According to a Headline on Yesterday’s Front Page Star-Ledger . . .

. . . “Christie’s GOP star dulled by aid vote.” 

Apparently the editor either does not appreciate or overlooks the fact that, in the natural world, a star derives its bright light from its own internal source of energy – not extraneously.  So it is with Governor Christie.

In a TV interview aired on January 2, Governor Christie responds
to the failure of the U.S. House of Representives to vote for the
full amount of a bill which would have provided funds for
Hurricane Sandy related recovery efforts.  (Screenshot:/Bergeron Image)

 

The newspaper story hypothesizes that Governor Christie may have had his “star dulled,” as a result of the forceful manner by which he stood up to the U.S. House of Representatives – in particular, GOP Speaker John Boehner, who   
procrastinated on a vote for the full $60.4 billion sought for disaster relief and recovery in the tri-state area.

A gaggle of ungrateful GOP congressmen from the Midwest also got their noses slightly out of alignment, citing – by their own definition – so-called ‘conservative’ principles:

His Swagger Radiates no Sweetness.

Observers have seen it dozens of times:  Our slim President’s athletic, waist-level fist-pumping jog down the steps of Air Force One – alone, confidently smiling, immaculately dressed in a dark business suit,  complementing shirt and silk necktie – jauntily disembarking from the boarding ramp.

It’s the vision of a U.S. chief executive completely in control of the ship-of-state, a position from which he has not been reluctant to use the full power conferred on him by the electorate. 

After the 2012 national election, the President invoked his assertion that the entirety of Americans had indisputably endorsed him to fix culpability on anyone in the Congress who doesn’t concur with his re-election ‘mandate:'

A Touch of Faith

Monday night, in the courtroom of the Bridgewater Township Municipal Complex, the annual re-organization of the Township Council; the selection of the new Council President; the swearing-in of a Councilman; and the appointments of personnel to various boards, commissions, councils, and committees were the order of business.

The evening culminated with delivery of the 2013 State of the Township Address by Mayor Dan Hayes.

But, in this brief blog post, I would like to put a different twist and emphasis on another aspect

New Election Process, New Board, New Faces

Thursday night, in the Wade Administration Building of the Bridgewater-Raritan School District, two newly elected Board Members, Jacqueline Barlow and Aaron Kurdyla, were sworn in to their three-year posts. 
 
Patrick Breslin, who was re-elected to another term, was selected by a unanimous vote of his colleagues to the post of Board President. 
 
Jill Gladstone, current board member, was elected by her peers to the position of Board Vice-President, with Lynne Hurley casting the only ‘nay’ vote.

Sunrise . . . Sunset . . .

Congratulations, Bridgewater!  We’ve made it through another year.  Although I think that 2012 has been good for many people, perhaps the reality is that it has been an unusually difficult period for most.
 
The Great Recession of 2007/2008 refuses to release its grip, causing financial and emotional pain; and, a great October storm has devastated the New Jersey coastline, seriously disrupting the lives of our neighbors along its length.
 
Nationally, the never-ending cat fights in Washington between the Oval Office and the Congress vis-à-vis the crisis of a non-existent budget, the enacting of temporary financial fixes, and the runaway level of debt – all foreshadow a deepening paralysis of leadership in our nation’s Capital.