Letters to the Editor, Dec. 29

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, Dec. 29

Ask your kids about their parties
To the editor:
   
We had an interesting discussion with our 17-year-old son the other day about New Year’s Eve parties. After discussing teen safety issues and whether or not we "understand" why he wants to do what he wants to do, we ended up on another topic — the moral and ethical responsibilities we have to other parents in this community.
   Unsupervised parties greatly increase the risks associated with alcohol and drug use. Rapid drinking, uninvited guests and sexual assault are all more likely at parties where parents are absent.
   Imagine how you would feel if you discovered that your child had had a party in your house without your knowledge. It would upset us greatly if not one of the mothers, fathers or guardians of the kids who attended took a moment to call to make sure we knew about it and would be there.
   Even the best parents will hear about only a part of what our kids are doing, but the more conversations we have, the better.
   Please ask your teen what parties he or she is planning to attend over the holiday and call to make sure the parents will be home.
Laurie R. Powsner
Jonathan Krejci
Tee-Ar Place
Princeton
Make a difference in a child’s life
To the editor:
   
This is the time of year for gift-giving and New Year’s resolutions. I’d like to suggest combining the two by becoming a Court Appointed Special Advocate for a foster child in Mercer County.
   A CASA is a trained citizen who is appointed by a judge to represent the best interests of a child in court. The children served are those who have been removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect. A CASA gets to know the child and his/her needs by interacting with the child, parents, family members, social workers, school officials, health providers and foster parents. Often, the CASA is the only reliable, consistent adult foster children have for the duration of their time "in care." A CASA’s contribution is invaluable to an abandoned or neglected child.
   CASA of Mercer County has trained and supervises over 80 CASAs who are currently serving 120 children. However, this is only a fraction of the 500 children in out-of-home placement in Mercer County alone. Ideally, every child should have a CASA.
   CASA of Mercer County is conducting information sessions on Jan. 10 and Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. at its offices, 180 Ewingville Road, Ewing. Come out and hear in more detail how you can make a significant and lasting difference in the life of a child. Call CASA at (609) 734-0050, or visit www.casamercer.org.
   Make a resolution and give the gift of yourself to a child.
Kim H. Millar M.D.
Trustee
CASA of Mercer County
Lake Drive
Princeton
Magical week in downtown Princeton
To the editor:
   Was the miracle on Fifth Avenue or Nassau Street?
   Last week was magical as people in Princeton reacted to the Salvation Army kettles on Nassau and Witherspoon streets. Those who passed by the kettles stopped, or smiled, or contributed, and all seemed to gain in vigor and cheerfulness.
   Children were singing, grown ups also, and the horse carriage passed by with its bells. It was a magical week.
   The Princeton Methodist Church, which supported this effort, had 107 member and friends ringing the kettle bells. The church thanks all of those in the borough for their help, especially Borough Clerk Andrea Quinty, and those in the parking enforcement bureau who were so understanding as we set up, took down, and set up again the kettle stations.
   We have something very special in our area — the people who are so loving, and generous. A total of $6,122 was collected during the week and is now at work in Mercer County to help those in need.
Larry Apperson
Princeton United Methodist Church
Nassau Street
Princeton
Debate must shift from taxes to spending
To the editor:
   
Selling off state assets like the New Jersey Turnpike (Packet Editorial, Dec. 26) to finance the ongoing cost of government and provide property-tax relief is irresponsible. It is narcissistic to think that this is the last financial crisis New Jersey will face. When the next crisis inevitably arrives, three things will still be true:
   • New Jersey taxpayers will have paid billions in higher tolls now that there is a profit incentive. It is, in essence, another road tax.
   • New Jersey won’t have the New Jersey Turnpike to sell. What will we hock next time? Rutgers? New Jersey Transit?
   • We will still not have addressed the base problem, which is that we sit by idly rather than challenge the amount we spend on government.
   Politicians grandstanding about property-tax relief and using gimmicks must be replaced by legislators who name names, who identify excessive spending and cut where it must be cut. Until the debate moves from property-tax relief to lower spending, we will never accomplish a thing.
Dave Saltzman
Montadale Drive
Princeton
Prussian references cause great confusion
To the editor:
   
In the TimeOFF (Dec. 22-31) article, "Genuine Articles," about New Jersey’s involvement in the Civil War, there is a paragraph about one Joseph Karge, a Prussian immigrant who joined the Union army in New Jersey.
   In that paragraph, there is a reference to "Prussian Calvary," and not one but two references to the "New Jersey Calvary." The only Calvary I know about was not in Prussia, and definitely not in New Jersey. Could the author, and/or copy editor (who should be fired), have meant to say cavalry?
   Also, in the same paragraph, it is stated that Karge "served in Prussian-occupied Poland in the 1840s." Actually, Poland ceased to exist as a political entity in the 18th century. Karge would have been serving in Prussia, not Poland. Poland was ceded these territories after World Wars I and II, as part of the spoils of war, i.e., being on the winning side.
Steven Turcus
Journey’s End Lane
Princeton
Put garden back in Garden State
To the editor:
   
Let’s put the garden back in our Garden State.
   Growing up in a small town in the 1960s, we’d spend some afternoons walking to the local dairy farm to pick up fresh milk for our family. Nothing but open fields for the cows to graze. As we walked through the fields, avoiding the cow droppings, my older brother would joke that someday this will be a Metropolis like in his Superman comic books.
   Down our block, there was a field of wild flowers and blackberries. We’d often go berry picking. Those berries were not like the big, beautiful yet somewhat tasteless ones we get in the supermarkets today, but they were succulent, bursting with flavor as if they were meant for the Greek gods on Mt. Olympus.
   One day I had a dream that there was a huge diamond in this field. Little did I realize, looking back today, the field itself was that glistening diamond.
   Where did I live? Iselin. Yes, Iselin, N.J.
   What happened to our Garden State, which was covered with untouched woods, farms and fields of wild berries? Did we become the super highway between New York and Philadelphia?
   There’s something called a deed restriction, and when land is sold to the state under the Green Acres program, it cannot be changed. The land is totally preserved. The garden stays. That’s truly green acres.
   Yes, developers have already built so much, we cannot change that. But whatever has not been built on still has hope. If it is sold to a developer, can we still stop it from being built on?
   And any land that’s not sold, can the government purchase it with a deed restriction?
   This land still has hope. Do we want to preserve the trees, wildlife and soil? Do we have power? Do we have a voice in town council/planning meetings to make this change? Can we get our congressman, senators or governor to change our course?
   What do you think? Can we put the garden back into our beloved Garden State?
Joan Sichel
Westminster Place
South Brunswick