New Jersey Color

Along the Delaware River, near Stockton, New Jersey.

Weather conditions this year seem to have prepared the way for one of the best seasonal viewing conditions in memory.

Within the last week, a metamorphosis of autumnal color from the trees and shrubs of northern New Jersey has resulted in living scenes of brilliant change for everyone to enjoy.

 

When prompted by such beauty, I’m unable to resist the urge to pick up a camera.  Both photos in this post were taken during the latter part of the afternoon when the sun’s light grows softer and makes it much easier to obtain a good shot.

 

Subsequent software processing of digitized images significantly helps to correct exposure mistakes made while shooting.  As most of you may already know, it’s almost impossible to record an image as accurately as the human eye sees it.

Recreational Pot in NJ: A Misguided Endeavor

Yesterday, The Journal of Neuroscience released a study by medical researchers from Boston’s Harvard University and Chicago’s Northwestern University on the inherent dangers associated with recreational pot usage

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 The analysis concludes that even “light to moderate recreational use [of marijuana] can cause changes in brain anatomy.”  The study was conducted with youths in the 18 to 25 age bracket.  All participants were from the Boston area

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The results are quite disturbing.

 

This study calls into question the quality of judgment and the nature of research demonstrated by proponents in favor of legalizing pot consumption for recreational use in New Jersey.

Christie’s Grit

A report in today’s print edition of the Courier News provided a disheartening update on the bureaucratic mini-controversy caused by the lack of road salt in The Garden State. 

The problem was easily solvable:

(Screen Shot/Dick Bergeron)

 

 

There are 40,000 tons of salt purchased by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.  Yet all of it is still sitting in Searsport, Maine, ready to ship out.   

But that won’t happen thanks to the intransigence of some un-civil servant bureaucrats sitting securely in the offices of Homeland Security and those of the Transportation Department in Washington, D.C. – they enjoy saying no, you can’t have it.

According to the newspaper report by Larry Higgs, it would have been here by now, but officials in D.C. have refused to grant an exemption to the Jones Act.  That legislation prohibits cargo ships which don’t sail under the U.S. flag from carrying goods from one American port to another.

That law was enacted in 1920 mainly as a measure to protect American maritime jobs.  Exemptions are only granted in times of national emergency.  The Anastasia S. which isn’t registered in the U.S. was ready to sail with that salt.

Why Christie Will Win.

Governor Chris Christie, as he appeared
 in a CNN interview with Piers Morgan
 in February of 2012.
 (Credit: Dick Bergeron Screen Shot/CNN)

He is trustworthy; he speaks plainly; he keeps his word; he is credible; he shows up; he walks the talk; he is a good administrator; he builds coalitions; he does not cover up his mistakes; he is unafraid; he has the back of New Jersey; he projects confidence; he can speak on his feet; he eschews teleprompters; he does his homework; he has the mojo; he is imperfect; he knows it. 

His detractors hold a weak position.

In brief, he earned a second term as New Jersey Governor.

Simple as that.

Thanks for reading.  Enjoy the coming week.

Christie for Guv’

When a true-blue state like New Jersey gives its GOP governor Chris Christie a 67% favorability rating, it should come as no surprise that he recently decided to announce his bid for re-election to a second term.
 
Indeed, it is wholly consistent with Christie’s prior statements about his desire to remain here in The Garden State, and to see through as many of his priorities and goals as he can possibly implement. 
 
Earlier this year, despite all of the media attention about the possibility of his angling for the VP spot on the national presidential GOP ticket, Christie steadily refuted all claims to that effect
 
He was completely adamant and sincere about his statements that he is a Jersey Boy, that he loved his job and his state, and that he wanted to stay on the job right here.  I liked that attitude and still do.

Leadership in Action

Christie is a take-charge guy – a man of action.  He hasn’t been everyone’s hero since his election, but there is no denying his ability to act decisively.  Viewing his press briefing on TV this afternoon, I was amazed by the manner in which he spoke effectively for an extended period of time without notes or prepared text. 

Governor Christie's Saturday briefing.  (TV Screenshot/Dick Bergeron)

Just as impressive was his total recall of events; the people he spoke to; the places he visited; his non-partisan treatment of this emergency; and his total commitment to storm preparations.

Christie and his staff are communicating with all agencies and people who are tasked with roles in this crisis.  He has given credit to elected officials from both parties and has made it clear that politics has absolutely no role in this emergency. 

Even if some of you, dear readers, may not be particularly fond of some of the unpopular legislation which he has shepherded through the New Jersey Senate and Assembly, it’s hard not to admire the manner in which he is working to help The Garden State weather Irene, our decidedly unwelcome guest.

When I was recently vacationing in New Hampshire with family, I found out quite serendipitously how this man has made his mark well outside of New Jersey:   As I was walking back up the sidewalk of a mountainous hill overlooking the village of Meredith, NH after shooting photos in the neighborhood, I came across a local resident who accosted me, wanting to know what I was doing.

Where The Elements Dominate

Here in the central and northern reaches of New Hampshire, the weather rules and regulates the lives and fortunes of its residents – this is tourist country.

Businesses are dependent upon the vagaries of nature, whether it be balmy sunshine in the summer to warm the waters of deep spring-fed lakes; or, whether it be a consistent cold during winter to bring and to build the dense snowpack that beckons skiers north on I-93.

It’s good to get away, however briefly, from the highly populated eastern seaboard, and from the illusion which it tends to create that man is in complete control of his destiny. Less people, more space, and more time outdoors away from the large population centers of the BosWash corridor bring out a respect for the impact of nature.

It would be naïve and foolish to deny the significant progress which civilization has built up over the centuries; but, it would be just as foolish to deny how utterly irrational civilization has been in the destruction which it has brought upon itself through sloth, uncaring, and warfare.

We have built great economic systems and erected magnificent building and construction projects. But the mountains and valleys built by nature will survive long after the street canyons of cities like Manhattan and elsewhere in the world have disappeared.

Perhaps with a little common sense, less greed, and a touch of wisdom, our leaders could improve our economic and social systems and make them last a little longer.

(Photo by Dick Bergeron, Franconia Notch, N.H., August 4, 2009)

New Jersey's Own Very Old Bee

According to Hattie Ellis, author of Sweetness & Light, a history of the honeybee, the first concrete evidence of these very energetic social creatures was found in New Jersey. The proof was discovered preserved in the form of the oldest known such fossil, a female honeybee “entombed in the hard orange glow of amber.”

It’s thought that the presence of bees on this planet may go back to even before the existence of people, possibly before the existence of flowering plants upon which modern bees have come to depend for their existence through the production of honey.

These highly prolific insects have a favorably symbiotic relationship with the plants which they pollinate in gratitude for the nectar that is the source of their golden sweet product.

There are at least 22,000 named species of these little bugs, and they exist everywhere on the planet: From the Himalayas to the Arctic tundra and to all of the world’s climactic regions in between.

It wasn’t at all surprising, then, that I should have come across one of these busy little creatures making a momentary stop on one of the many flowers lining the boardwalk to the swimming beach. These creatures work fast – very fast. There is no wasted motion and no stopping to rest as they carry out their highly specialized task.

(Photo by Dick Bergeron, July, 2009)

Different States, Same Problem

Some of the budget problems faced by the Granite State are not so different from those of the Garden State. This week, the Concord (NH) Monitor reported that New Hampshire’s pension system has a shortfall of $3.4 billion on an asset base of $4.7 billion. That may be peanuts by New Jersey standards, but for a small state like NH, this shortfall represents a very low funding ratio of 59%.

Most New Hampshire state and local employees contribute 5% of payroll, while police and firefighters pay 9.3%. Any shortfall to the pension system is made up by NH cities and towns which are being stressed by the early 2009 drop in the stock market.

Unlike a 401K retirement plan, in which a participating employee assumes all risk for the ups and downs of the retirement portfolio, government pensions – like those in New Jersey – guarantee pension payments: No matter what happens to the value of the portfolio, the state, school boards, and local municipalities must ante up any deficit.

When it comes to the fiscal stability of its pension obligations, New Jersey has nothing to brag about. The State Management Report Card for 2008 by the Pew Center reports that “New Jersey faces a newly revealed $58 billion tab for post-employment retirement benefits – a whopper by anyone’s standards.”

The same performance report by the Pew Center gives New Jersey an overall evaluation of C. This grade is comprehensive and includes four components: Money, People, Infrastructure, and Information. The ‘People’ measurement received a grade of B. The other performance measurements pulled a C.

What I Like About New Jersey . . .

New Jersey has traditionally gotten a bad rap from outsiders. That’s mainly because most people 100 miles from outside any point of its borders know nothing about the Garden State, except what they have garnered from cynical late-night comedians or a drive-through on the northern end of the New Jersey Turnpike.

Many long-time NJ residents have come to focus on the shady side of this state – you won’t get any argument from me about the sad state of politics in this, what should be the proud third colony admitted to the Union.

This truly is a great state and an ideal place in which to live raise a family. I know . . . I know . . . I can see you gritting your teeth already and formulating choice expletives to fling at me. But look at it this way: Who made New Jersey what it is? That’s right: People – all of the schmucks and their sycophants who have misgoverned it.

For a state of its modest size, New Jersey’s geographic location has physical attractions and characteristics that rival those of many other states. And you are hearing this from a guy who was born, raised and educated in the heart of New England.

For example, the Delaware River which delineates our western boundary provides outstanding attractions, especially along the hills and valleys of the northwestern counties. The rolling landscape of Central Jersey features a balanced mix of businesses and residential communities.

To the east, there are over 100 miles of gorgeous shoreline that mid-westerners would die for. From the hills and valleys of the north, to the flatlands of South Jersey with its Pine Barrens that cover one of the largest aquifers in the east, New Jersey offers a living environment that is remarkable for such a compact state.

NJ has some of the best skilled, best trained, and motivated people in all endeavors of life. Just look around at all the acquaintances and friends you know who fit that description.

OK! There is the dark side also. If ever there is an example of what fallen man can do, the progressive misgoverning of New Jersey and its cities is a prime example. I sadly acknowledge that – and you will hear plenty about NJ’s shortcomings in other posts.

Today, I choose to walk on the sunny side of the street.

Congratulations, Garden Staters!

I found another online jewel in the tiara of the Somerset County Library: It’s called “Facts on File, the World Atlas.” Sounds boring, doesn’t it? But I like digging, so I started browsing, pulled up some numbers about New Jersey and a few other states, entered the data into an Excel spreadsheet, plugged in a formula, and here’s what came out:

Do you know that despite all of the lackluster governance at the state level; despite the highest real estate taxes in the nation; despite being at the center of one of this nation’s worst economic debacles; that we in New Jersey are – by one hard, irrefutable measure – one of America’s best economic producers?

That’s right, we are. According to figures from the U.S. Census bureau, New Jersey tops California, Texas and Florida when measured by Gross State Product per Capita, a prime economic indicator. Yup, we beat out three huge states which are much bigger than we are in population, land mass and, you would think, greater in economic power.

On a head-to-head comparison of economic output by citizen, we outdid all three. Per Capita GSP for New Jersey is $49.4 million per person, $4.92 M more than California; $7.61 M more than Texas; and $12.14 M more than Florida. Not bad for New Jersey where it seems at times that government is doing its best to de-incentivize so many of its citizens and businesses.

Those results prove that it’s hard to keep down a team of self-motivated citizens and businesses! Give yourselves a sound pat on the back, New Jerseyans. The facts corroborate it, and you deserve it.

Note: According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, “GSP is the state counterpart of the Nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), the Bureau’s featured and most comprehensive measure of U.S. economic activity.”

Archibald Cox II, Plainfield’s Native Son

Libraries are magnificent places. They are full of dreams and living history jumping out of books. The Bridgewater Library in particular – jewel of the Somerset County Library system – exemplifies what an effective public library should be.

After leaving with the book, Plainfield, New Jersey’s History & Architecture, by John Grady & Dorothe Pollard, I discovered a notation about one of Plainfield’s famous native sons, Archibald Cox II. The book is easy reading. It’s loaded with photos of Plainfield’s past and short explanations near each picture.

On page 49, I discovered a 1997 photo of Archibald Cox II, one of seven siblings who all lived in a big estate home on Rahway Road. Cox attended the Wardlaw Country Day School in New Jersey, followed by St. Paul’s college prep in New Hampshire, before progressing to Harvard and establishing his law career in the Boston area.

Cox eventually joined the Harvard faculty and established close ties with the Kennedys. He became an advisor and speech-writer for Senator John F. Kennedy. After JFK was elevated to the presidency, Cox became solicitor-general in his administration.

However, the most famous single moment of Cox’s career would come years later when, as Watergate special prosecutor in the Nixon administration, he was fired in what notoriously became known as the “Saturday Night Massacre.”

U.S. District Judge John Sirica had ordered Nixon to comply with Cox’s and the Senate Watergate Committee’s demand to release the Watergate tapes, but Nixon refused. Instead, Nixon counter-offered to have a senator listen to the tapes and to give Cox a synopsis of them which would be prepared with help from the White House.

Cox insisted on having the full tapes. As a result, a chain reaction of political blood-letting began when, on October 20, 1973, Nixon ordered his Attorney General, Elliott Richardson to dismiss Cox. Richardson, a Boston Brahmin, refused and resigned.

Next, Nixon called upon his Deputy Attorney General, William D. Ruckelshaus, who also refused and was promptly fired. Nixon then called upon the next highest ranking Justice Department official, Solicitor General Robert Bork who quickly carried out Nixon’s order and fired Cox. In 1974, the Supreme Court upheld Sirica’s order for release of all tapes and, under threat of impeachment, Nixon resigned.

Those were paradoxical times. Not only was there deception at the highest levels in the White House, but there was also accountability and integrity by other high-level people in Nixon’s administration who would not yield to corrupt practices under pressure from the president who had appointed them.

New Jersey can be exceptionally proud of Plainfield’s Archibald Cox II. Where, in New Jersey and in Washington today, are the people in high public office with his and his colleagues’ fortitude and political integrity?