Rep. Garrett delivering a flag from the U.S. Capitol building to Bethlehem Lutheran Church Congregational President Mike Skorski to honor the church’s 100th anniversary in Ridgewood.
Scott Garrett travels around the 5th District
I wanted to share some pictures with you from my recent travels around the 5th District.
As unemployment remains stalled above 8%, I continue to make it my top priority to meet with job creators throughout North Jersey. With stops at Montague Bagel Factory, Vidyo, Inc., Promotion in Motion and Park Avenue BMW, I had the chance to discuss some of the issues businesses are facing in this difficult economic environment. If we want to have a true recovery, businesses like these cannot be tied down by the heavy hand of government regulation.
In addition to meeting with the men and women of North Jersey’s business community, I had the pleasure of meeting with some folks who work tirelessly to keep our towns safe. It was an honor to attend the Ramsey Knights of Columbus’s Shield Awards celebration where they paid tribute to five deserving first responders with awards and recognition for their outstanding service to the community. Also, I presented a flag that was flown over the U.S. Capitol Building to Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Ridgewood in honor of their 100th Anniversary celebration.
I look forward to a summer full of discussions and meetings with constituents so I can continue to fight for issues that are important to them in our nation’s capital. The residents of North Jersey always show me exactly how they are planning for the future and looking to better days.
Sincerely,
Scott Garrett
Be a Part of the Tradition: Looking for Yankee Doodle Dandies
July 4th in Ridgewood is a very special day that our entire area looks forward to all year. This year’s theme is “Born in New Jersey.” The Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration Committee is actively preparing for what we know will be a spectacular celebration.
This year’s committee float will feature a birthday cake. We are looking for “Yankee Doodle Dandies”, people born on the Fourth of July. The first fifteen people to respond will be able to ride on the float. The others can walk along side.
If you or someone in your family has a July 4th birthday, please send an email to [email protected]. Please include name, age if the person is a child and contact information. Our committee will contact you in late June to give you the details for the parade.
The Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration began in 1910 when the local papers, the civic section of the Woman’s Club and the Ridgewood Fire Department joined forces to create a “safe and sane” holiday with an emphasis on Patriotism. It has grown into one of the largest celebrations in the New York City area and has been featured on CNN and Good Morning America as well as local New York stations. The celebration was once again named Best Parade and Fireworks by the readers of 201 Magazine.
Additional information and answers to many of your questions can be found on the Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration’s website at www.ridgewoodjuly4th.org. Thank you for “Supporting the Tradition”.
Ground-Breaking Pizza Master, Antonio Starita, to Share Montanara Pizza-Making Techniques at A Mano in Ridgewood, NJ
First Chef to Introduce Today’s Hottest Pizza, Montanara, to the US in 2007 Returns to A Mano for One-Day-Only Demonstration & Tasting
Ridgewood New Jersey’s authentic Neapolitan trattoria A Mano, will proudly host worldfamous Italian pizza chef, Antonio Starita, for a tasting and viewing of the craftsmanship of Montanara, the hippest trend in pizza. Taking place on Thursday, June 21, 2012 at 6:30 PM
by reservation only, maestro Starita will teach the art of making Montanara, a lightly fried Neapolitan specialty pizza, followed by a tasting. The cost of the demonstration is $10 per person, which will be credited towards dinner immediately following the event.
For pizza fanatics, this exclusive event is not-to-bemissed. The revolutionary Mr. Starita was the first chef to put Montanara on the US pizza map by introducing it to American soil in 2007 at a special event at A Mano. Today, Montanara has become the pizza-of-themoment amongst the media and pizza aficionados.
Starita’s version of the specialty pie, “Montanara Starita”, is pizza dough that is lightly fried, then topped with signature Starita tomato sauce, imported smoked bu!alo mozzarella and fresh basil leaves, which is then finished in the wood burning oven. Ten years ago, Starita was the first pizza chef to originate the technique of finishing the Montanara in the wood-fired oven after flash-frying it, in order to dry a bit of the oil. The fry-then-bake recipe has since been emulated by many pizza makers. The celebrated pizzaiolo was also the first to top the specialty pizza with smoked mozzarella, which was traditionally garnished with pecorino romano or parmesan cheese.
Montanara Starita can be found on the menus of Mr. Starita’s restaurants, Don Antonio by Starita which opened February 2012 at 309 West 50th Street in New York City, and Pizzeria Starita a Materdei, the preeminent pizza spot in Naples, Italy.
Antonio Starita, world-renowned Neapolitan pizza master
Photo Credit: Anthony Bianciella Photography
Educational Neapolitan Montanara pizza-making demonstration & tasting ($10 per person) led by celebrated Neapolitan pizza chef, at A Mano, in Ridgewood, NJ
When: Thursday, June 21st, 6:30 PM
Where: A Mano – 24 Franklin Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450, Telephone: 201.493.2000 Website: www.amanopizza.com
Reservations Required: Limited engagement. Please call A Mano for reservations
Fix Health Care Policy – A weekly Update from the Health Care Initiative at The Heritage Foundation
Obamacare’s Five Most Damaging Effects on Seniors
In anticipation of the Supreme Court’s Obamacare decision, it is important to remember that the constitutionality of the individual mandate isn’t the only problem with the law. Here’s a list of Obamacare’s five most destructive impacts on America’s seniors.
Less choice. Obamacare puts 15 unelected bureaucrats in charge of meeting a budget target in Medicare with its newly created Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). IPAB may be statutorily prohibited from directly rationing care, but that doesn’t mean it can’t ration indirectly by reducing provider payments for certain medical procedures, which can compromise physician autonomy in the delivery of care.
Fewer options. Obamacare delivers a strong blow to Medicare Advantage (MA), which allows seniors to receive Medicare benefits from a private health plan of their choosing. Obamacare cuts the program by $145 billion, which, according to the Medicare Actuary, will decrease enrollment by 50 percent by 2017.
Higher taxes. In 2013, two new Obamacare taxes go into effect that will likely impact seniors: the 2.3 percent excise tax on medical devices and the 3.8 percent tax on unearned of investment income. Not only do seniors rely heavily on medical devices, but, as Heritage expert Bob Moffit points out, “older people have larger investments than younger people, and thus high income older persons will be more heavily impacted by the new 3.8 percent Medicare tax imposed on unearned or investment income (effective 2013).”
Fewer doctors. As Moffit explains, “With the retirement of 77 million baby boomers beginning in 2011, the Medicare program will have to absorb an unprecedented demand for medical services.” Obamacare exacerbates the issue for seniors by leaving the physician payment reduction schedule on the books and introducing more cuts to provider payments, which will make it even more difficult for Medicare doctors and other providers to serve the growing Medicare population.
Less access to care. Obamacare’s irresponsible cuts to provider payments will cause 15 percent of Medicare Part A providers to become unprofitable within the next 10 years, according to the Medicare Actuary. As Medicare providers begin to operate at a loss, they will be unable to stay afloat, leaving seniors with less access to care.
The State Board of Education move forward on online charters
The State Board of Education yesterday got an earful on the Christie administration’s push for charter schools and other so-called innovations, both pro and con, some quite public and some a bit quieter.
The public part was further deliberation and a crowded public hearing on the administration’s controversial regulations proposed for charter schools, including some new powers for the commissioner and new language that will codify online charter schools.
Forty people signed up to speak, a far bigger crowd than usual and voicing a host of concerns about the new rules, from the philosophical to the logistic. Nevertheless, while the state board members listened intently, few of them seemed all that intent to slow down the changes. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
NJ accused of illegally dropping out of bogus RGGI Greenhouse Gas Initiative
The Christie administration is accused of illegally pulling New Jersey out of a regional initiative aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change, according to a lawsuit filed yesterday.
The lawsuit, filed in the appellate division of Superior Court in Trenton, argues the state Department of Environmental Protection made procedural errors when it pulled New Jersey out of the10-state program known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
The decision to withdraw the state from the program has become a major bone of contention between environmental groups and Democratic lawmakers on one side and the Republican administration on the other. Last month, the Legislature passed a bill to keep New Jersey in the program, but Gov. Chris Christie has yet to act on it. (Johnson, NJ Spotlight)
Markets have reacted dramatically to the Bank of Japan’s recent efforts to stimulate the economy with loans to high-growth sectors; an expansion of its asset-purchase program; and a new 1 percent inflation target to combat chronic deflation.
Japanese stocks, especially of major exporters, soared and the yen tanked, starting in early February. Yet the spurring effects of monetary easing on Japanese stocks and the depressing influence on the yen didn’t last long. Since mid-March, the currency has resumed its role as a haven from euro-area turmoil. The “risk off” trade is back in favor. Still, I continue to believe that fundamental changes are occurring in Japan that will weaken the yen considerably in future years. ….
Despite aggressive monetary policy since the early 1990s, Japan has suffered bouts of deflation. The two decades of economic stagnation were compounded by the huge earthquake and devastating tsunami last year. The economic disruptions and loss of nuclear-power generation remain considerable. Rebuilding will create jobs and economic activity, but it will simply take things back to where they were, and at tremendous cost to the government, insurers and those who lost property, income and jobs, to say nothing of the thousands of lost lives.
Gov. Chris Christie has flexed his muscle in his appointments to the State Board of Education
What they are doing: It’s a busy agenda for the State Board this month, from broad policy discussions around the achievement gap and early literacy to key personnel decisions and public hearings on new regulations for charter schools and inter-district school choice. The board will also consider two resolutions to accept money from outside private foundations.
The board’s power: The state board has seen its power and influence wane over the past two decades, its meeting becoming anti-climactic as it largely went along with the administration at the time. Of late, it has been finding its voice, as evidenced by it taking up big policy issues on its own, as well as handling the usual code and regulations. But at the same time, Gov. Chris Christie has flexed his muscle in his appointments to the board, with now six of the 13 members appointed by the governor. On the agenda today will be nominations to the next board officers, potentially a test for current president, Arcelio Aponte. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
Bill seeks to fund most of NJ transportation program with $1.25B in loans
Nearly 80 percent of the state’s transportation program will be paid for with borrowed money next year — with nothing coming from cash revenues on hand — under proposed legislation that will help the Christie administration plug a revenue gap in the state budget.
Senate Bill 2020, introduced by Republicans on Thursday, would give the state’s Transportation Trust Fund Authority the go-ahead to borrow $1.25 billion to put towards the $1.6 billion the state will spend on its transportation program in 2013. (Rouse, The Record)
What it is: The Christie administration has proposed new regulations for New Jersey’s charter schools, from who can apply, how the application process would work, and what would be required for charter schools once approved, including considerably more powers for the state education commissioner. The proposal is before the State Board of Education, which will hold a public hearing on Wednesday.
What it means: The proposed regulations include a number of controversial measures, some of which critics contend go against what is allowed under the state’s 15-year-old charter school law. Among them are provisions for online charter schools and expanded roles for national charter management companies. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
SEEKING RIDGEWOOD RESIDENTS TO VOLUNTEER TO SERVE ON THE COMMUNITY CENTER ADVISORY BOARD, PLANNING BOARD, AND ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT
The Ridgewood Village Council is looking for residents who are interested in volunteering to serve on the Community Center Advisory Board, Planning Board, and the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
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; 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.
All interested residents should fill out a Citizen Volunteer Leadership form (found on the Village’s website, www.ridgewoodnj.net), 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
N.J. Sen. Kyrillos will play underdog in this year’s U.S. Senate race
State Sen. Joseph Kyrillos is a patient man.
For the last 24 years, Kyrillos has bided his time in Trenton. He has been a loyal foot soldier for Republican administrations and a state party chairman. He has been one of the more civil lawmakers, never considered a partisan bomb thrower. And maybe most important, he is a close friend of Gov. Chris Christie and for the past two years has been his right-hand man in the Legislature.
Now Kyrillos (R-Monmouth) wants to move up to the U.S. Senate, and faces only token opposition in the Republican primary on Tuesday. (Friedman, The Star-Ledger)
10 Ways to Lower Gas Prices
Rory CooperJune 4, 2012 at 8:43 am
The average price of a gallon of regular gas is now $3.66, and has been decreasing for eight straight weeks. This is causing some of the President Obama’s advisors to declare energy prices an irrelevant issue. Political advisor David Axelrod recently tweeted: “Gas prices have been going down for the past six weeks. You think the GOP will blame the President?”
In those six weeks, the only significant energy policy change at the White House was to make new coal production nearly impossible and thus vastly increase the cost of electricity. So, it is hard to assign this slight dip to the president after a record 75 straight weeks of prices exceeding $3.00. However, it is true that the president is not entirely responsible for gas prices.
Market and economic conditions play a large role. With unemployment creeping back up, new global turmoil and summer travel on the wane due to a sagging economy, demand is surely dropping. But that does not mean, and has never meant, that the president’s policies or Congressional action does not play any role in gas prices.
After three years of adding regulatory hurdles and blocking exploratory access and development, President Obama’s policies are helping keep prices higher than necessary. Having only three percent of federal land available for oil exploration is not a “market condition.”
But we are in luck. There are several steps Congress can immediately take, and President Obama can immediately support, that will help alleviate the pain felt at the pump by American families and would create economic growth, and importantly, jobs.
In a new paper, Heritage’s Herbert and Joyce Morgan Fellow, Nick Loris lists ten actions Congress could immediately take that would help improve gas prices in the short term and the long term:
1. Lift offshore and onshore exploration and drilling bans: We remain the only nation in the world that has placed the majority of its territorial waters off limits to exploration. Congress should lift the ban on exploration in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and conduct more lease sales off Alaska’s coasts.
2. Approve Keystone XL: The Keystone pipeline has bipartisan support and continues to be consistently popular, polling at 60 percent in November 2011 and 57 percent in late March. 69 Democrats joined House Republicans on a vote of support in April with Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA) saying: “I think the president has made a very serious mistake here.”
Yet, President Obama continues to block it and the jobs that come with it. Had Obama not delayed approval, up to 830,000 barrels of oil per day would have come from Canada to Gulf Coast refineries by as early as 2013. That’s more than we bring in from Venezuela, our fourth largest importer.
3. Require timely environmental review: Environmental review requirements for oil and gas projects to commence on federal lands under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) take too long. Congress should place a reasonable 270-day time limit on NEPA reviews.
4. Permitting process: The processing time for an Application for Permit to Drill (APD) extends well past the 30-day time limit. Loris recommends: “Congress should require the Department of the Interior to honor the law’s deadline unless the Interior finds fault with the application…[and] should ultimately transition the permitting process to state regulators, who are best able to balance economic growth and environmental well-being.”
5. Issue leases on time: Rather than implementing an efficient leasing process, the Department of the Interior keeps adding administrative regulations to make the process more burdensome and bureaucratic. Congress should remove unnecessary red tape and if Interior fails to issue a lease within 60 days, it should be considered issued by default.
6. Allow development of oil shale: Oil shale production in the U.S. could be a global game changer since we hold the largest known reserves in the world. However, 70 percent of those reserves lie beneath federal lands. The Obama Administration has introduced new regulations, time frames, and significantly reduced the land available for leases. Congress should make permanent the 2008 guidelines for oil shale development in order to provide regulatory certainty.
7. Stop the land grab: Through Secretarial Order No. 3310, the Department of Interior is unilaterally and arbitrarily classifying federal land areas as “Wilderness” or “Wild Lands” restricting access to new drilling areas, preventing production on existing leases and halting economic growth. Congress should permanently block Secretarial Order No. 3310 and any similar designation should require congressional approval.
8. Implement 50/50 revenue sharing: States receive 50 percent of the revenues generated by onshore oil and natural gas production on federal lands and Congress should apply this allocation offshore as well. This would encourage more state involvement in drilling decisions and help state economies, whether by closing a deficit or aiding coastal restoration and conservation.
9. Prohibit greenhouse gas and Tier 3 gas regulations: In 2010, Interior suspended 61 leases in Montana alone because environmental groups charged that the energy production would contribute to climate change, demonstrating the need to permanently prohibit any federal agency from unilaterally regulating greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the proposed Tier 3 gas regulations to lower the amount of sulfur in gasoline are costly with no measurable benefits. Congress should prohibit the implementation of these regulations. Unelected bureaucrats should not hold such power over the economy.
10. Repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS): Soon, refiners will be fined when the amount of ethanol mandated exceeds the amount that can be refined for use but the mandate requires production of cellulosic ethanol, which no companies have been able to viably produce commercially. As a result, refiners paid more than $6 million in waiver credits or surcharges in 2011. It is an economic and environmental disaster and must be repealed.
President Obama is keen to accept credit for the windfall of oil production in North Dakota and in other private areas outside federal control, where jobs are plentiful and unemployment has plummeted. Meanwhile, production on federal land is decreasing and regulatory conditions are worsening. It would be to the president’s benefit to embrace some or all of these reforms that could immediately help American families filling up the minivan. Another 75 weeks with gas prices over $3.00, and household goods and food costing more as a result, will not help an already anemic recovery.
Opening Weekend At Graydon Pool !
June 2 20120
by Boyd A. Loving
1:37 PM
Ridgewood NJ , This weekend’s weather fully cooperated with the scheduled 2012 season opening of Graydon Pool. Many families came out to enjoy the sun and sand, and a few hearty souls were even seen swimming in the beautiful, but cool, water.
The snack bar concession was in full operation, and many young residents were seen waiting on line with dollar bills in hand!
Don’t miss the fun; join today. Residents and non-residents are always welcome. Now open 7 days a week beginning at 10AM.
Deadline Fast Approaching for PSEG Environmental Education Grants
Ridgewood teachers encouraged to apply
(June 1, 2012 – Newark, NJ) – Teachers in New Jersey and Delaware have two weeks to apply for a 2012 Environmental Education Grant from PSEG. The energy company provides grants every year to educators who can link their students’ understanding of science, mathematics, computer science and/or technology with an enthusiasm and appreciation for the environment. The PSEG Foundation will award a total of $35,000 for the purchase of equipment, materials and field trips that would not normally be provided by the school or school district. Applications are due June 15.
“Education is critical in helping young people develop an appreciation for the environment,” said Sheila Rostiac, PSEG director of corporate responsibility, and President of the PSEG Foundation. “I’m proud of our investments in programs and partnerships that provide opportunities for students to experience real-life application of skills, as well as those that expose them to career possibilities in science, technology, engineering and math.”
Teachers of grades K-9 are encouraged to apply. Grants of up to $3,500 per project are available. Specific budget criteria are provided on the grant application. Applications that focus on ideas for the development of one or more classroom units, expansion or refinement of an existing course or curriculum, and extension of classroom work to community or after-school activities will be considered. Projects must be conducted over at least two years. Grant winners will be announced in the fall.
Teachers from schools in PSE&G’s utility service area and PSEG’s Estuary Enhancement Program area may apply, as well as all schools in New Jersey’s Salem and Cumberland counties and the State of Delaware. Public, private, parochial, and charter schools may apply for funding. For more information on the eligible towns, and to download an application, visit www.pseg.com/eegrants. Applications must be postmarked by Friday, June 15th.
The PSEG Environmental Education Grant Program began in 1991 as a partnership with the New Jersey Business/Industry/Science Education Consortium (NJ BISEC) and it is designed in cooperation with the Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Education (ANJEE). The goal is to provide financial resources to help inspire teachers to implement an interdisciplinary approach to teaching about the environment and to foster new ideas. Since its inception, PSEG has awarded more than $388,000 to fund 160 projects in over 105 school districts.
