not indicate what the “chant” was, and a spokesman for OCS told me he could not reveal the chant because of privacy rules, since it spelled out the employee’s name.
Another tax specialist in the Kentucky office of the IRS was given a 14-day suspension for telling a taxpayer she was “for” the Democrats because “Republicans already [sic] trying to cap my pension and…they’re going to take women back 40 years.” The tax specialist added that her mother told her that “if you vote for a Republican, the rich are going to get richer and the poor are going to get poorer.”
Unfortunately for the tax specialist, the taxpayer recorded the illicit telephone conversation. The recording even caught the IRS employee telling the taxpayer that “I’m not supposed to voice my opinion so you didn’t hear me saying that.” This particular IRS employee had been advised about the restrictions of the Hatch Act on this type of behavior “just weeks before the conversation,” according to the OSC.
The OSC also announced it had “issued cautionary guidance to all IRS employees” in the Dallas Taxpayer Assistance Center after it received complaints that the employees were “wearing pro-Obama political stickers, buttons, and clothing to work and displaying pro-Obama screensavers on their IRS computers.” It turned out that this was “commonplace throughout the office.” It makes one wonder how much of this was going on in other IRS offices where no one complained.
And it is more evidence that there is bias and partisan political behavior spread throughout the IRS, and not just in the Washington office where Lois Lerner worked before she retired to a nice federal pension.
Originally published in The National Review Online.
Tax Day 2014: How Tax Reform Would Make Filing Taxes Better
By Curtis S. Dubay
April 15, the day Americans’ tax returns for the previous year are due to the IRS, is fast approaching. Families all over the country are scrambling to find documentation for their incomes and any expenses they incurred that might be deductible, creditable, or exemptible. It is a day of consternation for most families because of the mind-numbing complexity of completing this annual task.
The best that can be said of Tax Day is that it provides a yearly reminder of just how convoluted the tax code is and how much damage it does to the economy. It should also serve as a periodic reminder that filing taxes does not have to be this way. Tax reform, if done right, would help Americans in numerous ways.
Raise Incomes
The biggest difference taxpayers would notice would be increased annual incomes. Families would see their incomes grow because tax reform would lessen the severe disincentives that the tax code currently imposes on the fundamental activities of economic growth—working, saving, investing, and taking on risk. This would allow the economy to grow stronger, which would mean more opportunities for Americans at all income levels to find higher-paying jobs and earn larger wage increases.
Done correctly, tax reform would also mean that families earn more but would not pay higher marginal tax rates on their higher earnings. The tax code would not punish families as it does today for being more successful and for earning higher compensation because they are more productive.
Simpler to File
Since tax reform would make what is taxable—i.e., the tax base—easier to define and would have at most only a few deductions and credits necessary to maintain neutrality, filing taxes annually would be immensely simpler for all families.
There would be no need for pricey software, and only those families with the most complex financial arrangements would require paid tax preparers. Highly skilled lawyers and accountants could put their considerable talents to more productive uses, which would further boost the economy.
Increased Fairness
A renewed confidence in the fairness of the system would result because of the more easily understandable tax base and minimal number of deductions and credits. Tax liabilities would be more transparent because there would be few if any ways for taxpayers with more knowledge of the tax code (or ability to pay accountants and lawyers who have it) to lower their tax liability in ways that are largely inaccessible for average taxpayers.
It would also be readily apparent that everyone was paying their fair share. Families with similar financial circumstances would be confident that they were paying similar amounts of tax. It would also be clear that higher-earning families were paying commensurately higher taxes. High earners pay almost all federal income taxes today—the top 10 percent of earners pay 71 percent[1]—but because the tax code is so convoluted, many believe they get away with paying less than they rightfully owe.
Less Influential Government
The government would be less influential in citizens’ personal decisions because taxes would no longer pick winners and losers in the market, nor would it seek to reward or punish families for making certain economic decisions.
For instance, no longer would taxes reward taxpayers who choose to purchase certain government-determined environmentally friendly products or make it relatively more appealing to provide child care outside the home. Taxes would not influence the decisions of families to have a second earner enter or stay in the workforce. Families would make these decisions based on market considerations and the unique preferences of every family.
Reduced Chances of IRS Abuse
The IRS has the almost impossible job of trying to enforce the incomprehensible tax system Congress has created. However, that does not excuse the agency for its behavior in targeting certain conservative groups for enhanced and unwarranted scrutiny. Those actions badly damaged its credibility, which is regrettable because most people who work at the IRS are hardworking and dedicated professionals who do not deserve to be tarred with the misdeeds of others.
Nevertheless, the IRS will need reform to restore its credibility. Although there will always be the need for a revenue-collecting agency, tax reform should significantly curtail the mischief in which the agency is able to engage.
The job of determining taxpayers’ taxable income and whether they paid the proper amount of tax on it would be simplified, meaning the agency could significantly shrink in size. A smaller agency would lessen the chances of bad behavior. Although taxpayers would likely still have to provide some personal information to the agency, it would be far less than they have to report today, which would further reduce the ability of the agency to act improperly.
Current Efforts Increase Chances of Achieving Tax Reform
Despite these benefits that would accrue if Washington made tax reform a reality, tax reform is unlikely this year because of the one-sided nature of current efforts.
Tax reform is being led in the House of Representatives by Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R–MI). Camp released a thorough and detailed proposal for tax reform recently that will keep debate alive,[2] but he is finding little willingness to advance the cause beyond what either President Obama or the Senate is prepared to do.
Given their reluctance, Camp and the rest of the House of Representatives will have to keep making the case to the American people that we need tax reform while making clear to them the ample benefits they will experience if it becomes a reality. Those efforts will not be in vain, because the heightened visibility they create will increase the chances for passing tax reform sooner rather than later.
—Curtis S. Dubay is Research Fellow in Tax and Economic Policy in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation.
Feds Forced to Surrender to American Citizens
Infowars.com, April 13, 2014
In an epic standoff that Infowars reporter David Knight described as being like “something out of a movie,” supporters of Nevada cattle rancher Cliven Bundy advanced on a position held by BLM agents despite threats that they would be shot at, eventually forcing BLM feds to release 100 cattle that had been stolen from Bundy as part of a land grab dispute that threatened to escalate into a Waco-style confrontation.
THIS LAND WAS YOUR LAND ;REID SMELLING ANYTHING BUT ROSY IN RANCH FIGHT
NJTPC
Desert showdown blows lid off long-standing plans with Chinese
An investigative report published last week by Infowars.com drew a connection between Senate Majority Leader Reid’s involvement with Chinese energy giant ENN, Chinese efforts to build massive solar facilities in the Nevada desert and the showdown between Bundy and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, or BLM.
It wasn’t the first report to notice curious dealings involving the Chinese and America’s top Democrats.
Harry Reid’s last roundup: Exclusive: Joseph Farah exposes China deal possibly driving fed action against rancher
On Jan. 20, 2013, WND warned Chinese government-backed economists were proposing a plan to allow Chinese corporations to set up “development zones” in the United States as part of a plan proposed by the Chinese government to convert into equity the more than $1 trillion in U.S. Treasury debt owned by the Chinese government.
The next day, Jan. 21, 2013, WND documented the Obama administration had begun to allow China to acquire major ownership interests in oil and natural gas resources across the USA.
China grabs oil interests in USA
The first major intrusion of China in the U.S. oil and natural gas market can be traced to the Obama administration decision in October 2009 to allow state-owned Chinese energy giant China Offshore Oil Corporation, or CNOOC, to purchase a multi-million dollar stake in 600,000 acres of South Texas oil and gas fields.
By allowing China to have equity interests in U.S. oil and natural gas production, the Obama administration reversed a policy of the Bush administration that in 2005 blocked China on grounds of national security concerns from a $18.4-billion dollar deal in which China planned to purchase California-based Unocal Corp.
China’s two, giant, state-owned oil companies acquiring oil and natural gas interests in the USA are CNOOC, 100-percent owned by the government of the People’s Republic of China, and Sinopec Group, the largest shareholder of Sinopac Corporation, an investment company owned by the government of the People’s Republic of China, incorporated in China in 1998, largely to acquire and operate oil and natural gas interests worldwide.
On March 6, 2012, the Wall Street Journal compiled a state-by-state list of the $17 billion in oil and natural gas equity interests CNOOC and Sinopec have acquired in the United States since 2010.
Colorado: CNOOC gained a one-third stake in 800,000 acres in northeast Colorado and southwest Wyoming in a $1.27-billion pact with Chesapeake Energy Corporation.
Louisiana: Sinopec has a one-third interest in 265,000 acres in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale after a broader $2.5-billion deal with Devon Energy.
Michigan: Sinopec gained a one-third interest in 350,000 acres in a larger $2.5-billion deal with Devon Energy.
Ohio: Sinopec acquired a one-third interest in Devon Energy’s 235,000 Utica Shale acres in a larger $2.5-billion deal.
Oklahoma: Sinopec has a one-third interest in 215,000 acres in a broader $2.5-billion deal with Devon Energy.
Texas: CNOOC acquired a one-third interest in Chesapeake Energy’s 600,000 acres in the Eagle Ford Shale in a $2.16-billion deal.
Wyoming: CNOOC has a one-third stake in northeast Colorado and southeast Wyoming after a $1.27-billion pact with Chesapeake Energy. Sinopec gained a one-third interest in Devon Energy’s 320,000 acres as part of a larger $2.5-billion deal.
On March 6, 2012, in a separate story, the Wall Street Journal described that China’s strategy implemented since 2010 by Fu Chengyu, who has served as chairman of both CNOOC and Sinopec, involved the following components: “Seek minority states, play a passive role, and, in a nod to U.S. regulators, keep Chinese personnel at arm’s length from advanced U.S. technology.”
Valley Hospital to Offer Free Lung Cancer Screening
Is Lung Cancer Screening Right for You?
Earlier this year the United States Preventive Services Task Force, a government panel, recommended annual low dose computed tomography (CT) scans for current and former smokers at high risk for developing lung cancer. The recommendations and the screening guidelines apply to current heavy smokers and to those who have quit within the last 15 years.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in men and women. An estimated 160,000 people die from lung cancer every year. Many of these deaths could be prevented by following these screening guidelines. Studies have shown that treatment for lung cancer can be highly successful if the tumor is detected in its earliest stages, before there are any signs or symptoms of the disease.
The Valley Hospital is currently offering a limited number of free, low-dose CT scans to those who are eligible based on the screening guidelines. The test is painless and only takes about 15 or 20 minutes. Click here to request an opportunity to be considered for a free screening, or you may call 201-634-5757.
Reader says Technology is evolving at such a rate that we will eventually no longer have libraries
Technology is evolving at such a rate that we will eventually no longer have libraries in the physical books and brick and mortar sense that we know of them today. This probably sounds unthinkable, and I hear the arguments that libraries do a lot more than loan books, but it will simply come down to a continual lessening of library usage and economics. The only reason they will remain operational as long as they will is due to political resistance and a misguided hankering for community spirit.
The federal Bureau of Land Management returned a Nevada rancher’s cattle, avoiding a potentially dangerous confrontation. But the legal fight over grazing fees continues.
By Brad Knickerbocker, Staff writer / April 13, 2014
In the sparse Nevada rangeland this weekend, US western history came alive with a fight over cattle that threatened to turn violent.
In the end, federal land managers backed down, giving rancher Cliven Bundy his 400 head of cattle. The cows, which had been rounded up on public land where Mr. Bundy’s herd had grazed for years, represented a classic clash of values: Old West traditions and practices versus New West environmental sensibilities.
In Bundy’s case, the story goes back to the 1870s, when his Mormon pioneer ancestors first began ranching on public land, which eventually came under the domain of the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Bundy claims the land is his, although he does not have legal title to it.
Many ranchers in the rural West run their cattle on federal land, paying regular grazing fees that are based on cow-calf pairs. Such ranches range from small, family-based part time operations to large corporations based in Los Angeles and elsewhere. Bundy had refused to pay the fee, which led to the attempt to seize his cattle.
Fresh air, sunshine, new friends, fun, games, and special memories all add up to Ridgewood Summer Day Camp.
Camp will open for the 2014 summer season Tuesday, July 1st, and run for six weeks through Friday, August 8th. Village children entering grades 1 through 6 will enjoy arts and crafts, organized games, swimming, special events and optional trips. Camp will be held at The Stable, Graydon Pool, Maple Park, Veteran’s Field, the Community Center at Village Hall and Leuning Park, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Children are to bring a bag lunch and beverage. Bus transportation from Village locations is available to all. Locate the Parent Manual on our Recreation homepage at www.ridgewoodnj.net/recreation.
The registration fee is $525.00, which includes two camp T-shirts and optional bus transportation. All campers must possess a 2014 Graydon Pool membership badge.
Off-site trips are optional with limited space; prices vary and registration will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Registration will be accepted from April 1 through June 16, 2014 as space allows. You may register online at www.ridgewoodnj.net/communitypass (payment by Visa/Mastercard). For registration assistance and/or special needs, please visit the Recreation Office, The Stable, 259 North Maple Avenue, or call the office at 201-670-5560.
NJ gay couples celebrating at tax time, but married status also brings challenges
APRIL 12, 2014, 11:10 PM LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 2014, 11:44 PM
BY STEPHANIE AKIN
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
Tax time has been described as anxiety-inducing and unnecessarily confusing, and its inescapability has even been equated with death. Now, it’s being pointed to as a reason for celebration — at least by same-sex couples who for the first time can check off the box that says “married” on their 1040s.
Tim Eustace and his husband, Kevin, marked the occasion by going out to dinner in downtown Maywood, where they live. Jeff Farlow, 30, of Pine Hill posted his refund on Facebook. And Jeff Gardner, 45, of Hawthorne described a visit to the accountant with this incongruous adjective: “Momentous.”
Sure, filing as a newly married couple entails its own set of headaches, and filing for the first time as a same-sex married couple comes with an assortment of questions. But many said the symbolic significance is worth the hassle — at least this time around.
“It’s another act that points out that the government legally recognizes us as a legitimate couple,” said Charles Cumpston, a retired publishing executive from Fort Lee. “That’s pretty incredible.”
Feds Back Down From Bundy Siege After Infowars Exposé of Chinese Land Grab
Huge victory for property rights as establishment handed crushing defeat
Paul Joseph Watson & Alex Jones
Infowars.com
April 12, 2014
UPDATE: Feds Back Down In New Bundy Standoff, Agree to Release Cattle
The federal government backed down and ended their siege against Nevada cattle rancher Cliven Bundy less than 24 hours after an Infowars exposé connecting the land grab to Harry Reid and a Chinese-backed solar farm went viral, becoming the biggest news story on the Internet.
Last night, we revealed how the feds were using the Bureau of Land Management to bully and intimidate ranchers like Bundy, pushing them off public land in order to pave the way for lucrative “green energy” projects backed by the Communist Chinese government and linked to Nevada Senator Harry Reid.
The story went viral, taking the number one spot on the Viral News Chart website and becoming the most trafficked story on the web thanks to syndication by news powerhouse the Drudge Report.
This morning, the Sheriff of Clark County, Nevada, Douglas Gillespie, announced to thousands of Bundy supporters gathered in Bunkerville that a deal had been brokered with Cliven Bundy that would see the BLM cease its roundup of the rancher’s cattle.
A press release has already been put forth that the BLM is going to cease this operation,” stated Gillespie, to a huge roar from the crowd of Bundy supporters.
