News Roundup & Open Thread for Friday, March 12, 2010

NJ Nets Forever (0.00 / 0)

The Brooklyn Yards ground-breaking ceremony yesterday for the planned arena for the Nets is no guarantee that the construction will be completed and that the Nets will move to Brooklyn.  This development project has gone through a lot of twists and turns and might yet founder against the shoals of protestors or insufficient financing.

Nonetheless it's time for potential investor/owners to consider creating a new basketball team for NJ.  They will have two significant advantages: 1) There is no need to finance and build an arena. Prudential Center is there and waiting. 2) An essential source of revenue  is already available from one of several local cable sports channels to broadcast the games.

For this to come together it is critical that during the next two seasons fans attend the Newark games in large numbers to demonstrate that professional basketball is not only a great sport but a viable, local business for investors. And all of this should be possible without the NJSEA or state involvement.

"The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die." - Sen. Ted Kennedy

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by: Bill Orr @ Fri Mar 12, 2010 at 13:17:38 PM UTC

On living in the state (0.00 / 0)

I think we all agree there are both good and bad to requiring state public employees to live within the state.  

I want to address one of the benefits as to why this is a good idea.  I proposed it back during the special session of 2006 (not that anyone listened to me, but I digress) and stand by it today.

In the software development world, we have a phrase "chickens and pigs".  Chickens are people who come to meetings, lay an egg then leave.  They are not accountable for decisions made.  Pigs are people who have a vested interest in it, it is their "bacon" that is going to be cooked and thus they pay the price of decisions made.  Most of the time they are the ones who have to work late to meet the promises made.

When a puclic employee lives outside the state or region covered by their work they are chickens.  Other than their paycheck the decisions they make have no real impact to their lives.

When a public employee lives within the state or town they work for they become pigs.  The decisions they make affect them directly from the property and income tax to local services to quality of life for their children.

I do not want this to become a teacher-bashing as I respect anyone who can stand in front of a class of obnoxious kids all day (especially my own), but if a teacher lives in PA are they really concerned about controlling costs and paying for their health care?  The teachers I talk to that understand there needs to be some shared costs are all local.  They live in my town and have just as much to lose or gain as I do if taxes go up, or if there is a strike or other work-stoppage.

However the normal "rank and file" teachers are not the issue.  I think most of them do live locally and deeply care about their community.  I think the problem are those at the top of the various departments who live out of state.  The exodus to PA from Trenton at 5PM is real.

Maybe -- just maybe -- if these people lived in NJ and had their bacon at-risk they might get creative and come up with solutions not only to taxes but why it is so expensve here.  I grew up in Bucks County PA and was amazed at some of the policies when I moved here.

To me, this is the same as the phrase "eat your own dog food".  Would you trust a product if the engineers that designed it used the competitors?  Or having a school superintent sending his kids to private school.

If you want to be a "public servant" then you should be willing to be held priately accountable, i.e. taxes, for your decisions and choice.  

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by: AreYouWithMe? @ Fri Mar 12, 2010 at 13:44:24 PM UTC

Christie says... (4.00 / 1)

Our Governor General is big on bluster and drama. The PolitickerNJ text of his recent speech you refer us to is ungrammatical, rambling and often inarticulate. He boldly discusses what has led to our current state.  However, he is unclear on how he will solve the problems, and yet he expects us to join him. At one point he says, "We need to jump off the cliff together. Now, I'll jump first, I'll put my hands behind me, and I'll hope to feel some hands grabbing on as I go." - hardly a reassuring proposal.

That we have significant budget problems is certainly the case.  That he is approaching the problems with reasoned thought and carefully prepared antidotes is certainly not the case. Presumably he will be clearer and more explicit in his forthcoming budget speech. But we should be aware that this man has more bravado than bravery and an uncertain understanding of his own proposals.  At times like this we need good judgment, firmness, and even compassion not just "slash and burn" or "shoot first and ask questions later."

We have already seen him back down on some of his proposals.  We have seen his plans questioned in the courts.  We need to have people continue to speak up when he is off base, and we need an energized determined legislature to apply the brakes and propose other solutions. We live in interesting times.

"The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die." - Sen. Ted Kennedy

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by: Bill Orr @ Fri Mar 12, 2010 at 16:58:32 PM UTC

Does Christie know the difference (0.00 / 0)

between an Executive Order and a press release?

EO 17 is way over the top.

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by: Winston Smith @ Fri Mar 12, 2010 at 22:34:59 PM UTC