A Responsibility Unmet

Call it denial or what else you may, but in the last couple of days the thoughts rolling about in my thinking cap have been pushing back at all of the negative news emanating from the wires of the news services, cable TV, and the print media.

It isn’t that the reporting of bad news does not reflect the reality of central events happening here and internationally, but rather that many in the media seem to display an almost morbid obsession to concentrate exclusively upon the unconstructive, man-made problems of our globe.

Consider, for example, the overwhelmingly tragic disaster of the oil spill out in the Gulf of Mexico. Instead of our national government concentrating on solutions, it has been cover-your-butt-from-the- beginning. Correspondingly, that’s what the media have latched onto, and that’s what they focus their reporting upon – thereby feeding further into a national sense of divisiveness.

Meanwhile, the Cajuns of Louisiana – my blood brothers and sisters – are left to suffer through another life-altering disaster in their beautiful part of America.

We can do better than that. And so can our elected leaders and those who claim to be professional journalists and pundits.

Thanks for reading, and stay engaged.

Bridgewater-Raritan Custodians Off-Payroll, July 1st

In a cost saving measure that was incorporated into the 2010-2011 B-R school budget, 84 custodians of the school system are out of a job with the district. About 6 of those are signing on with the service company to which responsibility for custodial services has been outsourced, Pritchard Industries, Inc.

Discharged custodians will be either collecting unemployment insurance; going into retirement if they had enough years of service; or they will transition to other endeavors. At least one custodian is known to have signed up with another local school district.

Laid-off custodians were members of the Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association. During internal union discussions, representatives for those custodians had made an offer of significant wage cuts in order to keep their positions. But it appears that no real effort was made by the union’s leadership to save those jobs.

The offer of wage concessions was never seriously entertained by the B-R School Board and its Administration, because the savings from out-sourcing were said to be larger than those resulting from proposed custodial wage cuts, particularly in the second and outer years of the out-sourcing contract.

On its web site, Pritchard describes itself as “one of the world’s largest privately held service companies. Headquartered in New York City, [it operates] throughout the Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest United States.”

Pritchard Industries, boasts a “98% client retention rate,” and “has over 12,000 full and part time employees in over 1,200 service locations.” Its web site further points out that the firm “specializes in cleaning commercial office buildings,” and that “approximately 90% of [its] revenues are derived from these accounts - which comprise 95% of [its] portfolio by square footage.”

Naïve Bravado, Major Embarrassment

Today, President Barack Obama meets with General Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan over an international controversy generated by an article appearing in Rolling Stone magazine.

Written by Michael Hastings, the article is full of quotes depicting a general and his staff disdainful of Beltway politics and politicians – including those in the White House – vis-à-vis this nation’s military commitments in Afghanistan. That is why the general will have his resignation in hand when he meets President Obama this morning.

However, although the President most assuredly will take the general to the woodshed privately, I am doubtful about what many pundits say will also happen – that McChrystal will be fired. The mission in Afghanistan, despite its dubious and non-credible objectives, needs to be concluded.

That war, like the one in Iraq, is not being fought to achieve a decisive victory. It is, for many reasons, a war that we are losing because there is no will in Washington to do what it takes to succeed.

We Americans know that. It is why we don’t want any more American casualties incurred in a far-away land administered by the corrupt, contemptuous, and untrustworthy leadership of Hamid Karsai.

It was very naïve of General McChrystal to give journalist Michael Hastings unfettered access to him and his staff for what turned out to be a very damaging article. Nonetheless, President Barack Obama has bigger fish to fry, and this is no time to change war horses in mid-stream.

Federal Judge Foils Obama’s Deep-Sea Drilling Moratorium

In a major policy defeat for President Barack Obama, Federal Judge Martin Feldman issued a ruling from Louisiana which reversed President Barack Obama’s six-month shutdown of 33 exploratory deep-sea drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.

In his edict, Judge Feldman found that there is no legal basis for Obama’s moratorium, stating that “the Report” on which the moratorium was based, “makes no effort to explicitly justify the moratorium: it does not discuss any irreparable harm that would warrant a suspension of operations, it does not explain how long it would take to implement the recommended safety measures.”

Judge Feldman also indicates that the Administration’s very own report which forms the basis for the six-month moratorium, included experts who do not agree with Obama’s suspension of drilling:

“Much to the government’s discomfort and this Court’s uneasiness,” Feldman points out in his decision, “the Summary also states that ‘the recommendations contained in this report have been peer-reviewed by seven experts identified by the National Academy of Engineering.’ As the plaintiffs, and the experts themselves, pointedly observe, this statement was misleading. The experts charge it was a ‘misrepresentation.’”

Feldman continues “It (the Report) was factually incorrect. Although the experts agreed with the safety recommendations contained in the body of the main Report, five of the National Academy experts and three of the other experts have publicly stated that they 'do not agree with the six month blanket moratorium' on floating drilling."

Mr. Obama takes issue with Judge Feldman’s ruling and will make an appeal to a higher court which also sits in Louisiana. If Feldman’s decision is sustained, expect Obama to take this to the U.S. Supreme Court where, I hope, a knife will finally be put into the heart of the administration’s wrong-headed moratorium.

If the Wind is so Free, Why is the Electricity so Expensive?

That is the question being asked by Wal-Mart; the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound; and Associated Industries of Massachusetts, a trade group of 6,000 Bay State employers.

Cape Wind, an offshore wind farm on Nantucket Sound, is expected to begin generating power by 2013 at a price to consumers that will be double the kilowatt rate currently charged to Massachusetts residents and businesses served by National Grid, the utility which will purchase the electricity from Cape Wind and deliver it to consumers.

The full scope of this problem is described by Erin Ailworth in The Boston Globe. It is a story that is relevant right now, especially since our government in Washington is in a state of complete chaos with respect to energy policy:

President Barack Obama just recently OK’d drilling offshore for oil along both coasts of the U.S., as well as in the ANWR oil  fields of Alaska. Yet, after the BP oil spill, he quickly reversed himself and stopped all deep-sea drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

Everyone should want renewable energy to replace fossil fuels. We’d have to be fools not to desire that outcome. But there is no quick way to get there without destabilizing the entire economy.

Even the people and officials of Louisiana who are most directly affected by the BP oil spill don’t want drilling permanently stopped in the Gulf. That industry represents over 50% of its economy.

In the Bay State, current law requires “that by 2020, Massachusetts utilities buy at least 15 percent of their power from renewable energy sources.” Who can argue with the honest intent of such legislation? But, were the timing and costs fully thought through?

Audra Parker, who heads up the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, calls out “the exorbitant price” claiming "that state approval of National Grid’s proposed contract with Cape Wind ‘will be crushing to households, municipalities, school systems, and businesses trying to make ends meet.’’’

Pretty sobering.

Thanks for reading. Stay engaged.

NOTE:  Photo courtesy of Google search

Summertime, and the Heat is on Taxes

According to the Census Bureau’s 2008 American Community Survey, New Jersey retains the distinction of being number one in median real estate taxes paid. We are far and away the highest in the nation, with a median tax bill of $6,320, 37% higher than Connecticut which comes in second at $4,603.

Even New Hampshire which holds third place at $4,501 still has a far more favorable tax structure, because the Granite State has neither a personal income tax, nor a sales tax.

New Jersey is a great place to live and to bring up kids, despite the decades-long fiscal mismanagement emanating from Trenton. School districts directly contributed to the problem as well, because they doled out multi-year employment contracts without any serious consideration for the adverse long-term effect which those contracts would have on The Garden State’s structurally high real estate taxes.

One of the proposals which Governor Chris Christie has placed before the state legislature is to put a referendum initiative before voters in the November, 2010 elections that will restrict spending increases to 2.5% for local budgets, including those of school districts.

It’s not a panacea, but the measure is overdue. Residents of this state have a right to remain here if they so choose. High taxes should not be forcing people and businesses out. I never heard anyone who came to the mike in recent months to complain about school budget cuts ever mention that issue.

Any community consensus about the level of spending and taxation in Bridgewater and Raritan should acknowledge the fact that we all have a right to a decent life right where we are. Contrary to the popular but over-simplistic mantra which we all heard expressed in recent school budget discussions, it’s not only about the kids.

It’s about all of us. Isn’t that what the values of a community are supposed to reflect – concern for the entire scope of its diverse population? Not merely one element?

A Few Good Men . . .

Father Timothy Lambert, a Roman Catholic priest celebrated his outgoing Mass this morning at Saint Bernard of Clairvaux Church, across from the Met Life headquarters building on Route 22 in Bridgewater.

He is taking a leave of absence to tend to a few health issues, and he carries with him the best of luck and the speedy grace of God in this hiatus from his job. Everyone will miss his towering presence, his devotion to the parish, his warm smile, and his quick dry wit.

I’ve known Father Tim for only a few brief years, but he is one of those genuinely good guys at the forefront of the priesthood who have continued to be a credit to their calling, even as they took the brunt of the heat for the failure of their national and international leaders to fully anticipate and to fix the abuse problem quickly enough which, by now, the entire civilized world is only too well familiar with. (See the footnote below.)

Father Tim served at the right hand of Father Joseph Celano, Pastor of St. Bernard’s, and another solidly reliable priest on the front lines of faith.

Good luck, ‘Tim,’ and may a gentle wind always be at your back.

Thanks for reading. Stay engaged.

Note: (The Diocese of Metuchen was one of the first in the nation to recognize the scope and seriousness of the problem and to have dealt with it promptly and decisively, as manifested by fundamental structural changes which were swiftly implemented in this diocese (Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren counties) under the leadership of Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski.)

"A Picture is worth a Thousand Words"

If that saying is true, as my Mom reminded me so many times, then how many words are hundreds of images worth? And, when those images mutate into the thousands and are projected daily into your family room TV, depicting the horror of war or of a national disaster, what are the consequences of those images upon our country’s leadership, specifically the President of the United States?

Just look at Lyndon Baines Johnson, the President who did not seek a second term because of the daily, gruesome portrayal of the Vietnam War, as grisly images of the fighting flowed into American homes at supper time, night after night. Or ask George W. Bush, who became prey to the same phenomenon, as relentless TV coverage underscored his administration’s failure of how to deal with Iraq once the initial victory was won, and after Saddam and his associates were disposed of.

Fair or not, Iraq, as well as the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the Bush presidency were the reasons for Republicans losing control of Congress.

I call it The Katrina Syndrome – being expected to deal successfully with a major national disaster, but not knowing how: The very real American malaise associated with that syndrome may engulf the presidency of Barack Obama – fair or not – as he deals with the effects of the oil spill on the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico.

He knows that. It is why he has been unsuccessfully trying to put distance between himself and the people working to fix the disastrous oil spill that is soiling the Gulf coastlines and destroying the economy of Louisiana.

When the financial and real estate bubbles burst with full fury in the early days of the Obama Administration, the newly-minted president met with one corporate CEO after another and immersed himself and his administration in the search for solutions. Conservatives even say that he overreached in his initiatives to control manufacturing and financial industries.

Yet, we are nearing the end of the second month of the growing disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, and Mr. Obama has not once met with, spoken to, or beckoned a single British Petroleum executive to convene with him in the White House to engage in a team effort for a solution.

As the images of the oil spill disaster destroying the coastline and economy of Louisiana continue to dominate TV coverage, The Katrina Syndrome is building momentum and it is heading directly towards the Oval Office in Washington, D. C.

The Effectiveness of Christie’s Clarity

There is something very different about how Governor Christie is running the job of Governor in New Jersey.

I think the reason for that is very straightforward: The lack of linkage between what so many elected officials say while campaigning and after being installed in office – either for the first time or when running for re-election – has caused Americans to lose confidence in the credibility of their elected and appointed officials.

That is clearly not the case for all office holders either nationally, regionally, or locally, but it applies to enough of them to cast serious doubt upon the integrity of the political process – a phenomenon which any observer can plainly see.

Maybe the disconnect between what politicians say and do and the lack of such a disconnect in the Christie administration is what makes his governance – at least up to this point – so unique and such a fresh breeze in the Public Square.

I don’t concur with each of his initiatives, but the Governor is on point with enough of them to the extent that New Jersey may be able to pull itself out of its fiscal hole. The lack of financial discipline has been a hallmark of administrations dating back at least to the introduction of the New Jersey sales tax by then-Governor Brendan Byrne in 1976.

Now, if only Governor Christie can succeed in implementing a discerning, much-needed change on the bench of the New Jersey Supreme Court.

A Midwestern Attitude

When was the last time that you encountered a pleasant, unexpected surprise over the phone? For me, it was this morning after breakfast, just before Priscille and I left the house for a few errands.

The local lighting establishment near the Somerville Circle had called us earlier this week to let us know that the flush-mount lighting fixture that we ordered was manufacturer-discontinued. But, the salesperson advised us, we could probably get one over the Internet if we did a search.

We followed the man’s helpful advice and yes, there it was: One of the first hits in Priscille’s Google search. The following day we called but were told that it was too late to check with the supplier to verify if there were any left in stock and, would we please call tomorrow?  We did, were greeted with the personification of efficiency, and placed our order.

It turns out that Sarah, the phone rep, was located in Wisconsin. She was just the opposite of those dreaded overseas telephone agents most of us have dealt with who read from a script, keep you on the line interminably, and end up never really helping, no matter how hard they try.

But not Sarah: This person, just like the one I spoke with the previous day, generated an attitude of confidence, trust and effectiveness in dealing with us. It reminded me of the time when we spent a few years in Rochester, an upstate New York community on the shores of Lake Ontario, where hundreds of college grads from Wisconsin and Minnesota had been hired to help Kodak and Xerox grow in the salad days of those firms.

Ordinary people from Wisconsin (and Minnesota) are – well – nice. They are the kind of folks who make good neighbors and fine citizens – solid stuff. So, my conversation with Sarah-from-Wisconsin this morning restored my faith in the belief that there truly are well-trained, sincere U.S. based Americans working the phones who represent reputable companies doing their best to provide first-rate service.

Kind of cements your faith in the American character at a time when we need to be reminded that if we come together, we can pull ourselves out of the deepest holes. And Lord knows: there are plenty of holes in need of fixing these days.

Enjoy your weekend; stay engaged. And remember our compatriots who live along the Gulf Coast. Their weekend won’t be so rosy.

Israel, a Beleaguered Nation

Although I had planned to write about another topic in today’s blog, I feel compelled to record a few words about Jews in The Middle East. The hatred focused upon Israel as a nation and upon individual Jews is systemic and viral in that part of the world. Similarly, the reaction of other nations – especially those in the West – when the Jewish nation takes steps to guarantee its survival is troubling.

The Israeli interdiction of a flotilla of six ships bound for Gaza is the latest example of such a knee-jerk, anti-Israel condemnation by the international community.

The purpose of the interdiction and inspection of all shipping bound for Gaza is to assure that nations like Iran which seek the destruction of the Jewish state are not sending war materiel to the Hamas organization which controls Gaza. Once a Gaza-bound vessel is inspected by Israeli forces and found to be without armaments, it is permitted to proceed to its port of destination.

But this last flotilla originating in Turkey may have been designed as an ambush. The first five vessels were detained and inspected without incident. But insurgents on the sixth vessel appear to have planned to engage Israeli servicemen as they rappelled down ropes from a helicopter.

When individual Israeli servicemen were beaten and stabbed as they descended, they requested permission from their commander to fight back with their own weapons and were given the go-ahead and defended themselves, killing attackers in the process.

Israel is surrounded by a ring of hatred that is irrational, which knows no bounds, and which is bent on the destruction of that country. The only thing holding the hatred in check is the seemingly eternal resolve of Jews to survive, backed up by the military preparedness of the Israeli state, and what has been – at least until now – the strong, unequivocal support of the U.S.

Since Israel became a nation in 1948, it has not always instituted the best policies towards its neighbors, and the Palestinian question remains a burning issue that needs to be resolved. But each time that Israel makes a significant concession such as, for example, giving up control of the Gaza Strip, retaliation from within the newly acquired Palestinian territory occurs – this time in the form of rocket attacks upon Israel.

That is why the embargo on shipping into Gaza is in effect, and that is why world leaders need to back off from their one-sided views of The Middle East situation vis-à-vis Israel.