Holt reiterates stand on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

By: centraljersey.com
In the Oct. 15 issue, The Princeton Packet mistakenly wrote that I believe the issue of gays in the military "should be left to the discretion of the military." That statement was actually made by my opponent.
Instead of taking a definitive stand, he deferred on the issue, saying that a matter of national security was not of importance to the voters.
I want Packet readers to know exactly where I stand on this issue. The policy of "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" has been a complete failure. It must be repealed at once.
That is why I am an original co-sponsor of legislation that would over turn "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell." First, this is a matter of simple decency and not treating fellow citizens, especially those who want to serve our country, as second class citizens. Gay men and women are forced to hide who they are while serving, something no one should have to do.
Moreover, from a standpoint of national security, this policy simply makes us less safe. There are countless cases of language translators being expelled from the armed services because of their sexuality. Yet, there are hundreds of thousands of seized documents sitting in warehouses needing translation. But our foolish policy ensures they go unread.
Lastly, the policy is completely without logic. Gays have served in the military since the American Revolution. The current argument for maintaining the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy mirrors the arguments that were made 60 years ago for keeping the army racially segregated.
Thy are equally as wrong.
Rep. Rush Holt 12th Congressional District Hopewell Township
Mr. Holt is the Democratic candidate for House of Representatives from the 12th Congressional District.
Keep Princeton Borough independent and small
To the editor:
Princeton Borough is at a crossroads. We can choose to reduce our spending and thereby reduce our property taxes. Alternatively, we can seek increased revenues as a means of preserving lavish compensation packages for our municipal employees and urban service levels for our residents.
Discussion of the recent reassessment has thus far focused chiefly on solutions that assume the presence of a free lunch (i.e. somebody else pays the bills). The free lunch crowd has suggested several possible targets: Princeton University, those who inhabit large houses, the wealthy, state and federal governments, and other municipalities (i.e. shared services). Unhappily, the university is tax exempt, the wealthy can easily move, the budgets of our state and federal governments are already stressed, and the ceding to other municipalities of the delivery of basic services entails both a loss of control and a reduction in service levels.
If we are willing to loosen our zoning and permit greater densities, we can of course create additional "ratables." Some view as desirable the transformation of Princeton Borough into a "regional hub." Others view that transformation as inevitable.
Proponents of these views have engaged in a determined, decades long, take no prisoners effort to transform our town into a small city. They have been confounded, however, by costs which have risen faster than revenues. The recent reassessment shows the extent to which the resulting revenue gap has been filled by raising taxes on long time residents and businesses.
Consolidation is a density wolf in the clothing of a free lunch sheep. The merger of Princeton Borough and Township admittedly has a simple logic. In theory, we can eliminate duplicative services and pass the resulting savings on to our residents in the form of meaningful tax reductions. In practice we are likely to find that staffing levels are not easily reduced and supervisory costs tend to increase. Because the resident borough population is dwarfed by the population of the township, we in the borough would lose control of our neighborhoods – and the loss of control would facilitate the transformation of the borough into a small city.
Before sliding into decisions with transformative consequences, we in the borough should decide what kind of a community we wish to be. Because there is no free lunch, we have a simple choice: small, simple, and affordable, or dense, complex, and expensive.
Those who advocate the creation of the city of Princeton should at least be honest as to the accompanying costs. Green space will disappear. Buildings will become more massive. Single-family neighborhoods will be replaced with apartment blocks. Roads will be widened.
Government will become larger, more intrusive, and more unwieldy. Land values will increase. And, notwithstanding the larger tax base, property taxes will increase – driving out the elderly, the poor, and the wealthy.
I prefer to keep the borough independent, its size as small as possible, and its government as unobtrusive as possible – and will therefore be a reliable vote against consolidation and in favor of reducing municipal spending.
Peter Marks Princeton
Mr. Marks is a Republican candidate for Princeton Borough Council.
Holt offers education, belief in American Dream
To the editor:
A supporter of Rep. Rush Holt since he first ran for Congress, I have never been disappointed in my choice of this excellent representative. He brings to the office an exceptional background in education, science, and teaching; a first-rate intelligence and a true belief that this nation was formed to promote the general welfare of its entire people.
He believes that the American Dream should be a possible dream for all of us, not just for a well placed few and a pipe dream for the rest of us. His performance in Congress has exemplified this.
That dream is under assault in our country by numerous very powerful right-wing players, many of whom are outside organizations pouring support into his opponent’s campaign in an attempt to buy this election.
His opponent, a very wealthy hedge fund manager – remember those guys; we are still trying to dig ourselves out of the hole that they helped dig for us – offers a menu of trickle-down economics that has always rendered the American Dream a pipe dream for most of us. Perhaps he doesn’t need such things as healthcare reform, Social Security, excellent public education or a host of other similar things, but most of us do.
Given the opportunity we average Americans are a great people. On Nov. 2 I will vote for Rush Holt knowing that he is the one who will help us realize our potential.
David W. Blair Princeton
Obama and Holt are not socialists
To the editor:
Burnet Fisher, in his letter of support for Scott Sipprelle (Packet, Oct. 15) is woefully ignorant about socialism. He claims that socialism "has been used as the road to power by Hitler, Stalin, Castro, Chavez …" etc. and that a vote for Rush Holt is a vote that would put us on the road to serfdom (to borrow a phrase).
In fact, German socialists were vehemently opposed to Hitler who, after he came to power, put tens of thousands of them in concentration camps. Socialist parties around the world were anti-Stalin, and Stalin likewise imprisoned and murdered many of them both in the USSR and in Eastern Europe. Castro, Chavez, and others use the rhetoric of socialism but most socialists agree that their regimes are seriously lacking in socialism’s historic democratic dimension.
As for capitalism’s vaunted successes, even Marx considered it progressive when compared to slavery and feudalism.
But looking at the current economic crisis and poverty and unemployment levels around the world, it doesn’t seem so hot today. Let me reassure Mr. Fisher: Neither President Obama nor Mr. Holt are socialists by the wildest stretch of the imagination. Takes one to know one, so take it from me.
Martin Oppenheimer Franklin Township
Sipprelle unaware of Einstein Alley activity
To the editor:
At a recent campaign breakfast at his home, Scott Sipprelle disparaged Einstein’s Alley and its leading advocate, Congressman Rush Holt, saying, "They put up 19 road signs but they never did anything about it." It is evident from this comment, that Mr. Sipprelle is unaware of the work that goes on as a result of the Einstein Alley Entrepreneurs Collaborative gatherings or any of the other numerous Einstein Alley events.
I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Holt at the Einstein’s Alley Economic Summit that he convened in December 2003. At this conference, Mr. Holt shared his vision for creating an "entrepreneurial ecosystem" built on New Jersey’s long tradition of research and innovation and fueled by the diverse, highly educated, and strong community members who have chosen to live in Central Jersey.
Inspired by Mr. Holt’s vision, I co-founded the Einstein Alley Entrepreneurs Collaborative, a grassroots network of Central Jersey-based entrepreneurs that continues to meet nearly every two months for friendship, fellowship, and mutual support. Mr. Holt, or a Holt representative, has attended the majority of our gatherings to ensure that Mr. Holt keeps a finger on the pulse of the Central Jersey entrepreneurial community.
At this time, I was the founding business manager of Princeton Server Group, a startup company that provided affordable digital broadcast solutions for public, educational, and government television stations. Like many other start-ups, my company prospered in Einstein’s Alley. Before being acquired in 2007 by TelVue Corp. (Mount Laurel), we created 15 local jobs and helped over 150 community television stations convert from analog to digital broadcasting.
I am disappointed with Mr. Sipprelle’s comment regarding the Einstein Alley initiative. Currently the Entrepreneur’s Collaborative alone has over 150 business leaders, most of whom are creating high-paying jobs within the state of New Jersey.
I have also always found Mr. Holt to be an honorable man, a committed representative, and a true friend of entrepreneurs. It is unfortunate that Mr. Sipprelle is not aware of what is happening in his local business community and has instead disparaged Mr. Holt and these important contributions.
Steven Georges Princeton
Clerk delivers on campaign promises
To the editor:
As a taxpayer and resident of Mercer County, I applaud Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello for her efforts during her first term in office. I have always found the county clerk and her staff to be professional and responsive.
She instituted three changes that have been very helpful and convenient for our company and our colleagues: the online recording search and retrieval, e-filing of mortgage documents and expanded hours for passport services.
She has delivered on all her promises and that is why I encourage all Mercer County residents to vote to re-elect Paula Sollami Covello as Mercer County Clerk. We need continued good government at work.
Karla Pollack Lawrence
Dinky service good for our community
To the editor:
I am writing to you in reference to the light rail, or Dinky that is a convenient way to go from West Windsor into Princeton. I, for one, have found much use out of using it to go into Princeton for either leisure or business. The fact that it is being considered to be demolished is an atrocity. Many, like myself, use this light rail to go to and from Princeton.
Whenever I would drive into Princeton, it was not only difficult to find somewhere to park, it is primarily people on foot there. Yes, it is a university, and it has many people that live there, but a lot of the surrounding community enjoys the many attractions that are Princeton. I, for one, would be heavy-hearted to hear that the Dinky is no more.
I, like much more of the community, much prefer to ride the Dinky into Princeton. This is an economically feasible way to get to and from Princeton, not to mention how much the environment is spared if we resort to train, rather than car. The Dinky should not be put out of service due to all the good it does our community.
Samuel J. Weiser Plainsboro