>A Long, Steep Drop for Americans’ Standard of Living
Published: Wednesday, 19 Oct 2011 | 2:15 PM ET By: Ron Scherer Christian Science Monitor
Think life is not as good as it used to be, at least in terms of your wallet? You’d be right about that. The standard of living for Americans has fallen longer and more steeply over the past three years than at any time since the US government began recording it five decades ago.
Bottom line: The average individual now has $1,315 less in disposable income than he or she did three years ago at the onset of the Great Recession – even though the recession ended, technically speaking, in mid-2009. That means less money to spend at the spa or the movies, less for vacations, new carpeting for the house, or dinner at a restaurant.
In short, it means a less vibrant economy, with more Americans spending primarily on necessities. The diminished standard of living, moreover, is squeezing the middle class, whose restlessness and discontent are evident in grass-roots movements such as the tea party and “Occupy Wall Street” and who may take out their frustrations on incumbent politicians in next year’s election.
>Top Income in U.S. Is…Gasp!…Wash. D.C. Area By Frank Bass and Timothy R. Homan – Oct 19, 2011 12:00 AM ET
Federal employees whose compensation averages more than $126,000 and the nation’s greatest concentration of lawyers helped Washington edge out San Jose as the wealthiest U.S. metropolitan area, government data show.
The U.S. capital has swapped top spots with Silicon Valley, according to recent Census Bureau figures, with the typical household in the Washington metro area earning $84,523 last year. The national median income for 2010 was $50,046.
The figures demonstrate how the nation’s political and financial classes are prospering as the economy struggles with unemployment above 9 percent and thousands of Americans protest in the streets against income disparity, said Kevin Zeese, director of Prosperity Agenda, a Baltimore-based advocacy group trying to narrow the divide between rich and poor.
The Ridgewood Knights of Columbus Council #1736 is once again proud to be hosting their annual stickball tournament
Ridgewood-NJ-October 17, 2011: The Ridgewood Knights of Columbus Council #1736 is once again proud to be hosting their annual stickball tournament, to be held on Saturday October 22nd beginning at 11:30 a.m. on Passaic Street in Ridgewood. The entrance fee is $100 for a team of four. There will be trophies for first, second, and third place. Refreshments, hotdogs, and hamburgers will be served. There is also a 50/50 raffle. Benefit proceeds will go to the Social Service Association of Ridgewood.
“Last year’s inaugural event was a huge success, and we expect this year to be just as lively”, said event coordinator Joseph Hernandez Jr. “Last year the Knights went head-to-head with Ridgewood’s Finest and Bravest. We encourage other local organizations sign up and join in the activities this year.”
Registration is open to all. “We anticipate a good turn-out, and even if you do not wish to play, you can still come out and enjoy the event”, said Rich Paliotta, co-organizer of the event.
>Obama extends support for protesters By Shannon Bond in New York
Barack Obama, US president, offered more support for protesters against the global financial system after a weekend of demonstrations in cities around the world, but called on them not to “demonise” those who worked on Wall Street.
On Sunday, Mr Obama honoured Martin Luther King at a dedication to a new memorial on National Mall in Washington. Referring to protests that have spread from Wall Street to London, Rome and elsewhere, Mr Obama said: “Dr King would want us to challenge the excesses of Wall Street without demonising those who work there.” Mr Obama had previously said the protests “express the frustration” of ordinary Americans with the financial sector.
More N.J. charter school oversight pushed by lawmaker
Assemblywoman Mila Jasey (D-Essex) Thursday urged the state Senate to pass several measures she is sponsoring that would create more accountability and oversight in the creation and operation of charter schools in New Jersey.
The legislation (A-3356 and A-3852), which provide what the Assemblywoman describes as a sensible approach to Gov. Chris Christie’s effort to expand the number of charter schools in the state. The bills were approved by the Assembly in June and discussed by the Senate Education Committee Thursday. (Hester, New Jersey Newsroom)
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New Jersey Department of Education enforces new background checks for board members and charter school trustees
The state Department of Education has notified public and charter school officials that school board members and charter school trustees who have not registered for the new criminal background check will be removed from office.
An Oct. 11 letter sent to chief school administrators by Robert J. Cicchino, Director of the Office of Fiscal Accountability and Compliance, said all of the registrations should be complete. He asked school officials to confirm that their board members or trustees have complied, and to send the names of those who have not to the state, which will notify them that they are no longer eligible to serve on the board. (D’Amico, Press of Atlantic City)
>Education policy is a local issue By Rep. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.) – 10/12/11 06:55 PM ET
In an apparent attempt to roll back federal mandates included in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, the Obama administration recently announced that it will issue waivers to states to shield them from proficiency requirements included in the law and provide them with the authority to set their own achievement standards.
For those who oppose the burdens placed on our schools by the federal government, the Obama administration’s announcement should be considered a win. Unfortunately, as is often the case with federal policy coming out of Washington, all that glitters is not gold. Only after digging deeper into the fine print of the Obama administration’s latest round of education policy does the real picture come into focus.
It turns out the Obama administration is dumping one set of federal proficiency standards for another. Rather than adopting a new approach to education reform, the Obama administration is doubling down on the same failed policies of its predecessor. I disagreed with former President George W. Bush when he first tried this approach and I disagree with Obama today. Instead, I believe that those closest to the students, the individuals who understand their needs the best and are directly responsible for their well-being, should have the authority to set their own standards.
That is why I have introduced the Local Education Authority Returns Now (LEARN) Act. The LEARN Act would allow states to opt out of NCLB rules entirely and retain the dollars that would have been sent to Washington by reimbursing the taxpayers through a tax credit. The process is simple, straightforward and truly empowers states, teachers and parents to determine how to best meet the needs of their students.
The LEARN Act would work in three steps. First, a state decides that the strings attached to federal money are hampering the ability of its parents and teachers to educate its children as they see fit and enacts a law opting out of NCLB. Second, the Treasury Department determines how much money an opt-out state is entitled to. Finally, the taxpayers of the opt-out state receive a tax credit to reimburse them for the funds that were diverted to Washington. This method immediately cuts the authoritative and financial strings of the federal government so that state and local governments can set their own educational standards while ensuring maximum parental involvement.
Unlike my bill, which actually addresses the failure of NCLB, the president’s proposal further empowers Washington bureaucrats to control the classroom. The waivers the president has advertised are a prime example of this. Instead of actually providing states the authority to set their own standards, there are strings attached — certain conditions and requirements that must be met to qualify for a waiver. Under his new system, states would qualify for a waiver only after agreeing to embrace Obama’s education agenda. In particular, only those states that adopt new academic standards the administration deems “college and career ready” will be relieved from the 2014 deadline on student proficiency standards included in NCLB.
NCLB set a precedent for attempts to centralize education control within the federal government. One has to wonder, what happened to the state legislators? What happened to the countless township school boards and local elected officials? All across the nation, parents, teachers and administrators — the people closest to and most directly responsible for the students —have been shut out of the process.
It is imperative that we abandon this centralized philosophy altogether rather than simply replacing misguided policies with worse ones. The future of our nation depends on our ability to educate and train the generations that will one day carry on the legacy of freedom and prosperity. We are failing at this task because states are focused on conforming to federal regulations rather than cultivating a competitive atmosphere where states are challenging each other to best educate our students.
Our education system will not improve until we remove Washington bureaucrats from the equation. It’s time to return to the system our founders envisioned; it’s time to return education policy back to the local communities; it’s time to start putting our children first.
Garrett is chairman of the House Financial Services’s subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises.
>From what I understand, the town only get to keep parking ticket monies and gets little if any money from the speeding tickets issued
I live and work in town and always stay in the crosswalk and have my head on a swivel. Lots of close calls over the years. Most of them caused by excessive speed, driver distraction or entitlement attitude. Countless times I wait at the crosswalk while people race to the the red light on Franklin and Oak.
That being said, I do see many people, mostly kids, crossing against the light without looking, stepping out assuming drivers will stop for them or jaywalking. I have even seen a few mothers holding their kids hands as they jaywalked when the crosswalk was a couple of yards away.
I get the frustration, but until Ridgewood PD starts writing more speeding tickets, this problem will continue unabated. From what I understand, the town only get to keep parking ticket monies and gets little if any money from the speeding tickets issued. Maybe somebody can confirm that for me though…
Staffing levels at departments across state government are at their lowest levels in decades, according to a new report.
The report by the Civil Service Commission paints a picture of a state work force depleted by a prolonged bad economy and a massive wave of retirements. It also shows the historic declines began under the Corzine administration and were accelerated by Gov. Chris Christie’s austere budgets and health and pension reforms that prompted workers to retire.
The dwindling numbers leave staffing levels in some critical departments — such as Health, Environmental Protection and Education — at levels not seen since the 1980s, figures show. (Renshaw, The Star-Ledger)
>Chimney swifts make annual return to George Washington Middle School in Ridgewood
MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2011 BY REBECCA D. O’BRIEN SPECIAL TO THE RECORD THE RECORD
Every autumn, thousands of chimney swifts — small, soot-colored birds — make the same stop on their long southward migration: an old, unused brick chimney at George Washington Middle School in Ridgewood.
The swifts, known affectionately as “flying cigars,” travel from North America to their winter homes in the Amazon River basin, passing through New Jersey in waves from mid-August to mid-October. Because of their small feet, the birds can roost only on secure, vertical surfaces, such as the inside walls of large chimneys, which are increasingly rare.
People often gather at sunset in front of the middle school to watch the swifts return in swarms from a day of flying. And, true to form, the birds appeared on schedule this year after a strong showing in 2010, when 3,000 were counted in one evening. The record in Ridgewood — and in all of New Jersey — came in 1976, when 4,000 swifts were counted at one time.
>Herman Cain steps up attacks on Occupy Wall Street protests
By James Oliphant Washington Bureau October 9, 2011, 9:21 a.m.
Republican presidential contender Herman Cain amplified his criticism Sunday of the growing Occupy Wall Street movement, calling the protesters “jealous’ Americans who “play the victim card” and want to “take somebody else’s” Cadillac.
Cain’s remarks, on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” came amidst an escalating war of words between Republicans and Democrats over the merits of the movement, which has spread from New York to other cities across the nation, including Washington and Los Angeles.
GOP politicians in recent days have stepped up their criticism of the protesters, with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) calling them “mobs” who have pitted “Americans against Americans.”
But Cain, surging in popularity among many conservatives, seems to have had among the most virulent responses to the protests.
On CBS, Cain suggested that the rallies had been organized by labor unions to serve as a “distraction so that many people won’t focus on the failed policies of the Obama administration.”
Personal injury policy debated at insurance hearing
Doctors, lawyers and insurance executives accused one another of fleecing New Jersey drivers at a hearing Thursday in Trenton, and debated a controversial proposal the Christie administration says would control the rising cost of accident-related medical treatment.
The state’s banking and insurance commissioner, Thomas Considine, will have the final say over how the rules governing the personal injury portion of every auto insurance policy should change. (Livio, The Star-Ledger)
>Elmwood Park examines police chief’s overtime earnings
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2011 BY HANNAN ADELY STAFF WRITER THE RECORD
Elmwood Park Police Chief Donald Ingrasselino has collected nearly $30,000 in overtime since 2010 for work on drunken-driving enforcement operations, a review of payroll records shows.
Between Jan. 1, 2010, and Oct. 6 of this year Ingrasselino was paid $29,436 for his role in DWI operations in addition to his annual salary, which was $205,000 in 2010.
Borough officials are investigating whether the chief was entitled to that pay, and whether other department heads have improperly received overtime pay.
Caps on school superintendent salaries: ew supers, new approaches, new ideas – at least that’s the theory
The Christie administration’s controversial caps on school superintendent salaries last year helped create an exodus of district leaders out of state, as well as a few legal challenges.
But drawing less attention has been the changing face of superintendent searches and hires.
The state’s School Boards Association is reporting that its work in assisting districts with superintendent searches is seeing the expected drop in experience in those seeking to fill the vacated positions. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
