Why Do Today What You Can Put Off Until Tomorrow? Pension Underfunding in the Garden State

Thank goodness we have such intelligent politicians here in New Jersey. The State Senate and Assembly--in their infinite wisdom--passed legislation today that will allow New Jersey towns and school districts to delay half their payments to the public employee pension system for a year. Municipalities would then make up the payment shortfall over 15 years along with their regular contributions.

Isn't it funny how we (you know, individuals and us fools in the private sector) are always being encouraged to save for our retirement, yet our politicians don't play by those same rules? In deferring these payments, we run the risk of even further underfunding our already underfunded pension system. We're also just putting off the inevitable, further burdening future generations of taxpayers. Thank you State of New Jersey for the gift that will truly keep on giving.

Read more about this from The Star Ledger's website.

Fort Lee Transcript Controversy: I Blame the Parents

By now you know of the recent scandal in Fort Lee. Somebody--a teacher, a guidance counselor, an administrator--has been altering students' transcripts to get them into better colleges. Cs and Bs became Bs and As, while Ds and Fs vanished altogether. The principal has been suspended pending an investigation, and parents are outraged. But, at the end of the day, it's the parents that I blame.

Granted, they may not have been the ones doing the altering. But I absolutely blame the culture of educational entitlement that parents have created. It seems as though there are a lot of parents, particular in upper middle class and wealthy towns, who feel that getting into a great college is their child's right. They pay out the nose for private college counselors and, no doubt, drive their kid's guidance counselor and teachers crazy.

Isn't there anything you can do for my little Susie?

Why did she only get a B in your class? She can't get into Harvard with a B in History.

Well, maybe Susie isn't cut out for Harvard. Maybe she's not cut out for Rutgers, or William Paterson. Maybe, just maybe, orange spandex a tray full of overrated wings are in her future.

I can almost guarantee that the parents of those students with the altered transcripts were total pains who felt their kids were entitled to get into whatever school they wanted. Whatever happened to kids getting into the colleges the old fashioned way (hard work and studying)? And whatever happened to parents siding with schools and teachers?

Why Does South Jersey Always Win the Big One?

It was announced today that the winners of this week's $212 million Mega Millions jackpot came from the Garden State. Is it just me, or do all the big lottery winners always come from South Jersey? It's also important to note where the winning ticket was bought: Singin Oil Gas Station. They're never purchased at a supermarket. The seedier the place, and the further south you go, the more likely you are to win. I really need to stop buying lottery tickets at the Stop and Shop of Wayne.

Eminent Domain: This Land is Your Land (Or, At Least You Thought It Was)

I really just can't believe this one. New Jersey municipalities are constantly using eminent domain (or some variation thereof) to get its hands on private property for "public good."

Apparently, there's this family garage that the city of Cliffside Park is leasing out for its DPW vehicles. The reason they have to lease it out is because their efforts to build a new joint garage with Fairview has been stalled.

Since the lease is set to expire in a few months and since the Fairview deal is stalled, Cliffside Park is suing to SEIZE the garage from the family.

So, if the judge rules in Cliffside Park's favor, the Tapkas family could LOSE their garage altogether. Equally disturbing is the fact that this sets a very dangerous precedent that will no doubt leave our local governments salivating even more of what private property the can steal from us in the interest of "public good."

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/judge_urges_joint_agreement_in.html