Jefferson & God

I was prompted to write this after reading the Declaration of Independence on July 4th. That liberating document was written by Thomas Jefferson – and by golly, hold your breath, – the man actually mentions God.

He does it at the beginning and end of one of our most defining national documents, signed by some of the most courageous patriots in this nation’s brief history.

According to Jefferson, it was “…the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God (that) entitled” the colonists to declare the reasons which caused them to bolt from the mother country across the Atlantic.

Jefferson continues, “We hold these truths to be self-evident,” among them, “. . . that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator (there’s that God word again) with certain unalienable Rights. . .”

After a long, yet pithy and eloquent argument, the document concludes with a declaration that “these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States.” That conclusion, according to Jefferson and his fellow patriots, is justified by “appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions.” (Third reference to God.)

Now, I don’t want to get all syrupy about this, but I’d like to remind all those bright minds in all those Ivy League institutions, as well as all the politicians afraid of uttering that three-letter word beginning with a capital “G” of this:

Thomas Jefferson and all the other brave souls who signed the Declaration of Independence put their own lives, those of their families and their personal fortunes at grave risk when they did so.

And they were anything but afraid to identify the source of their inspiration. Those men were – in the absolutely correct sense and proper usage of the term – politically correct.

Just something for a few people in D.C. and elsewhere in The Public Square to think about.

Honoring American Valor

The front page of Tuesday’s The Star-Ledger displays the color photo of an Iraqi soldier monitoring traffic in one of his country’s major cities as a red car whizzes by. The soldier is outfitted and well-armed in modern battle gear, undoubtedly designed and paid for with U.S. dollars.

On that day, June 30, 2009, Iraqis were justifiably celebrating “National Sovereignty Day.” It commemorates a treaty negotiated by the former Bush administration marking the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq’s cities, and their repositioning in outlying bases.

In the accompanying AP news story, an Iraqi citizen, Waleed al-Bahadili, is quoted as saying that Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds “are happy” for the U.S. troop pullout. Mr. al-Bahadili is not fond of the U.S. He believes that “The Americans harmed and insulted us too much.”

In Washington, this major milestone event has come and gone with not a peep from the White House: tens of thousands of American soldiers wounded and maimed in Iraq; some psychologically impaired; over 4,000 killed. And still not a peep from the White House.

In contrast, on that same day, the Courier News ran an uplifting local story about how two Americans from Perth Amboy, both former wrestlers from Rutgers Prep, produced a music video to honor all of America’s military veterans.

There was no talk about Iraqis bad-mouthing Americans or American troops – just a tale of two proud American citizens imagining what it must be like to serve this country with honor.

Here’s some advice for Waleed: You may have your country. I hope you have the courage to defend it yourself.

As for we Americans, we have another birthday to commemorate – the founding of the greatest successful assemblage of the world’s castaways ever witnessed – the USA.

Forgive me if I boast about our country. No one that I know has every pretended it to be perfect, or that America doesn’t make mistakes, some serious. But I’ve grown annoyingly weary of serial public apologies originating from the White House criticizing the American character in front of make-believe allies, while retrospectively denigrating U.S. integrity.

It’s soon to be the 4th of July. Celebrate. Be proud.

New Jersey, Taxes and Us – Imperfect Together

When I and my family moved to Bridgewater, New Jersey, in 1976, this state was just about to throw away its distinction of being one of the few states in the Union with no income tax. The ‘new’ income tax, we were promised, would reduce property taxes statewide, because local school districts would no longer be dependent upon them as the main source of funding.

That bad piece of legislation emanating from Trenton was inspired by coercion from our own NJ Supreme Court: The result would turn out to be just another broken promise by legislative power brokers sequestered on this side of the Delaware.

The New Jersey State Income Tax became simply another cash cow feeding the state treasury. Undaunted, real estate taxes continued their climb to become the nation’s highest: Homeowners would not see any effective structural relief.

Thirty-three years later, as Governor Corzine implements a legislatively approved $29 billion budget – admittedly $4 billion less than last year – New Jersey homeowners will get stiffed again as they watch the reduction of the homeowners rebate for low middle-income taxpayers, and its elimination for renters. The man from Goldman Sachs gets to suspend the property tax deduction for high income earners. For others, it’s dwindling down to $5,000.

In a prior post, I listed many of the things that I like about The Garden State. Today, I’m highlighting an element about its dark underbelly. There needs to be an ongoing public dialogue about the pros and cons of life in New Jersey, a naturally blessed state afflicted with so many mendacious politicians.

There are plenty of good ones out there – I wish they would prevail.

Can’t Put Time in a Bottle

Late Friday afternoon, after a round of errands and an appointment, I found myself on the patio catching up with a small 1993 book of thoughts and aphorisms put together with commentary by author Alexandra Stoddard. In it, she quotes the famous novelist Ernest Hemingway who wrote that, “Time is the least thing that we have . . . “

That comment arrested my attention, because I have a wholly opposite view; namely, that time is – unlike Hemingway’s notion – the most thing that we have. It remains the fundamental element with which we have to work.

Time is a benefit not of our own making, but presented to us freely to do with what we will. But it is the most finite of resources, bounded at each end by the unyielding markers of birth and death. Time, if used well, can become a solid foundation upon which we all may build the individual structures of our lives.

Focus and build well, friends. Enjoy the fleeting moments with those you care for and who care for you.

Thanks for checking in. May your days be abundant with the essentials that matter.

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(Enjoy Glen Campbell performing his plaintive rendition of Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle” on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC8bygMhrvs&feature=related)

Was It Just a Father’s Day Fluke?

If you found yourself at the Bridgewater Commons Mall on the Saturday before Father’s Day, you would have been hard pressed to think that there is a recession still swirling around us. The parking lots were full of cars; traffic was speeding in lanes around the perimeter; and, inside, it looked like the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.

Priscille has justifiably been after me to get a new suit (haven’t bought one since I left AT&T), and she had spotted some good advertised Macy’s values in the local press. When we arrived at mid-afternoon, Darryl, the associate in the men’s department, told us that a line of shoppers had formed at the very onset of the morning opening. At 3:30 pm, there was still no sign that shoppers were worn out.

It looked like there’s still plenty of money flowing in these parts. But I was quickly brought back to reality when Priscille told me of a conversation that she had with another wife, while waiting for us guys to try on our outfits.

The lady is a school teacher, and her husband had just been laid off: Both were shopping at Macy’s to buy him a business suit so that he would look his best at job interviews. Sort of brings everything back down to earth, doesn’t it?

I remember back in January, when the newly-minted Obama administration twisted every arm in Washington, intoning that billions in stimulus money would be needed to revive the economy. It would save or create three to three and a half million jobs we were promised.

Don’t bother about how to count all those ‘saved’ jobs. Employment numbers have since gone south steadily by the hundreds of thousands each month. On Saturday, we learned about one of those casualties at the Bridgewater Commons Mall.

If you are the one losing your job, the unemployment rate is 100%.