Senate should vote no on S-2662

By: centraljersey.com
In a wired world, telephone, Internet and cable television services are essential.
On March 21, these services could be threatened. New Jersey senators will vote on a bill that eliminates consumer protections and allows companies to cut services, dramatically increase rates and impose extra charges on these three services.
Senate Bill 2664, deceptively named the "Market Competition and Consumer Choice Act," which removes regulations for these services, could leave consumers virtually defenseless against their cost and quality of service.
The state said that one of its objectives is to keep seniors living with dignity at home. S-2664 could prove debilitating to this goal. According to an AARP survey that has recently been in the papers, four in 10 older New Jerseyans worry about staying in their homes as long as possible and over two-thirds struggle with paying utilities.
In addition, over 70 percent of older New Jerseyans still use landlines; for many, it is their only method of communication. Eliminating consumer protections and cutting services could mean they won’t be able to stay connected with families or even call a doctor during an emergency. Call your senator today and urge them to vote no on S- 2664.
Jane Magnus AARP Outreach Volunteer Lawrence Township
Halt the use of plastic, paper bags
To the editor:
Princeton Borough Council and Princeton Township Committee have just passed a joint resolution recommending that all of us in Princeton use recycled cloth or canvas bags and wean ourselves from disposable plastic and paper bags.
The BYOBag Committee (Bring Your Own Bag) thanks both governing bodies for this assertive move towards environmental responsibility and state certification in the Sustainable Jersey program.
The resolution "strongly recommend[s] that all citizens and residents honor the spirit and actions of Sustainable Princeton by engaging in the following environmentally best practices, in perpetuity: to re-use or purchase their own cloth bags, to use re-usable plastic bags and re-usable paper bags (instead of accepting new bags from merchants) and to urge neighbors and friends to do likewise; and Borough Council and Township Committee further recommend that all merchants distribute or sell cloth bags or recycled plastic bags or recycled paper bags and cease to offer new plastic bags."
The international movement to reusable cloth is burgeoning – from China to Sweden. It opposes the depletion of fossil resources and the destruction of forests. The extent of environmental waste -12 million barrels of oil per year for more than100 billion discarded plastic bags in the United States alone; plastic bags kill mammals, birds, and sea creatures alike, and take more than 400 years to degrade. Paper bags require 40 percent more energy to create and generate 80 percent more solid waste than plastic bags.
The official launch of the BYOBag Campaign is scheduled for June 9 with a showing of the film "Bag It" at the Princeton Public Library at 7:30 p.m. The BYOBag Committee urges everyone to participate eagerly in this drive towards further sustainability.
Daniel A. Harris Princeton (For the BYOBag Campaign)
Going meatless has lots of benefits
To the editor:
This Wednesday marked the start of Lent, the 40-day period preceding Easter when Catholics and other Christians would abstain from meat and dairy products in remembrance of Jesus’ 40 days of fast and prayer before dying on the cross. Most Catholics still observe meatless Fridays during Lent (www.Veg4Lent.org).
Today, meatless Lent brings the additional benefits of reducing chronic diseases, environmental degradation and animal abuse. It’s a great opportunity to explore the delicious and healthful meat and dairy alternatives in our local supermarket.
Those needing additional reinforcement can look forward to March 20, the first day of spring and the Great American Meatout. Now in its 27th year, Meatout has grown into the world’s largest annual grassroots diet education campaign, with a thousand educational events in all 50 states and 32 countries (www.Meatout.org).
Several years ago, a local Meatout information table turned me onto a healthful, nonviolent diet of vegetables, fruits, legumes and grains. Folks who don’t make it to a Meatout event can subscribe to a free colorful weekly "Meatout Mondays" e-newsletter containing a recipe, book or product review, health news and inspirational story (www.MeatoutMondays.org).
Ivan Slotsky Princeton
Veblen farmhouse should be preserved
To the editor:
As Princeton celebrates Einstein’s birthday with various permutations of pi(e), both edible and mathematical, it’s worth remembering a close associate of Einstein’s, Oswald Veblen, who can be found standing alongside Einstein on the cover of the new book, the "Institute for Advanced Study."
As a mathematician who joined the Princeton University’s faculty in 1905, Veblen was a visionary who had much to do with bringing the Institute, and Einstein, to Princeton. He largely designed the original Fine Hall, where Einstein first had an office.
A "woodchopping" professor who loved the woods, Veblen and his wife, Elizabeth, later donated nearly 100 acres of farmstead and forest for preservation in eastern Princeton – what is now known as Herrontown Woods.
Though Einstein’s Princeton home is a private residence, the Veblen house and cottage at the edge of Herrontown Woods are publicly owned and have long awaited a public purpose. Einstein and other great intellectuals were frequent visitors there. Given the condition of the buildings, this year will likely determine their fate. A case can be made, given the extraordinary contributions the Veblens made to the Princeton community, that we owe to them and to ourselves a better fate than to see their historic farmstead torn down.
The farmstead has several things going for it, including its central location along an extraordinary corridor of greenspace extending from the Princeton Ridge at Bunn Drive down to River Road. Just as the Veblen legacy brings together a love of intellect, nature and physical work, the farmstead itself stands at the border between preserved woodland and the tradition of microfarming once common in eastern Princeton.
Surely we can wed these enduring themes to more recent movements of sustainability, biodiversity and local food, and put the farmstead to creative reuse.
More information about the Veblens and ideas for the long-slumbering house and cottage, including a Pi Farm, can be found at VeblenHouse.blogspot.com.
Stephen Hiltner Princeton
To the editor:
If you live in West Windsor, the quality of your life just took a huge hit on Monday night. On Monday the Town Council decided that they could save a few dollars by firing our animal control officer of 18 years, Bettina Roed, and contracting out her services to the ACO from East Windsor who would charge West Windsor by the hour for his services.
So now if you find a stray dog in your backyard or your pet escapes from your property, or there is a raccoon stuck in your chimney you will call the West Windsor police who will call the East Windsor police who will call the East Windsor ACO who will show up after he’s finished his work in East Windsor (and Hightstown) where he is a real, full-time ACO.
Only he won’t show up for the raccoon because he’s only going to handle rabid wild animals. (So you’ll pay several hundreds dollars to a "pest control" service who will probably kill it.) And he sure isn’t coming out to help look for your pet. He might take the stray dog to a kill-shelter in East Brunswick.
Ms. Roed was given one week’s notice before the council meeting.
About 40 or 50 people showed up at the meeting from all around the state, including a police officer, many rescue and shelter workers, residents of both West Windsor and East Windsor.
Bettina Roed is a legend. Literally. She has won awards for her work as an ACO. For every hour she gets paid she probably puts in two or more unpaid hours.
I made a statement at the council meeting on Monday. I did not show up to ask the council to have "mercy" and not fire her because I felt sorry her. Rather, I asked the council to show "mercy" to the animals of West Windsor and to me – a taxpayer and long-time resident of the township.
Story after story was told of the things that Ms. Roed has done. Last year when, in 100-degree heat, she climbed a 20-foot fir tree to rescue a kitten.
Council cut off comment after about five speakers. Council then "discussed" the issue among themselves for about two minutes. Their comments made it clear they had already made up their minds. No minds were changed. They then voted: Morgan, Geevers and Khanna to fire Ms. Roed. Ciccone and Borek (bless you) against.
And just like that West Windsor threw away one of the most amazing resources this township has ever had to save (they think) a few thousand dollars. And there’s not a thing we can do about it – except for how we respond in the next election. In the meantime, pray your dog doesn’t get lost or you hear chirping sounds from your chimney.
Nancy Bennett West Windsor