State and Local Budgets Predicted to Bring Greater National Woes to the Economy

State Budgets: The Day of Reckoning-Reported by CBS News on 60 Minutes, Steve Kroft tells of the growing financial difficulties state and local governments across the country are facing.
Governor Chris Christie comments about New Jersey's situation.
URL: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/12/19/60minutes/main7166220.shtml

Income falls in Monmouth County

This article from the Asbury Park Press presents some disappointing local economic news:
"If there's one thing certain from the newest Census release, it's this: income in Monmouth County has fallen.  But by how much depends on how you look at the data.
In the largest data release of the past 10 years, the Census Bureau data — the American Community Survey — shows median household income fell 3 percent to 6 percent between 1999 and 2009. Meanwhile, incomes in Ocean County remained largely flat.
However, because of the way the numbers are calculated, it's difficult to compare the apples in this year's data with the oranges from prior years.
Beginning this year, the Census Bureau will publish data every year for even the smallest municipality. Last year, data wasn't available for any city, borough or township with fewer than 20,000 people. The year before, the cutoff was 65,000 residents.
But unlike the census taken every 10 years — data from the 2010 Census will be released next year — the annual numbers are based on as much as five years of data.
The five-year averages for 2009 include data collected from 2005 to 2009, covering both the tail end of the housing boom and the subsequent crash of Wall Street and the housing market. For municipalities with fewer than 20,000 people, this is the only data available since the 2000 Census.
What's more, some data include huge margins of error that render the estimates almost meaningless.
Consider this: When adjusted for inflation, changes in household income from 1999 to 2009 fell most sharply in Allenhurst: between 21 percent and 44 percent. At the other end of the range, income in Loch Arbour increased about 27 percent.
Maybe. In Loch Arbor, for example, the Census Bureau estimated the 2009 median household income at $116,250, but that figure could be off by as much as $65,752. That means income could have increased by as much as 98 percent. Or it could have fallen by as much as 45 percent.  For larger geographies, such as counties and some municipalities, the Census Bureau also puts out three-year averages, and one-year averages are available for counties and some municipalities with at least 65,000 people.
But those smaller time periods also come with larger margins of error. To try to gauge the impact of the housing crash and the sour economy on household income, the Asbury Park Press initially analyzed one-year data and calculated a drop in Monmouth County household income by as much as 9.8 percent between 2004 and 2009.
Russel Like, principal planner for the Monmouth County Planning Board, cautioned against using the one-year data because of the amount of error in those numbers. He also suggested comparing the five-year data released this week with data from the 2000 Census to further reduce the margin of error.  'I understand what you found in the numbers,' Like said. 'I just don't think they're all that reliable, and I would put a lot more faith in the five-year numbers.'  Using that data, household income in Monmouth County fell 3.4 percent to 5.9 percent between 1999 and 2009. In Ocean County, income rose as much as 0.9 percent but could have fallen as much as 2.2 percent."

Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2000 Census and 2005-2009 American Community Survey. 1999 dollars adjusted for inflation.

BY CHRISTOPHER SCHNAARS • STAFF WRITER • DECEMBER 14, 2010
732-643-4220; cschnaars@app.com

The Dream Act For Illegal Immigrants In The U.S. -- Will It Become A Reality?

According to its supporters, the DREAM Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation pioneered by Senator Orin Hatch (Republican, Utah) and Senator Richard Durban (Democrat, Illinois), can solve injustice in our society. Under the rigorous provisions of the DREAM Act, qualifying undocumented youth would be eligible for a 6 year long conditional path to citizenship that requires completion of a college degree or two years of military service.  Supporters of the Act have a portal for further information:
http://dreamact.info/

Across the U.S. Community Colleges Are Setting New Goals for Completion Rates

As reported in Inside Higher Ed, community colleges in  California,  Maryland, Virginia, and Texas are setting their aim for higher completion rates.  As these schools raise the bar, how does that challenge us to do even better?
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/12/09/completion

Financial Troubles Loom Large at Ocean County College

The Asbury Park Press recently reported about the current situation at Ocean County College:
 

OCC belt-tightening to include transfers, layoffs

By ERIK LARSEN • STAFF WRITER • December 6, 2010

TOMS RIVER — Ocean County College unveiled a financial restructuring plan Monday in the wake of its declaration last month that a fiscal emergency exists and more than a dozen staffers would lose their jobs.  The emergency, a legal distinction, gives the college administration of President Jon H. Larson greater authority over its 456 permanent employees, most of whom are members of the union locals of the New Jersey Education Association or the American Federation of Teachers.  The college administration has been feuding with those unions in contract negotiations and now over the cause of the current crisis: a projected $1.5 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2012, which begins on July 1 and ends on June 30, 2012.  Under the plan, 35 employees are affected, with 22 to be reassigned or transferred on campus, and the remaining 13 to be laid off June 30, 2011.  Had an emergency not been declared, the administration would have had to seek approval from its unions before such transfers or reassignments, an impossible hurdle given the combative attitude of union leaders, Larson contends.  Chris Berzinski, a field representative for the NJEA, said at the college Board of Trustees meeting Monday, "There is, I have to tell you honestly, a lack of credibility on the part of the leadership of this college and its relations with its faculty and staff.  "Doesn't make me happy to come here and say that. I'm not saying it for an advantage at the bargaining table, although we're at an impasse on a number of contracts."  Most of the layoffs are in administration or represent administrative support roles. No faculty members are to be laid off.  The restructuring plan also calls for cuts in overtime and utilities expenses, improved operational efficiencies, better future marketing and not replacing retiring employees, said Sara Winchester, college vice president of finance.  "These are unprecedented times," Larson said at the meeting. "Our approach to the issues that we face has been to examine every single opportunity to reduce costs, to keep tuition at its present levels and to identify prospects for enrollment growth."  The cause for the fiscal emergency comes from a combination of factors that became a full-blown crisis after two developments: The Ocean County Board of Freeholders informed the college it was cutting $500,000 in aid next year, and enrollment dropped almost a percentage point this fall when it had been expected to increase 3.5 percent. About 10,600 students are enrolled at OCC.

 http://www.app.com/article/20101206/NEWS/12060345/OCC-belt-tightening-to-include-transfers-layoffs

A Tobacco Free Campus On 1-1-11

Brookdale Community College will be joining the growing ranks of colleges and universities prohibiting the use of tobacco on their campuses.  Here are a variety of links to sources related to this initiative:

Questions About Smoking, Tobacco and Health, from the American Cancer Society provides a 26 page informative general overview
http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/002974-pdf.pdf

One Step At A Time To A Tobacco-Free Campus, a 40 page manual for colleges and universities
http://www.tobaccofreeu.org/pdf/joal.pdf

Taking Tobacco Out of Higher Education: A Tobacco-Free Policy Toolkit, a 68 page manual created by the California Youth Advocacy Network
http://www.smokefreehome.org/downloads/Smokefree_Campus_Toolkit/Smokefree%20College%20Campus%20Policy%20Toolkit%20-%20Final%20Copy.pdf

Toward Tobacco-Free Campuses, an article from Inside Higher Ed, October 20,2009
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/10/20/tobacco

Colleges and Universities With 100% Tobacco-Free Campus Policies, a national list by the American Lung Association from November 2010
http://www.lungoregon.org/tobacco/pdf_word_doc/Tobacco-Free_Colleges_and_Universities_100.pdf

Smoke-Free College Campus Iniative from the American Lung Association
http://ww2.cancer.org/docroot/COM/content/div_Northwest/COM_5_1x_Smoke-Free_College_Campus_Initiative.asp

More information and resources from the American Lung Association website
http://www.lungusa.org/stop-smoking/tobacco-control-advocacy/reports-resources/

Implementing a Tobacco-Free Campus Initiative in Your Workplace, a toolkit from the CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/hwi/toolkits/tobacco/index.htm

Half of North Carolina Community Colleges Have Smoke-Free Campuses, a November 17, 2010 news release from the North Carolina Health Wellness Trust Fund
http://www.healthwellnc.com/NCHWTFSiteAdmin/Documents/Press_GASOHalf_NCCommyCollegesSmokeFreeFINAL11910.pdf

"Statewide Diffusion of 100% Tobacco-Free College and University Policies," a research study published in Tobacco Control discusses the first four years of the North Carolina Tobacco-Free Colleges Iniative
http://www.otc.edu/Documents_Tobacco_Free/tobaccocontrol_adv_tfci.pdf


The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation issued a report on November 17, 2010 entitled, States Continue Drastic Cuts to Tobacco Prevention Programs: Funding for Programs to Reduce Tobacco Use at Lowest Level Since 1999
http://www.rwjf.org/publichealth/product.jsp?id=71454

Time magazine article from March 22, 1971, "Cigarettes: After the Blackout" about the banning of cigarette advertising from American television and radio
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,904941,00.html

Americans For Non-Smokers Rights website
http://www.no-smoke.org/

Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids website
http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/