Page 4 Thursday, August 23, 2012 The Westfield Leader The ... · the budget for this project from...

Page 4 Thursday, August 23, 2012 The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION

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Letters to the EditorABCDICTIONOPQRSTDECEPTIONUVWXYZ

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DDDDDiction Deception

Letters tothe Editor

Work Is Needed Now on The PotableWater Piping System in Our Area

Sick and Tired of Whiny, SelectiveCatch Phrases; Debate the Real Issues

Editor’s Note: The following e-mailwas sent to Robert Hanna of the NewJersey Board of Public Utilities(BPU), Peter Eschbach and RichardBarnes of New Jersey American Wa-ter and copied to this newspaper.

Here’s the summary of what I’mwriting to the BPU (includingwww.bpu.state.nj.us/bpu/assistance/index.html) regarding water mainbreaks that have infrastructure (andlife) risks.

You approved a huge rate increasefor NJ American Water (NJAW) twoyears ago. This was and is to includeupgrading (including repair) NJAW

piping systems. How’s that programgoing? It’s easily evident that oldrules (laws) are unfair today. NewJersey has the BPU to administerutilities fairly. You and NJAW need toget work done right now for our fu-ture and not according to wrong rules(laws) of 100 years ago!

My water bill, like all my utilitybills, is paid automatically on the duedate because I’ve trusted. Do we needto stop our trust to make furtherpoints?!

Harry McNally, P.E.Fanwood

Regarding The Leader’s August 16,2012 article “Comments by GOP andDem Officials on the selection of PaulRyan as the Vice-Presidential candi-date,” I have the following to say.

I am sick and tired of whining withselected catch phrases such as: endMedicare as we know it, privatize So-cial Security, Bain Capital, tax cuts forthe rich, Right Wing social engineer-ing, radical schemes and burdens onthe middle class and seniors.

Medicare, as well as Social Secu-rity, will end as we know it anywaybecause they are going bankrupt. TheDemocrats refuse to address this. Stopwith the Bain Capital because Rom-ney wasn’t even with the firm when alltheses supposedly bad things hap-pened. What about those supposed taxcuts for the rich? It is my understand-ing that the tax cuts are for everyonethat pays taxes. Maybe we should getthe almost 50 percent of the popula-tion that doesn’t pay taxes to pay sometaxes so they have skin in the gameand they understand life isn’t free.Give me a break about this social en-gineering. This shouldn’t even be no.10 on a list of the top 10 things thatneed to be addressed before this coun-try falls apart. Everything the Repub-licans want to do is a radical scheme.Republicans are for dirty water, dirtyair, senior citizens with no food orhealth care, and women with no rights.That’s right. Scare everyone so theycan vote Democrat.

Why don’t we talk about $760 bil-lion in stimulus spending that disap-peared on things like Solyndra, whichjust happened to be a company backedby an Obama fundraiser? The federalgovernment could have suspended fed-eral income taxes for as long as it took

to add up to $760 billion. It wouldhave been the same debt, but the citi-zens would have had the money intheir hands. That money would havepoured back into the economy basedupon how we wanted to spend it. Ohno, our representatives believe theyknow how to spend it better like onSolyndra!

My first Presidential election was1980, and I got to vote for what Ibelieve was one of the best Presidentsof the 20th century. I was too young tobe affected by the Carter administra-tion, but I remember how it felt to seethe adults around me struggling. Ittook two years for Reagan to turn thatmess around. Like Kennedy beforehim, he cut taxes. He was positive onAmerica and Americans. This led to20 years of prosperity and growth.

I dare the Presidential candidates tohave one-on-one debates. No modera-tors with their stupid questions. Letthe candidates ask each other ques-tions and demand concise answers forall questions asked. Have real timefact checking on the answers so fol-low-up questions can be asked andanswered. Maybe then the people willreally understand what is going on.This type of debate should be manda-tory from now on. There should be atleast five or six of them. They shouldbe televised prime time and all net-works should have to broadcast themas part of their FCC license require-ments.

Note to the federal government: Getout of the way so we all can prosper!

Note to citizens: You are respon-sible for the decisions you make inyour life!

Anthony ScaglioneWestfield

$17-Million Bond, Roofs ReplacementAnd Turf Field In WF Are Necessary

Leader Editorial Hit Mark onInefficient, Wasteful Overspending

Bravo to The Westfield Leader onlast week’s editorial entitled “FreeMoney Follies.” Your words truly hitthe nail right on the head by showingall the inefficient and wasteful over-spending in which governments en-gage in this endless search for “freemoney.” Essentially, the federal, state,and county governments tax awayour citizens’ wealth, then dribble somesmall fraction of that money back tomunicipalities in highly restrictive,targeted grants meant to promote ourengagement in model behavior. I be-lieve these grants do not save us anymoney at all, but, rather, leave us allworse off than if we had just kept ourown money to begin with.

The recently approved bonding forGarwood’s proposed Athletic FieldComplex (AFC) is a perfect case inpoint. Our council recently increasedthe budget for this project from $2.1million as recently as 2007 to $3.257million now. Baked into those num-bers are about $1 million in UnionCounty Open Space and New JerseyDepartment of Environmental Pro-tection grants. In order to qualify forthese grants, our mayor and councilare prepared to increase our borough’sdebt a staggering 58 percent! Whenall is said and done, each dollar of“free” grant money the borough isgoing to receive for this project isgoing to cost it at least $2, and, Ibelieve, perhaps $3 or even $4. Thatmakes “Open Space” and “GreenAcres” the four most expensive words

in Garwood.My cynicism is caused by the fact

that we are already 50 percent overbudget on a project for which wehave not even broken ground. In ad-dition, Garwood had budgeted $100K in preliminary planning and ex-ploratory costs, but spent a total of$237 K – a 137 percent cost overrun.And now we are supposed to believethat this AFC project will be com-pleted at or actually below its new$3.257 million budget. Unfortunately,through its council votes and over-spending, Garwood has announcedits checkbook is open and taxpayerswill be on the hook for any and allfuture cost overruns.

Your editorial and my words aboveonly address the cash cost of thesefree money follies. It doesn’t countall the wasted time, voluminous pa-perwork, and onerous compliancewith government regulations, to proveyour town exhibits the socially re-sponsible behavior these governmentgrants inefficiently seek to promote.In Garwood, that bureaucratic groundwar has caused a 12-year delay in ourAFC project. How do you even beginto quantify more than a decade of lostenjoyment of these facilities by ourresidents and their children while wechased after these grants?

Again, kudos to your publicationfor getting just how expensive freemoney really is.

James MathieuGarwood Councilman

I have been following discussionabout the Westfield School District’sbond referendum with interest. Basedon the information I have gathered, Ibelieve that both the roof replace-ments and development of a turf ath-letic field are necessary capital im-provements. Furthermore, with bondinterest rates at an all-time low, cur-rent bonds maturing and rolling offthe books, and construction costsmore reasonable than we’ve seen inmany years, this is the right time, atthe right cost, to take these improve-ments on.

The Board of Ed has tried to main-tain deteriorating roofs for years,under tight budgetary constraints.Having explored other options to havethe roofs repaired or replaced at lowor no cost, the board has determinedthat there is no other option than toreplace the majority of school roofsurfaces which are, on average, over20 years old and are out of warranty.

The increase in the population ofchildren over the past 10 years, andthe huge rise in sports team participa-tion, has put a strain on the safety,

availability, and condition of thedistrict’s and the town’s fields. In-stalling a multi-use, lighted, turf fieldat Westfield High School makes a lotof sense. In contrast to the currentgrass field, the proposed turf fieldwill have a safer playing surface, andwill be useable in the evenings andimmediately after rainstorms.

Given current low bond interestrates, the maturation of existingbonds, and the favorable pricing inthe construction industry, the pro-posed bond would cost the averageWestfield homeowner only an incre-mental $45 a year in taxes. That’s lessthan one regular cup of Dunkin’ Do-nuts coffee a week for a whole year.For those incremental $45 per home-owner, the town’s children will havesound roofs over their heads, and asafer, more useable, field for a vari-ety of team sports. Sounds like abargain to me. So please vote Yes onMonday, September 24, and supporta smart investment at the right time.

Susana MacLeanWestfield

State Investigation ofKean U. Is WarrantedI am the parent of a Kean Univer-

sity senior and also the person payingher tuition. Have I and all the parents/students been duped by fraudulentactions of this university? First, didn’tthe president mislead the board hir-ing him by having false informationon his resume? Second, didn’t theboard support the president with avote of confidence in keeping him onwhile throwing ethics out the win-dow? Third, the university surelyknew what was required in meetingthe audit so why didn’t they use thetime to properly fix these problemsahead of time to avoid all of thismess? Fourth, I am troubled that eventhe newspapers are hinting of politi-cal influence within the university sois there nepotism in place for jobs,services or political support?

I think that there is enough to war-rant a state investigation into the ac-tions and practices of the university.Hopefully, such an investigation willbe transparent and not try to hide anyblemishes that are continually show-ing up with this administration.

Bob FoxScotch Plains

Answers to last week’s arcane words.1. Brummagem – Anything cheap and

gaudy such as imitation jewelry2. Vafrous – Crafty or cunning3. Diaphanous – Transparent or trans-

lucent4. Bawbee – A half penny or small coin

Below are four arcane words, eachwith four definitions – only one is cor-rect. The others are made up. Are yousharp enough to discern this deception ofdiction?

If you can guess one correctly – goodguess. If you get two – well-read indi-vidual. If you get three – word expert. Ifyou get all four – You must have a lot offree time!

All words and correct definitionscome from the board game DictionDeception.

CACHINNATE1. To annoy, torment or delay2. To infatuate3. To shackle, to chain4. To laugh loudly or too much

SCORPER1. A jeweler’s gouging tool used for

engraving metal2. A homeless person; a beggar3. A lecher or lewd person4. An expert on social behavior among

ethnic groupsVOGIE

1. In the know; up to date2. Cheerful; merry3. Mischievous; devilish4. Fussy

VITRIC1. Bubbling over with enthusiasm2. Potted or pitted3. Enraged; on the verge of insanity4. Having the nature of glass

Garwood Group EndsRecall Effort

To: Ms. Ariemma, Borough Ad-ministrator of Garwood

The committee to recall Council-man Jim (James) Mathieu has comeup short on retrieving the sufficientnumber of signature of Garwood reg-istered voters. Therefore we will notbe submitting the petition and apolo-gize for utilizing the borough’s ser-vices and administration for this losteffort.

Thank you for the time you gave usfor the careful guidance of our com-mittee.

Bruce PatersonGarwood

Candidates Should Face the PublicAnd Forget Nasty Party Politics

Political campaigns at one time seemed fun, al-though perhaps silly at times. There were hoopla,balloons and blustering. Campaign buttons werepassed out – many with pleasant themes, such as “ILike Ike.” Even retrospect buttons were distributed.

One favorite notes, “Don’t Blame Me, I Voted forBret Schundler.” Even buttons for local candidatesappeared with simple slogans – “I Walked forWestfield.” Buttons seem to have disappeared. Now,malicious videos, commercials, mailings and lawnsigns dominate. As most campaigns for office arenasty, the voters are turned off.

Candidates in the past seemed anxious to meet thepublic and provide their thoughts on issues. This isnot so today in the nation. The public also seems not

to want to know about reality, to avoid fixing prob-lems — hoping they will go away — or ratherbelieving the issues do not exist.

With this, candidates forget that the most impor-tant thing is the well being of the nation they promiseto serve, not the victory for their party, their egos orpersonal gain. It’s time for the public to wake up,face the truth and demand better from the candidates– for better or worse, they will be our officials andour future is in their hands. We hope for the better.

The end of August and the beginning of Septemberfeature the four-year wassail — the national party

conventions for the Republicans and the Democrats.President and Vice-President candidates will be cho-sen in a process where we’re sure to get a snoot full.From Tampa to Charlotte, it’s likely to range fromthe bizarre to the absurd.

Will we hear more about grandma being pushedover the cliff, dogs lashed to candidates’ car tops,small businesses, “You didn’t build that,” birth cer-tificate conspiracy, “Ya all goin’ be shackled,” reli-gious or atheists mania, or “It’s Bush’s fault?” Mostlikely, fresh claims and counter claims will spore thefloor.

Hundreds of millions of dollars will be funneledinto the Presidential race, an advertising blood bathin September through Halloween. There only are a

few states in play that will decide the whole Presi-dent matter. New Jersey is not one of them.

There are Congressmen, Senators and Freehold-ers to elect in New Jersey, so doing your civic dutyby voting will have some meaning. There are localraces too — Scotch Plains has a race for mayor —always a spirited contest.

New Jersey has a constitutional ballot issue, whereif passed, New Jersey Supreme Court judges willhave to contribute a “fare share” to their healthcareand benefits. Voting on this should be sufficientmotivation to drive droves to the polls.

Cranford Should Have Say onHousing, Not Be Bullied by CourtsCranford residents have faced a lot of adversity

since Hurricane Irene caused million of dollars ofdamage last August. These days, residents are con-cerned as builders try to ram through high-densityhousing developments with the assistance of thecourts.

Residents have been attending site plan hearingsthe past two weeks at the Union County Courthousein Elizabeth concerning the proposed 360-unitBirchwood development after a Superior Court judgeruled against the township in its effort to stop thedevelopment. Another slap in the face is that theCranford Planning Board has not been allowed toparticipate in these hearings.

The township is also said to have reached anagreement on the proposed development by LehighAcquisitions Corporation at 555 South Avenue East,where the developer wants to build a three-story

structure with 163 rental housing units of which 24would be for affordable housing. We have been toldthat Woodmont Properties is purchasing 555 SouthAvenue. Then there is the 127-unit Riverfront devel-opment currently under construction on South Av-enue across from the Cranford Train Station. TheBirchwood and 555 South Avenue developments areboth part of builder remedy lawsuits brought by thedevelopers against Cranford.

The efforts of the Rahway River Watershed todevelop a long-term solution for towns along theRahway River, such as Cranford, Millburn andRahway, may be for naught if these housing planskeep getting rammed through by the bullyingcourts.

In our opinion, local elected officials, not thecourts, should be making decisions on the future ofCranford.

Corzine to EscapeCriminal Charges

TRENTON - Senator MichaelDoherty (R-23) responded with dis-may Tuesday to published reportsthat prosecutions are unlikely fol-lowing a criminal investigation intothe collapse of MF Global and thedisappearance of as much as $1.6billion of customer funds.

“This is the first time in history thatsegregated funds held in customeraccounts were raided by a financialfirm to cover the firm’s losses,” saidDoherty. “It’s almost unthinkable thatthe mega-rich executives at MF Glo-bal could loot the accounts of farmersand middle-class Americans and beallowed to get away with it.”

See more letters on page 5

TOO BIGTO NAIL?