Remember this statement by President Obama: "If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan."

Now according to Obama Administration estimates, by 2013, up to 69% of employer-provided health care plans will be subject to new regulations and not grandfathered under the new health care reform law,

While the new rules may not let many businesses keep their current plans as promised, that may not be all bad for consumers. Read More

Project Labor Agreements (PLA) Rob Taxpayers

I recently read an article on the new Mayor of Bayonne Mark Smith. His arbitrary and false comments in his Inauguration Speach on Project Labor Agreements are worth noting.  "When it comes to the rights of working men and women, we have not compromised. We support the right of workers to organize. We support project labor agreements. And we believe that fully qualified, fully trained union labor makes projects better and safer, on budget and on time. We support organized labor and we believe that when people make a living wage, they build stronger families, and make better citizens which ultimately makes for a better Bayonne."

His statement is to say that Projects (pictured) built by fully qualified, fully trained Merit Shop labor somehow do not make projects better and safer, and do not bring project in on budget and on time which is a naive and ridiculous statement at best. He also uses the term living wage which is an arbitrary term created by unions and adopted by Democrat Politicians and used freely as if it is a definable term.  

Favoritism for a small group of workers at the expense of the vast majority of workers is wrong and costly to the taxpaying public. The indisputable truth is when you reduce competition you increase costs.

The farce is that PLA's promote labor peace by barring workers from striking, HELLO! Merit shop workers don’t go on strike and they do not promote violence. So why is there a need for a provision for labor peace? Or could it be that union workers have a reputation for promoting violence when they price themselves out of a project and that project is then awarded to a Merit Shop Contractor.

Project Labor agreements violate the rights of the vast majority of fully qualified, fully trained Merit Shop construction workers who build upwards of 80% of all construction projects in the state of New Jersey. Merit Shop Contractors and their employees represent the vast majority, all of whom pay taxes and contribute to society.  They Choose not to belong to a union, and because they choose not to belong to a union they are banned from working on a project burdened by a Project Labor Agreement that their taxes are paying for.

PLA projects do not cost more merely because of the wage that is paid. Wages are rarely an issue. They cost more because of the antiquated union work rules, reduced productivity by union labor vs Merit Shop labor, and the egregious benefit packages that are forced to be paid on these projects resulting in an increased cost of between 30% and 50% to taxpayers.

 

A reasonable benefit package including Health Care, Retirement Plan, Vacation, Paid Holidays and more cost an employer between $10 and $20 per hour, yet the union benefit rate imposed on Project Labor Agreements and also mandated by the States Prevailing Wage is upwards of $36.00 per hour with no justification of what the difference represents.  

 
Read More on Project Labor Agreements

President Bypasses Congress For Yet Another Controversial Recess Appointment

President Obama bypassed Congress and through "recess appointment" put Donald Berwick -- a leading advocate of rationing healthcare -- in charge of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Berwick will be responsible for cutting 500 billion dollars in Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Obama claims that he issued this executive order because Republicans were wasting time and playing games for "political purposes."

But the truth is -- Berwick is America's worst nightmare when it comes to healthcare reform...

Click here to read More from Michelle Oddis on what the Adminstration doesnt want you to know about Donald Berwick.

Oroho Pushing for 2% State Spending Cap

Oroho Pushing for 2% State Spending Cap
Senator Steve Oroho (R-Sussex) introduced legislation that would cap state spending at 2 percent annually. This legislation comes on the heels of the 2 percent property tax cap passed today by the Senate.

“It is very important that the state demonstrate the same fiscal restraint that we are asking of local and county governments and school boards,” Oroho stated. “All levels of government have been living beyond their means and taxpayers are the ones paying the price. We need to make decisions that make this state more affordable for families and more competitive for businesses.”

Read More

Kyrillos Joins Sweeney as Co-Prime Sponsor of 2% Property Tax Cap

Senator Joseph Kyrillos (R-13) joined with Senate President Steve Sweeney as the prime sponsor of the 2 percent property tax cap bill that was passed by the Senate today. Senator Kyrillos is the sponsor of Governor Chris Christie’s original constitutional property tax cap.

Senator Kyrillos called the measure a “very significant, historic initiative” that would be watched by people across the country.

Read More

Kean Statement on 2% Property Tax Cap

Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean issued the following statement today after the Senate passed a property tax cap. Under the bill, property tax increases would be capped at 2 percent annually with a limited number of exemptions, including voter override:

“New Jersey residents will finally have some predictability and control when it comes to their property tax bill. Giving voters a choice will help prevent another family from moving out or another business from closing due to rapidly escalating property taxes.

Read More

Oliver: Assembly Democrats Ready to Sign Off on 2% Cap

Assembly Democrats are prepared to support the 2% property tax cap deal struck Saturday between Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Steve Sweeney (D-West Deptford)

In a statement released moments after the democrat Assembly caucus concluded, Assembly Speaker Oliver, who refused to support the deal Saturday until she had met the Assembly Democrats, threw her support behind the plan.

“The Assembly Democratic caucus – as it always does - had an energetic discussion about property tax reform and where New Jersey goes from here," Oliver said. “We believe the plan to cap increases at 2 percent and provide exceptions incorporates many of our ideas to control property taxes and is a significant change from the governor’s initial plan. The proposal has our support."

NJECPAC will provide further details on the 2% cap, including the added exemptions in the new deal when they become available. 

Senate Republicans Caucus while Democrats Don’t Show Up to Work on Property Tax Relief

Senate Republican Caucus: Cap 2.0 Equals Real Property Tax Relief for Long Suffering NJ Taxpayers

Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean and the Republican Caucus issued the following statement regarding Governor Chris Christie’s Saturday special session on property taxes in New Jersey:

“The Senate Republican Caucus welcomes the agreement between Governor Christie and the Legislature that will impose a 2.0 percent hard cap on property tax increases at every level of government. This is good news for New Jersey residents who have been routinely subject to more than seven percent property tax increases over the past decade.”

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Democrats Fail To Show Up to Work on Property Tax Relief For NJ Taxpayers 

The entire Senate Republican Caucus showed up in Trenton Saturday prepared to act on Governor Chris Christie’s permanent property tax relief package, but the Democratic Majority failed to show up.

Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean (R-Union) made the following statement on behalf of all seventeen members:

“The Democrats refused to show up today to fix our property tax crisis while families fight to stay in their homes. There is a real affordability crisis in New Jersey. We must act before another family moves out or another business closes.”

Read More

6 Months To Go Until The Largest Tax Increase In History

Unless Congress and The President Act, in just six months, the largest tax hikes in American History will take effect.

They will hit families and small businesses in three great waves on January 1, 2011:

In 2001 and 2003, the GOP Congress enacted a package of tax cuts for investors, small business owners, and families. these tax cuts resulted in the Federal Government bringing more tax revenue than ever in our country's history and an unemployment rate of less than 5%

Those tax cuts will all expire on January 1, 2011. Members of Your Government Affairs Committee have traveleled to Washington year after year and asked for the tax cuts to be made permanant to no avail.

Personal income tax rates will rise. The top income tax rate will rise from 35 to 39.6 percent (this is also the rate at which two-thirds of small business profits are taxed). The lowest rate will rise from 10 to 15 percent.

All the rates in between will also rise. Itemized deductions and personal exemptions will again phase out, which has the same mathematical effect as higher marginal tax rates. The full list of marginal rate hikes is below:

- The 10% bracket rises to an expanded 15%

- The 25% bracket rises to 28%

- The 28% bracket rises to 31%

- The 33% bracket rises to 36%

- The 35% bracket rises to 39.6%

For a full listing of the Taxes that will rise on January 1st 2011 Click Here

Pelosi: Unemployment Checks Fastest Way to Create Jobs

Every now and then politicians say things that are so totally unbelievable they prompt an automatic second take. A recent statement by Nancy Pelosi (House Speaker and leader of the House of Representatives) is just one of them.

Nancy Policy said last week that "Unemployment benefits are creating jobs faster than practically any other program".

I know.....your shaking your head too.

Read More

Big Labor's Allies In The Senate Are At It Again.

Union-label Senators could bring the Police and Firefighters Monopoly Bargaining Bill to the floor for a vote at any minute as an amendment to the War appropriations legislation. 

"The US Senate majority with at least six Republicans want to impose a Government sector collective bargaining on states that do not follow these irresponsible practices.

Please send your Senators a free action fax IMMEDIATELY and afterwards call them and urge them to vote NO on this brazen union boss power grab or any attempt to add this Big Labor power grab to other legislation by Clicking Here. 

And after you have filled out your free fax authorization form, we’ll provide you with the phone numbers of your Senators so you can call and urge them to vote NO on S. 3194.

They are trying to catch us sleeping, but your phone calls, letters, and faxes helped kill that effort. Demand that they OPPOSE any bill that includes Police and Firefighters Monopoly Bargaining. To Send Your Message Click Here

OSHA on the prowl

Employers must be aware that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration ("OSHA") has been loudly broadcasting to everyone who will listen that it is stepping up its enforcement efforts. As the Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, David Michaels, proudly announced in a recent speech, OSHA cited almost twice as many employers for egregious violations in the first quarter of 2010 than it had in all of the previous fiscal year.

Recent developments indicate that, if anything, Mr. Michaels understated the current trend at OSHA. Not only is OSHA more stringently enforcing its existing standards, it is also expanding its enforcement efforts under the general duty clause, and maximizing penalties for employers who are charged with safety violations.

OSHA has shifted their focus from OSHA Alliances to enforcement, It is unclear if the Alliance program will even be continued in the future.

Read More