How can Dan Keashan talk about consolidation? His town is a financial mess, I certainly don't want him involved in any decisions involving my tax dollars. I thought that the gentlemen interviewed at the end of the segment made a telling statement when he spoke about towns being financially responsible and long term 10 to 15 year plans and building surplus which is exactly what our town fathers have done. Now that times are tight we are using that nest egg, what exactly has Cherry Hill done? Look to us as a Cash Cow? I guess the County can't buy another road to help them balance their budget!
This segment couldn't be worse. Who said anything about extinction? We would still be Merchantville. All that changes is where our municipal services come from. Do government services define community?
This is fear mongering and appealing to the lowest common denominator.
Cherry Hill has the lowest property taxes in Camden County because they run lean and when municipal aid was cut they made cuts to their budget. They instituted a wage freeze on their cops and the cop union chose to let 6 get pink slips. Merchantville has made no significant cuts to its operational budget.
There is no nest egg. The surplus is gone. The State aid is gone! The cost of insurance is up. Teachers salaries is up. You know what isnt up? The tax base and the value of your homes. But the taxes surely will be up, and up and up and up. Our local Fox news stinks. They report nothing. Losing identity. What a joke. The good news is that this thing is not dying. Momentum grows even as the fear mongers shoot blindly into the night.
They must have had a hard time finding people to speak out against this. Why didn't they interview Pat Brennan or Mayor North to hear why we shouldn't consolidate? They are the strongest voices of opposition in town.
Great Oped in the Star Ledger today. It's on the petitioners facebook site. I saw it first on the Merchantville Borough Facebook site, but someone in borough hall deleted it. Shamefull.
They must have had a hard time finding people to speak out against this.
Did anyone catch Jon Stewart interviewed by Larry King a couple weeks ago?
Stewart in his serious moment talked about not listening to cable news because, with the hours they must fill, the organizations must create "breaking news" topics. He said that some days there is no breaking news, it must be spun or invented to keep viewers viewing.
I suggest that Fox didn't have a hard time finding folks to speak out against the proposed consolidation with C.H. Finding them would have killed Fox's story line. There's nothing worse than a non story.
On this blog alone, look at the non-news stories Cruiser and Gail have penned asserting that k.t.b.f.w. uses other pen names. Why he (or she) doesn't have thoughts sufficient for one commenter much less several.
They must have had a hard time finding people to speak out against this.
Did anyone catch Jon Stewart interviewed by Larry King a couple weeks ago?
Stewart in his serious moment talked about not listening to cable news because, with the hours they must fill, the organizations must create "breaking news" topics. He said that some days there is no breaking news, it must be spun or invented to keep viewers viewing.
I suggest that Fox didn't have a hard time finding folks to speak out against the proposed consolidation with C.H. Finding them would have killed Fox's story line. There's nothing worse than a non story.
On this blog alone, look at the non-news stories Cruiser and Gail have penned asserting that k.t.b.f.w. uses other pen names. Why he (or she) doesn't have thoughts sufficient for one commenter much less several.
lean and mean you can't be serious. How come when someone speaks out against the idea of consolidation with Cherry Hill they are fear mongering? My house values have gone way up since I purchased my home, the value is still higher than my purchase price, maybe not as high as a few years ago but that has nothing to do with our town fathers but with the national economy. Are you saying there is a zero surplus? If you are you know nothing about the municipal budget and are just fear mongering yourself. I wonder who placed the call to channel 29 for another follow up story to the original one?
Could any realtors out there comment on "my property has gone way up". I would also wonder about the rapidity of depreciation compared to neighboring communities these past two years. I bet (unless you bought a fixer upper) that if you purchased after 2004 that you are pretty much underwater right now. I know some of my new neighbors are. No one can argue that a merger with Cherry Hill would hurt property value. It is easy to see that values would increase greatly.
Also note that the Senate bill that will legalize the format of the Study Application is now also sponsored by Sen. Beach representing Cherry Hill's District.
I've lived in Merchantville most of my life. I don't believe that the community will cease in the event of a merge. I want the petitioning group to know how greatfull many of us are for their efforts. I'm not on facebook to tell them so. It's amazing that they're still at it after all the obstacles. You kids are great.
I want the petitioning group to know how greatfull many of us are for their efforts ... It's amazing that they're still at it after all the obstacles.
Two factors for merging: (1) The petitioners half petition and half lobby, mess up the application, ignore the Dept. of Community Affairs explanation of the law, fail in an appeal to the State Attorney General, and lobby a senator to change the State law instead of correcting their mistakes. (2) A long-time Merchantville resident who can't spell a 6th grade word praises the group for sticking to its mistakes for so long.
It seems it might be easier to absorb our community into a more successful one than to improve our own. Like buying a Toyota when the Chrysler fails inspection.
I thought the Fox news piece was good in the sense that it provided a forum for those opposed to the study, vote and merger to express their opinions. I understand their opinions and their reasons for them but I do not agree with them.
There should be and will be many communications on both sides of the issue before all of this is over. We should all get used to them.
From a journalistic perspective I though the piece was typical Fox trash. Definetly not fair and balanced. The local channel must have been schooled by their mothership, Faux News Network.
I’m not surprised that Multiple Personality (aka “Factors for Merging”) pretended to be someone else when he called out a senior citizen for one lousy typo ... on this blog that's chock full of misspellings and poor grammar.
I agree completely with Factors’ statement that “it might be easier to absorb our community into a more successful one than to improve our own.”
I also have two factors for merging:
1) The local Merchantville government has demonstrated that it doesn’t have the courage (used in lieu of a more colorful slang word) to take the steps necessary to cut excessive spending and speculating.
2) While the elementary school could certainly be improved, the CSA and BOE (like the municipal government) don’t have the courage to reorganize its programs, cut some highly paid teachers to part-time, and lay off the last hired.
I believe Merchantville has to be absorbed by another district to improve the high school environment. But maybe, like Harry Potter, “Factors for Merging” can put on another cloak of invisibility and suggest a way to get a better high school for Merchantville students without merging.
We're all waiting for that answer ... we've been waiting for more than 20 years.
Cherry Hill may have passed a resolution to commission a study but that is far from merging.
the devil is in the details.
the merging of trash services leaves police - easy.
the school issues of proficiency and funding are real. this will never get off the ground as the school issue is a dealbreaker. our schools are of the highest quality and we are not interested in a population that will prevent us from making AYP. The stakes are too high.
Hey factors, If the petitionistas had just done what they were told they would have stopped after their first petition when they were scolded by the mayor and council. I don't support them ,but they've shown great initiative and they've won my respect.
I think in the long run it will be viewed as a positive event that the issue of a combination petition/resolution application for a study was rejected at this stage. The law is vague in this regard and it is better that it be clarified by legislation.
Have no doubt that there are those throughout New Jersey who are watching this, carefully taking notes about all that is going on and gauging how to thwart it - not just in the case of Merchantville and Cherry Hill but also for other communities throughout the state. A ploy for the big guns (unions, other municipalities, association of municipalities, etc.) in this will be to wait until near the end and then start dragging the process through the courts. The language vagueness could be such an issue at that time but if it is clarified now, that issue is gone.
This is a new process and M/CH will likely be a test case in many aspects of the process. There will be many more bumps in the road similar to this one.
Of great interest is the legislative vote reportedly planned for a month or so from now. You may rest assured that because of the publicity M/CH has received (there was another mention of it in today's Inky, in Kevin Riordan's column), along with the activities of Connecting for the Future, there are many local governments throughout New Jersey who do not want the prior legislation clarified. They want this whole thing stopped. It will be interesting to see how the local government politicians throughout NJ strive to affect the outcome of a vote on the legislation.
Related to all of that will be how Merchantville's Assembly and Senate representatives (Conners, Conway, Allen) vote on this matter. Will they co-sponsor the legislation? Will they provide by their vote at least a gentle assist to Merchantville in its desire for a study and to clarify that this law is truly a "power to the people" initiative not to be diminished by minute technicalities of legal wording. Or will they be the puppets of the politicians of the larger communities they also represent, showing just how powerless the people of Merchantville are when it comes to representation in the legislature.
And, of course, there is the election in November, 2011 (not far away), in which the entire Assembly and Senate are up for re-election. This entire matter of community merging could be a big issue in that election.
I just want Merchantville to know how stupid they are for wanting to merge with Cherry Hill. We've been around since 1874. You want to throw it all away? I hope that state officials don't pass this bill. How can we hold a "vote" on a matter of legacy when those that came before us don't get a vote. Think about that...
Haddonfield public schools has an ad in today’s Courier for qualified students from other districts. There will an open house at Haddonfield Memorial High School at 6:30pm on January 19.
This is a private tuition program, not a school choice program. Call the school if you're interested.
If you had an income above $100,000 maybe you’d be living in Haddonfield instead of Merchantville.
According to the 2000 census, Haddonfield’s median family income was $103,597, while Merchantville’s median family income was $60,652. You probably have a bigger home here, but you also have a school system you don’t want.
The ACS data is currently available. The current fact sheet uses data from the 2000 census and from the American Community Survey. The ACS is a 5 year survey. Because our population is less than 20,000, Merchantville has estimated information based upon both the decennial census and the ACS.
http://www.factfinder.census.gov
According to ACS, the median household income in Merchantville in 2009 was $70,068. "income" includes all income (taxable and non-taxable.) It is not "net" of anything.
According to ACS, 536 households in Merchantville had income over $100,000/year, with 110 of those over $200,000.
Merchantville is dead either way. Merge and it's gone - only a fading memory. Don't merge and your local government will waste it away because they can't control their spendthrift ways.
The problem is that 1500 households with a median income of $70,000 cannot pay enough to support the town. And you cannot cut the budget enough to make it work.
As cruiser has frequently said, not enough ratables. And as alice showed us, not enough income in the households that are here.
You CAN cut the budget - there is just no interest on the part of our elected officials to do so. It would require eliminating some non-critical jobs that are held by friends of those wielding the power in town. This is called cronyism. Eliminating the two most obvious of those would save in excess of $150,000 a year. You may not like it, but it is fact.
I still do not understand the argument that Merchantville will cease to exist if there is a merger. Merchantville's govt. is not the town. They manage the services. If Cherry Hill township provides the services, wouldn't those services be provided in Merchantville? Would not mail addressed to people in town still say Merchantville? Would you still be able to go to the Collins House or Bella Vita in Merchantville? I guess the police cars would have Cherry Hill on them as the patrolled Merchantville. Trash colllection would be the same as it is now, right? My point is the fear of losing identity is a joke. You may become a part of a larger township. But you will still be Merchantville. Seems like the only solution that has positive returns for the residents.
$150,000 off the total budget (good luck with a cut that size in light of state aid cuts) would hardly make a dent in real property taxes. And how long before the costs of the remaining services eat up the $150,000 you saved? 3 years? 5 years?
How much do you think the average household making $70,000 can or should contribute in real property taxes? Remember it means paying for the town, the school and the county.
The fact is that the situation is unsustainable. We don't have enough households, enough income or enough ratables to sustain the town.
As Realist pointed out above, There is no Study Commission approved by the DCA.
No Commission = No Study.
It doesn't matter who or how many people the Mayor appoints to however many committees. It doesn't matter what brief the mayor gives them or what he names the committee.
The DCA has to approve whether or not a Study Commission exists and the method for selection of members.
Unless and until the DCA approves a Study Commission the issue is stalled.
Do you think you'll quit paying for services when Merchantville becomes part of Cherry Hill?
The $150,000 cited is an example of lack of will to control spending, not the sum total of wasteful spending (not by a long shot!). And if you want someone who doesn't live within the borough making decisions about your police coverage and other services, and if you want to be one of 75,000 or so vying for the Cherry Hill government's attention instead of one of about 4,000 vying for Merchantville government's attention when something comes up that matters to you, then no, there really is no difference if we merge. Sure, Merchantville will maintain some sort of individual identity - like South Philly does, or like Jackson Heights in Queens does. But your government will now be, in effect (and in some ways in reality) an absentee landlord, making decisions about our community while almost never being here. I'm sure our concerns will get top priority! So go ahead - dissolve Merchantville into Cherry Hill. Merchantville will be just a fading memory immortalized on a few road signs. Then cry about the stupidity of your actions in the years to come. Why not try to fix the problems rather than kill the community?
What kills this community and keeps it from reaching it's full potential is the high school. Every aspirational young family that can afford it moves. This is Merchantvilles last chance at bettering itself.
I'm posting this in as many places as I can, so if you read it before, just ignore - Thank you to the plow driver who plowed Prospect St down near the Community Center. He was thoughtful enough and had enough common sense to plow the snow to the side of the road with no driveways. I have been asking for this courtesy for 20 years. Finally someone listened!! Bravo zulu.
In CH you have commercial areas that pay more than $10million in taxes and the cost of services is spread over a larger population. There is also such a thing as "economies of scale."
There is no way to stretch our median income of $70,000 for 1500 households to cover the expenses of operating our current gov't. You can cut services to the bone, and it still won't work over time.
We currently have a police force of 16. How long can we afford this level? How soon before we are forced by the expense to cut our force to 10? 5? Or will we give up all park maintenance, all road maintenance (do we do any now?) and have a govt' that does NOTHIING but pay for police?
Look at the numbers, anon. The money is not there to maintain separate services.
There are different ways to merge and we heard about them at the consolidation meeting. The things you are so frightened of are things that can be anticipated and planned for. Get your head out of the sand and start planning for the future.
Anon 1/12 6:03 AM While your thoughts have some merit, the opposite of them have even more merit.
When Merchantville merges into Cherry Hill, it will be an integral part of the merged entity - there is no "us versus them." They are us and we are them. Those who will be elected to lead the community will all be residents of the merged community. In due course, it is plausible that several memebers of the council of the merged community could be residents of the Merchantville area. In short, there is no "absentee landlord."
Currently Cherry Hill government has a very good reputation regarding provision of services. Together we will not want to see that reputation tarnished. The Merchantville area will get the services which made the reputation so good. The services and the reputation will be preserved.
The argument that a 4,000 resident community can more easily get the ear of elelcted officials than a 70,000 resident community has some theoretical merit, but in reality the 4,000 resident community does not have the resources in terms of ratables to do the things which need doing. On the other hand, the 70,000 resident community has massive commercial ratables (the mall, shopping centers, office parks, industrial parks, etc.) which ennable good things to be done or for residential taxes to be lower.
Small communities also seem to be getting intentionally jilted by the state (under both Corzine and Christie) in terms of revenue sharing. If times get good, no one expects the short changing of small communities to go away.
While citizens of small communities may theoretically have easier access to their local elected leaders, they have less clout at the state level. The big communities get more of what they want from Trenton than small communities do. Elected officials go where the votes are and more votes are in the big communities.
Keep in mind also that in the next five years or so, Merchantville, by itself, will become increasingly frustrated with ever higher taxes and seek a merger to relieve it. The only available partner then will be Pennsauken. An opportunity to now merge with Cherry Hill is a golden opportunity. We should not pass it up.
Your final plea is to "fix the problems rather than kill the community." This is very simplistic. Tell us how the high school problem is going to be solved without a Cherry Hill merger.
Cruiser, you seem to forget that the school board was making progress on fixing the high school problem until this merger effort came out, stalling the work the school board has done. It would be inconvenient NOT to forget that though, wouldn't it?
the School Board had made NO progress on the high school situation before Merger Mania. After the merger talk there was talk of movement. But in reality there is and was none. So the post above is BS.
Anon 3:40 - There was no progress on any send receive, or consolidation concerning the school district. Any info to the contrary is a lie. I suggest you talk to a school board member or even refer to the minutes.
The BOE meeting scheduled for Jan 11th was cancelled because of the impending snow storm. I have been told that the meeting has been rescheduled for Jan. 18th at 7:30 PM. At the start of the meeting there will be a presentation on 2009-2010 State test scores.
All the “Anons” and “Grass is Greener” might find it useful to attend this meeting. Listen to the presentation on test scores to learn how the local Merchanville School is doing and ask questions about BOE action on send-receive and consolidation. Get the facts.
I expect to attend the meeting to learn about test scores. I will also ask, again, if there was a recent meeting between the Cherry Hill & Merchantville superintendents and if send-receive was a topic discussed.
On the other hand, you might prefer sitting at home, not asking questions, and just making up stories to post on this blog.
Usually, the only resident attending BOE meetings is the reporter for the Merchantville Observer.
The send/receive will change, this won't happen overnight. Some hurdles have been jumped but there are still more to come. It would be easy to just sit back and do nothing and be critical. But there are elected officials actively engaged in trying to get this send/receive done. As Gail said come to a school board meeting and ask, or just listen. I don't think the consolidation effort has torpedoed anything as of yet, but if I were another district entering into talks about send/receive I would certainly have questions about this effort and whether it was worth the time and effort and money of my district to work on a send/receive agreement if consolidation was going to occur. I personally would tell the Merchantville School Board to continue the effort of seeking a send/recieve with HH and not worry about a consolidation effort. No more time can be wasted on what if's. It sure seems funny to me that Cherry Hill School Board wants nothing to do with Merchantville School Board.
I grew up in Merchantville. Attended MES, K-8th grade. I cherish my experience there. My daughter is now in PreK in Philadelphia. After years of living in the city and unsure of the education system, I've convinced my husband to move to Merchantville... I sold him on a "simple life without the stress of city politics, etc." After reading this blog, I'm a little worried!
My parents moved us from Merchantville to Cherry Hill because of the high school issue. I had to wait for my sister to graduate 8th grade and wait for our house to sell, so I attended 2 years at Pennsauken High & 2 yeas at Cherry Hill West. Although it was years ago, I feel like I lived through an experience that some on this blog have not. I'm looking forward to sharing my experiences in future posts!
As for the merge, one of the reasons I'm drawn to Merchantville is to send my daughters to a small school. A place where I as a parent can be an active member of the school community. For years, I've been just one person in a big city and I'm looking forward to making an impact in my community. If the towns merge, I'm assuming MES could disappear? Or Cherry Hill could decide to ship more students to the school and make it a true elementary school? Sending Merchantville junior high students to Carusi? I don't want to send my children to an elementary school with 4 classes for each grade. My graduating class was 27 or so. That meant something to me. I can't describe the connection I feel to MES, to my former classmates, and to my former teachers.
Merchantville is something special. Every effort should be made to preserve it.
If I find a house to buy, you can count on me to be active. Heck, I can see myself running for office, if there is an office to run for.
If we don't merge and if we can' get a new send/receive agreement, the charter school idea may be interesting. In our search for a school for my daughter, we've visited many charter schools in Philadelphia. There are a few that are really amazing. If a charter was located in Merchantville, but accepted students from other districts, it may get enough funding to work. Merchantville would have first priority in acceptance since it is the host district. The key would be to make it unique and challenging, thereby ensuring that only students who have drive and ambition apply to the school. There are charter schools in Philadelphia that accept based on city-wide lottery, yet get great groups of students and have very good educational perfomance.
Do you know the size of the elementary schools in CH? The classes are small. So school size should not be a worry. My friends who have children in CH elementary schools could not be happier.
Quality of the school system is also very important. Compare the scores in CH with MES and I think you will like the effort to merge.
Class sizes are small, but grade sizes are not. Going through 9 years with the same group, give or take a few, was amazing. As a 2nd grader, looking up to the middle school kids... Sharing school functions...My graduating class has been talking about having a reunion. My new friends don't understand why an 8th grade reunion would be so important to me. That's the Merchantville experience.
Test scores aren't everything. I also like that Merchantville is economically and socially diverse. I was BROKE and had reduced fee lunch, but my best friend lived in a HUGE house and had things I could only dream of. There were 3 classmates who immigrated to the US and shared experiences from their homeland. I learned a lot about the world in my little slice of it. My interest as a parent is to educate my children, but to also encourage them to be good people and good neighbors. I believe I can do that in Merchantville.
I've also seen what amazing things parental involvement can do for a city school. I'm certain Merchantville school can be as amazing as the community wants it to be. If it becomes absorbed into a bigger school district, I think it becomes more difficult to have an impact - but not impossible.
To add: My brother attended Cherry Hill schools form 1st grade through high school. He's 22 now, so his experience isn't quite outdated. So I'm familiar.
K Swanson: I can appreciate your nostalgia. Times were much simpler, however, today the state and borough are in the midst of a financial crisis and you ideal 27 pupil grade is untenable.
Drew said: thoughtful enough and had enough common sense to plow the snow to the side of the road with no driveways.
I had the opposite experience. For years the crew plowed my street to the side without driveways but since the change in personnel last year, we have to dig out our drives a couple of times in each storm.
The switch reversing the direction of the plow is just too hard to press.
JJAnon said: The 14th officer is the Community Affairs officer and does not do police work. ... It is misleading info in the UCR [Unified Crime Reports] considering he has been CAO for years.
Good point, JJ. If a person is paid by the police department but doesn't do police work, don't count him.
Could we do the same with teachers that don't do what they are contracted to do ... don't count them either? If that's the case, we could keep the principal's wife on at $100K forever and just not count the money.
Readers note that the State Senate Bill affirming and legalizing the petition based application to the DCA will be in Committee this coming week. Votes in both houses should follow shortly afterwards. Our Application can then be accepted by DCA and the work to conduct a study can begin. Its closer than you think - we will have our questions answered. Thanks again for all the support.
First, I believe Anonymous is being deliberately unfairly provocative by referring to “kswann” as “K Swanson” -- an unfair and childish action.
The 2008-09 School Report Card shows that enrollment by grade in Merchantville School’s K-5th grades ranged from 32 to 40, with an average grade enrollment of 35. Those numbers are actually quite similar to Haddonfield’s K-5 Central School, which had an average grade enrollment of 37. The difference comes at the 6-8th grade level, where the grade enrollment at Haddonfield Middle School averages 180, compared to Merchantville’s 36. Average 6-8 CLASS size is only slightly lower for Merchantville (18) compared to Haddonfield (23).
Back to Anonymous’ claim that Merchantville’s situation is untenable. A review of School Report Cards for various districts shows that perhaps the most significant reason for a higher total cost per pupil at Merchantville District is the median teacher’s salary ($70,767), with an average of 24 years of experience. The median teacher’s salary at Haddonfield is $65,400 with an average of 10 years of experience, and that includes high school teachers’ salaries. The median salary at Haddon Heights is $55,316 and HH also has its own high school.
kswann, you may argue that you prefer to be in Merchantville for sentimental reasons, but you really can't say CH is an inferior place to educate your child by any measure.
My neighbors are selling their home now. Their oldest child has entered middle school and they just can't afford private school and won't send their kids to Pennsauken. Funny thing is, the couple's business is really starting to take off. It's a shame that Merchantville can't hold onto upwardly mobile families like this purely on account of the HS situation.
I wouldn't say that CH's school system is better or worse, it is just a different experience. My parents, sister, and brother all live in Cherry Hill. We have 2 months to find a house (for tax reasons), and if we don't find one in Merchantville, we'll be moving to CH. I just prefer Merchantville. More than just sentimental. I prefer to send my kids to a small school that runs K-8 and I prefer a small town.
I also want to add that I'm not on either side of the merge-not merge dispute. Am I missing something? The study on the impact of the merge has not been done yet, correct? I'm all for seeing the results of the study and then deciding if the pros outweigh the cons. Or is that not how this would work? Really we are all speculating about property values, taxes, services, how Merchantville's voice would be heard in CH's govenment, schools, etc. I reserve my right to form an opinion until the facts or at least educated guesses made by an imdependent party are released.
Just a side note: Because M school was so small, I was able to play in the band and jazz band; sing in the choir and small choir; play softball, field hockey, & basketball...I won a state-wide science award. I participated in a school newspaper. I petitioned when the teaches were having contract disputes...
I have ZERO musical talent, but I know what it is like to play in a band or sing in front of a hundred people. I went on to study business in college, I'm not a science whiz. I did on the other hand play Division I lacrosse & field hockey in college. The point is because Merchantville is a small school, I was able to discover my own talents and participate even though I wasn't the best at everything.
kswann--You are "looking for a house in Merchantville"?
I highly commend to you 121 Westminster Ave. It is a 1910 4 bedroom offered at $279,000. It just went on the market this week. The kitchen is brand new and gorgeous--both modern and retro to match the house. The roof is new. The floors redone. The price is a steal.
The lovely family that owns it now is selling to move to CH. Their oldest daughter is in middle school and they just can't afford private school and won't send their children to PHS.
But please come and look, the open house is Sunday. You won't regret it, when you see it you will love it.
Because the school was large and resources plentiful, we had an orchestra, a band, a wind ensemble, a jazz band and a percussion group. We also had chorus and madrigals as well as the student run musical "Sing". As there were so many choices for music, anyone could find a place. And the school provided the instruments--you didn't need to own or rent one for yourself.
For sports we had baseball (boys) (A and B teams), softball (girls), basketball (A,B and C teams), track and gymnastics. Most schools didn't have soccer back then.
Students could and did start new clubs at anytime. All you needed was to have one teacher to "sponsor" you.
I'm glad you had a good experience at MES, kswann. But I doubt the size of the school was what made the difference.
There are all kinds of schools, some within blocks of one another, having poor to excellent educational programs. Alice happened to mention one in NYC. That is a great distance to move and who knows what the criteria were for acceptance into the school.
Philly has a couple of great magnet schools of national prominence but getting in is not automatic. When Alice attended elementary school, NY State had "regency examinations" coupled with teacher recommendations that sorted children into types of educational programs they had to attend.
Comparable in excellence is a private K-8 school overlooking the Schuylkill which is the size of Merchantville's but its tuition runs above $20,000.
The great advantage of New Jersey, something some Merchantville residents would abandon, is its local control of education that leaves open educational choice to parents and their children. Just as important, individual students can make their educational program in any school into a top-drawer experience just with their own personal effort, resources and determination.
Some cry that they cannot flourish because of the school. Yet, we meet many people who have succeeded despite poor circumstances. There are prominent people in and around Camden County who attended P.H.S. We have a Merchantville resident in our local government who is well respected for his accomplishments and outlook who was educated in Pennsauken.
A couple of years ago some finalists of Asian descent in a regional spelling bee were schooled in Camden public schools. A reporter asked a child in the audience how they did so well. She answered, "Those kids like to study."
I have to laugh at the County and their plan to regionalize, in theory this sounds like a good plan. The reporter quotes how municpialties biggest line items are their Police Salaries.....DUH. Did he bother to take a look at the counties line items under "Sheriff, Park Police, Prosecutor" I would bet if you lump them together they would be the biggest line item in the counties budget. Whether it is local or county it costs money to provide service. Why isn't the county looking to consolidate school districts ? Since a majority of our property taxes are paid to our local school districts (52-56%)this would seem like the most logical area to try and save money. Ultimately it is about choice, I choose to maintain local control of our school, and municipal government, kudos to our town fathers and the school board for seeking shared service agreements to make better use of our local tax dollars.
Those who talk about local control are actually talking about access. It is true that in Merchantville you can talk to the Mayor, or the chief, or the clerk (though she is worthless) without having to jump through hoops. And that is a nice luxury, but the premium is to high. That simple.
Last Thursday I said the 11 January BOE meeting would be rescheduled for 18 January. That may be incorrect information.
No reschedule notice has been published in the Retrospect, and the 11 Jan. agenda is still on the school website. It appears that there will only be one BOE meeting in January -- on the 25th. If anyone knows the answer, please post the correct information. Thanks.
Realist: Does ktbfw consider that we have "local control" over Pennsauken high school?
Ask Cruiser. As Merchantville School Board President he trouped his team over to a Pennsauken school board meeting to read a letter complaining about Pennsauken school administration. He'll tell ya about schools run by out of towners.
It'll be the same over to Cherry Hill except there'll not be a Merchantville board or school for backing.
"Local control" is something you don't seem to grasp, Realist. It's a "founding fathers" concept going back 300 years. Prominent citizens in respective small towns in New England as well as here decided it would be to the benefit of everyone if local jurisdictions provided free basic-skills education to those unable to afford it.
Following the adage that the Quakers came to America to do good and did well by it, the same came true for the little towns with public schools. Good schools attracted good citizens.
Unfortunately, our school board lost its purpose. The State scores coming out this month very likely will show that the Merchantville school board continues to allow basic-skills failure among nearly all of those children a neighborhood school was designed to protect, the ones who cannot afford to pay for an education, and continues pouring local money into faculty and programs aimed at the better half. So what? you say. My kids got theirs! Well, there's maybe seven hundred folks willing to throw our school out with the failures for something, anything, better.
Will our school board refocus? It does not look that way. Our school has not met the State Minimum Standards for five years straight and yet our principal will get a new 3-year contract with pay raises despite his having collected half a million dollars in salary and benefits during those past failing years.
You, Realist, may suggest that is the fault of "local control". You may be right.
Why do people on this site continually suggest we won't be heard anymore and that we will have no voice should a merger with cherry hill occur and the Merchantville Council and School Board be eliminated? In the event of a merger, we would become Cherry Hill and woudl have the same voice and as anyone else in Cherry Hill. This is not a tough concept to grasp.
And as far as the board stopping and waiting to see what happens with the consolidation talks...the entire board should be replaced just for that. In the event that they could swing a deal with haddon heights, or whomever, this consolidation talk would cease to exist anyway.
More goobledygook. You and ktbfw must work this out over lunch together.
What don't you get about local control?
If the decisions are made by the lowest level of gov't then you have local control. Loss of local control means the state, or some higher level of gov't, makes the decisions.
It has nothing whatsoever to do with Quakers meeting with the teachers.
I've just learned that there WILL be a BOE meeting tomorrow night, Jan. 18th. The meeting was advertised in the Inquirer because the deadline for the Retrospect had passed.
A presentation on Merchantville's test scores is scheduled.
Its official Camden just laid off half their police force guess we better start getting alarms on our homes. Guns in the houses. Our neighbors to the West are a comin.
Not safe anywhere. My twentysomething daughter was robbed at gunpoint walking in Cooper River Park with her boyfriend. Around sunset. Lots of people around. On the Cherry Hill side. Suspects were suspected of committing similar crime an hour before on Haddon Avenue in Collongswood. No one ever caught.
We had to change all of our locks on the house and her car. Merchantville police very helpful with extra protection.
With services being. cut everywhere, we are foolish to think we are safe anywhere
"Its official Camden just laid off half their police force guess we better start getting alarms on our homes. Guns in the houses. Our neighbors to the West are a comin." "Not safe anywhere. My twentysomething daughter was robbed at gunpoint walking in Cooper River Park with her boyfriend. Around sunset. Lots of people around. On the Cherry Hill side. Suspects were suspected of committing similar crime an hour before on Haddon Avenue in Collongswood. No one ever caught.
We had to change all of our locks on the house and her car. Merchantville police very helpful with extra protection.
With services being. cut everywhere, we are foolish to think we are safe anywhere"
It's definitely time for concealed carry reform in NJ. The police do a great job in and around our town, but they can't be expected to be everywhere all of the time. Unless you have a personal police escort, calling 911 won't help you in situations like this where you don't have 2 minutes for the cops to show up. Law abiding citizens need to have the freedom to be responsible for the safety of themselves and their families. If you don't carry for protection within your house and on your property, which is 100% legal in NJ, you are putting your family at risk. What would you do in the situation when you're all sitting in the family room watching TV and an armed burglar breaks in your back door and blocks the stairwell leading to your bedroom and your nightstand gun? Pocketing something tiny like a KelTec 3-AT (.380 ACP) in a Desantis Nemesis pocket holster in condition 3 (no round in the chamber) is completely safe, invisible to your children, and allows you fast enough access to protect your family until you can get to your more powerful .357 Magnum or .45ACP in the bedroom. In the meantime, your holed-up family can call the cops and you have the opportunity to stall the burglars until the police arrive, thus protecting your family from guaranteed harm. Would you rather watch your wife and daughter get raped while a gun is held against your head? Man up and protect your family, people! And call Conners, Conaway, and Diane Allen and urge them to pass permit to carry reform in NJ, now, so you can protect those you love off your property, as well! And, finally, take as much training as you can afford, and then some. Nothing is worth more than the life and safety of your family. Especially not that new HD TV (which probably costs more than a new .45, .380, and a training course combined)!
"Its official Camden just laid off half their police force guess we better start getting alarms on our homes. Guns in the houses. Our neighbors to the West are a comin." "Not safe anywhere. My twentysomething daughter was robbed at gunpoint walking in Cooper River Park with her boyfriend. Around sunset. Lots of people around. On the Cherry Hill side. Suspects were suspected of committing similar crime an hour before on Haddon Avenue in Collongswood. No one ever caught. ... With services being. cut everywhere, we are foolish to think we are safe anywhere"
It's definitely time for concealed carry reform in NJ. The police do a great job in and around our town, but they can't be expected to be everywhere all of the time. Unless you have a personal police escort, calling 911 won't help you in situations like this where you don't have 2 minutes for the cops to show up. Law abiding citizens need to have the freedom to be responsible for the safety of themselves and their families. If you don't carry for protection within your house and on your property, which is 100% legal in NJ, you are putting your family at risk. What would you do in the situation when you're all sitting in the family room watching TV and an armed burglar breaks in your back door and blocks the stairwell leading to your bedroom and your nightstand gun? Pocketing something tiny like a KelTec 3-AT (.380 ACP) in a Desantis Nemesis pocket holster in condition 3 (no round in the chamber) is completely safe, invisible to your children, and allows you fast enough access to protect your family until you can get to your more powerful .357 Magnum or .45ACP in the bedroom. In the meantime, your holed-up family can call the cops and you have the opportunity to stall the burglars until the police arrive, thus protecting your family from guaranteed harm. Would you rather watch your wife and daughter get raped while a gun is held against your head? Man up and protect your family, people! And call Conners, Conaway, and Diane Allen and urge them to pass permit to carry reform in NJ, now, so you can protect those you love off your property, as well! And, finally, take as much training as you can afford, and then some. Nothing is worth more than the life and safety of your family. Especially not that new HD TV (which probably costs more than a new .45, .380, and a training course combined)!
"Its official Camden just laid off half their police force guess we better start getting alarms on our homes. Guns in the houses." "Not safe anywhere. My twentysomething daughter was robbed at gunpoint walking in Cooper River Park with her boyfriend. Around sunset. Lots of people around. On the Cherry Hill side. Suspects were suspected of committing similar crime an hour before on Haddon Avenue in Collongswood. No one ever caught."
It's definitely time for concealed carry reform in NJ. The police do a great job in and around our town, but they can't be expected to be everywhere all of the time. Unless you have a personal police escort, calling 911 won't help you in situations like this where you don't have 2 minutes for the cops to show up. Law abiding citizens need to have the freedom to be responsible for the safety of themselves and their families. If you don't carry for protection within your house and on your property, which is 100% legal in NJ, you are putting your family at risk. What would you do in the situation when you're all sitting in the family room watching TV and an armed burglar breaks in your back door and blocks the stairwell leading to your bedroom and your nightstand gun? Pocketing something tiny like a KelTec 3-AT (.380 ACP) in a Desantis Nemesis pocket holster in condition 3 (no round in the chamber) is completely safe, invisible to your children, and allows you fast enough access to protect your family until you can get to your more powerful .357 Magnum or .45ACP in the bedroom. In the meantime, your holed-up family can call the cops and you have the opportunity to stall the burglars until the police arrive, thus protecting your family from guaranteed harm. Would you rather watch your wife and daughter get raped while a gun is held against your head? Man up and protect your family, people! And call Conners, Conaway, and Diane Allen and urge them to pass permit to carry reform in NJ, now, so you can protect those you love off your property, as well! And, finally, take as much training as you can afford, and then some. Nothing is worth more than the life and safety of your family. Especially not that new HD TV (which probably costs more than a new .45, .380, and a training course combined)!
Check the number of comments before starting your comment. If you lose the screen later or some other glitch occurs, check the number again for an increase before hitting the publish button. Blogger may already have saved your comment.
(I wonder who I am working with on this comment. Seems I get credit or blame for several other's.)
"Let's hope ccw is more careful and less trigger happy with his pistol. God help us..."
What makes you think a law-abiding citizen it going to be trigger happy? Wouldn't that make him a non-law-abiding citizen (hence, a criminal)? Do we see CCW permit holders in the 40 states that offer shall-issue carry going around shooting each other? Is there a "Wild West" atmosphere in Lansdale, Newtown, Radnor, Horsham, or many of the other PA towns that have similar socioeconomic breakdowns to Merchantville? Yes, folks, PA has open and concealed carry for any law abiding citizen. Didn't realize it? Probably because law abiding gun owners abide by the law. Criminals, like the one in AZ and the ones in Camden, Newark, etc, do not abide by the laws. To suggest that one who wishes to defend his family may be "trigger happy" is like worrying that one's wife may become "knife happy" while preparing dinner. A gun is no less of a tool than a screwdriver. It is the person holding that tool who decides whether to commit a crime using it.
Hey cowboy, its called a joke. I was referring to your firing off three identical rounds on the blog. I'm sure that you're more careful with your gun, right?
remind me not to take the kids trick or treating at CCW's house this year. I wouldn't want him to get confused while sitting on his couch with his children with a loaded weapon (which by the way is perfectly legal and you don't need a concealed weapon permit) and shoot me in the leg while he runs upstairs to get his .38 to finish my son off for taking two pieces of candy.
and dude, a handgun and a screwdriver are not similar tools. handguns have one purpose. to kill people. you don't hunt with them. you kill people. thats it. screw drivers turn screws. and i can use to open up paint cans. thats about it.
There is nothing wrong with a person legally carrying a handgun, its not for everybody and there needs to be some common sense restrictions, certainly the thugs in camden don't worry about the legality of carrying.
Ya know how you talk to customer service representatives from time to time on the telephone? Yesterday I happened to be talking to an account rep located in Idaho about something or other and I asked him, while his computer was fetching information, what his weather was like. He described it briefly and asked about our ice storm and then mentioned that he had read about the huge police layoff in our neighboring town.
I speculated that it might not make a difference in the crime rate. It's not easy to get from second to first most times.
I was surprised that folks around the nation are taking such a friendly interest in our situation. I wonder if they know about our test scores five years in a row ... with the superintendent getting another three-year contract with a raise. The guy didn't mention consolidation, though. Guess in Idaho they wouldn't know what that is, thank heaven.
Chris, your kids probably did trick or treat at my house this year. And, yes, I did have it holstered. But you wouldn't have known that since it was properly concealed, just like thousands of gun owners throughout the US, including right over the border in PA and even some others I know in NJ. You might be surprised to know that the percentage of legal gun owners who commit crimes is MUCH lower than the rest of the public. So why would you fear a man who wishes to protect his wife and daughter? Does it make you happier to think about your wife getting raped in front of you while you sit there helplessly? I feel sorry for her that her husband would prefer that outcome. Very sad.
Handguns are not designed to kill. They are designed to STOP criminal attacks. And, btw, many (most) states allow handgun hunting. So screwdrivers can't be used to kill people? Kitchen knives can't be used to kill people? Chainsaws can't be used to kill people? Cars can't be used to kill people? Guns are designed to help protect and that's why I will always own many of them. They are only a tool, though, and cannot kill without being utilized to do so.
The problem, CCW, is that your comments come across unnervingly like some of those survivalist kooks out west (not the serious, sane survivalist folks, but the kooks in the group). What you say makes sense, but there seems to be a tinge of mania in it.
I'm grinding down the edges of my screwdrivers just in case.
What surprises me is that in the 70 years or so I have been around, I never had need to "carry" as Mr. Protector claims is so important. Guess I don't travel the roads having rapists in bedrooms.
Maybe I should lock my doors at night, too, here in Merchantville but I just keep forgetting all these things.
I'll tell ya, CCW, one thing I have done every time I get into the vehicle for fifty five years is to fasten my seat belt. Never had to use it, though, so should I stop that and start locking doors instead. I seem always to be behind the times. It's a wonder I haven't been shot to death.
It is the image of a rapist in your bedroom. It is the Dirty Harry attitude. I bet you are a good guy dealing with the uncertainty of life in your Merican, NRA, Fox news way. Your security blanket is a gun. That scares me. Not to say if a rapist shows up in my bedroom, i would welcome a timely visit from you.
"It is the image of a rapist in your bedroom. It is the Dirty Harry attitude. I bet you are a good guy dealing with the uncertainty of life in your Merican, NRA, Fox news way. Your security blanket is a gun. That scares me. Not to say if a rapist shows up in my bedroom, i would welcome a timely visit from you."
Anon, I have no image of a rapist in my bedroom. If I didn't take him out before he got there, my wife would respond swiftly with her Glock 17. He wouldn't stand a chance. My image is of a rapist in the bedroom of an unarmed and helpless citizen. It's a very sad image and it depresses me. I sincerely hope that it never happens to anyone in Merchantville, but the reality is that criminals can be unpredictable and can strike in the safest of neighborhoods without warning at any time. That is why I am always prepared (when legally allowed to be by the state). Yes, my security blanket is definitely a gun. What is yours? Your cell phone calling 911?
Lock the doors: Although I fasten it every time I drive, I've never had to use my seatbelt to protect myself. Are you suggesting that I don't use one? Do you have an alarm system in your house? If you've never been robbed, why pay the bill for it? Why even bother turning it on? Because you want to be prepared for the worst case scenario when it involves life or death of your loved ones, no? My rationale is the same as yours. The only difference is that a gun will stop the criminal in his tracks whereas he'll just laugh at your alarm system and do his deed a little faster.
I never heard of this brand until it was mentioed as a possible occupant of the Maple-Chapel property. I noticed one today at 11th and Filbert in Philly and had lunch there. I do not recommend it.
Aesthetically it was also a bit lacking as it has extensive neon signs and tubing in all windows. Such is prohibited in Merchantville. I hope the owner realizes this and, as a precaution, the town notifies the owner about the prohibition well before attempts are made to install such stuff.
The place could have appeal for patrons of the tatoo parlor.
Lets convert the blue monkey into a strip club. Turn the B1 second floors to business use to support the massage parlors. We will have a economic boon!
"Handguns are not designed to kill. They are designed to STOP criminal attacks. And, btw, many (most) states allow handgun hunting. So screwdrivers can't be used to kill people?"
Come on cuz, handguns are not designed to kill? thats exactly what they are designed to do. you can't argue that, its just a fact. screwdrivers aren't designed for killing. actually, in the US, about 650 people die from accidental shootings in the home every year. i'm pretty sure no one dies from accidental screwdriver death. but you bring up a good point about chainsaws. Would you sit on the couch with your wife and daughter and cut things with your chainsaw? of course not, its irresponsible. I'll for having a gun for protection, but you're ridiculous if you feel the need to have it on you at all times, especially around young kids.
And as for me being surprised to the number of legal gun owners committing crimes, it makes me think of three things. Columbine, Virgina Tech, and the Tuscon killings. All three cases, the guns were bought legally. The gun laws in this country are pathetic. Its way too easy to get a firearm. I mean, I guess you are supposed to have the right to own a firearm, but I look around at the knuckleheads I am friends with and I wouldn't trust half of them with a gun. How do you stop the loons from getting weapons?
"Would you sit on the couch with your wife and daughter and cut things with your chainsaw? of course not, its irresponsible. I'll for having a gun for protection, but you're ridiculous if you feel the need to have it on you at all times, especially around young kids."
Chris, when did I say I was sitting on the couch shooting targets? The gun is concealed in a holster with no round in the chamber. Please explain how this is equivalent to using a powertool within arms reach of my child. So if you're for having a gun for protection, please also explain to me how you plan to use it for protection when it's not on you. I think there's a bit of irony, there.
"The gun laws in this country are pathetic. Its way too easy to get a firearm."
Do you have any idea what you have to go through to purchase a pistol in NJ? The system is set up to dissuade the law abiding citizen from purchasing firearms. Walk into a gun store today and ask them if you can purchase a gun. They'll laugh at you and tell you to come back in a few months when you have the clearance from NJ - after you jump through all the hoops AND pay some hefty fees just to exercise your Constitutional right. By the way, it is already illegal for the mentally ill to purchase firearms. It is also illegal to purchase firearms on the black market and also to use them in murder. Please show me how ANY gun control laws have lowered crime rates. The honest, and hard to comprehend for some, truth is that the only way to truly stop crime is to make sure YOU have the upper hand over your attacker. Please also explain to me how to get the upper hand while holding a baseball bat and staring down the barrel of a .45ACP. The criminals will get their guns even if guns are banned entirely. The only people who abide by the laws are...get this...the law abiding citizens! Man, that's such a hard concept for some people to understand.
"CCW, there are good psychological studies revealing that people who watch TV have a higher level of paranoia than those who do not.
Other studies show that most shooting victims are in households with guns."
Lock, nice try. The only TV I watch is Villanova basketball and a Phillies game here and there. I consider TV a brain drain, anyway.
Have you ever considered that most people who own guns live in higher crime areas? Take a deeper look at your Brady Bunch statistics. The shooting victims you're referring to are most often not shot by cohabitants or with their own guns. They are just unfortunate to live in dangerous neighborhoods, most of the time. Other times, they have the guns locked in a safe and inaccessible when a home invasion occurs - hence my philosophy on carrying within my house.
I know many of you who grew up in this area may think I sound crazy, but if you met me in person (and trust me, most of you have), you wouldn't think I was "paranoid" or a "nut case" or any of the other words going through your head. I am simply doing the best and safest thing to protect my family. I'd be happy to discuss this in more detail in person, but I'm sure if I did that, someone would try to report to the police that he/she felt threatened, knowing that I carried a firearm (legally, on my own property), so I will remain anonymous.
I just looked at this Crown Fried Chicken website and can't stop laughing- they apologize for not knowing where all of their 145 restaraunts are- really?? and they have merchandise for sale. Who buys their baby a crown fried chicken onesie??
This is the worst business website ever. Is this for real?
CCW: This blog is about Merchantville not national issues like gun control, can we please get back to a local discussion. I'm really concerned about this new Crown Fried Chicken. I understand that the employees mostly serve fried chicken while behind bullet proof glass. Is that really around here?
As for Crown Fried Chicken, there was one near my house when I lived in Unversity City. Cheap fried chicken dinners and they sold ice cream by the scoop. Most of the CFC that I've seen have been run & owned by people new to the US just trying to earn a living. Looking at their website, I'm guessing it is a mom & pop franchise that isn't organized very well. As for a CFC in downtown Merchantville, I don't see it making enough money to stay in business. It isn't something that people from out of town will go to, and heck when I want something greasy with a million calories I have a yummy panzerotti! Even if they open, unfortunately, I don't see it lasting very long. If it does, than I guess that means Merchantville folks like the store and their food and they have a right to be there.
About the bullet-poof glass, the CFC I've been in did not have any bullet-proof glass and it wasn't in the best of neighborhoods. I think the use of the glass is up to the owner. Similar to cab drivers - some use the glass divider and some do not. PLUS the glass is expensive. I'm sure they would only put it in if they felt they needed it.
There’s been a lot of speculation about a Crown Fried Chicken store opening in Merchantville. Other than the 1/6/11 Anonymous blog comment: “Does anyone know when the new Crown Fried Chicken opens up at Capel and Center?”, I have seen nothing to substantiate that. We all know the writer meant to say Chapel and Centre, but are there any real facts behind his statement? The construction of a tower-like “crown” on the building at 177 S. Centre doesn’t make it a Crown Fried Chicken.
I did hear that a gun/ammo shop will open, or has already opened, in the 177 S. Centre complex. The name of the business is RayCo Armory LLC. Can anyone verify that? Information on Goggle says the store is located at 177 S. Centre St., Unit M, Merchantville. The phone number listed is (856) 663-1300.
Interesting about the gun shop. I don't own a gun and my husband and I have decided not to have a gun in our home, but I know plenty of people that hunt and are responsible gun owners. My sister and her husband bought a gun when they went cruising to the Bahamas for a few months (lived on their boat). I also agree that responsible gun owners own guns legally. Those who plan to use their guns to hurt people buy guns on the "black market". Also, if there is a gun shop that is already open and no one knew about it, then I guess that is a good thing. It is not like it is in a prominent location.
I can vouch for Rayco. They are open, but still in the process of stocking their shelves. I met Ray a few weeks ago. Very nice, polite and professional guy. He's definitely a legitimate business owner. Nothing fishy or shady about his store and if you stop in, you'll see and agree with me. For those of you who do not believe in guns, he sells very good pepper sprays, especially one of my favorites - The Jogger, which has an elastic band so you can carry it while jogging. I carry it every time I jog - probably more because of unleashed dogs than because of unleashed criminals. I've been recommending him to friends and coworkers and I wish him the best of luck with his business.
If you are new to the gun world, Ray does not have any "counter attitude" and will gladly help you without belittling you.
Study: Conservatives have larger ‘fear center’ in brain
Raw Story
Political opinions are considered choices, and in Western democracies the right to choose one’s opinions — freedom of conscience — is considered sacrosanct.
But recent studies suggest that our brains and genes may be a major determining factor in the views we hold.
A study at University College London in the UK has found that conservatives’ brains have larger amygdalas than the brains of liberals. Amygdalas are responsible for fear and other “primitive” emotions. At the same time, conservatives’ brains were also found to have a smaller anterior cingulate — the part of the brain responsible for courage and optimism.
If the study is confirmed, it could give us the first medical explanation for why conservatives tend to be more receptive to threats of terrorism, for example, than liberals. And it may help to explain why conservatives like to plan based on the worst-case scenario, while liberals tend towards rosier outlooks.
“It is very significant because it does suggest there is something about political attitudes that are either encoded in our brain structure through our experience or that our brain structure in some way determines or results in our political attitudes,” Geraint Rees, the neurologist who carried out the study, told the media.
[Tonto said... Sharp right turn in the conversation - Anyone know why John Alloway resigned from Council?]
The latest edition of the Merchantville Observer said John Alloway didn’t give a reason, but it sounds like you might know something the rest of us don’t, Tonto.
Does anyone know who’s being considered as a replacement? Since the replacement must be a Democrat, we know he won't have a large amygdala or a small anterior cingulate.
[Anon: Conservatives have larger ‘fear center’ in brain]
The "fear" is that liberals will spend the country into bankruptcy.
Speaking of research to prove whatever one wants, what happened to the Harvard professor who found that different races of people had different averages of intelligence?
My own theory is that liberals owned the locus of dumbness.
I don't take offense to the "fear" study. It's been proven time and time again that conservatives debate with fact while liberals debate with emotion. Facts are based on reality whereas emotions are based on "hope and change." Facts do lead to fear and willingness to protect one's self and family, based on the reality of the world. Hope and change leads to naivety and puts everyone else at risk. If and when something bad happens, I can rest assured knowing that I have adequately prepared to keep my family safe. Can most liberals say the same? Oh yeah - I forgot - they'll try to dial 911 when the phone lines are clogged. Just don't come knocking on my door, then.
like it is a fact that WMD's were in Iraq. Like it is a fact that tax breaks to the wealthiest one percent creates jobs. Like it is a fact that there are death panels. Like it is a fact that Obama is not an American citizen. Like it is a fact that bailing out the auto industry would only delay its demise...
Like it's a fact that pouring trillions of dollars at poverty will eradicate it. Like it's a fact that changing the rules to make home ownership possible for those who can't afford it will help the US economy. Like it's a fact that outlawing guns will make people safer, like in Morton Grove, Illinois (...the city's crime rate increased by 15.7 percent immediately after the gun ban..." - WorldNetDaily). Like it's a fact that allowing handgun ownership will cause more shootings and murders, like in Kennesaw, Georgia (In March 1982, 25 years ago, the small town of Kennesaw – responding to a handgun ban in Morton Grove, Ill. – unanimously passed an ordinance requiring each head of household to own and maintain a gun. Since then, despite dire predictions of "Wild West" showdowns and increased violence and accidents, not a single resident has been involved in a fatal shooting – as a victim, attacker or defender." - WorldNetDaily). Like it's a fact that... oh, you get the point.
when making arguments, please don't waste time by citing WorldNetDaily. Thats about as bad as citing Glenn Beck.
Also, statistics regarding violent crimes as they relate to the passage of local gun laws are irrelevant as the the gun law is not an independent variable and really cannot be used. I mean, with my copy of freakonomics, I can make the argument that all reductions in violent crimes in this country are soely based on the Roe v Wade decision.
Anonymous: "Like it is a fact that WMD's were in Iraq." Yes, it was a fact that the information provided to the Executive AND Legislative branches of the Federal gov't stated that there most likely were WMDs in Iraq - and even many liberal congresspeople approved of the military action.
"Like it is a fact that tax breaks to the wealthiest one percent creates jobs." They do. And tax increases do stifle job growth.
"Like it is a fact that there are death panels." We won't have to worry about this since the Obamacare disaster will most likely be overturned before it takes effect.
"Like it is a fact that Obama is not an American citizen." He probably is a citizen, but why has concrete proof not been displayed to quiet those who question it and put it to rest?
"Like it is a fact that bailing out the auto industry would only delay its demise." I don't feel that it would delay its demise, but i do feel that it empowers unions that are already taking advantage of carbuyers and now taxpayers as well.
"I get your point. You love your guns. It helps you deal with your fear." What's there to fear when you know your family is safer than your unarmed neighbor's family? How about this yard sign: "My next door neighbor is anti-gun. If you break into his house, you'll be safer than if you break into mine!"
"Also, statistics regarding violent crimes as they relate to the passage of local gun laws are irrelevant as the the gun law is not an independent variable and really cannot be used." Answer me this - if you were a criminal, would you rather mug the guy in a town where guns are banned (to the law abiding citizens) or the one where you know law abiding citizens have the legal right to carry and do so frequently? Sometimes logic can speak louder than multi-variable scientific studies.
So Kwadz - you believe in trickle down economics? Even Reagan's architect of the concept admits it does not work. It is like talking religion (with you). Your faith is strong but evidence is 0. Glenn Beck is probably on advocating shooting people again today. Like he did yesterday. carry on.
I think kwadze must have watched Michelle Bachmann's speech last night. I have a question about it.
Ms. Bachman said "This photograph immortalizes the victory of young GIs over the incursion against the Japanese."
Can kwadze or any else explain this statement? I don't understand it.
It was the marines who fought at Iwo Jima: not Army soldiers (GIs). And what is "the incursion against the Japanese"? It sounds like she is saying we fought some group that invaded Japan.
But kwadze says conservatives argue with facts and liberals with emotions!
He forgot to add that conservatives MAKE UP THEIR OWN FACTS!
John Quincy Adams, born in 1767, was a "Founding Forebearer" according to Ms. Bachmann. Never mind that he was 10 years old when the Declaration of Independence was signed.
Sorry, guys, I didn't watch the speeches last night...it's always the same rhetoric from both sides of the aisle.
What makes you think I would advocate killing someone, anyway? If that's what you think, you're really sick. It's funny to watch you guys try to gang up on me just because I'm different than you, though. If a conservative did that to a liberal, it would be called...bigotry?
What are the facts that you're referring to, anonymous? You're saying it's a fact that I would advocate killing someone? Or did I misinterpret your response?
I dont know. I am waiting for you to make some more up, or repeat some from your peeps. I am sure Rush or Glenn has some good stuff for you. Just stay away from the Lame Stream Media.
What have I "repeated from (my) peeps" so far? I don't have peeps. I make decisions on my own and don't need the media to do so, Mr. CNN, or should I say Mr. Olberman.
Kwads - MIchele and Sarah think for themselves too. They don't need facts or an education. we need the govt out of those pesky highways, and safe food, and safe medicine, and running water, etc etc.. Us union folks certainly are taking advantage of you. What we are waiting for is the jobs from your tax break support for the rich guys. Go back to school dude. You really need a clue...
"Us union folks certainly are taking advantage of you. What we are waiting for is the jobs from your tax break support for the rich guys. Go back to school dude. You really need a clue..."
I must have missed it in one of my earlier posts - can you point out where I mentioned anything related to this? I guess you're right - maybe a little Pennsauken High School education would help me decipher your posts.
Kwarz, for starters, explain in more detail how unions are taking advantage of carbuyers.
The answer is they are not taking advantage of carbuyers.
American car companies have taken advantage of carbuyers by designing and producing junk. Examples are the Chevette and the Pinto. The unions did not cause the design of these cars.
American car companies have fiercely resisted improving cars for the good of the community, things like safety standards and fuel consumption.
The poor engineering and out-of-touch features caused American car companies to diminsih to the point where they had to be rescued by the government. New management has gotten with the times and now the government investment is expected to be sold back to private investors at a profit.
Kwadz, in the early Clinton years taxes were made more fair (increased) for high income taxpayers and then followed tremendous prosperity and job growth along with deficit reduction and annual surpluses.
W's firat order of business was to cause the affluent to pay less than their fair share with the eventual result that prosperity diminished and jobs disappeared. The Bush tax cuts and the two wars created the economic mess we are now in.
If unions are such a problem, why are states without them struggling just as bad. That is why i question the aptitude of my Conservative friends. It makes no sense. You guys champion Reagan, but call his tax numbers Socialist. If we went to them, you would see a huge dent in the dept and deficit. Hell Obamacare was originally proposed by a republican. C'mon,
"Kwadz, in the early Clinton years taxes were made more fair (increased) for high income taxpayers and then followed tremendous prosperity and job growth along with deficit reduction and annual surpluses.
W's firat order of business was to cause the affluent to pay less than their fair share with the eventual result that prosperity diminished and jobs disappeared. The Bush tax cuts and the two wars created the economic mess we are now in."
The job growth during the Clinton era was due solely to the technological advancements in computing, primarily by Microsoft (maybe Apple) and Intel. The economic boom was not related to anything political. However, the extreme growth towards the end of the 90's was due to speculation creating a bubble, similar to what happened to the housing market in the mid 2000's and currently the oil/energy market. Additional "growth" was falsely seen for the past 20 years as consumers ran up credit card debt as well as unsustainable mortgage debt. All of the markets were floating on paper without any foundation and eventually it collapsed. Unfortunately, neither political party did enough early on to prevent all of these collapses. Fortunately, when the oil/energy market collapses, the ones who will suffer will be Al Gore types and others who believed the global warming hype and invested poorly into it as well as foreign (and some hostile) oil rich nations.
Throw the worst terrorist attack in US history into the mix and consumer confidence fell off completely. If the 2000 tax cuts had not been put into place, we might have actually fallen into a full depression as opposed to the ongoing recession. I do applaud Barry, Harry, and team for extending the tax cuts, though it's only for two years. Unfortunately, the tax code, even with these cuts, is far from fair. Those who work hard and are successful have to unevenly support those who are lazy. Although there are some of you who feel the rich should be taxed more. I guess you are right - all of Merchantville's taxes should go to support Camden instead of supporting our own town with our hard earned money.
"Corporate profits are higher now than ever recorded.
Still, corporations are not hiring American workers.
Lowering corporate taxes will not make them hire anyone if record profits won't move them."
If you knew that in two years your taxes were going to skyrocket, wouldn't you try to pocket as much money as possible now in preparation? Had Congress made the tax cuts permanent, businesses would have felt comfortable extending themselves knowing that they weren't going to get slammed in a few years. The two year extension only prolongs the uncertainty.
"Kwarz, for starters, explain in more detail how unions are taking advantage of carbuyers. ... American car companies have taken advantage of carbuyers by designing and producing junk. Examples are the Chevette and the Pinto. The unions did not cause the design of these cars."
I do agree that the American companies have taken advantage of American taxpayers, especially GM and Chrysler by accepting bailout money. And, yes, the American market was full of junk for a while, and in some ways still. But these unions have wages that are far beyond what they should be making for their job duties and therefore the American companies have to charge more to turn any profit. So instead of paying $12k for a car, you the carbuyer are paying $24k for the same item. This allows the foreign companies to undercut them by selling similar models for $18k, let's say. More profit continues to go overseas as the foreign companies sell more cars (much of which are also similar junk to the American models). Instead, with reasonable wages without the union deathgrip on the industry, the American companies might be able to sell their cars for $12k, forcing the foreign companies to either close shop or sell theirs for cheaper as well. So instead of having lower costs for the carbuyers and more dollars staying in America, everyone must pay more for the same junk and the extra money they are paying goes overseas. What's so hard to understand about this concept?
Believe me, I agree that the American companies had some poor designs, but in recent years many of them (Ford, for example) have started producing some quality products. Please don't try to tell me that their products wouldn't be of good quality if non-union employees built them.
Japanese and European companies can pay their workers less because Japanese and European workers have national health benefits, retirement benefits, education benefits and child care benefits far in excess of those provided to American workers.
American workers are not paid too much. Their national benefits are too low.
Damn, Kwads, you can see into the future. You know the cooperate tax rates in two years. I am embarrassed for you dude. Stop making stuff up. Your Clinton budget commentary is wrong as well. The dot com boom was not the huge windfall for the federal govt you say. Since I feel sorry for you, I will help. It was more the large tobacco settlements that helped the budget and the elimination of dept. That is where Clinton was able to balance the budget. Dare I ask, Kwadz - what was the cause of the bank melt down and the great recession. And more importantly - what should have been done to prevent it from happening. I look forward to your response......
Remember Kwadz - you are not doing a good job proving your premise of Conservatives using facts to guide their point of view. Yes, you did write that...
Sounds like Mr. Perno trying to catch Kwadz with tricky lawyer-speak. It makes you wonder why most lawyers are liberals - the only way they can win arguments is by entrapment, not facts!
"American workers are not paid too much. Their national benefits are too low."
Ok, so in your opinion, who should be paying the money for their "national benefits"? Are you willing to pay 50% income tax? 60%? How high is too high to you?
"The dot com boom was not the huge windfall for the federal govt you say. Since I feel sorry for you, I will help. It was more the large tobacco settlements that helped the budget and the elimination of dept."
Actually, the tobacco settlement did not create millions of jobs across the nation. The tech boom absolutely created jobs - millions of them, many of which are still held today. Yes, there were a good amount that were created based on speculation (fueling the bubble), but even after the burst, we are left with millions of more jobs and better technology that before the boom. The cigarette taxes and filings may have provided budgetary relief to the gov't, but it did not create private industry jobs. Eliminate the jobs from the tech boom and I'm sure we'd be in a worse place than if you eliminated the "boom" from the tobacco deals.
"what was the cause of the bank melt down and the great recession. And more importantly - what should have been done to prevent it from happening."
The bank melt down and recession was stemmed from a few actions (and lack of actions) on the part of both the Clinton and Bush administrations and the Congresses from the mid/late 90's through 2010 (2008-2010 only prolonged the pain, so that's why I didn't stop at 2008). Listing them:
1. The housing bubble which was formed because of gov't sponsored and encouraged loosening of mortgage lending to increase home ownership. Both administrations touted the fact that more people were buying and owning homes than ever before and that net worths were increasing tremendously due to increased home equity. People started taking huge home equity loans to spend on non-home related expenses - new cars, vacations, vacation homes, etc. Suddenly, there reached a point where no first time buyers could afford to purchase homes. So the bottom end of the market started to drop off. People who owned homes on the bottom end of the market couldn't afford to upgrade to midprices homes since they couldn't make back what they paid for their current homes, so the midpriced market started to fall apart. People who already lived in midpriced homes couldn't sell them to cover their mortgages and home equity loans, so they couldn't upgrade to higher priced homes and the top end of the market fell off as well. The cause for this rapid increase and dropoff was the gov't forcing lenders to write mortgages that were unaffordable to people just to get them into homes. People foolishly listened to their banks which approved them for 2-3X the size loan they could afford and then they became stuck in homes that were worth less than the loans. In the meantime, all of these large ticket purchases were made with imaginary equity. The only way for the market to fix itself is to let it fall apart, let everything crash, and then start the recovery afterwards. Trying to maintain already high housing prices will only prolong the crisis - and neither administration (Bush/Obama) seems to understand that. Of course it's all about votes, since the people who foolishly jumped in over their heads and are now looking for my money (and your money) to bail them out make up a huge voting block...
(continued) 2. Increased debt due to increased mortgages, rent (tied to home prices), and credit card debit. I won't entirely fault the politicians for this one, but I do still lay some blame. The Bush administration (and I can't remember whether Clinton did the same) encouraged people to get out and spend their money to stimulate the economy. All this did was encourage already spending-hungry people to impulse buy on items they did not need at a time when they already had staggering debt they couldn't afford. The people who ran up their own debt should be faulted before the gov't, but instead of encouraging people to pay down their debt and take care of their mortgage payments before buying $4000 HDTVs and $500 iPhones, the gov't should have encouraged debt reduction. Instead, people now have extremely high interest credit card debt on top of underwater mortgages and guess who takes the hit when they walk away from it all and claim bankruptcy? Those of us who continue to responsibly pay debt and now see an increase in fees, rates, etc.
3. Student loan/tuition increases. I am as much a guilty party as anyone else, here, so I can't claim innocence, but I can claim ignorance as to how I was helping prolong the problem. The more federally and state backed loans the government provides (at taxpayer expense), the more colleges are encouraged to raise tuition. Think about it - if the gov't gave everybody $100/week to spend on groceries, would milk remain at $4/gal (I don't know the exact price of regular milk since I drink Lactaid, so $4 is an estimate - please correct me if I'm wrong)? What would happen is that the grocery stores (and dairy farms) would raise their prices knowing that people could afford to spend more on milk. Essentially, for spending $100 of gov't money plus $100 of your own money, you'd end up getting the same amount of groceries as you would have originally been able to buy for $100 before the gov't supplement. The same thing has happened with tuition. If the gov't stopped providing so much in federally backed loans, schools would be forced to either lower tuition or provide more aid based on donations. No one is getting "more" of an education because they are paying more money. In the meantime, taxpayers are covering the difference (with subsidized loans) AND the students are strapped with such high loans when they graduate that they can't afford to buy homes, further continuing the bottom end (and domino effect) housing woes. Every president in recent history has increased student lending. Almost every Congressman has done the same.
For the record. I am not Mr. Perno. I know Mr. Perno and he is much smarter and writes way better than I do. But I appreciate the compliment.
Kwadz - So you are a card carrying tea party guy? Point to a time in history where a society advanced itself without using spending programs to do so? You seem to advocate Hoovereque policies. It does make sense to address the moronic dept built up by going to war and cutting taxes. Then not regulating banks etc etc... but cutting seems to be the thing that will hurt not help. For example, a simple question. Putting aside your political position. Do you agree that welfare goes right back into the market stream? Meaning, those food stamps are spent, right? Have fun!
Card carrying? If you mean that I pay dues, no. But I do support many of their views. Hell, I even had a Gadsden flag hanging out front until I took it down for the previous snowstorm due to high winds. It'll go back up as soon as I get around to it.
You want to know whether welfare goes right back into the system? First off - there's a difference between welfare and foot stamps. As far as I understand, food stamps are only able to be used to purchase specified food items. The money does go back into the system, but only after a profit is withheld by the grocery store, its employees, and the suppliers of the food. So essentially, the government is giving money directly to these people out of our pockets. Only a very small fraction of it makes it back to the gov't budget via taxes. Even worse, welfare checks can be spent on anything - including illegal and black market drugs and weapons. The money spent here can easily channel overseas or down to South America where it is kept by drug kingpins or weapon traffickers. So, no, I do not believe that most of the money spent on welfare makes it back to where it came from: my pocket and your pocket.
How does that compare to the tax breaks you support to the highest 2 percent? BTW - food stamps are welfare. And the idea is not to turn it into tax dollars. The money supports more people, like the store, the employees, and then yes a small fraction back to the govt. It works.... the data is clear. Unlike the banks and rich people, poor people cannot save for your impending tax increase in 2 years. they need to spend to support their families.
To which tax breaks are you referring? I'm all for fair taxation (a flat tax) that does not penalize people for their hard work. Reducing already discriminatory tax rates to still discriminatory levels is not a tax break.
So you're advocating taking money out of my pocket to give to other people to spend because it "works"? Should I be feeling guilty because I work my a$$ off and make enough money to feed and house my family when other people (many and probably most of those you refer to) sit on their lazy a$$es every day watching Maury and complaining that the checks they're getting from the gov't (meaning directly out of my pocket) are not high enough? If you feel so guilty, there are plenty of ways to donate money and food to help others. In fact, I offered to donate hunted meat this year and I my offer was rejected because the hungry "are not used to eating wild game". I'm sorry - next time I'll offer up some filet mignon.
Flat tax is a great idea. I agree. does that apply to multi millionaires as well? I work hard too bro. I don't think most poor people take advantage of the system. And i think it was very nice of you to offer your kill. Seriously. But we come to an important point in our debate. Maybe even a breakthrough. You believe that people who receive govt support are lazy etc. That is just wrong, or at least they are not alone. and the damage by others is greater. Those who bilk the system do so from every economic level of our society. Did you know we give billions of our tax dollars every year to oil companies as subsidies. Seriously, look it up. your hard earned money is going to the most profitable companies in the history of the world. And our president tried to stop that practice, and the Republicans, with some "blue dog" Dem help stopped him. WTF. do you work your a$$ off to support the oil companies. I thank you Kwadz for a healthy debate. We do need a flat tax. Carry on..
lCruiser: American car companies have taken advantage of carbuyers by designing and producing junk. Examples ... Pinto.
A research paper in the 1991 Rutgers Law Review (Gary T. Schwartz) reported that the number who died in Pinto rear-impact fires was well below the hundreds cited in contemporary news reports and closer to the 27 recorded by a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration database. Given the Pinto's production figures (over 2 million built), this was not substantially worse than typical for the time. Schwartz said that the car was no more fire-prone than other cars of the time, that its fatality rates were lower than comparably sized imported automobiles....
The Pinto's fuel tank location behind the axle, ostensibly its design defect, was commonplace at the time in American cars. N.H.T.S.A. crash tests had shown the Pinto gas tank could be punctured on a rear-end collision at 39 mph. The Toyota tank exploded at 41 mph. Ford added a block of Styrofoam padding between tank and rear differential to raise the puncture threshold.
The precedent of the California Supreme Court at the time not only tolerated manufacturers trading off safety for cost, but apparently encouraged manufacturers to consider such trade-offs.
200 comments:
Much ado about nothing, I am sure there will be a follow up from the consolidation Cronies.
How can Dan Keashan talk about consolidation? His town is a financial mess, I certainly don't want him involved in any decisions involving my tax dollars. I thought that the gentlemen interviewed at the end of the segment made a telling statement when he spoke about towns being financially responsible and long term 10 to 15 year plans and building surplus which is exactly what our town fathers have done. Now that times are tight we are using that nest egg, what exactly has Cherry Hill done? Look to us as a Cash Cow? I guess the County can't buy another road to help them balance their budget!
This segment couldn't be worse. Who said anything about extinction? We would still be Merchantville. All that changes is where our municipal services come from. Do government services define community?
This is fear mongering and appealing to the lowest common denominator.
Cherry Hill has the lowest property taxes in Camden County because they run lean and when municipal aid was cut they made cuts to their budget. They instituted a wage freeze on their cops and the cop union chose to let 6 get pink slips. Merchantville has made no significant cuts to its operational budget.
There is no nest egg. The surplus is gone. The State aid is gone! The cost of insurance is up. Teachers salaries is up. You know what isnt up? The tax base and the value of your homes. But the taxes surely will be up, and up and up and up.
Our local Fox news stinks. They report nothing. Losing identity. What a joke. The good news is that this thing is not dying. Momentum grows even as the fear mongers shoot blindly into the night.
All the pretty spots in town and they decide to film outside of the liquor store? Jerks. Fox 29 is a joke.
They must have had a hard time finding people to speak out against this. Why didn't they interview Pat Brennan or Mayor North to hear why we shouldn't consolidate? They are the strongest voices of opposition in town.
Cherry hill has a great leaf clean up program
Great Oped in the Star Ledger today. It's on the petitioners facebook site. I saw it first on the Merchantville Borough Facebook site, but someone in borough hall deleted it. Shamefull.
They must have had a hard time finding people to speak out against this.
Did anyone catch Jon Stewart interviewed by Larry King a couple weeks ago?
Stewart in his serious moment talked about not listening to cable news because, with the hours they must fill, the organizations must create "breaking news" topics. He said that some days there is no breaking news, it must be spun or invented to keep viewers viewing.
I suggest that Fox didn't have a hard time finding folks to speak out against the proposed consolidation with C.H. Finding them would have killed Fox's story line. There's nothing worse than a non story.
On this blog alone, look at the non-news stories Cruiser and Gail have penned asserting that k.t.b.f.w. uses other pen names. Why he (or she) doesn't have thoughts sufficient for one commenter much less several.
They must have had a hard time finding people to speak out against this.
Did anyone catch Jon Stewart interviewed by Larry King a couple weeks ago?
Stewart in his serious moment talked about not listening to cable news because, with the hours they must fill, the organizations must create "breaking news" topics. He said that some days there is no breaking news, it must be spun or invented to keep viewers viewing.
I suggest that Fox didn't have a hard time finding folks to speak out against the proposed consolidation with C.H. Finding them would have killed Fox's story line. There's nothing worse than a non story.
On this blog alone, look at the non-news stories Cruiser and Gail have penned asserting that k.t.b.f.w. uses other pen names. Why he (or she) doesn't have thoughts sufficient for one commenter much less several.
lean and mean you can't be serious. How come when someone speaks out against the idea of consolidation with Cherry Hill they are fear mongering? My house values have gone way up since I purchased my home, the value is still higher than my purchase price, maybe not as high as a few years ago but that has nothing to do with our town fathers but with the national economy. Are you saying there is a zero surplus? If you are you know nothing about the municipal budget and are just fear mongering yourself. I wonder who placed the call to channel 29 for another follow up story to the original one?
There was no call for a follow up story. Should have been though.
Could any realtors out there comment on "my property has gone way up". I would also wonder about the rapidity of depreciation compared to neighboring communities these past two years. I bet (unless you bought a fixer upper) that if you purchased after 2004 that you are pretty much underwater right now. I know some of my new neighbors are. No one can argue that a merger with Cherry Hill would hurt property value. It is easy to see that values would increase greatly.
Recent articles not linked by this blog:
Star-Ledger Editorial
NJ Monthly Article
Courier Post Editorial
Also note that the Senate bill that will legalize the format of the Study Application is now also sponsored by Sen. Beach representing Cherry Hill's District.
I've lived in Merchantville most of my life. I don't believe that the community will cease in the event of a merge. I want the petitioning group to know how greatfull many of us are for their efforts. I'm not on facebook to tell them so. It's amazing that they're still at it after all the obstacles. You kids are great.
I want the petitioning group to know how greatfull many of us are for their efforts ... It's amazing that they're still at it after all the obstacles.
Two factors for merging:
(1) The petitioners half petition and half lobby, mess up the application, ignore the Dept. of Community Affairs explanation of the law, fail in an appeal to the State Attorney General, and lobby a senator to change the State law instead of correcting their mistakes.
(2) A long-time Merchantville resident who can't spell a 6th grade word praises the group for sticking to its mistakes for so long.
It seems it might be easier to absorb our community into a more successful one than to improve our own. Like buying a Toyota when the Chrysler fails inspection.
I thought the Fox news piece was good in the sense that it provided a forum for those opposed to the study, vote and merger to express their opinions. I understand their opinions and their reasons for them but I do not agree with them.
There should be and will be many communications on both sides of the issue before all of this is over. We should all get used to them.
From a journalistic perspective I though the piece was typical Fox trash. Definetly not fair and balanced. The local channel must have been schooled by their mothership, Faux News Network.
I’m not surprised that Multiple Personality (aka “Factors for Merging”) pretended to be someone else when he called out a senior citizen for one lousy typo ... on this blog that's chock full of misspellings and poor grammar.
I agree completely with Factors’ statement that “it might be easier to absorb our community into a more successful one than to improve our own.”
I also have two factors for merging:
1) The local Merchantville government has demonstrated that it doesn’t have the courage (used in lieu of a more colorful slang word) to take the steps necessary to cut excessive spending and speculating.
2) While the elementary school could certainly be improved, the CSA and BOE (like the municipal government) don’t have the courage to reorganize its programs, cut some highly paid teachers to part-time, and lay off the last hired.
I believe Merchantville has to be absorbed by another district to improve the high school environment. But maybe, like Harry Potter, “Factors for Merging” can put on another cloak of invisibility and suggest a way to get a better high school for Merchantville students without merging.
We're all waiting for that answer ... we've been waiting for more than 20 years.
Cherry Hill may have passed a resolution to commission a study but that is far from merging.
the devil is in the details.
the merging of trash services leaves police - easy.
the school issues of proficiency and funding are real. this will never get off the ground as the school issue is a dealbreaker. our schools are of the highest quality and we are not interested in a population that will prevent us from making AYP. The stakes are too high.
Hey factors,
If the petitionistas had just done what they were told they would have stopped after their first petition when they were scolded by the mayor and council. I don't support them ,but they've shown great initiative and they've won my respect.
I think in the long run it will be viewed as a positive event that the issue of a combination petition/resolution application for a study was rejected at this stage. The law is vague in this regard and it is better that it be clarified by legislation.
Have no doubt that there are those throughout New Jersey who are watching this, carefully taking notes about all that is going on and gauging how to thwart it - not just in the case of Merchantville and Cherry Hill but also for other communities throughout the state. A ploy for the big guns (unions, other municipalities, association of municipalities, etc.) in this will be to wait until near the end and then start dragging the process through the courts. The language vagueness could be such an issue at that time but if it is clarified now, that issue is gone.
This is a new process and M/CH will likely be a test case in many aspects of the process. There will be many more bumps in the road similar to this one.
Of great interest is the legislative vote reportedly planned for a month or so from now. You may rest assured that because of the publicity M/CH has received (there was another mention of it in today's Inky, in Kevin Riordan's column), along with the activities of Connecting for the Future, there are many local governments throughout New Jersey who do not want the prior legislation clarified. They want this whole thing stopped. It will be interesting to see how the local government politicians throughout NJ strive to affect the outcome of a vote on the legislation.
Related to all of that will be how Merchantville's Assembly and Senate representatives (Conners, Conway, Allen) vote on this matter. Will they co-sponsor the legislation? Will they provide by their vote at least a gentle assist to Merchantville in its desire for a study and to clarify that this law is truly a "power to the people" initiative not to be diminished by minute technicalities of legal wording. Or will they be the puppets of the politicians of the larger communities they also represent, showing just how powerless the people of Merchantville are when it comes to representation in the legislature.
And, of course, there is the election in November, 2011 (not far away), in which the entire Assembly and Senate are up for re-election. This entire matter of community merging could be a big issue in that election.
Interesting times we live in.
Does anyone know when the new Crown Fried Chicken opens up at Capel and Center?
I just want Merchantville to know how stupid they are for wanting to merge with Cherry Hill. We've been around since 1874. You want to throw it all away? I hope that state officials don't pass this bill. How can we hold a "vote" on a matter of legacy when those that came before us don't get a vote. Think about that...
eh, er, uh, what?
The scores for the 11th grade state tests given in 2010 are in today's Inky. Schools of interest are:
Pennsauken:
Language arts 69.9
Math 59.4
Cherry Hill West:
Language arts 93.0
Math 83.5
crusier, thats ridiculous and not true. according to anon three up, we're stupid for wanting to merge and thus your numbers can
t be accurate.
Anon 11:23
I think dead people can only vote in Chicago.
Chris, you are absolutely correct. We can only rely on the superior wisdom of that anon to explain wayward facts.
Extinction? No, no,no- We are getting our very own Crown Fried Chicken.
Haddon Heights:
LA 87.6
Math 73.1
No thank you! I am from Haddon Heights and we don't have room for your kids and we can't bring them up to speed because of AYP.
wait, anon....i thought you were from cherry hill? make up your mind clown.
Haddonfield public schools has an ad in today’s Courier for qualified students from other districts. There will an open house at Haddonfield Memorial High School at 6:30pm on January 19.
This is a private tuition program, not a school choice program. Call the school if you're interested.
I would definately check that out if we had a household income above $100,000 or more.
If you had an income above $100,000 maybe you’d be living in Haddonfield instead of Merchantville.
According to the 2000 census, Haddonfield’s median family income was $103,597, while Merchantville’s median family income was $60,652. You probably have a bigger home here, but you also have a school system you don’t want.
Hi Gail -
thanks for the info.
Do you happen to know if those median family income numbers from the census are gross or net?
Any idea when the 2010 numbers will be available?
The ACS data is currently available. The current fact sheet uses data from the 2000 census and from the American Community Survey. The ACS is a 5 year survey. Because our population is less than 20,000, Merchantville has estimated information based upon both the decennial census and the ACS.
http://www.factfinder.census.gov
According to ACS, the median household income in Merchantville in 2009 was $70,068. "income" includes all income (taxable and non-taxable.) It is not "net" of anything.
According to ACS, 536 households in Merchantville had income over $100,000/year, with 110 of those over $200,000.
and as a follow up I believe there are roughly 1200 households in the Boro?
ACS says 1,526 give or take 154.
At this point there is no Study Commission at all because none has been approved by the DCA.
Merchantville is dead either way. Merge and it's gone - only a fading memory. Don't merge and your local government will waste it away because they can't control their spendthrift ways.
The problem is that 1500 households with a median income of $70,000 cannot pay enough to support the town. And you cannot cut the budget enough to make it work.
As cruiser has frequently said, not enough ratables. And as alice showed us, not enough income in the households that are here.
You CAN cut the budget - there is just no interest on the part of our elected officials to do so. It would require eliminating some non-critical jobs that are held by friends of those wielding the power in town. This is called cronyism. Eliminating the two most obvious of those would save in excess of $150,000 a year.
You may not like it, but it is fact.
I still do not understand the argument that Merchantville will cease to exist if there is a merger. Merchantville's govt. is not the town. They manage the services. If Cherry Hill township provides the services, wouldn't those services be provided in Merchantville? Would not mail addressed to people in town still say Merchantville? Would you still be able to go to the Collins House or Bella Vita in Merchantville? I guess the police cars would have Cherry Hill on them as the patrolled Merchantville. Trash colllection would be the same as it is now, right? My point is the fear of losing identity is a joke. You may become a part of a larger township. But you will still be Merchantville. Seems like the only solution that has positive returns for the residents.
Anon 10:16
$150,000 off the total budget (good luck with a cut that size in light of state aid cuts) would hardly make a dent in real property taxes. And how long before the costs of the remaining services eat up the $150,000 you saved? 3 years? 5 years?
How much do you think the average household making $70,000 can or should contribute in real property taxes? Remember it means paying for the town, the school and the county.
The fact is that the situation is unsustainable. We don't have enough households, enough income or enough ratables to sustain the town.
one correction to realists post - "to sustain the town", if I may add - "to sustain the towns government" the town will still be here.
That's a fair interpretation.
We don't turn into a blank spot on the earth if the gov't changes.
As Realist pointed out above, There is no Study Commission approved by the DCA.
No Commission = No Study.
It doesn't matter who or how many people the Mayor appoints to however many committees. It doesn't matter what brief the mayor gives them or what he names the committee.
The DCA has to approve whether or not a Study Commission exists and the method for selection of members.
Unless and until the DCA approves a Study Commission the issue is stalled.
Realist -
Do you think you'll quit paying for services when Merchantville becomes part of Cherry Hill?
The $150,000 cited is an example of lack of will to control spending, not the sum total of wasteful spending (not by a long shot!).
And if you want someone who doesn't live within the borough making decisions about your police coverage and other services, and if you want to be one of 75,000 or so vying for the Cherry Hill government's attention instead of one of about 4,000 vying for Merchantville government's attention when something comes up that matters to you, then no, there really is no difference if we merge.
Sure, Merchantville will maintain some sort of individual identity - like South Philly does, or like Jackson Heights in Queens does. But your government will now be, in effect (and in some ways in reality) an absentee landlord, making decisions about our community while almost never being here. I'm sure our concerns will get top priority!
So go ahead - dissolve Merchantville into Cherry Hill. Merchantville will be just a fading memory immortalized on a few road signs.
Then cry about the stupidity of your actions in the years to come.
Why not try to fix the problems rather than kill the community?
Would not mail addressed to people in town still say Merchantville?
Does mail addressed to Erlton residents say ERLTON? It did when there was an Erlton Post Office before Cherry Hill.
What kills this community and keeps it from reaching it's full potential is the high school. Every aspirational young family that can afford it moves. This is Merchantvilles last chance at bettering itself.
I'm posting this in as many places as I can, so if you read it before, just ignore - Thank you to the plow driver who plowed Prospect St down near the Community Center. He was thoughtful enough and had enough common sense to plow the snow to the side of the road with no driveways. I have been asking for this courtesy for 20 years. Finally someone listened!! Bravo zulu.
In CH you have commercial areas that pay more than $10million in taxes and the cost of services is spread over a larger population. There is also such a thing as "economies of scale."
There is no way to stretch our median income of $70,000 for 1500 households to cover the expenses of operating our current gov't. You can cut services to the bone, and it still won't work over time.
We currently have a police force of 16. How long can we afford this level? How soon before we are forced by the expense to cut our force to 10? 5? Or will we give up all park maintenance, all road maintenance (do we do any now?) and have a govt' that does NOTHIING but pay for police?
Look at the numbers, anon. The money is not there to maintain separate services.
There are different ways to merge and we heard about them at the consolidation meeting. The things you are so frightened of are things that can be anticipated and planned for. Get your head out of the sand and start planning for the future.
Correction to realist comment the police force does not have 16 officers. There are 11 patrolman, a chief and a Detective Sergeant.
Anon 1/12 6:03 AM While your thoughts have some merit, the opposite of them have even more merit.
When Merchantville merges into Cherry Hill, it will be an integral part of the merged entity - there is no "us versus them." They are us and we are them. Those who will be elected to lead the community will all be residents of the merged community. In due course, it is plausible that several memebers of the council of the merged community could be residents of the Merchantville area. In short, there is no "absentee landlord."
Currently Cherry Hill government has a very good reputation regarding provision of services. Together we will not want to see that reputation tarnished. The Merchantville area will get the services which made the reputation so good. The services and the reputation will be preserved.
The argument that a 4,000 resident community can more easily get the ear of elelcted officials than a 70,000 resident community has some theoretical merit, but in reality the 4,000 resident community does not have the resources in terms of ratables to do the things which need doing. On the other hand, the 70,000 resident community has massive commercial ratables (the mall, shopping centers, office parks, industrial parks, etc.) which ennable good things to be done or for residential taxes to be lower.
Small communities also seem to be getting intentionally jilted by the state (under both Corzine and Christie) in terms of revenue sharing. If times get good, no one expects the short changing of small communities to go away.
While citizens of small communities may theoretically have easier access to their local elected leaders, they have less clout at the state level. The big communities get more of what they want from Trenton than small communities do. Elected officials go where the votes are and more votes are in the big communities.
Keep in mind also that in the next five years or so, Merchantville, by itself, will become increasingly frustrated with ever higher taxes and seek a merger to relieve it. The only available partner then will be Pennsauken. An opportunity to now merge with Cherry Hill is a golden opportunity. We should not pass it up.
Your final plea is to "fix the problems rather than kill the community." This is very simplistic. Tell us how the high school problem is going to be solved without a Cherry Hill merger.
Cruiser, you seem to forget that the school board was making progress on fixing the high school problem until this merger effort came out, stalling the work the school board has done.
It would be inconvenient NOT to forget that though, wouldn't it?
the School Board had made NO progress on the high school situation before Merger Mania. After the merger talk there was talk of movement. But in reality there is and was none. So the post above is BS.
According to the FBI Uniform Crime Reports, Merchantville had 14 law enforcement and 2 civilian police employees in 2009.
http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2009/data/table_78_nj.html
Have we laid some off already?
There are 13 employees working in law enforcement and 2 civilian. The 14th officer is the Community Affairs officer and does not do police work.
It is misleading info in the UCR considering he has been CAO for years.
The Republicans in Council tried to have the CAO position eliminated for budget reasons but the Mayor and the Dems insist upon keeping it.
And anon above thinks he can cut $150G from the budget? Good Luck!
Anonymous 12:08 - YOUR post is the BS. There WAS progress, and the merger talk stymied it.
JJ Anon - "anon above" thinks the budget could be cut. (S)he doesn't think it will actually happen.
fix the high school situation - don't merge with another town.
Anon 3:40 - There was no progress on any send receive, or consolidation concerning the school district. Any info to the contrary is a lie. I suggest you talk to a school board member or even refer to the minutes.
Anon 3:40 - maybe you should start a petition.
Anon 7:04 - I HAVE talked to school board members - several of them. That's how I know progress was made, and that it stopped with the merger talk.
Anon 7:05 - a petition to what? Cut the budget? Talking at the mayor and council is a waste of time, unless you're one of the buddies.
Wonder if a school board member will vouch for that. I for one will not. because it is not true.
The BOE meeting scheduled for Jan 11th was cancelled because of the impending snow storm. I have been told that the meeting has been rescheduled for Jan. 18th at 7:30 PM. At the start of the meeting there will be a presentation on 2009-2010 State test scores.
All the “Anons” and “Grass is Greener” might find it useful to attend this meeting. Listen to the presentation on test scores to learn how the local Merchanville School is doing and ask questions about BOE action on send-receive and consolidation. Get the facts.
I expect to attend the meeting to learn about test scores. I will also ask, again, if there was a recent meeting between the Cherry Hill & Merchantville superintendents and if send-receive was a topic discussed.
On the other hand, you might prefer sitting at home, not asking questions, and just making up stories to post on this blog.
Usually, the only resident attending BOE meetings is the reporter for the Merchantville Observer.
The BOE has been trying its best to change the send/receive for decades....
Their is always some story. Get back on the charter school non-sense.
The send/receive will change, this won't happen overnight. Some hurdles have been jumped but there are still more to come. It would be easy to just sit back and do nothing and be critical. But there are elected officials actively engaged in trying to get this send/receive done. As Gail said come to a school board meeting and ask, or just listen.
I don't think the consolidation effort has torpedoed anything as of yet, but if I were another district entering into talks about send/receive I would certainly have questions about this effort and whether it was worth the time and effort and money of my district to work on a send/receive agreement if consolidation was going to occur. I personally would tell the Merchantville School Board to continue the effort of seeking a send/recieve with HH and not worry about a consolidation effort. No more time can be wasted on what if's. It sure seems funny to me that Cherry Hill School Board wants nothing to do with Merchantville School Board.
I grew up in Merchantville. Attended MES, K-8th grade. I cherish my experience there. My daughter is now in PreK in Philadelphia. After years of living in the city and unsure of the education system, I've convinced my husband to move to Merchantville... I sold him on a "simple life without the stress of city politics, etc." After reading this blog, I'm a little worried!
My parents moved us from Merchantville to Cherry Hill because of the high school issue. I had to wait for my sister to graduate 8th grade and wait for our house to sell, so I attended 2 years at Pennsauken High & 2 yeas at Cherry Hill West. Although it was years ago, I feel like I lived through an experience that some on this blog have not. I'm looking forward to sharing my experiences in future posts!
As for the merge, one of the reasons I'm drawn to Merchantville is to send my daughters to a small school. A place where I as a parent can be an active member of the school community. For years, I've been just one person in a big city and I'm looking forward to making an impact in my community. If the towns merge, I'm assuming MES could disappear? Or Cherry Hill could decide to ship more students to the school and make it a true elementary school? Sending Merchantville junior high students to Carusi? I don't want to send my children to an elementary school with 4 classes for each grade. My graduating class was 27 or so. That meant something to me. I can't describe the connection I feel to MES, to my former classmates, and to my former teachers.
Merchantville is something special. Every effort should be made to preserve it.
If I find a house to buy, you can count on me to be active. Heck, I can see myself running for office, if there is an office to run for.
If we don't merge and if we can' get a new send/receive agreement, the charter school idea may be interesting. In our search for a school for my daughter, we've visited many charter schools in Philadelphia. There are a few that are really amazing. If a charter was located in Merchantville, but accepted students from other districts, it may get enough funding to work. Merchantville would have first priority in acceptance since it is the host district. The key would be to make it unique and challenging, thereby ensuring that only students who have drive and ambition apply to the school. There are charter schools in Philadelphia that accept based on city-wide lottery, yet get great groups of students and have very good educational perfomance.
kswann
Do you know the size of the elementary schools in CH? The classes are small. So school size should not be a worry. My friends who have children in CH elementary schools could not be happier.
Quality of the school system is also very important. Compare the scores in CH with MES and I think you will like the effort to merge.
MES is not what it was 20 years ago.
Class sizes are small, but grade sizes are not. Going through 9 years with the same group, give or take a few, was amazing. As a 2nd grader, looking up to the middle school kids... Sharing school functions...My graduating class has been talking about having a reunion. My new friends don't understand why an 8th grade reunion would be so important to me. That's the Merchantville experience.
Test scores aren't everything. I also like that Merchantville is economically and socially diverse. I was BROKE and had reduced fee lunch, but my best friend lived in a HUGE house and had things I could only dream of. There were 3 classmates who immigrated to the US and shared experiences from their homeland. I learned a lot about the world in my little slice of it. My interest as a parent is to educate my children, but to also encourage them to be good people and good neighbors. I believe I can do that in Merchantville.
I've also seen what amazing things parental involvement can do for a city school. I'm certain Merchantville school can be as amazing as the community wants it to be. If it becomes absorbed into a bigger school district, I think it becomes more difficult to have an impact - but not impossible.
I've always been proud to tell people I grew up in a small town in a densly populated area. Merchantville is the best of both worlds.
To add: My brother attended Cherry Hill schools form 1st grade through high school. He's 22 now, so his experience isn't quite outdated. So I'm familiar.
K Swanson:
I can appreciate your nostalgia. Times were much simpler, however, today the state and borough are in the midst of a financial crisis and you ideal 27 pupil grade is untenable.
Drew said: thoughtful enough and had enough common sense to plow the snow to the side of the road with no driveways.
I had the opposite experience. For years the crew plowed my street to the side without driveways but since the change in personnel last year, we have to dig out our drives a couple of times in each storm.
The switch reversing the direction of the plow is just too hard to press.
JJAnon said: The 14th officer is the Community Affairs officer and does not do police work. ...
It is misleading info in the UCR [Unified Crime Reports] considering he has been CAO for years.
Good point, JJ. If a person is paid by the police department but doesn't do police work, don't count him.
Could we do the same with teachers that don't do what they are contracted to do ... don't count them either? If that's the case, we could keep the principal's wife on at $100K forever and just not count the money.
Readers note that the State Senate Bill affirming and legalizing the petition based application to the DCA will be in Committee this coming week. Votes in both houses should follow shortly afterwards. Our Application can then be accepted by DCA and the work to conduct a study can begin. Its closer than you think - we will have our questions answered. Thanks again for all the support.
First, I believe Anonymous is being deliberately unfairly provocative by referring to “kswann” as “K Swanson” -- an unfair and childish action.
The 2008-09 School Report Card shows that enrollment by grade in Merchantville School’s K-5th grades ranged from 32 to 40, with an average grade enrollment of 35. Those numbers are actually quite similar to Haddonfield’s K-5 Central School, which had an average grade enrollment of 37. The difference comes at the 6-8th grade level, where the grade enrollment at Haddonfield Middle School averages 180, compared to Merchantville’s 36. Average 6-8 CLASS size is only slightly lower for Merchantville (18) compared to Haddonfield (23).
Back to Anonymous’ claim that Merchantville’s situation is untenable. A review of School Report Cards for various districts shows that perhaps the most significant reason for a higher total cost per pupil at Merchantville District is the median teacher’s salary ($70,767), with an average of 24 years of experience. The median teacher’s salary at Haddonfield is $65,400 with an average of 10 years of experience, and that includes high school teachers’ salaries. The median salary at Haddon Heights is $55,316 and HH also has its own high school.
That is good news lavardera.
kswann, you may argue that you prefer to be in Merchantville for sentimental reasons, but you really can't say CH is an inferior place to educate your child by any measure.
My neighbors are selling their home now. Their oldest child has entered middle school and they just can't afford private school and won't send their kids to Pennsauken. Funny thing is, the couple's business is really starting to take off. It's a shame that Merchantville can't hold onto upwardly mobile families like this purely on account of the HS situation.
I wouldn't say that CH's school system is better or worse, it is just a different experience. My parents, sister, and brother all live in Cherry Hill. We have 2 months to find a house (for tax reasons), and if we don't find one in Merchantville, we'll be moving to CH. I just prefer Merchantville. More than just sentimental. I prefer to send my kids to a small school that runs K-8 and I prefer a small town.
I also want to add that I'm not on either side of the merge-not merge dispute. Am I missing something? The study on the impact of the merge has not been done yet, correct? I'm all for seeing the results of the study and then deciding if the pros outweigh the cons. Or is that not how this would work? Really we are all speculating about property values, taxes, services, how Merchantville's voice would be heard in CH's govenment, schools, etc. I reserve my right to form an opinion until the facts or at least educated guesses made by an imdependent party are released.
Just a side note: Because M school was so small, I was able to play in the band and jazz band; sing in the choir and small choir; play softball, field hockey, & basketball...I won a state-wide science award. I participated in a school newspaper. I petitioned when the teaches were having contract disputes...
I have ZERO musical talent, but I know what it is like to play in a band or sing in front of a hundred people. I went on to study business in college, I'm not a science whiz. I did on the other hand play Division I lacrosse & field hockey in college. The point is because Merchantville is a small school, I was able to discover my own talents and participate even though I wasn't the best at everything.
kswann--You are "looking for a house in Merchantville"?
I highly commend to you 121 Westminster Ave. It is a 1910 4 bedroom offered at $279,000. It just went on the market this week. The kitchen is brand new and gorgeous--both modern and retro to match the house. The roof is new. The floors redone. The price is a steal.
The lovely family that owns it now is selling to move to CH. Their oldest daughter is in middle school and they just can't afford private school and won't send their children to PHS.
But please come and look, the open house is Sunday. You won't regret it, when you see it you will love it.
I went to a large middle school in NYC.
Because the school was large and resources plentiful, we had an orchestra, a band, a wind ensemble, a jazz band and a percussion group. We also had chorus and madrigals as well as the student run musical "Sing". As there were so many choices for music, anyone could find a place. And the school provided the instruments--you didn't need to own or rent one for yourself.
For sports we had baseball (boys) (A and B teams), softball (girls), basketball (A,B and C teams), track and gymnastics. Most schools didn't have soccer back then.
Students could and did start new clubs at anytime. All you needed was to have one teacher to "sponsor" you.
I'm glad you had a good experience at MES, kswann. But I doubt the size of the school was what made the difference.
There are all kinds of schools, some within blocks of one another, having poor to excellent educational programs. Alice happened to mention one in NYC. That is a great distance to move and who knows what the criteria were for acceptance into the school.
Philly has a couple of great magnet schools of national prominence but getting in is not automatic. When Alice attended elementary school, NY State had "regency examinations" coupled with teacher recommendations that sorted children into types of educational programs they had to attend.
Comparable in excellence is a private K-8 school overlooking the Schuylkill which is the size of Merchantville's but its tuition runs above $20,000.
The great advantage of New Jersey, something some Merchantville residents would abandon, is its local control of education that leaves open educational choice to parents and their children. Just as important, individual students can make their educational program in any school into a top-drawer experience just with their own personal effort, resources and determination.
Some cry that they cannot flourish because of the school. Yet, we meet many people who have succeeded despite poor circumstances. There are prominent people in and around Camden County who attended P.H.S. We have a Merchantville resident in our local government who is well respected for his accomplishments and outlook who was educated in Pennsauken.
A couple of years ago some finalists of Asian descent in a regional spelling bee were schooled in Camden public schools. A reporter asked a child in the audience how they did so well. She answered, "Those kids like to study."
Local control is '...something some Merchantville residents would abandon...'
This is just plain false.
We went through this before ktbfw, and you were wrong then and wrong now.
Local control remains until the school boards cease to be elected.
That's what local control means--elected school boards.
I have to laugh at the County and their plan to regionalize, in theory this sounds like a good plan. The reporter quotes how municpialties biggest line items are their Police Salaries.....DUH. Did he bother to take a look at the counties line items under "Sheriff, Park Police, Prosecutor" I would bet if you lump them together they would be the biggest line item in the counties budget. Whether it is local or county it costs money to provide service. Why isn't the county looking to consolidate school districts ? Since a majority of our property taxes are paid to our local school districts (52-56%)this would seem like the most logical area to try and save money. Ultimately it is about choice, I choose to maintain local control of our school, and municipal government, kudos to our town fathers and the school board for seeking shared service agreements to make better use of our local tax dollars.
Those who talk about local control are actually talking about access. It is true that in Merchantville you can talk to the Mayor, or the chief, or the clerk (though she is worthless) without having to jump through hoops. And that is a nice luxury, but the premium is to high. That simple.
For a town this size we should be able to reduce the size of the police force by at least half.
Does ktbfw consider that we have "local control" over Pennsauken high school?
As far as "access" goes, at what size town do you cease to have "access"?
kswann,
did you have a look at 121 Westminster during the open house on Sunday?
With only 2 months to find a house, and your preference for Merchantville, I think you should have a close look at this one.
Last Thursday I said the 11 January BOE meeting would be rescheduled for 18 January. That may be incorrect information.
No reschedule notice has been published in the Retrospect, and the 11 Jan. agenda is still on the school website. It appears that there will only be one BOE meeting in January -- on the 25th. If anyone knows the answer, please post the correct information. Thanks.
Realist: Does ktbfw consider that we have "local control" over Pennsauken high school?
Ask Cruiser. As Merchantville School Board President he trouped his team over to a Pennsauken school board meeting to read a letter complaining about Pennsauken school administration. He'll tell ya about schools run by out of towners.
It'll be the same over to Cherry Hill except there'll not be a Merchantville board or school for backing.
"Local control" is something you don't seem to grasp, Realist. It's a "founding fathers" concept going back 300 years. Prominent citizens in respective small towns in New England as well as here decided it would be to the benefit of everyone if local jurisdictions provided free basic-skills education to those unable to afford it.
Following the adage that the Quakers came to America to do good and did well by it, the same came true for the little towns with public schools. Good schools attracted good citizens.
Unfortunately, our school board lost its purpose. The State scores coming out this month very likely will show that the Merchantville school board continues to allow basic-skills failure among nearly all of those children a neighborhood school was designed to protect, the ones who cannot afford to pay for an education, and continues pouring local money into faculty and programs aimed at the better half. So what? you say. My kids got theirs! Well, there's maybe seven hundred folks willing to throw our school out with the failures for something, anything, better.
Will our school board refocus? It does not look that way. Our school has not met the State Minimum Standards for five years straight and yet our principal will get a new 3-year contract with pay raises despite his having collected half a million dollars in salary and benefits during those past failing years.
You, Realist, may suggest that is the fault of "local control". You may be right.
Why do people on this site continually suggest we won't be heard anymore and that we will have no voice should a merger with cherry hill occur and the Merchantville Council and School Board be eliminated? In the event of a merger, we would become Cherry Hill and woudl have the same voice and as anyone else in Cherry Hill. This is not a tough concept to grasp.
And as far as the board stopping and waiting to see what happens with the consolidation talks...the entire board should be replaced just for that. In the event that they could swing a deal with haddon heights, or whomever, this consolidation talk would cease to exist anyway.
Local Control--
More goobledygook. You and ktbfw must work this out over lunch together.
What don't you get about local control?
If the decisions are made by the lowest level of gov't then you have local control. Loss of local control means the state, or some higher level of gov't, makes the decisions.
It has nothing whatsoever to do with Quakers meeting with the teachers.
I've just learned that there WILL be a BOE meeting tomorrow night, Jan. 18th. The meeting was advertised in the Inquirer because the deadline for the Retrospect had passed.
A presentation on Merchantville's test scores is scheduled.
Its official Camden just laid off half their police force guess we better start getting alarms on our homes. Guns in the houses. Our neighbors to the West are a comin.
Not safe anywhere. My twentysomething daughter was robbed at gunpoint walking in Cooper River Park with her boyfriend. Around sunset. Lots of people around. On the Cherry Hill side. Suspects were suspected of committing similar crime an hour before on Haddon Avenue in Collongswood. No one ever caught.
We had to change all of our locks on the house and her car. Merchantville police very helpful with extra protection.
With services being. cut everywhere, we are foolish to think we are safe anywhere
Chris -
It wasn't our school board that stopped talking. It was the people they were talking to that stopped the conversation.
Police cuts in Camden mean trouble in Camden not here.
"Its official Camden just laid off half their police force guess we better start getting alarms on our homes. Guns in the houses. Our neighbors to the West are a comin."
"Not safe anywhere. My twentysomething daughter was robbed at gunpoint walking in Cooper River Park with her boyfriend. Around sunset. Lots of people around. On the Cherry Hill side. Suspects were suspected of committing similar crime an hour before on Haddon Avenue in Collongswood. No one ever caught.
We had to change all of our locks on the house and her car. Merchantville police very helpful with extra protection.
With services being. cut everywhere, we are foolish to think we are safe anywhere"
It's definitely time for concealed carry reform in NJ. The police do a great job in and around our town, but they can't be expected to be everywhere all of the time. Unless you have a personal police escort, calling 911 won't help you in situations like this where you don't have 2 minutes for the cops to show up. Law abiding citizens need to have the freedom to be responsible for the safety of themselves and their families. If you don't carry for protection within your house and on your property, which is 100% legal in NJ, you are putting your family at risk. What would you do in the situation when you're all sitting in the family room watching TV and an armed burglar breaks in your back door and blocks the stairwell leading to your bedroom and your nightstand gun? Pocketing something tiny like a KelTec 3-AT (.380 ACP) in a Desantis Nemesis pocket holster in condition 3 (no round in the chamber) is completely safe, invisible to your children, and allows you fast enough access to protect your family until you can get to your more powerful .357 Magnum or .45ACP in the bedroom. In the meantime, your holed-up family can call the cops and you have the opportunity to stall the burglars until the police arrive, thus protecting your family from guaranteed harm. Would you rather watch your wife and daughter get raped while a gun is held against your head? Man up and protect your family, people! And call Conners, Conaway, and Diane Allen and urge them to pass permit to carry reform in NJ, now, so you can protect those you love off your property, as well! And, finally, take as much training as you can afford, and then some. Nothing is worth more than the life and safety of your family. Especially not that new HD TV (which probably costs more than a new .45, .380, and a training course combined)!
"Its official Camden just laid off half their police force guess we better start getting alarms on our homes. Guns in the houses. Our neighbors to the West are a comin."
"Not safe anywhere. My twentysomething daughter was robbed at gunpoint walking in Cooper River Park with her boyfriend. Around sunset. Lots of people around. On the Cherry Hill side. Suspects were suspected of committing similar crime an hour before on Haddon Avenue in Collongswood. No one ever caught.
...
With services being. cut everywhere, we are foolish to think we are safe anywhere"
It's definitely time for concealed carry reform in NJ. The police do a great job in and around our town, but they can't be expected to be everywhere all of the time. Unless you have a personal police escort, calling 911 won't help you in situations like this where you don't have 2 minutes for the cops to show up. Law abiding citizens need to have the freedom to be responsible for the safety of themselves and their families. If you don't carry for protection within your house and on your property, which is 100% legal in NJ, you are putting your family at risk. What would you do in the situation when you're all sitting in the family room watching TV and an armed burglar breaks in your back door and blocks the stairwell leading to your bedroom and your nightstand gun? Pocketing something tiny like a KelTec 3-AT (.380 ACP) in a Desantis Nemesis pocket holster in condition 3 (no round in the chamber) is completely safe, invisible to your children, and allows you fast enough access to protect your family until you can get to your more powerful .357 Magnum or .45ACP in the bedroom. In the meantime, your holed-up family can call the cops and you have the opportunity to stall the burglars until the police arrive, thus protecting your family from guaranteed harm. Would you rather watch your wife and daughter get raped while a gun is held against your head? Man up and protect your family, people! And call Conners, Conaway, and Diane Allen and urge them to pass permit to carry reform in NJ, now, so you can protect those you love off your property, as well! And, finally, take as much training as you can afford, and then some. Nothing is worth more than the life and safety of your family. Especially not that new HD TV (which probably costs more than a new .45, .380, and a training course combined)!
"Its official Camden just laid off half their police force guess we better start getting alarms on our homes. Guns in the houses."
"Not safe anywhere. My twentysomething daughter was robbed at gunpoint walking in Cooper River Park with her boyfriend. Around sunset. Lots of people around. On the Cherry Hill side. Suspects were suspected of committing similar crime an hour before on Haddon Avenue in Collongswood. No one ever caught."
It's definitely time for concealed carry reform in NJ. The police do a great job in and around our town, but they can't be expected to be everywhere all of the time. Unless you have a personal police escort, calling 911 won't help you in situations like this where you don't have 2 minutes for the cops to show up. Law abiding citizens need to have the freedom to be responsible for the safety of themselves and their families. If you don't carry for protection within your house and on your property, which is 100% legal in NJ, you are putting your family at risk. What would you do in the situation when you're all sitting in the family room watching TV and an armed burglar breaks in your back door and blocks the stairwell leading to your bedroom and your nightstand gun? Pocketing something tiny like a KelTec 3-AT (.380 ACP) in a Desantis Nemesis pocket holster in condition 3 (no round in the chamber) is completely safe, invisible to your children, and allows you fast enough access to protect your family until you can get to your more powerful .357 Magnum or .45ACP in the bedroom. In the meantime, your holed-up family can call the cops and you have the opportunity to stall the burglars until the police arrive, thus protecting your family from guaranteed harm. Would you rather watch your wife and daughter get raped while a gun is held against your head? Man up and protect your family, people! And call Conners, Conaway, and Diane Allen and urge them to pass permit to carry reform in NJ, now, so you can protect those you love off your property, as well! And, finally, take as much training as you can afford, and then some. Nothing is worth more than the life and safety of your family. Especially not that new HD TV (which probably costs more than a new .45, .380, and a training course combined)!
I apologize for the repeated messages. Google kept shooting back an error message and I didn't realize it saved.
I didn't realize it saved.
I have had the same experience a few times.
Check the number of comments before starting your comment. If you lose the screen later or some other glitch occurs, check the number again for an increase before hitting the publish button. Blogger may already have saved your comment.
(I wonder who I am working with on this comment. Seems I get credit or blame for several other's.)
Let's hope ccw is more careful and less trigger happy with his pistol. God help us...
"Let's hope ccw is more careful and less trigger happy with his pistol. God help us..."
What makes you think a law-abiding citizen it going to be trigger happy? Wouldn't that make him a non-law-abiding citizen (hence, a criminal)? Do we see CCW permit holders in the 40 states that offer shall-issue carry going around shooting each other? Is there a "Wild West" atmosphere in Lansdale, Newtown, Radnor, Horsham, or many of the other PA towns that have similar socioeconomic breakdowns to Merchantville? Yes, folks, PA has open and concealed carry for any law abiding citizen. Didn't realize it? Probably because law abiding gun owners abide by the law. Criminals, like the one in AZ and the ones in Camden, Newark, etc, do not abide by the laws. To suggest that one who wishes to defend his family may be "trigger happy" is like worrying that one's wife may become "knife happy" while preparing dinner. A gun is no less of a tool than a screwdriver. It is the person holding that tool who decides whether to commit a crime using it.
Hey cowboy, its called a joke. I was referring to your firing off three identical rounds on the blog. I'm sure that you're more careful with your gun, right?
remind me not to take the kids trick or treating at CCW's house this year. I wouldn't want him to get confused while sitting on his couch with his children with a loaded weapon (which by the way is perfectly legal and you don't need a concealed weapon permit) and shoot me in the leg while he runs upstairs to get his .38 to finish my son off for taking two pieces of candy.
and dude, a handgun and a screwdriver are not similar tools. handguns have one purpose. to kill people. you don't hunt with them. you kill people. thats it. screw drivers turn screws. and i can use to open up paint cans. thats about it.
I had a policeman tenant once who put a hole through my windown sill, inside to outside, when cleaning his gun one night.
I filled it with a dowel and some caulk.
He never mentioned it to anyone; I may have been afraid to. To those of you who complain about tenants, BEWARE, some of them "carry".
There is nothing wrong with a person legally carrying a handgun, its not for everybody and there needs to be some common sense restrictions, certainly the thugs in camden don't worry about the legality of carrying.
every so often a story hits the news of a would be carjacking of a law enforcement officer, suprise suprise for the thug
Ya know how you talk to customer service representatives from time to time on the telephone? Yesterday I happened to be talking to an account rep located in Idaho about something or other and I asked him, while his computer was fetching information, what his weather was like. He described it briefly and asked about our ice storm and then mentioned that he had read about the huge police layoff in our neighboring town.
I speculated that it might not make a difference in the crime rate. It's not easy to get from second to first most times.
I was surprised that folks around the nation are taking such a friendly interest in our situation. I wonder if they know about our test scores five years in a row ... with the superintendent getting another three-year contract with a raise. The guy didn't mention consolidation, though. Guess in Idaho they wouldn't know what that is, thank heaven.
Chris, your kids probably did trick or treat at my house this year. And, yes, I did have it holstered. But you wouldn't have known that since it was properly concealed, just like thousands of gun owners throughout the US, including right over the border in PA and even some others I know in NJ. You might be surprised to know that the percentage of legal gun owners who commit crimes is MUCH lower than the rest of the public. So why would you fear a man who wishes to protect his wife and daughter? Does it make you happier to think about your wife getting raped in front of you while you sit there helplessly? I feel sorry for her that her husband would prefer that outcome. Very sad.
Handguns are not designed to kill. They are designed to STOP criminal attacks. And, btw, many (most) states allow handgun hunting. So screwdrivers can't be used to kill people? Kitchen knives can't be used to kill people? Chainsaws can't be used to kill people? Cars can't be used to kill people? Guns are designed to help protect and that's why I will always own many of them. They are only a tool, though, and cannot kill without being utilized to do so.
"every so often a story hits the news of a would be carjacking of a law enforcement officer, suprise suprise for the thug"
It's sad that in NJ this situation can only happen if it's a LEO. In 40 other states it happens all the time with law abiding citizens.
Yeah I was just reading that the other day, wait, no i wasn't. CCW, you are a scary dude with some really irrational thoughts. Carry on.
Anon,
What's irrational and scary about protecting one's family? Please explain.
The problem, CCW, is that your comments come across unnervingly like some of those survivalist kooks out west (not the serious, sane survivalist folks, but the kooks in the group). What you say makes sense, but there seems to be a tinge of mania in it.
I'm grinding down the edges of my screwdrivers just in case.
What surprises me is that in the 70 years or so I have been around, I never had need to "carry" as Mr. Protector claims is so important. Guess I don't travel the roads having rapists in bedrooms.
Maybe I should lock my doors at night, too, here in Merchantville but I just keep forgetting all these things.
I'll tell ya, CCW, one thing I have done every time I get into the vehicle for fifty five years is to fasten my seat belt. Never had to use it, though, so should I stop that and start locking doors instead. I seem always to be behind the times. It's a wonder I haven't been shot to death.
It is the image of a rapist in your bedroom. It is the Dirty Harry attitude. I bet you are a good guy dealing with the uncertainty of life in your Merican, NRA, Fox news way. Your security blanket is a gun. That scares me. Not to say if a rapist shows up in my bedroom, i would welcome a timely visit from you.
"It is the image of a rapist in your bedroom. It is the Dirty Harry attitude. I bet you are a good guy dealing with the uncertainty of life in your Merican, NRA, Fox news way. Your security blanket is a gun. That scares me. Not to say if a rapist shows up in my bedroom, i would welcome a timely visit from you."
Anon, I have no image of a rapist in my bedroom. If I didn't take him out before he got there, my wife would respond swiftly with her Glock 17. He wouldn't stand a chance. My image is of a rapist in the bedroom of an unarmed and helpless citizen. It's a very sad image and it depresses me. I sincerely hope that it never happens to anyone in Merchantville, but the reality is that criminals can be unpredictable and can strike in the safest of neighborhoods without warning at any time. That is why I am always prepared (when legally allowed to be by the state). Yes, my security blanket is definitely a gun. What is yours? Your cell phone calling 911?
Lock the doors:
Although I fasten it every time I drive, I've never had to use my seatbelt to protect myself. Are you suggesting that I don't use one? Do you have an alarm system in your house? If you've never been robbed, why pay the bill for it? Why even bother turning it on? Because you want to be prepared for the worst case scenario when it involves life or death of your loved ones, no? My rationale is the same as yours. The only difference is that a gun will stop the criminal in his tracks whereas he'll just laugh at your alarm system and do his deed a little faster.
Back to Crown Fried Chicken...
I never heard of this brand until it was mentioed as a possible occupant of the Maple-Chapel property. I noticed one today at 11th and Filbert in Philly and had lunch there. I do not recommend it.
Aesthetically it was also a bit lacking as it has extensive neon signs and tubing in all windows. Such is prohibited in Merchantville. I hope the owner realizes this and, as a precaution, the town notifies the owner about the prohibition well before attempts are made to install such stuff.
The place could have appeal for patrons of the tatoo parlor.
Lets convert the blue monkey into a strip club. Turn the B1 second floors to business use to support the massage parlors. We will have a economic boon!
I'll start putting aside my one dollar bills.
CCW could work the door.
one dollar bills? obviously its been awhile for you....
Let me do the hiring and I'll gladly work the door...oh, free lap dances, too. :)
"Handguns are not designed to kill. They are designed to STOP criminal attacks. And, btw, many (most) states allow handgun hunting. So screwdrivers can't be used to kill people?"
Come on cuz, handguns are not designed to kill? thats exactly what they are designed to do. you can't argue that, its just a fact. screwdrivers aren't designed for killing. actually, in the US, about 650 people die from accidental shootings in the home every year. i'm pretty sure no one dies from accidental screwdriver death. but you bring up a good point about chainsaws. Would you sit on the couch with your wife and daughter and cut things with your chainsaw? of course not, its irresponsible. I'll for having a gun for protection, but you're ridiculous if you feel the need to have it on you at all times, especially around young kids.
And as for me being surprised to the number of legal gun owners committing crimes, it makes me think of three things. Columbine, Virgina Tech, and the Tuscon killings. All three cases, the guns were bought legally. The gun laws in this country are pathetic. Its way too easy to get a firearm. I mean, I guess you are supposed to have the right to own a firearm, but I look around at the knuckleheads I am friends with and I wouldn't trust half of them with a gun. How do you stop the loons from getting weapons?
[CCW: Do you have an alarm system in your house? ... Why even bother turning it on? ]
YES and I DON'T.
CCW, there are good psychological studies revealing that people who watch TV have a higher level of paranoia than those who do not.
Other studies show that most shooting victims are in households with guns.
Let me suggest you could have greater peace of mind if you were to turn off the TV --read a good book-- and give your guns to Toys For Tots.
I always bring my weapon when I dine at Crown Fried Chicken.
http://www.crownfriedchicken.com/restaurants/index.php/home
This website should be the link on the next blog discussion. I hope the food is better than the website. hahahahahahahaaha!!!!!!!!!!
hahahaha, in the about section...
"CrownFriedChicken.com is the premier web directory for over 145 independent restaurants specializing in superior fried chicken."
premier web directory.
"Would you sit on the couch with your wife and daughter and cut things with your chainsaw? of course not, its irresponsible. I'll for having a gun for protection, but you're ridiculous if you feel the need to have it on you at all times, especially around young kids."
Chris, when did I say I was sitting on the couch shooting targets? The gun is concealed in a holster with no round in the chamber. Please explain how this is equivalent to using a powertool within arms reach of my child. So if you're for having a gun for protection, please also explain to me how you plan to use it for protection when it's not on you. I think there's a bit of irony, there.
"The gun laws in this country are pathetic. Its way too easy to get a firearm."
Do you have any idea what you have to go through to purchase a pistol in NJ? The system is set up to dissuade the law abiding citizen from purchasing firearms. Walk into a gun store today and ask them if you can purchase a gun. They'll laugh at you and tell you to come back in a few months when you have the clearance from NJ - after you jump through all the hoops AND pay some hefty fees just to exercise your Constitutional right. By the way, it is already illegal for the mentally ill to purchase firearms. It is also illegal to purchase firearms on the black market and also to use them in murder. Please show me how ANY gun control laws have lowered crime rates. The honest, and hard to comprehend for some, truth is that the only way to truly stop crime is to make sure YOU have the upper hand over your attacker. Please also explain to me how to get the upper hand while holding a baseball bat and staring down the barrel of a .45ACP. The criminals will get their guns even if guns are banned entirely. The only people who abide by the laws are...get this...the law abiding citizens! Man, that's such a hard concept for some people to understand.
"CCW, there are good psychological studies revealing that people who watch TV have a higher level of paranoia than those who do not.
Other studies show that most shooting victims are in households with guns."
Lock, nice try. The only TV I watch is Villanova basketball and a Phillies game here and there. I consider TV a brain drain, anyway.
Have you ever considered that most people who own guns live in higher crime areas? Take a deeper look at your Brady Bunch statistics. The shooting victims you're referring to are most often not shot by cohabitants or with their own guns. They are just unfortunate to live in dangerous neighborhoods, most of the time. Other times, they have the guns locked in a safe and inaccessible when a home invasion occurs - hence my philosophy on carrying within my house.
I know many of you who grew up in this area may think I sound crazy, but if you met me in person (and trust me, most of you have), you wouldn't think I was "paranoid" or a "nut case" or any of the other words going through your head. I am simply doing the best and safest thing to protect my family. I'd be happy to discuss this in more detail in person, but I'm sure if I did that, someone would try to report to the police that he/she felt threatened, knowing that I carried a firearm (legally, on my own property), so I will remain anonymous.
I just looked at this Crown Fried Chicken website and can't stop laughing- they apologize for not knowing where all of their 145 restaraunts are- really??
and they have merchandise for sale. Who buys their baby a crown fried chicken onesie??
This is the worst business website ever. Is this for real?
CCW:
This blog is about Merchantville not national issues like gun control, can we please get back to a local discussion. I'm really concerned about this new Crown Fried Chicken. I understand that the employees mostly serve fried chicken while behind bullet proof glass. Is that really around here?
is that really necessary around here?
As for Crown Fried Chicken, there was one near my house when I lived in Unversity City. Cheap fried chicken dinners and they sold ice cream by the scoop. Most of the CFC that I've seen have been run & owned by people new to the US just trying to earn a living. Looking at their website, I'm guessing it is a mom & pop franchise that isn't organized very well. As for a CFC in downtown Merchantville, I don't see it making enough money to stay in business. It isn't something that people from out of town will go to, and heck when I want something greasy with a million calories I have a yummy panzerotti! Even if they open, unfortunately, I don't see it lasting very long. If it does, than I guess that means Merchantville folks like the store and their food and they have a right to be there.
Crown Fried Chicken employees will be safe from CCW behind their bulletproof glass. What about the rest of us?
About the bullet-poof glass, the CFC I've been in did not have any bullet-proof glass and it wasn't in the best of neighborhoods. I think the use of the glass is up to the owner. Similar to cab drivers - some use the glass divider and some do not. PLUS the glass is expensive. I'm sure they would only put it in if they felt they needed it.
The Crown Fried Chicken at 11th & Filbert in Philly does not have bullet proof glass. It is just a regular fast food walk up counter.
There’s been a lot of speculation about a Crown Fried Chicken store opening in Merchantville. Other than the 1/6/11 Anonymous blog comment: “Does anyone know when the new Crown Fried Chicken opens up at Capel and Center?”, I have seen nothing to substantiate that. We all know the writer meant to say Chapel and Centre, but are there any real facts behind his statement? The construction of a tower-like “crown” on the building at 177 S. Centre doesn’t make it a Crown Fried Chicken.
I did hear that a gun/ammo shop will open, or has already opened, in the 177 S. Centre complex. The name of the business is RayCo Armory LLC. Can anyone verify that? Information on Goggle says the store is located at 177 S. Centre St., Unit M, Merchantville. The phone number listed is (856) 663-1300.
Interesting about the gun shop. I don't own a gun and my husband and I have decided not to have a gun in our home, but I know plenty of people that hunt and are responsible gun owners. My sister and her husband bought a gun when they went cruising to the Bahamas for a few months (lived on their boat). I also agree that responsible gun owners own guns legally. Those who plan to use their guns to hurt people buy guns on the "black market". Also, if there is a gun shop that is already open and no one knew about it, then I guess that is a good thing. It is not like it is in a prominent location.
I can vouch for Rayco. They are open, but still in the process of stocking their shelves. I met Ray a few weeks ago. Very nice, polite and professional guy. He's definitely a legitimate business owner. Nothing fishy or shady about his store and if you stop in, you'll see and agree with me. For those of you who do not believe in guns, he sells very good pepper sprays, especially one of my favorites - The Jogger, which has an elastic band so you can carry it while jogging. I carry it every time I jog - probably more because of unleashed dogs than because of unleashed criminals. I've been recommending him to friends and coworkers and I wish him the best of luck with his business.
If you are new to the gun world, Ray does not have any "counter attitude" and will gladly help you without belittling you.
K Wadz: what are you so afraid of that you carry pepper spray when you jog? Youre a bigger ninny than CCW.
Kwadz said he carries pepper spray because of unleashed dogs. Smart move.
Sharp right turn in the conversation - Anyone know why John Alloway resigned from Council?
Study: Conservatives have larger ‘fear center’ in brain
Raw Story
Political opinions are considered choices, and in Western democracies the right to choose one’s opinions — freedom of conscience — is considered sacrosanct.
But recent studies suggest that our brains and genes may be a major determining factor in the views we hold.
A study at University College London in the UK has found that conservatives’ brains have larger amygdalas than the brains of liberals. Amygdalas are responsible for fear and other “primitive” emotions. At the same time, conservatives’ brains were also found to have a smaller anterior cingulate — the part of the brain responsible for courage and optimism.
If the study is confirmed, it could give us the first medical explanation for why conservatives tend to be more receptive to threats of terrorism, for example, than liberals. And it may help to explain why conservatives like to plan based on the worst-case scenario, while liberals tend towards rosier outlooks.
“It is very significant because it does suggest there is something about political attitudes that are either encoded in our brain structure through our experience or that our brain structure in some way determines or results in our political attitudes,” Geraint Rees, the neurologist who carried out the study, told the media.
If anything, I don't know about conservatives having larger fear center in their brains but I do think they have a larger greed center.
[Tonto said... Sharp right turn in the conversation - Anyone know why John Alloway resigned from Council?]
The latest edition of the Merchantville Observer said John Alloway didn’t give a reason, but it sounds like you might know something the rest of us don’t, Tonto.
Does anyone know who’s being considered as a replacement? Since the replacement must be a Democrat, we know he won't have a large amygdala or a small anterior cingulate.
I did hear that a gun/ammo shop will open ... Can anyone verify that?
The owner told the Planning Board that nearly all of his business would be internet. He wasn't even sure if he would have a storefront sign.
[Anon: Conservatives have larger ‘fear center’ in brain]
The "fear" is that liberals will spend the country into bankruptcy.
Speaking of research to prove whatever one wants, what happened to the Harvard professor who found that different races of people had different averages of intelligence?
My own theory is that liberals owned the locus of dumbness.
the fear is strong in you Locus.
I don't take offense to the "fear" study. It's been proven time and time again that conservatives debate with fact while liberals debate with emotion. Facts are based on reality whereas emotions are based on "hope and change." Facts do lead to fear and willingness to protect one's self and family, based on the reality of the world. Hope and change leads to naivety and puts everyone else at risk. If and when something bad happens, I can rest assured knowing that I have adequately prepared to keep my family safe. Can most liberals say the same? Oh yeah - I forgot - they'll try to dial 911 when the phone lines are clogged. Just don't come knocking on my door, then.
like it is a fact that WMD's were in Iraq. Like it is a fact that tax breaks to the wealthiest one percent creates jobs. Like it is a fact that there are death panels. Like it is a fact that Obama is not an American citizen. Like it is a fact that bailing out the auto industry would only delay its demise...
kwadz, you just got owned.
seriously though, your last post was ridiculous and you had it coming.
Like it's a fact that pouring trillions of dollars at poverty will eradicate it.
Like it's a fact that changing the rules to make home ownership possible for those who can't afford it will help the US economy.
Like it's a fact that outlawing guns will make people safer, like in Morton Grove, Illinois (...the city's crime rate increased by 15.7 percent immediately after the gun ban..." - WorldNetDaily).
Like it's a fact that allowing handgun ownership will cause more shootings and murders, like in Kennesaw, Georgia (In March 1982, 25 years ago, the small town of Kennesaw – responding to a handgun ban in Morton Grove, Ill. – unanimously passed an ordinance requiring each head of household to own and maintain a gun. Since then, despite dire predictions of "Wild West" showdowns and increased violence and accidents, not a single resident has been involved in a fatal shooting – as a victim, attacker or defender." - WorldNetDaily).
Like it's a fact that... oh, you get the point.
no one is denying liberal emotionalism.. And i get your point. You love your guns. It helps you deal with your fear.
when making arguments, please don't waste time by citing WorldNetDaily. Thats about as bad as citing Glenn Beck.
Also, statistics regarding violent crimes as they relate to the passage of local gun laws are irrelevant as the the gun law is not an independent variable and really cannot be used. I mean, with my copy of freakonomics, I can make the argument that all reductions in violent crimes in this country are soely based on the Roe v Wade decision.
Anonymous:
"Like it is a fact that WMD's were in Iraq." Yes, it was a fact that the information provided to the Executive AND Legislative branches of the Federal gov't stated that there most likely were WMDs in Iraq - and even many liberal congresspeople approved of the military action.
"Like it is a fact that tax breaks to the wealthiest one percent creates jobs." They do. And tax increases do stifle job growth.
"Like it is a fact that there are death panels." We won't have to worry about this since the Obamacare disaster will most likely be overturned before it takes effect.
"Like it is a fact that Obama is not an American citizen." He probably is a citizen, but why has concrete proof not been displayed to quiet those who question it and put it to rest?
"Like it is a fact that bailing out the auto industry would only delay its demise." I don't feel that it would delay its demise, but i do feel that it empowers unions that are already taking advantage of carbuyers and now taxpayers as well.
"I get your point. You love your guns. It helps you deal with your fear." What's there to fear when you know your family is safer than your unarmed neighbor's family? How about this yard sign: "My next door neighbor is anti-gun. If you break into his house, you'll be safer than if you break into mine!"
"Also, statistics regarding violent crimes as they relate to the passage of local gun laws are irrelevant as the the gun law is not an independent variable and really cannot be used." Answer me this - if you were a criminal, would you rather mug the guy in a town where guns are banned (to the law abiding citizens) or the one where you know law abiding citizens have the legal right to carry and do so frequently? Sometimes logic can speak louder than multi-variable scientific studies.
i thought this was a blog about merchantville and its extinction.
i am in cherry hill and we are very against any merger with another town. nothing personal to merchantville but we are already big enough.
however, now that the fried chicken place is coming you never know. lol
So Kwadz - you believe in trickle down economics? Even Reagan's architect of the concept admits it does not work.
It is like talking religion (with you). Your faith is strong but evidence is 0. Glenn Beck is probably on advocating shooting people again today. Like he did yesterday. carry on.
Beck was joking about using a chainsaw on a bunny.
He really needs to re-establish his connection to the mothership, that one.
I think kwadze must have watched Michelle Bachmann's speech last night. I have a question about it.
Ms. Bachman said "This photograph immortalizes the victory of young GIs over the incursion against the Japanese."
Can kwadze or any else explain this statement? I don't understand it.
It was the marines who fought at Iwo Jima: not Army soldiers (GIs).
And what is "the incursion against the Japanese"? It sounds like she is saying we fought some group that invaded Japan.
She also said that the Founding Fathers fought against slavery until it was abolished. These are your peeps Kwadz. Facts, all facts.
But kwadze says conservatives argue with facts and liberals with emotions!
He forgot to add that conservatives MAKE UP THEIR OWN FACTS!
John Quincy Adams, born in 1767, was a "Founding Forebearer" according to Ms. Bachmann. Never mind that he was 10 years old when the Declaration of Independence was signed.
Very advanced for his age.
Sorry, guys, I didn't watch the speeches last night...it's always the same rhetoric from both sides of the aisle.
What makes you think I would advocate killing someone, anyway? If that's what you think, you're really sick. It's funny to watch you guys try to gang up on me just because I'm different than you, though. If a conservative did that to a liberal, it would be called...bigotry?
just the facts Kwadz. Just the facts. good fall back conservative position. You next move is to call us Brown Shirts and compare us to Nazi's.
And those are the facts....
What are the facts that you're referring to, anonymous? You're saying it's a fact that I would advocate killing someone? Or did I misinterpret your response?
I dont know. I am waiting for you to make some more up, or repeat some from your peeps. I am sure Rush or Glenn has some good stuff for you. Just stay away from the Lame Stream Media.
What have I "repeated from (my) peeps" so far? I don't have peeps. I make decisions on my own and don't need the media to do so, Mr. CNN, or should I say Mr. Olberman.
Kwads - MIchele and Sarah think for themselves too. They don't need facts or an education. we need the govt out of those pesky highways, and safe food, and safe medicine, and running water, etc etc.. Us union folks certainly are taking advantage of you. What we are waiting for is the jobs from your tax break support for the rich guys. Go back to school dude. You really need a clue...
"Us union folks certainly are taking advantage of you. What we are waiting for is the jobs from your tax break support for the rich guys. Go back to school dude. You really need a clue..."
I must have missed it in one of my earlier posts - can you point out where I mentioned anything related to this? I guess you're right - maybe a little Pennsauken High School education would help me decipher your posts.
Kwadz said -
" i do feel that it empowers unions that are already taking advantage of carbuyers and now taxpayers as well. "
""Like it is a fact that tax breaks to the wealthiest one percent creates jobs." They do. And tax increases do stifle job growth."
" i do feel that it empowers unions that are already taking advantage of carbuyers and now taxpayers as well."
True.
"Like it is a fact that tax breaks to the wealthiest one percent creates jobs." They do. And tax increases do stifle job growth."
True.
Kwarz, for starters, explain in more detail how unions are taking advantage of carbuyers.
The answer is they are not taking advantage of carbuyers.
American car companies have taken advantage of carbuyers by designing and producing junk. Examples are the Chevette and the Pinto. The unions did not cause the design of these cars.
American car companies have fiercely resisted improving cars for the good of the community, things like safety standards and fuel consumption.
The poor engineering and out-of-touch features caused American car companies to diminsih to the point where they had to be rescued by the government. New management has gotten with the times and now the government investment is expected to be sold back to private investors at a profit.
Kwadz, in the early Clinton years taxes were made more fair (increased) for high income taxpayers and then followed tremendous prosperity and job growth along with deficit reduction and annual surpluses.
W's firat order of business was to cause the affluent to pay less than their fair share with the eventual result that prosperity diminished and jobs disappeared. The Bush tax cuts and the two wars created the economic mess we are now in.
The trickle down theory is garbage.
Corporate profits are higher now than ever recorded.
Still, corporations are not hiring American workers.
Lowering corporate taxes will not make them hire anyone if record profits won't move them.
If unions are such a problem, why are states without them struggling just as bad. That is why i question the aptitude of my Conservative friends. It makes no sense. You guys champion Reagan, but call his tax numbers Socialist. If we went to them, you would see a huge dent in the dept and deficit. Hell Obamacare was originally proposed by a republican. C'mon,
"Kwadz, in the early Clinton years taxes were made more fair (increased) for high income taxpayers and then followed tremendous prosperity and job growth along with deficit reduction and annual surpluses.
W's firat order of business was to cause the affluent to pay less than their fair share with the eventual result that prosperity diminished and jobs disappeared. The Bush tax cuts and the two wars created the economic mess we are now in."
The job growth during the Clinton era was due solely to the technological advancements in computing, primarily by Microsoft (maybe Apple) and Intel. The economic boom was not related to anything political. However, the extreme growth towards the end of the 90's was due to speculation creating a bubble, similar to what happened to the housing market in the mid 2000's and currently the oil/energy market. Additional "growth" was falsely seen for the past 20 years as consumers ran up credit card debt as well as unsustainable mortgage debt. All of the markets were floating on paper without any foundation and eventually it collapsed. Unfortunately, neither political party did enough early on to prevent all of these collapses. Fortunately, when the oil/energy market collapses, the ones who will suffer will be Al Gore types and others who believed the global warming hype and invested poorly into it as well as foreign (and some hostile) oil rich nations.
Throw the worst terrorist attack in US history into the mix and consumer confidence fell off completely. If the 2000 tax cuts had not been put into place, we might have actually fallen into a full depression as opposed to the ongoing recession. I do applaud Barry, Harry, and team for extending the tax cuts, though it's only for two years. Unfortunately, the tax code, even with these cuts, is far from fair. Those who work hard and are successful have to unevenly support those who are lazy. Although there are some of you who feel the rich should be taxed more. I guess you are right - all of Merchantville's taxes should go to support Camden instead of supporting our own town with our hard earned money.
"Corporate profits are higher now than ever recorded.
Still, corporations are not hiring American workers.
Lowering corporate taxes will not make them hire anyone if record profits won't move them."
If you knew that in two years your taxes were going to skyrocket, wouldn't you try to pocket as much money as possible now in preparation? Had Congress made the tax cuts permanent, businesses would have felt comfortable extending themselves knowing that they weren't going to get slammed in a few years. The two year extension only prolongs the uncertainty.
"Kwarz, for starters, explain in more detail how unions are taking advantage of carbuyers.
...
American car companies have taken advantage of carbuyers by designing and producing junk. Examples are the Chevette and the Pinto. The unions did not cause the design of these cars."
I do agree that the American companies have taken advantage of American taxpayers, especially GM and Chrysler by accepting bailout money. And, yes, the American market was full of junk for a while, and in some ways still. But these unions have wages that are far beyond what they should be making for their job duties and therefore the American companies have to charge more to turn any profit. So instead of paying $12k for a car, you the carbuyer are paying $24k for the same item. This allows the foreign companies to undercut them by selling similar models for $18k, let's say. More profit continues to go overseas as the foreign companies sell more cars (much of which are also similar junk to the American models). Instead, with reasonable wages without the union deathgrip on the industry, the American companies might be able to sell their cars for $12k, forcing the foreign companies to either close shop or sell theirs for cheaper as well. So instead of having lower costs for the carbuyers and more dollars staying in America, everyone must pay more for the same junk and the extra money they are paying goes overseas. What's so hard to understand about this concept?
Believe me, I agree that the American companies had some poor designs, but in recent years many of them (Ford, for example) have started producing some quality products. Please don't try to tell me that their products wouldn't be of good quality if non-union employees built them.
Japanese and European companies can pay their workers less because Japanese and European workers have national health benefits, retirement benefits, education benefits and child care benefits far in excess of those provided to American workers.
American workers are not paid too much. Their national benefits are too low.
Damn, Kwads, you can see into the future. You know the cooperate tax rates in two years. I am embarrassed for you dude. Stop making stuff up. Your Clinton budget commentary is wrong as well. The dot com boom was not the huge windfall for the federal govt you say. Since I feel sorry for you, I will help. It was more the large tobacco settlements that helped the budget and the elimination of dept. That is where Clinton was able to balance the budget.
Dare I ask, Kwadz - what was the cause of the bank melt down and the great recession. And more importantly - what should have been done to prevent it from happening. I look forward to your response......
Remember Kwadz - you are not doing a good job proving your premise of Conservatives using facts to guide their point of view. Yes, you did write that...
Sounds like Mr. Perno trying to catch Kwadz with tricky lawyer-speak. It makes you wonder why most lawyers are liberals - the only way they can win arguments is by entrapment, not facts!
"American workers are not paid too much. Their national benefits are too low."
Ok, so in your opinion, who should be paying the money for their "national benefits"? Are you willing to pay 50% income tax? 60%? How high is too high to you?
"The dot com boom was not the huge windfall for the federal govt you say. Since I feel sorry for you, I will help. It was more the large tobacco settlements that helped the budget and the elimination of dept."
Actually, the tobacco settlement did not create millions of jobs across the nation. The tech boom absolutely created jobs - millions of them, many of which are still held today. Yes, there were a good amount that were created based on speculation (fueling the bubble), but even after the burst, we are left with millions of more jobs and better technology that before the boom. The cigarette taxes and filings may have provided budgetary relief to the gov't, but it did not create private industry jobs. Eliminate the jobs from the tech boom and I'm sure we'd be in a worse place than if you eliminated the "boom" from the tobacco deals.
"what was the cause of the bank melt down and the great recession. And more importantly - what should have been done to prevent it from happening."
The bank melt down and recession was stemmed from a few actions (and lack of actions) on the part of both the Clinton and Bush administrations and the Congresses from the mid/late 90's through 2010 (2008-2010 only prolonged the pain, so that's why I didn't stop at 2008). Listing them:
1. The housing bubble which was formed because of gov't sponsored and encouraged loosening of mortgage lending to increase home ownership. Both administrations touted the fact that more people were buying and owning homes than ever before and that net worths were increasing tremendously due to increased home equity. People started taking huge home equity loans to spend on non-home related expenses - new cars, vacations, vacation homes, etc. Suddenly, there reached a point where no first time buyers could afford to purchase homes. So the bottom end of the market started to drop off. People who owned homes on the bottom end of the market couldn't afford to upgrade to midprices homes since they couldn't make back what they paid for their current homes, so the midpriced market started to fall apart. People who already lived in midpriced homes couldn't sell them to cover their mortgages and home equity loans, so they couldn't upgrade to higher priced homes and the top end of the market fell off as well. The cause for this rapid increase and dropoff was the gov't forcing lenders to write mortgages that were unaffordable to people just to get them into homes. People foolishly listened to their banks which approved them for 2-3X the size loan they could afford and then they became stuck in homes that were worth less than the loans. In the meantime, all of these large ticket purchases were made with imaginary equity. The only way for the market to fix itself is to let it fall apart, let everything crash, and then start the recovery afterwards. Trying to maintain already high housing prices will only prolong the crisis - and neither administration (Bush/Obama) seems to understand that. Of course it's all about votes, since the people who foolishly jumped in over their heads and are now looking for my money (and your money) to bail them out make up a huge voting block...
(to be continued)
(continued)
2. Increased debt due to increased mortgages, rent (tied to home prices), and credit card debit. I won't entirely fault the politicians for this one, but I do still lay some blame. The Bush administration (and I can't remember whether Clinton did the same) encouraged people to get out and spend their money to stimulate the economy. All this did was encourage already spending-hungry people to impulse buy on items they did not need at a time when they already had staggering debt they couldn't afford. The people who ran up their own debt should be faulted before the gov't, but instead of encouraging people to pay down their debt and take care of their mortgage payments before buying $4000 HDTVs and $500 iPhones, the gov't should have encouraged debt reduction. Instead, people now have extremely high interest credit card debt on top of underwater mortgages and guess who takes the hit when they walk away from it all and claim bankruptcy? Those of us who continue to responsibly pay debt and now see an increase in fees, rates, etc.
3. Student loan/tuition increases. I am as much a guilty party as anyone else, here, so I can't claim innocence, but I can claim ignorance as to how I was helping prolong the problem. The more federally and state backed loans the government provides (at taxpayer expense), the more colleges are encouraged to raise tuition. Think about it - if the gov't gave everybody $100/week to spend on groceries, would milk remain at $4/gal (I don't know the exact price of regular milk since I drink Lactaid, so $4 is an estimate - please correct me if I'm wrong)? What would happen is that the grocery stores (and dairy farms) would raise their prices knowing that people could afford to spend more on milk. Essentially, for spending $100 of gov't money plus $100 of your own money, you'd end up getting the same amount of groceries as you would have originally been able to buy for $100 before the gov't supplement. The same thing has happened with tuition. If the gov't stopped providing so much in federally backed loans, schools would be forced to either lower tuition or provide more aid based on donations. No one is getting "more" of an education because they are paying more money. In the meantime, taxpayers are covering the difference (with subsidized loans) AND the students are strapped with such high loans when they graduate that they can't afford to buy homes, further continuing the bottom end (and domino effect) housing woes. Every president in recent history has increased student lending. Almost every Congressman has done the same.
For the record. I am not Mr. Perno. I know Mr. Perno and he is much smarter and writes way better than I do. But I appreciate the compliment.
Kwadz - So you are a card carrying tea party guy?
Point to a time in history where a society advanced itself without using spending programs to do so? You seem to advocate Hoovereque policies. It does make sense to address the moronic dept built up by going to war and cutting taxes. Then not regulating banks etc etc... but cutting seems to be the thing that will hurt not help. For example, a simple question. Putting aside your political position. Do you agree that welfare goes right back into the market stream? Meaning, those food stamps are spent, right? Have fun!
Kwadz - So you are a card carrying tea party guy?
Card carrying? If you mean that I pay dues, no. But I do support many of their views. Hell, I even had a Gadsden flag hanging out front until I took it down for the previous snowstorm due to high winds. It'll go back up as soon as I get around to it.
You want to know whether welfare goes right back into the system? First off - there's a difference between welfare and foot stamps. As far as I understand, food stamps are only able to be used to purchase specified food items. The money does go back into the system, but only after a profit is withheld by the grocery store, its employees, and the suppliers of the food. So essentially, the government is giving money directly to these people out of our pockets. Only a very small fraction of it makes it back to the gov't budget via taxes. Even worse, welfare checks can be spent on anything - including illegal and black market drugs and weapons. The money spent here can easily channel overseas or down to South America where it is kept by drug kingpins or weapon traffickers. So, no, I do not believe that most of the money spent on welfare makes it back to where it came from: my pocket and your pocket.
How does that compare to the tax breaks you support to the highest 2 percent?
BTW - food stamps are welfare. And the idea is not to turn it into tax dollars. The money supports more people, like the store, the employees, and then yes a small fraction back to the govt. It works.... the data is clear. Unlike the banks and rich people, poor people cannot save for your impending tax increase in 2 years. they need to spend to support their families.
To which tax breaks are you referring? I'm all for fair taxation (a flat tax) that does not penalize people for their hard work. Reducing already discriminatory tax rates to still discriminatory levels is not a tax break.
So you're advocating taking money out of my pocket to give to other people to spend because it "works"? Should I be feeling guilty because I work my a$$ off and make enough money to feed and house my family when other people (many and probably most of those you refer to) sit on their lazy a$$es every day watching Maury and complaining that the checks they're getting from the gov't (meaning directly out of my pocket) are not high enough? If you feel so guilty, there are plenty of ways to donate money and food to help others. In fact, I offered to donate hunted meat this year and I my offer was rejected because the hungry "are not used to eating wild game". I'm sorry - next time I'll offer up some filet mignon.
Flat tax is a great idea. I agree. does that apply to multi millionaires as well? I work hard too bro. I don't think most poor people take advantage of the system. And i think it was very nice of you to offer your kill. Seriously. But we come to an important point in our debate. Maybe even a breakthrough. You believe that people who receive govt support are lazy etc. That is just wrong, or at least they are not alone. and the damage by others is greater. Those who bilk the system do so from every economic level of our society. Did you know we give billions of our tax dollars every year to oil companies as subsidies. Seriously, look it up. your hard earned money is going to the most profitable companies in the history of the world. And our president tried to stop that practice, and the Republicans, with some "blue dog" Dem help stopped him. WTF. do you work your a$$ off to support the oil companies. I thank you Kwadz for a healthy debate. We do need a flat tax. Carry on..
lCruiser: American car companies have taken advantage of carbuyers by designing and producing junk. Examples ... Pinto.
A research paper in the 1991 Rutgers Law Review (Gary T. Schwartz) reported that the number who died in Pinto rear-impact fires was well below the hundreds cited in contemporary news reports and closer to the 27 recorded by a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration database. Given the Pinto's production figures (over 2 million built), this was not substantially worse than typical for the time. Schwartz said that the car was no more fire-prone than other cars of the time, that its fatality rates were lower than comparably sized imported automobiles....
The Pinto's fuel tank location behind the axle, ostensibly its design defect, was commonplace at the time in American cars. N.H.T.S.A. crash tests had shown the Pinto gas tank could be punctured on a rear-end collision at 39 mph. The Toyota tank exploded at 41 mph. Ford added a block of Styrofoam padding between tank and rear differential to raise the puncture threshold.
The precedent of the California Supreme Court at the time not only tolerated manufacturers trading off safety for cost, but apparently encouraged manufacturers to consider such trade-offs.
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