Did you hear that 85 passengers on a trans-Atlantic flight developed flu-like symptoms, so the plane had to land in Newark? That's the first time passengers have gotten sick before arriving at Newark.Unfortunately, the latest news item to come out of Newark is no joke.
The latest public health initiative in Newark …a bus ticket out of Newark.
Former Newark Mayor Sharpe James was released from federal prison in Virginia Tuesday morning. Told he’d be freed and sent home to Newark, Sharpe reportedly asked for a longer sentence.
Newark is famous for its industry. In fact, most residents of the Tri-State area are very familiar with its two biggest exports: pollution and assholes.
On the heels of an uptick in violence that claimed the life of an off-duty cop, Newark's city council voted Thursday to require all late-night restaurants that serve less than 20 people at a time to have an armed security guard posted from 9 p.m. to closing.Let me see if I understand this. The Newark city government is unable to fulfill one of its basic functions: keeping citizens safe. So they delegate - no, make that mandate - the responsibility to small businesses. But in typical government fashion they overmanage the problem by specifying a narrow solution (hire armed guards) that imposes additional burdens and expenses on a productive segment of society. Why not just allow the small business owners to arm themselves? Or better yet, let all the citizens arm themselves. You know, that pesky 2nd amendment thingy.
Newark's city council says these late-night eateries attract customers, but also crime.
Restaurant owners feared hiring security guards would strangle their finances.
If Newark doesn't want to go the 2nd Amendment route, they could just hire more police, right? Here's how Newark's mayor addressed that question in his commentary on the 2010 budget.
Newark, like countless communities across the United States, is experiencing a budget emergency. For over a decade, the City has been running a structural budget deficit, where its revenues fall short of its expenditures.Sound familiar? Substitute "Country" for "City" and he could be talking about the nation's budget. And take note of the unsaid message: "We the government did a lousy job of fulfilling our responsibilities, so we're dumping this mess on you the taxpayers."
And what does this say about today's society? That we need armed guards to protect us when we go out for a late-night snack?
As Newark goes, so goes the country.
God help us all...
3 comments:
I was born in Newark, and, from age five until adulthood, I lived a short bike-ride from Newark. It is every bit as bad as the stories say it is. I truly believe that Corey Booker (the Mayor) tried/is trying, but the old guard of assholes/crooks/hangers-on, and political lickspittles still run the place -- all for their own benefit.
Despite that, the same pieces of shit are ALWAYS re-elected by the voters who depend on the status quo for their monthly check(s).
The center of the city is a ghost town after dark. Hey, it's Jersey, and only the bad guys carry guns.
Way back in the late 1970's the company I worked for assigned me to work in Newark for about 6-months. I worked in the Gateway-II building near Penn Station and rarely ventured onto the street even at high noon.
When I first arrived people joked about "gettin' out of Dodge before dark cause that's when the Zombies awoke". I thought it was a joke until I witnessed the mass, rapid migration at 4:30 PM.
That was 30+ years ago. I can't imagine what Broad Street is like now.
20+ years ago I spent a few days in the Newark area on business. When I was returning the rental car to the airport I ended up passing through downtown in the early evening.
In my younger days I lived in some not-so-nice neighborhoods. I also got in a few scrapes along the way (still have a scar or two). I'm a good-sized guy, and back then I was in pretty good shape. I was also just out of the Army. All in all, I thought I could take care of myself.
But that drive through downtown Newark shook me up. The individuals standing around on the street corners looked at me the same way a lion looks at antelope at a water hole. And that's exactly how I felt - like prey being sized up by predators.
I'd never felt that way before, and never have since. And I've never forgotten that feeling.
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