Municipal Madness

The council meeting yesterday afternoon was a combination of a zoo and a circus. Councilman Bethea rambled on and on and on about he is left out of the loop. Meetings take place and he is not invited. Probably because he's a boring person who cannot get to the point in less than thirty minutes. As to reducing the salary paid the honorable mayor - the chances of this scheme passing are slim, but how else are we to get the attention of the honorable mayor? Since this is not the CAINE MUTINY, Council cannot say," Mayor Mack you have no authority in this city, leave your office and return to your home immediately." Like it or not, we have to tolerate this guy for the next twenty-eight months. The kicker though was the announcement that Council President McBride wants the entire second floor cleared of the public whenever council goes into executive session. The reason for this piece of merda is that the members of the public overheard members of council yelling at each other!! The are a couple of ways to solve this problem. The most obvious one is don't yell at each other. That's too simple. Another, the 0ne I prefer, is hold your damn executive sessions on another day. And lastly, stop already with the damn executive sessions. For a group of public officials who yap about transparency, you sure don't practice it. What are you discussing that's so secret??? As to clearing off the second floor; I ain't gonna do it. This time I will make a stink. It will make the front page of the Trentonian - I love it. The big, bad security officers dragging away the disabled senior citizen living on a fixed income. Anybody who is interested in seeing pathetic in action, make the next council meeting.

Civil Disobedience

These are the times that try one's soul - not very original, but useful. Blogolanders, more and more of us are upset, disappointed, disgusted, with our current municipal government. We spend a lot of time, probably too much time, bitching and moaning, and not enough time really doing. The recall was true action. It did not work. We do, however, have another opportunity. Remember the Occupy Wall Street group? We even had some here in Trenton. They were engaging in what is known as, "civil disobedience." That's when citizens announce they will do something - usually disruptive - and then do it. This activity is held in high regard by many. Blogolanders in Trenton, this is a call to arms. The first quarter of this year ends on Saturday, March 31, so city government is back in business on Monday, April 2. Taxes are due. Why don't we all converge on city hall (prepared to pay our taxes) and just occupy the place until the Honorable Mayor gets off his high horse and listens to us. If not, we stay put. We will get great publicity. While there is a certain sarcastic tone here, I'm really not joking. I am totally pissed with, just one example, the lack of inspectors which not only keeps contruction at a crawl, but also denies the city funds earned from inspection fees. Oh, that part time plumbing inspector that the Honorable Mayorable promised us - he never showed for work. Who's with me?

Civil Disobediance

Very Strange Bedfellows

Most Blogolanders have heard the expression, "Politics makes for stange bedfellows." Yesterday evening I found myself with a very strange bedfellow. The Hon. Verlina Reynolds-Jackson!! She and I both agree that Trenton should allow McDonald's to build a place on the corner of Hamilton Avenue and Chambers Street so the owners can pay some $40,000 per annum in taxes. If the McDonald's plan was shot down, some religious group was next in line to bid on the property, and we all know how much in taxes religions pay - ZIPPO!! I doubt Ms. Reynolds-Jackson and I are thrilled with each other as bedfellows, but it does prove even those who are far, far apart philosophically can find common ground. Maybe there is hope after all for our council - seven people with eight adgendas.

What's Good About Trenton

L.A. Parker's column brought forth two snotty comments; I'm not sure why, because L.A. was right on the money. The STARS program at ArtWorks last Friday was very well done, there was some interesting art, a good sized crowd, and tasty munchies supplied by T.C. Nelson of Trenton Social. Too bad that our Honorable Mayor could not drop in for a few minutes to press the flesh. There are good things, positive things taking place in Trenton. Of course good news is nowhere near as sexy as bad news. Blogolanders, many of you have heard the old adage, "It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness." A lot of people here in Trenton ARE lighting candles. I regret so many of you still prefer to curse the darkness. And moving out of Trenton is NOT the answer. Think for a moment - what if all those people who fled Trenton in 1968 just after the riot had stayed. Trenton would be a very different city today. Have a good week.

Fair Life

Well, Bloglanders, it seems one Vincent Giordano is in deep poop because he spoke a truth - LIFE IS NOT FAIR! Not very original since John Kennedy gave the same reply to a reporter during a press conference. News flash. Life is not fair. Life has never been fair. I doubt it ever will be fair. Let's think about fair using JFK as an example. He was rich, intelligent, charming, president; he also had his brains blown out when he was 46 years old. Was that fair? As my father once said, "All you can do is play the cards you've been dealt." I am not sure why people get all upset and angry when they hear the truth.

Accession Day/God Save the Queen

This is useless information from an anglophile. It's sixty years tonight that God has saved the queen. Elizabeth II has reigned for sixty years; this summer there will be celebrations for her Diamond Jubilee. She's only the second monarch to have reached this benchmark. Queen Victoria was the first in 1897; George III missed it by about nine months. As you know, Blogolanders, I am a royalist, but I also admit this is a form of government that outlived its usefulness. I would not be surprised, if the monarchy were quietly abolished when the present queen dies, although that could be years in the future. Her mother lived to be 101. The Australians are getting ansty; I believe Elizabeth II was told when she dies, Australia will become a republic. The Jamacians announced they would become a republic very soon. Possibly the entire commonwealth may just disappear; it, too, has outlived its usefulness. Sorry if I've bored you.

Hail and Farewell - Part Two

It seems the director of health and human services, Joseph Rubino, M.D., will be leaving his city job soon. Dr. Rubino is that odd creature in the Mack Administration - he cleared city council and was really appointed. None of this acting stuff. In the 18 months that Dr. Rubino served Trenton, he and I spoke perhaps four times. He was not happy when I said I thought Trenton could do away with health and human services. I'd like to see the county handle such a thing. He also took umbrage when I said there were certain diseases could be stopped if people did not engage in risky behavior. So, Blogolanders, as you've probably guessed he and I were not best buds. Yet, he's a nice guy, pleasant, amusing, bright, etc. So I wish him well.

Hail and Farewll - Part One

The Hon. Linda Feinberg announced she will retire soon. A number of Blogolanders will probably say, "Finally!!" These are people who did not agree with her decisions; if she had found in their favor, welllll, that would have been another story. Personally, I not only like, but also admire Judge Feinberg. When I first met her, she was still on the municipal bench in Lawrence. I was new to Probation working in Community Service; Judge Feinberg was one of the few judges who took the program seriously. I did not agree with all of her decisions, but that's my problem, not hers. She was, however, always the perfect professional. To my knowledge, she never said or did anything that embarrassed the majesty of the law. So, I wish her well.