Gov.-elect Chris Christie said he plans to cut expenses at every level of government and enact measures to make sure “we won’t be pushing problems downstream to local taxpayers.”
In an exclusive interview with the Asbury Park Press, Christie said he will use many of the ideas that came out of the 2006 special legislative session on property taxes as well as those laid out by the Press in its “Fighting New Jersey’s Tax Crush” series published in September and October.
“We need to reform the (tax) system from top to bottom,” Christie said.
High on the governor-elect’s list is eliminating loopholes in the 4 percent cap on annual increases in municipal government spending. The cap has been in place for years, but allows a number of exemptions for budget items ranging from health care costs to bond payments. The result has been annual property tax increases that exceed the rate of inflation.
Christie said he wants to enact reforms that will “make it a hard cap. Right now, we have a Swiss cheese cap.”
Christie said he also would:
Change the rules of binding interest arbitration in public employee contract negotiations to make sure arbitrators adhere to new cap standards.
Put the brakes on “teacher contracts that increase salaries by 4 to 5 percent and then, on top of it, layer on to it health benefit increases and pension expenses increases.”
Review mid-level management jobs at school boards statewide because “we no longer can have that plethora of mid-management … that are not necessarily bringing quality to the classroom.”
Should Christie find his reforms stalled, he said he would call for a constitutional convention. The Legislature and voters would have to approve such a convention, which would give elected delegates the power to reform the state’s tax system by presenting voters with amendments to the state constitution. The last convention was held in 1966 to increase the number of lawmakers.
“I want the voters to give me two years to fix it without a convention,” he said. “If we get to the mid-term (elections) in 2011 and I report to voters that, despite my best efforts, we haven’t been able to get this done because systemic forces are blocking us, then we have to change the system. And I will call for a constitutional convention.”
William G. Dressel Jr., executive director of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, said that if the state is “going to be fair, then the most egregious driver of property taxes must be addressed — binding arbitration. That is a budget buster. And that is one area in which Governor-elect Christie won’t budge.”
>J.D. Power and Associates Reports: The Valley Hospital Recognized for Providing an Outstanding Inpatient Experience For a Seventh Consecutive Year
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 10 December 2009 – The Valley Hospital, a 451-bed hospital in Ridgewood, N.J., has been recognized for service excellence for a seventh consecutive year under the J.D. Power and Associates Distinguished Hospital Program.SM This distinction acknowledges a strong commitment by The Valley Hospital to provide “An Outstanding Inpatient Experience.”
“In earning this distinction for seven consecutive years, The Valley Hospital has truly demonstrated its commitment to service excellence,” said Kevin Lieb, senior director of provider programs at J.D. Power and Associates. “Providing patients with a consistently positive experience is crucial, particularly with the high value placed on the service aspects of their hospital stay.”
The service excellence distinction was determined by surveying recently discharged patients from The Valley Hospital about their perceptions of their hospital stay and comparing the results to the national benchmarks established in the annual J.D. Power and Associates National Hospital Service Performance Study.SM
The telephone-based research conducted among The Valley Hospital patients focuses on the five key drivers of patient satisfaction with their overall inpatient experience. These drivers, which were identified in the national study, are speed and efficiency; dignity and respect; comfort; information and communication; and emotional support.
The Valley Hospital exceeds the national benchmark study score for inpatient satisfaction and performs particularly well, compared with the national study, in speed and efficiency. The hospital receives notably high ratings for the nurses’ promptness in responding to the call button, and for the speed and efficiency of tests and treatments personnel.
The hospital also performs well relative to the national study for the nurses’ concern about controlling pain and the courtesy of the nurses.
Nearly three-fourths of The Valley Hospital patients surveyed say they would return to the facility if needed, while more than 70 percent say they “definitely will” recommend the hospital to others.
“It is an honor to be recognized by J.D. Power and Associates for providing exceptional care and service to our patients, and we are particularly proud that Valley has been recognized seven times in a row,” said Audrey Meyers, president and CEO of The Valley Hospital. “At Valley, we recognize how important it is to provide our patients with an outstanding hospital experience. It is this commitment that has allowed us to again be recognized in the J.D. Power and Associates Distinguished Hospital Program.”
Nongovernmental, acute-care hospitals throughout the nation are eligible for the J.D. Power and Associates Distinguished Hospital recognition for inpatient, maternity, cardiovascular, emergency and outpatient services. Distinction is valid for one year, after which time the hospital may reapply for this recognition.
About J.D. Power and Associates Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, Web intelligence and customer satisfaction. The company’s quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
About The McGraw-Hill Companies Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor’s, McGraw-Hill Education, Platts, Capital IQ, J.D. Power and Associates, McGraw-Hill Construction and Aviation Week. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2008 were $6.4 billion. Additional information is available at https://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.
Media Relations Contacts:
John Tews J.D. Power and Associates Director, Media Relations 5435 Corporate Drive, Suite 300 Troy , MI 48098 USA (248) 312-4119 [email protected]
Maureen Curran Kleinman The Valley Hospital Media Relations Ridgewood , NJ USA (201) 291-6310 [email protected]
Downtown for the Holidays. We were proud to participate in the Chamber of Commerce’s Downtown for the Holidays event on December 4. People gravitated to our table looking for ways to answer questions from others about why Graydon must be saved. We enjoyed sharing this important issue with the community.
Holiday Bazaar. Our fundraiser on Sunday, November 29, was a success. Read about it in Marcia and Suzanne’s letter from last Friday’s Ridgewood News. Their letter also appeared in last week’s Villadom Times.
Online store. Our virtual doors are open. Car magnets, note cards, and yard signs are available at the Graydon Store (or through a link from the PreserveGraydon.org website). Our many faraway supporters, as well as those closer to home, can receive the magnets and cards by mail. Yard signs are delivered in person within a reasonable radius. It’s not too late to order Happy New Year cards with your personal message printed inside. (Want custom cards in time for Christmas? Ask us and we’ll ask the printer.)
The Preserve Graydon Coalition was founded IN Graydon only five months and one week ago. How much has been accomplished in that time thanks to the Coalition’s dedicated workers and supporters! There’s lots more to come in 2010, and 2009 isn’t quite over yet.
Swimmingly,
Marcia Ringel and Suzanne Kelly, Co-Chairs The Preserve Graydon Coalition, Inc., a nonprofit corporation “It’s clear—we love Graydon!” [email protected] www.PreserveGraydon.org
While Nero Fiddles and Rome burns there are now almost 40 vacancies in the central business district of Ridgewood. This blog over the last 3 years has warned time and time again that if things continue in the direction they are going our Village would be in jeopardy . The Village Council and the BOE have continued on a spree of tax and fee increases ,bad planning and irresponsible spending while our traditions and institutions have been degraded and or destroyed. What once made us special and unique is now under siege from the very people that should be protecting the Village. Weather it is the $9 million dollar Village Hall reck-avation , ill conceived parking rate increases ,a “stupid” math program ,$375,000 for a gold plated bath room and the complete and utter destruction of the “Home for the Holiday” tradition coupled with the desecration of the Village Christmas Tree ,yes its called a CHRISTMAS TREE! The Village has continued to move away from all the things that made this a great community .
Now before we blame Bush or the global economic meltdown ,it was all to obvious to most of us that for many years the number of residents connected to financial services was very significant. The fact that Ridgewood had over 16% of its work force employed in financial services was well known and was an often discussed FACT . Apparently it was well know by everyone except the Board of Ed and the Village Council and perhaps many of the merchants in town that never seem to be opened. Wall Street provided us with a gravy train to milk for every political whim . Alas the party is over ,Wall Street is no more .
There is still time to prepare for the new reality,while I do agree that the schools and fields are looking a bit shabby to say the least,and a proper long there capital investment and student population strategy is necessary ,this didn’t just come about since the last BOE election. Past experience has show that the schools seem to have become more a fiefdom for consultants and the NJEA than the place to prepare students to meet the challenges of the future or at lest prepare them to meet the requirements of the high quality college education. Nor did the failing of the down town magically appear since October 2008. In stead of the TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE that the village was known for where both the BOE and VC would over deliver and under promise at a reasonable price has now been turned on its head . Our Village is now stuck on over promising and under delivering where all projects are decided not on there merritt but on whether they cost enough ,with the most expensive option being the preferred option but seldom being the best option.
It is time for everyone to step up and take responsibility for the disastrous situation we find ourselves in . We have to make some hard choices . First the VC needs to take a look at all the commercial fees it charges ,like the ICE machine fee a left over from the horse and buggy Ice man days and bite the bullet and get rid of all these commercial fees that make the down town uncompetitive. These fees must be reduced or gotten rid of. Next the Village Council in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce must work a lot harder to actually promote the village downtown to retailers and other merchants . Many towns like Englewood, Tenafly and Westwood have been impacted by the flight of retailers too a much lesser degree than Ridgewood. Take a look for yourself. Perhaps many of Ridgewood fine Realtors can also contribute to this marketing effort. Restoring the “Home for the holidays” to its former glory is also an excellent way to promote the town.
As for the schools a focus on preparing young minds for attending a high quality universities should be the only priority .In the “old days” Ridgewood Schools would brag about how many of its graduates would go on to college and how many would attend prestigious Ivy league schools. Now all I hear to the constant lowering of standards and the ” I glad we beat Newark, attitude”. Folks Ridgewood has nothing in common with a city like Newark what so ever ! This kind of attitude is both insulting and ridiculous and you should be grateful everyday that we don’t live with the kind of problems a city like Newark has to deal with.This town was build on “GREAT SCHOOLS” ! If we raise our expectations instead of the constant lowering of them we will once again return to the “TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE” we are so fond of exposing.
There is no reason in a town with so many opportunities for young people to have a government run community center . We have facilities at Graydon, the Ridgewood Public Library and the Stable just to name a few as well as many church ,synagogue ,private schools and the YMCA to provide all the needed support for absent parents . Again Ridgewood is not Newark !
Many residents have suggested that we get rid of the parking meters all together ,and there for get rid of all the costs to service and maintain the meters ,some feel that like the Garden State Parkway ,Ridgwood would lose less money with no meters at all . This may or may not be true I don’t know.
In the past we have made many suggestions ,while initially po-poed many have been adopted . What ever the case it is time to go back to some of the tried and true ideas that made Ridgewood such a Great Place to live . Some ideas will work and some will fail but anything is better than sticking to the current coarse of government assisted suicide for the Village.
In the next couple of months the Ridgewood blog is going to roll out a series of articles on both the History of the Village, the Tradition of Excellence and suggestions for what it may take to restore the luster to the Village. We encourage you to participate as much as possible in the discussion. We are looking to foster solutions which means that full and open debate is expected and required and those with bad intentions will be outed.
Health care reform, yes. But at what cost? Senate’s excise tax proposal is the wrong approach By Barbara Keshishian, NJEA President
America needs health insurance reform, and we need it now. But we do not need the kind of reform that the Senate is currently debating, which would shift massive costs onto many middle-class workers who have insurance through their employers. The problem is a sneaky excise tax, ostensibly levied on insurance companies, which would be passed directly on to employees and employers in the form of higher premiums.
The excise tax would be levied against insurance companies on premiums exceeding a certain threshold, which begins as low as $8,500 for single coverage and is slated to rise much more slowly than the average increase in the cost of insurance. In effect, it means that while initially it may affect only a small number of middle-income families, within just a year or two, it will begin to capture many more insurance policies.
One projection, based on the average cost of family insurance coverage provided through the School Employees’ Health Benefits Program, shows that the excise tax is likely to kick in by year two. By year ten, based on projected growth in the cost of insurance, the tax could well exceed $10,000 on a family premium. That cost will certainly pass from the insurance company to the employer who pays the premium. Employers will attempt to shift the burden to employees. The end result: higher costs for middle class families.
Even worse, the quality of insurance coverage will almost certainly decline. To minimize or avoid the impact of the excise tax, employers and employees will be forced to consider reduced benefits, again leaving families more vulnerable to unexpected – and potentially uncovered – medical costs. Ultimately, the excise tax would trigger a race to the bottom, raising costs, lowering quality and putting a greater burden on middle-class families who can ill afford it.
There is a better way. The House of Representatives has passed health care reform legislation that accomplishes essentially the same reform objectives as the Senate version without passing the bill on to middle-class workers. Instead, the House bill finances this critical reform with a modest surcharge on individuals whose adjusted gross income is over $500,000, or couples earning over $1 million.
Both bills greatly expand coverage. Both contain provisions to benefit low-income families and senior citizens. Both ultimately reduce the federal deficit. But the House bill is paid for by asking the super-wealthy to step up and contribute their fair share. The Senate bill, as currently written, tries to sneak another tax onto middle-class families.
During his campaign last year, President Obama promised that individual taxpayers earning less than $250,000 per year would not see their taxes increase during his administration. He took the additional bold step of telling wealthy Americans that they might be asked to contribute a little more. The House bill keeps that promise. The Senate bill violates the spirit, if not the letter, of the president’s pledge.
It is time for our senators to decide whose interests they represent: the super-wealthy, who will benefit from the Senate’s taxing scheme, or the middle-class families who are counting on them for real health care reform.
Michael F. Cannon is director of health policy studies at the Cato Institute and co-author of Healthy Competition: What’s Holding Back Health Care and How to Free It.
Added to cato.org on December 2, 2009
Amid double-digit unemployment, a record $1.6 trillion federal deficit and a national debt projected to double in 10 years, U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., voted to bring to the floor of the Senate a health care overhaul with so many job-killing tax increases that it’s hard to fit them all into one column. But let’s give it a shot.
For starters, consider the $500 billion in explicit tax increases.
One levy would take $15 billion from sick patients with high out-of-pocket medical expenses, including elderly and low-income patients.
The Senate health care bill would impose massive tax increases on Day One and keep increasing your taxes well into the future.
If you have a health savings account or flexible spending arrangement, there are taxes specific to those health plans, plus a third tax that would apply to all “consumer-directed” plans.
Another levy would tax medical devices, and another would tax prescription drugs. Those two taxes would increase health insurance premiums by about 1 percent, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. There’s another $60 billion tax that would drive health premiums higher still.
If your premiums climb high enough, you’ll become subject to a $149 billion tax on those with high health insurance premiums. Yet many face high premiums simply because they have expensive medical needs, making this yet another tax on the sick.
The legislation would increase the Medicare tax on wages above $200,000, yet divert the revenue toward new entitlement spending.
And lest any corner of the health care sector go untaxed, the bill would even impose a 5 percent tax on cosmetic surgeries.
Yet those are just the explicit tax increases. There are trillions of dollars in hidden tax increases, too.
Senate Democrats promise to fund half of their new entitlement with $491 billion of Medicare cuts. Yet those promised cuts are merely a tax increase waiting to happen.
Congress frequently reneges on such promises. Want proof? At the very same time Congress is promising to cut future Medicare spending by $491 billion, it is reneging on a past promise to cut Medicare’s physician payments by $210 billion. Even Medicare’s chief actuary calls the (new) promised cuts “doubtful” and “unrealistic.”
If history is any guide, Congress will scrape up that $491 billion by raising taxes — or by increasing the deficit, which simply raises taxes on future generations.
Another hidden tax comes in the form of price controls that would increase premiums for young adults in order to subsidize their parents, even though the parents typically have higher incomes. The same price controls would increase premiums for people with healthy lifestyles to subsidize those who (for example) overeat or consume alcohol to excess.
Those price controls could even tax farmers to subsidize office workers. The bill would allow populous urban areas like Omaha to make all of Nebraska one single “rating area,” which would increase premiums in rural areas to subsidize wealthier urban areas.
The bill’s largest hidden tax, however, is a mandate that would force all Americans to purchase health insurance, whether they want it or not.
Here’s why that mandate is a tax. When the government forces you to pay $10,000 to the IRS, and then gives that money to a private insurance company — as this legislation would do — we rightly call that a tax.
If instead the government forced you or your employer to pay $10,000 directly to a private insurance company — as this legislation also would do — the outcome would be the same. That makes the mandate a tax, even though that $10,000 never passes through the federal Treasury.
Including the cost of that “mandate tax” reveals the actual cost of the legislation to be roughly $2.5 trillion — more than double the official estimate.
The Senate health care bill would impose massive tax increases on Day One and keep increasing your taxes well into the future.
Sen. Nelson was one of the key lawmakers who brought this ticking tax bomb one step closer to reality. Let’s hope the ensuing Senate debate exposes why job-killing tax increases are the wrong prescription for health care reform — in this or any economy.
>The tradition was ‘tinkered with’ by changing the day from Friday to Saturday. Mistake #1. I used to look forward to ditching work early, scoot up to the train station. Sing with a few thousand of my neighbors and have dinner afterwards and stroll the streets. Saturday was hum-drum because you had to give up a weekend day to have all the pomp & such.
Mistake #2: groupthink about the global warming hoax following the Anne Zusy types down to the Square instead of the focal point of the town. And to make matters worse, let’s hang recycling on the tree. I may be alone on this, but my tree may have home-made ornaments by the kids, but there are no used pork n beans cans.
Mistake #3: VOR compounds last year’s error by doing it AGAIN, sans garbage ornaments. Big deal. You know what used to work and brought people in? The traditional tree, singers, bands and such on a Friday night at the station. I remember the throngs of people stretching a block north n south and several blocks down East Ridgewood Ave.
Notice that NYC doesn’t drop the New Years ball over the Smithsonian. And why? Because Times Square is the place. Same reason the celebration belongs back at the station.
>We’re going Downtown for the Holidays tomorrow night, Friday, Dec. 4, from 5:30-9 PM. It’s Ridgewood’s annual December celebration. Stores will be open late and East Ridgewood Ave. will become a pedestrian mall. The Chamber of Commerce will provide free entertainment and hot cider. We’ll have a table at the intersection of Oak St. and East Ridgewood Ave. (northeast corner), across the street from Van Neste Square, near the big clock.
Come say hello and see the new Graydon fundraising items that were a big hit at our Holiday Bazaar:
Car/refrigerator magnets Yard signs (take with you or request free delivery) Note cards with Dorothy Warren scene of ice skating at Graydon (blank inside) Special offer: the same cards with your message and name inside—order now for speedy delivery as Christmas/New Year cards (minimum of 100 for custom orders) Last day of our Cheesecake Aly fundraiser: festive cheesecakes, down-home chocolate chip cookies, and cheesecake gift certificates for home delivery in mid-December. Free samples of raspberry cheesecake while they last.
Coming soon: our online store! Till then, grab a warm coat and meet us Downtown for the Holidays: tomorrow (Friday), 5:30-9 PM.
Swimmingly, Marcia Ringel and Suzanne Kelly, Co-Chairs The Preserve Graydon Coalition, Inc., a nonprofit corporation “It’s clear—we love Graydon!” [email protected] www.PreserveGraydon.org
TRENTON — To help close an unexpected budget gap, the state plans to withhold $20.7 million in aid payments to municipalities, a move that could force cuts in services or higher property taxes, according to three legislative sources briefed on the move.
The decision to place the final aid installment in reserve rather than distribute it to towns is expected to be announced by the Corzine administration Tuesday along with other budget-trimming moves, according to the sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it.
The payment represents 5 percent of the total annual aid authorized for municipalities under the Consolidated Municipal Property Tax Relief Act. But that is enough to throw into turmoil the budgets of more than 400 towns that prepare their budget on the calendar year schedule, forcing them to scramble for last-minute cuts, said William Dressel, executive director of the state League of Municipalities.
“There are towns that are going to be confronted with a serious cash flow problem,” said Dressel, who fears that other municipal aid accounts could also be cut. “I’m very much concerned that this is just the first salvo of many more to come.”
Spokesmen for Gov. Jon Corzine and Treasurer David Rousseau did not return calls seeking comment today. Corzine has asked his departments to deliver $400 million in cuts by Tuesday.
One key lawmaker, Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen), said the decision is poorly timed, because the towns left with a year-end deficit will have to build tax increases into their budgets for next year. Sarlo, the incoming chair of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, said he’s also concerned about the state’s legal obligation because it has approved the municipal budgets and certified their state aid.
follow the link for the rest of the story ….
Statehouse Bureau reporter Lisa Fleisher contributed to this report.
Municipalities brace for steep cuts in state aid By Star-Ledger Staff November 29, 2009, 10:45AM
In Hope Township, Mayor Tim McDonough said he’s considering cuts to “sacred cows” like money for senior groups, food banks and recreation programs.
Paterson Mayor Jose Torres said the city may trim budgets for police and fire protection.
All across New Jersey, municipal officials are faced with grim cost-cutting choices as they brace for the possibility of unprecedented cuts to state aid by year’s end, leaving them little room to maneuver.
Jennifer Brown/The Star-LedgerGov. Jon Corzine delivers his 2009 budget speech to a joint session of the New Jersey Legislature.
Gov. Jon Corzine said Thursday he might give towns only a portion of a planned December payment to help patch a growing budget deficit that now stands at $1 billion.
Faced with strained finances, municipalities are already scrambling for savings as they struggle to keep their heads above water, experts and government officials say.
“This isn’t like the good old days, when you adopted the budget and you waited until the following June to put together another budget,” League of Municipalities Executive Director William Dressel said. “Now we’re going month to month, week to week.”
On Wednesday, the state revealed it may freeze up to $400 million in payments to municipalities, schools, higher education, hospitals and pensions.
To cope, towns could lay off workers, borrow money, cut services or spend surpluses. Next year, they may have to raise property taxes to compensate, Dressel said.
Corzine hasn’t said where he’ll cut, but local leaders are holding their breath.
New Jersey municipalities have relied on regular state assistance to fund services since the early ’90s, said Mary Forsberg, who leads New Jersey Policy Perspective. That keeps property taxes, already among the highest in the country, from rising even faster.
“I’ve been through a lot of these budget crises,” Forsberg said. “This is the most serious of any of them that we’ve had.”
Municipalities have already been cutting costs in ways big and small.
New Brunswick eliminated 25 full-time jobs in 2008, then another eight this year. Mount Arlington shares its municipal court with four other towns. In Lambertville, metered parking is in effect three hours longer and the city has imposed a $35 fee for what had been free trash collection.
More cuts like those being weighed in Paterson and Hope Township are still possible, but Forsberg criticized local officials for not cutting more.
“Municipalities are complaining a lot about their situations, but I don’t think many municipalities have really seriously tightened their belt,” she said. “Reality has not sunk in.”
FROM BAD TO WORSE
Bad financial news has been constant background music since Corzine took office in 2006. Falling revenues helped drive down the state’s budget from $33.5 billion in 2007 to $29 billion this year.
Corzine is asking his departments to come up with $400 million in spending cuts by Tuesday, but the state also says it needs $350 million in additional spending, according to a financial disclosure statement released last week.
Tax revenue through the year is off more than $412 million, though two big payments are still pending: holiday sales tax and April income tax.
Gov.-elect Chris Christie, who takes office Jan. 19, said the budget gap is his first priority, saying: “The news of the last 48 hours just shows how desperately out of control government has been in New Jersey.”
Christie’s transition team is scheduled to meet for a second time with Treasury officials next week, and there are already signs of disagreement. Rich Bagger, one of Christie’s top fiscal advisers, said the $350 million in extra spending is unacceptable.
“These budget shortfalls make it clear that the Corzine administration must take urgent and immediate action to bring the budget under control,” he said in a joint statement with Robert Grady, another Christie adviser.
The spending includes items such as Medicaid waivers from the federal government that have not yet come through, Bagger said.
Treasury representatives, who were furloughed Friday in a cost-cutting measure, did not return messages.
FOGGY FORECAST
The state promised $1.77 billion in municipal aid this fiscal year, down from $1.83 billion in the fiscal year that ended in June. Municipalities use the money to fund anything from police and sanitation to health programs and public employee salaries, Dressel said.
Bradley Abelow, Corzine’s former treasurer, said there have always been mid-year budget adjustments at the departmental level, but the economic crisis has stumped forecasters.
“In the past, they’ve been off a little bit, but over the last two years (revenues) have been much harder to project,” he said.
Officials across the state rely on the state’s projections and commitments to plan their budgets, which causes a ripple effect when goals aren’t met.
New Jersey is likely to face more financial pain. In the last fiscal year, the state’s shortfall grew to $4 billion by June. The state is legally required to keep a balanced budget, so state leaders raided rainy day funds and dedicated revenue sources, took millions in federal aid and delayed worker pension and school aid payments.
They also cut department spending and delayed a state employee salary increase.
“No matter how pessimistic the revenue estimates are, they turn out to be not pessimistic enough,” said Jon Shure, deputy director of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
By Chris Megerian and Lisa Fleisher/The Star-Ledger
John Reitmeyer and Mike Frassinelli contributed to this report.
>You get what you pay for. If you want second rate teachers with a high turn over, then pay less and reduce benefits. If we want our schools to be nothing more than day care centers with minimum wage workers your taxes will be reduced. However, the value of you house will also be reduced. Even if you don’t have children in the school system this will cost you in the long run. I think the BOE has made some poor business decisions and that the administration is top heavy. BUT, I still believe that we get above average service from the hands on class room teachers.
Don’t forget, no one is breaking down the school house doors in the nation looking for teaching jobs. Most of us in Ridgewood could not afford to live on $100,000 a year, even with the top level health benefits and a good pension.
>Holiday Bazaar to benefit The Preserve Graydon Coalition Sunday, November 29, 2009 10 AM–4 PM 250 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood (private home, directly across Maple from the Stable) Free admission
What you’ll find: “Save Graydon Pool” car magnets and “Keep Graydon Natural” lawn signs
Christmas/holiday cards featuring Graydon ice skating scene by Dorothy Warren (custom imprinting available);
original oil paintings by late Ridgewood artist Dorothy Warren (above: “Roses in Abundance”)order Cheesecake Aly cheesecakes, choc. chip cookies for delivery Dec. 19
The Key lime is crustless, sugar free, and gluten free—delicious for all! photos of Ridgewood’s downtown clock in all seasons, matted for framing delicate origami constructions, original jewelry, unique pottery home-baked cookies, Dove Chocolate Discoveries Christmas ornaments, wreaths, flameless candles And much more from over 20 vendors!
Park on Mastin Pl., Brookmere Ct., or Meadowbrook Ave. (or other streets off Maple) or in the Stable parking lot.
If you are volunteering at the bazaar, please leave the best parking spots for customers.
See you at the bazaar, 10am–4pm, Sunday, Nov. 29, at 250 N. Maple Ave. Note: Many vendors require cash or check.
Swimmingly, Marcia Ringel and Suzanne Kelly, Co-Chairs The Preserve Graydon Coalition, Inc., a nonprofit corporation “It’s clear—we love Graydon!” [email protected] www.PreserveGraydon.org
>Regarding the teachers benefits for health care plan, transition to a managed care plan likewise known as a HMO, will be made by the end of 2009. Back in March of 2009, an agreement concession for a transition grace period was made by the State Health Benefits Commission and the NJEA, for active and retired teachers. The concession will allow them to delay moving into the cheaper managed care health care plan Horizon Blue Cross PPO, from their more expensive plan, until the end of this year 2009. About time, join the rest of us. Past reference news article..
Your suggestion for a freeze on salaries, should be given consideration, even though our BOE acknowledges the state of the economic recession, they made no concessions this year with regard to salary increases. Its beyond comprehension of what justifies, (aside it being tenure) why many of our Kindergarten to 8th grade teachers salary ranges are $100,000.00. For example, Travell, K-8 has 2 each @ $102,000.; 1 @ $106,000.; 1 @ $90,000.(Kindergarten); Somerville K-8 has 2 each @ $102,000.; Hawes K-8 has 5 @ $102,000.; and 1 Kindergarten @ $102,000.
With all due respect, acknowledging the fact, many teachers have Masters degrees, you have to ask what Do You Really learn in Kindergarten that requires a public paid teacher at this substantial sum $102,000.? In this respect, the tenure system has lead to overqualified and overpaid positions which was intended to be a Public system and not a private system. In the private business world, when one reaches a “salary ceiling” for a position, they are considered overqualified and overcompensated for further raises.
On the proposed $48 Million Budget, everyone should look at this spreadsheet of costs projected over the next 25 years, on the boe site, with regard to the yearly school percentage tax rate, it increases within a couple years, and does not stay at the $37.47 per $100,000 assessed value. Proceed with caution.
As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, many of us begin to ponder the things for which we are thankful. This year has been a particularly tough one for the economy and for Congress:
Over 120 banks have failed this year, and continued bailouts have seen the government become a significant shareholder in multiple banks, as well as a majority of the American auto industry. The House of Representatives passed a failed stimulus package to the tune of $787 billion, along with Cap-and-Trade legislation which many say will kill jobs and a trillion dollar health care package. The Financial Services Committee is also considering a bill that will establish a permanent bailout fund to continue to bail out failing financial companies. I was concerned about this in January (see my January 27th Garrett Gazette, “Incurring Massive Debt is Not a Stimulus Plan”), as I believe massive spending does little to stimulate economic growth. I even wrote a letter to President Obama on January 27, encouraging him to consider additional stimulus options. Unfortunately, Congress passed a “stimulus” that has done nothing to stimulate the economy, and we are currently facing an unemployment rate that is over 10%.
You may ask what this has to do with Thanksgiving. I am writing to let you know that what I am thankful for this Thanksgiving: I’m thankful that it’s not too late to fix our economy. It’s not too late to turn the unemployment trend around. It’s not too late to stop contributing to our country’s massive debt. We’re in a hole right now, so let’s stop digging.
As Congress explores options of yet another stimulus, I would encourage my colleagues to consider an option we haven’t tried yet: tax relief for small businesses that will enable them to create jobs for Americans.
In January, I introduced H.R. 470, The Economic Recovery and Middle-Class Tax Relief Act, an economic stimulus package designed to provide short-term stimulus, while encouraging long-term economic growth.
This legislation focuses on broad, growth-oriented, permanent incentives for economic activity across all sectors and industries, with immediate application and sustained, long-term implications. Provisions center around three main themes: support for families through tax relief, economic relief for American businesses and entrepreneurs, and protection for future generations from a crushing debt burden.
I’m sure that by now, you’ve seen the stories about the millions of stimulus dollars that went to create jobs in congressional districts that don’t exist (i.e. New Jersey’s 80th district – as a reminder, we only have 13 representatives. See the Wall Street Journal editorial, “The Phantom Jobs Stimulus: ‘Who knows, man, who really knows’” for an in depth discussion of this issue). Rather than spend taxpayer dollars on programs the government might have great difficulty administrating effectively, The Economic Recovery and Middle-Class Tax Relief Act is a tax relief program which allows businesses and individuals to keep more of their own money. I have confidence that you know how to manage your money more effectively than the government does.
I will continue to work to protect your taxpayer dollars from government abuse: I have opposed ALL bailouts, as well as Congressional spending that grows our federal deficit. I will also continue to work with my colleagues to propose taxpayer-friendly alternatives. With your continued support, we can spread the message of fiscal responsibility throughout Washington, DC. It’s not too late to fix our economy, but we need to act now to change our course.
Each year at this time school children all over America are taught the official Thanksgiving story, and newspapers, radio, TV, and magazines devote vast amounts of time and space to it. It is all very colorful and fascinating.
It is also very deceiving. This official story is nothing like what really happened. It is a fairy tale, a whitewashed and sanitized collection of half-truths which divert attention away from Thanksgiving’s real meaning.
The official story has the pilgrims boarding the Mayflower, coming to America and establishing the Plymouth colony in the winter of 1620-21. This first winter is hard, and half the colonists die. But the survivors are hard working and tenacious, and they learn new farming techniques from the Indians. The harvest of 1621 is bountiful. The Pilgrims hold a celebration, and give thanks to God. They are grateful for the wonderful new abundant land He has given them.
The official story then has the Pilgrims living more or less happily ever after, each year repeating the first Thanksgiving. Other early colonies also have hard times at first, but they soon prosper and adopt the annual tradition of giving thanks for this prosperous new land called America.
The problem with this official story is that the harvest of 1621 was not bountiful, nor were the colonists hardworking or tenacious. 1621 was a famine year and many of the colonists were lazy thieves.
In his ‘History of Plymouth Plantation,’ the governor of the colony, William Bradford, reported that the colonists went hungry for years, because they refused to work in the fields. They preferred instead to steal food. He says the colony was riddled with “corruption,” and with “confusion and discontent.” The crops were small because “much was stolen both by night and day, before it became scarce eatable.”
In the harvest feasts of 1621 and 1622, “all had their hungry bellies filled,” but only briefly. The prevailing condition during those years was not the abundance the official story claims, it was famine and death. The first “Thanksgiving” was not so much a celebration as it was the last meal of condemned men.
But in subsequent years something changes. The harvest of 1623 was different. Suddenly, “instead of famine now God gave them plenty,” Bradford wrote, “and the face of things was changed, to the rejoicing of the hearts of many, for which they blessed God.” Thereafter, he wrote, “any general want or famine hath not been amongst them since to this day.” In fact, in 1624, so much food was produced that the colonists were able to begin exporting corn.
What happened?
After the poor harvest of 1622, writes Bradford, “they began to think how they might raise as much corn as they could, and obtain a better crop.” They began to question their form of economic organization.
This had required that “all profits & benefits that are got by trade, working, fishing, or any other means” were to be placed in the common stock of the colony, and that, “all such persons as are of this colony, are to have their meat, drink, apparel, and all provisions out of the common stock.” A person was to put into the common stock all he could, and take out only what he needed.
This “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need” was an early form of socialism, and it is why the Pilgrims were starving. Bradford writes that “young men that are most able and fit for labor and service” complained about being forced to “spend their time and strength to work for other men’s wives and children.” Also, “the strong, or man of parts, had no more in division of victuals and clothes, than he that was weak.” So the young and strong refused to work and the total amount of food produced was never adequate.
To rectify this situation, in 1623 Bradford abolished socialism. He gave each household a parcel of land and told them they could keep what they produced, or trade it away as they saw fit. In other words, he replaced socialism with a free market, and that was the end of famines.
Many early groups of colonists set up socialist states, all with the same terrible results. At Jamestown, established in 1607, out of every shipload of settlers that arrived, less than half would survive their first twelve months in America. Most of the work was being done by only one-fifth of the men, the other four-fifths choosing to be parasites. In the winter of 1609-10, called “The Starving Time,” the population fell from five-hundred to sixty.
Then the Jamestown colony was converted to a free market, and the results were every bit as dramatic as those at Plymouth. In 1614, Colony Secretary Ralph Hamor wrote that after the switch there was “plenty of food, which every man by his own industry may easily and doth procure.” He said that when the socialist system had prevailed, “we reaped not so much corn from the labors of thirty men as three men have done for themselves now.”
Before these free markets were established, the colonists had nothing for which to be thankful. They were in the same situation as Ethiopians are today, and for the same reasons. But after free markets were established, the resulting abundance was so dramatic that the annual Thanksgiving celebrations became common throughout the colonies, and in 1863, Thanksgiving became a national holiday.
Thus the real reason for Thanksgiving, deleted from the official story, is: Socialism does not work; the one and only source of abundance is free markets, and we thank God we live in a country where we can have them.
* * * * * Mr. Maybury writes on investments.
This article originally appeared in The Free Market, November 1985.
