The J J Hehir rant and other stuff

Marines

2010-12-24T19:36:00.000-08:00

Pray for the "Darkhorse" 3rd Battalion 5th Marines and their families. They are fighting it out in Afghanistan and they lost 9 marines in 4 days.

Semper Fi, God Bless America and God Bless the United States Marine Corps...

Justin Allen, 23,

Brett Linley, 29,

Matthew Weikert, 29,

Justus Bartett, 27,

Dave Santos, 21,

Chase Stanley, 21,

Jesse Reed, 26,

Matthew Johnson, 21,

Zachary Fisher, 24,

Brandon King, 23,

Christopher Goeke, 23,

Sheldon Tate, 27,

An Open Letter To The Uniformed Firefighters Association Membership

2010-10-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

Donations to the Widows’ and Children’s Fund were not and are not managed as donors expected, and the assets of the Fund are placed at unnecessary risk. The Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) uses the Fund primarily to ingratiate union officials with the membership, secondarily to maintain an investment and finally to provide assistance to the widows and children of firefighters who died in the line of duty.
Three hundred and forty-three firefighters were murdered at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The UFA capitalized on the tragedy and collected $81 million in donations for the Widows’ and Children’s Fund. Donors thought that their money would go directly to the widows, children and families of those who died on 9-11. The UFA had other ideas. They planned to invest the money and dole out small stipends to widows and children only, over time; families of single firefighters were not included. Further, the expectation of donors that their generosity would be dispensed expeditiously was ignored.
That prompted the New York State attorney general to intervene to force the UFA to distribute the money as donors intended. He was partially successful. When the smoke settled, the UFA got to keep about $23 million, which was eventually invested in risky equity and bond markets.
For a while the investments did well, and each December the UFA held an annual Christmas party for dependent children, paid for by the Fund. The UFA also published Fire Lines each January following the party, with photos of union officials surrounded by smiling children. It’s great public relations; union officials look like heroes to the membership.
Its great public relations until something goes wrong—then it’s not. In the fiscal year ending July 31, 2009, the Fund’s investments declined 5%. To attenuate the impact of that loss on the investment portfolio, the UFA reduced payments to dependents by 42%. A relatively small investment loss resulted in a large reduction in Fund services, which leads one to believe that investment returns takes precedence over dependent services as a goal of the Fund. You be the judge, but in my opinion, the UFA needs serious supervision by the membership in the management of the Widows’ and Children’s Fund.

Joseph J. Hehir
FDNY Retired

For further information, questions or input, jjhehir@excite.com

The Tea Party

2010-09-11T19:31:00.000-07:00

The Tea Party movement is made up of ordinary American citizens who are concerned with the enormous wasteful spending of our federal and state governments in recent years. They are also concerned that their representatives no longer represent them when they legislate.
There are very vocal fringes on the left and right that attempt to either denigrate them or to speak for them as they play their psychological games. They will fail; middle of the road Americans are not swayed by them, and will vote in November.

The Widows' and Childrens' Fund

2010-08-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

Three hundred and forty-three firefighters were murdered at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Their fire union, the Uniformed Firefighters Association, collected about $80 million in donations after the event. Donors thought that the money would go directly to the widows, children and families of those who died that day. They should have read the fine print. The fire union had other ideas.
Their plan was to invest the money and dole out small amounts to widows and children only over time. The families of single firefighters were not included.
In one of their plans, the amount of money a widow would receive was so small that at thirty-six years old, she would have to live to be ninety-six before she received her full amount on a dollar for dollar basis, an amount that donors expected she would receive immediately.
That scheme was so outrageous that the Charities Bureau at the New York State Attorney General’s office intervened and made the union give the money out as expected, but not all of it. The union got to keep about $20 million, which they then invested. The investment is doing well, and each December they are able to throw a Christmas party and give the children a $500 stipend.
The union also publishes a paper in the winter. In it union officials, surrounded by grateful widows and children, are prominently portrayed. It’s great public relations; the firefighters eat it up.
Joseph J. Hehir
FDNY Retired

A Tough Problem

2010-04-03T19:55:00.000-07:00

Here is what is going on in the federal government’s attempt to influence how New York State educators educate.

As part of the stimulus package Arne Duncan, the head of the U. S. Department of Education, was given $4.35 billion in grant money to distribute to the states. The cash strapped states can surely use it. Never mind that the cash strapped nation doesn’t have it lying around to give.

This is how it works. Instead of distributing education money directly according to population, each state is required to submit a proposal on how they plan to spend the money on education. If Arne Duncan approves, they get the money.

He wants four things from the states: more charter schools, school systems must take student achievement into account when evaluating teachers for tenure, improved training for teachers and principals, and improved science instruction for the students.

Mr. Richard Iannuzzi, President of the 600,000 member New York State United Teachers union (NYSUT) and MR. Michael Mulgrew, the new President of the 55,000 member United Federation of Teachers (UFT) in New York City oppose this. Both unions have the support of the New York State legislature.

Governor David Paterson needs to find $9 billion dollars soon to balance his $133 billion 2010 – 2011 budget. Many other governors have similar problems. Governor Paterson proposes to cut $1.7 billion from education statewide if he doesn’t find some extra money fast. The $700 million the feds offered to New York State could have helped, but the legislature didn’t go along, so the feds didn’t help. There will be an additional opportunity to make the necessary changes to qualify for further grant money in June. Time will tell how this works out.

I personally oppose the federal government medaling in the affairs of local schools, but there is a national interest here. We are being creamed when it comes to educating young people. Asian and Indian students in this country and in their own countries work much harder and are much smarter than the average American student. Further, the level of education in the Black and Hispanic communities is very low, with no improvement in sight. The federal government is trying to raise standards for all to a point where we as a nation can continue to compete economically with other nations.

In New York, there are many obstacles that local school boards must overcome to properly meet their responsibilities. A major obstacle is the powerful influence that teacher unions have on how schools are run. They are able, with their political donations and their ability to “get out the vote”, to influence the legislature to tilt education legislation in their favor. The Triborough Amendment to the Taylor Law voted into law in 1982 by the legislature is an example. While the Taylor Law prohibits teachers from striking, the amendment prohibits school boards from changing the existing teacher contracts when they expire. Under the law there is nothing local school boards can do to change policy while negotiating for a new contract, which could go on forever. Everything, including regular step-ups in pay, must remain as is until a new agreement is reached. The federal government, with its promise of grant money, is trying to pressure legislatures to dilute the influence of unions in school board negotiations. Time will tell if that works also.

Some educators are to blame also. For example, the New York State Education Department included in their proposal for grant money $200,000 for very expensive office furniture for their executives. That item was sited as one reason New York State lost out. The Schenectady, NY school board is now busy trying to protect itself from a possible criminal investigation and sure voter disapproval next November. Student achievement is not their number one priority right now.

Most of all, school boards and educators are fighting an up hill battle to educate when the State’s family structure is in such bad shape. Family structure has a predominant influence on learning preparedness*. The single earner family, where one partner works and the other stays at home to care for the kids, is a dying institution today. Further, families headed by single mothers and families fractured by divorce do not have the structure to properly prepare children for learning. The feds have very little influence here.

This is a tough problem.

*FAMILY ENVIRONMENT has a substantial influence on children's scholastic achievement. Home experiences can significantly affect the development of literacy and language skills among young children (Roskos & Neuman, 1993; Snow, 1995) in families who promote linguistic skill development, parents and other adults encourage reading, make books available to children, read to the children, and limit television viewing (Sulzby & Teale, 1991). Among Indochinese refugee families in the United States, children with high levels of scholastic achievement were likely to have parents who encouraged hard work and excellence (Caplan, Choy, & Whitmore, 1992).

Be sure to cancel your home insurance

2010-03-10T19:02:00.000-08:00

Be sure to cancel your home insurance with your previous insurer if you switch to a new insurer. Here is what happens if you don’t: My previous insurer, Liberty Mutual continued to bill me even though I didn’t want their insurance anymore. They assume if you ignore their bills after your contract expires that you really want them to continue insuring your home. After a while they get the message and cancel the policy, but they still want to get paid.
Now I have a collection agency calling. What this poor collection agency doesn’t know yet is that I can be so abusive to them that they will be the ones to hang up on me, not the other way around. That’s what happened to the last one anyway.
I am making up a batch of new curse words and profanities to use on them when the time comes. I would let you know what they are, but you are not a collection agency person.

Our right as a Citizen

2010-02-02T11:45:00.000-08:00

The right of all citizens to speak and petition their elected representatives is protected by the Constitution. You have to pay, however, to be heard.

Short-term pain trumps long-term gain.

2010-01-22T20:39:00.000-08:00

This is what the Obama administration failed to understand last year. When people are out of a job and can’t provide for their family, they need immediate solutions to ease the pain. They don’t care that much about what’s coming down the road. President Obama, after bailing out the bankers, devoted his efforts to solving the health care problem, which will be a big problem in the future, but not now. He needs to concentrate on the economy so that people can get back to work before he tackles health care reform.

I believe

2009-12-31T19:49:00.000-08:00

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said on December 27 that "the system worked" after Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to ignite a bomb aboard a Northwest Airlines airplane on Christmas Day. She latter had to clarify that statement. She continues to affirm that the people who live and work in New York City will be protected when terrorist Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, goes on trial sometime in 2010.

New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly assures all that his department is up to the job of protecting New York City during the trial of Mr. Mohammed, after a van with tinted windows and no license plate was recently left on a street near Time Square unattended for at least two days.

I believe them when they say they can protect us. I believe them because I’m an idiot, but you shouldn’t.

Happy New Year,

More Health Care Stuff

2009-09-07T18:06:00.000-07:00

There is an interesting AP article by Arelis Hernandez (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_service_dogs/print). Titled “After 8-year delay, VA program hopes to help vets”. It describes an eight-year attempt to match service dogs with disabled veterans. To begin the program the VA first conducted a six-year feasibility study which resulted in inconclusive findings. So far, the program has matched two veterans with service dogs. In 2001, when the program started, there were many organizations that trained dogs to do service work; the VA could have used them, but chose not to.
As I see it, President Obama is asking 85% of the U. S. population to give up a portion of their health care benefits so that the other 15% can have health insurance. If the VA system I have described above is representative of what future U. S. health care will be like, I don’t think that many people will be happy with it.

Health Care Under President Obama

2009-08-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

A thirty-something walking down the street sees a watch for $500.00 in a shop window. The storekeeper sees him looking at the watch. The thirty-something thinks; that watch is too expensive and starts to walk away. The storekeeper then picks up the watch, runs out of the shop, grabs the thirty-something by the neck, forces him to take the watch and to fork over $500.00. The thirty-something then calls the cops and has the storekeeper arrested.

The next day the same thirty-something is walking down the same street when he bumps into President Obama. President Obama tries to sell him on his new health care package. The thirty-something declines saying that, for him, it is just too expensive. President Obama then calls the IRS and has him pay anyway. No cops were called, but they should have been.

Health Care

2009-08-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

The reason there is are so many overstated arguments about health care today is because of the dearth of good information coming out of Washington. Further, it seems to me that what little information there is, about this complicated and many faceted subject changes from day to day depending on what the political winds dictate. How does one have a coherent conversation under these circumstances?

Professor Gates is a Tax Cheat

2009-07-29T09:38:00.001-07:00

Henry Louis Gates is the founder of The Inkwell Foundation, which provides $500 grants to scholars to conduct research in African-American studies. The foundation received $205,400 in direct public support in 2007, and provided $27,000 in grants. However $17,000 of the grant money went to the organization’s treasurer, a secretary, a board chairwoman and Gate’s fiancée. By reporting what is really compensation as grant money, Gates and the recipients were able to avoid paying federal, state and local income taxes, social security and Medicare taxes and workman’s (work-person’s) compensation premiums.
I wonder if Professor Gates and Treasury Secretary Geithner use the same tax preparation services?

Remembering Mountain Lakes

2009-04-15T07:11:00.001-07:00

Sold

2009-03-14T11:54:00.000-07:00

President Obama’s Stimulus Plan

2009-03-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

A month after his inauguration, President Barack Obama signed the $787 billion economic stimulus package into law. Mr. Obama said the money would be invested in health care, education, job creation, infrastructure, and energy. About $282 billion would go for tax cuts.

This is on top of President George W. Bush’s $750 billion to bailout ailing banks and insurance companies.

It will add about 1.5 trillion to the present $9.5 Trillion U. S. debt.

To be paid for by, guess who.

Foreclosure Fix

2009-02-21T21:30:00.000-08:00

To help prevent further foreclosures and to stimulate lending, I think taxpayers should buy up parts of shaky mortgages. Here is how it would work. Say, for example, a homeowner with a documented income is unable to pay his or her monthly mortgage in full. For this person, taxpayers (through the federal government) would buy down a part of the mortgage principle to a point where the homeowner would be able to make reasonable monthly payments. Taxpayers would now own part of the homeowner’s home, and the bank or entity that held the original mortgage would immediately receive an infusion of cash from the transaction to be used for future loans.

Here are some suggestions as to how taxpayers would be repaid: If the home were eventually sold for a profit, taxpayers would first receive their original investment and would share in any profit in proportion to the percent of the home they owned. If the home were sold at a loss, taxpayers would receive their original investment, with interest, before the homeowner received anything. If the homeowner eventually paid off the mortgage, then he or she would have to continue to make payments until taxpayers were paid in full, with interest. The homeowner would also have the opportunity to buy back the taxpayers’ share in the home at any time.

A little known part of the stimulus bill

2009-02-10T18:28:00.000-08:00

I was told by a famous writer, artist and teacher (my daughter Cate) not to post long articles.
Here is what Betsy McCaughey, the former lieutenant governor of the state of New York wrote in Bloomberg about the health care provision of the stimulus bill signed into law by President Obama on February 16, 2009. First, $22 billion will be spent (a bad thing) to put everyone’s medical records on an electronic file (a good thing). Also, a new bureaucracy called the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology (NCHIT) will monitor your health care to assure that it is safe, effective (two good things) and cost effective (a very bad thing for geezers). The nation faces a $50 trillion bill for future health care, which will break the economy (a very bad thing). Future health care costs need to be contained (a good thing). This is how it will be accomplished. The cost of each procedure and the age of the geezer will be put into a formula. The higher the cost and age, the less likely the procedure will be paid by Medicare or Medicaid (a very, very bad thing for geezers).
To see the full article; look in the comments section.

You’re out of your element, Tim

2009-02-10T18:19:00.000-08:00

On February 9, President Obama promised a clear and decisive plan to fix the economy from Treasury Secretary Geitner. The next day Secretary Geitner unveiled a plan to spend $1.5 trillion over the next few years, but had not the slightest idea as to how he was going to do it. The market tanked 4,57%. That’s what happens when you give some guy who doesn’t know how to do his taxes $1.5 trillion.

Another tax cheat

2009-01-31T19:48:00.000-08:00

It looks like there’s going to be another tax cheat in President Obama’s administration. This might be a prerequisite for inclusion in the Obama team. Senator Dashchle inadvertently, and accidentally forgot to pay, $128,000 in taxes. It was a good-faith mistake, a slight oversight.
Senator Daschle is slated to be President Obama’s secretary of Health and Human Services. He will help design and implement the administration’s health care reforms.

Treasury Secretary Geitner

2009-01-27T06:20:00.000-08:00

Tax cheat Timothy Geitner was sworn in as Treasury Secretary by Vice President Biden on January 26th. In his acceptance speech, Secretary Geitner promised to restore integrity in the Treasury Department. Well, at least he has a sense of humor.

Timothy Geithner is a crook

2009-01-25T18:03:00.000-08:00

Timothy Geithner is a crook, and he is the dumbest guy in finance. Timothy Geithner failed to pay four years of FICA taxes. When the IRS audited two years of his returns, he finally paid them. He did not have the brains to realize that the IRS can go back as many years as it wants and audit tax returns when it suspects fraud. So he got caught again.

If this guy is appointed Treasury Secretary, as it appears he will be, he will be in charge of your money and my money and the IRS. Do you want a crook in charge of your money? Do you want a dummy in charge of your money? What about the poor IRS agents who audited his tax returns? I guess they will have to join the ranks of 11.1 million now unemployed.

Stimulus Package

2009-01-24T19:44:00.000-08:00

I heard on the radio what I think will help the economy get back on its feet.

Congress should provide tax credits to homeowners who insulate their homes, buy energy efficient windows or upgrade their heating and cooling systems. The same could apply to business owners.

A tax credit would immediately stimulate the purchase of these products, which are mostly made in the United States. It would also stimulate work for the U. S. based home building industry, which is greatly depressed. And it would reduce carbon emissions from the burning of oil and coal needed to heat the homes.

Dear Mayor Susan Narvaiz

2009-01-13T20:14:00.000-08:00

2053 Lexington Parkway
Niskayuna, NY 12309
January 13, 2009

City of San Marcos
630 E. Hopkins
San Marcos, TX 78666

Dear Mayor Susan Narvaiz

I am writing about the incident on Interstate 35 in August of 2008, where San Marcos Police Officer Paul Stephens stopped Michael Gonzalez for speeding. Mr. Gonzales was trying to get his choking dog to a vet. In my thirty-two years in emergency service in New York City, I have never seen a more callous, and inept response to an emergency than what took place after that stop. Mr. Gonzalez was stopped; he was no longer a danger to the public and was obviously distressed. Officer Stephen’s should have recognized the new emergency that presented itself and took action to save the dog’s life, not callously demand to see Mr. Gonzales’ license and take fifteen to twenty minutes to issue a summons, or to do whatever it was he did. In the meantime the dog choked to death.

In an emergence, the paperwork can wait.

In my opinion, Officer Stephens displayed a unique appreciation for human feelings that is disgraceful and an inability to properly respond to an emergency. He is lucky to be in the City of San Marcos Police Department because, if he were under my command, he would have received more than the reprimand that Chief Howard Williams gave him, a lot more.

Yours truly,

Joseph J. Hehir

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5598075S

"The people have spoken.

2008-11-04T18:41:00.000-08:00

Now they must suffer", said Edward I. Koch after he lost his re-election bid to David Dinkins.
And they did.

And they will.
J. J. Hehir

The Mortgage Crisis

2008-10-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

Today, financially responsible folks who work and save see the value of their investments fall every day. Now they are expected to “spread the wealth around”, not those who signed mortgages that “they just didn’t understand”, not those who bought houses they thought they were entitled to, but couldn’t afford. Today, workers and investors are expected to carry the slackers.
And going forward, the federal government will throw money at the mortgage problem until the country is so in debt that the interest it owes will bury our children. Bury them in obligations they had nothing to do with.
The recent history of our government and its people is to push fiscal responsibility on to those who are responsible and on to future generations. This has to stop; it’s irresponsible and immoral.

My take on the stock market – October 17, 2008

2008-10-17T08:49:00.000-07:00

As I write, the stock market has suffered a year of moderate decline followed by two weeks of steep declines. This is a consequence of the incredible lending practices of the past five years. People now think that their investments are going to be worthless and they should retreat from the market while they can. Depending on your circumstances, this could be a mistake. If you do not need to sell your stock market investments any time soon, you should either “stay the course” as John Bogle advises or buy as Warren Buffet is doing.

Our New Home in Niskayuna, NY

2008-09-26T13:01:00.000-07:00

2053 Lexington Parkway
Niskayuna, NY 12309

Washington must heed fiscal alarm bell

2008-09-23T19:33:00.000-07:00

Dave Walker's Op-Ed in the Financial Times
Published: September 22 2008

Dave Walker is president and chief executive of the Peter G Peterson Foundation and former Comptroller General of the United States

What do AIG, Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch have in common? Some thought that these companies were too big to fail. They were wrong: all of these companies have either filed for bankruptcy, been "bailed out" by the government, or, owing to the sub-prime crisis, have been acquired. Over the weekend, the US government went one step further, with its proposals for an estimated $700bn (€493bn, £391bn) bail-out to ease the credit crisis.

The US government truly is too big to fail. However, there are disturbing parallels between the factors that led to the sub-prime crisis and the deteriorating financial condition and fiscal foundation of our federal government. These similarities ought to ring an alarm bell for Congress and the presidential candidates. The question is, will they hear it and wake up?

The first parallel relates to the dangerous disconnect between the parties who benefit from various imprudent practices and those who bear the related risk and ultimately pay the price. In the housing crisis, some originators of unwise mortgages have not paid a price for their actions. In the case of our federal government, politicians have increased spending, expanded government entitlement programs, and agreed tax cuts without considering their long-term costs.

Second, a lack of transparency facilitated the crisis. Banks and other financial institutions created off-the-books entities so that regulators would find it hard to track the risks to their health. The US federal budget does not reflect the government's huge off-balance sheet and unfunded promises, commitments and contingencies that stood at over $40,000bn at September 30, 2007.

Another similarity has been the role of credit rating agencies, which blithely rated securitized mortgage packages without looking at the weaknesses of underlying mortgages. In similar fashion, purchasers of American debt issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac assumed that it was guaranteed by the US government. The resulting expectation gap among foreign investors resulted in their demand that the government make explicit what until then had been only an implicit guarantee. The result is that the US taxpayer now stands behind more than $5,000bn in mortgages. It is too soon to say what the ultimate cost will be to taxpayers.

Finally, while there were private sector and executive branch failures, Congress also bears responsibility. It writes the laws and is charged with oversight of these formerly quasi-governmental entities and regulatory agencies. The sad but simple truth is that our country has strayed a long way from the principles and values that made this nation great. Washington has grown increasingly out of touch and out of control. Personal responsibility and stewardship for our collective future are largely absent in too many government areas. This must change.

Are there lessons from the sub-prime crisis? The answer is yes. The recent actions had to be taken because the government failed to establish an effective regulatory structure in connection with mortgages, derivatives and other securities. Greed was rampant. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac strayed from their original mission, becoming too focused on profit and personal gain rather than their public purpose. Lax oversight was facilitated by powerful Wall Street lobbies and the lobbying of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Beyond the turmoil for banks and homeowners, however, there is a super-sub-prime crisis brewing in Washington. Our fiscal policies have created a disconnect between today's citizens and future taxpayers. Today's taxpayers benefit from high government spending and low taxes, while future generations are expected to pay the bill. Our real challenge is where we are headed on our do-nothing fiscal path.

Washington has charged everything to the nation's credit card - engaging in tax cuts and spending increases without paying for them. Washington's imprudent, unethical and even immoral behaviour is facilitated by a lack of transparency. For example, as of September 30, 2007 the federal government was in a $53,000bn dollar fiscal hole, equal to $455,000 per household and $175,000 per person. This burden is rising every year by $6,600-$9,900 per American. Medicare represents $34,000bn of this deficit and the related Medicare trust fund is set to run dry within 10 years. The Social Security programme is projected to have negative cash flow within about 10 years.

What needs to be done? First, we need leadership from the presidential candidates and members of Congress. We need to re-impose tough budget controls, constrain federal spending, decide which Bush tax cuts will stay, and engage in comprehensive reform of our entitlement, healthcare and tax systems. A bipartisan commission that would make recommendations for an up-or-down vote by Congress would be a positive step to making this a reality.

While the US government is too big to fail, continuing on our current path will have adverse implications for our economy and international standing. The sooner Washington acts, the better. Our country, children and grandchildren deserve no less. In the interim, the government needs to decide how to account for its radical actions in the financial statements for the year to September 30. The Treasury has a responsibility to disclose and account for these costs adequately and the Government Accountability Office has a duty to insist the Treasury does so.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008

Does Experience Matter In Government?

2008-09-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

Both Barack Obama and Sarah Palin are considered unfit to govern because of their lack of experience. He was a community organizer; she was a small town mayor. So what has the Washington crowd done lately with their experience?

Our new home in Old Niskayuna

2008-08-31T20:29:00.000-07:00

I have been reading up on slate roofs lately. I don’t know if buying a 65-year-old house in Old Niskayuna, NY with a slate roof with a 75-year-old life expectancy is going to be a very, very expensive can of worms. I kind of think it will be. We’ll see for sure after the first of November.

President Bush is our Batman

2008-08-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

Brian Popkin of Denville, NJ wrote a letter to the Daily Record editor that I found interesting. Here it is.

President Bush is our Batman - August 16, 2008

While I appreciate the public for making the great "Dark Knight" movie so successful, I feel many are missing the movie's point.

Batman's campaign had made the streets of Gotham safer at the night. This environment allowed for an aggressive district attorney like Harvey Dent to rise to power. Because of Batman, ordinary people like Dent were taking on dangerous crooks. He was a handsome, ambitious, young reformer. He was aided by a friendly press focused on his good side. They were not looking at skeletons in his closet. Dent reminds me of John Edwards and even Barack Obama.

People wanted to replace Batman with Dent. Batman's methods, which were allowed for years, were now considered beyond the pale. They wanted Batman locked up and prosecuted. The more the Joker's crime spree escalated, the more they wanted to acquiesce to him. The irony was that Batman was the only one who could stop the Joker.

This reminds me of our current situation. The whole world wants Obama for president. He will reverse Bush's "failed policies." These are the same policies that have created the success following the surge by U.S. troops in Iraq. These policies have foiled every terrorist attack on our soil since Sept. 11. The thinking is, now that the troop surge has made Iraq safer, we can leave. Now that people are concerned about Bennigan's [a local bankrupt restaurant] closing more than foreign policy, we can afford a president with no foreign policy experience. We can stop fighting terrorism and stop listening to terrorist phone calls. We can close Guantánamo and free the prisoners. Lock up the Batman.

The only problem is once you get rid of Batman; all you can do is hope the Joker doesn't return.

BRIAN POPKIN

Denville

Clueles Investing

2008-08-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

I have started a blog on personal finance and investment matters. You may view it at http://simoncucle.blogspot.com/

The Democrat Party and the Republican Party

2008-08-12T21:07:00.000-07:00

There are differences and a similarity between the Democrat Party and the Republican Party. First the similarity, both parties like to spend, and spend, and spend. That’s how their office holders get re-elected.

The differences are that the Democrats will tax you into oblivion in the here and now to support their spending. The Republicans will put your children and your children’s children into lock with their borrowing to support their spending.

At least the Democrats put their jobs on the line. If their taxing and spending get too out of hand they can be voted out of office. None of that for the Republicans, those cowards, they will be long gone and retired when their bills come due and your kids have to pay for their borrowing.

OBAMA

2008-08-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

Inspiring Words

Polished Presentation

Little Substance

John McCain's Military Service

2008-07-21T08:45:00.000-07:00

Fred Kanter of Mountain Lakes wrote in our daily newspaper the fact that Senator John McCain served in the military does not necessarily qualify him to be President, and I agree. It is what he did not do that qualifies him to be President. While a P.O.W. and the son of a U.S. Navy admiral he had the opportunity to go home. He refused, because the Vietnamese would not include his fellow prisoners. That qualifies him to be President.

Letter to the Monterey, MA Volunteer Fire Dept.

2008-07-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

Mountain Lakes, NJ 07046
July 3, 2008

Monterey Fire Department
P.O. Box 99
411 Main Road
Monterey, MA 01245

Dear Chief Ray Tryon,

Recently, I was vacationing with my family at Lake Garfield when I took sick at three in the morning. My wife called 9-11, and in a very short time, Captain Mark Makuc and a group of Monterey firefighters were at my side assisting me.

The people of Monterey are very fortunate to have citizens who get out of bed at 3:00 AM to help a stranger. I appreciate that they did that for me.

I am enclosing a check for $200 to add to the Department’s training and/or equipment fund, or to just have a beer on me.

Yours truly,

Joseph J. Hehir

The New Jersey mess and Mr. Roberts

2008-05-11T18:43:00.000-07:00

Monday, May 5, 2008

Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts Jr., a legislative leader in one of the most corrupt and fiscally irresponsible states in the United States, thinks “The creation of a statewide set of efficiency and accountability standards...” for local school boards is a great idea.
I think Mr. Roberts should get his own house in order before he tackles accountability standards for school boards, which is a local matter. Mr. Roberts and his cronies are the ones who made a mess of things in New Jersey; now he is trying to change the subject by turning the spotlight on local school boards.

The 2006-2007 Budget

2008-04-06T19:58:00.000-07:00

Dear Doctor Kazmark,

The 2006-2007 budget was discussed at the Board of Education Meeting on March 27, 2006. At that meeting you advised, in response to Mr. Dieckamp’s question about the tuition charged to Boonton Township students, “that the costs at the high school will go up no more than 3% and the increase being charged to Boonton Township is 3%.” However, the per pupil costs for the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 school years are $16,672 and $18,221 respectively. That is a 9% year to year increase. Can you explain this discrepancy?
The advertised per pupil cost calculations for the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 school years are $16,672 and $18,221 respectively. The difference is $1,549. If you divide that amount by the 2005-2006 per pupil cost, the result is 9%.
I do not think that such a large discrepancy (3% versus 9%) can be explained away by increases in the Lake Drive budget. Lake Drive students are 5.5% of the total student population.

Respectfully submitted,
Joseph J. Hehir
Mountain Lakes, NJ

The Mountain Lakes Board of Education Meeting

2008-03-30T19:07:00.000-07:00

Four taxpayers and I attended the Mountain Lakes Board of Education meeting on March 24, to listen to the 2008-2009 budget presentation. Some would say when only five taxpayers out of 1,400 families attend a budget meeting that there is a small amount of apathy around. In defense of this seemingly lack of interest, let me explain some of the circumstances leading up to it. The meeting was scheduled long in advance for March 24th. Without much notice, the superintendent decided that there would be no school that day, turning Easter weekend into a four-day vacation, and Mountain Lakes into a ghost town. The budget meeting at 7:30 PM was scheduled for when families were returning from their long weekend, so not too many showed up. In addition, those who did come could not review the budget beforehand because the superintendent’s office was closed that day also. Further, the meeting was at the same time the Borough Council was presenting the 2008 municipal budget.
Was this foul up by design or just a coincidence?