Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie.

Veto this: Deadline looms on Permit Extension Act

The clock is ticking on legislation that grants builders broad exceptions to state planning rules — a bill that could have dire consequences for the environment, while creating the illusion of generating jobs and boosting the economy.

Consider this comment from the state builder’s association in The Star-Ledger:

Legislators from both political parties supported the measure because it would provide sorely needed jobs in a struggling economy, noted Amy Whilldin, director of communications for the New Jersey Builders Association.

“These projects were largely stalled because of the economic downturn. Allowing the time period to be extended, for a reasonable period of time, will stimulate growth,” she said.

Stimulate growth? By extending the permits of projects approved in the past, projects that may have stalled for reasons other than the economy, all the bill will do is give builders a way around environmental restrictions they opposed when they were passed.

Gov. Jon Corzine has until Sept. 15 to make a decision on the legislation, called “Permit Extension Act,” which the Ledger describes as “giv(ing) developers a two-year extension to complete any stalled building projects.”

There are aspects of the bill that make sense — provisions tied to transit hubs and redevelopment projects — though it is important that development projects be held to the highest environmental standards, and that includes requiring those that expired to meet recently enacted environmental laws.

But the governor has a conditional veto he can use to force a rewrite of the legislation to make it more consistent with environmental goals, as Jeff Tittel of the New Jersey Sierra Club and Dave Pringle of the New Jersey Environmental Federation told the Ledger. The two organizations

want the governor to “conditionally veto” various parts of the bill, including what they call the “Dracula” provision. That provision would allow projects with permits that expired after Jan. 1, 2007, to be “brought back to life” and enjoy the two-year extension, they said.

“In the midst of presidential politics, Governor Corzine has to govern New Jersey, including deciding the fate of the Permit Extension Act,” said Pringle, the federation’s campaign director. “Within two weeks, he will decide whether or not to underline core environmental and public health protections, good planning, and the constitution.”

Tittel, the state Sierra Club’s director, said the governor also could amend the act to protect local planning decisions made in communities like Bernardsville, Newark and Jersey City to promote growth near transportation hubs, protect environmentally-sensitive areas and halt sprawl.

So, what’s the decision Gov. Corzine?

Email me at grassroots at comcast dot net.

I guess this means I’m rich

I haven’t gotten one of these in a while, but this comes at such a good time — I could use the cash.

This is for your attention,

We wish to notify you again that you were listed as a beneficiary to the total sum of 4,600,000.00GBP (Four million Six hundred thousand Great British Pounds) in the intent of the deceased (name now withheld since this is our second letter to you).

We contacted you because you bear the surname identity and therefore can present you as the beneficiary to the inheritance since there is no written will.

Our legal services aim to provide our private clients with a complete service. We are happy to prepare wills, set-up and administer Trusts, carry out the administration of estates and prepare and administer powers of attorney.

All the papers will be processed in your acceptance. In your acceptance of this deal, we request that you kindly forward to us your letter of acceptance, your current telephone and fax numbers and a forwarding address to enable us file necessary documents at our high court probate division for the release of this sum of money.

And I will prefer you reach me on my private email address below (deleted)

Yours faithfully
Gary Adams

Wow. As I said, I could use the cash. I wish I would have seen that earlier contact attempt.

Email me at grassroots at comcast dot net.

Please relieve me or let me go…

I hate relief pitchers. Or, more to the point, I hate the Mets’ relief pitchers.

And I’m not too happy with Pedro Martinez, or an offense that decided to stop hitting after the third inning of last night’s Phillies game. But then, seven runs should be enough for anyone to walk away with a win.

Did I mention that I was in the stands at Citizens’ Bank Park — a wonderful little baseball stadium that should be the model for new parks around the country. It certainly makes Shea feel as old and decrepit — and physically unfriendly — as we’ve always known it to be (though, and the Phillie fans I talked with last night admitted this, the Vet always made Shea seem like hallowed ground).

Some observations about the game and the team:

  • What is it that keeps the Mets from hitting after about the sixth inning? Last night, they scored all their runs early, as is the norm, and then shut down. For the season, they are second from the bottom in scoring after the sixth inning — which would be a useless stat except that it raises question about the team’s heart. Consider that the Phillies never say die and that they dug in after being down 7-0 and found a way to stretch the game out to 13 innings and a win, and you have to wonder whether there is something missing on the mental/emotional side with this team.
  • Pedro can no longer be counted on. He will turn in some solid performances, but also the clinkers. Against teams like the Phillies — free-swinging big bats that hit a lot of homers but also strike out frequently — he can be both dominant and dormant. Last night, he manage to pitch in and out of jams until the Phillies scored four in the fifth. And yet, he left with a two-run lead.
  • The Mets are without a closer (Billy Wagner) and likely will be without one for the rest of the year. That puts extra pressure on a relief corps that has trouble keeping leads. There is no one on the waiver wire likely to help, and unless the Mets stay behind the Phillies, the waiver-trade route is unlikely.
  • This race will go down to the wire — the Phillies have their own issues in the rotation and defensively in the infield, plus they strikeout too much, making them a feast-or-famine-type team — with the loser staying home. I think the play of the Cubs and Brewers make it clear that two teams will be coming out of the Central (plus the Cards remain ahead of the Mets/Phillies in the wild card standings), with only one team — the division winner — from the East and West moving into the playoffs.
  • This team is beginning to look like the mid/late-’80s Mets, a team that won one World Series, one divisional title and managed to finish second five times in a seven-year run. This team should be better, but it’s not and I don’t know that we have a convincing explanation as to why.

(I tried to mobile blog from the game last night, by the way, but it didn’t work. I’ll figure it out at some point.)

Email me at grassroots at comcast dot net.