Guest Blogger - Emily Post

On Wesdnesday, the The Trenton Times published a letter from one Maria Kelly who was in a snit because the Dishonorable Mayor was not permitted to address council and the public on August 15.  Blogolanders, he was on the agenda.  He was sucheduled to speak just after the opening ceremonies.  He was NOT there.  No one seemed to know when, if at all, he would appear.  Councilman Muschal did the right thing - he moved the agenda forward to public comments.  The Dishonorable Mayor finally appeared and stood in the door.  According to Ms. Kelly, council was rude not to stop public comments and allow the Dishonorable Mayor to speak.  Bullshit!!!  He was late.  He was rude by being late.  He forfeited his place on the agenda by being late.  If he had manners, he would have taken a seat and waited till public comments were over and then apologized to all.  But instead, he stomped off to his office.

If there is one thing about Trentonians that drives me nuts, it is the inability to tell time.  This casual attitude toward being late.  I often wonder how many of use keep our jobs.  The fact is, Tony Mack was late and got what he deserved.

The Royal George

England's Royal George is a six-week old infant; Trenton's Royal George is Councilman Muschal.  Last week, several of my neighbors cut back and swept up the weeds along the curb on my block.  This week, Councilman Muschal and a helper arrived to cut back three overgrown lots.  George also trimmed several trees.  It was a lot of work - about six hours,  give or take.  Everything looks neat and tidy.

Blogolanders, in an ideal world, the local government should take care of tasks like this, but we do not live in an ideal world.  We live in a city that is broke in a state that is short of cash, with a municipal administration that leaves much to be desired.  In a little more than eight months, we will elect a new mayor and a new city council. 

Before voting, Blogolanders, PLEASE DEMAND of all candidates their plans to solve the various city problems, and I don't mean vague answers like, "We need more jobs;" We have to improve our eeducational system;" We have have increase our tax base;" We have to fight crime."  No shit!  But how?  That's what, we the voters need to ask; that's what, we the voters need to know. 

And where a candidate was born and raised, went to school, what sports played,  means nothing.  What plans the candidates have matters.   

Should you, the voters, decide not to go this route but instead follow the usual campaign crap, then do not bitch and moan if another group of losers gets elected. 

Trenton - The Twilight Zone?

Hello, Blogolanders.  It's been a long time since I've posted.  Several reasons why, too.  There was so much to comment on, I didn't know where to begin, and there have been some happenings within the family that took up my time.  Well, I'm back.  Not only have I read the papers, but I have also listened to the Dishonorable Mayor's press conference during which he blamed the Fourth Estate for printing negative news which, according to the Dishonorable Mayor, destroys the minds of our young.  It was some six minutes of bullshit and not even quality bullshit. 

I do not believe reporting the negative destroys young minds, saps their ambition, ruins their self-respect.  Hell, I,ve been reading The New York Times for over fifty years - you want the negative?  Read that paper.  In my humble opinion, what destroys young minds is watching adults ignore problems, watching adults refuse to discuss solutions, watching adults pass the blame, etc.

Here's a very personal example.  Back in 2005, I went to the UPenn Hospital for a zillion tests.  The final results were:  heart is fine, kidneys are fine, liver is fine, butt is fine.  The problem?  A small cancerous growth in my left lung.  Now, I could have decided to ignore that bad thing and concentrate on the good.  If I had, I wouldn't be here to enjoy all the good things so the doctor and I decided to concentrate on the bad - we solved the problem.  Here I am enjoying the good.  Including the lungs which function well enough. 

The Dishonorable Mayor should be concentrating on the negative.  Solving the problem(s).  Showing our young people how to find solutions.  Perhaps the media can have headlines that read, "Crime down XX% because Mayor Mack did X,Y, and Z."

We can have all parks we want, but if people do not feel safe in those parks, what good are they?  Instead of whining about the mess he found in city hall when he was elected (a mess he should have known about), Tony Mack should have been chipping away at those problems from the beginning.  All he has done since he took office is create more problems and make the existing problems worse.

I especially liked his answer to question about resigning.  Tony Mack is not resigning because he worked long and hard to get elected!!!  Who gives a flying f#$k?  Campaigning is long, hard work.  You don't want to do it, don't run, but a hard fought campaign does not give one right to abuse the office which Tony Mack has done since Day One. 

So, Blogolanders, the Dishonorable Mayor is going nowhere soon.  I, for one, hope someday to see him driven off to a nice federal prison.  Of course, he'll blame that on negative press and warping young minds by showing an elected official being escourted away by federal agents.  Tony Mack lives in a strange world far removed from reality. 

Politically Incorrect Conservative

FROM THE FRONT STOOP posted an interesting piece about the summer food program here in Trenton.  I have long been against this program because I do not like to see food wasted.  There are people in this world, most of them in East Africa, who are starving - like they have NO food to eat.  While there have no reports of canabalism, I suspect it is because those who do starve to death have no meat on their bones to make it worthwhile. 

But this wasting of, "free food," predates the current administration.  Several years back while walking around the Cooper's Pool area, I was disgusted to see half eaten sandwiches, pieces of fruit, containers of milk just tossed on the ground.  Not only did these kids waste food, but they couldn't even be bothered to pick up after themselves. 

I suspect little has changed.  For half a century now I have listened to Liberal bullshit about helping, providing, doing, giving, understanding, etc., etc., etc.  Nothing has gotten better; in fact, things have gotten worse.  Anyone who can afford to throw food away does not help.  Anyone who can afford a Direct TV dish does not need help.  Anyone who can afford to sit on the front steps all day does not need help. 

Just Dreaming

Well, Blogolanders, it seems the Dishonorable Mayor sent off a letter to the governor asking for money to hire more police.  This is a request with which I have no great objection, but, and here's where the dreaming comes in, I'd pick up the phone and tell him, "The minute you resign, I'll be down the street with a check!"  Our Dishonorable Mayor claims to love Trenton, to want the best for Trenton, to do the best for Trenton. 



You see, Blogolanders, considering how this administration has pissed money away (like for Heritage Days, and silly lawsuits,  and incompetent staff), I wouldn't give Trenton ten bucks  much less ten mill.

This is just a dream. 

No Joy for Jo-Jo

According to the newspapers, Jo-Jo is now confined to his house in Ewing except for strict exceptions.  Good.  I've long suspected the guy is a fake.  There he is cluching his oxygen tank with one hand and a cigar with the other.  Any pulmonary specialist worth his salt would have told Jo-Jo to shit can the cigars long ago.  He should also be on strict diet to knock off some of the lard which is not helping his breathing.  And he should probably be in a pulmonary rehab program.  COPD cannot be cured, but it can be controlled and the qualitity of life greatly improved - I'm a prime example of that.  So my advice to Jo-Jo is, "keep your freakin mouth shut." 

To Protect & Serve????

Back in 1999 when Mayor Palmer decided he wanted a police director rather than a chief of police, I was against the scheme.  My prime objection was that the police department would become a political football - and it did!  I wasn't crazy about Joe Constance, BUT I must admit he was not one to take crap.  The final vote was very close - 51% to 49%.  When the police began to bitch and moan,  they were not happy when I pointed out if more of them lived in Trenton, and voted, Mayor Palmer would have lost.  Blogolanders, if most of the police lived in Trenton, they would be one hell of a voting block.  They police rarely see it that way.  And Blogolanders, I have my own horror stories about the Trenton P.D.  Any sympathy I may have had, vanished years ago.

I do not, however, believe the half-assed police protection we now get is a racial issue; I believe it is an organization that is pissed and will do as little as possible.  Yes, they are shorthanded.  But Trentonians have also contributed to the problem.  We could have 5,000 officers and so long as some Trentonians run around with unlicensed guns and shoot each other just for fun, we will have crime. 

Think for a moment - if Trenton were to introduce a Stop & Frisk program there would be such a hue and cry about picking on young black males that the program would fail.  Any proaction would be labeled harrassment.  Example - one problem in my neighborhood is young people stopping in the middle of the street so the driver can talk to someone - usually a young woman.  I asked a police officer why they couldn't ask the driver to move - stop blocking traffic.  The answer?  We would be accused of harrassment.  Well, yeah.  Tough.  Don't block traffic. 

My issue with our current crime wave is mostly with the parents of these kids.  If parents behaved like parents and set boundaries and rules and regulations, Trenton would have fewer crimes.  Yes, there will always be kids who slip into crime, but we have far too many who slipped into crime because no one pulled them back. 

So I would really suggest that L.A. Parker write about poor parenting.