I think I can I think I can

From Bloomberg:

U.S. Home Prices Rise Almost 9%, the Biggest Gain in Four Years

Home prices in the U.S. surged 8.8 percent in February — the biggest gain in four years — as buyers battled for an increasingly scarce resource: homes.

While sales were little changed amid the thin inventory, the median price across 172 large metropolitan areas jumped to $285,700, according to a report Thursday from brokerage Redfin Corp. It was the 72nd straight month of year-over-year increases since the market bottomed in 2012.

U.S. home prices are now 6.3 percent higher than their peak in July 2006 and 46 percent above their trough in February 2012, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller national home-price index.

A strong job market is fueling the price increases even as the number of homes for sale fell 11.4 percent in February from a year earlier — and as mortgage rates hit four-year highs.

This entry was posted in Demographics, Economics, Employment, Housing Bubble, National Real Estate. Bookmark the permalink.

140 Responses to I think I can I think I can

  1. Very Stable Genius says:

    @SRuhle

    “Wealthy people have no need to steal or engage in corruption….”

    please explain MADOFF

  2. D-FENS says:

    Jersey Makes. Murphy Takes.

  3. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    Says the High School dropout raised in a criminal family. It’s not about what year you were born, it’s about values and education, and you failed to pick your parents properly so your lot came up snake eyes.

    The Great Pumpkin says:
    March 16, 2018 at 7:34 am
    Lynch mob? I said there are plenty of good boomers out there that have helped our society, unfortunately none of them became decision makers in our society. The sociopaths of your generation did, and Trump is a prime example of one. I have never heard a President speak like this. What kind of role model is he? Says a lot about your generation.

  4. chicagofinance says:

    https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-participant-employee/retirement-topics-tax-on-early-distributions

    Exception to 10% Additional Tax

    Equal Payments
    series of substantially equal payments
    Qualified Plans
    (401(k), etc.) yes

    IRA, SEP, SIMPLE IRA* and SARSEP Plans yes

    72(t)(2)(A)(iv)

    The Original NJ ExPat says:
    March 15, 2018 at 9:02 pm
    If you want to withdraw penalty free between ages 55 and 59-1/2 upon losing employment, I believe (unless T. Rowe Price lied to me) that you must keep the money at the current custodian. If you roll it over you have to leave it there until 59-1/2 to withdraw penalty free, right?

  5. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    My view is that Madoff was a victim of his own fragile ego. He probably believed at one time that he was a superior trader with a genius system and when it didn’t pan out he probably believed for a long time after that he would make it all back and make his investors whole. He was so broken at the end that he didn’t even have the balls to trade anymore and simply kept all of the deposits in a regular bank account. Corzine probably failed in much the same way. Shkreli too. The interesting thing about Shkreli is that he blew up his hedge fund and then came up with the idea to become a virtual pharma company. He closed his hedge fund and told all of the investors (whose money he had already lost) that they could reinvest in his new venture or take their money out in cash. Of course, he ignored anybody who actually wanted their cash back and actually did make them their money back by buying orphaned drugs and raising the prices. None of his investors actually lost money but he was convicted of essentially not telling his investors they were broke before he made the money back. Fragile ego, can’t admit failure, fake it until you make it.

    please explain MADOFF

  6. Very Stable Genius says:

    @NBCNews

    JUST IN:
    Stormy Daniels’ lawyer tells @Morning_Joe that she has been “physically threatened.”

  7. chicagofinance says:

    See above …. equal payments ……

  8. Very Stable Genius says:

    @thehill
    Federal court tosses out Obama-era rule that forced financial advisers to act in customers best interests

    A divided federal appeals court on Thursday tossed out an Obama-era Department of Labor (DOL) rule that required financial investment advisers to act in the best interest of their clients.

    In a 2-1 ruling, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals said the fiduciary rule bears the hallmarks of “unreasonableness” and constitutes an arbitrary and capricious exercise of administrative power.

    The lawsuit stems from a challenge the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and eight other business and financial groups brought against the rule.

    The groups argued the DOL erased universally recognized distinctions between salespeople and fiduciary advisers and reconfigured relationships among financial and insurance representatives and their customers in setting the new standards of conduct.

    The Original NJ ExPat says:
    March 16, 2018 at 8:35 am
    My view is that Madoff was a victim of his own fragile ego. He probably believed at one time that he was a superior trader with a genius system and when it didn’t pan out he probably believed for a long time after that he would make it all back and make his investors whole. He was so broken at the end that he didn’t even have the balls to trade anymore and simply kept all of the deposits in a regular bank account. Corzine probably failed in much the same way. Shkreli too. The interesting thing about Shkreli is that he blew up his hedge fund and then came up with the idea to become a virtual pharma company. He closed his hedge fund and told all of the investors (whose money he had already lost) that they could reinvest in his new venture or take their money out in cash. Of course, he ignored anybody who actually wanted their cash back and actually did make them their money back by buying orphaned drugs and raising the prices. None of his investors actually lost money but he was convicted of essentially not telling his investors they were broke before he made the money back. Fragile ego, can’t admit failure, fake it until you make it.

    please explain MADOFF

  9. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    It doesn’t have to be equal payments. You can take distributions any time you want, but you have to keep it in the company’s plan.

  10. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    Here it is from the horse’s mouth. Apparently if you are government worker you can take penalty-free distributions at age 50 under similar conditions:

    The following additional exceptions apply only to distributions from a qualified retirement plan other than an IRA:
    No Additional 10% Tax
    Distributions made to you after you separated from service with your employer if the separation occurred in or after the year you reached age 55, or distributions made from a qualified governmental benefit plan, as defined in section 414(d) if you were a qualified public safety employee (federal state or local government) who separated from service in or after the year you reached age 50.

    https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc558

  11. Blue Ribbon Teacher says:

    And you are a prime example of your generation. You laugh at me for incurring a 12,500 sewer bill that wasn’t even on my property. You know how much money that is? Nice of you to laugh at my surprise bill. You def have a lot in common with trump. narcissistic and lack of empathy.

    Do you not see the irony in this happening to you and not anyone else.

  12. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    irony is another GED study word that Pumps has trouble with.

  13. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    I can’t stop watching this hilarious two minute video. Dementia comes immediately to mind.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8WhRhoNdT8

  14. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    Every time I watch it I pick out another gem. Speaking of narcissism, “What happened in my election…”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8WhRhoNdT8

  15. D-FENS says:

    Its “the cost of society”.

  16. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    Lib – watch it with the audio muted and just enjoy the cankles. When were they last out in public?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8WhRhoNdT8

  17. 3b says:

    Pumps I will only address you once today. But seriously you don’t see the irony in your sewer saga? All your talk about the services and benefits of living in a high tax high cost area and anyone who complains is a loser and should just leave. For a wealthy successful man like yourself this should just be a minor cost to pay for the enormous advantages of living next to NYC and all the uber rich successful people it attracts. Now you are impacted $ wise and it’s a problem!! And it’s the boomers fault!!

  18. 3b says:

    Blue from what I understand the kids that committed suicide back in the late 80s had a real negative affect on the town. I knew quite a few people who lived in Bergenfield they all moved to Pearl River or further north in Bergen.

  19. D-FENS says:

    What does medical cost for a Jersey City teacher? Most articles say they’re striking because of the cost of medical insurance…but no where does it say what they’re currently paying.

  20. The Great Pumpkin says:

    My parents, esp my mother, did a great job raising their kids despite all the challenges. Millennials that all live in jersey, have two properties, and successful careers and a business. I’m proud of the job my parents did raising us. No one is perfect, so leave my dad alone already. He is a good man that was dealt a bad hand in life. I’d like to see you walk one day in his shoes, mr. Narcissistic.

    You have no life, you love kicking people that are down. Says a lot about your character.

  21. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    3b – You just don’t get it. Pumps lives in Wayne, NJ – the best of the best of the Bergen County towns, and don’t try to correct me. It goes Glen Rock, Wayne, then West Milford (don’t mistake my humor for idiocy please). Pumps is only a slum lord in Clifton. Those people are scum and profit margin is everything. Those illegals don’t deserve any sort of services, much less flush toilets. I’m sure Pumps would gladly pony up even $25,000 to dig up the highway he lives on, because that is what successful people do to preserve the infrastructure on their well used Autobahns, and they do it gladly, and with a smile.

    Pumps I will only address you once today. But seriously you don’t see the irony in your sewer saga? All your talk about the services and benefits of living in a high tax high cost area and anyone who complains is a loser and should just leave. For a wealthy successful man like yourself this should just be a minor cost to pay for the enormous advantages of living next to NYC and all the uber rich successful people it attracts. Now you are impacted $ wise and it’s a problem!! And it’s the boomers fault!!

  22. grim says:

    Stormy Daniels’ lawyer tells @Morning_Joe that she has been “physically threatened.”

    I received about half a dozen physical threat emails during the bubble.

    Say something that someone doesn’t like, you’ll get internet threats.

  23. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    I’m proud of the job my parents did raising us.

  24. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    Uhhh…he wasn’t dealt, he was a dealer. At least that’s what the court records and deportation orders say.

    He is a good man that was dealt a bad hand in life.

  25. The Great Pumpkin says:

    Jesus, you just don’t get it. This was not my property. The town changed the rules mid-game and now are forcing property owners to INDIVIDUALLY pay for the maintenance of the TOWN’s infrastructure. If the property was in Fairlawn, I would not be paying this because they did not change the rule mid-game.

    I have no problem paying for it collectively, but sticking individual taxpayers with the cost when their sewer stops functioning in the middle of the road is criminal. They do this so that they can claim they didn’t raise taxes, when in reality they are sticking individuals with a large bill out of nowhere. Just like the stupid sewer tax bill that was created so that they can claim they didn’t raise property taxes.

    Grow some balls and raise taxes, instead of these scam moves to claim you didn’t raise it.

    Btw, the business that did the job told me all those Bergen county towns are about to pass that same ordinance. They are based out of Bergen County. They are all trying to pass the bill to the individual as opposed to the collective, so they can stay in power by claiming they did not raise taxes.

    “Pumps I will only address you once today. But seriously you don’t see the irony in your sewer saga?”

  26. Juice Box says:

    re: sewer saga….

    Cannot help but laugh at Pumps….

    At least he is taking it like a man and drinking his worries away….

  27. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    Pumps – when are you ever down? Aren’t you the most confident and successful guy who always makes the right moves at the right time? We’re all jealous of you. We can’t match your property tax payments or the speed limit in front of your house. We’re not worthy. If only I had access to those secret demographics and cycles documents so I could be a brilliant investor like you. Of course I probably wouldn’t understand them because I don’t have three degrees like you do.

    You have no life, you love kicking people that are down. Says a lot about your character.

  28. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    I have no problem paying for it collectively sticking it to other people, because that is how I was raised. It’s all I know.

  29. Juice Box says:

    More to come?

    Governor Murphy is going to have his hands full.

    Teachers Strike in Jersey City.

    “I’ve been in the system for 20 years and I’m finally making a decent salary and now I’m paying $1,400 a month for premiums,” a 53-year-old physical education McNair teacher told The Jersey Journal this morning.”

    “A win for the teachers in this dispute could have statewide implications, as unions across New Jersey could cite Jersey City in their efforts to achieve lower health care costs.”

    http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2018/03/jersey_citys_4000-member_teachers_union_strikes_fo.html#incart_2box_nj-homepage-featured

  30. grim says:

    Why wouldn’t you strike, Governor Moneybags is in charge now.

    Squeaky wheel gets the grease.

  31. grim says:

    I’m going to invent a stent for broken sewer lines, seems absurd to dig up a street to fix it, I don’t see any reason it can’t be repaired in a way similar to catheterization. Little robot, send it down the line with a camera, remove debris, spray filler and adhesive, deploy outer stent, done. Could probably be done in half a day, require no permits, no road opening, no bonding, no repaving, no mark-outs, etc etc etc. Charge half the cost and it would be incredibly profitable, especially given the deteriorating infrastructure of the northeast and midwest.

    PSEG is doing something similar with gas lines now. They are sending plastic lines through the existing gas lines from the main, into the house. Saves a fortune for not having to dig. The old line acts as a protective sheath for the higher-pressure plastic line.

  32. Juice Box says:

    Grim it ‘s been done already.

    Pumps just panicked and got taken for a ride by a leaky pipe.

    Roto-Rooter could have fixed it for less than 1k….

  33. Juice Box says:

    Many decades ago I used to be in advertising. Plumbers always spent $$ on ads, they loved people like pumps who would pay full boat to dig a hole…..

  34. 1987 Condo says:

    In Tampa watching Yankees. Went to Florida Cane distillery for their tour and tasting. A bit underwhelming compared to the pictures I have seen of Grim’s operation in Clifton!

  35. D-FENS says:

    Pipe Stent Trenchless Sewer Repair

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc3TSGMkg3c

    grim says:
    March 16, 2018 at 10:08 am

    I’m going to invent a stent for broken sewer lines, seems absurd to dig up a street to fix it, I don’t see any reason it can’t be repaired in a way similar to catheterization. Little robot, send it down the line with a camera, remove debris, spray filler and adhesive, deploy outer stent, done. Could probably be done in half a day, require no permits, no road opening, no bonding, no repaving, no mark-outs, etc etc etc. Charge half the cost and it would be incredibly profitable, especially given the deteriorating infrastructure of the northeast and midwest.

    PSEG is doing something similar with gas lines now. They are sending plastic lines through the existing gas lines from the main, into the house. Saves a fortune for not having to dig. The old line acts as a protective sheath for the higher-pressure plastic line.

  36. Alex says:

    Pumps: “…sticking individual taxpayers with the cost…is criminal.”

    Welcome to New Jersey, sucka.

  37. D-FENS says:

    How to Repair a Sewer Pipe Under a Concrete Slab – This Old House

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFIcRlAOFw0

  38. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    Pumps: “…anything that costs me money is criminal. Anything that makes me money is my birthright.”

  39. grim says:

    Sticking owners with the cost? I forget where I was showing a house, years ago. Montville maybe? Danville? One of those towns out in Morris. A big part of town was installing sewers in an area that was septic. They stuck everyone with a $20,000 special assessment and that didn’t even include the cost of connection, which was the responsibility of each homeowner. I think they even had a way to do the $20k in a kind of multi-year payment plan though.

    The house in question was at the top of a hill, would have required the sewer line going through the back yard, probably more than 500 feet of run through rocky soil. So bad and so steep, that the septic was the front lawn, not the back yard. I’m sure it was an easy $25-30k job. It would be hell to even get an excavator back there.

  40. The Great Pumpkin says:

    Juice, my brother owns his own plumbing business. I didn’t get taken for a ride by anyone except the city who changed the rules midgame. The problem was right at the main, hence the huge cost for digging 14 feet deep. Cost was originally supposed to be 5,900, because they thought it was at the curb. It was so bad that the pipe was filled with rocks, , nothing you can do but dig and replace.

    The owner of the company had the head of the sewer dept come down and look at the problem, claiming you can’t charge this to the homeowner, it’s clearly on your end. The head says nope, it’s the homeowners problem, and then tried to get me to replace a piece of their main line on my dime. The owner of the company got me out of that which would have been even more money. Really can’t make this stuff up.

    Everyone laughing at me, just be prepared when it happens to you.

  41. grim says:

    Shit really is big business tho

  42. PumpkinFace says:

    I guess ordinances that are put on the agenda, open for discussion, and then voted on are the same as “sneaking around”.
    Well, maybe we should never pass any new laws ever because that would be changing the rules of the game. Or I guess you can pass a new law only if 100% of the populace agrees. I’m fine with that system.

    And idiot, how do you say you only found out when it happens to you when you cite multiple previous examples INCLUDING the house next to you? Idiot

    The Great Pumpkin says:
    March 15, 2018 at 5:54 pm
    I just got taken for a ride by the city of Clifton, or I should say boomers in power. Changed the rules of the game midway through the game.

    They should have had this ordinance approved by every homeowner, instead they sneak it in and people only find out when it happens to them.

    And my brother used to own the home next door (built himself). He had to pay 9,000 for his ( wasn’t as deep as mine). Guy across the street, same thing, had to fix it. Just drive around that neighborhood, and all you see are patches in the road where the sewer line was repaired. All paid individually thanks to the ordinance.

  43. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    My landlord asked me to have the water inspector come to the house to look at the supply line. Boston has a program where they’ll give you $2,000 toward replacing old lead supply lines coming in from the street and they’ll even give you low interest financing for anything above the subsidy. I was wondering if they can replace the existing line without a full trench, which I guess they kind of can, pulling it from the street…except…our house has the supply coming to the side of the house. Boston won’t install a new service because, as the inspector told me, people tap in ahead of the meter to get free water. So now they will only install a new service to the front of the house. My landlords had the driveway redone (It looks like they put 6 inches of new asphalt down) and also have some really nice paving stonework out front in two directions, to the street and to the driveway. If they can’t pull the pipe from the street the new driveway would need to be dug up and the pavers would definitely need to be breached to bring the new service to the front of the house. In addition, there is cabinetry and an old sink and plumbing from a previous washer dryer ( current washer dryer on the second floor) that would have to be removed and lots of plumbing done in the basement, so I’m guessing none of it will happen, which is fine with me. The water inspector asked me, “Why does he want to have this done?” I told him it was to take advantage of the subsidy. The water inspector told me that he would just leave it all as is. The original house (still extant at the front) was built in the 1930’s.

  44. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    That terrain sounds like either the Cedar Lake section of Denville or somewhere in Mountain Lakes. I used to spend a lot of time in both.

    The house in question was at the top of a hill, would have required the sewer line going through the back yard, probably more than 500 feet of run through rocky soil. So bad and so steep, that the septic was the front lawn, not the back yard. I’m sure it was an easy $25-30k job. It would be hell to even get an excavator back there.

  45. The Great Pumpkin says:

    How do you think I found out about it? My brother was livid. He had to come up with 9,000 out of nowhere on a single family home.

    What’s next, paying for the repaving of roads, used by EVERYONE, by forcing individual homeowners to cover the cost of the road in front of their house? Am I now going to be charged for a 911 call on an individual basis?

    Is it collective or individual? Pick one and stick to it. Stop this game of picking and choosing.

    “And idiot, how do you say you only found out when it happens to you when you cite multiple previous examples INCLUDING the house next to you? Idiot”

  46. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    Here Pumps, at least you might get a laugh:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XGAmPRxV48

  47. Juice Box says:

    “they thought it was at the curb”

    Then you got taken by your own brother, did he even bother to snake a camera and find the leak before you even dig?

  48. Hold my beer says:

    Yesterday I saw the aftermath of an accident between a motorcycle and a fracking truck.

    Truck won and looked like one of its wheels had gone over the motorcycle. There were parts of the cycle all over the highway and the body of the cycle was curved a bit. Must have been 10 cop cars at the scene plus a fire truck was used to block 3 lanes of the highway.

  49. joyce says:

    BRT,
    The article says 29k students and 4k union members. That’s a very low student to teacher ratio … so I assume a large portion of those members are not teachers. How many do you think? It also wouldn’t include administration, correct?

    http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2018/03/jersey_citys_4000-member_teachers_union_strikes_fo.html#incart_2box_nj-homepage-featured

  50. The Great Pumpkin says:

    What do you think? You should stop making comments about issues with which you have no idea what you are talking about.

    Juice Box says:
    March 16, 2018 at 11:04 am
    “they thought it was at the curb”

    Then you got taken by your own brother, did he even bother to snake a camera and find the leak before you even dig?

  51. The Great Pumpkin says:

    You think they start digging up streets without a camera?

  52. joyce says:

    “I’ve been in the system for 20 years and I’m finally making a decent salary and now I’m paying $1,400 a month for premiums,” a 53-year-old physical education teacher at McNair told The Jersey Journal this morning.


    If this guy is at the top of the pay scale, the cost of his annual premiums is almost $50k. Insanity, but if he’s not at the top… it’s even higher! They absolutely need lesser health plan – will the accept that? Will their union leaders let them?

  53. joyce says:

    Healthcare providers and executives need to be thrown in jail for price gouging, collusion and other anti-trust violations.

  54. PumpkinFace says:

    Do you know how to read? So you did know about the change before it happened to you. Maybe you should be more involved with local government and go to the meetings. If you did, you would have known even sooner. You could have campaigned against the change. Democracy can’t function without an involved electorate. Involved doesn’t mean commenting on blogs and annoying people.

    The Great Pumpkin says:
    March 16, 2018 at 10:50 am
    How do you think I found out about it?

  55. The Great Pumpkin says:

    Whatever, I guess I’m in the wrong.

    Do me a favor, next time you b!tch about taxes or politicians, take your own advice.

  56. Blue Ribbon Teacher says:

    If this guy is at the top of the pay scale, the cost of his annual premiums is almost $50k. Insanity, but if he’s not at the top… it’s even higher! They absolutely need lesser health plan – will the accept that? Will their union leaders let them?

    I don’t know if that’s accurate but I’ve been telling people for a decade that Horizon is the problem. They run a multibillion surplus and keep continuosly jacking up premiums. The idea that someone would pay $50k for insurance is ridiculous. The teachers could create their own cash pool and pay cash and spend a fraction of that money overall. Healthcare doesn’t cost this much.

  57. Glen says:

    Grim at 10:29, it probably was denville. When we were looking a few years ago, we were shown a house on Ford road, it was by the 84 lumber. They told us it was a $26,000 assessment, just one of the reasons we walked away.

  58. No One says:

    Pumpkin,
    I agree with you. Seems unfair that your town is dumping the huge cost on homeowners, and that sounds like an unusual rule.

  59. Blue Ribbon Teacher says:

    The article says 29k students and 4k union members. That’s a very low student to teacher ratio … so I assume a large portion of those members are not teachers. How many do you think? It also wouldn’t include administration, correct?

    Administrators have a different union. But I have no idea. Abbott districts have a lot of fat. Generally, the teachers are the ones that get screwed. Their classes are packed regardless of the ratio.

  60. Blue Ribbon Teacher says:

    Everyone laughing at me, just be prepared when it happens to you.

    I’d gladly challenge this in court.

  61. Blue Ribbon Teacher says:

    The $1400 a month doesn’t mean he’s paying all 10 months or 12 months. It might only be spread out over 8.

  62. No One says:

    I’ll bet Abbott district administrators are some of the most worthless and overpaid employees around . Rather than civil servants, civil leeches. Presiding over failure factories. And they are actively hostile to anyone who would change the system to improve incentives and outcomes for the kids, because they know they’d be out of a job if they had to produce some value to education.

  63. grim says:

    I had to dig up my front lawn to repair the brand new leader we dug out into the storm drain in the street.

    Pipe got crushed the backfill – 4″ Schedule 40 PVC too. A few rocks went in the holes before it was compacted down, and took it out.

    Dug that one by hand.

  64. grim says:

    By the way, we went into the storm drain box at the curb.

    The town inspector made our contractor repair all the old masonry in the catch basin. Re-parge all the concrete that had come off the stonework, etc.

    They even made us clean out all the leaves and debris before they would approve and give me my bond back.

    Same shit, you just do it, because why the f*ck do you want to pick a fight with the inspector signing off on your final?

  65. D-FENS says:

    who cares if they don’t sign off. isn’t that the contractor’s problem?

  66. D-FENS says:

    nevermind…I see they had your bond

  67. grim says:

    My uncle was the contractor, and we were doing most of the labor ourselves.

  68. D-FENS says:

    I tried to get a plumber to do similar work for me. I wanted my sump pump line run to the storm sewer. He wanted no part of it….I suspect stories like yours are why.

  69. grim says:

    Yeah, getting the approval to connect to the storm drain was the hard part.

    Sump pump to sewer is fairly verboten today. I’m not talking sanitary, that’s outright illegal, I’m talking storm. They wanted us to dig a dry well/basin. You’ll see this all across NJ today. You keep your storm water on your own property, don’t discharge it anywhere but. Even someone running a long pipe from their leaders to the edge of their lot (to their neighbor), that’s illegal.

    Problem is, there is no chance we’d ever perc to the extent we need to. Dry well a waste of time and money.

    However, we already had leaders to the curb, which they did not want us to re-use. They had no grounds, the curbs were cored since the 70s.

    Finally the town engineer threw his hands up and said fine, no dry well, but run the lines to the catch basin, which is what we wanted the whole time.

    In the end, front leaders and sump pump from the foundation drains to the catch basin out front. Rear leaders out to the side street.

  70. grim says:

    I forget what the road opening bond was, something like $8,000 or $10,000.

  71. Trick says:

    This made me laugh

    What do you think? You should stop making comments about issues with which you have no idea what you are talking about.

  72. D-FENS says:

    My sump pump goes off maybe twice every two hours. A lot of fun during a power outage.

    In the summer I run a line out to the curb near the catch basin…but I can’t do this in winter as the curb is higher than where it discharges from my house.

    Burying it and running it to the storm center would have been ideal.

  73. D-FENS says:

    sorry once every two hours….

  74. Trick says:

    D-FENS

    You should look into the back-up pump that runs off of your water pressure, no need to worry about power outages.

  75. 3b says:

    No one it’s not that I think it’s fair what happened with pumps it’s the fact that he was such a cheerleader for high taxes and Jersey is great and you have to accept the negatives of living here to benefit from nyc proximity and all the rest and now that he is personally impacted he is outraged. If nothing else one can’t fail to see the irony here.

  76. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    grim – you know the holes are supposed to go face down, not face up, right? The pipe fills as the water level rises from below. At least that’s what I think I learned at some point.

    Pipe got crushed the backfill – 4″ Schedule 40 PVC too. A few rocks went in the holes before it was compacted down, and took it out.

  77. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    LOL. I like this quote, “Definitely holes down…you want to drain the water, not float the pipe.”

    http://forums.finehomebuilding.com/breaktime/general-discussion/perimeter-drain-pipe-holes-or-down

  78. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    Much as I hate to say it, Pumps is actually consistent in this respect. Of course it is frickin’ after-the-fact and disingenuous hindsight, but I think he’s trying to make the point that everyone’s taxes should be little higher so that the town has the reserves to shoulder the burden. Of course there’s no guarantee that the town won’t both raise your taxes and stick you with the bill fourteen feet down in their streets.

    No one it’s not that I think it’s fair what happened with pumps it’s the fact that he was such a cheerleader for high taxes and Jersey is great and you have to accept the negatives of living here to benefit from nyc proximity and all the rest and now that he is personally impacted he is outraged. If nothing else one can’t fail to see the irony here.

  79. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    Can you imagine the wrath if your neighbor’s connection to the main fails right after yours is repaired?

  80. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    ^^^Maybe that’s what Pumps brother inadvertently did to him?

  81. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    Ohio Student Suspended for Refusing to Leave Classroom During Gun Control Walkout

    https://ijr.com/2018/03/1076385-ohio-student-suspended-refusing-to-leave-classroom/

  82. D-FENS says:

    Thanks…Yeah I have the second backup pump with a battery backup…but neither of those systems account for long term power outages. Power usually gets knocked out because of a storm…when they’re a lot of water around already…causing the pump to run even more than it normally does.

    Really the only solution is to have a generator. I have the battery backup there just to give me time to get home and get it running during an outage.

    Trick says:
    March 16, 2018 at 12:50 pm
    D-FENS

    You should look into the back-up pump that runs off of your water pressure, no need to worry about power outages.

  83. Blue Ribbon Teacher says:

    Admin are awful in every school district. Not just the Abbott’s.

  84. chicagofinance says:

    Here is the crux of the issue….. see the last three pages..
    http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/pensions/documents/hb/oe2017/ha0886-gov18.pdf

    joyce says:
    March 16, 2018 at 11:24 am
    “I’ve been in the system for 20 years and I’m finally making a decent salary and now I’m paying $1,400 a month for premiums,” a 53-year-old physical education teacher at McNair told The Jersey Journal this morning.


    If this guy is at the top of the pay scale, the cost of his annual premiums is almost $50k. Insanity, but if he’s not at the top… it’s even higher! They absolutely need lesser health plan – will the accept that? Will their union leaders let them?

  85. chicagofinance says:

    If the teacher is making $100K, they are probably bearing 35% of the cost of the plan.

    $1,400/month x 12 = $16,800 => /.35 => $48,000 sounds kind of high…all the plan costs are there….. he must be paying for the absolute gold coverage and a family plan…..

  86. chicagofinance says:

    and also potentially exaggerating…… it is possible that they cannot differentiate between pension contributions and healthcare premiums……

  87. chicagofinance says:

    I am not excusing anything; just providing context…….before Christie’s mandate in 2011, they paid $0. So in addition to the overall cost going up, the teacher is seeing $8K-$13K going out the door a year for something that used to be $0 net to them.

  88. D-FENS says:

    Articles on the issue are very one sided. It’s the unions vs ….who again?

    They should interview a Jersey City Taxpayer who was just reassessed. Ask them what they think about paying for a higher school assessment.

  89. D-FENS says:

    The timing of this strike…with the reassessment going on in JC…not great. This isn’t 2006 and Corzine is not governor. People are getting higher property tax bills in the city right now.

  90. The Great Pumpkin says:

    Here’s another aspect that I question. I thought we paid collectively for the police. Why am I getting charged 800 dollars for some cop to sit there? I thought we paid for them already. I’ll defend most govt workers, but I just can’t defend the police officers. Getting paid a lot of money in OT to just sit there. As the owner said to me yesterday, we provide the cones to shut the street down. All they do is show up and sit there. Makes absolutely no sense. Want to save the tax payers some money, stop requiring cops to sit there and collect ot for doing nothing.

    If you really need an officer there, higher some retired cop for 10 dollars an hour to sit there.

  91. Juice Box says:

    re: Homestead credit program. Yikes that is a 3 grand rebate for my mom.

  92. D-FENS says:

    @StevenFulop
    Following Following @StevenFulop
    More
    A strike hurts teachers, parents + students. It isn’t best approach. If you can’t get there w/negotiating call impasse + have a 3rd party decide. All will live w/it. That said, an offer of aprox 7% raise over 2 yrs is higher than any offer in NJ- I think fair for ppl to know that

  93. joyce says:

    BRT,
    I just did the same math as chicagofinance. Even if it’s not spread out over the full year, his coverage covers 12 months so the total cost is the same.

    Blue Ribbon Teacher says:
    March 16, 2018 at 11:42 am
    If this guy is at the top of the pay scale, the cost of his annual premiums is almost $50k. Insanity, but if he’s not at the top… it’s even higher! They absolutely need lesser health plan – will the accept that? Will their union leaders let them?

    I don’t know if that’s accurate but I’ve been telling people for a decade that Horizon is the problem. They run a multibillion surplus and keep continuosly jacking up premiums. The idea that someone would pay $50k for insurance is ridiculous. The teachers could create their own cash pool and pay cash and spend a fraction of that money overall. Healthcare doesn’t cost this much.

  94. The Great Pumpkin says:

    D,

    Teachers are pretty screwed. Paying them less and less for 7 years straight is not the answer. We seriously have to look at education as an investment. Do all investments always work out, no, so we need to stop labeling schools as failures in areas like Newark. You are never going to get every kid to be successful, and if we had 100% perfection, where the hell are all these high achieving students going to get jobs? It’s about providing a good opportunity….whether the students take the opportunity or not, is on them.

    At the end of the day, if the teachers are doing their part, we should not label schools as failures for students who clearly don’t give a crap. This labeling of schools as failures has been going on for too long and is clearly not correct.

    Who in their right mind thinks you are going to produce 90% perfection with ghetto kids? So why do we do that in our judgement of schools?

  95. joyce says:

    The second half of my post was my comment not part of the article. And I agree he might be comingling other paycheck deductions – if not, that healthcare plan is ridiculous.
    With healthcare continuing to skyrocket, it was only a matter of time until this came to a head. I think employees contributing somewhere from 1.5%-35% of the premium is fine, let’s just cut the total premiums by 2/3.

    chicagofinance says:
    March 16, 2018 at 1:59 pm
    Here is the crux of the issue….. see the last three pages..
    http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/pensions/documents/hb/oe2017/ha0886-gov18.pdf

    joyce says:
    March 16, 2018 at 11:24 am
    “I’ve been in the system for 20 years and I’m finally making a decent salary and now I’m paying $1,400 a month for premiums,” a 53-year-old physical education teacher at McNair told The Jersey Journal this morning.


    If this guy is at the top of the pay scale, the cost of his annual premiums is almost $50k. Insanity, but if he’s not at the top… it’s even higher! They absolutely need lesser health plan – will the accept that? Will their union leaders let them?

  96. The Great Pumpkin says:

    D,

    Again, I don’t think that’s a ridiculous raise for current economic times. People are getting big raises in this current economy, and if you are not, you are doing something wrong or need to open your mouth. People bash teachers way too much, jersey city is an expensive place, and one would think a professional would be given a 3.5% raise in compensation in that environment.

    D-FENS says:
    March 16, 2018 at 2:45 pm
    @StevenFulop
    Following Following @StevenFulop
    More
    A strike hurts teachers, parents + students. It isn’t best approach. If you can’t get there w/negotiating call impasse + have a 3rd party decide. All will live w/it. That said, an offer of aprox 7% raise over 2 yrs is higher than any offer in NJ- I think fair for ppl to know that

  97. D-FENS says:

    When did I say to pay them less? I reposted the Mayor’s statement that said they were offered a 7% raise.

  98. PumpkinFace says:

    Scary thing is if the teacher is NOT making $100k.
    If between $80k-$90k… $1,400/month x 12 = $16,800 => /.25 => $67,200

    chicagofinance says:
    March 16, 2018 at 2:05 pm
    If the teacher is making $100K, they are probably bearing 35% of the cost of the plan.

    $1,400/month x 12 = $16,800 => /.35 => $48,000 sounds kind of high…all the plan costs are there….. he must be paying for the absolute gold coverage and a family plan…..

  99. joyce says:

    https://ijr.com/2018/03/1076385-ohio-student-suspended-refusing-to-leave-classroom/
    A high school student in Hilliard, Ohio, didn’t want to pick sides in the contentious gun debate surrounding Wednesday’s “National Walkout,” so he stayed in class instead of joining the largely anti-gun protest or an alternative “study hall.”

    Hilliard Davidson High School senior Jacob Shoemaker was then reportedly slapped with a suspension.

    The student argued that divisive politics have no place in America’s schools and he refused to take sides in the debate, according to the Associated Press.

  100. D-FENS says:

    Something’s gotta give in JC

    Jersey City residents protest tax reval: ‘You’re taking our homes away from us’

    http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2018/02/downtown_residents_protest_jersey_city_tax_reval_t.html

  101. Bystander says:

    The bigger question of the pipe is when granny knew about it?

  102. chicagofinance says:

    All this discussion about laying pipe……since when is jj posting again?

  103. The Great Pumpkin says:

    No, the market pushed you out. Are they crying about how much their properties went up in value? So why are you crying about your assessment going up? People are nuts. When taxes become too much, you sell and move to a location you can afford.

    “”This plan is saying that no one except multi-millionaires deserve to live in (downtown) Jersey City,” said Dana Schilling, a resident since 1981. “I applaud that the reval has reduced taxes for people in some other neighborhoods because they were paying an unfair share. What I object to is claiming that people’s income has increased by double or triple when it has not.”

  104. The Great Pumpkin says:

    I’m just glad I was in the position to buy this house from grams. She would be in the poor house if she had to make the repairs that I have made. ESP this one, no way an 87 year old could afford to pay 12,500 out of nowhere. Can’t wait to see the impact of this ordinance on the old people still living in Clifton. Might force some to sell as opposed to fix the problem.

    Bystander says:
    March 16, 2018 at 3:04 pm
    The bigger question of the pipe is when granny knew about it?

  105. D-FENS says:

    Mr. Friend of the Unions

    .@GovMurphy cited work of @SpeakerCoughlin @SenJoeVitale but his actual budget propsal is similar to @GovChristie and would make union workers pay more for their out-of-network health benefits

    @katiedjennings
    Follow Follow @katiedjennings
    More
    NJ public employees would pay more out of their own pockets for voluntary out-of-network visits under a plan in @GovMurphy proposed budget. The move — expected to save $81 million — is similar to one @GovChristie suggested last year. // [$]

  106. The Great Pumpkin says:

    Why didn’t he just go to study hall? Follows rules, or suffer the consequences…hope he learned a lesson.

    “so he stayed in class instead of joining the largely anti-gun protest or an alternative “study hall.”

  107. The Great Pumpkin says:

    See, and all you conservatives claimed he would do anything for the union. Give him a chance, let’s see what he does.

    And I agree with Joyce, it’s time Americans stand up against the corrupt healthcare industry. They are destroying economic growth by sucking away people’s raises. Enough already.

    D-FENS says:
    March 16, 2018 at 3:27 pm
    Mr. Friend of the Unions

  108. 3b says:

    Ex pat. He is consistent in his sewer matter and he is rught. But if it was anyone else but him he would have no problem with it. Cost of living here price to pay for the advantages and all his other stuff. But since he is personally impacted he is outraged that’s what I find so ironic.

  109. The Great Pumpkin says:

    3b,

    I pay high taxes. Have you ever heard me complain? I’m complaining about this because I feel like I’m getting robbed. They changed the rules and made me accountable for something that’s not even on my property.

  110. PumpkinFace says:

    Why didn’t the principle make sure a teacher taught him something, you know, during class time?

    The Great Pumpkin says:
    March 16, 2018 at 3:28 pm
    Why didn’t he just go to study hall? Follows rules, or suffer the consequences…hope he learned a lesson.

  111. D-FENS says:

    I am not a conservative

  112. chicagofinance says:

    Cornell down 2-1 12:37 remains 3rd period……

  113. chicagofinance says:

    Princeton power play 10:11 remains…..

  114. chicagofinance says:

    Hooking on Princeton……even strength

  115. chicagofinance says:

    Princeton scores 3-1

  116. Very Stable Genius says:

    serves him well to be suspended for being such a lameass. you gonna go thru life not taking a stand as the boomers keep destroying this country?
    kid, it defeats the purpose of you going to skool to get an “education” to let others decide your future.

    any and every issue is a divisive political issue. get on with it or get suspended

    joyce says:
    March 16, 2018 at 3:01 pm
    https://ijr.com/2018/03/1076385-ohio-student-suspended-refusing-to-leave-classroom/
    A high school student in Hilliard, Ohio, didn’t want to pick sides in the contentious gun debate surrounding Wednesday’s “National Walkout,” so he stayed in class instead of joining the largely anti-gun protest or an alternative “study hall.”

    Hilliard Davidson High School senior Jacob Shoemaker was then reportedly slapped with a suspension.

    The student argued that divisive politics have no place in America’s schools and he refused to take sides in the debate, according to the Associated Press.

  117. chicagofinance says:

    5:06 remaining……

  118. chicagofinance says:

    4:20 remains…..

  119. chicagofinance says:

    2:50 left, Cornell pulls goalie….

  120. chicagofinance says:

    Empty netter 0:34 seconds 4-1.

  121. Yo! says:

    Big numbers out of Nassau. House price up 13% in February. Nassau bringing in homebuyers who would’ve looked at NJ in past years?

    http://links.mlsstratus.com/actrep/Current/Nassau.pdf

  122. Blue Ribbon Teacher says:

    I pay high taxes. Have you ever heard me complain? I’m complaining about this because I feel like I’m getting robbed. They changed the rules and made me accountable for something that’s not even on my property.

    This is why philosophically, you should be against government expansion. The more power you give them, the more they screw with businesses and the population. Now that you are the victim, perhaps you should see the errors in your views.

  123. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    I just picked out a boomer line in the sand, and any of you who are not as old as I am can either reject the premise or not, but you might want to do your research before you decide.

    Comic Books.

    Every kid boy born in the early 1960’s read comic books. Except for Saturday morning cartoons, it was our only on-demand media. Here’s the divergence. Circa 1977 to maybe 1980, we all grew out of it. Star Wars happened, it was cool, etc. but…kids 10 years younger got into action figures and other stuff that Gary, Nom, and I care absolutely nothing about. Comic books were replaced by cars, girls, and debauchery. 18 year old drinking age. The Limelight, Studio 64, and Danceteria in NYC. We charged headfirst into a lot of dangerous activities (think mid-coke, pre-Aids) and the kids who were way too young to be our contemporaries did not. Come 1984 we were making money and buying real estate with almost no effort. Not getting married, just living the dream with a good economy and 15% annual raises. To borrow a Lib phrase, “keep in mind” we were the very last of the baby boomers and something different, I believe, happened right then and there.

    That is a generational divide right there.

  124. Blue Ribbon Teacher says:

    The student argued that divisive politics have no place in America’s schools and he refused to take sides in the debate, according to the Associated Press.

    The reality is, going to the study hall was not taking a side. The kids that went to the study hall also chose to not participate in anything. The study hall was likely created to monitor the kids that chose to not participate and I guarantee you they just sat around playing Fort Knight.

    If you deliberately put yourself in the position that you are not under supervision, it deserves punishment. As employees of the school, we are responsible for monitoring students and not leaving them alone. That’s why the walkout should be frowned on. The same people who would sue us if a kid cut our class and got hit by a car were the same type of people encouraging them to just get up and walk away. Most schools did their best to not take a position and still keep track of the kids.

    IMO, this wasn’t even a protest. I saw pictures of the walkout at my school. The kids hung around outside and laughed and like it was recess. Beyond that, I’m fairly certain the primary people that have put more thought into how to respond to an emergency situation to protect the children are the employees of the school. I can tell you that I have an action plan in place for every scenario based on where a potential gunman is approaching from. Does it really make sense to walk out of my classroom when I’ve gone to more lengths than anyone to make sure you are safe? I didn’t state my opinion one way or another. The kids don’t know any better and I wasn’t offended by it.

    We had to get staff to monitor outside and about 65% of my students stayed behind in class. They didn’t have an opinion one way or another.

  125. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    Even before she launched her book tour last fall for “What Happened,” party strategists have said Clinton should lay low.

    “She’s annoying me. She’s annoying everyone, as far as I can tell,” said one 2016 Clinton surrogate. “Who lets her say these things?”

    One former senior Obama White House aide added, “If these statements are a form of catharsis, it would be in the Democratic Party’s best interest for her to get these out of her system soon.”

    “We need leaders like her to look forward to 2020 and how to unify the party, not continue to re-litigate the past.”

    http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/378259-dems-are-angry-over-hillary-clintons-latest-comments

  126. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    Something funny from today. Have you ever gotten a really great deal, but it just doesn’t sit right with you? There’s just something off?

    This morning one of our vehicles had a flat tire. Not low…, flat, flat, flat. Called AAA because I was quite sure that the temporary spare was low on air and I don’t have a compressor here. AAA showed right up, pumped the 20psi donut to 60psi like it should have and the vehicle was road worthy again.

    The last time I had a flat was several years ago and I bought a plug kit at an auto parts store and repaired the tire myself, took it home, jacked it up and put the full-size tire back on. A little bit of labor, less than $10 in materials, no biggie. Today I thought about how much a tire place would charge and figured if it was $30 dollars or less, that would be just fine, especially if it included a re-balance. I called up our closest tire place, Town Fair Tire, and asked what their wait was. They said less than an hour. I asked how much and they said $4.83. Less than 5 bucks? It was just over 5 bucks with tax. I couldn’t believe it. I went there and everything worked out fine. The desk guy took a brief look at my flat tire and then took be back inside and rung me up for five bucks and took my keys. My car was taken away very quickly, but it did take the better part of an hour before it returned. The tire jockey didn’t yank the spare back up under the side door of the minivan where it belongs, but hey! For five bucks I can ratchet it back up under the vehicle where it belongs.

    When I got home this evening it still seemed like something wasn’t right. That was just too cheap. I did some research and Town Fair Tire does do ultra-cheap flat repairs and will repair any flat you have for free if you bought the tire there, doesn’t even matter if it is a sidewall blowout, they’ll just give you a free new tire. Then I just started searching for complaints. OMG, You can’t find worse reviews! On multiple sites! It’s a long con. Sure, they’ll make you feel warm and fuzzy with a $5 flat fix, but you will rue the day you drop $800-$1,000 there for a new set of rubber. It seems like they up-sell you an alignment (which I *always* buy with a new set of tires, why wouldn’t you?) but then just skip the alignment. The place is laid out in a fashion where you have no visibility whatsoever into the work area. One white guy and one Hispanic guy on the desk, all of the workers are black. You only see them when they pick up keys and paperwork. You can just tell they are underpaid and probably under-deliver as a direct consequence. I almost fell for it. If you wander in for a flat repair you might decide you are definitely coming back for your next 4 tire purchase. Prevalent advertising all over TV and radio up here too. Imagine if their business for the day was 12 twelve guys like me today? That would be $60 to pay 6-8 employees. I’ll give them this, it is a very clever setup.

  127. The Great Pumpkin says:

    Centrist? I just assumed based on your strong defense of the second amendment that you were a conservative.

    D-FENS says:
    March 16, 2018 at 5:35 pm
    I am not a conservative

  128. The Great Pumpkin says:

    Good journalism. Really gives you a perspective into Putin and his actions. Guy is just trying to maintain power over his people…vibe I get from this article.

    Better Off Than Their Parents: Why Russia’s Youth Are Backing Putin – The Wall Street Journal
    https://apple.news/AQoDM5q12TpCvDPGZTe0ktA

  129. The Original NJ ExPat says:

    Pumps – I’m unclear about your sewer repair. Is it now complete and you have paid the vig, or is it still in process?

  130. The Great Pumpkin says:

    Completed and paid. Just drowning in my sorrows of what could have been some nice first class vacations down the drain. That money vanished into thin air as it does not increase the value of my property.

  131. The Great Pumpkin says:

    Might be heading up to Boston when the weather gets warm. Wife has an itch to visit her old stomping grounds.

  132. The Great Pumpkin says:

    Want to go to the “w” in Boston. Looks like their best styled in the nation. My daughter loved the Miami “w”, it was not Miami Beach, sorry can’t afford that, but highly recommend this location if you rent a car. Rooftop pool and as always, “w” room was sick!

  133. D-FENS says:

    When you attend the wake of a dead heroin addict you will know what it is to be generation X.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uAE6Il6OTcs

  134. Ex-Jersey says:

    Spent the weekend with a bunch of fraternity brothers from the 80’s, two of the guys are diehard Consevative Republicans. Riddle me this, does every Republican believe in every conspiracy theory…? or just the guys I know.

  135. Not X-Jersey says:

    X, is everyone. Is always easier to pick a boogeyman than to think it out.

    By the way. Sater said last nite after McCabe’s firing, that Trump was getting a financial deal with a Moscow/Putin back forbiden by sanctions, while he was campaigning for prez in ’16.

    Sater is an odd character, but has credibility with the 3 letter crowds. He was the one that provided Bin Laden’s 5 phone numbers.

    This is starting to look more and more like the Feds starting way before the election, were doing a sting operation on Trump based on his Russian activities reputation and alleged money laundering/tax evasion. It looks like he bit, but also got elected POTUS.

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