Efficient Municipal Tax Credit

The State of New Jersey (not unlike many States and the US overall) is facing a huge budget crisis. Governor Christie campaigned on budget reform and though his approach has been like a bull(y) in a china shop, he has significantly reduced NJ’s projected budget. The issue that many New Jersey residents have with Christie is that the cuts have disproportionately impacted urban municipalities and neighborhoods. This comes at a time when the residents of these municipalities have already been stretched to the limit because of the nationwide recession and housing crisis.

If making the poor worse off isn’t enough, Governor Christie is pushing for tax breaks for the wealthy. His reasoning is that NJ’s tax structure causes many of our wealthiest citizens to move outside the state. This reduces the State’s revenue, but as important, those are the individuals who are likely to build new businesses in Jersey. The declining population of New Jersey lends merit to Christie’s claim. This is further enhanced by Topretirements.com ranking New Jersey as one of the top 10 worse places to retire.

If the Donkeys and Elephants can work together, there may be a way to give both sides what they want. More importantly, the citizens of New Jersey will be better off. The State should develop what I call the Efficient Municipality Tax Credit (EMTC). This would be a tax credit similar to the Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit (NRTC), which has been used effectively to revitalize neighborhoods through business investment, real estate rehabilitation, and social programs. The EMTC would be a tax credit given to wealthy individuals who direct most of their donations to this program. Municipalities and School Boards would then submit applications to the State for funding through the EMTC Program. Only those municipalities and school boards that meet improvement measures in education, crime, and/or the municipal budget would qualify.

As an example, John Doe makes $1,000,000 a year. He typically donates $50,000 a year and his tax liability is $75,000. If John Doe makes a donation of $90,000 to the EMTC Program, his taxes would be reduced to $25,000. In this example, John Doe saves $15,000 and gets the goodwill from helping a neighborhood improve. The urban municipality gets $90,000 in EMTC funds, which was likely lost as part of New Jersey’s budget reform. Governor Christie gets to say that he reduced taxes to the rich and Speaker Oliver gets to say that she increased funding to urban municipalities.

This is a very simple example and much of the logistics will have to be worked out, but this could be the perimeters of landmark legislation. If Christie makes this happen, he will prove me right when I said that he is the politician who is going to lead political reform. More importantly, this might convince me to have a beer with him.

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GrannyVendetta

Black President Doesn't Mean Blacks Are Equal

In 2008, the citizens of the United States of America elected Barak Obama to be the 44th President of our Country. President Obama is the first non-White male President in our Country’s history. Many have said that this proves there is no longer racism and that everyone in America has the same opportunities. Barak Obama being elected President has given millions of young Black America children hope that any and everything is possible. At a time with our Country is sliding further into despair, giving our youth hope is a great thing. Unfortunately, I am not a kid anymore.

Call me a cynic, but more shocking that Barak Obama winning the Democratic nomination for the Presidency was Sarah Palin being selected as the Vice-Presidential candidate for the Republicans. President Obama attended the best (Harvard) and 4th (Columbia) ranked schools in the US in obtaining his undergraduate degree and law degree. He went on to teach constitutional law for twelve years at the 9th (University of Chicago) ranked school. With those qualifications, it was a no brainer that he would show up on the national political stage. Sarah Palin being selected as the Vice-Presidential candidate for the Republicans (and her resulting rise to fame) is not only surprising, but insulting. Sarah Palin attended 4 colleges (University of Idaho twice) before graduating. None of the colleges are ranked in the top 100 colleges and universities in the US. Obama taught constitutional law while Sarah Palin couldn’t even explain her position on Roe v. Wade.

I could go on discussing Palin vs. Obama, but you get the point. President Obama is by far the more qualified candidate. Yet the larger point is that Palin was chosen as the candidate for VP with her background. There is no way a Black woman in America would be selected as the candidate for VP with Palin’s resume. There is no way a Black grandmother at 44 years old would be selected for any federal position. I can see the anti-Black grandma campaign now, “How can we trust her to control the county, when she can’t even control her household.” Yet when it comes to Palin, the campaign reads “She is one of us”. When there is a Black woman (or man for that matter) with Palin’s resume selected as the VP candidate, then we can say America gives everyone the same opportunity.

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GrannyVendetta

Christie vs Obama

There is nothing I like about Chris Christie, and I am not just talking about his politics. I don’t think I would have a drink with the man (that is a big deal because I never pass up a drink). I hate his bully personality. I hate that most of the legislation he proposes is gear toward helping the wealthy. I hate that NJ didn’t get $400M in federal aid because of his bickering with the teachers union. I am convinced that Governor Christie would rather continue to fight with NJ Democrats than negotiate even one concession.

Let’s compare Christie to President Obama. I would love to have a beer with Obama. I want to be invited to play in one of those private basketball games at the White House. I love the fact that we have health coverage for more Americans. Though I was against the stimulus package, I have to admit it seems to have worked.
So with the above, why am I upset with President Obama and proud of Christie? What President Obama has accomplished in less than two years, with what he was/is facing, is amazing. Not only are the problems of our County the most severe since the great depression, he is also battling a Republican party who will stop at nothing to make sure he fails. The lack of respect he receives as the President is borderline treasonous.

I am upset with President Obama because I believed he was going to be the President who changed politics. That is what the millions of 18-29 year olds expected when they voted for him. Changing the dysfunctional political process is much more important to me than the landmark healthcare bill or extending the Bush taxes or any other legislation. The vast majority of legislation substantially impacts only the top 5% or bottom 10% of household income. Most of the middle-class has healthcare and though it may change, it is not a game changer. For the bottom 10%, the new healthcare legislation will be earth moving. The Bush tax cuts will save many of the top 5% thousands of not millions of dollars. For most of the middle-class, it’s likely an additional $100ish/month.

In two years in office, President Obama has done a GREAT job in the typical political sense. In one year in office, I can’t say the same for Governor Christie. He has alienated the Teachers' Union, loss $400M in education funding, cancelled the tunnel project, and upset the Mayors from every unban municipality. Yet, I am more proud of Christie than I have ever been of any politician. I may disagree with some of his policies (though I am happy his priority is fixing the State budget), he is the politician (not Obama) who is changing politics. There doesn’t seem to be any back room deals negotiated across the aisle. There doesn’t seem to be any, “I will give you X, if you give me Y” when X and Y is bad for all. We have seen the damage caused when an egotistical man sticks to his position (President Bush). That is not what I get when I assess Christie, thought he does have an ego as large as his frame.

As a Black, NJ, America I need them both to be successful. As a Black man, I want nothing more than for President Obama to successful. Unfortunately I fear Democrats has not supported him enough to get a second term, though the benefits of the legislation he passed (passes) will be felt for decades. As an American who sees the decline of once great nation, I hope that Christie inspires other politicians to challenge the political machine.

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GrannyVendetta

Be Passionate, Not a Fanatic

With a moniker like Granny Vendetta, you can tell that I am passionate about my blogs. Not only is Granny Vendetta my screen name, it was also my grandmother’s name. Since these blogs are about my views and not my background I won’t go into detail, but my grandmother actually changed her name to Vendetta.

Since President Obama has been in office, US politics have moved increasingly towards fanaticism. It is one thing to campaign passionately for your views, it is (or should be) completely unacceptable to intentionally mislead Americas particularly when many are willing to accept any story about the “Black” President. Because the President is Black, the Right has been able to generate passion and fanaticism with completely untrue stories. Obama is not America. Obama is Muslim. And of course my favorite, Obama is the Anti-Christ. Now these fanatics are moving beyond words to action. If you shoot a gun in the dark and it hits someone, you will be charged with at least manslaughter. Not because it was intentional, but because you should have known it “could” happen.

Can we really be surprised at the Arizona shooting of Rep. Giffords with the hate Limbaugh spouts over the airways? “I can’t trust the current government.” Those are the words of the shooter. Can we really be surprised those are his thoughts when candidates like Jan Brewer and Sharron Angle (who said someone should shoot her competition if she loses) are headliners for Republicans? An overt racist like Rand Paul can win the election because we have Sarah Palin inciting fear of a godless, weak, poor America caused by our Black Liberal President. Can someone please tell me how this is different than the videos we have all seen of Bin Laden speaking to his followers? I know the difference…Bin Laden would say he has a problem with President Obama because he is a Nigger. Limbaugh and others would never say that (at least in public); instead they say the problem is that Obama is a Non-American Muslim Socialist.

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GrannyVendetta

Plea to America

A Black American stated that she didn’t trust Barack. She feels that Barack is using Black people to get elected President and then once elected he isn’t going to do anything to help Blacks. If you ready my earlier post, “Blacks & Barack”, you know I don’t believe that because you are Black you have to vote for Barack. That said, I was frustrated by how this person allowed the media to corrupt her mind. First, Barack hasn’t made any statements that could even be interpreted as “Pro-Black”. In fact, others have stated that he isn’t Black enough. I do believe that being Black has helped Barack with his “Change” campaign, but it is the media that has made Race an issue, not Barack. Second, Barack is one of the more liberal democrats and his past record indicates this fact. Most of his liberal policies benefit Blacks because there is large percentage of disadvantaged Blacks. It would be career suicide to attempt to enact legislation specifically for Black citizens. It wouldn’t get passed and he wouldn’t get re-elected to any political position. You cannot win a state or federal election with only the Black vote.

I need all Black American people to listen to me on this…we should vote for Barack because he is easily the most qualified candidate. Let’s take a look at the main reasons Republicans say Barack isn’t qualified: he is young and doesn’t have enough experience, he will sit down with world leaders that the previous President declared our enemies, and he is taking money from hardworking Americans and giving it to the poor.

The two most significant Presidents since WWII are JKF and Reagan. JFK was the youngest President in history and Reagan was the oldest. JFK was a Democrat and Reagan was a Republican. Both were significant because they had a huge impact on the world when the US was in crisis. JFK avoided global war by being smart and thinking logically during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Reagan won the Cold War by being smart and thinking logically. Though it was called the Cold War and Missile Crisis, we did not go to war or fire a missile. Reagan, the greatest Republican President maybe ever, decided against war and he sat down with the Russian President. The worse President in history, George W. Bush, went to war and refused to communicate with anyone who didn’t see the world through his eyes. Being young, smart, and logical beats age and stupidity all the time.

Barack will sit down with world leaders that the previous President declared our enemies…see above.

Barack is a modern day Robin Hood. I am a Republican at heart, but I declared Independent. This is because the Republican Party stood for small government, freedom of speech, and right to privacy. That is not what the current Republican Party represents. With today’s candidates only concerned about winning, there is little chance this will happen…sorry, back to the point. I am a capitalist and in principle I am against increasing taxes. The country is in debt several trillions of dollars, and we just approved a $700million bailout package (which I was against). It is already approved, so it has to be funded. Increasing the taxes of the 1.5% of Americas who can afford it as well as corporations is the most logical and effective way of accomplishing this. Republicans, who are far better at political strategy then Democrats, lead people to believe they will be impacted by Barack’s proposed tax increase. If you are one of the 98.5% of Americans who make less than $250K per year, you will benefit most from Barack’s economic plan.

I started with a plea to Black America. I finish it with a statement to all Americans. I am going to vote for Barack because of the reasons I stated above. I want Barack to win because I believe he is the best candidate. Even more than my desire for Barack to win, I want everyone to think for themselves. Don’t vote along party lines. Don’t allow entertainers to sway your vote. Don’t listen to Bill Maher, Michael Moore, Sean Hannity, or Bill O’Reilly. Don’t listen to your pastor. Don’t listen to “Joe the Plummer”. Don’t vote on emotion or fear. Use your head, think logically. For better or worse, this will be the most important election since Abraham Lincoln’s re-election.

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GrannyVendetta
grannyvendetta@gmail.com

The will of God vs. logical thinking

A woman I adore thinks I am smart, maybe even a genius. A woman I dated thinks I have a great business mind. A woman I slept with thinks I am one of the most unique minds she ever worked with. The woman I dated for years thinks I have a dominating personality, which blinded the above people. Now that I am finished bragging about my “good fortunes”, on to the point. Oh…all my male friends say I am an alcoholic.

I don’t think I am a genius, or a great business mind, or even a unique mind, but I am an unencumbered mind…plus a “fairly” dominant personality (ENTJ). The biggest encumbrance on most minds is religion. I have an uncle who weighs 325lbs. I talked to him about losing weight and his response was, “If god wants me to lose it, I will.” Including my mother, 2 uncles, 2 aunts, and my grandparents, only one aunt lived above the poverty line. When I spoke to my remaining living family members about being financially secure they said, “If god wanted me to have money, he would have given it to me”. Just so you know, it is not only my family, two very well-to-do business partners told me “If god wants this (our new business venture) to be successful, it will happen”…I walked away. This is not about waiting for God to be successful, but it is intended to show how people allow their religious beliefs to dominate their life…be it their success or their ability to think logically.

I am not rich, nor am I a Harvard grad so I don’t have to worry about McCain calling me an elitist, but I am happy the masses believe in religion. It gives them rules and structure. Most people don’t have the internal moral structure I have (with a history of multiple sex partners and drug-related activity), so the irrational fear of “hell” is good.

Though I have heard it a few times, I don’t believe I am very intelligent. I am not saying this to be modest. I know I don’t allow religion or emotion or interfere with the important decisions. My male friends would say that is just the alcohol talking…

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GrannyVendetta

Who are the Middle-class?

Are you middle-class? Both Presidential candidates state that they are better positioned to help the middle-class. We hear them say it during each debate, speech, and public appearance. Can someone please tell me to whom they are speaking?

I always assumed middle-class meant the middle 60% of American households based on income. If you look at a bell distribution curve, and remove the upper and lower 20%, then the middle section is the middle-class (sorry the finance background is coming out). If you agree with this definition, then the US middle-class income is between $19.2K and just under $100K. There are not many policies that benefit individuals on both ends of this range. The median, or middle, of the US household income is $50K. Approximately 8%-9% of American households are in this general range ($45K - $55K).

Because there is no definition, most everyone believes they are middle-class. My mother made $20K and had three kids, and I believed I was middle-class. I know a married couple with three children making $70K, and they consider themselves middle-class. Finally, I know a couple with three children, one in college, making approximately $200K. They would also consider their household as middle-class. They all believe that Obama and/or McCain are speaking to them when they refer to middle-class.

Our Presidential candidates know that by being vague they reach a larger audience, but their policies will likely impact only a small percentage of the “middle-class”. This is no more evident then the $700Billion bailout. The vast majority of the 80% of Americans making less than $100K only invest in Wall Street through pensions or 401K. With retirement age approaching 70, the only middle-class individuals with living expenses affected by Wall Street over the next two Presidential terms are those people age 60+. On the other hand, the resulting inflation and continuous devaluation of the dollar will impact every single American TODAY!!! Our economy is absolutely in trouble, but fallout from the bailout will only make things worse…at least for “middle-class” America.

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GrannyVendetta

The Definition of Insanity

I am sure many readers will agree with this next statement. My blogs are the definition of insanity. I make this statement because I know my blogs will not influence most of you. Yet, I continue to blog HOPING you will understand the logic of my statements and change. That is insane, I know. Interestingly, the point is not to get you to agree with my conclusion, but to give you the tools develop your own.

Do not be a mindless drone and follow the crowd or your leader. You should question the government. You should ask for and require the government give you more information. Do not blindly listen to the political analysts or these talk show hosts. Though they claim to be fair and balanced, no one is balanced! If you have an opinion, you are no longer balanced. I am an Independent, yet I have only voted for Democrats. So no matter how conservative I am on issues, (I am in favor of small government, limited social programs, and the death penalty), if we talk about the candidates I am no longer balanced. Barack is better. I am sure you are saying that I am not following my own advice…I am following the Black crowd and voting for Democrats and Barack because he is Black.

I am voting for Barack because I believe he is best suited to lead the nation. I believe he will be better at interacting with leaders other nations than will McCain.
I am voting for Barack, of course I want him to win, but I am not trying to convince you to vote for him. I am trying to show you what is important to make the nation better, and if you believe McCain is better positioned to address those issues, then by all means vote for McCain. Though I know that is not the case. Republicans, even those who have been frustrated with the last 8 years will still vote for McCain. You should not vote for Obama just so you don’t vote for a Republican, but McCain is pretty close to Bush on the issues that matter most…specifically on the War and foreign policy. Stop voting along party lines and vote for the person who better addresses the important issues.

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GrannyVendetta

What's Important

The President of the US is the CEO of a 300 million person company. The first question each American should ask is which candidate would best represent you as the CEO of your company, the US of America. Employees of GE didn’t care if Jack Welch was pro-life or pro-choice, in favor of gay marriage, or in favor of stem-cell research. Employees cared about safety in the work place, compensation, and opportunity of advancement.

How do these three relate to the Presidential election? Safety in the work place directly relates to the safety of the country. The federal government has evolved to include everything under the sun, but defending the country should still be the #1 priority. Obama’s view is to use diplomacy at all costs, and use force as the last option. McCain’s view is to show force and intimidate those who threaten our nation. Whatever your view, defense of the country should be the main priority.

Compensation entails many factors, at least in this context. The success of the company, ability to remain employed, and the ability of the CEO to grow the company are all factors that impact employees’ compensation. Our President should have the ability to increase the attractiveness of doing business in the US. This is important because no matter what each candidate tells you, jobs are going to continue to go overseas. The way to increase jobs in the US is to get international business to come to the US. The President should also keep employees happy by efficiently and effectively managing the budget (i.e., same number of government programs, with lower taxes).

The final area is the opportunity for advancement. We are living in a global economy. The President needs to make US citizens understand this. High school education will not be enough to get a job in the future. Those jobs are going overseas and will not return. We are competing with Mr. Smith, Ms. Ta, Mr. Singh, and Ms. Rodriguez. If you read my blog, Role of Parents they are not “fat people”. Though the US is separated from the other major economies of the world by oceans on each side, we are not an island. We can no longer operate in such a manner if we want to remain the best nation on earth. Voting for the candidate that most effectively manages the three issues above, will ensure our continued success.

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GrannyVendetta

The Role of Parents

When did the role of parents evolve to ensuring the complete happiness of their children? Children’s wants now drive everything from their parents’ actions, to the grading systems in schools, to rules in sporting events, to the increasing number of law suits.

What caused this shift? My theory is that it is a product of the new elitist attitude of America. In the early 1900’s the US was one of a few powerful nations, many of which fought World Wars I and II. When WWII ended, many of these nations’ infrastructure and financial resources were depleted. US citizens and the new flood of immigrants worked extremely hard to make the US the leader in manufacturing, production, logistics, and management. As the US continued to grow in wealth, each successive generation lost a little desire to succeed. Since the fall of the USSR, America has remained the sole “super-power”. With no propensity for hard work, we have become a nation of fat people. We are passing this laziness and sense of entitlement to our children.

Growing up in the US has always been about competing and rankings. Now you have basketball teams with 20 kids on the roster because everyone has to make the team, a 9 year-old can’t pitch in little league because he is better than other children and his success may damage their self-esteem, and worse of all, some elementary schools no longer give point-based grades, but instead use a fluffy grading system assigning meaningless letter “grades” meant to reflect the individual student’s personal growth and development. Good luck getting into Yale with an academic record full of M’s (meets expectations).

Why is this shift in attitude a problem? This is a problem because the US is surviving on the successes of past generations and foreign resources living in the US. As broadband communication continues to grow and develop, these foreign resources will remain in their home countries. If we continue to spoil our children, they will not have the drive to compete in the global workplace. It is easy to see the decline in sports, education, and economic growth. Don’t be fooled by politics and politicians who continue to tout the US as the most powerful country in the world. We are living in a global economy and workplace. Jobs will continue to exit the US, and not just the low skilled/low paying jobs.

Yes, the US is still the best country in which to live, it is just not as good as it once was. To use a sports analogy, the NY Yankees are the still most historic and wealthy sports franchise. They just aren’t as good as they have been. They won in the late 90’s by focusing on youth. It is time the Yankees and the US got back to a formula for success.

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GrannyVendetta

Blacks & Barack

I grew up in New Jersey, a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers. But, because I lived in NJ, I also enjoyed the Giants. That was until I attended Rutgers University and met Lenny P. Lenny was the most obnoxious Giants fan I ever met. He talked about the Giants so much that I no longer could stand to watch them. I mention this story because that is how I am starting to feel about Barack Obama.

I love Barack and what he stands for, but Black Americas are to Obama what Lenny P. was to the Giants. I am happy Black Americas are excited about politics, but we should not vote for a candidate solely because he is Black. Many Blacks act as though once Barack is elected President we will finally receive the 40 acres and a mule. However, racism does not instantly disappear because a Black person is elected President. Barack, as President, does not instantly stop Black-on-Black violence, nor does it automatically correct the poor education system plaguing our inner cities.

Barack will receive my vote, not because he would make history as the first Black President, but because I believe he is the best candidate…though I am proud the best candidate is Black. We should not hesitate to express our support for Barack. Black people, do not run from the question, “Are you going to vote for Barack”. You should be excited to discuss why he will receive your vote. Tell the questioner; Barack is intelligent enough to solve the social and economic problems the US currently faces. Tell the questioner; Barack is eloquent enough to use diplomatic means to resolve our global issues. Tell the questioner that because of this varied background Barack is able to relate to the issues faced by all races, the rich and poor. Just please, please, please don’t let your response be, “It is time America elected a minority or a woman”.

Barack will receive my vote, but this blog is not intended to influence your vote. It is my hope that this blog gets you to think for yourself, step outside the box, and step away from the crowd. With that said, whatever your reason for voting for Barack, if he wins, the best candidate would have won. I am no longer at Rutgers, so I didn’t have to hear Lenny when the Giants won the Super Bowl. I don’t think I will be so lucky when Barack wins the Presidency.

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GrannyVendetta

Religion & Politics-Introduction to GrannyVendetta

Are you logical or are you religious? Those terms seem to be mutually exclusive. We don’t believe in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy, yet we continue to believe in an omni-present being who created the universe and has the ability to control each of our actions. Aside from the willingness to have FAITH in YAHWAY (the translated Hebrew term for God), what is the difference between a belief in GOD and Jolly Ol’ St. Nick?

We place $1 under our children’s pillow when they lose a tooth to give them comfort for a level of pain. That pain maybe physical or emotional, but it is simply to provide comfort in a time of need. How is that any different than religion; be it Christianity, Judaism, or Islam. Throughout history, each was the spiritual basis of an oppressed people. Religion provided HOPE when their time on earth provided pain. It is only logical they would look to the afterlife for salvation. But as our children gain knowledge and reasoning skills, they realize the $1 was put under the pillow by their parent. As a society, when are we going to grow up and allow our LOGIC to prevail?

In a few months US citizens will vote for the most powerful person on the planet (I don’t believe the US President is the most powerful person on the planet, but that is for another blog) and religion and religious preference is a huge issue. People, you have to be kidding me!!! You are going to vote for the most powerful person on the planet based on a book that was written (for the sake of argument) 2000 years ago. The constitution was signed in 1776 and we need 26 amendments to correct it. Yet we place our faith, hope, leadership, and logic (or lack thereof) in multiple books, whose validity and facts are up for debate. We have to be smarter…oops, more logical than that.

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GrannyVendetta