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Re: Rolando Lavaro, Committed to Selfishness
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Fedup is right. Rolando flip flops to whoever he thinks will help him and is loyal to know one. Hard to get anywhere when you are burning all your bridges. He's done.

Posted on: 2011/9/16 14:06
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Re: Massive PATH and Hudson River Crossings Toll Increase
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Quote:

BadCircles wrote:
Way to stay on message with those protest signs.

There are huge delays on PATH trains the day the PA has to defend the hikes to the public, and we look like the dumb ones.


Sad, but so true...

Posted on: 2011/8/16 13:36
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Re: 2011 Board of Education Election - Steve Fulop backed candidates
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Marvin Adames is a true gentleman and a man of great accomplishment. I wish him great success tomorrow.

Posted on: 2011/4/27 4:35
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Re: Monaco Towers - Washington Boulevard & 6th Street
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Lemme guess... you like to say things like "I saw (fill in name of favorite band) play two years before their first album was released".... Because those people are sooooo much more interesting than "yuppie snobs" and "pretentious Manhattan folk". Get over yourself. If people like what you like, forwhatever reason, that should make you feel good, not superior because you were here first.

Quote:

crushthedemoniac wrote:

I don't think anyone from JC actually thinks they're better than anyone else, I know I don't . We simply don't like being lumped in with NYC since some "pioneer" discovered JC and made it "cool" since its sooooo close to lower Manhattan. We also don't like having yuppie snobs from the burbs and pretentious Manhattan folk taking over. Say I'm whining all you want, its my opinion and many others share the same.

Posted on: 2011/4/19 19:44
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BOARD OF EDUCATION COMMERCIALS???
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I just saw a board of education commercial for not entirely sure as was half a sleep but I think it was Fran Thompson and Sue Mack. Anyone else see it?

Posted on: 2011/4/13 15:27
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Re: Jersey City City Council tables city's plan to rent 95 parking spaces for $7,125 per month
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Why do we have a parking authority? Why don't the police do this job like in many other cities?

Posted on: 2011/3/26 1:56
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Re: Jersey City Police Department lay offs and budget cuts
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Quote:

Mathias wrote:

So which is it?

Is the problem that public sector unions are successful and now teachers, police officers etc make too much money, their health insurance is too good and their pensions too generous to the point where the taxpayer can no longer afford it?

Or is it that the very wealthy and large corporations have succeeded in fundamentally altering the tax code to the point where their share of the tax burden has dropped tremendously forcing the average citizen to make up the loss?


Why is it either/or? Clearly both factors are at play - plus an out-of-control governmental structure that ends up with NJ having three times as many public employees (as a percentage of the workforce) as the average state. They are all important causes.

I've said a few times now that I agree completely with your view of how the favorable treatment of corporations and the creation of the two-class system is gutting the country. But you seem to be using it as an argument for getting more revenue to pay public employees, not as a means to at least shift some of the burden and alleviate some of the horrific load the NJ taxpayer carries (highest property and income taxes in the country.) That has to be a consideration too.

Quote:

Mathias wrote:
The average police officers salary is not extravagant and i'd say they deserve a pension and healthcare...the same goes for teachers and other public workers. Things are bad enough I dont want to see teachers and police officers living paycheck to paycheck and having nothing when it comes to retirement.


Deserve? Police officers and teachers (and other public workers) "deserve" something that practically no one else gets? Why? The only argument that holds water to me is that there is a contractual obligation that entitles them to it - and breaking that contract, if it becomes necessary, will be a terrible outcome for those affected and for the further erosion of trust in the government. But "deserve"? Mid-career uniformed police and fire personnel already make well above average pay - often more than people who are far more educated. Why do they inherently "deserve" a pension? Why do they "deserve" superior health benefits? Good for them that they've managed to game the system and negotiate well, but I don't see how that qualifies these entitlements as deserved.

Joining a union isn't a practical option for most people. Maybe we'd live in a better world if it were, but that's not the system we have. I've always admired the German system - I think they have a great balance that fairly rewards workers for their efforts and recognizes the important contributions labor makes to the success of a corporation. But that is Germany, not the U.S. Right or wrong, the U.S. has gone down the corporate/greed path that it has - likely to its great peril. That is a great topic for debate, books, documentaries, etc. - we both know that reform of that nature would take decades, if it's even possible. The crisis facing states and municipalities is real and immediate. We can be proactive or reactive, but fiscal bombs will be exploding across the country over the next several years and all sides are going to suffer.

Posted on: 2011/1/3 13:18
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Re: Jersey City Police Department lay offs and budget cuts
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Quote:

Mathias wrote:
Quote:

La_Verdad wrote:


Agree 100%. However, whatever the cause we are drowning right now. Does it matter if it is because the pipe leaked or someone left the faucet run?


It matters because if it is a pipe that is leaking then fixing the faucet will be temporary and eventually the pipe will burst.

The words we use matter and how we orient this debate is important to how we address the root of the problem.


Perhaps I could have chosen a better illustration - my point was that if you see someone drowning, what good is it to stand and speculate as to how that came to be? Don't you need to stop the drowning first?

I understand your point and the reluctance of unions in general to make emergency concessions. The problem in all of this is that the negotiating tactics and political agendas have become completely divorced from the what is in the best interest of the people. That's where the general state of anger is coming from. I have never voted Republican in my life - but I'm really questioning a lot of things I used to automatically accept and I don't think I'm alone in that regard.

Of course we need police, fire, teachers and other municipal employees. Let's be honest though, in part due to the historical success of the unions, the people can no longer afford the payroll, benefits, pensions and perks they receive. Something has broken structurally and that needs to be addressed, independent of which side "wins".

Posted on: 2011/1/3 3:24
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Re: Jersey City Police Department lay offs and budget cuts
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Quote:
Mathias wrote:

Yes, a big part of the revenue problem is the fact that over the last 30 years (and especially the last 10) the rich and corporations are paying less and less. That's where our anger should be focused because until that fundamental issue is addressed we will continue to jump from crisis to crisis.


Agree 100%. However, whatever the cause we are drowning right now. Does it matter if it is because the pipe leaked or someone left the faucet run?


Quote:
Mathias wrote:

How do you figure the union is acting in its own self-interest? If the union, as an institution, were solely concerned about itself it would do whatever it takes to keep more officers employed because that generates more dues.


Technically true - a union is an institution. But it is led by men. Men who, like all others, are motivated by basic needs such as survival and other self interests. That is why unions are almost always willing to trade away job cuts for a better deal for the surviving employees/members. As long as there is even one member left in the union, leadership still has a purpose. You dismiss the goal of saving jobs as not something a "good union" would do. If I am in your union and can't count on the most basic protection - that of continued employment - why the hell would I want you in the first place?

Quote:

Mathias wrote:
The city has not declared bankruptcy.


Semantics. Bankruptcy is a legal term. Whether or not the city has filed for bankruptcy doesn't change its fiscal condition. Its bills greatly exceed its ability to pay.

We are in complete agreement that the mismanagement of this and previous administrations has brought the city to this point. The city deserves better than the leadership it currently has, but has itself to blame for not voting in leaders who are qualified and care about the city's future. And the unions aren't without blame here - they pumped in hundreds of thousands of dollars into the Healy '09 campaign and assured four more years of this train wreck.

Posted on: 2011/1/3 2:51
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Re: CITY REBUFFS POLICE UNION OFFER FOR CONSESSIONS
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Quote:

Mathias wrote:
The current fiscal crisis has its origins in a complex transfer of wealth and rewriting of the social contract that has been going on for the last 30 years.


No doubt. But the problem is that the tax system depends on the contributions of everyone. And in Jersey City, the middle class is hit harder than the upper class because of tax abatements and the composition of the population.

If the police union really existed for the benefit of its brothers and sisters and not just its own self-interest, how could they not agree to a small (relative to what a lot of other people have been through recently) pay cut to save the jobs of its members? I read in the paper that the union is worried that if they give in now it will only lead to further requests down the road. What difference does it make if they get pressure in the future? They would still have the ability to say no.

You can't argue that the city isn't broke. The causes of its insolvency are disgusting, but they doesn't change the facts. How does the city pay its bills without employees being affected? Serious question.

Posted on: 2011/1/2 17:27
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Re: Jersey City Police Department lay offs and budget cuts
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Quote:

letssavejc wrote:
The traditional plan was merely one of the plans offered by blue cross. If you ask anyone, the plan that we agreed to go to is actually a better plan while it saves the city millions.


I don't see how the union can call that a concession - it's something that is above and beyond what the typical person gets and should have been changed long ago. That's one of the big problems with a union - everything becomes a bargaining chip. If the rest of the world has changed to HMOs and the like, why should a union get to wring concessions out of the city or state for taking an action that is consistent with how the rest of the world is operating?

Quote:
The union has provided a 27 point plan in which the city can obtain the revenue to balance the police budget.


I've heard people talking about this plan but haven't seen it anywhere. Why doesn't the union publish it in the paper? Why give all the power to the city by letting them just sit on it? If it is a winner - let the public see it and they'll pressure the administration to do what's right.

Posted on: 2011/1/2 17:17
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Re: Jersey City Police Department lay offs and budget cuts
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Quote:

letssavejc wrote:
letssavejc@yahoo.com
JCPD is one of the best police departments in the state of NJ. While it is a young aggressive department, it is at the same time an older police department with 90 men being able to retire any day.


If those 90 men who are eligible to retire did so, you could not only keep the 82 but probably hire another 50 to 100 cops at the low end of the pay scale and still get the savings the city is looking for. This isn't about safety. This is about the union protecting its self interests.

Quote:
The union is not looking to bleed anyone dry. They have given back much more than anyone knows. The savings from the traditional plan itself is millions. After Jan 1 2012 they will have to pay into their benefits as well. What else does the public want.


Those aren't concessions. They are merely bringing the police in line with modern times and the rest of the world. No one has a "traditional plan" any more and I can assure you that people would line up and beg to be able to pay only 1.5% of their pay for health insurance.

Quote:
No one cared about what the cops got until the private sector started getting hurt, now the cops and fire and teachers are in the crosshairs. No one cared about raises when hte private sector people were getting bonuses that dwarfed a cops yearly salary. Now they want to take from the guy getting $35 an hour at the construction site because their unemployment is running out. I think it is a bit selfish.


Relatively few people were getting bonuses that dwarfed a cops yearly salary. Average income didn't all of a sudden jump to $250,000 a year or more around here. The truth is the average person doesn't make as much as a mid-career cop. And true - the pension system was grossly mismanaged. Not only has the state borrowed from it when it shouldn't but it also made massive promises (an out of the blue 9% raise in 2000 when DiFrancesco wanted to get elected) that never should have been allowed. You aren't complaining about that though. People are upset about the pension and benefits burden because they are the ones who have to pay for it. What is selfish about that?

Posted on: 2011/1/2 15:51
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Re: Atomic Wings owners suing JC over delays in opening
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The Silvermans seem to know People. Hard to imagine one of their tenants having a permitting problem.

Posted on: 2010/11/1 19:08
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Re: Irish Festival at Exchange Pl. Today
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Quote:

robotjustin wrote:
Sounds awful.


No doubt. If Ireland is so great, how come everyone leaves?

Posted on: 2010/9/26 1:59
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Re: Omar Perez to be appointed Councilman at Large
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Truth? Guess he had to cave in to the Puerto Ricans afterall huh?

Posted on: 2010/9/24 1:56
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