>Not once has the BOE stopped to really listen to the parents about anything.
The administration is not accountable because the BOE is not accountable. The BOE is a rubber stamp for whatever nonsense Cottage Place concocts, plowing the road of all opposition before them. Not once has the BOE stopped to really listen to the parents about anything, unless of course it comes to sports.
Oh, they have their select little forum and focus groups, but those are just for show because they are set up by the Cottage Place and are stacked with their people. It’s like the fox guarding the chicken coup.
There is no intellectual curiosity on this BOE. It is solely the administration’s BOE.
>First, finally the High School administration admits to the things that their students have been doing without for years. How many of you posters have had high school students? There are years that the students have been sharing books and accessories necessary for their education. To have complained would have been a troublemaker. Parents would look far and wide to find copies of text books so their student would not have to share in order to get work done in a timely fashion. Teachers never seemed to complain either as the books never appeared. The school has done without needed equipment in the sciences for years.
This being said with a budget the size of Ridgewood … there should be no NEEDS in the area of academic education. What is needed to educate to the EXCELLENCE our priorities should be set to ACADEMIC needs… and leave the extracurricular expenses to the participants.
This year’s camp will open for the 2011 summer season on Tuesday, June 28th and run for six weeks through Friday, August 5th. 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, Leuning Park and the Community Center from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Children are to bring a bag lunch and beverage. Bus transportation is available to all.
Children will also engage in mind-boggling board games suited to make them sharper, more creative, and better their memory. One of these games is Scrabble, an age-old word game that is suitable for all ages whose history dates back more than a hundred years back. For those who want to be part of the game, internet connectivity will also be available, so parents can useunscramblex.com/scrabble-word-finder to help their children beat the scrabble game and come out on top against their opponents. With this experience and the help of this word-finder tool, you never know… your kids might as well come from the camp better in English grammar than you ever thought they’d get at the end of the 6-week period.
The day camp registration fee is $ 500.00 per child which includes two camp T-shirts and optional bus transportation. Trips are also optional with limited space; prices vary and registration will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. All campers must possess a 2011 Graydon Pool membership badge.
Registration will be accepted from April 1 through June 6, 2011 as space allows. You may register online at www.ridgewoodnj.net/communitypass (payment by credit card). For registration assistance or special needs please visit the Recreation Office, The Stable, 259 North Maple Avenue, or call the office at 201-670-5560.
>All Communities Welcome to Join Graydon Pool for 2011 Summer Season
The Village Council and the Ridgewood Department of Parks and Recreation are pleased to invite all families in the surrounding area to join the Graydon Pool facility as season members for the 2011 summer season. Come enjoy fun in the sun so close to home!
The opening weekend begins Saturday, June 4th with special festivities planned.
Facility activities include volleyball, basketball, bocce, ping-pong, shuffleboard, four-squares, hop-scotch, and for the little ones, “Storytime Under a Tree”. Additional amenities include a lending library of reading books, a shaded playground, water features, shade kites, Adirondack chairs, picnic area, sheltered pavilion, charcoal grills, and The Water’s Edge Café. Swim instruction will be offered for children and adults along with an adaptive swim class.
Non-resident adults will be charged $160 and children, ages 2 through 15, will be charged $140 for the13 week season.
Badges will go on sale April 15th and can be purchased from the comfort of home on Community Pass at www.ridgewoodnj.net/communitypass (Visa and MasterCard are accepted). In person registration assistance will be available Saturdays, May 14 and May 21, 10:00 am to 12 noon, at the Graydon Pool Badge Office, 259 North Maple Avenue. Badges may be purchased daily throughout the operating season.
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.
It gets better…my wife and eldest daughter were at Paramus Stop & Shop this afternoon and one of the solar collectors was covered in bird droppings. Now, are they still effective? I can think of a few statues who would love the respite from our feathered friends.
M
“NIMBY activism has blocked more renewable projects than coal-fired power plants…”
Are environmentalists an obstacle to clean energy production? By John Rossomando – The Daily Caller | Published: 1:04 AM 03/28/2011 | Updated: 4:26 PM 03/28/2011
The Obama administration has set a target of having 80 percent of America’s electricity come from “clean energy sources” by 2035, but ironically one of the biggest obstacles to this goal could come from within the environmental movement itself.
From coast to coast, efforts to build everything from wind farms to solar plants has run afoul of local environmental groups and the “Not In My Backyard” (NIMBY) phenomenon. Pro-environmental journals, such as the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, as well as business groups, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, have each cataloged this trend.
“Often, many of the same groups urging us to think globally about renewable energy are acting locally to stop the very same renewable energy projects that could create jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Bill Kovacs, senior vice president for environment, technology and regulatory affairs with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, wrote in the introduction of the group’s recent “Project, No Project” report. “NIMBY activism has blocked more renewable projects than coal-fired power plants by organizing local opposition, changing zoning laws, opposing permits, filing lawsuits, and using other long delay mechanisms, effectively bleeding projects dry of their financing.”
I must confess that before a Tea Party group in Massachusetts asked me to speak to them about Paul Ryan’s “Roadmap for America’s Future,” I had never read it. Sure, I had a general idea from news media accounts that Rep Ryan had charted a Republican alternative to the insanity of our current fiscal policy. But the actual plan is a real eye-opener. Every Conservative and Libertarian ought to read it. Not because it’s any good—in fact it’s a horror—but because it is a perfect object lesson in why we can’t trust Republicans or politicians in general (or either one) to solve our problems. Rep Ryan has done America a true service in this regard. The same way Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi have shown us what we don’t want in government, Ryan has shown us what we don’t want from the opposition.
The “Roadmap” has a lengthy introduction (about half the document) and it’s as good an introduction as one could hope for. And that is our first lesson: Politicians write terrific introductions! And Ryan’s is as good as any. He quotes Jefferson to the effect that
“A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.”
Of course, the plan Ryan offers up is very much more like Obama’s vision of government than Jefferson’s, but the quote is great!
He tells us that “This plan is not a slimmer version of the “progressive’ ideology. It is a true alternative.” And then Ryan serves up a (slightly) slimmer version of ‘progressive’ ideology.
Mr. Ryan recalls how great empires of the past have collapsed under the weight of their debt. You might guess that this will be a prelude to advocating a speedy end to our federal deficit. But you’d have guessed wrong.
He waxes nostalgic over the time (1930) when federal spending was only 3.4% of GDP. And then advocates increasing federal spending to 24%… permanently.
Finally, The Wisconsin Republican is eloquent in his warning about the destruction done to the national character by our bloated government:
“Americans have been lured into viewing government—more than themselves, their families, their communities, and their faith–as their main source of support. [This] trend drains individual initiative and personal responsibility. It creates an aversion to risk, sapping the entrepreneurial spirit necessary for growth, innovation and prosperity.”
Of course, he then goes on to propose zero reductions in government and a few additional responsibilities he would have our government take on.
Ultimately, Mr. Ryan believes that Republicans can do a better job of managing all the bloated programs with which the Democrats have burdened our federal government. And, perhaps, they can. But for most patriotic Americans (The Free Market Warrior included) it is well past the time that such a strategy is feasible. He wishes to completely avoid the discussion of what government ought to be doing. But it is just that discussion that our country needs, more desperately than anything thing else.
So, what is in the Ryan plan?
It has four parts: Health Care. Here he advocates what could best be called “smarter Pelosi.” Get rid of all the nonsense that was used to bribe reluctant Democrats to vote against their constituents’ wishes, but keep the basic idea that healthcare is the responsibility of the federal government. Refundable tax credits are used instead of outright subsidy, but the effect is the same. Moreover, it completely ignores the real problem with American Healthcare: there’s too much insurance. Costs will not go down until people start paying their own bills. That is an immutable law of economics.
Retirement Security. Ryan correctly proposes raising the retirement age (although too slowly for my tastes.) What started out in 1938 as a plan to provide retirement income for the minority of workers who lived longer than average, has grown into a guarantee that everyone gets to spend the last 25% of their life in leisure, paid for by the younger generation of workers. But he also adds a guarantee that social security equal 120% of the poverty line: a brand new entitlement! He seems completely averse to the concept of making it voluntary. Indeed, he allows workers to put a portion of their money in private accounts (a la Bush) which is good, but then insists that the government must approve the funds This is sure to become the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mack of retirement!
Taxes. Here we are urged to simplify our complex tax laws. This is a very nice idea but usually means that the writer is not interested in reducing the tax burden at all. Such is the case here. Fewer deductions, lower rates, silliness like the Alternative Minimum Tax done away with, but the burden stays the same. He even replaces the current corporate tax with what is essentially a Value Added Tax. The “VAT” is the curse of European socialism wherein taxes go up invisibly and more and more money is drained from the economy. But what about all that talk of “not taking from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned?” It would seem that Mr. Ryan hoped that no one would read past his introduction.
Job Training. I was surprised to see this in here at all… especially as one of the four main parts. Our Congressman complains about the 49 different govern programs that handle ‘job training’. Does he propose to get rid of any of them? Of course not! This is Washington! He only wants to coordinate them better and give them better ‘metrics!’ Also, he thinks that the government needs to put public service announcements on television reminding Americans that they should get job training! I think we could divide all Americans into two ideological groups: those who think we have 10% unemployment due to a shortage of public service announcements on late night television reminding us to get job training, and those who think it’s because the government is too insanely big and the taxes are too darn high. Clearly Mr. Ryan is in the first group.
What’s most striking of all, about “The Roadmap for America’s Future” is what it doesn’t include: Like spending cuts. There are none. Earmarks, Department of Energy, National Endowment for the Arts, Grants for Public Television, ‘stimulus’ grants that pay to study the “social milieu of male prostitutes in Thailand”. It all stays. Mr. Ryan is absolutely silent on the issue of the Century: cutting the budget.
Does he get rid of the deficit? No. Does he shrink the deficit? No. In the short term, he just reduces it rate of increase! When do we get a balanced budget under this “true alternative”: according to Mr. Ryan’s own numbers his deficit peeks in 2044 and the budget gets balanced in 2060!
My readers under 30 (who might live long enough to see that great day brought to us by Mr. Ryan’s ‘Roadmap’) will be interested to see what he says next: . “Congress should seriously consider reducing taxes when surpluses are achieved [i.e. 2060].” If you think, as I do, that Mr. Ryan’s plan is a joke. I believe that that is the punch line.
We can and we must really change our government and restore it to what our Founder’s intended. In the process we can return to Americans the hard earned fruits of their labors, even as we balance the budget (how about next year?) Mr. Ryan has shown us how not to achieve that.
Loren Spivack (The Free Market Warrior) is the author of the recent published book “The New Democrat” (OBAMAPARODY.COM). He also provides a seminar in “Economic Literacy” to Republican and Tea Party Groups across the country.
VFW: “We Can Do Better” By Major Erik K. Kober, AV, US Army
The Veteran of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) is probably the single-most bitter-sweet organization that exists in the United States of America. The organization exists, though we wish it did not have to, because we live in a time and a Nation, that when duty calls, many have answered. That answered call often leads to sacrifices of which only those who have sacrificed themselves can fully comprehend. VFW leadership comes from those who have served once or more in combat overseas, and continue to serve selflessly in their national, state, and local communities to recognize and assist the men and women who continue to protect the very rights and freedoms we so cherish as Americans. Its members come from that very same body of men and women who feel that awe-inspiring urge of camaraderie that develops from serving in combat in harsh unrelenting environments so that friends, families, and compatriots do not have to endure such harsh realities. As Thomas Jefferson historically described, we are talking about that citizen who “loves his country on its own account” and “can never refuse to come forward when he finds that she is engaged in dangers which he has the means of warding off.”
Our Nation has been engaged across a simultaneous global front in the longest period of sustained combat since its own inception. The number of veterans of foreign wars has increased exponentially up to the last decade, and with this increase, the Veterans of Foreign Wars finds itself navigating through a challenging time; it must achieve new heights in its ability to reach out and recruit the most recent proud young men and women volunteers who have fought hard and valiant over the last decade. While technology has both enhanced and encumbered our own progress in this endeavor, we must even further leverage the linguistic reality of today. With the advent of the internet, social network creation has never been easier or more complex. In a world that thrives on bottom-up, decentralized social networks, organizations must holistically adapt themselves in order to remain relevant and effective. Two major points stem from this phenomenon that can enable the VFW to successfully reach the newest generation of foreign war veterans. The first is COMMUNICATION, and the second is CONNECTION.
In order to effectively COMMUNICATE to our new generation of combat veterans,we must recognize that we all speak a different language. Current emergent language is hyper-computerized, handheld “I-everything”, Skype, Twitter, and You-Tube virtual-reality at your fingertips. The language of books, telephones, television, and face-to-face interaction is quickly morphing as nanotechnology changes the way we live at what seems a geometric rate. The difference is only a matter of the age we live in; this does not at all change how much we care about our servicemen and women, it merely changes how and where we can successfully engage each other. The National VFW has made tremendous efforts to bridge this communication gap, but while there are some states and local posts that have also attempted to embrace technology, it has not happened to the extent that the national, state, and local post structure lives, acts, and breaths as one system, but more like three disparate systems that struggle to bring each level into communication with the next.
If we desire to successfully COMMUNICATE with the young men and women who are returning from combat and integrating back into the civilian ranks, it is critical to provide them the interactivity they require to feel CONNECTED as a Veteran of Foreign Wars. The second point of emphasis is this necessity of CONNECTION. In hand with COMMUNICATION, today, more than ever before, there is an inherent need for CONNECTION. Whether on the battlefield, in a tank, a ship, a helicopter, or in the internet cafés, or even in the privacy of his own home, the young warrior today desires to be part of a network, CONNECTED to others, surrounded by information, virtual as well as real relationships, and with a vast expanse of attainable opportunities within his grasp. Our efforts must begin CONNECTING these young men and women, if not during their service, at the least through the Army Career Assistance Program, a link for which can be found on at least one VFW website at www.vfwdistrict2nj.com under ABOUT VFW>ASSISTANCE. There is no better time than NOW to CONNECT these foreign veterans to the VFW. It is critical to CONNECT these Soldiers with the opportunities that exist in and through the VFW in a language they understand. Blogging experiences, corporate CONNECTEDNESS, and the vast body of opportunities that our VFW already hosts must merely be COMMUNICATED in the language in which our latest veterans understand and can easily CONNECT.
Being at war for over a decade, this nation needs more than ever before an organization such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars because as comrades we understand, we care, and we will continue to be there when others will have long forgotten. COMMUNICATION techniques between each level within the VFW is just as important as the relevant COMMUNICATION techniques of today that must be used to bring our young veterans within our ranks, to successfully carry on the duty and tradition of the VFW. It is essential that we uniformly COMMUNICATE ‘we care’ in the language these young veterans understand, and ensure we provide them with the ways to CONNECT that will make our veterans the success they deserve to be in today’s challenging environment. Our local posts are the backbone to the success of this transformation, and state and federal agencies in addition to local community groups should provide the local posts the necessary resources and means to become the bottom-up organization that will thrive in today’s complex environment.
“Major Erik K. Kober is a resident of Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ. He is currently attending the School of Advanced Military Studies, Fort Leavenworth, KS, where he is preparing to deploy in the Spring to Central Asia as a planner for XVIII Airborne Corps. He has served faithfully in Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq (2 tours) asan AH-64 (Apache/Longbow) helicopter pilot, and is a Life Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Washington Elm Post 192, Ho-Ho- Kus, NJ.”
>Christie says he’s confident about convincing N.J. Supreme Court the state can’t afford full aid for schools
Gov. Chris Christie said today he is confident his administration will be able to convince the state Supreme Court it doesn’t have the money to fully fund the state’s school-funding law. (Reitmeyer, The Star-Ledger)
Dear Peter (Coti), While I’ll defend your right to free speech, I take umbrage at your dismissal of parents’ concerns, portraying them as unenlightened as to the mores of the day. This of course, is exactly what concerns them. You see for some of us, we believe that certain topics are best left to the family. Just because some families choose not to discuss sexuality and its consequences with their children, does not give moral license for the state to do so. Reproductive education based on biology is one thing. Discussing and illustrating ways to have “safe sex” to young teens offends many in our community no matter how well intentioned. One can not simply dismiss out of hand this concern.
More helpful might be an emphasis on abstinence and the social stigma attached to early sexual behavior along with the economic consequences of out of wed-lock births for both the mother and her child. As for the promiscuity heaped upon our culture by the media in the name of free speech, well let me say this, nothing is free and the havoc this coarsening of our culture has caused is very costly to our society both spiritually and monetarily.
No one is advocating that older teens shouldn’t be aware of birth control. However, there is no denying that since the “sexual revolution” of the 1960’s, when the “pill” came on the market, thus “liberating” women to have sex with men, confident that they would not get pregnant, out of wed-lock births have sky-rocketed in our society. Until that time, if a girl got pregnant, it was expected by our society that the boy marry her and care for she and the child. With the advent of women’s liberation, the only persons liberated where men from having to take responsibility for impregnating a woman. Like I said before, nothing is for free. This is the price women, children and society have paid and will continue to pay for the sexual liberation we so cherish. So, if parents are pushing back here in Ridgewood, maybe they have a point. Is it really necessary to have teen boys go the drug store to become familiar with condoms? The only purpose is to make them feel comfortable in doing so, thus promoting the use of condoms ie: sex. And if the state (school) is promoting condoms use, then what pray tell could be wrong with teens having sex? You do understand the logic of this? Regardless of the mantra from the, “they will have sex anyways” chorus, this is not a proven fact but rather an opinion. And opinions have consequences when they become accepted reality.
>Appointment of Robbert O’Malley to Land use Authority calls in to question Village Managers Judgement
Ridgewood NJ – It’s scary to think that you can be indicted by a federal grand jury for fraud, then be promoted to a civic leadership post. On top of that, Mayor Gabbert aka Ridgewood Village Administrator, is okay with this. Seriously, is this the kind of decision making we want in Ridgewood? Does anyone else in Ridgewood even question these types of actions by the guy tasked to run the day to day operations of Ridgewood. Are there no more ethical boundary lines in this state?
I would hope somebody such as our mayor, or someone from the village council asks Mr Gabbert why he is comfortable supporting a person indicted on 68, yes 68 counts of fraud to a substantial decision making board?
“O’Malley, 47, was indicted in August on 68 counts of fraud and other federal crimes. Prosecutors say O’Malley falsified mortgage applications at his private business, Residential Mortgage Corp. of Ridgewood, and used improvement authority workers to confirm the falsified applications when lenders called.”
>Five Ways Not to Cut the Deficit…And the One Real Answer The Free Market Warrior Report
Loren Spivack (The Free market Warrior) is the author of the recently published book: The New Democrat available at OBAMAPARODY.COM
The good news is that cutting the budget is easier than everyone says. The bad news is that they’re wrong about everything else too.
Conservatives seem to be all over the map about the foremost issue of our day (of our lifetime really) what to do about the Federal monstrosity. And we know where the liberals stand on this, their handy work. So, here is a guide to some of the nonsense you’ll be hearing from all corners over the coming weeks and months:
1. Those reasonable tax hikes: Writing in National Review on Line Duncan Currie says “Tax hikes in one form or another, are simply unavoidable.” He then goes on to advocate a “Value Added Tax,” perhaps the most destructive and pernicious form of taxation devised by man, on the compelling argument that it “does not inevitably (emphasis his) lead to higher spending.” Yeah, just 99 ½ % of the time! (You know, The Free market Warrior was OK when National Review came out for legalizing drugs. But moments like this, I fear they’re smoking them too!)
The argument that tax increases must be part of any reasonable compromise is mostly heard from the left, after a massive and highly unreasonable increase in Federal spending. Likewise, you may have noticed, “bipartisanship” only seems to come into style after the Republicans win an election. After the Democrats win? Well, I believe the quote was: “But we won.” So now, to balance the budget, we must all be reasonable and understand that taxes will have to be part of the solution. Because, you know, everyone has to give a little, right? So what if Republicans weren’t allowed into the room when these massive new expenditures were added to the budget? That was then and this is now!
In fact, there is nothing reasonable at all about yet more government confiscation of private resources. Moreover, it is based on an entire misunderstanding of the problem. We’re in trouble not, primarily, because the revenue taken in by the government is less than the government’s outlays. That may be our second biggest problem. But our first biggest problem is that our government spends obscenely, insanely, ridiculously too much money. So, those who believe that tax hikes are part of the solution, just don’t understand the problem. Supposing it was possible (and I highly doubt it) to solve the whole deficit with tax increases. If we could squeeze every last nickel out of tax payers so that the American people would live in homeless, penury on concentration camp diets, but the budget would balance and government would go on as before. Would that solve our problem? Whose problem are we supposed to be solving anyhow?
In truth, there is nothing that government ought to be doing that can’t be done after cutting revenue in half and still balancing the budget. And this is the course we must take. We need way less government. Period. That means cutting taxes a lot and spending even more. None of which will mean less money for education or for food or medical care, only that the people who earned the money will be able to spend it on what they actually want instead of what is calculated to get some Congressman re-elected.
2. The Obama Freeze. Back in the 80’s I calculated that we could have balanced the Federal budget by freezing spending for any two years. That would have allowed revenue (which went up every year including when Reagan cut taxes) to catch up with expenditures. But Barak Obama’s proposed freeze is about 30 years too late. Moreover, it reminds me of something else from the 80’s. The soviets (and their American 5th columnists) were keen on a nuclear weapons “freeze.” Why? Because they had spent the 70’s catching up with and then surpassing our stockpiles. So it seemed to them like a good time for a freeze. Likewise the Democrats. But, what kind of conservative thinks the best we can do after two years of Obama-Pelosi-Reid and budget levels going through the roof, is to freeze it all in place?
3. The Laffer Curve What every conservative does know is that tax cuts increase revenue and pay for themselves. And they certainly can. The argument found so often in the New York Times, and other liberal sources, that tax cuts will increase the deficit is pure nonsense. I’ve never seen revenue actually go down after a tax cut. But this argument can be dangerous for two reasons. First, the Laffer Curve only curves so far. Lower rates may increase government collections but there is no supply-side stimulus big enough to pay for Nancy Pelosi stile spending. Secondly, the whole rational ought to be problematic. For too many years we’ve argued (correctly) that lower taxes will increase government revenue. But should that be our objective? I want lower taxes to increase everyone else’s revenue. If the government ends up with more money, that’s too bad. So, if the revenue goes up, let’s cut the taxes again!
4. The Gentle Phase-In As soon as it looks like there is some actual political momentum for shrinking the governmental monstrosity, you will here earnest sounding commentators explain that you can’t eliminate these bureaucracies over night. They must be phased out, slowly, over many, many years. How long? Long enough to let the Democrats get back into power and undue the whole thing. Now, just imagine you lost your job. Would you slowly phase-out your habit of spending $1000 a week on clothes at Macy’s? I’m thinking you’d stop it immediately. (And, if you didn’t, it would be proof of serious psychological problems.) And what of the effect on the macro economy? Some years ago people who were invested in the further expansion of our ever expanding government came up with a neat economic theory that holds that everything that works on the micro-economic level: Thrift, hard work, market signals, productivity, becomes bad when practiced by the government where, uniquely, profligacy and waste lead to prosperity. This, of course, has always been self serving drivel (like my 350 lb cousin who insists that, for him, Twinkies are dietetic.) In truth, every dollar taken from the non-productive sector and returned to the productive sector of the economy acts as a stimulus. And, the sooner the better.
5. Across the board Cuts No less a conservative icon than Rush Limbaugh has been arguing that the best solution is a 10% across the board cut. While the tidiness of this idea will appeal to many, it ignores (in a way difficult to reconcile with Limbaugh’s usual astuteness) one of the fundamental realities of politics. Government programs have constituencies. Both the bureaucrats who get paid to run them and the ultimate recipients of the largess, no matter how unproductive and undeserving, are constant advocates for the continuance and expansion of their livelihood. They may be few in number but they care far more about preserving their boondoggle than the vast multitudes who are barely aware of it. If you leave even part of it in place, they will be constantly maneuvering behind the scenes for its complete restoration. And they will succeed. History shows us that government programs (like the NEA for instance) that are once cut, end up growing to twice their original size. Programs eliminated (e.g. The Civil Aeronautics Board) are gone for good. This is why surgeons don’t remove only 10% of your cancerous tumor.
The Real Solution: And so, real reform must be about eliminating, not reducing government programs. This is certainly more intellectually challenging than a 10% cut. It requires us to actually have the national debate that has been lurking in the shadows. We must decide what government should be doing. In the long run, however, this way will be fundamentally easier. As long as we are debating which government program is going to be cut and by how much, every beneficiary group is going to be angling to get the best deal for themselves, whether that be the smallest cut or the largest increase. But if we are prepared to reassert our national creed of limited government, we are more likely to get a broad agreement that we stop all the nonsense, limit government to its constitutional role of national defense and criminal justice and we all get our money (and our freedom) back. Once Americans understand that this is really a new day and that the money saved from eliminating their favorite government program isn’t going to someone else’s program because the other guy’s Congressman is more connected; once they see that all the money will go back to the Tax Payers who earned it. Therein lies both a majority coalition and an accomplishment worthy of our founding fathers.
>Hearing sheds little light on how schools get on the SDA short list
The Assembly’s education committee yesterday held a hearing to try to clarify how the Christie administration chose the school construction projects it will advance in the next year. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
>NJMET Announces National Multiple Sclerosis Walk 2011 Sponsorship
Ridgewood NJ- Joseph Federico, Vice President of NJMET, announced that NJMET will sponsor a team in the 2011 Walk MS event at the Ridgewood, NJ Graydon Pool on Sunday, April 11, 2011.
NJMET Vice President and director of operations Joseph Federico has announced their fifth annual sponsorship walkathon to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society of the New Jersey area.
“On Sunday April 10, 2011 team NJMET will assemble at the Ridgewood Graydon Pool on 259 North Maple Avenue in Ridgewood, NJ at 8:00am for the 9 mile walk” said team leader Joseph Federico, of NJMET headquartered in Clifton, NJ.
Walk MS is a simple, but incredibly powerful way for everyone to share in the hope for the future.
Walk MS is a rallying point, a time and a place for us to stand together – to help raise critical funds that support cutting edge research, drive change through advocacy, facilitate professional education and provide programs and services to help people with MS move their lives forward.
If anyone is interested in participating on NJMET’s 2011 National Multiple Sclerosis Society Walkathon team, please call Joseph Federico at NJMET’s headquarters in Clifton, NJ at (973)546-5393. Please visit NJMET at https://www.njmetmtl.com.
NJMET provides professional electronic component testing to the Commercial, Military, Aerospace, Industrial and Automotive fields worldwide. Its state of the art Mission Imposter® Counterfeit Detection Process identifies counterfeit or cloned products.
>The Donovan administration and Policemen Benevolent Association Local 49 representing the Bergen County Police Department have reached agreement on a revised contract which will result in millions of dollars in savings for taxpayers and avert police layoffs.
The revised contract replaces an 11th hour agreement executed by former County Executive Dennis McNerney on is last day in office. That agreement, which called for a whopping 9.79 percent salary increase in 2010 and provided for retroactive payment of those raises to January 1, 2010, was severely criticized by incoming County Executive Kathleen Donovan who promised to offset the significant additional costs by laying off as many as 25 County Police Officers.
Under the restructured agreement, County Police have agreed to replace the 9.79 percent increase and retroactivity provision with a new four year contract which averages 2.4 percent per year. In addition, the County Police have agreed to participate in the Direct Access Insurance Plan currently offered by the County and will contribute 1.5 percent towards health care benefits cost.
The County Police will dismiss any grievance or litigation that is pending relating to health care contributions. The revised contract will eliminate the necessity for the layoffs in 2011.
According to Ms. Donovan, “The County Police have negotiated a contract which reflects current standards, is fair and just for all concerned, and, most importantly, saves Bergen County taxpayers over 2 Million dollars. Unlike the McNerney “give-a-way”, this new contract provides appropriate cost of living increases without unduly impacting taxpayers.”
Local No. 49 President Vincent Sileo, said that the new contract protects a number of officers “who would have lost their jobs if the old contract had remained in place.” He said that “We negotiated in good faith with the Donovan administration and reached a just agreement which respects the needs of our members and County taxpayers.”
The agreement was unanimously ratified by the union members.
Has the Board of Education Mismanaged the High School Fields Project?
When the BOE decided to install artificial turfing on Stevens Field and RHS stadium, numerous taxpayers and neighbors warned against doing this construction in an active flood plain. We warned that a flood on HoHoKus Brook would result in the washout of crumb rubber from the surface, the depositing of silt/debris/pollutants on the field and require significant clean up costs. The minor flood Thursday night has proven the skeptics correct and exposed the poor planning and decision making approach that the BOE followed throughout this process.
These fields are now closed until further notice.
Clean-up estimated to cost a minimum of $3,700 cannot start until Monday at the earliest.
Despite closing the fields, the BOE has no plans to enforce its decision.
Ridgewood needs playing surfaces for our children. The BOE has foolishly installed several million dollars worth of vulnerable artificial turf in a flood plain. The turf’s manufacture refuses to provide a warranty because of its location in the flood plain. The BOE has made an unenforceable financing arrangement to finance the $550,000 cost of lights on these fields. The sports groups who the BOE thought would be paying these costs are now threatening to withhold support unless they get their way to have children playing on these fields until 10:00pm on school nights. Who does the BOE represent?
The artificial turf fields and lights are a small part of the tax dollars that the BOE oversees. These are the same individuals that are entrusted with negotiating with our teachers and setting the priorities for the school system. Has their performance in the fields’ debate warranted their support?
Two of the BOE members that approved the field projects actions are up for reelection this April. In considering who to vote for, parents should ask themselves if the millions being spent on questionable facilities for sports groups might not better have been spent in the classrooms and our children.
