NSA scandal shakes Americans’ trust in government
by James S. Robbins | Posted by: jamesrobbins1 on July 31, 2013 4:22 pm
On Wednesday, the Obama administration released several newly declassified intelligence documents in a damage control attempt over the growing NSA snooping scandal. On the same day, the Guardian reported on the NSA tool XKeyscore, which can track everything people do online, including emails, Facebook activity, online chats and browser histories. The White House just can’t keep ahead of the bad news.
The administration maintains that these programs are necessary for the fight against terrorism, but the American people are not convinced. A new survey released by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press finds that 56% of Americans believe that “federal courts fail to provide adequate limits on the telephone and internet data the government is collecting as part of its anti-terrorism efforts.” And for the first time in the 10 year history of this poll, more people (47%) say the government has gone too far in restricting civil liberties than those who say it has not gone far enough to protect the country (35%).
This decisive change in attitude crosses the political spectrum. Republicans, Democrats and Independents have all seen double-digit shifts towards concern for liberty over security between October 2010 and July 2013. The shift is most pronounced among Tea Party members; in 2010 only a fifth of them believed the government had gone too far in restricting liberties, while 63% believed it should do more. In the new survey, the number of Tea Partiers concerned with government intrusion jumped to 55%, while those saying the state should keep ramping things up dropped more than half. The only group that showed no significant change in attitude was moderate to conservative Democrats, though the more interesting question is how the Pew Center located any members of this nearly extinct species.
Why the president’s defenders are wrong when they argue Obama is impotent.
By Ron Fournier
July 31, 2013 | 6:00 a.m.
Two New York Times reporters recently posited for President Obama this grim scenario: Low growth, high unemployment, and growing income inequality become “the new normal” in the nation he leads. “Do you worry,” the journalists asked him, “that that could end up being your legacy simply because of the obstruction … and the gridlock that doesn’t seem to end?”
Obama’s reply was telling. “I think if I’m arguing for entirely different policies and Congress ends up pursuing policies that I think don’t make sense and we get a bad result,” he said, “it’s hard to argue that’d be my legacy.”
Actually, it’s hard to argue that it wouldn’t be his legacy. History judges U.S. presidents based upon what they did and did not accomplish. The obstinacy of their rivals and the severity of their circumstances is little mitigation. Great presidents overcome great hurdles.
In Obama’s case, the modern GOP is an obstructionist, rudderless party often held hostage by extremists. So … get over it. His response to The New York Times is another illustration that Obama and his liberal allies have a limited—and limiting—definition of presidential leadership.
Clueless Obama Jobs Speech Once Again Misses the mark
July 31,2013
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Clueless Obama jobs speech once again misses the mark on Jobs and shows a continued complete lack of understanding how the free market economy works.
The President once again pushed for a top Tax Rate of 28% for Corporations, and a 40% rate for Small Business?
The New York Times reports that President Obama is reviving an old proposal to lower the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 28 percent (and 25 percent for manufacturers). Obama’s push to lower the corporate tax rate to 28 percent comes less than a year after he raised the top individual income tax rate, paid by many small businesses, to 39.6 percent.
The President stuck to the generic “close the loops debate ” and failed to explain in detail which loopholes would be closed.or why?
Could someone please tell the president that small business generates most the jobs in the US and the continued attacks on small business are shutting down one of the main drivers of the economy .
Ridgewood preparing to remove village manager from post
Tuesday July 30, 2013, 8:51 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
The Record
RIDGEWOOD — Ken Gabbert will remain the village manager until at least Aug. 14, when a council vote is expected on removing the administrator from a post he has held since 2009.
“We have begun discussions about transitioning the village manager’s office,” Mayor Paul Aronsohn said after an hourlong closed session Tuesday night, convened specifically to discuss Gabbert’s employment. Aronsohn said the council would “continue discussing” the transitioning of Gabbert’s post and work to “find an unanimous conclusion” that satisfies both the village manager and the governing body.
Administration sources have said tensions have developed between Gabbert and the council majority over several years of missteps and disagreements. Gabbert has known for some time his job was in jeopardy. A similar closed-door session in February resulted in a joint statement from the council, explaining his performance would be evaluated over coming months.
Entry Level Law Enforcement Exam is now open
Closing date is 9/4/2013
State of New Jersey,
Civil Service Commission
Candidates interested in employment for any of the titles within the 2013 LEE announcement must submit a LEE application and related fees. Candidates who took the 2013 State Correction Officer Recruit exam and apply for any title within the 2013 LEE announcement will NOT be scheduled to take the LEE exam. Candidates who took the 2013 State Correction Officer Recruit examination will automatically have their score applied to all titles for which they apply as part of the 2013 LEE announcement, when that eligible pool becomes active.
Before proceeding, you MUST Click here and read the 2013 Law Enforcement Examination Fact Sheet.
1. Applicants must be citizens of the United States as of September 4, 2013.
2. Where hiring preferences apply, applicants must meet the residency requirements of the appointing jurisdiction as of September 4, 2013 and may be required to maintain continuous residency in that jurisdiction up to and including the date of appointment.
3. Applicants must be high school or vocational high school graduates, or possess an approved High School Equivalency Certificate by September 4, 2013.
4. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age as of September 4, 2013. Applicants for Municipal Police Officer positions cannot be over 35 years of age (one is considered over 35 on the day after his/her 35th birthday) as of September 4, 2013, unless they meet the exceptions in “Maximum hiring age requirement for Municipal Police Officer”. NOTE: The age 35 maximum hiring requirement applies only to Municipal Police Officer and its bilingual titles.
5. Appointees will be required to possess a driver’s license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform the essential duties of the position.
6. Appointees may be required to pass thorough medical and drug screening, and psychological/psychiatric examinations. Failure of any of these is cause for removal from that title area.
NOTE: Appointees will be required to successfully complete a training program mandated by the NJ Police Training Commission. This training must be completed prior to enrollment in the Police and Fire Retirement System.
New technology manager hired for Ridgewood Public Schools
TUESDAY JULY 30, 2013, 9:22 AM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The Ridgewood Public Schools district has hired a manager of information technology. Ryan Kenny was hired effective Sept. 23, “or earlier if possible,” at a salary of $130,000.
According to the position’s job description, Kenny, who is currently the Westwood Regional School District’s technology coordinator, will serve as the “chief information officer for the district,” providing “leadership in the development, implementation and coordination of the district’s information technology (IT) plans.”
This includes assisting staff in managing cross-curricular technology instruction and district-wide technology infrastructure – “file servers, mail server, domain controllers, wireless networks, storage area network, backups, switch configurations, mail archives, firewalls, spam filtering, anti-virus, printing” and other software and devices.
Bergen County Freeholder John Mitchell at the Schedler property
Ridgewood purchases final piece of land to merge with Schedler plot
TUESDAY JULY 30, 2013, 9:22 AM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The village has officially acquired a final plot of wooded land sandwiched between Route 17 and West Saddle River Road, essentially completing the deliberate process to merge it with the former Schedler tract.
Ridgewood Council members formally approved the purchase of the .358-acre site last Wednesday, authorizing a payment of $90,000 to General Energy Transport and Terminal Yards, a Midland Park-based operation. The company is a subsidiary of Shotmeyer Bros. Fuel Company.
Based on the 2013 village-wide reassessment, the current assessed value of the triangular-shaped parcel is $54,000. Assessment figures can be accessed through Ridgewood’s municipal website.
Pascack Art Association Tri-State Juried Show to be hosted by Ridgewood Art Institute
Coming in 2013 – 1st Annual PAA Tri-State Juried Show October 20, 2013 to November 2, 2013
PLACE: Ridgewood Art Institute Gallery 12 East Glen Avenue Ridgewood, New Jersey
DATE: October 20, 2013 to November 2, 2013
RECEPTION DATE: Reception and Awards Ceremony October 27, 2013, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Media categories include watercolor, oil, pastel, printmaking, mixed media
Pascack Art Association is a not-for-profit association organized by an interested group of dedicated artists in 1964. The purpose of the organization was to promote interest in the visual arts by providing a place to meet and share ideas, conduct workshops, lectures and art exhibitions in the Pascack Valley area.
PAA is proud to have accomplished these goals and more. It supports talented artists who work in watercolor, acrylic, oils, printmaking, sculpture, photography and other mediums.
The popular Art-in-the-Park Show is an anticipated annual event held every June in a beautiful park setting in one of the local towns The show attracts artists and buyers from a wide geographic area. Our annual membership show will be held in October at The Louis Bay 2nd Public Library, 345 Lafayette Ave., Hawthorne, NJ 07506 (973-427-5745).
In addition, PAA has arranged bus tours to art museums in the metropolitan area for members and the general public. Periodic workshops help members improve their skills and polish their techniques. For many years PAA presented scholarship awards to graduating high school art students through the Bergen County Department of Historic and Cultural Affairs.
Monthly meetings are held every second Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. September through June at the The Municipal Office Building/Police Station, 350 Hudson Avenue, Township of Washington, NJ. and are open to the public free of charge. A different art demonstration is featured each month. Membership is open to artists both amateur and professional and to anyone interested in supporting the arts. See our membership page for more information. See our membership page for more information or call Jennifer McGlynn, President, 201-594-0095.
Executive Board
President: Jennifer McGlynn
Vice President: Lou Spina
Recording Secretary: Leslee Fetner
Treasurer: Joan Dietrich
Corresponding Secretary: Judy Adel
Trustee: Judy Richard
Trustee: Joyce Levine
Trustee: Sandy Phillips
Trustee: Jackie Collier
North Jersey ‘pill mills’ cashing in on painkiller addiction
Saturday, July 27, 2013 Last updated: Sunday July 28, 2013, 9:45 AM
BY REBECCA D. O’BRIEN AND BARBARA WILLIAMS
STAFF WRITERS
The Record
They came by vanloads from downtown Newark. The Medicaid recipients and homeless drug addicts piled into a medical center in a strip mall in Passaic, where they got cursory examinations and bogus diagnoses from a licensed doctor. The patients left with gift cards and prescriptions for narcotic painkillers, investigators said, while Joseph Dituro and his partners got the Medicaid reimbursements.
Physicians, anesthesiologists, oral surgeons and psychiatrists, along with chiropractors, pharmacists and other licensed medical practitioners have been arrested and charged in prescription fraud and pills-for-cash schemes across the state.
Last year, at least 10 of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration’s roughly 30 New Jersey-related busts involved prescription drugs, up from two in 2007.
Exclusive: Signs of declining economic security
By HOPE YEN
— Jul. 28 4:26 PM EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) — Four out of 5 U.S. adults struggle with joblessness, near poverty or reliance on welfare for at least parts of their lives, a sign of deteriorating economic security and an elusive American dream.
Survey data exclusive to The Associated Press points to an increasingly globalized U.S. economy, the widening gap between rich and poor and loss of good-paying manufacturing jobs as reasons for the trend.
The findings come as President Barack Obama tries to renew his administration’s emphasis on the economy, saying in recent speeches that his highest priority is to “rebuild ladders of opportunity” and reverse income inequality.
The Village Council and the Ridgewood Department of Parks and Recreation announce that memberships are on sale for the summer season and all are invited to join the Graydon Pool facility as season members for the 2013 summer season. Come enjoy fun in the sun so close to home!
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 on Thursday 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 $110 per adult, $100 per child (ages 2 through 15) and $20 for seniors (62 and older). Non-resident adults will be charged $175 and children, ages 2 through 15, will be charged $155 for the13 week season.
Badges are 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 is available at the Graydon Pool Badge Office, 259 North Maple Avenue. Badges may be purchased daily throughout the operating season, June 1st through Septemer 2nd.
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.
Steve Lonegan Exposes Cory Booker’s Failed Record on Jobs
“I have been fortunate to run several small businesses and experience the satisfaction that comes from building a successful venture. I have seen firsthand what it takes to create jobs in this country and this state, and I can tell you definitively – it is not government bureaucrats.”
TEANECK, NJ – Republican U.S. Senate candidate Steve Lonegan held a press conference today in Teaneck at the site of one of his small businesses, challenging Cory Booker’s dismal record on jobs. This was the second stop on Mayor Lonegan’s “Expose Cory Booker” tour.
“I have been fortunate to run several small businesses and experience the satisfaction that comes from building a successful venture,” Mayor Lonegan said. “I have seen firsthand what it takes to create jobs in this country and this state, and I can tell you definitively – it is not government bureaucrats.
“In contrast, Cory Booker has worked in government his entire life. He has not created one job – not one. His jobs plan in this Senate race can be summed up in two words: More government. He has called for ‘innovation hubs with robust oversight,’ because, fundamentally, he believes that government is the solution to all of our problems.
“While Cory Booker puts his faith in government bureaucrats, I prefer to put my faith in the hardworking, entrepreneurial American people. While Cory Booker thinks government oversight and regulation will spur job growth, I know from experience that growth and invention occur when we allow our natural creative instincts to thrive.
“Consider some of the great innovations of the past decade. There was no ‘robust oversight,’ no political appointee or lifetime bureaucrat looking over the shoulder of Steve Jobs as he worked to change our lives by developing the iPod or iPhone. No government official with a clipboard stalked Henry Ford around his factory, no senior official from the administration tracked Bill Gates’ progress.
“Yet Booker and his Democratic colleagues promote exactly this kind of stifling environment where the best and brightest are reduced to cogs in a massive governmental machine.”
Don’t forget to Read to your dog
July 27,2013
Dom Nizza
Ridgewood NJ, Have you signed up your young children for those “Read to Your Dog” sessions at the The Ridgewood Public Library ? .
The Ridgewood Public Library is dedicated to providing information, education, culture and inspiration. We encourage our community to pursue life long learning and the enjoyment of books, programs and resources in a variety of formats. We strive to offer the best possible library materials, staff, technology and facility, with ready and equal access to residents of all ages.
125 N. Maple Ave.
Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450
Mon – Thu: 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Fri: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sat: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sun: 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Bid Notice – Painting of the Pedestrian Tunnel at Train Station – Bid Opening August 13
Sealed bid proposals will be received by the Village of Ridgewood, in the Level Three (3) conference room at the Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey, 07450 on Tuesday, August 13, 2013, at 10:00 A.M., prevailing time, and then publicly opened and read aloud for the following:
“Painting of the Pedestrian Tunnel at the Train Station”
The work of the Contract shall consist of: cleaning of the masonry surfaces of the tunnel of loose materials; surface preparation for application of primer coat; application of paint primer coat; application of top coat of acrylic paint at the Pedestrian Tunnel at the Train Station in accordance with the technical specifications in the bid documents. Prospective bidders are advised that the work of this project is to be substantially complete within 30 calendar days from the issuance of the “Notice to Proceed”.
Specifications and bid forms may be obtained by mail from the office of the Division of Engineering, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450 for a non-refundable fee of $10.00 per set of bid documents. Documents may be examined or picked up in person between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450, Monday through Friday. Prospective bidders requesting bid documents be mailed to them shall be responsible for providing their own postage/delivery service remuneration. No specifications and/or proposal forms shall be given out after 4:30 p.m. on Monday, August 12, 2013.
The contractual obligation of the Village of Ridgewood under this Contract for these items is contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds from which payment for this Contract can be made.
Prices quoted must be net and exclusive of all Federal, State and Local Sales and Excise Taxes. Bids may be submitted in person or by mail, addressed to the Office of the Village Clerk. The Village assumes no responsibility for loss or non-delivery of any bid sent to it prior to the Bid opening.
Each bid must be enclosed in a sealed envelope with the name of the bidder thereon and endorsed, “Painting of the Pedestrian Tunnel at the Train Station” and must be accompanied by a certified check, cashier’s check, or Bid Bond (Schedule B), drawn to the order of the Village of Ridgewood for ten (10%) percent of the amount bid or $20,000.00 whichever is less; a Consent of Surety (Schedule A); a Corporation or Partnership Statement (Schedule C); a Non-Collusion Affidavit (Schedule D); and a Statement of Responsibility (Schedule E). Any award or partial awards may be made at a later or subsequent time or meeting of the Village Council. All required schedules, that is Schedule A, B, C, D, E, and F, shall be submitted on the forms attached to the bid documents. No other forms will be accepted.
The successful bidder shall comply with all applicable provisions of the Prevailing Wage Act, as determined by the New Jersey Department of Labor. All contractors, their subcontractors, and material suppliers shall comply with all applicable provisions of the Public Works Contractor Registration Act, pursuant to Public Law 1999 Chapter 238 and the Contractor Business Registration Program, pursuant to Public Law 2004 Chapter 57. Evidence of satisfactory registrations shall be submitted at the time of the bid. All bids submitted shall contain a copy of the bidder’s New Jersey Business Registration Certificate and a copy of the Certificate of Employee Information Report.
The successful bidder shall furnish and deliver to the Village of Ridgewood a performance and payment bond (Schedule F) in the amount of 100 percent of the accepted bid amount as security for the faithful performance of the Contract. Additionally, the successful bidder shall furnish policies or Certificates of Insurance required by the Contract. In default thereof, said checks and/or bid bond and the amount represented thereby shall be forfeited to the Village of Ridgewood as liquidated damages, not as a penalty.
Proposals submitted by Bidders and/or Bidder’s Insurance Company(is) not chartered in the State of New Jersey, must be accompanied by proper certificate(s) from the Secretary of State, indicating that such Bidders, Bidder’s Insurance Company(is), and/or Surety Company(is)’s is (are) authorized to do business in the State of New Jersey. The Village of Ridgewood reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any informalities or to accept a bid which, in its judgment best serves the interest of the Village. No bids may be withdrawn for a period of sixty (60) days after the date and time set for the opening of bids.
“BIDDERS ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 17:27). A complete statement as to these requirements is included in the specifications.
States seek to nullify Obama efforts
By TAL KOPAN | 7/27/13 3:14 PM EDT
Infuriated by what they see as the long arm of Washington reaching into their business, states are increasingly telling the feds: Keep out!
Bills that would negate a variety of federal laws have popped up this year in the vast majority of states – with the amount of anti-federal legislation sharply on the rise during the Obama administration, according to experts.
The “nullification” trend in recent years has largely focused on three areas: gun control; health care; and national standards for driver’s licenses. It’s touched off fierce fights within the states, and between the states and the feds, as well as raising questions and court battles about whether any of it is lega
