Pressure Mounts on Washington; Deal May Be Close

For a moment, put yourself in the position of an American soldier serving in bone-dry Afghanistan and preparing to go on a dusty, life-threatening patrol with your buddies.

The President addresses the nation moments after this blog entry was posted. (TV Screenshot/Dick Bergeron)

Now, also imagine yourself hearing directly from Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, telling you that he cannot assure that your paycheck will be deposited in your account for you and your family because, “if the stale­mate in Wash­ing­ton is not resolved before the August 2nd dead­line, then he can­not guar­an­tee they will con­tinue get­ting their paychecks.”

Say what?

That is just how absurd and irresponsible this situation has become.  As of this writing, The Wall Street Journal and other legitimate financial sources are reporting that a deal is in the works between The White House and Congress.

Chaos and Confusion in the Nation’s Capital

Add uncertainty and fear over the unresolved battle over the level of the national debt, and the result is a toxic political brew that has spilled over into the rest of the country. 

The Nation's Capitol, as photographed from the Newseum.

Should the conflict between the President, Republicans and Democrats in Congress not be resolved by early to mid-August, (August 2^nd is said to be the baseline date for a resolution), the immediate problem becomes who gets paid first, because there would not be enough money to cover all obligations. 

What I dislike so much about this situation is the flippant use of the word ‘default,’ one which has been getting thrown about like so many hand grenades by politicians in an attempt to garner public support for their positions or to intimidate the opposing party into submission to its own point of view.

Board and Union to Push Restart Button

Howard Teichman signs in at the lectern Tuesday night, (Bergeron Image)

In a move that could resume stalled contract negotiations between the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education and the teachers’ union – the BREA – Board President Evan Lerner announced at this evening’s public meeting that both groups will meet informally next week.

Mr. Lerner’s announcement was prompted by a question from former Board Member and frequent meeting attendee, Howard Teichman, who queried Mr. Lerner to that effect during the public portion of tonight’s meeting. 

Up to this point, the Board and the union were at an impasse, after the Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association had previously asked for a mediator to be brought into the process.

The Revenge of the Markets?

Under some of the most trying economic conditions since the 1930’s, most state, county, and local jurisdictions are doing their best to get their financial affairs in order. 

Locally, the Bridgewater-Raritan School District is struggling to keep things going with less.  So are Bridgewater Township and Raritan Borough, as is Somerset County Government.  Similarly, despite much acrimony and dissension, the State of Jersey has passed a balanced budget.

"Should debt ceiling be raised" July 18-20 (Screenshot/ Dick Bergeron)

Compared to what is going on this morning in the Nation’s Capital concerning the political blood battle about raising the national debt ceiling and getting spending under control, the jurisdictions above are models of efficiency! 

In a very ironic twist, state, county and local governments throughout the U.S. have been to some degree forced to implement aspects of “cut, cap and balance,” the very proposal which passed by a wide margin in the U.S. House of Representatives this week, but was rejected by the Senate under threat of veto by President Obama.

The proposal would have required reductions in spending, a cap on future expenditures, and for the states to consider a constitutional amendment to balance the national budget, something that the State of New Jersey is already required to do under its own constitution.  

The Death of a Bookstore

A patient line of patrons at Borders, Bridgewater, NJ. (Bergeron Image.)

It came only as a mild surprise when two e-mails hit my inbox this afternoon – both from Borders. 

The first announced that beginning today, Friday 22^nd, the company was “Going out of Business.  Everything now up to 40% off original price.”  The other was from CEO Mike Edwards bidding goodbye and explaining the necessity for what is now a total liquidation.

This didn’t catch me off guard, because back in March of this year, when on a family visit to the Washington, D.C. area, Priscille, Denise and I drove to the White Flint Regional Mall in Bethesda, Maryland for a walk and some shopping.

Inside the mall, the windows of the Borders Books & Music store were plastered with signs announcing the final closure of that store location. 

B-R BOE Votes to Give Some, Keep Some

This evening, at a special meeting called to discuss and to act upon disposition of the $1,331,545 in additional school aid granted by the New Jersey Department of Education, the School Board for the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District voted unanimously to allocate $600,000 of that amount for immediate real estate tax relief for the taxpayers of Bridgewater and Raritan.

Raritan Boro President Greg Lobell, and Board Member Ann Marie Mead who represents Raritan on the B-R BOE, both look on as Raritan Mayor Jo-Ann Liptak exchanges greetings with Board President Evan Lerner, on Monday evening at the conclusion of the meeting.

The remaining $731,545 will, in the words of Board President Evan Lerner, be “rolled over” into the 2012-2013 school year which begins next July 1, 2012.  Simply put, that sum will be reserved until the Board of Education begins to put together the budget for the 2012-2013 school year, at which time it will decide how those funds will be used.

Had the board decided to spend any of the $1,331,545 in the current budget, it would have had to revise it and then seek its approval by the new County Superintendent of Schools for Somerset County who was appointed by the Christie Administration. 

Summer Visitors Finally Return

Nature’s visitors to my garden work just as hard to benefit from its presence as I do to maintain it.

I derive a lot of pleasure in anticipating the wide variety of winged creatures that feed among the butterfly bushes, the Russian sage, and the flowering spirea which are spread out among some of the other deer-resistant plantings – resistant, that is, at least up to this point!

Board of Education to Hold Special Meeting to Discuss Disposition of $1.3M

In a brief discussion this evening with Evan Lerner, President of the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education, he indicated that he is calling a previously unscheduled meeting for Monday evening, July 18, at the Wade Administration Building in Martinsville.  The time is tentatively set for 8:00 PM.

Board members Lynne Hurley & Evan Lerner in a moment of levity, as Assistant Superintendent Cheryl Dyer addresses a retiring educator on June 14, at the High School.  (Bergeron Image)

The purpose of that meeting is for the Board and its administration to discuss how it will allocate the $1,331,545 of additional school aid funding which the New Jersey Department of Education is providing to the Bridgewater-Raritan School District. 

That amount is over and above the original school aid which was included in the budget adopted by voters on April 27^th.

Governor Urges School Districts to Lower Real Estate Tax

According to data released today by the New Jersey Department of Education on its website, the Bridgewater-Raritan School District is slated to receive an additional $1,331,545 in school aid.  This is over and above the previous increase in school aid announced in March and built into the 2011-2012 School Budget which voters approved in April.

Board Members Lynne Hurley, Jill Gladstone, & Ann Marie Mead at June 14 meeting. (Bergeron Image)

However, it may come with a catch:  Governor Chris Christie is urging suburban school boards such as the one for the Bridgewater-Raritan School District to allocate those extra funds for real estate tax relief – not a bad idea, one which is wholly consistent with Christie’s conservative fiscal approach.

It would be gratifying should the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education see it that way as well.  At the moment, it’s unclear whether or not the Governor’s office will put any teeth into its request to use the added $1.3 million for tax relief, or whether it is merely a soft request.

Strike up the Band!

The orchestra warms up.  (Bergeron Image)

It was a perfect summer evening in Somerville on Friday, June 17.  As is usual, the antique cars were lined up along Main Street, and the sidewalks on both sides of our county seat’s thoroughfare were full of strollers enjoying the sights and sounds of their surroundings.  

The restaurants were doing a brisk business, with many of them offering street-side dining on tables set up just outside their establishments.

Mr. Larry Markiewicz, Conductor.  (Bergeron Image)

Further down by the old County Court House and the Jury Selection Building, the Somerset Valley Orchestra was tuning up for an outdoor performance on the lawn between the two buildings, and people were gathering and setting up their summer folding chairs in anticipation of a delightful evening.  And delightful it was.

Led by Mr. Larry Markiewicz, Conductor, a large group of area people were treated to a music fest where the weather, the setting, the performers and the audience all came together to create a pleasant evening of musical enjoyment.

Costco: a Model for the Economy?

For months the U.S. Congress has been sparring among itself over whether or not to raise the national debt limit.  Since both houses of Congress are no longer controlled by a single political party, the debate has raged on with no end in sight.  Unable to stand at a distance from the problem, President Obama has been reluctantly pulled into the fray.

Costco, at The Promenade, Bridgewater, NJ (Bergeron Image)

The issue is how to contain the seemingly irreversible spiral of national debt – currently in the trillions – that burdens our nation and threatens to stall the economy.

It’s not as if one could not have seen this problem building up.  The national government has been spending beyond its means for years.

Why not?  All that politicians needed to do was to keep borrowing printed money to cover their spending habits.  A war here, a war there and the economic costs begin to add up.  Afghanistan.  Iraq.  Libya.  Add to the mix all of the unfunded domestic programs and . . . . Well, I won’t keep annoying you with facts.

Which brings us to Costco.  I like its business model.  It’s not the place to go if you want to keep a tab running like the Feds do.  At the checkout, you are expected to put cash on the barrelhead (debit card’s the same thing), or you may use Costco’s own American Express vanity card. 

Happy Birthday, America!

Red barns and American flags seem to go well together.  They just do.  Can’t say just why.  It’s one of those intuitive things. 

By the side of the road, Route 25, in New Hampshire's Lakes Region

Maybe it’s because barns are a symbol of work; of storing up the summer’s harvest to last through the winter; a place to keep the hay dry for the herd; to keep the farm equipment out of the elements; to give the animals a place to have shelter and to keep warm during the cold winter months.

Maybe it’s because the American flag epitomizes the mind-boggling work and sacrifice that it took to grow this nation when, as one symbolic star after another was added to our banner, Americans labored to stitch one territory after another into a union of fifty United States unlike that of any other.

For me, that is the linkage between barns and the American flag:  each represents work, sacrifice, perseverance, personal utility, courage, and the pursuit of a common goal. 

The immigrants who founded this country on the east coast, followed by those who then pushed south and west to establish an agrarian society that eventually grew into a manufacturing and economic behemoth encapsulated those personal characteristics.