Another reason for merging towns

The Record hits on something interesting in its editorial yesterday on the statewide corruption arrests — that this was not just a case of pay-to-play run amok, or of a handful of bad apples, but one that grows from the very structure of New Jersey government — the vast array of governing entities and the dozens of officials at all levels who hold multiple public jobs:

This case is a vivid illustration of the multiplied corruption opportunities presented by New Jersey’s surplus of municipalities, school boards and other public agencies, as well as the politicians who link them together by holding more than one public job.

Add in greed and what you have is the uglier side of New Jersey government.

I’ve been advocating for shrinking the number of towns and school boards and streamlining government, and it appears that this case offers another reason why we must forgo our romantic attachments to place names and realize that there are more efficient and effective ways to organize this state.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

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Runner’s diary, Saturday

Ran yesterday — an easy three on the treadmill — but didn’t have time to post.

Today, however, I got up early and made my way to Thompson Park in Jamesburg where I participated in the first Buckelew 5K. Interesting route, some road running, lots of hills, some gravel, some trails and a steep declining hill (known as Devil’s Hill) that forces you to sprint to the finish. Managed a 27:41, which was decent considering I got off too fast and then was a bitter gingerly in my step on the rough terrain.

Hope they do it next year.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

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Federal judge tries to tapeconstitution back together

Those of us on the loony left — as the right likes to call us — have been saying since that night oh so long ago, back in the dark hours after 9-11, that the USA Patriot Act does little more than shred the U.S. Constitution, making a mockery out of all the rhetoric we use to praise ourselves as a nation of liberty.

Now a federal judge has finally backed us up on this (from The Washington Post):

U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero in New York ruled that the landmark anti-terrorism law violates the First Amendment and the Constitution’s separation of powers provisions because it effectively prohibits recipients of the FBI letters (NSLs) from revealing their existence and does not provide adequate judicial oversight of the process.

Marrero wrote in his 106-page ruling that Patriot Act provisions related to NSLs are “the legislative equivalent of breaking and entering, with an ominous free pass to the hijacking of constitutional values.”

He went on to say, according to the paper, that

“in light of the seriousness of the potential intrusion into the individual’s personal affairs and the significant possibility of a chilling effect on speech and association–particularly of expression that is critical of the government or its policies–a compelling need exists to ensure that the use of NSLs is subject to the safeguards of public accountability, checks and balances, and separation of powers that our Constitution prescribes.”

He ruled that only some of the NSL provisions were unconstitutional, but found that it was impossible to separate those provisions from other parts of the law. He therefore struck down the FBI’s ability to issue NSLs altogether.

None of this should have been a surprise. As John Nichols points out in his blog on The Nation Web site today, U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold made these points when the Patriot Act first passed in 2001 and again during its reauthorization in 2005.

And it’s not like civil libertarians on the left and the right have not been offering these critiques.

But then, as with the invasion of Iraq, being right means little in a political culture that values obeisance and the conventional wisdom above all.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

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Runner’s diary, Thursday

I’m sore, but happy after a 10-mile jaunt (that became a trudge toward the end) that took an hour and 41 minutes, 58 seconds. I even had just enough in the tank to lengthen my stride, though not for very long. All in all, not bad.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

E-mail me by clicking here.

Email me at grassroots at comcast dot net.