Heart disease is the
No. 1 killer of women. According to the American Heart Association, a woman is 10 times as likely to die from heart disease as from breast cancer. Nearly 500,000 women die each year in our country due to cardiovascular disease, including almost 15,000 New Jersey women. As a local business leader and Middlesex County health-care executive, these numbers are overwhelming and require strong action.
Nearly every one of us will be impacted by cardiovascular disease during our lifetime. One thing we can all do to live a healthier, longer life is make exercise, such as walking, a regular daily activity. A second thing we can all do is learn more about American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women.” Do it for the women in your life — such as your mother, wife, daughter or best friend. American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women is a movement sponsored nationally, by Macy’s and Pfizer, that provides women with free resources, information, women’s programs and hope — to live longer, stronger lives.
As chairman of this year’s Middlesex County Heart Walk, I urge all residents, mothers and daughters, women from all walks of life, business and civic leaders, survivors and companies, to “get moving” and join us for the 14th annual American Heart Association Heart Walk at Middlesex County College, Edison, Oct. 2 at 9 a.m. The 2005 Middlesex County Heart Walk theme, “Walk. Change Tomorrow — Today” encourages everyone to make exercise a regular activity of daily life and to help raise money to fund more research to save more lives. The American Heart Association is “changing the tomorrow” for millions of people in New Jersey by currently funding more than $6 million in research in the Garden State.
Walk. Change tomorrow. Today. Join us at the 2005 American Heart Association Middlesex County Heart Walk Oct. 2. Learn more or register your team by calling the state office of the American Heart Association at (732) 821-2610.
Larry Cohen
chairman
2005 American Heart Association Middlesex County
Heart Walk
Handlin ‘lacks courage it takes to detect corruption’
Will Amy Handlin, candidate for state Assembly in the 13th District, be able to enforce all her suggestions for ethics reform? Does Amy Handlin’s past performance as a Monmouth County freeholder give her credibility needed to be an ethics reformer? Does Amy Handlin really have the kind of courage which is necessary to enforce ethics?
Handlin has been a Monmouth County freeholder for 15 years, and during that time, she has served as a financial liaison person. The newspapers have stated that a number of obvious irregularities have occurred on her watch:
• Monmouth County freeholders were having monthly meetings at undisclosed places with lavish meals at the taxpayers’ expense
• Malcolm Carton — the Monmouth County attorney — was signing his own vouchers
• Other freeholders and department heads spent excessive amounts of taxpayers’ money on travel that included transportation, hotel and meal expenses
• Amy Handlin has a personal aide that appears to be the equivalent of a no-show job. This aide does not sign in or out and records of just exactly what she does are not very explicit. This aide is paid for by taxpayers’ funds.
An analysis of these irregularities would include that Amy was aware of what was going on and did nothing, or she simply wasn’t aware of what was going on. In either case, it doesn’t sound like the kind of responsibility that is necessary to manage good government.
When the Monmouth County attorney was writing and signing his own vouchers, this should have indicated a bad business practice or procedure. It would indicate Monmouth County was not adhering to or maintaining a well-organized voucher system. This was closer to poor business organization and management than to ethics reform.
One could have all the ethics reform they could think up and still stand by and do nothing. Mrs. Handlin lacks the kind of courage it takes to detect corruption.
Preston Gillam
Belford section
of Middletown
Struggling middle class threat to security
According to recently released statistics, employers in June cut more than 110,000 jobs following on the heels of an 82,000 job loss number in the prior month of May.
This is a 73 percent increase in job losses from the same month a year ago, and continues a trend this year of a six-month job loss of more than a half million.
Job losses are coming not only in manufacturing, which has been bleeding jobs for decades now, but also in the retail, automotive, and the government sector.
For years we have been listening to politicians claim that jobs are being created in the retail sector to replace the jobs we lost in manufacturing. Now they are being swept away.
There are many reasons why.
Increased energy costs, outsourcing, mergers and acquisitions, and consolidation continue toward the troubling trend which will not abate any time soon.
Anyone who thinks that the loss of a strong middle class is not a threat to the security of our nation is a fool.
If working men and women cannot pay their bills, provide health insurance for their family, and educate their children, then the very security of our nation is threatened.
It’s time we all wake up and do the right thing.
Chip Gerrity
president
New Jersey I.B.E.W. (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers)
Hightstown