This is the biggest financial decision made in Ridgewood every year. Voters should be asked to give their approval. If this role is eliminated, the gulf in perspective and priorities between Ridgewood residents on the one hand, and the Ridgewood school district and its safely-ensconced bureaucrats on the other, already large, will only widen, much to our disadvantage.
Voting to approve or disapprove of our school budget in Ridgewood is the essence of local self-government. This has always has been a strong NJ tradition and now is no time to discard it. It is also reasonable to view BOE trustees as the agents of the voters and taxpayers in Ridgewood, much as the some of the existing trustees may tend to cringe at that description.
Accordingly, the BOE trustees should not be permitted to give themselves the final word in whether or how to spend 80+ million dollars annually or to increase spending YOY versus holding the line if financial circumstances warrant and the taxpayers are strapped. BOE trustees, this resident asks that you maintain the status quo on the Ridgewood school district’s annual budget vote. Ridgewood residents need that authority and the BOE trustees don’t need to tinker with it!
Con Men Prey on Confusion Over Health Care Act
By JESSICA SILVER-GREENBERG and SUSANNE CRAIG
Published: November 9, 2013
To the list of problems plaguing President Obama’s health care law, add one more — fraud.
With millions of Americans frustrated and bewildered by the trouble-prone federal website for health insurance, con men and unscrupulous marketers are seizing their chance. State and federal authorities report a rising number of consumer complaints, ranging from deceptive sales practices to identity theft, linked to the Affordable Care Act.
Madeleine Mirzayans was fooled when a man posing as a government official knocked on her door. Barbara Miller and Maevis Ethan were pitched by telemarketers who claimed to work for Medicaid. And Buford Price was almost caught by another trap: websites that look official but are actually bait set by fly-by-night insurance operators.
Christie vs Buono Election Pits School Choice against the NJEA
November 4, 2013
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, One issue playing an very significant role just blow the surface to this gubernatorial election between Gov. Chris Christie and Democratic candidate rival for governor Barbara Buono is education reform .
So far the only people that seem keenly aware of this is the NJEA with its over the top support for Democratic candidate Barbara Buono . While the press has simply ignored the issue Bruono and the teachers union have campaigned vigoriously .
A comparison on educational positions between Republican Governor Christie and Democratic candidate for governor state Sen. Barbara Buono show a stark difference on educational policy.
According to the Bergen record Christie and Buono have nearly opposite views when it comes to education – especially on school funding, vouchers and preschool. Indeed, the governor has long sparred with the state’s largest teachers union, the New Jersey Education Association, while Buono has been warmly supported by it.
Christie: The governor wants to give companies tax credits for helping low-income families pay for private tuitions. He argues children trapped in failing schools deserve better choices and competition will improve traditional district options.
He bolstered total state aid for education to a record $12.4 billion this year. But direct aid to districts, known as formula aid, is $7.85 billion – and some district leaders say they have barely climbed back to prerecession levels of state aid in the wake of cuts Christie imposed in 2010 during the fiscal crisis.
Christie increased funding for free preschool slots for poor urban children slightly this year but did not expand the program to more districts despite previous state plans to do so.
He championed a new law that made it harder for teachers to earn and keep tenure and required more rigorous teacher evaluations.
In higher education, Christie had opposed the so-called Dream Act, which would allow in-state tuition rates at public colleges for students who were brought here illegally as children. He recently said in a debate that he would revisit the issue.
Buono: The state senator is against vouchers (educational choice for the poor) , saying they drain precious resources from traditional public schools (failed Abbott schools) . She has endorsed having some quality charters as labs for innovation but says they have been overemphasized by Christie; she wants local voters to approve any new charters.
As an author of the School Funding Reform Act of 2008 (Abbott Schools) , Buono says she wants to fully fund the formula; the state has not allocated as much as the formula requires for aid to districts. She said accomplishing that goal would need to be phased in. Christie has tried to revise the formula to slightly trim extra aid for at-risk children.
Buono also wants to expand public preschool, full-day kindergarten and after-school enrichment programs.
Buono supports the Dream Act. She has also pledged to reform the system that makes higher-education funding subject to the vagaries of the state budgeting process.
By anyone’s standard out side public education the Abbott School districts has been a very expensive colossal failure , and a prime reason property taxes are out of control making it absolutely essential for those looking to enhance educational opportunities to the poor to defeat the NJEA and Barbra Buono .
The Ridgewood blog Endorses Steve Lonegan for US Senate !
the following article captures all the reasons why ….
Editors Special Note : Mike Kelly did and excellent job on this piece , like Lonegan or not its fair , well written and the kind of journalism that Mike got his superior reputation from .
Steve Lonegan’s Passion fueled by challenges
Sunday October 13, 2013, 12:37 AM
By MIKE KELLY
RECORD COLUMNIST
Some people can point to a moment when their life changed and they embarked on a new path. For Steve Lonegan, the conservative Republican running for U.S. Senate in Wednesday’s special election, that moment arrived about two years after he graduated from college.
It was 1982. Lonegan was legally blind — a final diagnosis after years of deteriorating vision from retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary eye condition he had been battling since he was 16.
He could not find a job, he said. His only income was a Social Security disability check. He felt like a failure — or, as he described his predicament recently, “trapped” in “the entitlement state.”
So, he said, he canceled his disability checks.
What may seem reckless and irresponsible to some was, to Lonegan, a sign of personal independence. It was also a sign of things to come.
Lonegan eventually jumped into politics and became a torchbearer for the anti-government Tea Party movement. And after being dismissed over the summer as a maverick conservative who never won elective office outside tiny Bogota, where he served three terms as mayor, he has emerged in recent days as a serious opponent to Cory Booker, the Democratic mayor of Newark. Booker’s 30-point lead in August has shrunk to around 12 points, according to several recent polls. (Kelly/The Record)
Steve Lonegan: Leader not tweeter
Monday October 7, 2013, 8:21 AM
By ALFRED P. DOBLIN
RECORD EDITORIAL COLUMNIST
HE’S A LEADER, not a tweeter. You got to love Steve Lonegan. That was his message during a U.S. Senate debate with Cory Booker taped in Trenton on Friday. The Republican and the Democrat faced off during a 60-minute debate that aired Sunday on ABC. I was a panelist.
Booker is the undisputed king of Facebook, but Lonegan is emperor of In-Your-Face. I say that with some admiration. Agree or disagree with his policies, Lonegan has done what Barbara Buono, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, has failed to accomplish: Run an effective campaign.
Despite a misstep over Booker’s pedicures, Lonegan has been doing what he does best. He is an everyman, angry, agitated and never silent. He is more than the natural progression of Howard Beale, the run-amok anchorman from the film “Network”; he is Howard Beale and Howard Roark, the Ayn Rand protagonist. Lonegan believes every man (and I assume every woman) should be able to pull himself or herself up by their bootstraps. Reduce government. Get rid of unnecessary federal departments, like education, and go out and get a job.
Booker is an unabashed social liberal, with a few exceptions. The contrast in style could not have been greater watching the two men face off Friday. They are both completely comfortable in their own skins. Booker is criticized for being more of a brand than a public official, but if Booker is a brand, Lonegan is brand X. They both understand that contemporary politics is fueled by personalities first and politics second.
How Tax Reform Can Boost Investment and Economic Growth
International Comparisons Show U.S. Falling Behind
Washington, D.C., September 23, 2013—In a new study by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, Chief Economist William McBride, Ph.D. explains how U.S. tax policy is stifling economic growth and domestic investment, and details five tax reform measures that will strengthen the country’s economic outlook in the competitive global market.
The United States’ low investment and slow economic growth stands in sharp contrast to the high investment and rapid economic growth of China and India, and even the more moderate progress of countries like South Korea, Slovakia, and Estonia.
“Since the 1960s, the higher investment rate of many of our trading partners has shown a strong correlation with economic growth,” said McBride. “This means that in the long run, a growing economy is largely determined by investment. Furthermore, it indicates that if the U.S. increased investment by about 50 percent, growth would likely double.”
“While the rest of the world has been competing for capital, the U.S. remains trapped in a debate over how best to boost consumption,” added McBride. “Perhaps officials are unaware that the U.S. has one of the highest rates of consumption in the world and one of the lowest rates of investment and economic growth.”
In fact, Americans consume about 72 percent of GDP—higher than any developed country except Greece. Meanwhile, Americans invest about 15 percent of GDP—lower than any developed country except the UK. If the U.S. is to achieve even the average economic growth rate among developed countries, it will require boosting investment significantly above current levels.
Tax reform can address these problems. First, corporate investment can be increased by reducing the statutory corporate tax rate, currently the highest in the developed world. Second, improved capital allowances would boost both corporate and non-corporate investment. Third, most business income is taxed under the individual code, so reducing the top marginal tax rate on individual income would also boost business investment. Fourth, reducing relatively high shareholder taxes would reduce the double taxation of corporate investment. Finally, moving to a territorial tax system like that of our major trading partners would allow U.S. multinational corporations to invest more at home and abroad.
Tax Foundation Fiscal Fact No. 395 “How Tax Reform Can Address America’s Diminishing Investment and Economic Growth,” by William McBride is available online. To schedule an interview, please contact Tax Foundation Communications Associate Richard Borean at 202-464-5120 or [email protected].
The Tax Foundation is a nonpartisan research organization that has monitored fiscal policy at the federal, state, and local levels since 1937.
Postal Service proposes 3-cent rate hike for stamps
Gary Strauss, USA TODAY
First-class postage stamps could rise to 49 cents starting in 2014 under a Wednesday proposal by the cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service. The increase would raise about $2 billion in additional revenue a year.
Under the plan, first-class mail postage would rise 3 cents, or 6.5%. Pricing for other mail, including postcards and packages, would also rise on Jan. 26.
The Postal Service’s governing board said the increases are needed due to the “precarious financial condition” of the Postal Service, which is under congressional mandate to fund billions in future retirement benefits of postal workers.
“Of the options currently available to the Postal Service to align costs and revenue, increasing postage prices is a last resort that reflects extreme financial challenges,” Board of Governors Chairman Mickey Barnett said.
Why Is Education Commissioner Cerf Standing In Way Of School Choice?
September 4,2013
Ridgewood NJ, Today marks the beginning of another school year for most New Jersey students. Unlike Ridgewood, far too many New Jersey school kids will find themselves trapped for another year in some of our worst schools with no way out—no way to attend a better school that affords them the kind of opportunity for the future they deserve. This is unacceptable. Today, New Jersey should be embracing school choice and allowing parents the option to enroll their kids in schools that are not failing them.
Trenton, Newark, Camden , Atlantic City …..
Three months ago, however, Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf denied 850 New Jersey children the chance to attend the school of their choice. For years, the New Jersey Department of Education had been negotiating with two online charter schools to open up in the Garden State. The two schools jumped through all of the bureaucratic hoops, received government approval last spring, and even started hiring teachers and enrolling students.
But, at the very last minute, Commissioner Cerf stepped in and revoked the schools’ applications, claiming that there’s insufficient evidence that online learning improves student performance. Any New Jersey schoolchild could tell Commissioner Cerf that the evidence will continue to be insufficient if he doesn’t give virtual schools a chance in New Jersey. It’s elementary logic.
Think of the future ,thousands of New Jersey children are stuck in a failing public school with little opportunity to escape. Even our state’s brick-and-mortar charter schools are often inaccessible since they are subject to enrollment caps, rendering many children’s future subject to the luck of a lottery. Online learning, on the other hand, would expand school choice to any New Jersey schoolchild with an Internet connection. This new frontier of education is something that the Garden State should embrace, not shun for an outdated one-size-fits-all model that is failing too many of our kids.
Sadly, it’s too late for the 850 students to access online school choice this year since the two virtual schools’ application have already been denied. However, it’s not over yet. Americans for Prosperity – New Jersey will continue to push forward for a virtual school to open up next year. New Jersey schoolchildren have been waiting much too long for the guarantee of a quality education they deserve.
Meanwhile, call Commissioner Cerf at 609-292-4450! Urge him to stop impeding school choice and preventing New Jersey kids from being able to access the education they deserve!
Lavallette Police Chief Colin Grant arrested for allegedly assaulting girlfriend
August 27, 2013
the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, In another black eye to the Jersey shore News 12 is reporting that Lavallette Police Chief Colin Grant, 48, of Toms River, has been arrested for assault as the result of a domestic dispute .
Police say Grant’s girlfriend told them she was assaulted late Friday night in the house she shares with Grant. After officers noticed injuries on the female while interviewing her Police determined Grant assaulted her.
Grant was arrested and has surrendered his service and personal weapons.
Lavallette is known to motorist as a major speed trap at the Jersey Shore .
MetLife Stadium Fans told to leave their bags at home
August 17, 2013
NFL TEAMS TO ENHANCE PUBLIC SAFETY AND
IMPROVE STADIUM ACCESS FOR FANS
To provide a safer environment for the public and significantly expedite fan entry into stadiums, NFL teams have implemented an NFL policy this year that limits the size and type of bags that may be brought into stadiums.
The NFL Committee on Stadium Security in May unanimously recommended the implementation of this measure that will enhance public safety and make it easier for fans to gain access to all stadiums.
The NFL strongly encourages fans to not bring any type of bags, but outlined today what is permissible. Beginning with preseason games, fans will be able to carry the following style and size bag, package, or container at stadium plaza areas, stadium gates, or when approaching queue lines of fans awaiting entry into the stadium:
Bags that are clear plastic, vinyl or PVC and do not exceed 12” x 6” x 12.” (Official NFL team logo clear plastic tote bags will be available through club merchandise outlets or at nflshop.com/allclear), or
One-gallon clear plastic freezer bag (Ziploc bag or similar).
Small clutch bags, approximately the size of a hand, with or without a handle or strap can be taken into the stadium with one of the clear plastic bags.
An exception will be made for medically necessary items after proper inspection at a gate designated for this purpose.
Prohibited items include, but are not limited to: purses larger than a clutch bag, coolers, briefcases, backpacks, fanny packs, cinch bags, seat cushions, luggage of any kind, computer bags and camera bags or any bag larger than the permissible size.
Fans will continue to be able to enjoy their tailgate activities in the parking lots and to do so with greater safety and the knowledge that their entry into the stadium will be smoother and faster. They also will continue to be able to carry items allowed into the stadium, such as binoculars, cameras, and smart phones.
As the 2013 season approaches, we encourage fans to visit individual NFL team websites for specific stadium information
No more mail at your door? Postal Service considers halting doorstep delivery
Wednesday, July 24, 2013 Last updated: Wednesday July 24, 2013, 11:44 PM
BY ANDREW MIGA
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Door-to-door mail delivery is about as American as apple pie. With the Postal Service facing billions of dollars in annual losses, that tradition could be virtually phased out by 2022 under a proposal in Congress.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Wednesday approved a plan to move to cluster box and curbside delivery, which includes mailboxes at the end of driveways.
The proposal is part of broader legislation by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the oversight and government reform panel, designed to cut costs at the cash-strapped agency by up to $4.5 billion a year. The Postal Service had a $16 billion loss last year.
The bill was approved on a party-line vote, with 22 Republicans supporting it and 17 Democrats opposing it.
Postal Service spokesman David Partenheimer said the agency would evaluate Issa’s bill based on whether it would enable the agency to make $20 billion in savings by 2017.
“The Postal Service looks forward to working with Chairman Issa and the committee to improve the bill as it makes its way through the legislative process,” Partenheimer said.
George Zimmerman Emerged From Hiding for Truck Crash Rescue
By MATT GUTMAN (@mattgutmanABC) and ALEXIS SHAW (@ashaw109)
July 22, 2013
George Zimmerman, who has been in hiding since he was acquitted of murder in the death of Trayvon Martin, emerged to help rescue a family who was trapped in an overturned vehicle, police said today.
Zimmerman was one of two men who came to the aid of a family of four — two parents and two children — trapped inside a blue Ford Explorer SUV that had rolled over after traveling off the highway in Sanford, Fla. at approximately 5:45 p.m. Thursday, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The crash occurred at the intersection of I-4 and route Route 46, police said. The crash site is less than a mile from where Zimmerman shot Martin.
Senate Candidate Steve Lonegan Takes the Fight to Newark, Calls Booker Out on Vouchers
“Cory Booker has failed the children, the parents, and the taxpayers of Newark in never providing school choice and never solving the deep problems confronting Newark.”
Irvington Resident Asks Booker to Tell the Truth on Vouchers :“My children don’t have the luxury of waiting another 10 years for our politicians to get their act together.”
NEWARK, NJ – In a press conference in Newark today, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Steve Lonegan kicked off his “Exposing Cory Booker” tour by calling on Cory Booker to explain why he never implemented school vouchers for children trapped in Newark’s failing public schools.
In the past, Cory Booker has claimed to support school vouchers, but during his seven years as mayor of Newark, Booker never implemented vouchers. And last week, when called out by Mayor Lonegan, Booker’s campaign said, Booker’s “first priority is strengthening public education,” but “in areas where schools are currently failing our children, however, he believes that parents should have options.” (Philadelphia Inquirer, 07/13/13)
“Seven years ago, I was excited when Cory Booker ran for mayor and pledged to make a real difference in Newark’s failing education system,” Mayor Lonegan said. “I was excited because there was finally a Democrat promising to institute real school vouchers in one of America’s poorest cities. But now it’s seven years later, and absolutely nothing has happened.
“Cory Booker has failed the children, the parents, and the taxpayers of Newark in never providing school choice and never solving the deep problems confronting Newark. When a child drops out of school, their chances of turning toward crime goes up; their chances of being trapped in a life of poverty goes up; their chances of being dependent on the government welfare system goes up. All because Cory Booker refused to live up to his promises.
“Last year, Newark passed a milestone when its school budget flew past the $1 BILLION mark, funded by suburban taxpayers across the state. And despite one of the highest per-pupil costs in the nation – at nearly $24,000 – we continue to see massive drop out rates. The graduation rate in Newark is an astonishingly low 29 percent.
“But this isn’t just about statistics – this is about people. This is about children who have been failed by Cory Booker’s education system. Cory Booker can put out all the tweets in the world – it doesn’t change the fact that he has failed a generation of students.
“I call on Cory Booker to say once and for all whether he will support school vouchers in the U.S. Senate or whether he will allow President Obama to deny children the hope of a better future. New Jersey children and parents deserve an answer. Minnie Cuebas, who spoke about how she can’t afford to send her three daughters to private school, deserves an answer. New Jersey voters deserve an answer now.”
Bear sightings in North Jersey increase in recent weeks
Thursday June 27, 2013, 3:00 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
The number of black bear sightings in North Jersey has seemingly increased in recent weeks, as evidenced by the capture of two yearlings in Ridgewood last week.
Emergency responders from the village and Paramus as well as Tyco Animal Control officers spent a portion of last weekend tracking, trapping and safely relocating a small bear that crossed from one town to the next. That bear was trapped and tranquilized by state Division of Fish and Wildlife officers in the Community Gardens at Maple Park last Sunday.
Next stop for Wi-Fi: NJ Transit stations
Monday June 10, 2013, 8:43 PM
BY KAREN RO– USE
STAFF WRITER
The Record
Last year, an NJ Transit customer asked the agency on Twitter: “When are you getting wireless on the train? I mean we spend tons of money commuting each month and can’t get free Wi-Fi?”
“We’re on the same page & currently researching Wi-Fi opps for stations & trains with a vendor – hope to have more to share soon,” NJ Transit tweeted back.
For the army of laptop-strapped, tablet-toting, smartphone-carrying customers, Wi-Fi access on NJ Transit trains and stations could soon be a reality.
NJ Transit’s board is scheduled to vote Wednesday on an agreement with Cablevision to provide high-speed Wi-Fi to riders. Although specifics were not revealed in advance of their meeting, customer demand played a role, said Nancy Snyder, spokeswoman for NJ Transit.
Cablevision will provide the equipment that will allow NJ Transit customers to “browse the Internet, send and receive email, and use other Internet-based applications at NJ Transit’s… rail stations and platforms, and ultimately onboard rail cars during their travel,” according to the meeting agenda.
Kelly McAndrew, spokeswoman for Cablevision, said the company is looking “forward to working closely with NJ Transit on completing this process.”
