Time Out

One of the challenges in writing a blog like this is the choice of appropriate topics. Certainly, by reading newspapers, magazines and by taking in TV, there is plenty of grist for the mill. The problem, though, is that much, if not most, of the subject matter is, to put it bluntly, less than elevating.

If it isn’t the Bush administration messing up in Iraq, it’s the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives standing in the way of a bi-partisan solution; or, similarly, it’s the Governor of New Jersey and the rest of the elected and appointed officials in Trenton obstructing one another’s efforts to fix the budget and funding mess; meanwhile, a meddling and aggressive New Jersey Supreme Court, taking advantage of Trenton lawmakers’ unwillingness to solve controversial issues, continues to make law from the bench, instead of restricting itself to interpreting existing legislation.

Should I go on? Oh, yes. There is also the matter of Somerset County’s trysting with the Park Commission, a creature of the electorate, which a majority of the Freeholders denied citizens their right and privilege to vote upon last fall. And, what about the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education and its Superintendent, who thought that they were doing us a favor this spring when they ‘returned’ money to us that was ours in the first place?

Had enough for one day? I have!

To all of you great dads out there who have to put up with all of this baloney, day-in and day-out, as you succeed in raising your families, have a memorable Father’s Day. Heed my advice for tomorrow: Attend worship services. (If your tradition points to the synagogue or temple, I hope you already did.) Don’t open up a newspaper or magazine and refrain from turning on the TV. Have a good time outdoors with your family and friends. Then, when the clock strikes 9:00 pm, turn on the TV to the Celtics and Lakers, and enjoy one of the best match-ups and rivalries in NBA finals history. I’m one of those lucky sons-of-a-gun whose wife actually enjoys watching a classic sports event with her spouse!

Be well, and Happy Father’s Day, guys: You deserve it