For my fellow Catholics out there, you may be wondering why Easter is so incredibly early this year. The folks over at FOXNews.com had a great article about this topic posted today. What it comes down to is…the moon!

Pretty weird, huh? From the article:

Easter always comes on the Sunday after the first, or Paschal, full moon following the first day of spring.

Spring arrives on Thursday and the moon will be full on Friday, the earliest Paschal moon since 1913. And that means Easter, the Christian holiday marking the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is this Sunday. It won’t come this early again for another 220 or so years.

This is a mundane bit of news to some, but to others this can be a fascinating look at the history of the Catholic Church. As many theologians will tell you, there are little pieces of other religions that were integrated into Roman Catholicism at the Council of Nicaea. One of the common traditions of many religions at the time was to use the lunar cycle to provide dates for their feast days (for example, the stars were used to date some Jewish and Pagan feast days at the time). It would appear that the Council took some of this mindset and applied it to setting the date for Easter.

Pretty interesting stuff. Maybe we can all discuss it again in 2228 - the next time Easter will be this early in the year!

Did you know that the Democrats have already voted to increase your taxes three years from now? Okay, so they didn’t raise your taxes, per se, but they did endorse a plan that WILL raise your taxes in the coming years. I understand that taxes weren’t raised so much as the existing “Bush tax cuts” are now set to expire, but for the millions of workers who have entered the workforce since 2001 and for the millions of families who can barely afford to get by as it is - this is nothing more than a major tax hike.

Believe it or not, though, I don’t place the blame on the Democrats. I don’t place the blame on the Republicans, either. Who is to blame? We are. This is a country whose contemporary populous demands to be taken care of from cradle to grave. As a perpetual student of American history, this is sickening. America was once a country put together by revolutionaries who not just fought against being taxed without representation, they waged a war against it. Now, Americans are being taxed into oblivion by a government that would prefer to spend money on entitlement programs instead of a comprehensive plan to fix America’s finances once and for all.

But hey, no one cares…so what’s the point in complaining? No one is going to change it. Of the 3 major Presidential contenders, the two Democrats have already claimed that they are raising taxes and I’m not sure if the Republican even has a financial plan.

Oh well. Another day in America.

Anyone who lives in New Jersey knows that there are two kinds of police officers. The first (and more prevalent) type of officer is the man or woman who is out to do some good for his or her community. These are the folks who always wanted to be police officers and who always wanted to serve the greater good. The second (and more talked about) type of officer is the complete asshole. You know this guy - this is the one who pulled you over and got in your face just because he felt like it. This is the police officer who broke up your college party, but also punched three people in the face while doing so. This is the guy who stops you on the boardwalk and slams you down on the ground because there’s nothing you can do about. This is the prick with the snide comments while he’s writing you a ticket or standing outside of your car.

And this is the type of police officer that just cost Seaside Park $1,271,000. Wait - you think that’s bad? Here’s a clip from the linked article:

The borough’s insurance carrier, the Ocean County Joint Insurance Fund, has previously settled five excessive force claims for more than $1.5 million over the past 2 1/2 years. A total of 14 excessive force lawsuits were filed against the police department over the past three years.

Overly aggressive police officers have cost Seaside Park $2.8 million. I don’t know about you, but if I was the Mayor or the Chief of Police, I’d be going ape shit at my officers. In fact, I’d be on a firing spree. I don’t think you’ll find that in Seaside Park, though. If you read the article, it goes on to say:

The settlements have included no admission of wrongdoing by Seaside Park or its police department. The officers involved, and their attorneys, have strongly denied using excessive force in any of the cases. No officer has ever been disciplined for any action related to the cases.

So not only have these police officers cost Seaside Park almost $3 million in insurance expenses, but they’re not admitting that they’re wrong. Of course they are admitting wrongdoing via the huge payouts, but there is no official, “Hey, we’re sorry. Our bad.”

What a sad commentary on some of the people who get into law enforcement, huh? And the worst part is that not only are these the type of police officers getting headlines, but they are the only ones getting headlines, period. If the egomaniacs and those with Napoleon complexes would just get out of law enforcement, we wouldn’t have to deal with such aggravating stories.

But that’s New Jersey for you…

Just when you think that New Jersey can’t become a bigger disaster than it already is…surprise! The state has come in and screwed up once again. Only this time, not only does their mistake hit critically close to home, it actually contradicts previous decisions by state agencies and (most importantly) promises to destroy the open area that so many of us fight so hard to preserve.

Some of you may be familiar with the acronym COAH. In New Jersey, this means Council on Affordable Housing. This state is in so many crunches at once that it’s hard to keep a handle on all of the problems that are going on, but we are in serious need of affordable housing. For those of you that aren’t up to speed on what “affordable housing” means in New Jersey - this isn’t government housing, it’s not “the projects,” it’s not the place where the drug addicts live, etc. In New Jersey, a new term has come to take the place of affordable housing: workforce housing.

Believe it or not America, New Jersey’s workers cannot afford to live in this state. Nurses, young doctors, police officers, government employees, cashiers, retail managers, salesmen, waiters - no one can afford to buy a new home in New Jersey unless they come from a two income household that is making at least or above our state’s median income (roughly $67,000 depending on whose numbers you believe). New Jersey is not affordable for ANYONE.

The latest smack in the face comes as a one-two punch from Governor Money Bags and COAH and is directed at most non-urban areas in the state. Just last week Governor Money Bags told many of the smaller municipalities that they were having their state aid drastically reduced. As if that wasn’t bad enough, COAH has announced what they call “Round Three” requirements for New Jersey’s municipalities. Round Three will tell the state’s towns, boroughs, and cities how many units of affordable housing they need to produce.

Aside from Money Bags diverting even MORE money away from the suburbs, it would seem that being told what your affordable housing obligations are isn’t the worst thing in the world, right?

Wrong.

In Round Three many suburbs are facing an obligation that is QUADRUPLE what they were previously held accountable for. Take the case in my hometown of Roxbury Township. Not only does their COAH obligation jump from some 245 units to 837 units, but Roxbury was told by ANOTHER state agency that they can no longer build in the green areas of the township! What does COAH want to have happen here? Would they like it if the existing housing - which has stood for decades, even centuries - was knocked down so higher density homes can be put in their place? Completely outrageous!

Taken from the Roxbury Register article:

Councilman Richard Zoschak said this latest COAH proposal just causes more confusion and presents more contradictions.

“How do we deal with the Highlands legislation and this? The Highlands legislation says no building here. COAH says we have to build here,” Zoschak said.

Sustainable growth in New Jersey? Not a chance. Continued destruction of the non-urban areas so more money can be pumped into Newark and Camden? Absolutely! More from the article…

Smith faulted the state for having what he called “no coherence, no coordination and no central planning mechanism.”

“We are all being told what to do by different parties, all with power, and they all conflict with one another,” he said.

For those of you who do not live in New Jersey, let me explain how this state’s government “works.” COAH says that Township A needs to create 50 units of affordable housing. The Highlands Council says that Township A only has enough space to put up 5 single family homes. The State Planning Commission approves Township A’s master plan that cites no buildings may be built over 3 stories high. The Governor’s Office tells Township A to meet its COAH obligation or it gets no more state money.

What is the Township to do? They only have room for 5 more single family homes, but - assuming that these open lots are all next to each other (which is near impossible) - are they to build an extremely high density 3-story apartment building (in an area likely not zoned for apartment buildings) with extremely small, 600 square foot (if that) rental units so they meet all of the above obligations? Oh, and this would be built in a generic neighborhood setting where there are no apartment buildings and only single family homes. Oh, and for each apartment you need to provide one and a half parking spaces (in a residential neighborhood, mind you). Oh, and these are affordable units, which means they have to be income restricted and not just any citizen can apply to rent a unit. Oh, and with such a high density unit police, fire, sanitation, and civil services need to be increased (spending more taxpayer money). Oh, and Township A may need to create a housing authority (spend more taxpayer money) to oversee this complex.

Listen. I’m one of the many people in this state who NEED workforce housing to exist. I cannot afford to buy a decent home in New Jersey and - right now - I can only afford to pay a very low monthly rent. But if the plan above is Governor Money Bags’ idea of how to plan for MY future housing needs, then he can take this plan and shove it.

When will it stop in New Jersey?

Ugh - I hate to put up a post that is a reaction to a television show, but after watching tonight’s The Biggest Loser I had to put something up. Maggie and Brittany are a bunch of crybabies and complainers. These stupid asses don’t realize that this show is a golden opportunity. You do NOT go on this show, break your ass for a week in the gym, and then lose no weight like Maggie did tonight. It just doesn’t happen - the laws of nature don’t function that way. At one time I lost well over 100 pounds (before I consciously put it all back on because I got very lazy). I know the disappointment of not losing weight after a week of breaking your butt. But I also know that the reason why that happens is largely because you get horrible sleep during the week and you pig out when people aren’t looking.

These two fools aren’t getting away with anything - the entire world is watching and we know what the deal is!

Unfortunately, NBC is milking this show for everything that it’s worth so we didn’t get the opportunity to see who was last night’s biggest loser, but do we really need to know? Both Maggie and Brittany are the biggest losers on all of television right now. I don’t know who put the idea in Brittany’s head that a woman’s metabolism cannot, fundamentally, work as well as a man’s metabolism, but a slim, tone Ali threw that mindset into the can by winning the whole thing.

Week in and week out I watch this show and I wonder how much more overly dramatic these two dummies could possibly get, but then I remember that there needs to be some type of drama in this show or else some of the viewers will refuse to watch. For my part, I can’t wait for both of these complaining losers to get off the show.

And in case you’re wondering (probably not) - I’m hoping that either Roger, Kelly, or Dan wins this season.

Now that Senator John McCain is the definite Republican nominee for President, it is time for him to begin thinking in earnest about the perfect Vice-Presidential candidate. The latest name to circulate (aside from Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee) is Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson. While I think that Hutchinson would be a good choice for McCain, I think that there is someone who is more qualified and a better overall choice.

Condoleeza Rice.

No, I don’t think she’s a good choice because she’s a woman or black and thus negates the presumptive Democratic ticket of Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinton. I think that Rice is the right person for the job because she brings a world of foreign policy experience to the ticket. But McCain is already well-versed in foreign affairs, you say? This is true. However, bringing Condi into the picture would allow McCain to focus the bulk of his personal appearances and speeches on domestic issues - which is what the people want to hear at this point.

As for some other choices, I’d like to see Colin Powell as Vice-President, though I don’t think that his family is interested in having him play a role at such a high office. Newt Gingrich is also a great choice, though I think he’s waiting to run for President until 2012 (if McCain loses) or later. Some people think Rudy Giuliani would be a good choice - I disagree. I’d rather have Rudy as Secretary of Homeland Security or Attorney General.

Anyway, I’m sure that McCain will announce his running mate sooner rather than later so the Republicans can begin to build some momentum heading into their convention.

A few weeks ago I came across this story and I got a good laugh out of it. In short, this woman was passed out in a coma after giving childbirth and after a while they decided to pull the plug. A few days before they’re getting ready to pull the plug, her husband got a little pissed off at her and started yelling at her to stop this crap already and wake up!

Believe it or not, the husband yelling at the wife actually rocked her out of a coma! Ha! How great is that? The husband gets mad because the wife is essentially going to die and he yells at her (knowing that she always hated when he yelled at her) and it wakes her up. Awesome!

Hopefully I’m not the only one who doesn’t understand the craze around Sesame Street’s Elmo character over the last couple of years. What’s the big deal?! It’s a furry little red thing. That’s it! With all of that said, I had to post this story…

It turns out that a freak oddity has occurred with an Elmo doll down in the Tampa Bay area. These parents bought the doll for their son, James, and after a few days they realized that their furry little buddy had an odd saying…

“Kill James.”

That’s right. Elmo suggested killing James. KILLING THE SON!

If that doesn’t scare the hell out of you, then I don’t know what scary means! This is like Chucky gone real. Freaky. Anyway, let’s use this as an opportunity to calm down the mania around the Elmo dolls. Who wants a doll that has a glitch that can possibly say it wants to kill your child? Definitely not what I’m trying to give to my kids whenever I have them!

Most people hate tax season…even those who work for the Internal Revenue Service. I saw a story the other day about an IRS agent from my hometown of Roxbury who was convicted on tax evasion charges. How about that, huh? Even the IRS hates paying taxes!

Just another example of how we are all human…even those in real or perceived positions of authority.

In the mean time, check out New Jersey Carpet Cleaning for the best carpet cleaning in the Garden State!

Ever since I started paying back my student loans some 20 months ago, I’ve been complaining about how inept and downright rude the people at the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority are on the telephone. Not only do they treat you like you are trying to get away with something, but they fail to understand the basic fundamental purpose of their organization - to provide low-cost student loans to New Jersey residents so they may earn a higher education degree.

Well, it looks like these folks are finally going to get what’s coming to them. The Asbury Park Press reported the other day that an independent monitor will begin looking at the NJHESAA as a part of the national student loan scandal that is unfolding. Good.

I don’t know all of the nitty gritty details of what’s going on at NJHESAA and I really don’t want to know them right now. I’m glad that this organization is being monitored and that new borrowers will think twice about whether or not this is the proper vehicle for their higher education financing needs. If I could go back in time and NOT take a NJHESAA loan, I would do that in a heartbeat. I’d rather have a loan from a large traditional financing institution that sees me as nothing more than a profit on their books than deal with the arrogant, demeaning people at NJHESAA.

And they charge me too much for my loan. Thanks to Dave for sending me this link a few weeks ago.