Even though the Governor’s budget address has come and gone, I wanted to post this YouTube video that was sent out by his office. The video does a good job of breaking down – in very simple terms – how the Governor focuses on his position and focuses on making New Jersey better.
And I love the first comment on the video page on YouTube. It reads: “I’m a liberal democrat living in NY, and I would vote for Gov Christie for President in a NY minute. Yes, I would vote against party lines just this one time, because he says what he truly believes.”
People neglect how important it is to deal with someone who means what they say. So many of today’s politicians are bullshit artists – not Governor Christie. He tells you exactly what’s on his mind and then he pushes his policies forward.
That’s actually rare in today’s politics (go figure). Anyway, I enjoyed that short video – I hope you did, too.
It was right about this time last year when I posted an entry on this blog discussing how I owed more in taxes for fiscal year 2010 than I already paid. Don’t get me wrong, I pay taxes just like every other working person via the payroll tax, income tax, sales tax, etc. However, last year was the first time where I actually owed more money to the government because of earning money from jobs outside of my primary employment.
In other words, I did pretty well in 2010 so I had to pay extra money to the government for doing so well. In total, I paid $3,564 to the Internal Revenue Service and another $374 to the great State of New Jersey.
"You can pay me now or you will pay me later." - Irwin R. Schyster
Oh, you might remember that I used a picture of former WWE wrestler Irwin R. Schyster in last year’s post. Well, I thought that the picture worked pretty well and was entertaining, so considering that I just uploaded a post that talked about WWE bringing WrestleMania to New Jersey, I figured that it would be great to bring back Mr. Schyster for this year’s tax news. And speaking of this year’s tax news…
I owe both the Internal Revenue Service and the State of New Jersey taxes again for 2011.
You can go back and read last year’s entry to find out all of the different places where I draw income from (including advertising revenues related to this blog). You can also go back and read last year’s entry to find out some of the different side jobs that I perform each year (adjunct teaching, for example). However, I want to reiterate a point that I made last year: generally speaking, I want to pay these taxes.
There are a lot of people who spend a lot of time trying to find ways to not pay the government according to the tax laws on the books. Unless you’ve got big-time scratch (and I do not), then it makes no sense to go out of your way to hide income or gains from the government. They’ll find out and they’ll nail you for it – so pay your damn taxes. The reason why I’m generally okay with paying these extra taxes is because I made a good amount of money last year.
I mean it’s simple enough, right? You make more money than you pay taxes on so you have to pay taxes on that excess income. Generally speaking, what’s the problem with that? Sure, we can get into a discussion about whether or not I should be taxed at the rate that I’m currently taxed at (I would suggest that I should be taxed at a lower rate). And yes, we can get into a discussion about whether the government uses my tax dollars according to my will or in a manner that I find efficient (the answer is “no” for both of those items), but that’s not the point of this entry. The point is that you should all want to pay more in taxes because if you have to pay more in taxes, then you must have earned more in income during the previous year. Let me repeat that:
The more taxes you pay, the more money you earned.
Keywords: “more,” “money,” and “earned.”
While I think that it sucks and I might be annoyed that I have to send a check to the Internal Revenue Service for some $3,200+ and to the State of New Jersey for some $450+, I’m glad that I worked hard enough and earned enough money to increase my tax liability. Although I do have a bone to pick with the IRS over one aspect of my taxes (the student loan interest deduction), but I’ll get to that in an entry to be posted in the next few days). Also, this year I was better prepared for a higher tax liability because of being so shocked that I owed money last year. So I’m prepared to pay the government this year with very little impact on my regular cash flow.
And that’s a good thing… because nobody wants to open their door and find Irwin R. Schyster waiting on their doorstep looking for a check. No thanks!
If you live in New Jersey, then I’m sure you’ve been aware for quite some time that the Garden State will host the 2014 Super Bowl. Sure, the NFL is saying that it is being hosted by New York and New Jersey, but let’s be real – MetLife Stadium is in New Jersey, the hotels where visitors will stay are in New Jersey, and all of the local businesses that will benefit from the Super Bowl are in New Jersey. This is clearly a New Jersey event!
New Jersey is hosting the Super Bowl in 2014!
Whether you’re the type of New Jerseyan who loves that the Super Bowl is coming to MetLife Stadium or whether you hate it, there are some undeniably great impacts coming our way. To begin with, the general rule of thumb is that Super Bowls can provide up to $500 million in gross economic activity for a host city. Half a billion dollars? That’s not too bad for a few days of mayhem!
What’s better than the $500 million economic impact, though, is the fact that there will be a variety of part-time and temporary jobs available to help set up for, manage, and break down from the Super Bowl and its pre-game festivities. Those types of jobs aren’t segregated to New Jersey alone, either. Those are the types of jobs that folks in New York City can benefit from as well as New Jerseyans living in the central part of the state. I believe that this is one of the best impacts from hosting the Super Bowl because it provides an opportunity for an unemployed or underemployed person to make their own, professional impact on a company that is looking to hire more people. In other words, if you’re one of those people who thinks all they need is a chance at a job so they can impress an employer enough to want them to be hired full-time, then this is that chance!
A third benefit from having the Super Bowl in New Jersey is the fact that we get to show off the real New Jersey. No, not that stereotype-laden image that most of the rest of the country has of us as fist-pumping, loud-talking, self-obsessed members of the mafia. We get a chance to showcase the real New Jersey – a place filled with optimistic people, caring families, and intelligent discussion.
Alright, well most of the discussion is intelligent!
However, before we get to experience the economic and social impacts that come along with hosting the Super Bowl, New Jerseyans have a chance to realize more than $200 million in economic impact from hosting another global event… WrestleMania XXIX!
Are you ready for WrestleMania XXIX next year?!
If you read this blog, then you probably know that I used to be a big wrestling fan many years ago and am still somewhat of a fan today (though to a much lesser, rather passive degree). However, since I have that latent wrestling fan mentality I fully intend on attending WrestleMania next year (and the Super Bowl in 2014 for that matter) because it’s going to be so close to home. Aside from the fact that I plan on attending one of the major annual global sporting/entertainment events based in America (i.e. the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, NCAA Championships, WrestleMania, etc), I think that this gigantic wrestling show presents a much more exciting opportunity for those who are without jobs.
As I wrote above, there are going to be a lot of staff ramp-ups leading into the Super Bowl. Well, there are going to be a bunch of staff ramp-ups leading into WrestleMania as well. Not only does the stadium have to transform into the spectacle that Vince McMahon creates every year, but there is usually a week-long series of events all around the host city (or, in New Jersey’s case, the host region). Sometimes, the events leading up to the actual show can bring in as many or more visitors than the show itself.
And that’s another item to consider. Currently, MetLife Stadium can hold about 82,500 fans. However, WWE has a history of extending attendance capacities in football stadiums by the thousands since they utilize the field for seating space, too. Chances are that WWE is going to try to figure out how to pack as many people into MetLife Stadium as possible. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were 95,000+ people in that stadium for WrestleMania when all was said and done.
Anyway, the point of this entry was simply to acknowledge that there are two major events coming to New Jersey in the next few years and we all should be pretty excited about the opportunities that come along with hosting these events. There is an economic impact with dollars spent at local business, there is a professional impact with jobs being created for the unemployed or underemployed, and there is a social impact that will allow us to show the rest of the country and the world all of the great things about New Jersey.
As many of our readers know, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was given the, well, authority to raise tolls over the last few weeks. And, as many of us have read about in recent weeks, many people are beginning to feel the crunch of the increase in tolls.
The folks who contribute from time to time to JerseySmarts.com are not immune to this crisis. In fact, our own poetic contributor Joseph P. Martino recently sent me an editorial that he wrote about the excessive increases in the tolls. Here is Mr. Martino’s commentary, printed in full, for you to read.
HOW HIGH BRIDGE TOLLS NEGATIVELY AFFECT THE NEW JERSEY,NEW YORK AND TRI STATE AREA ECONOMY
JOSEPH P.MARTINO
The tolls on the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and metropolitan transit authority are out of control. To help reduce or defray the tolls — I think Mayor Bloomberg should sell the naming rights to all bridges to a large fortune 500 company.
If sports arenas and stadiums have corporate sponsors or branding why not the verrazano bridge? the bridge is an iconic landmark worth alot of money to a sponsor. the branding contact could run for 20 years and maybe bring the toll down a few dollars. the name ‘verrazano’ would always be retained for exp:(fictitious) the Apex Narrows Verrazano Bridge or, the Verrazano Narrows Apex Bridge.
***i would also suggest an Ezee Pass system where economist would estimate a mean annual cost for round trip travel on the verrazano bridge. REVISED: REGULAR HEAVY BUSINESS USERS COULD APPLY FOR PREPAID DISCOUNT CARD.*****
For example $2,000 dollars a year round trip total toll. the estimated $2,000 dollars could be paid up front for heavy users of the bridge offering the pre pays a discount Ezee Pass, *****card or sticker.the city/state would collect up front interest on the pre payers money.******
Regular rates would apply to non pre pays. i would like to know why 60 cents of every dollar collected from tolls on the port of (pa)new york authority bridges go to finance the world trade center? can we not find another source of revenue and stop penalizing motorist and commercial business? the consumer is further penalized because commercial companies are forced to pass along high bridge tolls to the consumer.
The high Bridge,tunnel and path tolls are anti productive to all, like all regressive tax we have reached the point of no return. as a former Brooklyn,staten island resident now living in new jersey i am forced to rations my motor trips into nyc. formerly brooklyn and staten island residents would drive to new jersey to save on clothing tax but now feel isolated and confined to their home boroughs by out of control high bridge tolls.
**the end result: lost business and loss of tax revenue for the city of new york from visitors from new jersey,Pennsylvania who have cut down on there trips to new york.. people who would normally attend movies, theatre,plays,opera,concerts,ballet, museum’s,sport events,the circus and shop and dine in the city. trucker and commercial business are forced to pass their costs to the consumer to survive the high tolls they are forced to pay.
NYC restaurants and other business like parking garages and lots are feeling the pinch in lost revenue. the total loss of business and tax loss for the city of new york/state will be enormous***. how do high bridge,tunnel and path tolls in the long term really benefit new jersey and new york economy.???????
an exploratory committee! of economist must be convened to figure out the money brought in from higher toll increases as opposed to the overall loss of business and revenue to new jersey and new york. some out of the box thinking is called for.
joseph p. martino
millburn, nj
former 70 year resident on new york city
american writer,poet,inventor,motivator (1937~)
And there you have it – one former New York City resident and current New Jersey resident’s take on the increasing cost of transportation in and around the tri-state area.
Well, folks. That’s all she wrote! Hurricane Irene has come and gone and, frankly, I wasn’t all that impressed. Of course, we didn’t get hit too hard in Tinton Falls, but I understand that other parts of New Jersey are flooded. Anyway, the pictures below are from yesterday during the mid-morning/afternoon. The first 8 pictures are a view from the Boardwalk in Asbury Park as the hurricane swells started hitting the beach. The second 15 pictures are from Ocean Avenue and Pier Village in Long Branch. There are 2 additional pictures at the bottom of this entry, so be sure to scroll down all of the way!
And the two pictures below were sent in by my Mom up in the Lake Rogerene section of Mount Arlington. As you can see, one of the big trees in front of the lake was uprooted and portions of Orben Drive are totally under water.
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Quote of the Moment:
The surest way to reveal one’s character is not through adversity, but by giving them power. — President Abraham Lincoln, 1809 – 1865
