Moved to tears
by neighbors
When Haddonfield fire trucks, emergency vehicles, school buses roar past my house to the high school gymnasium, happy sirens blaring their announcement of another state championship for our cross country, or basketball, or swimming team, I cry. When the haunting sound of Taps echoes over the high school to end our town’s annual Memorial Day salute to America’s heroes, I cry.
When the red-white-and blue patriots of Roberts Avenue carry their 20’ x 40’ Old Glory down Kings Highway, saluting America in all its majesty on Independence Day, I cry.
I cried the other night when Haddonfield in every shape, size, age, and gender lined up at the microphone in borough hall to say “No” to high-density development on the historic Boxwood Hall site, “No” to chopping down 400-year-old boxwoods; “No” to building parking lots on a stream where decades of children have played; “No” to hours of testimony from ”experts” dressed in uniforms of the marketplace; “No” to experts on traffic, engineering, historic preservation, and affordable housing; “No” to “experts” who said this development was good for Haddonfield. All waiting their turn to speak, ordinary citizens of Haddonfield came in their sneakers, they came in ponytails. They came from little houses on Lake Street and historic houses on Washington Avenue. An Eagle Scout from the high school came to speak against this “desecration,” so did representatives of Preservation Haddonfield, so did a man who told of playing in the stream as a child. Revered volunteer, researcher, and author on historic Haddonfield, Kathy Tassini, rallied the audience to cheers: this proposed development — she called it “a slap in the face to the volunteers,” who have spent thousands of hours in developing our town’s master plan and zoning standards.
No. No. No.
When the Zoning Board voted a unanimous “No” to the proposal, I wanted to stand up and cheer. I wanted to hug the world. You gave me a new Haddonfield high, my neighbors. I cried.
Mary T. Previte
We’re all in
the same boat
Typically, the incoming governor finds the state of the state worse than expected; but he deals with the hand he’s been dealt. So far, he’s uncovered some unbelievably sleezy situations, and he’s trying to figure out how they got that way.
Try this example: A state worker who just retired paid $124,000 over the years into the retirement plan; and it paid off very handsomely, for 3.5 million. That’s better than the lottery on an average day; it’s sickening, and we’re all jealous; but, it’s either black magic or corruption.
Good luck young Christie, keep up the good fight.
Unfortunately, it’s crunch time in river city again. I refer to the coming negotiations between the police, teachers, and our commissars. Their high-priced union gang from Trenton, will go against our high-priced lawyer, with no holds barred.
These days everything must be on the table.
Speaking for this overtaxed payer, in light of the recession we are all enduring, a pay cut is appropriate. In lieu of a pay cut, large scale givebacks in pensions and longevity benefits would also be appropriate. We can hardly ask town workers for 10 percent cuts, and treat police and firemen differently. Our negotiator shouldn’t argue for anything less. It’s not just my humble opinion. Why should any union workers get capped 4 percent raises; when retired military and Social Security recipients are capped at zero? These people work for us; it’s senseless to keep raising their wages when it’s an automatic tax raise for all of us. Workers will have to increase productivity, until we’re out of this recession, otherwise it’s just an inflationary spiral. Let’s get real gang; we are all in the same boat, it’s time for all of us to start rowing in the same direction. When you’re out of work, it’s a long time waiting for the tide to raise all boats, and time for all of us statewide to do more with less; or we’re all going down together.
Half a loaf is always better than none.
Joe Welsh
