"We are in a position to increase direct property tax relief for seniors and disabled residents because of the fiscal discipline shown over the past two years by Governor Christie and my Republican colleagues. "Democrats in New Jersey have a penchant to spend now and not worry about tomorrow. This shortsightedness over the past ten years during the McGreevey and Corzine era is a major reason why New Jersey and its families find themselves in such a difficult economic situation today.
"I am confident New Jersey is headed in a better direction as a result of our sound fiscal policies that puts the taxpayers first. The increase in tax relief for seniors and disabled residents today is a harbinger for things to come for all New Jersey families."
Friday, July 22, 2011
Singer Lauds Boost In Tax Relief For Seniors, Disabled
New Jersey Senator Robert Singer (R-Ocean), Senate Republican Conference Leader, issued the following statement after the Christie administration announced that they have already begun mailing Senior Freeze checks to senior and disabled homeowners. Checks for the Senior Freeze program, which protects senior citizens and disabled residents from increases in property taxes, will average more than $1,200 this year, going directly to recipients who earned $70,000 or less in 2009 and 2010.
Philly Art Museum Announces Major Acquisitions
The Philadelphia Museum of Art has announced the acquisition of a wide range of works of art that will significantly enhance its world-renowned collection. Ranging in date from a 10th-century Indian bronze sculpture of the Chola dynasty to Sean Scully’s monumental triptych Iona (2004-2006), these works—acquired by purchase, gift, or pledged to the Museum as donations—include several Impressionist and modern paintings by major masters as well as nearly 200 paintings, sculptures, and drawings from one of this country’s most significant private collections of work by self-taught artists, making the Philadelphia Museum of Art one of the leading centers for the study of this material in the country.
“We are grateful for the tradition of enlightened patronage that for more than 130 years has enabled this institution to strengthen and expand its collection and to utilize it creatively in service to the community,” said Timothy Rub, The George D. Widener Director and CEO. “We have always relied on the generosity of those who care deeply for the city and its art museum. By any measure, the donations we have received in recent months have been nothing short of extraordinary.”
The Philadelphia Museum of Art has received three paintings by the French Impressionists Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Alfred Sisley, as well as a pastel by Mary Cassatt, the Pennsylvania native and American expatriate who became famously associated with Paris during the late 19th century. These gifts of Chara Haas and her late husband John, longtime supporters of the Museum, include Path on the Island of Saint Martin, Vétheuil (1881) by Claude Monet (French, 1840-1926); Apple Tree in the Meadow, Éragny (1893) by Camille Pissaro (French, 1830-1903); Mooring Lines, the Effect of Snow at Saint Cloud (1879) by Alfred Sisley (French, 1839-1899); and Madame Bérard’s Baby in a Striped Armchair (1880-81) by Mary Cassatt (American, 1844-1926). The Monet and the Pissarro have been placed on view in gallery 152 while the Sisley is on view in gallery 157 and Cassatt’s pastel has been hung in gallery 162. “With these remarkable gifts, the Haas family has greatly enriched the Museum’s collection and deepened our already strong holdings if Impressionist painting,” said Rub.
The Museum has also acquired Ruined Bridge with Figures Crossing (1767) by Hubert Robert (French, 1733–1808), as a bequest from William B. Deitrich. Inspired by the landscape painter’s study in Italy, it will join more than two dozen works by Robert in the Museum’s collection, among them Ruins of a Roman Bath with Washerwoman (after 1766). Ruined Bridge with Figures Crossing has been placed on view in gallery 283.
In 1993, the Museum began to acquire works by self-taught artists, forming a collection that now numbers more than 300 works. Added to these holdings will be some 190 works by self-taught artists, thanks to a generous promised gift of collectors Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz, a member of the Museum’s Board of Trustees. Over the past three decades they have together assembled one of the finest holdings of outsider art in private hands in the United States. Their commitment will increase the Museum’s holdings in this field by more than 60 percent. Major artists already well-represented in the collection, including Bill Traylor, Martín Ramírez, William Edmondson, James Castle, and Joseph Yoakum, will be able to be exhibited in far greater depth, and important artists by whom the Museum owns few or no works–including Sister Gertrude Morgan, William Hawkins, Sam Doyle, and Elijah Pierce–will now have a strong presence. The addition of the Bonovitz gift, which will be the subject of a major exhibition in spring 2013, will place the Museum in the top ranks of outsider art collections in the country.
Tanis, by Daniel Garber (1880-1958), a leading figure of the New Hope Group of Pennsylvania painters active in the early decades of the 20th century, is widely acknowledged as the artist’s finest figural work. Completed in 1915, this luminous painting depicts the artist’s eight-year-old daughter standing in the doorway of Garber’s studio.
The Museum has purchased Tanis from the Westervelt Company in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, thanks to the generosity of Marguerite and H. F. (Gerry) Lenfest, Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It is now on public view in Gallery 119, the centerpiece of a new installation dedicated to Garber, his fellow artists of the New Hope Group, and members of the Ashcan School, many of whom were, like Garber, students or faculty at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Tanis will travel to the James A. Michener Museum in the fall of 2011, where it will be seen in the upcoming exhibition The Painterly Voice: Bucks County’s Fertile Ground (October 2011 - March 2012).
Bombardment (1937-38) by Philip Guston (American, 1913– 980), a gift of the artist’s daughter, Musa Mayery, was Guston’s most ambitious and successful painting of the 1930s. Combining Guston’s interest in Italian Renaissance painting with his admiration for the political activism of Mexican mural painting. Bombardment was influenced by the artist’s first-hand observation in Mexico of the murals created by artists such as José Clemente Orozco (Mexican, 1883-1949) and represents Guston’s response to the atrocities committed during the Spanish Civil War in 1936. Bombardment joins a later work by Guston in the Museum’s collection, November 1963 (1963), and Entrance (1979), the promised gift of Agnes Gund and Daniel Shapiro, providing additional context for the work of this important artist. It will also resonate with other works in the collection, including Salvador Dalí’s Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of the Civil War) (1936) and Robert Motherwell’s Elegy to the Spanish Republic (1958-60). Bombardment is on view in gallery 172.
The artist Ellsworth Kelly (American, born 1923) has given the Museum Red Yellow Blue White (1952) in memory of late director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Anne d’Harnoncourt. This work in four colors of fabric is representative of the artist’s early explorations into the intensely felt abstraction for which he came to be best known.
The Museum has demonstrated a major interest and engagement with Kelly’s work, and together with the purchase of Seine (1951), Diagonal with Curve III (1978), Cutout in Wood (1950), the promised gift from Keith and Katherine Sachs, and a number of important drawings, this acquisition builds a solid foundation of works by one of the most important artists of his generation, with particular strength in early works.
The Museum has acquired two works by Sean Scully (born 1945), an American painter of Irish birth whose art is informed by his everyday life and by architecture and urban environments. Iona (2004-2006), a partial and promised gift of Alan and Ellen Meckler, ranks among the artist’s highest achievements and comprises three monumental canvases painted over a period of two years. Chelsea Wall #1 (1999), a gift of John J. Hannan, references the complexity of human relationships through colored blocks arranged in elegant, interlocking configurations. Iona and Chelsea Wall # 1, together with a suite of 10 aquatint prints offered as a gift by the artist, will make the Museum a significant holder of Scully’s work in the United States.
A major collection of 31 drawings and two sculptures by the architect, artist, designer, poet, and philosopher Frederick Kiesler (American, born Austria-Hungary, 1890–1965) was donated by Cincinnati, Ohio, collectors Ronnie L. and John E. Shore, who were inspired by the close connection of Kiesler’s work to the Museum’s renowned Marcel Duchamp (American, born France, 1887-1968) collection. Spanning every decade between the early 1930s and the 1960s, the drawings include sketches for many of the artist’s most important projects, including the Endless House: Conceptual Drawing (1947), his lifelong scheme for creating a sculptural model for architecture; scenic and costume designs for theatrical performances; and 10 sketches for the Shrine of the Book, a building he designed in 1957 for a wing of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem to house the Dead Sea Scrolls, completed in 1965.
After training in Vienna, Kiesler moved to New York in 1926. Between 1937 and 1948 he became a close friend and collaborator of Marcel Duchamp. Through Duchamp and others, Kiesler became acquainted with the European Surrealists living in New York, and in 1947 he designed the installation of the last Surrealist exhibition in Paris, organized by Duchamp and André Breton (French, 1896-1966). In the United States, Kiesler is best known for his groundbreaking plan for Peggy Guggenheim’s New York gallery, Art of This Century, in 1942; two drawings for the gallery design are included in the gift.
Jar with Lid is typical of the white wares produced between the 15th and 16th centuries in Korea, characterized by the large globular shoulder, tapering bottom, and lid with a pointed knob. This type of ware would have been used in royal rituals and was only produced in a designated royal kiln near Seoul. Jar with Lid, which is on view in gallery 237, was purchased for the Museum’s growing Korean art collection through the generosity of the James and Agnes Kim Fund for Korean Art and with funds contributed by Maxine and Howard Lewis and Mr. and Mrs. John Thalheimer.
Narishimha (Vishnu’s Man-Lion Avatar in Princely Posture) (c. 1000)—a bronze sculpture created under the powerful Chola dynasty, which long controlled the southern half of the Indian subcontinent—was purchased by the Museum with the Stella Kramrisch Fund for Himalayan Art. It depicts Narasimha (half-man, half-lion) who is the fourth of the 10 avatars of the god Vishnu. The acquisition provides additional context for early examinations of Indian festivals and celebrations that likely would have taken place in the Temple Hall during important religious and cultural events. This sculpture is currently on view in the Pillared Temple Hall (gallery 224), which itself comes from a c. 1550 temple dedicated to another of Vishnu’s avatars, Krishna, and includes sculptures of a third, the hero-king Rama.
“We are grateful for the tradition of enlightened patronage that for more than 130 years has enabled this institution to strengthen and expand its collection and to utilize it creatively in service to the community,” said Timothy Rub, The George D. Widener Director and CEO. “We have always relied on the generosity of those who care deeply for the city and its art museum. By any measure, the donations we have received in recent months have been nothing short of extraordinary.”
The Philadelphia Museum of Art has received three paintings by the French Impressionists Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Alfred Sisley, as well as a pastel by Mary Cassatt, the Pennsylvania native and American expatriate who became famously associated with Paris during the late 19th century. These gifts of Chara Haas and her late husband John, longtime supporters of the Museum, include Path on the Island of Saint Martin, Vétheuil (1881) by Claude Monet (French, 1840-1926); Apple Tree in the Meadow, Éragny (1893) by Camille Pissaro (French, 1830-1903); Mooring Lines, the Effect of Snow at Saint Cloud (1879) by Alfred Sisley (French, 1839-1899); and Madame Bérard’s Baby in a Striped Armchair (1880-81) by Mary Cassatt (American, 1844-1926). The Monet and the Pissarro have been placed on view in gallery 152 while the Sisley is on view in gallery 157 and Cassatt’s pastel has been hung in gallery 162. “With these remarkable gifts, the Haas family has greatly enriched the Museum’s collection and deepened our already strong holdings if Impressionist painting,” said Rub.
The Museum has also acquired Ruined Bridge with Figures Crossing (1767) by Hubert Robert (French, 1733–1808), as a bequest from William B. Deitrich. Inspired by the landscape painter’s study in Italy, it will join more than two dozen works by Robert in the Museum’s collection, among them Ruins of a Roman Bath with Washerwoman (after 1766). Ruined Bridge with Figures Crossing has been placed on view in gallery 283.
In 1993, the Museum began to acquire works by self-taught artists, forming a collection that now numbers more than 300 works. Added to these holdings will be some 190 works by self-taught artists, thanks to a generous promised gift of collectors Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz, a member of the Museum’s Board of Trustees. Over the past three decades they have together assembled one of the finest holdings of outsider art in private hands in the United States. Their commitment will increase the Museum’s holdings in this field by more than 60 percent. Major artists already well-represented in the collection, including Bill Traylor, Martín Ramírez, William Edmondson, James Castle, and Joseph Yoakum, will be able to be exhibited in far greater depth, and important artists by whom the Museum owns few or no works–including Sister Gertrude Morgan, William Hawkins, Sam Doyle, and Elijah Pierce–will now have a strong presence. The addition of the Bonovitz gift, which will be the subject of a major exhibition in spring 2013, will place the Museum in the top ranks of outsider art collections in the country.
Tanis, by Daniel Garber (1880-1958), a leading figure of the New Hope Group of Pennsylvania painters active in the early decades of the 20th century, is widely acknowledged as the artist’s finest figural work. Completed in 1915, this luminous painting depicts the artist’s eight-year-old daughter standing in the doorway of Garber’s studio.
The Museum has purchased Tanis from the Westervelt Company in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, thanks to the generosity of Marguerite and H. F. (Gerry) Lenfest, Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It is now on public view in Gallery 119, the centerpiece of a new installation dedicated to Garber, his fellow artists of the New Hope Group, and members of the Ashcan School, many of whom were, like Garber, students or faculty at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Tanis will travel to the James A. Michener Museum in the fall of 2011, where it will be seen in the upcoming exhibition The Painterly Voice: Bucks County’s Fertile Ground (October 2011 - March 2012).
Bombardment (1937-38) by Philip Guston (American, 1913– 980), a gift of the artist’s daughter, Musa Mayery, was Guston’s most ambitious and successful painting of the 1930s. Combining Guston’s interest in Italian Renaissance painting with his admiration for the political activism of Mexican mural painting. Bombardment was influenced by the artist’s first-hand observation in Mexico of the murals created by artists such as José Clemente Orozco (Mexican, 1883-1949) and represents Guston’s response to the atrocities committed during the Spanish Civil War in 1936. Bombardment joins a later work by Guston in the Museum’s collection, November 1963 (1963), and Entrance (1979), the promised gift of Agnes Gund and Daniel Shapiro, providing additional context for the work of this important artist. It will also resonate with other works in the collection, including Salvador Dalí’s Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of the Civil War) (1936) and Robert Motherwell’s Elegy to the Spanish Republic (1958-60). Bombardment is on view in gallery 172.
The artist Ellsworth Kelly (American, born 1923) has given the Museum Red Yellow Blue White (1952) in memory of late director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Anne d’Harnoncourt. This work in four colors of fabric is representative of the artist’s early explorations into the intensely felt abstraction for which he came to be best known.
The Museum has demonstrated a major interest and engagement with Kelly’s work, and together with the purchase of Seine (1951), Diagonal with Curve III (1978), Cutout in Wood (1950), the promised gift from Keith and Katherine Sachs, and a number of important drawings, this acquisition builds a solid foundation of works by one of the most important artists of his generation, with particular strength in early works.
The Museum has acquired two works by Sean Scully (born 1945), an American painter of Irish birth whose art is informed by his everyday life and by architecture and urban environments. Iona (2004-2006), a partial and promised gift of Alan and Ellen Meckler, ranks among the artist’s highest achievements and comprises three monumental canvases painted over a period of two years. Chelsea Wall #1 (1999), a gift of John J. Hannan, references the complexity of human relationships through colored blocks arranged in elegant, interlocking configurations. Iona and Chelsea Wall # 1, together with a suite of 10 aquatint prints offered as a gift by the artist, will make the Museum a significant holder of Scully’s work in the United States.
A major collection of 31 drawings and two sculptures by the architect, artist, designer, poet, and philosopher Frederick Kiesler (American, born Austria-Hungary, 1890–1965) was donated by Cincinnati, Ohio, collectors Ronnie L. and John E. Shore, who were inspired by the close connection of Kiesler’s work to the Museum’s renowned Marcel Duchamp (American, born France, 1887-1968) collection. Spanning every decade between the early 1930s and the 1960s, the drawings include sketches for many of the artist’s most important projects, including the Endless House: Conceptual Drawing (1947), his lifelong scheme for creating a sculptural model for architecture; scenic and costume designs for theatrical performances; and 10 sketches for the Shrine of the Book, a building he designed in 1957 for a wing of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem to house the Dead Sea Scrolls, completed in 1965.
After training in Vienna, Kiesler moved to New York in 1926. Between 1937 and 1948 he became a close friend and collaborator of Marcel Duchamp. Through Duchamp and others, Kiesler became acquainted with the European Surrealists living in New York, and in 1947 he designed the installation of the last Surrealist exhibition in Paris, organized by Duchamp and André Breton (French, 1896-1966). In the United States, Kiesler is best known for his groundbreaking plan for Peggy Guggenheim’s New York gallery, Art of This Century, in 1942; two drawings for the gallery design are included in the gift.
Jar with Lid is typical of the white wares produced between the 15th and 16th centuries in Korea, characterized by the large globular shoulder, tapering bottom, and lid with a pointed knob. This type of ware would have been used in royal rituals and was only produced in a designated royal kiln near Seoul. Jar with Lid, which is on view in gallery 237, was purchased for the Museum’s growing Korean art collection through the generosity of the James and Agnes Kim Fund for Korean Art and with funds contributed by Maxine and Howard Lewis and Mr. and Mrs. John Thalheimer.
Narishimha (Vishnu’s Man-Lion Avatar in Princely Posture) (c. 1000)—a bronze sculpture created under the powerful Chola dynasty, which long controlled the southern half of the Indian subcontinent—was purchased by the Museum with the Stella Kramrisch Fund for Himalayan Art. It depicts Narasimha (half-man, half-lion) who is the fourth of the 10 avatars of the god Vishnu. The acquisition provides additional context for early examinations of Indian festivals and celebrations that likely would have taken place in the Temple Hall during important religious and cultural events. This sculpture is currently on view in the Pillared Temple Hall (gallery 224), which itself comes from a c. 1550 temple dedicated to another of Vishnu’s avatars, Krishna, and includes sculptures of a third, the hero-king Rama.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Romney: You Can Help Turn America Around
A special message from Mitt Romney:
What happens when inexperience encounters reality? Reality can be a hard teacher. Just yesterday, when speaking on the economy, President Obama said, "I think the trajectory's a good one." Yet, I travel the country and see first-hand the effects of President Obama's failed leadership. Is this trajectory right
Rather than making things better, the President's policies have been making them worse. If President Obama continues to believe that we're on a good trajectory, then he is choosing to ignore the reality facing nearly 14 million unemployed Americans.
It's past time for a change. Our country can't afford even one more year of failure, let alone another four years. Together, we can change direction and get America back to work.
If you believe it's time for change, if you believe in a stronger, more prosperous future for our country, and if you believe that we must act now, then I ask you to join our effort and contribute today. Your donation and commitment will help us move forward and spread our message.
http://mittromney.com/donate
What happens when inexperience encounters reality? Reality can be a hard teacher. Just yesterday, when speaking on the economy, President Obama said, "I think the trajectory's a good one." Yet, I travel the country and see first-hand the effects of President Obama's failed leadership. Is this trajectory right
The bad economic news goes on and on.
- When the unemployment rate has increased in each of the last three months, settling at 9.2% this June?
- When more than half a million Americans have joined the unemployment rolls since March?
- When the President's own spokesman, Jay Carney, admits earlier that "growth is weak" and there is "disappointingly little" job creation?
Rather than making things better, the President's policies have been making them worse. If President Obama continues to believe that we're on a good trajectory, then he is choosing to ignore the reality facing nearly 14 million unemployed Americans.
It's past time for a change. Our country can't afford even one more year of failure, let alone another four years. Together, we can change direction and get America back to work.
If you believe it's time for change, if you believe in a stronger, more prosperous future for our country, and if you believe that we must act now, then I ask you to join our effort and contribute today. Your donation and commitment will help us move forward and spread our message.
http://mittromney.com/donate
Christie: Senior Freeze, Homestead Tax Relief Secured
Highlighting the direct relief provided to New Jersey seniors in his Fiscal Year 2012 Budget, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie today met with senior Sultana Kizides at her home in Perth Amboy to have a conversation about how his budget maintains fiscal discipline while prioritizing and funding core priorities to assist New Jersey seniors. Governor Christie’s budget doubles Homestead Benefits in Fiscal Year 2012 for New Jerseyans, providing property tax relief as a direct credit against homeowners’ property tax bills, and increases funding by $90 million for the Senior Freeze property tax relief program.
Senior Freeze checks are in the mail and on their way, and Homestead Benefits will be applied directly against homeowners’ property tax bills this year.
“Because of the priorities we funded in this budget, seniors and families will get the extra help they need to ease the strain on fixed incomes and family budgets,” said Governor Christie. “While we continue working to deliver lasting, long-term property tax relief, I am following through on my commitment to meet the needs of New Jersey seniors and families for immediate property tax relief in this year’s budget.
“The property tax crisis in New Jersey has squeezed our seniors and middle-class families, and we have attacked the underlying root of the problem with a 2 percent cap on property tax increases and fundamental reforms to drive down the cost of government. We’ve made real progress, but I will not stop until an affordable, secure future is a certainty for our families and future generations.”
The Christie Administration, through the Treasury Department’s Division of Taxation, has already begun mailing Senior Freeze checks to senior and disabled homeowners. Checks for the Senior Freeze program, which protects senior citizens and disabled residents from increases in property taxes, will average more than $1,200 this year, going directly to recipients who earned $70,000 or less in 2009 and 2010.
In difficult economic circumstances, Governor Christie signed into law a Fiscal Year 2012 Budget that maintains fiscal responsibility, while protecting critical priorities that serve New Jersey’s seniors and most vulnerable residents. As a result, senior and disabled homeowners with gross income up to $150,000 will receive Homestead Benefit credits averaging $540 this year, and non-senior homeowners with gross incomes up to $75,000 will receive credits averaging $404.
The Administration mailed out 116,000 Senior Freeze checks to applicants who filed by June 1 earlier this month. Those who filed after June 1 will receive checks throughout the coming months as the State processes applications. New applications are also being accepted because Governor Chris Christie extended the deadline for filing to October 31. In addition, the Governor and Legislature have provided funding for more applicants this year.
Every individual who qualifies for the Senior Freeze program will receive a benefit this year.
The Treasury Department is directly following up with applicants who filed incomplete applications in order to ensure every eligible New Jersey senior receives the benefit to which they are entitled. The Division of Taxation is mailing notices to 13,000 applicants who filed incomplete applications.
Anyone with questions can call the Property Tax Reimbursement Hotline at 1-800-882-6597. Those who filed their applications by June 1 should wait until July 25 before contacting the Division of Taxation to inquire about the status of their reimbursement checks.
Information about the program is also available on the Division of Taxation’s Web site at www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/.
Senior Freeze checks are in the mail and on their way, and Homestead Benefits will be applied directly against homeowners’ property tax bills this year.
“Because of the priorities we funded in this budget, seniors and families will get the extra help they need to ease the strain on fixed incomes and family budgets,” said Governor Christie. “While we continue working to deliver lasting, long-term property tax relief, I am following through on my commitment to meet the needs of New Jersey seniors and families for immediate property tax relief in this year’s budget.
“The property tax crisis in New Jersey has squeezed our seniors and middle-class families, and we have attacked the underlying root of the problem with a 2 percent cap on property tax increases and fundamental reforms to drive down the cost of government. We’ve made real progress, but I will not stop until an affordable, secure future is a certainty for our families and future generations.”
The Christie Administration, through the Treasury Department’s Division of Taxation, has already begun mailing Senior Freeze checks to senior and disabled homeowners. Checks for the Senior Freeze program, which protects senior citizens and disabled residents from increases in property taxes, will average more than $1,200 this year, going directly to recipients who earned $70,000 or less in 2009 and 2010.
In difficult economic circumstances, Governor Christie signed into law a Fiscal Year 2012 Budget that maintains fiscal responsibility, while protecting critical priorities that serve New Jersey’s seniors and most vulnerable residents. As a result, senior and disabled homeowners with gross income up to $150,000 will receive Homestead Benefit credits averaging $540 this year, and non-senior homeowners with gross incomes up to $75,000 will receive credits averaging $404.
The Administration mailed out 116,000 Senior Freeze checks to applicants who filed by June 1 earlier this month. Those who filed after June 1 will receive checks throughout the coming months as the State processes applications. New applications are also being accepted because Governor Chris Christie extended the deadline for filing to October 31. In addition, the Governor and Legislature have provided funding for more applicants this year.
Every individual who qualifies for the Senior Freeze program will receive a benefit this year.
The Treasury Department is directly following up with applicants who filed incomplete applications in order to ensure every eligible New Jersey senior receives the benefit to which they are entitled. The Division of Taxation is mailing notices to 13,000 applicants who filed incomplete applications.
Anyone with questions can call the Property Tax Reimbursement Hotline at 1-800-882-6597. Those who filed their applications by June 1 should wait until July 25 before contacting the Division of Taxation to inquire about the status of their reimbursement checks.
Information about the program is also available on the Division of Taxation’s Web site at www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/.
Comcast-Spectacor Helps Everyone Keep Cool
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| Ike Richman, right, distributes fans donated by Comcast-Spectacor to Brenda Bailey, center, and other seniors at the Philadelphia Senior Center Thursday, July 21, 2011, in Philadelphia. The National Weather Service says temperatures are expected to be near triple digits Thursday in Philadelphia, with a high of 96 degrees forecast for Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) AP |
Dem Polling Firm Finds Obama Support Fizzles
According to recent reports, a Democratic polling firm said President Obama's already weak job-approval numbers are "worse than they appear" and he likely would lose the election if it were held today.
For the first time in a year, Obama does not lead Mitt Romney in Public Policy Polling's monthly national poll on the 2012 presidential race. Romney and Obama are tied at 45 percent. At the same time, Obama is losing among independent voters by a margin of 49 percent to 44 percent. This is serious erosion as independents are thought to be decisive in the coming contest.
Worse for Mr. Obama, PPP said, the "vast majority" of undecideds disapprove of the president's performance. The survey of registered voters was conducted July 15-17.
"There's a very good chance Barack Obama would lose if he had to stand for re-election today," said Dean Debnam, president of PPP. "This is his worst poll standing in a long time, and he really needs the economy to start turning around."
For the first time in a year, Obama does not lead Mitt Romney in Public Policy Polling's monthly national poll on the 2012 presidential race. Romney and Obama are tied at 45 percent. At the same time, Obama is losing among independent voters by a margin of 49 percent to 44 percent. This is serious erosion as independents are thought to be decisive in the coming contest.
Worse for Mr. Obama, PPP said, the "vast majority" of undecideds disapprove of the president's performance. The survey of registered voters was conducted July 15-17.
"There's a very good chance Barack Obama would lose if he had to stand for re-election today," said Dean Debnam, president of PPP. "This is his worst poll standing in a long time, and he really needs the economy to start turning around."
Mary Pat, Chris Christie Salute Heroes: 'Team Walker'
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| NJ Hero Jerry Walker, First Lady Mary Pat Christie and Governor Christie with Team Walker participants. |
“Jerry’s not just an athletic standout. He’s the epitome of a true New Jersey Hero who is working to make a difference in the lives of the young people in his community,” said Governor and Mrs. Christie. “He and the volunteers from Team Walker pride themselves in being positive role models and are providing these children with the tools needed to achieve a successful life path now and in the future. We’re proud to announce Jerry Walker as this month’s New Jersey Hero.”
Team Walker offers youth participation programs in academic and recreational activities to replace the negative influences found on the streets. These programs emphasize the importance of education, teamwork and sportsmanship. The primary mission of the after-school academic program focuses on tutoring and study hall sessions to assist children in academic disciplines to supplement their classroom instruction. Team Walker also stresses athletics through an after-school recreation program, day camp and summer youth tournaments, music, cheerleading and even the sport of fencing.
“I am honored and surprised to be named a New Jersey Hero by Governor and Mrs. Christie,” said Jerry Walker. “The work we do every day at Team Walker is not glamorous, but is incredibly rewarding. We create productive after school programs for the youth of Jersey City to give them a positive alternative to the streets. We work with the kids in groups and individually to create a better academic base and self-image. Thank you for this recognition of our programs. Casting the limelight on Team Walker will help let potential volunteers and donors know about our good works and enable us to grow.”
The program has expanded significantly since its inception in 1996, beginning with a single tournament and basketball clinic serving a handful of children to over 500 young people participating in year-round academic and athletic programs initiated by the Team Walker organization.
“And we hope this recognition helps us with our latest project – The Team Walker Learning Center. This has been a dream of mine to have a building for our programs. We have close to $1.4 million dollars raised for the project and it will be a reality next summer. All I can say is that I feel very blessed,” added Walker.
The new Center will be located right in the neighborhood on Communipaw Avenue. It will consist of a three-story structure that features five different classroom areas for up to 150 students, a unique library and multi-purpose room, wired classrooms for computers and smart boards, a basement cafeteria with full kitchen, office space for the CEO and other staff, a conference room and outside recreation space.
To learn more about the efforts of Team Walker, visit www.teamwalker.org
New Jersey Heroes is an initiative of First Lady Mary Pat Christie that showcases the positive ways people and organizations are impacting New Jersey in their own unique ways. To nominate a hero, go to the bottom of the page at www.nj.gov/governor/firstlady and click the NJ Heroes tab. Follow the application instructions and submit the person you believe is a true New Jersey Hero.
Christie Fights Back; Defends His Record
Governor Christie’s Record of Protecting and Caring for Seniors
Governor Christie’s FY2012 Budget reaffirms his commitment to seniors, building upon a proven record of compassion toward our Greatest Generation.
While the Democrats’ budget rhetoric remains on repeat as the Assembly Budget Committee holds their second hearing this week, Governor Christie’s FY2012 Budget maintains fiscal discipline while prioritizing and funding core priorities to assist New Jersey’s seniors. Legislative Democrats may find it more convenient to distort the facts for election year political gain, but the numbers are clear – Governor Christie has consistently provided resources to fund services supporting our seniors.
Homestead Benefits and Senior Freeze Program
Governor Christie’s FY 2012 Budget doubles Homestead Benefits in FY 2012 for New Jerseyans, providing direct property relief applied as a straight credit against homeowners’ property tax bills, and increased funding for the Senior Freeze property tax relief program by $90 million:
· Homestead Benefits will be applied directly as a credit that reduces homeowners’ property tax bills again this year, at double the level of last year;
· Senior and disabled homeowners with total income up to $150,000 will receive Homestead Benefit credits averaging $540.
· Senior Freeze checks to senior and disabled homeowners are already in the mail. Checks for the Senior Freeze program, which protects senior citizens and disabled residents from increases in property taxes, will average more than $1,200 this year, going directly to recipients who earned $70,000 or less in 2009 and 2010;
· Every individual who qualifies for the Senior Freeze program will receive a benefit this year.
Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD)/ Senior Gold
- The budget fully funds the PAAD and Senior Gold pharmaceutical assistance programs without increases in co-pays or changes in eligibility.
- Approximately 160,000 low-income seniors receive financial assistance with life-saving medications.
- The state continues to achieve savings by coordinating with the federal government on its Medicare Part D drug assistance programs.
- New Jersey’s PAAD program remains one of the nation’s most generous senior pharmaceutical assistance programs.
Expanding Home and Community-Based Services for Seniors
· The budget affirms the Governor’s commitment to expand efforts to allow seniors to safely age in their homes or transition from nursing homes back into the community with home care supportive services.
- The budget increases funding for home and community-based services by $47.6 million.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)/Food Stamps
· 81,174 New Jersey seniors are currently receiving SNAP (food stamp) assistance.
· The Department of Health and Senior Services and the Department of Human Services have partnered to match data from seniors eligible/enrolled in PAAD with NJ SNAP for outreach/enrollment.
· The two Departments are reaching out to more than 140,000 seniors in the PAAD program to let them know that they may qualify for food stamps.
Capozzi 'Disappointed' With Legal Ruling; Evaluating
Here is an important statement from Philadelphia City Council candidate Barbara Capozzi:
We are surprised and disappointed at the Judge's ruling denying us any opportunity to make our case in Court. My lawyers believe that we had a strong set of provable facts that would have shown significant irregularities in the election.
Our legal team will determine the next steps.
Thank You,
Barbara Capozzi
NO Recovery: Jobless Numbers Rise Again
The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose again -- and rose more than expected last week. We have a labor market that, at best, is struggling to regain momentum.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 418,000, the Labor Department said on Today.
This is not good news.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 418,000, the Labor Department said on Today.
This is not good news.
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