More Unpleasant Facts for the Star-Ledger’s Tom Moran: NJ’s Population Actually Declined in 2021
Posted On04/29/2022 byA couple of weeks ago, Sunlight pushed back on the Star-Ledger’s Tom Moran’s claim that New Jersey’s outmigration problem was a “fantasy. We pointed out that, yes, New Jersey’s population might have grown slightly, but the key metric was New Jersey’s massive net outmigration to other states not simply overall population growth. New Jersey’s population…Read More
ALEC’s “Rich States, Poor States”: NJ’s Economic Outlook Is 49th Out of 50 States While Our Governor Eyes the White House
Posted On04/26/2022 bySunlight recently published a research report entitled “Before You Go, Governor Murphy … There is Some Unfinished Business in the Garden State” where we remind our governor that before he leaves for the presidential campaign trail, there are four major problems he has not addressed: 1) student learning loss from pandemic school closures; 2) an…Read More
The NJEA Proudly Boasts About Its Quid Pro Quo Relationship with Gov. Murphy
Posted On04/22/2022 byAs our readers are well aware, Sunlight’s mission is to shine a light on the special-interest-domination of New Jersey’s political system, led by the most powerful special interest of them all, the NJEA. Sunlight has also highlighted Gov. Murphy’s strong and unbending ties to the NJEA: the NJEA supports Murphy’s campaigns with millions of dollars…Read More
NJEA’s 2021 Financials: Leadership’s Pensions Very Secure; Super PAC Awash with Dues Money; Membership Declining
Posted On04/19/2022 bySunlight had a chance to look at the NJEA’s latest financial statements (for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2021) and there were some interesting nuggets of information: NJEA Leaderships pensions continue to be gold-plated and very secure. Sunlight did an extensive report on the NJEA leadership’s gold-plated, well-funded pensions – as contrasted with the…Read More
Wall Street Journal: Under Gov. Murphy, NJ Is Dead Last in COVID Outcomes, Confirming Sunlight’s Report
Posted On04/12/2022 byAs if confirming Sunlight’s latest report on Gov. Murphy’s unfinished business in New Jersey, the Wall Street Journal‘s lead editorial reported on a working paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) on COVID outcomes, which looked at states’ economic recoveries, education policies and mortality rates. Under Murphy, New Jersey came in DEAD LAST among…Read More
With All Due Respect, Tom Moran, the Exodus of People and Wealth from NJ Is Not a “Fantasy”
Posted On04/07/2022 byThe Star-Ledger’s Tom Moran recently wrote an op-ed entitled “Are Folks Leaving Jersey? Nah!” Moran dismisses the idea that New Jersey has an outmigration problem as “fantasy.” But it’s not fantasy, it’s real, and it’s a shame that the editor of New Jersey’s leading newspaper overlooks it. Moran cites data but not the right data….Read More
NJ Has the Third-Highest Tax Burden in the Nation at $8,134 Per Person: 41% Higher than the US Average
Posted On03/29/2022 byThe Tax Foundation came out with its annual “Facts and Figures” report, and it has a very helpful on-line tool to look at New Jersey’s tax rates and burdens from just about any angle. We found the interactive chart presented below illuminating. Note that New Jersey ranks 44th when it comes to the state-and-local tax…Read More
The Data Shows School Closures Led to Learning Loss, but the NJEA Pretends It Did Not Happen
Posted On03/24/2022 byIn an article entitled “In-Person Classes Boost Test Scores,” the Wall Street Journal reports that American students are scoring lower on reading and math tests than last year, indicating that there was indeed learning loss resulting from school closures during the pandemic. (It’s behind a paywall, so we cannot link to it.) Renaissance Learning analyzed…Read More
Another Migration Study and Another Last-Place Finish for NJ: In 2021, 54% More People Left than Came In
Posted On03/17/2022 byAnother migration study, another last-place finish for New Jersey. This time it’s a 2022 study by Hire A Helper that used data from moves, company surveys and the US Census Bureau. For 2021, New Jersey came in dead-last – 50th out of 50 states – with a whopping 54% more people leaving the state than coming…Read More
Congratulations to Montclair’s Two New, ELECTED School Board Members: the Repudiation of Mayor Spiller Continues
Posted On03/15/2022 byHearty congratulations to Phaedra Dunn and Melanie Dysher, the winning candidates in Montclair’s first school board election. Dunn and Dysher were part of the Vote Montclair slate and bested seven other candidates. Remember that Vote Montclair, a grassroots parent/citizen group, was behind last November’s referendum that changed Montclair from a mayor-appointed school board to an…Read More