The Times of Trenton Op-Ed

Personal views on local news & more

• Growing economic crisis
he current financial debacle, and the reality that all taxpayers will be saddled with the burden of the government's $700 billion-plus bailout of financial institutions, has caused the November election to become intensely focused on the economy.

• Common good precedes profit
The current market crisis has put the federal and state governments on the fiscal defensive. Headlines trumpet massive bailouts of the private sector and mid-course corrections in revenue anticipations and spending priorities.

• Obama's Foreign Policy
Supported the Iraq invasion?

• A matter of degrees:
Recent controversy in the Freehold Regional High School District brought to light the growth of diploma mills --unaccredited institutions that award "degrees" for work that is sub-par in terms of quantity and rigor.

• How to vote informed
The League of Women Voters of Lawrence Township is pleased to offer tips to vot ers on how to choose a candidate in the upcoming election.

• Show voters the money
As a New Jersey county political party chair who supports the ethics reform package recently put forth by Gov. Jon S. Corzine, I may be an exception to the rule.

• Message to Democrats:
e are now into the vi cious segment of the campaign, with Republicans accelerating their reckless at tacks in hopes of luring Democrats into constant demurrers and pleas of innocence. To their detriment, Democrats take the bait all the time, obediently responding to the wrong question. Such as, "Well, isn't the surge working? Wasn't McCain smart and tough to recommend it?" Backpedalling, the Democrats concede that, oh, OK, so maybe it looks like it was the right thing to do after all.

• The 'Wall Street bailout':
ast Friday, Wall Street and Congress threw a party with lots of back-slapping, toasts and self-praise for heroic and decisive action to save America from financial Armageddon. But before the celebration was over, the Dow dropped again, as Wall Street positioned itself for the next crisis: rising unemployment coupled with increasing credit card defaults.

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• To control health-care costs,
n an interesting paradox that we often see in health care, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey was attacked for fulfilling its obliga tion to provide access to affordable health care for its customers -- Steven Altschuler, president of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), wrote the attack in his opinion article "BCBS wants to limit access to care for N.J.'s sickest kids" (Sept. 30).

• Boot financial wizards, invest in America
Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson along with Federal Reserve Board Chariman Ben Bernanke offered to solve all of the current Wall Street credit problems. Their solution: Congress remits to them a blank check payable for $700 billion. That's slightly less than $2,300 from every man, woman and child in the United States. To paraphrase a member of Congress, "it's like a paying an arsonist to put out the fire."

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• U.S. Afghanistan policy
Afghanistan looks to be a conflict equivalent to the financial black hole that seems inexorably to be sucking in one pillar after another of the American economy. Afghanistan's unraveling is, like the economy's, a consequence of deliberate policy choices of the conservative movement's blinkered ideologues from the very first year of the Bush administration.

• On at least one issue,
hursday's televised vice- presidential debate was watched by millions of Americans. Prior to its start, there were more than a few who sus pected that the Republican nominee, Sarah Palin, would fare poorly when she was required to match wits with her Democratic counterpart, Joe Biden. As I told friends before the debate, I was not one of them.

• A capital idea:
would like to discuss the idea of a "super library" for the City of Trenton, an idea proposed by Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer during a news conference Sept. 16. To date, there has not been much talk about the idea nor has there been opposition to it. The strongest community opposition has been directed at the proposed library branch closures.

• Looking over the abyss:
There are many words in the English language that have dual meanings, but the duplicity of one word, "oversight," is at the heart of the singular most important debate of our time. Our economy is in shambles, in large part due to the lack of oversight by our government, which allowed this perfect storm to brew without tak ing any definitive action. It seems, however, that there has been plenty of oversight -- of the "Oops, I guess that one got by me" variety.