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Re: Teacher Protests Disturbing Neighborhood
#31
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Quote:

Monroe wrote:
Nonsense, wherever there is choice to opt out of forced contributions-many do.


Can you site specific examples with actual numbers that indicate "many", ideally from a credible source? "Many" should be a number that is large in percentage terms.

Posted on: 2018/3/6 15:29
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Re: Come to City Hall this upcoming Wednesday to promote electric vehicle charging in JC #EVinJC
#32
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A few things, Yvonne...

Quote:

Yvonne wrote:
Here is the problem with you Brewster, you act very snooty and you are nothing but a bully. The point of this thread was to explain Fulop is wrong to give a 99 year lease for one dollar a year.


No - as the title indicates - the point of this thread was to encourage people to come to a meeting and support installing EV chargers.

Quote:

Yvonne wrote:
Personally, I do not agree that municipal government should be giving any 99 year leases for one dollar a year.


This is interesting. What is it that you think the city is giving away by allowing EV chargers to occupy that space? Oh, right - free on-street parking! So the "giveaway" is actually a modest improvement over the current situation in that the city will be getting something where previously it received nothing...

Quote:

Yvonne wrote:
The state government imposed a 23 cent tax on gas last year to pay for repair of roads, these electric cars are also using roads and there are no payment to the road repair as with the tax on gasoline.


This is actually an interesting point to debate. It's multi-faceted:

- Yes, EVs and other non-ICE vehicles will use the roads and not pay into their maintenance. Perhaps they should.
- On the other hand, by not emitting pollutants or CO2 they are not contributing to respiratory illnesses or warming the climate. Perhaps they should be exempt from a gasoline tax equivalent because of the relative benefits they provide.
- Also, by using electricity, EV owners are making greater contributions to the power grid infrastructure through the fees added into the billing for those services - maybe that's enough of an offset?
- I'm not sure what happened with the state ballot initiative to change this or if/when it might go into effect if it passed, but there is no legal requirement that gasoline taxes in NJ be used for road maintenance. They should, but they haven't been. Should we be looking to expand that discretionary slush fund before it's reformed?


Posted on: 2018/3/6 15:22
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Re: Come to City Hall this upcoming Wednesday to promote electric vehicle charging in JC #EVinJC
#33
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Subsidies and government benefits the oil and natural gas companies receive, off the top of my head:

- through their financial might, the ability to influence policy in wide range of areas, including diplomacy, tax, federal land use, the environment, trade (take a look at the biggest influencers within ALEC...)
- military protection and intervention on their behalf
- tax abatements and tax-friendly financings (industrial revenue bonds, typically) for their refineries and chemical plants.
- often the ability to walk away from environmental liabilities for pennies on the dollar (look no further than Exxon's recent Bayway/Bayonne settlement). And that's just for land and water - they almost never pay a penny for the air they pollute.
- land seizures for pipelines
- an entire transportation system built around the automobile that neither the carmakers nor the oil companies had to pay for, resulting in archaic policies oriented toward protecting the incumbency of that system.

Posted on: 2018/3/6 1:40
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Re: Teacher Protests Disturbing Neighborhood
#34
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Quote:

Monroe wrote:
Jeez, Obamacare itself lists four levels-bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. NJ teacher plans are platinum; Gov Christie said he could fund the pension gap if the public sector unions would drop to gold plans.


And of course you believed him.

You aren't making a dent in a $49 billion hole by moving public sector employees one level in their healthcare plans. Not saying small efforts don't add up, but that move alone would do very little.

Just once, stop and process the drivel you consume before you reflexively spew it on others. Just once. For your own sake.

Posted on: 2018/3/1 22:12
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Re: New Tax Rate is Insane!
#35
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Quote:

brewster wrote:
Quote:

bodhipooh wrote:
there is a certain irony in witnessing the complete about-face from so many DTJC homeowners now clamoring for fiscal restraint, smaller government, and lower taxes.


Irony, but also hope. Being liberal doesn't necessarily mean you are required to be braindead and roll over for corrupt, bloated government as long as it's Democrat. It would be amazing if an outcome of all this is a surge of citizen oversight of where our money actually goes. It's hard to even find out! The maze of agencies and authorities are literally designed to prevent auditing.


I don't intend to speak for all "liberals" (I prefer "progressive"), but the problem you point to can be looked at two ways, Brewster. There are places that are solidly Democratic that have high taxes and people don't really complain all that much. Those are places where people actually get good services and infrastructure for their money. I'd be happy to continue paying what I'm paying if we had the type of schools, government services, public safety and infrastructure you'd expect for the money. So - yes, by all means, let's root out waste and corruption. Let's also get rid of incompetence wherever possible. But let's also set the bar higher - Jersey City has a long way to go in the improvement department before we start looking to cut back.

Posted on: 2018/2/28 17:17
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Re: New Tax Rate is Insane!
#36
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Quote:

JadedJC wrote:

And there's a special place for those who lie repeatedly.


Yeah. The White House.

Posted on: 2018/2/27 5:33
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Re: New Tax Rate is Insane!
#37
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Quote:

Yvonne wrote:
I just called up the county tax assessor and asked for the tax abated ratables which is not part of the $28 billion from the new reval. He agreed with me those tax abatements are not included but he does not have those numbers until the papers are filed. I am guessing that protected tax abated ratable base is around $10 billion, but it is only a guess since some do expire and new ones are added each year. Just to think, if those abatements were ratables, then everyone taxes would be lowered. But let's ignore the truth as usual.


Here's some truth for you - since 2008, when we purchased our current home we've been paying a "non-ratable" PILOT (abatement) of $26,000 per year. When I look on the list of newly assessed properties, I don't see anyone on there who was previously paying a "ratable" property tax anywhere near that much.

Do you understand where those "not-ratable" PILOT payments go? To the city! (95% of it, anyway - a much, much higher percentage than "ratable" tax payments.) Look in the city budget - I haven't in the past few years, but there will be a line in there for PILOT revenues. It's probably in the $125 million to $150 million range (it was $115 million about five years ago.) Stabilize? Anyone who bought under a PILOT since about 2004 has likely been overpaying what they would have been without the payment.

I'll listen to the argument about school's being underfunded, but I didn't come up with this structure and it's hard to say I'm "taking advantage" of anything, since by all accounts I've been overpaying. Sure, I'll be underpaying for the next ten years, relative to the new assessments, but it probably ends up being a wash overall. As for the part that the county doesn't get - I'm glad they aren't getting anything from PILOTs. We should be looking seriously at how we dissolve county services - or (better yet) roll everything up into the county and eliminate municipalities in Hudson County. But to have both is redundant - why duplicate generally poor services with even poorer services?

Posted on: 2018/2/26 19:29
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Re: New Tax Rate is Insane!
#38
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Quote:

dmark526 wrote:
The selling has already begun. 272 Barrow was put on the market in December for 3.3 million, the taxes went from 16K to 41K per year. They just lowered their asking to 3 million. I'm sure many more will follow.


They could be moving for any number of reasons. Big drops at the high end of the market - if you've mispriced - aren't that uncommon and while $300k is a big drop in $ terms, it's less than 10%. Of course the reval will hurt, but hard to tell if the reval is the big driver or aggressive pricing based on only one data point...

A couple of observations: they were assessed at $2,538,000 - well below even their reduced asking price.

They bought in 2004 for $425k. If they get $3mm, that's 7x what they paid for it.... Good for them - I hope they get it. But it's hard to feel too sorry for them.

Posted on: 2018/2/14 19:19
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Re: Governor Murphy
#39
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Quote:

Webmaster wrote:
WARNING: You seem to not be familiar with the definition of decorum :

decorum
d??k??r?m/noun
behaviour in keeping with good taste and propriety.
"he had acted with the utmost decorum"
synonyms: propriety, properness, seemliness, decency, decorousness, good taste, correctness, appropriateness, appropriacy; politeness, courtesy, good manners; refinement, breeding, deportment, dignity, respectability, modesty, demureness
"he had acted with the utmost decorum


You've decided to put yourself out of business? Or you are just pro-troll?

Posted on: 2018/2/13 17:39
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Re: New Tax Rate is Insane!
#40
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Quote:

Dolomiti wrote:

NJ roads are fine. They aren't pristine, they aren't perfect, but they are fine.


Guess not.


Quote:
You mean, the 5 miles on Route 22? Or Elizabeth Ave? Or McClellan? Or do you mean 2 miles on Route 78?


The sentence prior should have made that obvious.


Quote:
And yet, somehow that totally escaped my attention the last time I was there (about 6 weeks ago).


And yet it was as true this morning as when I wrote it yesterday... as I said, you must not get out often.

Posted on: 2018/2/12 16:08
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Re: New Tax Rate is Insane!
#41
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Quote:

Dolomiti wrote:
Quote:

T-Bird wrote:
Quote:

Dolomiti wrote: NJ roads are fine.


I thought about this today as I was headed east on 78 I?m the express lanes, just before the airport. A cop was parked in the right lane, angled in a way to force everyone into the left. Just after him we?re seven (7!!) cars on the side of the road with blown out tires - the result of hitting a manhole sized hole probably ten to twelve inches deep.

Seriously?

You're trying to claim that one problem, on one highway, that obviously happened right before you got there, proves than an entire state's roads are crap? Yeah no.


Do you get out of town much? If you did, you'd understand my experience was emblematic of a widespread problem. I drive 78 and 24 to and from Morristown three to five times a week; 78 is horrific - they fill the seams every couple of weeks and it lasts a few days. The stretch from the airport to about Hillside is unreal. 24 around the Short Hills Mall has a series of holes you have to slalom around. I got a chuckle today driving past those poor folks on the side of the road, thinking about how "fine" the roads are...

More to the point, what is with your smarmy condescension? You go from zero to asshole awfully fast.

Posted on: 2018/2/12 2:34
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Re: New Tax Rate is Insane!
#42
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Quote:

Dolomiti wrote: NJ roads are fine.


I thought about this today as I was headed east on 78 I?m the express lanes, just before the airport. A cop was parked in the right lane, angled in a way to force everyone into the left. Just after him we?re seven (7!!) cars on the side of the road with blown out tires - the result of hitting a manhole sized hole probably ten to twelve inches deep.

Posted on: 2018/2/11 20:37
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Re: New Tax Rate is Insane!
#43
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Quote:

brewster wrote:
Yvonne lived at 283 York St. What's amusing is that she sold at $1.18m to avoid the value drop from the the reval, less than half the current assessment of $2,477,600. That's leaving some money on the table!


OMG - that is hilarioius.

Posted on: 2018/2/7 18:02
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Re: New Tax Rate is Insane!
#44
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Quote:

Dolomiti wrote:

Erm... My point is that people in the NYC metro area lose their **** if they aren't plowed out immediately. For example, a few years ago, NYC got hit with 11-16" of snow, and it took over a day to dig out pretty much every part of the city. As a result, outer boro residents demanded Bloomberg's decapitated head on a pike. I'm reasonably certain that residents of Idaho don't demand that level of service.


What does Idaho have to do with it? People in every city where it snows lose their **** when the roads don't get cleared. Chicago. Boston. Philadelphia. Oh wait, People in Idaho lose their shit when it snows, too?? Your reasonable certainty does not equate to being right.

Quote:
Actually, NJ is the extreme. Kansas is average. For total tax burdens:

NJ total tax rate = 10.14%
Kansas = 8.72%
Average for all 50 states = 8.57%


Source?

Quote:
We have a broken state-run rail system, public schools that range from elite in a few cases, good in some cases and poor to third-world in many more and roads that my Afghani Uber driver was complaining about being "worse than home" the other day.

Well, if you say an Uber driver said it, it must be true....

Quote:
NJ Transit isn't "broken." Last I checked, most of its problems are a result of using Amtrak lines.


Lines that run out of Hoboken (which as nothing to do with Amtrak) suffer frequent delays as well. Both Republican and Democratic leadership agree on the failings of NJT; they just disagree on the causes (underinvesting).

Quote:
NJ's schools are #10 in the US (per US News & World Report). Kansas, by the way, is #45.


Actually, Kansas is outperforming based on the way they fund their schools. NJ should be number 1 based on tax load. And that does zero to refute my point. There are a good number of good to great public schools in NJ. There are a lot of awful ones, too. The average NJ kid's experience (and certainly not the average urban NJ kid) isn't McNair. Given the resources, for NJ to not be top 3 (top 5 at a minimum) seems like a failure.

Quote:
You need look no further than Princeton - even critics of their recent consolidation are only complaining that it could have been implemented better but acknowledge that it worked.

Quote:
Yeah... no. The advocates are the one crowing about it, since it let them fire 23 employees. The critics point out that services are slightly reduced; they haven't harmonized a lot of town laws; that they had consolidated many services before merging; and that none of the surrounding communities have any interest in following suit.

That's not surprising, since the two cities could have fired 11 employees each and gotten the same result.


You don't just eliminate jobs. You eliminate the layers of law firms and auditing firms that get contracts (often as rewards for their involvement in the many elections that happen as a result of the byzantine layers of government as well as odd election calendars). You can reduce the need for some equipment (and the foregone maintenance that comes with it.) Not all of these are realized immediately.

Accepting the qualitative assessment of a few folks who point to a (in your word) "slight" reduction in services is no different than quoting an uber driver (by the by, most drivers I ride with from the airport have the same complaint. I just that it was insanely funny coming from the guy from Afghanistan.) Also - the bigger criticism of the Princeton rollup was that it didn't go far enough.

Quote:
East Newark already works with the Harrison school district; they share other resources with Harrison and Kearny. Gutenberg -- which is geographically tiny but has more than 10,000 residents -- also shares resources, does not have its own fire department, sends students to North Bergen. Weehakwen also has 10,000 residents, and again shares resources with North Bergen. Its schools are small -- and well-regarded. Usually, that's a good thing.

These tiny municipalities are already doing things that reduce their costs, and improve efficiencies. Large municipalities, as the Rutgers study points out, are not more efficient than larger ones. People also seem to like local control.

As a result, there are visible downsides and few upsides to consolidation -- unless you're going to use it as an excuse to cut staff, which also means you're going to reduce services.

The promise of big gains through consolidation is an illusion.


You don't need to create "large municipalities". You point to the small efforts these communities have made on shared services and have decided that's enough - why stop there? Combining Kearny, Harrison and East Newark doesn't create a "large municipality", nor would rolling up Guttenberg, Weehawken and WNew York. Density makes these areas prime candidates to become rolled up - and they'd realize a greater voice in Trenton as a result.


Posted on: 2018/2/7 17:53
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Re: New Tax Rate is Insane!
#45
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Quote:

Dolomiti wrote:

NJ has high taxes mostly because its constituents want lots of services. Trash pickup twice a week; snow ploughed instantly; pensions paid, roads maintained, the list goes on. People in Kansas don't get all this stuff, y'know.


"want" and "receive" are very different words. Snow plowing in less densely populated areas is anything but instant. Pensions? Those not receiving them would probably much rather have the road maintenance you point to that isn't happening. Kansas is an extreme example (as is Oklahoma).

We have a broken state-run rail system, public schools that range from elite in a few cases, good in some cases and poor to third-world in many more and roads that my Afghani Uber driver was complaining about being "worse than home" the other day. And for this we get to pay the highest taxes in the country (income + property)? Seattle provides incredible services with no state income tax and a property tax rate of about $0.95.

That Governing article you point to doesn't really apply - big cities like St. Louis and Louisville spread over large geographic areas annexing neighbors doesn't lead to efficiencies. A place like NJ, with twice as many municipalities as Texas and endless additional governing layers such as "authorities" and townships and counties, is ripe for consolidation. You need look no further than Princeton - even critics of their recent consolidation are only complaining that it could have been implemented better but acknowledge that it worked.

http://www.centraljersey.com/news/pri ... e5-a72d-f3086f6779ce.html

Just look within the county - tell me with a straight face why East Newark, Guttenberg and Weehawken exist? Look around the state - you could easily come up with a list in the hundreds of needless little 600 - 1,000 person entities (hamlets, boroughs, villages, towns, etc.) that would be better served by being part of a larger entity. This desire for Home Rule on the most microscopic level comes at a great cost.

Posted on: 2018/2/7 14:49
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Re: New Tax Rate is Insane!
#46
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Quote:

brewster wrote:


Could you mine from the data how much more money is going to be coming from the abated properties due to the land rise? I can see a lot of abated condos going up $1k to $1.5k in tax.


I've noticed this, too. Although its a much smaller $ amount, the land increases for abated condos seems to range between 3x and 10x! I've been wondering if it was a way to ease the pain for the non-abated by overassessing land of the abated. If you look at the assessments of places like Crystal Point and 77 Hudson, they are assessed at absolute top $. In the meantime, a friend who lives on Varick in a brownstone that is worth $2 million at a minimum was assessed at just under $1.7mm. Incredibly small sample size, but I do wonder.

Posted on: 2018/2/7 13:29
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Re: New Tax Rate is Insane!
#47
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CA isn't relevant because of Prop 13. And yes - NYC has low rates because not only do they have a lot of commercial RE but they also have an income tax. JC has a much higher % of residential RE and abundant tax breaks for commercial for competitive reasons. So we end up bearing the load.

I think you get the point by "taking a bullet". Do I think I'm going to get shot walking to the PATH? Of course not, but there is a shooting or two a year downtown - it's not like it doesn't happen. And more accurately, there are far more car burglaries and home break-ins here than in wealthier, distant suburbs. I understand it goes with the territory - just pointing out that one pays a lot for convenience and walkability if the measure is paying the same in property taxes as Summit and Westchester. Everyone's priorities and calculus is different, but if JC is ever going to turn the corner from being primarily a bedroom for NYC the school's need to get better for starters. You can't ignore the school disparity if you are going to compare yourself with places that have far better schools (overall) and expect people to be willing to pay the same amount. Not everyone's kid gets into McNair.

Posted on: 2018/2/3 19:39
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Re: New Tax Rate is Insane!
#48
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Quote:

HeightsNative wrote:
Quote:

JadedJC wrote:
Quote:

bodhipooh wrote:
Like I said earlier, it is incredibly rich to see so many self-avowed liberals become overnight fiscal conservatives demanding more out of less, and crying unfair taxation.


Reminds of a cocktail party I went to waaay back in the 90s, when an acquaintance of mine introduced me to a Republican couple who were prominent at the time. Everything was free market this and free market that with these people, until someone pointed out that they were living in a pretty sweet rent-controlled three-bedroom apartment on the Upper West Side. Then it was all "Hands off our rent-controlled apartment! We're entitled to this apartment!"


I see what you did there. So you're comparing one anecdotal couple to an entire section of a large, heavily liberal democrat city? Not really seeing it.


I really don't see how a small handful of people complaining on a website is representative of "an entire section of a large, heavily liberal democrat (sic) city".

As for bodhipooh's overwrought musings on folks wanting "free" things but not being willing to pay for it - I think most folks on the left understand that taxes are part of the deal and you have to pay for things. Where they tend to get upset (as does most everyone) is when they feel getting less than full value or getting something other than what they want.

Should property taxes be as high in JC as they are in Summit or Westchester? Are services and quality of life remotely comparable? I guess it depends on how much value you put on a short commute (if you work in the city), whether you have kids, level of indifference to taking a bullet, etc.

Posted on: 2018/2/2 22:41
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Re: New Tax Rate is Insane!
#49
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There is some interesting data in the list of assessments:

The larger Crystal Point units (1,590 sf) are assessed at $1,368 per sf. Those units are all assessed the same - regardless of floor.

The larger 77 Hudson units (but not the even larger PH units) are assessed above $1,100 per sf. Those are in the 1,550 sf range. The large PHs - 2,000+ sf are assessed north of $1,500 per sf at $3,100,000+ (!!)

A few of the large 77 Hudson units were assessed at several hundred thousand dollars below prices they had recently sold for (sales that had taken place in 2016 or 2017). One was assessed $478,000 less than what it sold for in early 2016.

In general, the listed assessment seems to be higher (per sf) the larger your unit is - which is counter to what typically happens in the market.

Owners at Crystal Point and 77 Hudson are both on long-term abatements and only pay a few thousand dollars a year for land taxes, so none of this really matters for them any time soon - but if you were looking to make a case against the assessment process, I'd wonder how these conclusions were reached.

Posted on: 2018/2/2 18:57
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Re: New Tax Rate is Insane!
#50
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Quote:

bodhipooh wrote:
Quote:

MDM wrote:
I wonder if JC will see a massive amount of tax appeals, like the city did in the early '90s?


Any tax appeal will likely be dismissed without much fuss: what would be the argument to bring an appeal?


That's pretty simple - that the house is worth less than its appraised value. That's what all appeals are based on. Once the full effect of the new income tax law and the reval settle in on the market, it wouldn't be surprising at all for homes at the higher end of the market to be worth 10% to 15% less. I've already factored in 10% into my thinking. While it's true no one knew the tax laws would change so dramatically when the reval started, that's the world we're in now. People like paulushooker may have to pay full fare this year, but I'm betting it won't be a difficult case to make a year from now that assessed values are too high.

I was surprised the city didn't go with a somewhat higher rate and softer assessments, which is common. That approach builds in some cushion for near term market dips.

Posted on: 2018/2/2 14:33
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Re: NJ Rates Your Public Schools - What's Your PS Score?
#51
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Quote:

brewster wrote:
[quote]
T-Bird wrote:

Actually, that was based on anecdotes, like upper classmen stuffing freshman into the overhead luggage racks on the trains from the burbs.


Absolute bullshit. You?re usually a bit more discerning than resorting to salacious (and likely self-serving) gossip. You seem to have a sports-phobia that colors your judgment.

Posted on: 2018/1/30 5:31
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Re: NJ Rates Your Public Schools - What's Your PS Score?
#52
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Quote:

brewster wrote:

T-Bird, glad to hear your kid is doing well, and I'm sure a gifted kid will learn in any decent environment, but IMO what makes a great school is more the students than the teachers or facilities. My son was simply not impressed with the number of suburban meatheads at Prep to play sports, nor by the kids he knew selecting to go there. Sure, there are kids there on academic scholarships, some minority, but between LCCS and McNair, the diversity my kids have experienced is on another level.


Your use of ?meathead? sums up how little you actually know about the place. C?est la vie.

Posted on: 2018/1/28 6:02
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Re: NJ Rates Your Public Schools - What's Your PS Score?
#53
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Quote:

brewster wrote:

We've heard that exact story a number of times! My son actually had a full scholarship to Prep, but chose McNair for it's better academics. He's doing very well in a pre-med curriculum, McNair did an excellent job preparing him.


It's funny - you've made that comment in the past (McNair's better academics). There is no doubt McNair is an excellent high school - but it's almost as though you feel the need to reassure yourself when you say that.

Prep's mission is somewhat different - it takes in some kids who aren't at the McNair end of the academic spectrum as part of its social mission. It also takes in a lot of kids who are McNair level academically.

Ironically, my son is doing very well in a pre-med curriculum (molecular biology). Prep did an excellent job preparing him.

Posted on: 2018/1/26 18:13
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Re: NJ Rates Your Public Schools - What's Your PS Score?
#54
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Quote:

brewster wrote:
Not to give you premature palpitations, but my son is now a college freshman, and the whole college cost scene is utterly out of control. You'd be wise to consider saving that money for later if you can. We previously thought we'd not be full sticker, but no one was giving us any financial aid at all. And even Rutgers is like $32k now to live on campus. Some private schools are now over $70k!


We're in the same boat - my oldest started college this year and the younger one is close behind. The most surprising thing to me has been how little merit money there is at the vast majority of schools. You read the stories and hear the anecdotes about "no one pays full price" - I can't think of anyone off the top of my head who isn't paying full price. Endowments keep growing, tuition keeps going up with no relief for the middle and upper-middle class. (And like our geographically unfair tax system, the financial cutoffs for aid don't consider regional differences in cost of living - so the large coastal metropolitan regions get screwed yet again...)

I'm less optimistic than MDM about a near-term solution for the student debt problem; colleges and universities have embraced the full-fare paying foreign student, of which there seems to be an almost endless supply. As long as the supply of students is there, what incentive do schools really have to address the problem? I suppose at private schools that shouldn't necessarily be an issue, but it seems outside the mission of state schools to prioritize foreign national students over residents. It's a real problem on the West Coast - acceptance for resident high school grads into UW and the UC system has become extraordinarily difficult.

Posted on: 2018/1/26 15:06
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Re: JC golf course seeks to expand into Liberty State Park
#55
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$25 million is a random number unattached to anything, given with no thought or analysis. Once the peninsula is developed, it will never return to what it was. I know to you it's probably just another 22 acres among many hundreds, but that spot is critical habitat. Beside, the money would go to the state. There's no guarantee it would go back into the park.

Posted on: 2018/1/25 21:59
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Re: JC golf course seeks to expand into Liberty State Park
#56
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Quote:

stillinjc wrote:
I am a little torn over this. I was against marina and casino, but this peninsula is little used. Putting three holes there would make the course unreal. I say Fireman pays $25 million for LSP improvements on top of his current offer and we have a deal.


Unreal for whom? Do you belong to Liberty National? I'd be surprised if anyone posting on here does. Why should the park, its constituents, and wildlife subsidize private profit and overreach? Firestone has built a beautiful course and reaped very generous tax benefits in the process - the status quo is working just fine.

I'd love to hear him and Nevins McCann make the case for what tournaments they have lost out on because of the "inferior view" - if any - and where they were held instead. Peddling bullshit has no barriers to entry. Those who are willing to buy bullshit get what they deserve.

Posted on: 2018/1/25 15:59
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Re: JC golf course seeks to expand into Liberty State Park
#57
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1. That area isn't only "bird-friendly" habitat, it's an important breeding area for a number of bird species and because of that is closed off almost half the year for breeding season. These breeding grounds would be lost permanently if the golf course were allowed to expand into there. The park has already lost a significant number of breeding and/or overwintering birds such as Long-eared owls and olive-sided flycatchers due to removal of habitat. Invasive plants from the Sandy inundation has destroyed an even greater amount of habitat.

2. Nevins: that space already is beautiful and great for wildlife. "Pleasing to the eye" depends on whether you are wearing plaid pants and carrying a putter or wearing feathers.

3. This expansion doesn't need to happen to attract high-profile PGA events. It already does because it's essentially the only game in town. There are no other top flight courses that are Manhattan accessible and that (already) have views of the city and harbor. Bethpage, Baltusrol and the courses in Westchester are not situated to provide convenient access to the city, nor do viewers see the city when they watch events from those courses.

4. First Tee is a wonderful program. Mr. Firestone should definitely sponsor their expansion into Hudson County. It doesn't require converting the peninsula for him to do that.


Posted on: 2018/1/24 18:44
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Re: Is Downtown JC next? Out-Of-Town Drivers Banned From Using Leonia As Shortcut
#58
Home away from home
Home away from home


Washington to 14th or 18th; west to Manila; south to 13th. Also: Monmouth to Coles to 16th to Jersey to 14th. Unless you are going to restrict the TPK cut through traffic as proposed below (which will not happen), then this will never get better. The only way to kill off the cut through traffic is to eliminate the ability to get onto 13th street from the south.

It will never happen. I'm just saying there is a way it could.

And frankly - I'm not sure we need to prioritize local access into the tunnel during rush hour. There is an abundance of transit options to get into the city. Should we orient our traffic patterns (and safety) for the few who either can't (or won't) avail themselves of them?

Posted on: 2018/1/22 20:57
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Re: Is Downtown JC next? Out-Of-Town Drivers Banned From Using Leonia As Shortcut
#59
Home away from home
Home away from home


Not Marin.

Posted on: 2018/1/22 19:53
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Re: Is Downtown JC next? Out-Of-Town Drivers Banned From Using Leonia As Shortcut
#60
Home away from home
Home away from home


Quote:

brewster wrote:
I've said this before, all you'd need to do to eliminate much of the through traffic is create a 1 hr EZ pass lockout or big surcharge at the Holland for anyone exiting the TPK at exits 14 A, B or C before the 12th st ramp. They'd need to put pass readers past the Columbus ramp, but the rest is software. Yes, cash payers can avoid it, but that brings it's own time penalty.

The tag system would never work here, our cops don't do traffic enforcement, apparently it's beneath them.


I've said the same thing, for years. It's a pretty simple, yet elegant solution.

Posted on: 2018/1/22 19:39
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