Jim is a veteran broadcaster that is never afraid to rattle some cages. Whether it's politics, taxes, or SUV's...Jim tells it like it is, desperately attempting to rationalize why New Jersey is in a hand basket and where it's going!
"How many hands are in the trough?"
"Time to BOHICA!"
"GRIP"
Want to find out more? Just listen every morning.
Last Week On Jim's Show:
What is your ideal job?
There will be a six month study to reevaluate "Klyeigh's Law".
New Jersey has the lowest number of children receiving childhood innoculations.
Only two NJ people, with pre-existing conditions, have qualified for the first of the new health care options.
Who is to blame for the "Race to the Top" application being denied?
E3 (Excellent Education for Everyone) Executive Director Derrell Bradford
E3 (Excellent Education for Everyone) Executive Director Derrell Bradford talked to Jim about the rejection of the Race To The Top application.
November Is Coming
Americans For Prosperity's New Jersey Chapter President Steve Longegan talked to Jim about President Obama's attack on the group during a speech in Texas. Obama said the group has a "harmless sounding name" but it could be a "foreign controlled corporation...big oil company or a big bank" that supports a "corporate takeover of our democracy."
Governor Chris Christie talked with Jim about the passage of the 2% property tax cap
Rev. Reginald T. Jackson
photo: Ed Murray/The Star-Ledger
Rev. Reginald T. Jackson spoke with Jim to discuss his recent guest blog on NJ.com: NJ Children Deserve Better Choices; Pass The Opportunity Scholarship Act.
An excerpt:
Almost five years ago I, with a bipartisan group of legislators, religious, business and civic leaders, stood on the steps of our Statehouse in Trenton to push for passage of a bill that would have allowed children in some of the state’s lowest performing and most expensive school districts to attend better performing public schools in other districts, or participating private schools anywhere in the state.
Senate President Steve Sweeney called Jim to talk about his proposed 2.9% property tax cap.
Governor Calls Jim About Race To The Top
Listen to Jim's conversation with Governor Christie
Governor Chris Christie talked to Jim Gearhart about the application for federal money as part of the Race To The Top program.
It's Click It-Or Ticket Time
Putting Things In Perspective
This was posted on the New Jersey 101.5 Facebook fan page.
Amarei Mieibambini : FOR THE TEACHERS THAT AGREED TO THE FREEZE, THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART AND WALLET. FOR THOSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO BUT CAN'T BECAUSE OF THE NJEA, THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART! FOR THE REST OF YOU WHO COMPLAIN AND COMPLAIN, THIS IS FOR YOU:
For one week:
1. Be a home health aide to a patient with dementia and clean up after our ... See Moreelderly (in every way imaginable) for $12.00 per hour. (BTW, their patients- the seniors, have had their Medicare cut, they didn't get a cost of living increase, and their IRAs (if any) are demolished).
2. Be a hospice worker who must take care of terminally ill cancer patients while they die.
3. Be a nurse working 70 hours per week, 12 hour shifts in a hospital making $70k per year (for twelve months). Start in the ER facing death daily, or work with cardiac patients or cancer patients. Now, do that while being a single parent.
5. Be a military person who is deployed overseas to fight for our country; then return home with less than adequate benefits and support, perhaps without a family.
6. Be a commission worker who is paid on production. No effort, no paycheck, no bennies, work weekends and nights. Those jobs are often taken by the capitalists, thank goodness for that (like me).
7. Be a social worker for DYFUS for $45k per year. Masters degrees earn no additional income; furlough days are the norm, pay freezes last for years.
8. Be a firefighter who must risk his life to save yours
9. Be a laid off person (That's easy. They are everywhere). Be a single parent working two jobs with no benefits to support her family while she waits for the economy to gain momentum and watch her taxes increase.
10. Be the father working at Walmart because, despite his experience and degrees, he can’t find work in this economy. His unemployment ran out or he is too proud to take it anymore. He is thankful he has a job.
This sanctimonious attitude teachers work harder than anyone else is insulting to the rest of the working world. Unless you're a bottom feeding socialist, we all work hard. Get over yourselves. WITH FEW EXCEPTIONS, NO ONE TODAY IS PAID WHAT THEY ARE WORTH- IT'S A RECESSION, STUPID!
Teachers work hard....yawn....we are all getting tired of hearing that. Repetition is the key to learning, I suppose, and you've got that down. We all know you work really, really, really, really, really, really harder than anyone else to babysit. The rest of us.....well, we apparently don't work very hard and make too much money as it is. Got it.
I-295 Rehabilitation Project
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) has completed final design for the I-295 pavement repair and rubblization project located in the townships of Westampton, Burlington, Florence, Mansfield, Springfield and Bordentown, in Burlington County from milepost 44.9 to milepost 56.8. The construction area extends from Rancocas-Mount Holly Road (Exit 45) to Route 130 (Exit 57). Construction began February 2010 and is expected to be completed by November 2011.
Derrell Bradford of E3 (Excellent Education For Everyone)
Jim talked to Derrell Bradford, Executive Director of E3 (Excellent Education For Everyone) about the state of education in New Jersey, Tuesday's walkout by many students in protest of the cutback of state funds for schools, and Thursday's School Choice Rally which is part of The Jersey Guys' Up With Teachers live broadcast in Trenton.
Upsetting Apple Carts: How to Get NJ Back on Track
Jim read this speech this morning delivered by Senator Raymond Lesniak on Thursday, September 11, 2008 to members of the National Association of industrial and Office Properties.
A few months ago, while the Senate Democratic caucus was debating pension reform for government workers which would do nothing more than balance off the increased pension costs due to Governor Corzine's early retirement proposal, a Senator remarked, "We're upsetting too many apple carts". My response to the veteran Senator was, "If you're afraid to upset apple carts, you shouldn't be here."
New Jersey has been cruising along for decades, benefiting from its advantageous location between New York City and Philadelphia, a high concentration of chemical and pharmaceutical companies, one of the largest ports in the world, and its wealth of natural resources: most notably the Jersey shore.
It's not that we didn't do some things right to keep us going in the right direction at the time. My environmental protection legislation during the early 80's saved us from a toxic calamity and enabled economic development to continue in a productive and healthy fashion.
Our commitment to public education also set us apart from other states and made New Jersey an attractive place to raise a family.
We were fat and happy. And, as a result, we allowed a flawed system of government to go unchecked. It wasn't hurting us - so we thought. Sure it cost more to build a home in New Jersey, or locate or expand a business. It didn't matter. We had so much going for us, our residents and business owners were willing to pay the price.
That's no longer true and hasn't been for awhile. The worldwide economy changed. And other states got smart. Location was no longer such a great advantage. And the costs of the structural inefficiencies of our governments were increasing exponentially.
Adding to our problem was the debt incurred under Whitman and McGreevey. It was dragging us down. So was the inadequate investment in our infrastructure - our roads and bridges and mass transit system, and ever decreasing funding for higher education.
And our education establishment became corrupt. When I was first elected to the legislature, way back in 1977, there was a positive friction between local school boards and the teachers' unions: the kind of give and take between management and unions that helps both sides and our society.
But the NJEA got smart - for their members. With only 12% of the public voting in school board elections, they started winning elections to school boards throughout the state. And the school boards and administrators got smart also - for themselves. They played ball with the unions and got their perks, their patronage, and their benefits. No one was watching the shop. The State Department of Education, made up of former members of the same system, fell into line. There is no bigger failure in the State of New Jersey than the failure of our Department of Education to oversee the expenditure of tens of billions of dollars each year: a failure that has cost our children and the taxpayers of this state dearly.
As a result, despite spending more dollars per pupil than anywhere else on this planet, many of our children, particularly those in our urban areas, are not getting the education they need. And those who are, are getting it at a cost billions more than necessary to provide the same education.
Senators Bob Smith and Joe Kyrillos tried to reform our wasteful system of government with 566 municipalities and 616 school districts, but they got shouted down. Senators Sweeney, Scutari and Buono tried to reform our drastically underfunded pension and health benefits system, but they got shouted down. Speaker Roberts and I are trying to reform the oversight of spending on education so our children can get a quality education without wasting billions of taxpayer dollars - but we hear from too many of our colleagues “We don't want to upset apple carts."
You have a legislative agenda. I will gladly answer any questions you have regarding it. But your legislative agenda, even if you get every piece of it, is not going to help your business and get New Jersey on the right track - unless we start upsetting some apple carts.
Want to see what your local school administrators & teachers earn in pay and benefits? Click here for Gannett's Data Universe.
Click here for School District Administrator Salaries And Benefits
Click here for New Jersey Public School Teacher's Salaries
Christie Signs Pension & Benefit Reform Bills
Gov. Chris Christie has signed three bills making pensions and health benefits for government workers less generous.
The governor signed the reform measures Monday night, shortly after the Legislature passed them. The bills require all government workers to contribute at least 1.5 percent of their salaries toward health care costs, cap the amount of unused sick and vacation time workers can cash out at retirement and bar part-timers from enrolling in the state pension system.
Assembly President Steve Sweeney called Jim on Tuesday, 3/23 to clarify the 1.5% health care contribution....
.
...and again on Wednesday, 3/24 to further clarify.
To read the bill signed by Christie and the roll call click here and then type in bill number. View detailed bill information by clicking on that bill number.
S2: Makes various pension system changes concerning eligibility, retirement allowance formula, compensation definition, position eligible for service credit, non-forfeitable rights, enrollment waiver, prosecutors part, PFRS special retirement, employer contributions.
S3: Makes various changes to SHBP and SEHBP concerning eligibility, cost sharing, plan choice, benefit change application, coverage waiver, multiple coverage; requires contributions toward health care benefits by public employees and certain retirees.
S4 Makes various changes concerning payments to public employees for unused sick leave, sick leave injury in State service, and PERS and TPAF disability retirement.
The Mob That Wacked New Jersey
The Mob That Wacked New Jersey
When Cy Thannikary left India to come work at the UN in Manhattan, he settled in Flushing, Queens, and loved the excitement of living in the city. After starting a family, though, he traded New York’s hubbub for Freehold, New Jersey, a quiet suburb with lower taxes and affordable housing. That was 25 years ago. These days, Thannikary sometimes feels like he’s back in Gotham as he watches his taxes soar and hears neighbors grumble. He has started a new group, Citizens for Property Tax Reform, to fight the special interests that have turned both state and local government into profligate spenders. “Politicians in New Jersey have treated their citizens as ATMs,” he complains. “They have no idea how to restrain spending, and more and more people are saying they can’t afford to live here anymore.”
The FairTax plan is a comprehensive proposal that replaces all federal income and payroll based taxes with an integrated approach including a progressive national retail sales tax, a prebate to ensure no American pays federal taxes on spending up to the poverty level, dollar-for-dollar federal revenue neutrality, and, through companion legislation, the repeal of the 16th Amendment.
Wastebusters! Where do you see waste in New Jersey? Email Jim at waste@nj1015.com to report it anonymously.
Pravda: American Capitalism
Gone With A Whimper CLICK HERE to read
The Hard-Hitting Documentary about
New Jersey Public Education CLICK HERE for the official movie website
Definition of the Middle Class
A class of people who get none of the handouts of the privileged poor, who do not have the tax shelters of the privileged rich and do not have unlimited resources to waste like the privileged elected officials.
The "Middle Class" does, however, enjoy two privileges of its own. The right to pay its own way and the honor of paying for all the privileges enjoyed by the rest.
The Great American Bubble Machine CLICK HERE for the Rolling Stones article on Goldman Sachs
New Jersey's Public Pension Bomb CLICK HERE to read the Fortune magazine story
Governor Chris Christie talked with Jim about the passage of the 2% property tax cap
Senate President Steve Sweeney called Jim to talk about his proposed 2.9% property tax cap.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) has completed final design for the I-295 pavement repair and rubblization project located in the townships of Westampton, Burlington, Florence, Mansfield, Springfield and Bordentown, in Burlington County from milepost 44.9 to milepost 56.8. The construction area extends from Rancocas-Mount Holly Road (Exit 45) to Route 130 (Exit 57). Construction began February 2010 and is expected to be completed by November 2011. 
Jim read this speech this morning delivered by Senator Raymond Lesniak on Thursday, September 11, 2008 to members of the National Association of industrial and Office Properties. 
Want to see what your local school administrators & teachers earn in pay and benefits? ![""]("http://imgsrv.nj1015.com/image/wkxwf/UserFiles/Image/pileofmoney.jpg")
