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Re: Will fire department cutbacks threaten public safety? Union says yes; city says no
#31
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Quote:

BassFace wrote:
I believe the union, I guess I am considered to be a communist for that........


No, you're not a communist, you just believe some people should be grossly overpaid and hired based on connections. Think of unions as the retail version of corporate executives. That might help the visual.

Posted on: 2010/2/9 15:26
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Re: Will fire department cutbacks threaten public safety? Union says yes; city says no
#32
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Quote:

ErinMaiden wrote:
unions are sucking this country dry. there was a time and a place for them. that time is gone.


+1 They are at the heart of the problem of municipal finances.

Posted on: 2010/2/8 20:41
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Re: Ready to give up living in this city...
#33
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Quote:

ThirdGrove wrote:
OK, this is a bit off topic. ...

My beloved idea of municipal consolidation is a lot more likely to pass that any school changes due to unions and support among politicians for the status quo. So we will see schools change when pigs fly.


Thanks for the explanation. I don't think this discussion is off topic since the quality, or lack thereof, of our school system is a large part of the reason that many of the new transplants to JC don't stay for the long run. Hamilton Park is currently over-run by toddlers, but I'm guessing that many of these families will leave once their children become school-age. And the problems with our schools are of a piece with the problems that the OP is confronted with.

Posted on: 2010/2/5 19:55
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Re: Ready to give up living in this city...
#34
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Quote:

ThirdGrove wrote:

stani: The property taxes in the suburbs are high because the suburbs depend on residential property taxes for almost all of their governmental expenses.
The Abbott funding is a mandate by the Supreme Court that will not change. The only aspect that may change is the formula. They might allocate funds based on the number of disadvantaged pupils. At the end of the day, we have enough disadvantaged you that the funding will never change significantly.


Why couldn't the state Supreme Court decision be over-ruled by a new set of state Supreme Court justices? As you said, they recently decided to change the formula.

On the other hand, could the Abbott funding partially explain the under-performance of the JC school system: if they were more successful, they might lose some of their funding? As T-Bird pointed out, $123 million is a lot of money. Subsidies are great: they lock in the behavior you're trying to get rid of.

Posted on: 2010/2/5 19:33
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Re: Ready to give up living in this city...
#35
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Quote:

ThirdGrove wrote:
I am sort of confused whether you rent or not?

That said, Jersey City is not expensive relative to our region for the amenities we receive. We are close to the largest, best paying job markets in the country. Meanwhile, we don't have to pay the taxes one charged in New York. In Jersey City, you pay state income tax, a discounted sales tax, and property taxes. In New York, you pay state income tax, city income tax, property tax, and sales tax. Not to mention, Jersey City is much cheaper for the access. 400,000 dollars will get you an apartment in Manhattan (below 110th Street), or a nice apartment in Brooklyn and Queens. Meanwhile, 400,000 will afford you a house in Jersey City or a FANTASTIC apartment.

I am not making excuses for political corruption. I think our politicians are awful and our tax abatement structure is horrendous which leads to these higher taxes. However, the bulk of our taxes are linked to healthcare and pension costs. Virtually every city and state in the country negotiates union contracts that include these high cost benefits. Not matter where you move, you will always end up paying hire taxes every year. It's how the system is set up. That doesn't make it right, but there's little you can do to avoid it.

If you live in the New York area, and you want to live in an urban area; I haven't found a better place that Jersey City. If you find something better, share it with all of us so that we can all seek a better life.


I'd like to add that property taxes in the NJ suburbs close to New York are about twice what they are here for equally priced properties. The primary reason the suburban taxes are so high is because they're forced by court order to subsidize the poor, urban areas of the state, Jersey City being one of them. While this situation has lasted for a long time, it would make sense to me that at some point in the future, it would end. This would mean that places like our fair city would no longer receive the subsidies and would have to make up the shortfall with more property taxes. And the amount of the subsidy is huge (I don't have the exact figure right now). That would get ugly. So if you think there's any likelihood of that happening, you'd be selling JC and buying the burbs.

Posted on: 2010/2/5 18:39
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Re: McCann to sue Fulop
#36
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Quote:

T-Bird wrote:
Connors can't be appointed mayor. If Healy gets carted off to jail or stumbles off a curb, the city would be led by ..... wait for it: Peter Brennan. I believe the City Council President (Brennan) steps into the spot if the mayor leaves office before his term expires.


I meant appointed from the standpoint that if he's the machine's man for the next election, it would take a formidable get out the vote effort by the opposition for him not to become the mayor.

Posted on: 2010/2/3 22:02
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Re: McCann to sue Fulop
#37
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The thought of Connors being appointed mayor by the machine is chilling. I hope the real estate market has picked up by then so I can bail out before that happens.

Posted on: 2010/2/3 21:55
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Re: Rally at City Hall Wednesday, Jan 27?
#38
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Quote:

ianmac47 wrote:
But seriously, if they don't raise taxes to balance the budget, what gets cut? Police, fire, sanitation, parks...


You seem like a bright fellow. Why don't you do some research into how many captains there are in the JCPD and JCFD, what the overhead is of the Dept of Ed, and the rest of the city govt while you're at it, how much nepotism there is in city govt and how many sweetheart contracts are handed out. The overhead could be cut without reducing the services we get.

Cutting rank and file is a scare tactic used by those in power to keep the public at bay. It's a lot easier to do than to cut out their cronies.

Posted on: 2010/1/28 16:19
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Re: Rally at City Hall Wednesday, Jan 27?
#39
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Quote:

gibbons70 wrote:
Quote:

Bike_Lane wrote:
YDespite the showing tonight I can't help but feel the message of the people fell on deaf ears. The body language (and words) of several members of council seem to indicate such.


+1

All the Bush years did is prove that Government does, what Government wants, regardless of what the people say. And the Healy Team is following in Bush's teachings.

And the sad thing is, if there was a recall, who would fill the seats? It's a one party system in JC, makes me think our local government is a dictatorship. There is no alternative.


Thanks for bringing Bush into the discussion. It's nice to see that Republicans are alive and well in Jersey City politics.

Posted on: 2010/1/28 16:15
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Re: Rally at City Hall Wednesday, Jan 27?
#40
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Quote:

T-Bird wrote:
Quote:

JCNewJersey wrote:
+1 for posting the video. I think the council heard the message loud and clear.


I think the council listened to the message - well, maybe not all of it. Willie Flood was asleep (literally) for a good hour during the second half of public speaking. I'm not convinced it registered though. Seems they have become conditioned to a large crowd showing up now and again, sitting through it and then waiting for things to die down a meeting or two later and going back to business as usual.

Why am I skeptical? Because at the very end of the meeting, when there were eight people left in the chambers other than council (even all the press had left), they voted on the reappointment of two commissioners to the JCIA. Fulop had said earlier in the evening that they'd be voting on this and that he'd vote against renewal with the stipulation that they could be appointed at a future council meeting if they agreed to serve without benefits. It is a first step toward eliminating benefits for the board members of the JCIA and the MUA - in total, these benefits run $400,000 per year. ($20,000 per member for twelve one hour meetings per year.) Fulop said he has dozens of resumes from people with far better qualifications to fill those seats who would do it for free.

The commissioners were reappointed, by a vote of 8 to Fulop. Richardson said she is in favor of looking hard at eliminating the benefits but didn't want to do it ad hoc and hang these two people out to dry. Fair enough - at least she had a reasonable objection and articulated it. The more interesting stance was taken by Gaughan. He blustered about needing to reward these people for their hard work and that the city won't be able to attract quality people to fill these "very important positions." The kicker is, his daughter is the chairperson of the board of the JCMUA.


The chairman of the JCIA is a P. Terrell Flood, any relation to Willie Flood?

I was at the meeting last night and I'm afraid unless there are street demonstrations on this issue, we will get nowhere. The issue is that the council members except for Fulop are part of the Healy team. They do Healy's bidding. They know the public has contempt for them and they in turn have contempt for the public. They're comfortably ensconced in their positions until next election and then they'll do the same thing they did last year: hold the line on taxes right before the election to make them look better and recruit their special interests to get out the vote.

We're toast until the next election and the biggest risk is that the ire and energy you saw last night will be dissipated by then. I think the best thing that could happen is that the message gets around to all of yesterday's attendees that we have to become activists for change during the next election. The people who turned out yesterday were a committed, enthusiastic bunch and if they use their enthusiasm and commitment during the next election cycle, we may have some hope. The Healy team needs to be voted out.

Posted on: 2010/1/28 15:57
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Re: Property Taxes will increase as Jersey City introduces $507 Million budget
#41
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I will be there as well. Let's hope for a big turnout.

Posted on: 2010/1/23 23:06
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Re: PEOPLE NOT CURBING THEIR DOGS!!!
#42
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Quote:

FGJCNJ1970 wrote:
I'm a dog owner and when I walk my dog at night, I always bring plastic baggies with me from the supermarket to clean up.

However, I am thinking part of the problem is that our wonderful city decided to remove like all public garbage cans downtown.

Literally, on Jersey Ave, from Newark to Hamilton Park, there is like 1 garbage can. There used to be cans on EVERY corner.

After my dog does her business, maybe four blocks away... its a pain to have to carry "the doo doo" four blocks back to home but I do. Occasionally I'll find a private garbage can available on someone's property to dispose of, but seriously....

WHERE DID THE TRASH CANS GO.

I would contend that if there were more trash cans, so people didn't have to walk around with "doo doo" in bags, more "irresponsible" dog owners would clean up and throw away.

Ask Steven Fulop to bring back the garbage cans downtown.

FG


I'm afraid it was our good councilperson's idea to remove the trash cans. If you do speak to him, you might want to ask whether the experiment worked.

Posted on: 2010/1/22 18:46
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Re: Jersey City's schools again do poorly on tests; Bayonne's do well
#43
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Quote:

linky wrote:
I'd like to butt into Stani and Ogden 1 discussion of disruptive students being removed from classrooms. I worked in JC public schools, and I have to say that there are a handful of students in every classroom whose job it is to ensure that the other kids in the group do not learn. If I were the parent of a decent kids, I would definitely want the bad seeds out. And, trust me, most teachers would love it too. But here's the problem. Once you start separating the good kids from the bad, especially in the early grades where it would make a big difference, you become like countries such as Japan where kids' lives are pretty much mapped out for them in kindergarten. In the US we try to adhere to the idea that every kid, even the handicapped, deserve the best education they can get. Starting to separate kids seems like a good idea, but it might be a slippery slope.

I agree that something has to be done about disruptive students destroying the chance of so many good kids, but it is a very complex situation, and any solution has to be well thought out. I'm all for separation if it means that it would be temporary, and each kid who is removed from the regular classroom would be given a chance to return every year. It would also cost money.

The academics and college professors will say that poorly performing students, when placed with a group of better students, will improve. That is complete bull****. It is just the opposite. As the saying goes, One bad apple spoils the whole gang.


Thanks for your perspective. A few of points:

1. I don't equate handicapped students with disruptive students. I'm sure most handicapped students want to learn.
2. The separation should take place only after a clear pattern of behavior has been established and after other corrective measures have been taken, in my opinion, in middle school, not earlier.
3. The separated kids would receive special attention to address their socialization issues. This special attention could do a lot of good if it keeps these kids out of the path to truancy and crime. In other words, these kids may need something other than a traditional education and they're not getting it now.
4. I would consider our inner city school systems as already being on the "slippery slope", so why not try to do something different?

Posted on: 2010/1/18 14:20
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Re: Jersey City's schools again do poorly on tests; Bayonne's do well
#44
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Quote:

ogden1 wrote:
Remember when the state took over and installed Elena Scambia, a very qualified professional.

Well...what changed.

Did you ever look at other superintendent's salaries? Why should Epps or anyone else make less? This job is not a piece of cake.


As far as segregating kid's....enlighten me.......put all the stupid ones together? who makes that determination?
This is laughable. There are gifted and talented programs in schools now. There is McNair Academic. So I guess we just put the unteachables somewhere and let them fail?
It is very complex my friend and your solution is very shaky.


What I was suggesting was separating disruptive kids from the rest of the school population. The disruptive kids need special attention. You can think of them as gifted, if you'd like. In the process, you get an environment more conducive to learning for the rest of the students and one in which teachers are able to do their jobs. It's a win/win. The disruptive kids get specialized attention, the rest of the students get a better learning environment.

And with respect to Epps, I just don't see the justification. It's a big job to spend a lot of money running a school district into mediocrity? I might agree with you if it was a matter of running a mediocre school district on a tight budget, or a good school district with a big budget, but neither of these are our case.

Posted on: 2010/1/16 20:44
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Re: Jersey City's schools again do poorly on tests; Bayonne's do well
#45
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Quote:

linky wrote:
Agreed. It seems that the only solution is to start the kids in school at the age of two and keep them out of their houses as much as possible. There are some cities such as Washington which are piloting boarding school programs for inner city kids. I think it's a great idea, but the kids need to start really young.


I think the school system should do a better job separating students that want to learn from those that don't. I think there is a small number of students who make it hard for other students to learn and for teachers to teach. The former should be put in a special, alternate school school system.

As far as Epps's salary goes, the problem is that it's too high for someone who provides "more of the same" mediocre leadership and management. In other words, you should be able to get someone with his management and leadership skills for much less.

Posted on: 2010/1/16 15:11
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Re: Property taxes likely to go up again.... a lot!
#46
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Quote:

ianmac47 wrote:
And that is why the city is falling apart; the tax revenue is not high enough to pay for the services everyone wants. Its easy and fun to point to cronyism as the root of the city's financial trouble, but paving streets costs money, painting crosswalks costs money, hiring an extra beat officer costs money. Downtown properties paying taxes on an assessment from 1988 are not paying their proportionate share of the tax burden.


A couple of questions:

1. How did the city manage in prior years on considerably smaller budgets?
2. Are you getting much better services now than in the past?

Keep in mind that inflation over the past decade has been in the 2% - 3% range each year, and city budgets have grown at much faster rates.

Posted on: 2010/1/15 18:15
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Re: Property taxes likely to go up again.... a lot!
#47
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Quote:

ianmac47 wrote:
After a revaluation, the tax rate will fall tremendously because of the increase in value over the last 22 years of all property in the city. However, the downtown property owners will likely see a much higher tax bill since property downtown has increased, proportionately, more than property in the rest of the city.


Not all downtown property owners will be hurt by a reval. Anyone that's recently bought a new or refurbished property downtown (ex tax-abated/PILOTed properties) should see their taxes go down. And I think there are a lot of those out there.

Posted on: 2010/1/15 2:30
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Re: Downtown JC - Car Burglarized at corner of Jersey Ave and Mercer St.
#48
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These break-ins are likely one or two man crime waves. That's what I've gleaned from attending the Captain's meeting over the past years. Once they get caught, the wave stops. The break-ins happen whether employment is high or low.

Posted on: 2010/1/9 17:22
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Re: NYTimes: As Population Shifts in Harlem, Blacks Lose Their Majority
#49
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Quote:

DirtMcGirt wrote:
Why does color matter?


It matters greatly to the New York Times. A large percentage of their stories have a racial angle (at least they did a few years ago, last time I checked).

Posted on: 2010/1/5 20:29
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Re: Carbon pawprint of a pet dog is more than double that of a gas-guzzling SUV
#50
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Quote:

bodhipooh wrote:

As for Stani, who said
Quote:

I'm sure the carbon footprint of humans is much bigger than that of dogs...


How do you KNOW this to be a fact? After all, you said that you are SURE. What makes you so sure?



Let see ...
1. Dogs don't commute to work (they don't drive cars either)
2. Dogs weigh less than humans (most of the time) and therefore consume less calories than humans (generally speaking it takes more carbon to produce and transport more calories worth of food)
3. Dogs life span is shorter than humans
4. Dogs don't erect complex structures (as in buildings), which requires carbon to do
5. Dogs don't go on planes, unless they're taken by humans,
6. Etc, etc

You get the point, I hope.

Posted on: 2009/12/23 15:22
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Re: Carbon pawprint of a pet dog is more than double that of a gas-guzzling SUV
#51
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Quote:

VVP_Ralph wrote:
I'm sure cows are the worst. I think there's no validity to this argument because they are LIVING creatures. Man has created the SUV. Are you suggesting we kill all dogs? I really don't understand the point of this at all. Do humans leave a bigger carbon footprint than dogs? I'm sure. So what do you suggest. This is all nonsense.


I'm sure the carbon footprint of humans is much bigger than that of dogs. Just like SUV's man creates other men (and women), so you follow the argument to its logical conclusion.

Posted on: 2009/12/22 18:28
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Re: Real estate prices in Jersey City
#52
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Quote:

thriftyT wrote:
Another approach to evaluate real estate values (some would argue it's the only true way to evaluate RE values) is to consider the income of people buying and living in the area. i.e., what can the people afford to pay for housing?

Assuming a $400K condo:
100K down payment.
300K mortgage at 6%, 30 year fixed
$6000 annual property tax
$500/month maintenance

That would be a $2800 monthly payment. (not including PMI or other expenses)

So think to yourself: How many people who want to live in downtown Jersey City for an extended period of time have that kind of money?

Also, consider the fact that I'm using very conservative numbers here... There are many $500K, $600K condos with 8-10K annual taxes and $700/month maintenance. So how many people have that kind of money to pay $3K-$4K/ month?


If you use the mortgage underwriting standard that says the occupancy costs should not be more than 1/3 of pre-tax income, $2,800/mo would imply pre-tax income of $100,800, or $50,400 each for a couple where both work. I don't think it's hard to imagine there are people out there making that kind of money.

Posted on: 2009/12/6 23:13
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Re: New liquor store (Buy Rite) coming to downtown
#53
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Went for the first time today and can attest to the mind-boggling selection of beers. This is a must-go place for beer lovers. I could have spent 1/2 hr just going through it all.

The wine selection's pretty good too and prices decent. I'm sure it will only get better since they still have a lot of empty shelf space. Great addition to the area

Posted on: 2009/11/20 19:26
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Re: Hamilton Park Renovation - Update
#54
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Quote:

pooper wrote:

What park of PUBLIC park don't you get?


It would be a PUBLiC park with private maintenance. How's that for the best of both worlds? I'm all for the conservancy idea and would gladly pitch in.

Posted on: 2009/11/20 19:12
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Re: Hamilton Park Renovation - Update
#55
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Quote:

linky wrote:
Quote:

2DogDoll wrote:
The City is sooooo full of s*it and I have the pictures to prove it. Since it was impossible to maintain the garden due to the renovation, there was an overgrowth. Said overgrowth could have easily been cut back. There were many perennials, bulbs and flowering shrubs that were not affected, including the trees.
Thanks anyway.


2 DogDoll, I have to agree with you. I've got two young kids, and I've spent a lot of time around that gazebo in the past couple of years. I know that garden better than the one in my own backyard, and the city's response seems pretty ridiculous to me. But I guess what's done is done.

What scares me is that the city wants to discourage a community effort to plant a garden, and do it themselves. I believe they will send someone guy who works for the parks dept. ( a.k.a. someone's brother-in-law) down to Home Dept to buy a few cheesy spiral plants and a couple of pathetic plants. He'll come along and plant them, and that will be the end of it. If you don't believe me, take a look at the pathetic attempt at landscaping that was done in that little sitting area on Newark and Jersey - a few cheesy spiral trees and a bunch of mums that will be dead after Thanksgiving.

2DogDoll, you seem to be the only one who is upset about this garden thing as I am.


What plants around the gazebo are you talking about? I participated in last springs park cleanup and spent most of my time cleaning and trimming plants around the gazebo and I can tell you that that area hadn't been cared for in months. All of the plants were completely overgrown, the ground around them was filthy with bottles, garbage, etc., it stunk of urine and alcohol, and so on. This was no one's garden. I'm sure whatever's coming around the gazebo will be better than what was there.

Posted on: 2009/11/19 15:03
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Re: Hamilton Park Renovation - Update
#56
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Quote:

Vigilante wrote:
Looked like the PPV Boxing Match got some people all riled up. Numb-skulls.


Resized Image


A pickup truck crashed into the fence sometime before Sunday morning. I saw the crew from Greene construction putting the fence back up Sunday morning and someone tending to the banged up pickup truck. Interestingly, there were no cops around, so the accident could have happened much earlier.

Posted on: 2009/11/16 15:14
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Re: Ode to my lost home/ My first posting in 11 years of living here
#57
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Quote:

crushthedemoniac wrote:

I dont mean to single you out Stani, its just that whenever this topic arises this is always the typical answer. I understand what the og poster is talking about, and its not that they want it to look like Ocean ave but also not like a mini Hoboken or Manhattan like it does now.


I guess what I was trying to say is that when things change in a way that you don't like, there's usually a solution and often a silver lining. Yes, moving is a pain, but when you move from a more-yuppified area to a lesser one, you usually save money on rent. I'm sure there are other benefits as well. And keep in mind that one neighborhood's loss is another's gain.

Posted on: 2009/11/10 21:42
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Re: Ode to my lost home/ My first posting in 11 years of living here
#58
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Quote:

crushthedemoniac wrote:

The same old stupid response.


Well I'm sorry, but if the OP's issue was only with VVP and not Jersey City as a whole, he/she should have been more explicit.

Posted on: 2009/11/10 21:23
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Re: Ode to my lost home/ My first posting in 11 years of living here
#59
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Don't be so blue, there are still plenty of parts of Jersey City that are rough like the good ole days. Maybe not downtown, but certainly pockets of Greenville, Bergen Lafayette and others. You could probably move to MLK Dr. and it would seem like '98 all over again.

Posted on: 2009/11/10 21:13
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Re: Dickinson High: Threatened gang fight leads to arrest of 3 students for marijuana & 51 vials coc
#60
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Quote:

emdot wrote:
Some teenage kids can be so arrogant and cocky that they don't care whether or not they get arrested. It seems he was doing it on purpose to get the cops upset. I always feel bad for the OTHER kids who have to go to school with these A$*&oles.


Kids like these are a big part of what bring inner city school districts like our down. They make it hard to attract and keep good teachers and principals, make it hard for other kids to learn and scare away middle class families who would otherwise stay and send their children to local schools. When we figure out how to deal with these "kids", and I don't mean after the fact, we'll start fixing our inner city public schools.

Posted on: 2009/10/24 20:05
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