It’s about the math, and it’s about the heart, too.

If you are a worker in New Jersey and earn the minimum wage, your pay is $8.38 per hour. Your daily wage is $67.04. If you work 40 hours per week, your gross pay is $335.20. Work 52 weeks, and you’re up to $17,430.40 annually. A tidy sum on which to get by if you’re single and very, very frugal, especially when you consider the federal poverty level is $12,082. Add a family to the mix, and it becomes darn near impossible to survive.

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One of the hardest parts about writing a weekly column is deciding what topic I want to cover. Oftentimes it's easy enough to just go with the conversation du jour in our country, or expounding on a legislative initiative I am working on. However, this week I want to try something different. I want to share with you a piece that I read in U.S. News & World Report on reinventing our national education system. The author raises some thought provoking points, some of which I agree with and others I don't. I am curious to hear your thoughts on what the author lays out, so let me know what you think.

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If you asked me, I would most likely have said: never. Watching professional football players wearing pink as part of their uniform. They have in the past, and I suspect some players will do so this entire month in support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In what is one of the most visible and successful efforts to promote awareness, the appearance of pink ribbons or simply the color has become part of the cultural landscape in America. And, it appears that support for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month had garnered support from a broad cross-section of the country, from professional athletes to your neighbor.

It isn’t difficult to understand why. Many of us have had a family member or friend affected by breast cancer. When I hear about it, the news stops me cold.  And while breast cancer is a scourge, I must add that in a time when there seems to be so much divisiveness throughout the country on numerous subjects, we finally have something that we can agree upon: We have to defeat breast cancer.

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What does it mean to be a "veteran-friendly" university? There is no clear definition of what is a "veteran-friendly" institution, because the educational choices that our colleges offer students take different shapes and forms on every campus. The diverse offerings of today’s higher education communities oftentimes make it challenging to identify who is doing it best.

Campus culture, location, academic rigor, student body makeup, size, and more, all play a role in constituting “veteran-friendly” institutions. Today’s colleges and universities need to define “veteran-friendly” in a way that addresses both the needs of the veteran student and the institution.

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I have reached a point where words can no longer describe my frustration and anger at the present situation we find our country in with regards to interactions between the police and people of color. Unfortunately we are once again forced to face the clear and present understanding of the divisions that remain in our country between law enforcement and predominately minority communities. The idea that these interactions are turning into deadly encounters should frighten us all regardless of your race, class or socioeconomic condition. 

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I still remember the day. I signed my name for what felt like a thousand times and wrote the largest check I had ever written in my life. But, it was mine. And, when the agent put the keys to my new home in my hands I knew that I had grabbed my piece of the American dream.

Home ownership has always been a symbol of financial accomplishment in our country. Oftentimes it has marked a rite of passage into “finally becoming a grown up” when that purchase is made. Unfortunately for many, the American dream of home ownership is becoming more difficult to attain. It is especially hard for those just starting out on their own due to the challenges involved in saving up for the down payment. Despite all of the positive aspects and advantages of home ownership, affordability for first time homeowners continues to be a significant barrier for far too many New Jersey residents.

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