Troy Talk
Property Taxes: Improving the “Senior Freeze” Program
The subject of my topic this week is a lesson that you can improve the tax system in favor of New Jersey residents who pay some of the highest property taxes in U.S. bureaucracy.
Burlington County Unites
Recently, actions by the Klu Klux Klan in releasing racist and homophobic flyers, attacks on immigrants of Indian descent, the desecration of Jewish cemeteries and threats of violence at Jewish community centers were designed to sow the seeds of division and heighten fear in our communities. On Thursday, March 2nd at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Maple Shade, NJ public officials, clergy leaders and concerned community members came together as one voice against intolerance, bigotry and discrimination. Our message of unity and inclusiveness permeated through the program. The following is the longer version of my remarks that were shortened on the night of the program.
A Steady Road to Reducing Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is one of the greatest threats to our families and is among the most difficult challenges for our legal system to address effectively. I had the privilege of serving last year on a New Jersey Supreme Court committee which looked closely at this issue from all facets. Our committee which included representatives from all three branches of government, the private sector, academia, advocacy groups and legal practitioners representing both victims and those charged with domestic violence recommended changes in an array of areas, including education, training, and resources for victims and adjudication and treatment of offenders.
The Best Investment Return You’ll Ever Earn
One of the greatest and most significant investments that we as a society can make toward the future success of our nation is in early childhood education. Research shows that the best time to shape future productivity is from birth to age five (5). This is because the brain is most apt for development. Stimulating educational influences during this time period lays the foundation for the cognitive and character skills necessary to achieve success in school, personal health, professional development for the rest of one’s overall life.
Lower Prescription Drug Prices? Pricing Transparency Provides an Answer
In the world of consumerism, few topics are as important and yet as murky as that of pricing for prescription drugs. The importance of this is undeniable: Millions of Americans of every age must take prescribed medicine. Murky because how some pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) charge for those prescriptions can in some instances be nothing more than gouging, and they make it almost impossible to divine (for the public) how they arrive at their pricing scheme. Yet it’s always the consumer who ultimately ends up paying for it.
Shattering A Tradition Of Transparency
For decades, a fundamental expectation in politics has been that candidates who run for the presidency and vice presidency of the United States disclose their tax returns. That is until the unprecedented campaign of 2016, of course. President Donald Trump has adamantly refused to release his taxes to the public, which while is his prerogative, is a dangerous sign with regards to the transparency of the most powerful position in the world.