This past weekend I was able to host a bowling/pizza party to culminate my first “Jump into Reading Contest”. The contest took place from October 1^st to November 23^rd, and was geared towards igniting the love of reading in children from grades 1^st – 4^th grades. When I was a kid, my parents instilled the joy and passion of reading into me that still stays with me to this day. Falling into a book, no matter the subject, opens new doors of education and fulfillment. For our youth, it helps to expand their educational experience and crystallize the lessons learned on a daily basis in the classroom.

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I was recently asked to speak at a community gathering about some of the challenges facing families today. This engaging conversation was punctuated by many in the audience who commented about the growing cost of child care and how it was placing a significant burden on their families. While this particular dialogue played out at this one gathering, I am sure it could be replicated in communities all across New Jersey. Access to affordable and high quality child care is proving to be a stumbling block as working families try to climb the ladder of success.

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When Pfizer announced it was buying Dublin, Ireland-based Allergan in a move that would create the largest pharmaceutical firm in the world, we felt the ill-effects throughout New Jersey. It didn’t take long for sharp-eyed citizens and the media to suggest that this was a bad deal for American taxpayers.

Pfizer, which maintains a major campus in Peapack, N.J., also known as Peapack-Gladstone, a borough in Somerset County, made it clear that this acquisition of Allergan would make Dublin its new tax home. Reducing this move to its simplest terms, often referred to as a tax inversion, would allow Pfizer to renounce its U.S. citizenship (as a company) and become an Irish business citizen. This would greatly reduce its tax liability.

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Thanksgiving Day is approaching and I’m sitting in my writer’s chair thinking about this year’s message to you. Allow me to allude to two comments I have brought up before.

First, what makes this holiday so special is that no person can find offense in participating, and we exclude no one. We give thanks for the blessings in our lives and we do this regardless of one’s color, faith or place of origin. The simple goal of Thanksgiving and its non-exclusionary openness make it the perfect holiday.

The other aspect of Thanksgiving that I’ve mentioned before is the importance of sharing it. I’ve noted in the past that inviting someone into your home on Thanksgiving Day, especially when you sense or know that they have nowhere to go, is the right thing to do. The simple act of asking goes a long way, and it allows the invitee to make the decision.

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This issue may be one of the most pressing concerns that our world faces. Its impact reverberates across economic, environmental and social lines. While some may disagree on the solutions, science has proven that the problem is real, and we need to find a collaborative way to address it.

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Some people probably view imprudent government spending the way they do about donating money to charity. Many people give, and some give a lot. And I suspect their single greatest desire is that their donation in some reasonable (and hopefully measurable) method actually finds its way to the intended recipients. What they hate is when money is squandered (spent on administrative costs) not disbursed or even used illegally. That’s how many of us feel about our tax dollars.

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