Troy Talk
Why EVERYONE has a right to vote
It seems like the most innocuous act.
You walk up to a table, sometimes present an I.D., possibly wait in line for a minute or two, proceed to a booth, pull the curtain closed, view the choices, then cast your ballot. You voted. One of the truly great privileges of a democratic society, and one that far too many still refrain from engaging in.
Jobs, Infrastructure and New Jersey’s Future
How do we
create jobs while implementing an overhaul of our infrastructure? If it weren’t such a serious topic, one might expect that this was a test question in a college economics class.
But in New Jersey and throughout the rest of the land, these are real-life problems that are beginning to gnaw at us with growing urgency. Employment rates are still too high against a backdrop of a statewide infrastructure that is tottering.
The School of Lifelong Learning
I’m feeling like a student these days, and it might be because a couple of days ago I moved my oldest son into his freshman dorm at college. It reminded me of when I made that same journey with my Dad (Mom was too emotional to make the trip to Rowan) some almost 25 years ago. Perhaps, though it is because of something more.
Putting Tax Abatements Under The Microscope
The words “tax abatement” often strikes a responsive chord depending on who reads or hears them. For some, especially those of a business mindset, there is the suggestion that some improvement or development in the area is under consideration. A good business move. For others, the gut reaction is that local or state government is participating in a “giveaway” to business interests who receive a soft landing for making an investment from which they expect to profit. An accommodation at taxpayers’ expense.
Savings, Security and Stability
I have been doing a lot of thinking about how to increase the financial security of New Jersey residents. The banking meltdown of 2008 rudely awoke everyone to the reality that it is in our self-interest (and our families) to take a more direct role in our financial future. This point is highlighted by a recent Harvard study that says it is no easier to climb up the income ladder today than 20 years ago. More frightening is the revelation that one out of five Americans have no savings when they retire. None.
Let's Stay In Touch This Summer: My Summer Policy Series
Tell me if this sounds familiar. A candidate for public office asks for your vote in broad general terms about what they support and what they have done or will do. They are however reluctant to get into specifics on those issues for whatever reason. And, some wonder why so many people are disenchanted with our current brand of politics. There you have it in a nutshell. People want candidates to interact with them in the same way we would want anyone else who comes across our path to act: direct...honest...without a lot of gobbledygook!
READ MORE: http://www.assemblymansingleton.com/policy_series