Hopeful

It's been a week for hope, hasn't it? No matter how you voted, you have to be hopeful about the future. Despite the meltdown of our economy and all the other bad news, we managed to elect a new president by a healthy majority (no recount, no bitterness)and make history in the bargain. Nothing to complain about there! I know this is the honeymoon period but after the long election we need a few weeks to just feel good about the fact that at least this part of the system still works.

I try to avoid politics here because it's become such a viciously divisive issue in our country. The second you open your mouth you've alienated half of your friends and family without even trying. But I think we're in agreement that we wish Barack and Michelle Obama and their daughters all the very best this world has to offer.

I did a little digging around in our township's records and found out that over 80% of our registered voters consistently turn out during presidential years while over 50% turn out in non-election years. The 50% needs work but that 80+ is worth celebrating.

By the time we reached the last week of campaigning I had turned off our phones and barred the door. Don't even get me started on Frank (I'm 84 and I hate all of you) Lautenberg's run for re-election to the Senate. No more Leonard Lance's Trenton Dance! No more Linda Stender is a Spender nursery rhymes to the tune of Yankee Doodle Dandy! I was so deeply disgusted that I ended up voting for the Independent candidate, Greco, who was running on the Full Breakfast Party. And no, I'm not kidding. The man likes his ham and eggs. To paraphrase his website, "The only place pork belongs is on your breakfast plate."

Judge for yourself:

Anti-Leonard Lance




Anti-Linda Stender




Pro-Dean Greco




And people wonder why NJ politics has such a bad reputation.

One other thing before I close the politics vault for another four years: what's with these ridiculously long and expensive campaigns anyway? I started thinking about the absurdity of it and this thought hit me: let's say you work at McDonald's. You hear about a job that might be opening up at AT&T for lots more money and prestige. You go to your McDonald's manager and say, "I'm going to try for the job at AT&T so you won't be seeing me for awhile. It will probably take a year or two until I know whether or not I get it. So hold this job open for me, 'kay? And by the way, keep those paychecks coming."

Something is very wrong out there. Three senators on the presidential ballot and all three were absent from the Senate for most of the last two years while they pursued bigger and better. That's 's another change we need to think about somewhere down the road.

But for right now, three cheers for us! We did ourselves proud.