Property tax relief promises

Assemblyman John Burzichelli says legislators are considering having the state pay 20 to 50 percent of the property taxes on primary homes. Sounds good. But how are they going to pay for it? They haven't quite figured that out yet.
One thing they seem to agree on is that property tax rebates will be converted into direct property tax payments. That isn't relief at all. In the end, the tax burden is the same.
The other possibilities cited by Burzichelli for achieving property tax relief: spending cuts, savings from public worker pension reforms and government consolidations, increased income taxes and expansion of sales tax to other goods and services.
Which of those options, if any, do you think the Legislature will most aggressively pursue? My guess: an increase in the income tax rate for middle- and upper-middle taxpayers and a broadening of the sales tax, which is absolutely the wrong way to go. Lawmakers will do so at their own great peril.

Where's the bottom of real estate market?

A press release that accompanied the National Association of Realtors' September report on home sales and prices suggested that the somewhat lower number of home sales and reduced inventory of homes indicate the market has bottomed out.
"It appears we have passed a cyclical peak in terms of the number of homes on the market," said association president Thomas M. Stevens. "The good news is that fewer new listings are coming online. A stable sales pace is expected to draw down the number of listings to a supply balance that will support positive price growth within a few months."
Wishful thinking? Probably, at least in New Jersey. I haven't seen any sign of a strengthening market in my neighborhood or anywhere else at the Shore. Housing inventories are still high, and buyers, fully conscious that it's a buyers' market, continue fishing for desperate homesellers willing to bite on their insulting low-ball offers.
Seemingly contradicting the NAR's somewhat rosy scenario, housing reports last week indicated that new home sale prices in September registered their steepest decline in 36 years. The volume of resales fell for the sixth straight month and resale prices had back-to-back monthly declines for the first time since 1990.
Real estate markets vary greatly from one region to the next, of course. But I don't think things have bottomed out at the Shore.

Re-enactors burned by fire officials

It's hard to believe, but a Civil War re-enactment group that had been planning a two-day event on the beach in Ocean Grove Nov. 4 and 5 was forced to cancel it because fire officials were unwilling to cut some slack on the rules governing open campfires.
Fire officials first asked the group to use Coleman stoves instead of campfires. So much for the authenticity of the re-enactment. After the brigade politely declined, it was informed of the guidelines regulating the issuance of open-fire permits, which re-enactors found unreasonably restrictive. It was the first time Ocean Grove required a permit from the group, which had held re-enactments there the past three years without incident.
The re-enactors had been planning the event for six months. People from all over the Eastern Seaboard had made reservations, which had to be canceled. Sounds to me like it's time to cancel the appointments of the Ocean Grove fire officials.

Unfriendly skies over Newark Liberty Airport

It's no secret that Newark Liberty Airport has one of the worst on-time arrival/departure records in the country. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 28 percent of all departures from Newark were at least 15 minutes late between August 2005 and July 2006. Only Chicago's O'Hare was as bad.
But an analysis in the November Travel & Leisure magazine shows that Newark Liberty's on-time departure record is far worse during peak hours - typically between 7 and 10 p.m. That's true, of course, at most airports. But between 7 and 8 p.m., 53 percent of all flights out of Newark are late, far and away the worst record in the nation.
A more detailed analysis of the worst carrier/airport combinations in the nation ranked three airlines flying out of Newark in the Top (Bottom) 10: ExpressJet (45.6 percent late departures), Air-Tran (39.3 percent) and JetBlue (33.0 percent).
An analysis of the top 10 most-delayed flights listed nine that originated from or ended at Newark. Heading the list was American Eagle's flight 4659 from Newark to Raleigh-Durham. Nearly three of every four flights was late, with an average delay of 48.9 minutes.
Other Newark flights in which at least 62 percent are late, with average delays of 43 to 63 minutes, were Continental flights to Boston Logan and from Atlanta, Chicago O'Hare and Washington Reagan. Continental flight 1152 from Atlanta arrived late 68. 2 percent of the time, with an average delay of 55.9 minutes.
Moral of the story: Study up before booking a flight: http://www.bts.gov/

Falling gas prices and conspiracy theories

Every day that gasoline prices inch lower, I can't help but wonder whether it's a Republican conspiracy to give the GOP an edge come Nov. 7. I wouldn't rule it out. But, on the other hand, gasoline prices historically begin to fall after Labor Day, often reaching their low ebb in November and December.

Even though average gasoline prices are on the verge of dipping below $2 a gallon in New Jersey - down from a high of more than $3.20 post-Katrina, prices were lower last November and in November 2004. In November 2003, gasoline was selling for about $1.50 a gallon.

Women still swimming against tide in politics

Things are looking up for women in politics this year, according to the Rutgers-based Center for Women and American Politics. Record numbers of women won nominations for U.S. Senate seats and record numbers are running for seats in state legislatures.
But there are still miles to travel, particularly in New Jersey. Its 15-member congressional delegation is all-male. In the 13 congressional races this fall, only four women are on the ballot as major-party candidates, and only one has a legitimate shot at winning - Linda Stender in the 7th District.
In New Jersey's 120-member Legislature, only 23 are women, or 19.2 percent. That ranks 31st nationally. Of the 137 county freeholders, just 27.7 percent are women, and only 14.8 percent of the mayors in New Jersey are women.
The best showing for women in New Jersey is in Gov. Corzine's 21-member cabinet, where eight, or 38.1 percent, are women.
State breakdowns of women candidates for federal and state offices can be found at: http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/Facts3.html

Unaffordable health care

It's amazing how little attention rising health care costs have received during this election campaign. The Iraq war, the Foley scandal, immigration and taxes seem to have drowned it out. Hopefully, that will change with the release today of a report by Families USA that health care premiums in New Jersey rose nearly 80 percent since 2000 -- 51/2 times faster than the earnings of working families, which increased just 14 percent.
According to the report, nearly 1.3 million non-elderly people in New Jersey are uninsured -- about 17 percent of the non-elderly population.
For family health coverage provided through the workplace in New Jersey, annual health insurance premiums rose from $7,592 to $13,620 between 2000 and 2006. The employee share of annual premiums increased 39.6 percent, from $1,610 to $2,247, while the employer share rose 90.1 percent, from $5,982 to $11,373. At the same time premiums have soared, coverage has been reduced, and deductibles and co-pays have increased.
The report offers no suggestions for what to do about the problem, other than urging national leaders to make solving it a top priority. Families USA has, however, called for universal coverage of the nation's 9 million uninsured children.

A silver spoon moment squandered

There were only two major surprises in the Gannett New Jersey U.S. Senate debate Thursday with Bob Menendez and Tom Kean Jr. First, they didn't try to gouge each other's eyes out. Second, Menendez made no reference to Kean's recently released tax returns, despite his frequent, thinly veiled allusions to Kean having been born with a silver spoon in his mouth while he had to lift himself up by his bootstraps.
Kean, whose only salaried job is state senator, which pays $49,000 a year, reported an income last year of $202,000, most of which came from stock dividends, trust holdings and capital gains from the sale of stocks. He received a $23,000 income tax return, making his effective federal income tax about $8,000. That works out to 4 percent of his income. I need to find a new tax accountant.
When Kean was questioned about his income taxes at a press conference with his dad earlier in the week, he said, "I think my tax burden is too high."
I'm amazed Menendez didn't exploit that opportunity to color Kean as an-out-of-touch kid of privilege.

Esquire backs all NJ incumbents but Garrett

Not that it much matters, but Esquire magazine has endorsed all but one of the incumbents in New Jersey's Senate and congressional races -- 5th District Rep. Scott Garrett, whom it describes as "a reactionary who thinks government has no role, except, of course, to limit 'un-Christian' behavior." Esquire backed the re-elections of all four Shore-area incumbent congressmen -- Frank Pallone, Jim Saxton, Christopher Smith and Rush Holt.

The magazine also endorsed Robert Menendez in the U.S. Senate race. "Tom Kean Jr., son of the former New Jersey governor," the endorsement read, "is relying on his name and cheap attacks in his run to replace incumbent Menendez. Unfortunately, his charge that Menendez was involved in a major kickback scandal in the state in the early 1980s has proved not just exaggerated but blatantly untrue."

Saxton received a backhanded endorsement: "Anyone who in defending the Bush tax cuts calls the federal income tax 'steeply progressive' opens himself to questions regarding his intellectual honesty. That said, Saxton has a history of bucking the GOP establishment, especially on environmental issues."

Of Smith, the magazine said, "Smith's respect for life cuts both ways. One the one hand, he's an especially vocal opponent of abortion rights; on the other, he strongly opposes his party's cozy economic relations with nations (China, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia) widely known to abuse human rights. All in all, he comes out looking good."

Menendez gets 'F' on immigration reform

A national group pushing for a crackdown on illegal immigration, Americans for Better Immigration, has given U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez an overall grade of F for his voting record on immigration reform. Actually, it gave him an F for his career and an F- for his recent record. The grade was based on nine immigration issues. Menendez received Fs in eight of the nine areas; he got a D in the ninth. The second worst grade in the New Jersey Senate/congressional delegation went to Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who received a D-.
Only three New Jersey congressmen received an overall grade of B or better - Jim Saxton, R-3 (B), Scott Garrett, R-5 (A) and Frank LoBiondo, R-2 (A-). Frank Pallone, D-6, and Rush Holt, D-6, both received Ds, and Christopher Smith, R-4, received a C.
The link to the report cards: http://grades.betterimmigration.com/delegation.php3?District=NJ

Last call for tax-cutting ideas

Someone from the Assembly Democratic Office called me yesterday to ask if we could remind readers that lawmakers are soliciting taxpayers' views on some of the cost-cutting ideas that have been floated in the four legislative committees studying property tax reform and any other ideas they may have.

I told the caller that there had been no need for the call - I had planned to blog on it. But rather than plugging the Internet site that allows people to provide feedback, I planned to point out, as the Press has done on the editorial pages in the past, that the legislators have long known what needed to be done to reduce taxes. They've just lacked the desire or courage, or both, to do it.

I also pointed out that the feedback to legislators would be more useful if the ideas suggested by taxpayers on the Legislature's Web site were available for everyone to see. The posts simply disappear into the ethernet, never to be seen again. I'd like to know what good ideas people are suggesting that lawmakers are ignoring. The caller said he would take my suggestion under advisement. I'm not holding my breath.
But if you want to weigh in with any suggestions, here's the link:
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/PropertyTaxSession/specialsessionpt.asp

Parkway crash warrants firing

A Garden State Parkway toll collector who used a cut in a Parkway median to make an illegal U-turn, resulting in a collision that left the driver of the other vehicle in critical condition, has been suspended pending an internal hearing. He should have been canned instantly.
The injured driver, a 26-year-old man from Yonkers, N.Y., was ejected from his vehicle, which overturned several times. The accident occurred about 10 p.m. Sunday near mile marker 93.5 in Brick.
After Parkway officials have completed their internal review, they also should review their hiring policies. The toll collector, 76-year-old Arrigo Conti, of Bay Head, was hired at age 72. We're all for equal employment opportunities. But what special qualifications did this guy have for the job that other candidates didn't?

Menendez's 'constituent service'

In 1998, back when U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez was Rep. Menendez, he wrote a letter to federal prison officials asking that a father and son who were in jail on racketeering and drug charges be allowed to transfer to a facility closer to home, allowing them to be reunited at Fort Dix Federal Correctional Institute.
A Menendez spokesman said the then-congressmen had no relationship with the mobsters, Nicholas and Antonino Parlavecchio, and that writing the letter on behalf of prisoners seeking transfers so visitation would be more convenient was not unusual.
What do you think? Should elected officials be going to bat for mobsters under any circumstances? Is there anything untoward about what Menendez did?

Superintendent salaries tell only part of story

We got a big response from readers to our Thursday editorial about superintendent salaries and benefits, and the need for the state to pass legislation requiring that all government entities disclose the salaries and benefits of all employees on their Web sites. The more people learn about how much some public employees make - and the benefits they receive - the louder the clamor for reform will become. See editorial: http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061012/OPINION/610120404/1029.
The state Depatment of Education has begun posting the salaries of top school administrators on its Web site. It's useful, but it doesn't include the perks, which add nearly 40 percent to administrators' base pay. Here's the link: http://www.nj.gov/njded/data/salary/. Bear in mind that the figures are a year old - probably 4 percent or more lower than they are today.

Clear choices on issues in congressional races

If you plan to cast your vote in this year's congressional elections based on candidates' stances on the issues alone, your choices should be easy to make. In the Shore-area's four congressional districts, the differences on the Iraq war, the economy, immigration and other key issues are stark.
We saw that firsthand at today's editorial board meeting with 12th District candidates Rush Holt, the incumbent Democrat, and GOP challenger Joseph Sinagra, a former Helmetta councilman. Holt, who voted against giving President Bush the authority to wage war in Iraq, was one of the first congressmen to call for a full withdrawal. He thinks one year should be enough time to do it. Sinagra believes in staying the course. Holt calls the Bush administration's handling of the economy a disaster. Sinagra says the economy is humming along nicely. Holt opposes building a fence on the Mexican border to keep the illegals out, and many other measures favored by House Republicans to stanch the flow. Sinagra's views on immigration are the polar opposite.
Holt calls the election this year a referendum on Bush and his "rubber-stamp" Congress. That may be in many parts of the country. But in the Shore-area, experience and the perceived integrity of the candidates will probably have the most important bearing on the outcome.

Send us your questions for Kean, Menendez

Our editorial board meetings with political candidates move into high gear this week, beginning with a sitdown with 12th District congressional candidates Rush Holt, Democratic incumbent, and Republican challenger Joseph Sinagra.
Next Thursday, we will spend two hours grilling U.S. Senate candidates Tom Kean Jr. and incumbent Robert Menendez. We will do our best to pin them down on issues they have been dancing around or ignoring since the campaign began.
Let me know what question(s) you would like us to ask them, and we will do our best to get the answers.
We also encourage you to submit questions for candidates in the congressional and freeholder races. You can post the questions on this blog or send them to me by e-mail at rbergmann@app.com.

A tea party in Jackson

It's nice to know there are some residents in Jackson who are not taking a 30 percent increase in the municipal tax rate lying down. The increase, approved unanimously by the newly elected mayor and council, who ran on a platform of reducing taxes, will cost the average homeowner another $300 a year - not counting the hefty school tax increase.

A new citizens group called the Jackson Tea Party has formed, with the goal of getting the current mayor and council out of office ASAP. The first opportunity - unless they opt for the recall route - is in 2008. They expect to launch a Web site - www.jacksonteaparty.com - in the next day or two.

Here are some snippets from a release they sent out announcing their formation:

"Now that the Regular Republicans have increased our taxes by 30% -- without the least bit of hesitation, remorse or shame -- it is critical that the residents of Jackson Township focus on the actions of this regime and respond accordingly -- at the polls.

"The budget proposed by Mark Seda included the largest tax increase in the history of Jackson Township raising the property taxes of residents by 30%. This Township Council -- Stallone, Ingram, Gudaitis, Updegrave and Martin -- was faced with a simple choice. They could represent and protect the interests of the residents who they were elected to serve, and fight the Mayor and his tax increase. Or, they could represent and protect the interests of their political bosses, Mark Seda, Bill Santos and Dick Borys, and fully support the tax increase. What choice did Stallone, Ingram, Gudaitis, Updegrave and Martin make? . . .

"This Township Council did not cut one cent from the tax increase. They did not challenge or oppose any aspect of the budget. . . They unanimously adopted the tax increase.

"The Regular Republicans assume we have short memories. They assume that we will forget the lies they told us about "'tax cuts" and "fiscal responsibility" during their campaign. They assume that we will forget the impact of this 30% tax increase on our homes and families. They assume that we will forget that we were taxed by Mr. Seda without representation by our Township Council.

"Will we forget? What we say at the polls in May, 2008 will be the answer."

Ah, autumn at the beach

September and October have always been my favorite times for the beach. The crowds are gone, you can find plenty of free, convenient parking (in many towns) and you don't have to worry about staying in the sun too long. It's hard to beat a beautiful autumn day at the Jersey Shore. Yesterday, the family and I hung out at Ocean Grove. It was close to idyllic - for the infants in strollers, the young kids, the elderly and everyone in between. It was also ideal for the dogs, who are allowed to prance around on the beach and socialize with other dogs after Oct. 1. They had a blast. So did my 3-year-old son, who was petting and getting licked by just about everyone one of them.

NJ tops in property taxes - again

New Jersey's property taxes were once again the highest in the nation in 2005, according to the lastest study by the Tax Foundation. (http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/1913.html.) Not only was New Jersey first in the median property tax bite but first in the amount of property tax dollars paid as a percentage of household income, undercutting the apologists' (i.e., politicians') contention it's only natural the nation's wealthiest state should have the highest property taxes.
Monmouth County has the 13th highest property taxes in the nation and Ocean County has the 61st highest (http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/1888.html). But Ocean County ranks 21st in property taxes as a percentage of income. New Jersey placed six counties in the top 10 and nine in the top 20. Passaic and Essex counties finished 1-2 in the nation on the list of highest property taxes as a percentage of income.
Congrats to all the losers.