Troy Talk
My First Thanksgiving Blog
I have been writing blogs for months now, and it might be easy for readers to assume that I only write about serious subjects. After all, I feel that it’s my duty to bring attention to important topics that demand scrutiny and to seek aid for those who are mistreated.
Increasing Transparency is Essential to Instilling Trust
First printed in the Burlington County Times on November 16, 2014.
Voters of all political persuasions who went to the polls on Election Day consistently noted one fundamental flaw in government — they feel they cannot trust their elected officials.
A Salute, Well-Deserved
On Tuesday, we celebrated Veterans Day, an event mostly associated with media clips of (generally) older ex-warriors, dressed in uniform as they stand at attention saluting our flag.
It’s About Accountability, Not Icons
Someone once said, rather aptly, that you should never meet your heroes because you’re bound to be disappointed. If that pessimistic view is actually true, I would like to think that the failings are manageable, ones that we can live with against the accomplishments of our icons. After all, they’re human too.
PULLING BACK THE CURTAIN
I wanted to take a different approach to this week's blog post. So often, I write about policy or current events but I wanted to share with you a piece of poetry that I wrote some time ago. But first, I wanted to talk to you about why arts education is so critically important. Education in the arts, in my opinion, is essential to the development of each human being. Those who have studied the mechanics of education throughout history have emphasized the importance of the arts education in the process. Study of the arts is integral to our society. They are a part of the cultural heritage of every citizen of our country, and make us more complete as people. Whether your particular flavor is theater, poetry, dance, visual art or music, I believe the key to being a well-rounded human being is to be exposed to and try new things.
The Governor’s Failing Grade on Transparency
I used to love Sesame Street when I was a kid. I could watch it for hours sitting in amazement at that show. One of my favorite parts was learning what letter or word the show was brought to the viewers by. Taking a page from that childhood classic, today's post is brought to you by the word "transparent".
The dictionary defines "transparent" by using the following words: "easily understood....obvious...open... easily recognized or detected". I must admit that I find myself troubled as to how this seemingly clear definition is turned upside down in Trenton these days.