Dismantle

Are your Christmas decorations down yet?
Absent compelling reasons to the contrary, all decorations - inside and out - should be removed by the end of the day Sunday, January 6. A good rule of thumb: decorations down by the end of the first weekend after New Years Day unless New Years Day falls on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
We've got to move along since Easter arrives early this year (March 23) and Mardi Gras will be here on February 5.
Nothing looks worse than lights still lit and decorations still up well into January.
Most of these decorations have been up for a month or longer. Get them down - now.

Sad Sight

It was sad to see our former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright standing there on the platform in Iowa last night while loyalists watched Mrs. Bill Clinton attempt to explain her slide down the hill. Albirght looked tiny and out of place - like a forgotten figure from history.
I had the pleasure of meeting Madeleine Albright when she was our Ambassador to the United Nations. She is a brilliant woman and a distinguished public servant. I found her to be gracious, attentive, and compelling. She hardly needs to serve the wishes of any politician.
But after Bubba flat out swore to his cabinet that he had engaged in no improprieties, sexual or otherwise, Albright was the first one to appear before the media and proclaim: "I believe him." Well, she was too quick to take the man at his word. And it just ain't diplomatic for a diplomat to show such poor judgment.
Still, I never thought of Albright as just another Clintonista. And maybe she isn't. But there she was last night, on that platform.

Bernie & Co.

Last night I attended the Cherry Hill Township Reorgani-zation Ceremony where our friends Mayor Bernie Platt and Councilman John Amato were sworn in for new terms along with their running mates.
In his remarks last night Bernie correctly stated that "Cherry Hill is poised for greatness." Under Bernie's leadership the huge new Cherry Hill Mall project and Garden State Park development have begun to transform this sprawling, well-known Philadelphia suburb which first established its reputation in the 1960s.
As I wrote recently in the Philadelphia Inquirer: "over the next 12 to 24 months the Cherry Hill Mall will be revitalized. Fine dining will return to Cherry Hill with the addition of as many as seven new restaurants along a Bistro Row that will wrap around the outside of the mall. Multi-level indoor parking will lead shoppers directly into a new 140,000 square foot Nordstrom store. An addition featuring 40 new stores will be part of a two-story grand entryway connecting the mall to Nordstrom. The entire mall will get a new look and a new food court and valet parking will also be included." Already, a new Crate & Barrel store and Container Store are welcoming shoppers. And all of this is happening at the same time and competing with the huge Garden State Park development just up the road, featuring Wegman's, McCormick & Schmick, The Cheesecake Factory and Brio Tuscan Grille.
Hey, Bernie and John are Democrats but they are also committed capitalists and fiscal conservatives. They believe in the private sector and know how to make it work for the good of all. Bravo!

The Carcases

After the caucuses come the carcases.
For more than a few candidates it will be the end of their moment in the sun (or in this case, snow). The list of candidates will become mercifully slimmer.
And gone will be: Richardson, Tancredo, Hunter, Biden, Dodd, Keyes and Gravel.
The only question is, will Kucinich and Paul get the hell out of the way? Please, Dennis and Ron move along, move along!

Momentum

People keep bugging me, wanting to know who I think will win in Iowa tonight.
You already know how I feel about Iowa and New Hampshire but you still want to know who I think will win. OK, OK . . .
The two candidates with the momentum right now are Romney and Obama. So, that's who I'm going with: Romney and Obama.
The Republican result is likely to come in earlier this evening because the GOP process is simpler (ain't it always?). The Dems could go on half the night.
Going forward: Keep an eye on McCain.
And don't forget all the primaries that come up at the end of January and the beginning of February. There are lots more delegates to be picked. It ain't over.

Pizza Panic

No self-respecting person of Italian descent should ever eat a frozen pizza.

But I was desperate. So the other night I popped a Freschetta ultra thin five cheese into the oven.

Here's what the directions on the box said:

Keep pizza frozen prior to baking. Thawed product may fall through oven rack when prepared without a pan. (Also known as rack-dripped pizza.)

Do not eat pizza without cooking. (Ouch, my teeth hurt!)

Remove pizza from box, overwrap and cardboard. (I knew I had to take it out of the box but you want me to remove the cellophane and cardboard, too?)

Pizza is done when cheese is melted and edges are golden brown. (I'd have never known.)

Refrigerate or discard any unused portion. (Hey, this pizza is too small, the crust is too thin and I'm too desperate and hungry for that to happen.)

Let pizza stand for one minute before serving. (Sorry, can't wait that long. How about 30 seconds?)

Now, here's the bottom-line: This Freschetta ultra thin (and I do mean ultra) five crust pizza wasn't half bad - especially for the typical lazy, hungry, desperate guy of any nationality.

Iowa Shmyowa!

Lest you get all worked up about the Iowa caucuses tomorrow and start thinking the next leader of the free world has already been chosen remeber this: only two presidential candidates (excluding incumbents) have won Iowa and went on to win the presidency. Those two were George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter. That's it.
Ronald Reagan lost in Iowa twice. And Bill Clinton not only lost in Iowa but came in third. George H. W. Bush lost Iowa as well, running behind Pat Robertson.
Some of the also-rans who have won the Iowa caucuses have been Richard Gephart, Walter Mondale, Michael Dukakis, Al Gore and Edmund Muskie.
So, when it comes to picking presidents Iowa does not have a very good track record.

Mummers!

The Mummers were sensational yesterday - brilliantly colorful, tuneful and highly spirited.

Yet, beyond the area around City Hall crowds seemed to be disappointing. Yes, there was a late start so everything was later and that meant that the string bands arrived when the temperature was colder. But there's more to it.

The string bands are not marching bands. They are show bands. And each band itself is but a small part of the show. The string bands now save all their energy for the performance in front of the judges at City Hall. Like much of our culture the Mummers have now become show biz. And the show is performed for the judges, a relatively small group of spectators in front of City Hall and the TV audience. That's it.

For the sixth year in a row Fralinger took first place. I loved Fralinger's cowboy theme but I thought that Quaker City (Adventures in Paradise) or South Philadelphia (Hot Native Nights) or Ferko (Prepare for Glory) or Avalon (Land of Leprechauns) or Polish American (Ghouls Gone Wild) could have won as well. As it was these bands took 2nd through 6th place in the order mentioned. When one band dominates year after year the competition becomes boring. It's sort of like the Patriots. They win, they're perfect, they're boring.

Anyway, I thought that Uptown (Infestation) had one of the most original presentations I've seen in years with giant bugs buzzing round City Hall. But all those innovative costumes, novel choreography and all that wild jazz music landed Uptown no higher than 8th place finish.

Hey, what do I know?

Tax, Spend, Spend

New Jersey's state flag proclaims "prosperity"

But the State of New Jersey faces the first work week of 2008 with the knowledge that it enters its eighth consecutive year with an annual budget deficit.

For all but one of these years (2001) New Jersey has been ruled by a Democrat governor. And under New Jersey's state constitution, the Governor has enormous power. In fact, the Pulitizer Prize winning columnist George Will has called the Governor of New Jersey "an American Caesar."

Today Under Governor Jon Corzine New Jersey faces a monumental debt of up to $3 billion for the fiscal year that starts July 1. In seven years New Jersey's debt has doubled. But Corzine and the Democrats are looking to spend even more. They want to to increase state aid for schools by about $580 million.

As recently as 2006, Democrats increased sales, corporate, cigarette and other taxes by $1.84 billion, easily the largest total tax increase among states that year. Now, Corzine is looking to boost Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike tolls by at least 45 percent to scoop up even more money. And Corzine has not ruled out additional tax increases on state residents even though New Jersey continues to face population erosion.

The Tax Foundation recently determined New Jersey has the nation's third-highest tax burden. New Jersey also has the third highest state budget deficit. It seems the more New Jersey pays in taxes, the deeper it sinks into debt.

Why can't New Jersey act with the same fiscal common sense of 37 other states that operate without a budget shortfall? Why?

Avanti!

Happy 2008!

If you're looking for more of my jottings from 2007 (and they are a lot of them) you will have to click on "2007" under blog archive.

We've turned a page. We've begun a new month and a new year.

Every year that passes in the 21st century reminds me that this new century really belongs to those who were born in the past 10, 20, or 30 years for they are among those who will live the bulk of their lives in the 21st century. If you were born in 1970 or earlier you are already nearly 38 years old, at the very least. You will have to live to be age 76 or better to spend the bulk of your years in this new century.

If you've already lived 50 years or more it's highly unlikely that you will be able to call this new century yours since you probably will not spend as many years in the new century as you did in the old one.

This is a young century and it belongs to the young.

I'm keenly aware of this since I get to spend a good deal of time with young men and women in their 20s. I can report to you that these young people are very aware, very alive, very alert and ready to embrace a broad and diverse world of people, places and opportunity. They are part of a hopeful, exciting generation. And they inspire me.

In fact, I believe that if you're willing to look forward and listen closely to the heartbeat of new generations, then you will always be ready for every new year that comes your way.

Avanti!