>Fed-up small-business owners may use their votes to vent
Leslie Kwoh/The Star-Ledger
Most small-business owners are leaning Republican going into next month’s midterm elections, a sign of their growing frustration with the status quo, according to a study scheduled for release today.
Fifty-one percent of small employers across the nation said a Republican-controlled Congress would be better for the economy, compared to 37 percent who leaned Democrat and 12 percent who said they were unsure, according to the Discover Small Business Watch for October.
The results indicate that small-business owners have a growing desire for change that goes beyond party allegiances, said Jon Drummond, a spokesman for the study. When asked which party best understood the needs of small businesses, for example, 45 percent responded Republican, 30 percent said Democrat and 20 percent chose neither. Five percent said they were unsure.
“It’s not traditionally a very political group,” Drummond said. “These people are economically frustrated, so they’re not so much leaning toward Republican as they are toward change.”
>NJ Republicans add more new registered voters than Democrats
TRENTON— Republicans have the voter registration momentum heading into Tuesday’s General Election, state records show.
The GOP has added 18,241 voters to the rolls since the June primary, a 1.7 percent increase, according to figures at the state Division of Elections. The number of Democratic voters has increased by 3,199. (Method, Asbury Park Press)
The erosion of Barack Obama’s popularity has lessons in it for every American who wishes to remain interesting and current, both professionally and personally. The real story in this election is not that America has no jobs, that the economy continues to falter, or that the national debt continues to balloon. While all three are true and, more importantly, Obama has failed to fix them, it is also true that these conditions existed prior to Obama’s election. Yet somehow his personal charisma and captivating charm elevated the electorate. The real story of campaign 2010 is how boring Obama has become. Obama, who had never run anything except a campaign in his entire life, performed an almost unprecedented conjuring act in 2008, getting the electorate to embrace him regardless of the utter absence of managerial skills. They believed not necessarily in Obama’s capacity to fix America’s transient problems but in his ability to focus us on more eternal, upbeat themes like hope, faith, and the future. Yet, this time his very presence seems irritating. A man whose oratory lifted him to earth’s highest office can’t seem to deliver a single uplifting speech. As a connoisseur of great oratory, I used to love hearing Obama’s staccato delivery, perfect timing, and mesmeric self-confidence – the mark of any great speaker – even as I disagreed with him on many of the issues. But Obama’s speeches have now become insufferable, devoid of charisma and personal magnetism. Here are three principal reasons why.
First and foremost, Obama has utterly overexposed himself. As a marriage counselor I always advise husbands and wives that, paradoxically, their marriages require intimacy on the one hand, but barriers and distance on the other. Wives walking around a bedroom unclothed, for example, is an invitation to erotic boredom and a dilution of body’s natural attractiveness. Overexposure, as everyone knows, breeds contempt. The Catholic Church is a master of mystery – from the shadows of its darkly lit gothic cathedrals to its insistence on innumerable divine mysteries – and it is therefore no wonder that it grew to become the world’s largest faith. It is the same reason why, in Judaism, Torah scrolls are secreted in an ark, obscured first by doors, then curtains, then a velvet covering, all of which increases hiddenness and thus reverence. In Hollywood it is specifically those celebrities who understand the need to stay out of the public eye that achieve the greatest longevity in it. Obama, by contrast, has the unfortunate flaw of always needing to be loved. He is forever in our face. From weighing in on every issue right down to the Ground Zero mosque to becoming the President who travelled most in his first two years, Obama lives permanently in the sun. President Bush used to vacation on his ranch where he’d disappear for two weeks. Not so Obama who even on holiday is constantly photographed buying ice cream and shooting hoops. Less is more, Mr. President. Sometimes you have to give the people the opportunity to miss you. Superman knows that his grand entrances depend on being disguised the rest of the time as Clark Kent. But by being forever available, Obama has made himself pedestrian. He went from Messiah to mortal, rock star to bland stone.
Second, Obama has betrayed a lack of substance. When he was more mysterious, Obama encouraged our belief that there was subterranean depth beneath the gleaming surface. Just give the man some time and out will come the magic. But it turned out that vacuous speeches on hope and change were not the thin veneer that concealed great complexity but the very substance itself. I have yet to hear one truly new or exciting idea from Barack Obama since becoming President. President Bush was dismissed as a lightweight. But love it or hate it, the Bush doctrine of preemption and its corollary of exporting democracy to recalcitrant states was a compelling and divisive idea that invited ferocious debate. But with Obama we are back to the tired, yawn-inducing discussions of big versus limited government and whether Keynesian stimulus spending or reducing the national debt is the best way to kindle the economy. I’m bored.
Third, Obama comes across as perfect. The most interesting people are always the most tortured. Bill Clinton clogged his arteries with cheeseburgers and had sex with an intern in the Oval office. Yet, he left the presidency with a sixty percent approval rating. America never lost its fascination with this angst-ridden and highly imperfect leader, so unpredictable that we never knew what he’d get up to next. Not so no-drama-Obama who evinces an imperturbable cool utterly bereft of inner trauma. Of course we don’t want the President to cheat on his wife. But show us a tiny demon or two, other than the fact that you light up a cigarette. Demonstrate that you wrestle with moods the way we do when we can’t pay our bills, that you struggle with life’s disappointments like us ordinary mortals. When I was a boy I revered but had no deep interest in our founding fathers because they were portrayed as marble busts who were perfect. It was only later when we discovered how inconsistent the slave-owning Thomas Jefferson could be about human freedom, how depressed and suicidal Lincoln became, and how Martin Luther King, Jr. wrestled with marriage that these aloof figures were humanized and became so endlessly fascinating. In this sense I believe Obama was poorly served by seemingly being a golden boy who suffered few setbacks. Perhaps it’s time for him to talk about the pain of being an abandoned child who was later orphaned of his mother as well, or the pain of seeing his popularity plummet. Perfect people are boring and monolithic. But flawed human beings who rise above adversity to reach great heights are inspirational. And if the President wants to recapture the public imagination, he would do well to expose a wart or two before the November elections.
>European air officials say US security goes overboard; British Airways calls demands excessive European air officials accused the United States of imposing useless and overly intrusive travel security measures, calling Wednesday for the Obama administration to reexamine policies ranging from online security checks to X-raying shoes.
British Airways’ chairman made the first in a wave of complaints, saying in a speech to airport operators that removing shoes and taking laptops out of bags were “completely redundant” measures demanded by the U.S.
He was joined less than 24 hours later by British pilots, the owner of Heathrow airport, other European airlines, and the European Union. The EU submitted formal objections to a program that requires U.S.-bound travelers from 35 nations to complete online security clearance before departure. It called the system burdensome and said it could violate travelers’ privacy.
>Trenton Democrats don’t care about your property taxes
On Monday, October 25th, I went to Trenton to attend an event organized by the New Jersey Conference of Mayors, which is the largest and oldest Mayor’s organization in the United States. The purpose of the event was to meet with Governor Christie, the Assembly Republicans and the Assembly Democrats to urge the passage of a key provision of the Governor’s “Tool Kit” reforms: capping interest arbitration awards to the 2% property tax cap passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor last Summer. (Mayor Michael Halfacre, guest columnist for PolitickerNJ)
>Assembly bill would bind arbitrators in effort to keep tax hikes in check
TRENTON – Ask a New Jersey mayor what he or she needs most to keep property-tax increases in check and chances are you’ll hear about changing the salary-arbitration process for police and firefighters. (Lu, The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Please place our Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) new website, https://www.vfwdistrict2nj.com/ , on your links panel. This is for all veterans in Ridgewood and all of Bergen County as well as any others that we can help.
Contact me if you have any veterans who would like to join the Washington Elm VFW Post 192 (Ridgewood—Ho-Ho-Kus). We especially need younger men and women who have honorably served our Country in combat to take the helm for our older generation of veterans.
We also have a website that is in progress of being updated now that we have pretty much completed the District 2 one. The Post 192 website is https://www.vfwpost192-nj.com/ and had the original design implemented by a Media Class at Ridgewood High School.
Thanks.
Stan
Stanley A. Kober ([email protected]) Adjutant/Chief of Staff VFW NJ District Two https://www.vfwdistrict2nj.com/
Portrait Oil Painting Workshop – November 7, 2010 at the Ridgewood Art Institute, Ridgewood, NJ from 10AM – 4PM in the West Studio.
Working from a live model under north light students will be taught to simplify and compose a portrait painting through the usage of form, composition, color, perspective, planes and light. How to use a prismatic palette will be discussed. Study of massing, values, relationships, edges, progression, atmosphere, mood and prismatic light effects will be strongly emphasized. Beginning and advanced students will benefit from individualized attention. This one-day workshop is appropriate for painters of all levels. Those new to oil painting are especially welcome. A brief portrait painting demonstration will be offered at the beginning of the workshop. For more information please visit https://www.dianakgibson.com/
>CRR was directed to the tread over the weekend. Whoever posted this tread implies that this was done on behalf of CRR.
CRR states categorically that this thread was NOT issued or sanctioned by CRR, its Steering Committee or Officers. CRR does NOT condone personal attacks innuendo or slander.
Paul Gould on behalf of Concerned Residents of Ridgewood
Village Council Elections: We feel Steve will look out for the majority of Ridgewood residents 1110, Steve clearly has a platform other than Valley. at least as much as any of the other candidates. read the ridgewood news profile. all of the candidates like graydon more or less in its current form, want to improve the downtown, want to lower taxes somehow, etc.
who’s Steve running against?
Forenza – a Valley shill Lembo – effectively a Valley shill (he worked there and his wife works there. how do you think he’ll vote?) Train – has some good ideas but is unelectable
Wellinghorst has proven government experience (no matter how much some foes try to belittle it. just like bernie walsh was belittled for her experience). What the town will gain from Steve’s experience, both as an attorney and with his work as a planning board attorney and on the zoning board, is another perspective on the direction this town is headed. the previous administration totally caved to Valley (changed the laws to let Valley rewrite the zoning and then the PB rubberstamped Valleys recommendations) as opposed to listening to residents about what they want. We feel Steve will look out for the majority of Ridgewood residents. Ridgewood CAN improve without setting forth dangerous precedents regarding the growth of business in this town. And make no mistake about it, Valley is a business.
We’ve said all along that we are not against Valley. We feel that Valley has tried to go to the well one too many times when it comes to its ambition of becoming a truly regional medical center in our town. We fully support modernization within reason and hope that any savings that can be obtained by scaling back expansion in Ridgewood can be channeled into a cooperative agreement with Hackensack or an alternative provider to improve the Pascack Valley facility.
So, please recognize that the CRR does respect Valley’s purpose and mission but insists that Valley’s wants need to be sensitive to the impact on the neighborhood and the Village as a whole. As it stands, Valley has not done a whole lot of compromising on any material issues.
>Ridgewood : Just a Me, Me, Me, town; maybe we need a pep rally for the parents
I am always amazed at how little consideration we have for each other in this town. Selfishness seems to rule. There is no empathy, everyone wants what they want and to hell with everyone else.
The HS had a great pep rally last week. The students really enjoyed the sense of unity. Maybe we need a pep rally for the parents. The parents seem to be fighting with each other every day of the week. Usually online, because we would never have the nerve to speak to each other the way that we blog.
No empathy. It is a sad thing. It is the Me, Me, Me, town not at all like it used to be. Parents teach it to the kids and the kids bully, It is a sad statement on the town.
I was born and raised in Ridgewood, still live in Ridgewood. I am 56 years old and have always had great pride about being from Ridgewood. Now things have changed, we are a selfish, all about me town. When did this happen? When we started to hire outsiders to run the town. I don’t know but I don’t really tell people where I am from anymore.
>Michael Roberts, a pilot for ExpressJet Airlines said TSA security measures are ineffective (CNN) — A pilot who refused to submit to a full-body scan or the alternative pat down going through airport security said the procedures violate his rights.
Michael Roberts, a pilot for ExpressJet Airlines, refused a full-body scan last week at a Transportation Security Administration check point at Memphis International Airport in Memphis, Tennessee.
Opting out of scanning is permitted, but those who opt out must receive an enhanced pat down from a TSA employee.
“Pat down is misleading,” Roberts said. “They concentrate on the area between … the upper thighs and torso, and they’re not just patting people’s arms and legs, they’re grabbing and groping and prodding pretty aggressively.”
Roberts said TSA security measures are ineffective, and cited concerns for his rights and privacy in refusing the procedures.
“I was trying to avoid this assault on my person, and I’m not willing to have images of my nude body produced for some stranger in another room to look at either,” Roberts told CNN.
> Kathe Donovan : The Days of Wine & Roses in Bergen County are about to come to an end Republican candidate for County Executive Kathe Donovan pledged today to take personal responsibility for the official actions of every agency and office of County government adding, “my opponent incumbent Dennis McNerney’s greatest failing is his refusal to be accountable for the reckless conduct of his administration.”
According to Donovan, “Mr. McNerney has attempted to distance himself from charges of corruption and incompetence at the Bergen County Improvement Authority suggesting that the agency is independent of his office. That’s simply not true. The County Executive can assert total control over the BCIA by vetoing the agencies minutes. Mr. McNerney never registered a veto in his eight years in office and the result is hundreds of millions of dollars of bonded indebtedness, a hundred million dollar cost overrun at one park where a toxic landfill may have been created by lack of oversight or sheer incompetence, tens of millions of dollars of consulting and other contracts to politically connected friends and runaway spending on easy to manage issues like expense accounts.”
Ms. Donovan said that in addition to using her veto power whenever appropriate she will appoint herself or her designee to serve on every County board and agency. “It’s the responsibility of the County Executive to guard against abuses and lapses in judgment. Agencies will not be responsible if they are not accountable and the best way to achieve this is for the County Executive to be an ongoing presence. Absentee management will no longer be the norm in County government.”
She continued, “Through strict governance we will end the corrupt practices uncovered and reported by the Record which cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in questionable contracts to consultants and vendors with close political ties to the County Executive. Our Office of Asset Recovery will for the first time aggressively review all contracts and seek cost recovery when warranted. If consultants were paid for a service we will want proof that the service was provided. Without proof of service we will move to recover those ill-gotten gains.”
Donovan added, “McNerney’s failure to take responsibility and allow reckless practices has allowed the County’s debt to more than double to $1.1 billion leaving each Bergen County family a bill for over $5,000. I have taken responsibility for the running of the County Clerk’s office and been fully accountable. As a result, we have managed savings amounting to $300 for every Bergen County family. That’s the difference been McNerney and me.”
She concluded, “On the day I announced for the office of County Executive I said that the days of wine and roses would soon be over. By requiring accountability and assuming responsibility taxpayers should have every confidence that I will produce on that commitment.”
Valley’s latest PR salvo in the war over the Master Plan is a “personal” letter from a Doctor in Glen Rock sent to many Ridgewood homes.
The letter states that expanding to single patient rooms is in the interests of patients, calling the expansion an “imperative” for Valley.
While many people support the single patient room argument, the letter ignores the obvious point that Valley is trying to shoe-horn such a large construction into the residential Village of Ridgewood. If a seven storey building is approved and built, there is no turning back.
There are alternatives that the Village Council has control over via the ordinance process. Since Pascack Valley Hospital closed in 2007, patients from nineteen villages have been forced to travel across Ridgewood streets to visit Valley and overstress the emergency room. This was a financial windfall for Valley enriching already healthy annual surpluses in its accounts.
Over the last three years, Valley has argued at public meetings and before the PHV bankruptcy court that there are too many beds in Bergen County. The obvious solution to preventing the proposed over development in Ridgewood and the additional traffic created by PVH closing is for PVH to reopen its 128 beds and Valley to become a single patient room 350 bed hospital. Remember Valley was a very profitable operation before PVH closed. Denying the people of Pascack Valley access to local surgical facilities is unconscionable.
The Ridgewood Village Council has the power to make this happen so make your vote count on November 2 2010 and vote for a candidate that supports a reasonable compromise.
>Kathe Donovan Disgusted by Allegations of Bullying, Intimidation and Reprisals Against County Employees
Vows that public employees will never have to fear political pressure in a Donovan Administration
Republican candidate for County Executive Kathe Donovan said today that asking Dennis McNerney’s handpicked, political county administrator to investigate serious allegations of bullying, intimidation and reprisals against county employees “is like inviting Bonnie & Clyde to review county ethics practices and BCIA expense accounts.”
Ms. Donovan referred to a complaint filed by county employee Domenick Spitaleri who has charged that after refusing orders from superiors to make political phone calls for Mr. McNerney he was retaliated against. Mr. Spitaleri’s allegations have been sent to the United States Attorney.
According to Ms. Donovan, “Asking County Administrator Dacey to review these serious allegations is eerily familiar to Mr. McNerney asking a Democrat crony from Middlesex County to investigate allegations of corruption at the Bergen County Improvement Authority. There has been no public disclosure of findings from that “phantom investigation.”
Ms. Donovan said that no public employee will ever have to fear political pressure and reprisals during her administration. She added, “This is another example of Mr. McNerney refusing to be accountable or to take responsibility. He is a disturbing reminder of Captain Renault (Claude Raines) refrain from Casablanca, ‘gambling? I’m shocked that there’s gambling in this establishment.’
Ms. Donovan said she was delighted to receive a campaign contribution from the County’s blue collar labor union in the wake of the allegations of abuse, harassment and reprisals lodged against Mr. McNerney.
“Unfortunately, these latest charges of harassment, abuse, bullying and reprisals lodged against County Executive McNerney and his administration are consistent with reports that have circulated throughout the County since the beginning of this campaign. These are serious charges which should be fully investigated by appropriate law enforcement and regulatory agencies.”
“Mr. McNerney’s treatment of public employees as chattels of his campaign is consistent with his flagrant, cavalier use of public money to illegally fund his reelection effort. These desperate, despicable efforts to save his position are evidence that he does not merit reelection.”
Ridgewood Christmas Tree Fund Paul and I at a recent Ridgewood Guild meeting thought out loud about returning the tree to its prior location and kicked around the idea of collecting some cash to get the job done….I’m happy to report that we have been successful in securing a $2500.00 donation from my employer, Capital One and Paul has secured the balance…we have formed a non profit, the “Ridgewood Christmas Tree Fund” and are currently accepting donations for any additional cost overruns this year and to fund the tree placement in the future…if you would like to contribute please send your donation payable to the Ridgewood Christmas Tree Fund C/O John Kiernan Capital One Bank 9 E Ridgewood Ave. Ridgewood NJ 07450…Paul and I are looking forward to a fantastic celebration this year and we ask that you and your family join us for the holidays…
John Kiernan
Ridgewood Christmas Tree Fund C/O John Kiernan Capital One Bank 9 E Ridgewood Ave. Ridgewood NJ 07450
