This is not to insinuate that Dreyer is incorrect in any of his suggestions, recommendations, or rules. Rather, this is to suggest that contemporary English has become so out of whack with the basic rules that we sometimes write in a piecemeal method akin to how Dr. Frankenstein built his monster (shout out to anyone who has read Dreyer’s English).

What struck me while reading this book was the fun, playful humor that Dreyer embeds into an otherwise dry, drab, sometimes angry subject. Some of you may recall your English classes as boring or dull or, worse, instructed by someone who was either of these two unfortunate descriptors. I’m glad to say that I did not have that experience (and thus, I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English). But I do feel for those of you who may have had poor instructors and now are plagued with a poor appreciation for the rules of our English language.

Perhaps my favorite part of the book – and a comment that I agree with – is that rules are made to be broken. Of course, you have to know the rules before you break them. I’m with Dreyer on that stance. Yes, go ahead and end a sentence with a preposition if you want to. However, be sure to know what the rules are around why some folks don’t like to have sentences end with a preposition.

For those of you who underwent a rigorous education in the grammatical arts, you’ll find Dreyer’s English to be a great refresher and also a fun trip down what I hope is a pleasant memory lane. For those of you who are not as familiar with the strange peculiarities that make up the English language, you might find this book to be filled with the rules and grammatical laws that have evaded you. Or a playful read. Or both. Whatever. (Another shout out to those who read the book and its fun footnotes.)

Just a final comment, while this book is a fun read and enjoyable for those of us who like linguistics, I was a bit disappointed at the unnecessary distraction added by the often awkward and off-topic insertion of the author’s politics. Early in the book, he takes a shot at the Bush family. Later, he uses Donald Trump, Jr., as an example in a rather derogatory way. He swipes at President Trump in a footnote that looks, feels, and reads laboriously crowbarred into the book. There are other awkward shots at anything not Democratic or left-of-center littered throughout the book including a bizarre footnote where he comments that he originally used the verb “trumps” in an example but he now has an aversion to using that verb. Frankly, it’s creepy for someone to see politics all around them, including in verbs. Break free, people. Don’t let politics run (ruin?) your life.

These types of unnecessary political distractions are awkward in a book about the English language. Of course, part of my frustration with politics being included is that I vehemently reject the politicization of everything in today’s society. The English language should not be politicized. Excess fall backs to political commentary is also why I followed and then, sadly, stopped following the author on Twitter.

The whole world doesn’t need to be political. And, this may be just me, but I’ve begun to become uninterested* in people who only see the world and all of its marvelous elements in shades of Democratic blue and Republican red. Do better, everyone.

*A third shout out to those who read the book. I am uninterested in those who see politics in all shades of life, even linguistics. This is because I am disinterested in politics. There’s a difference, as Dreyer explains.

That unhappy note aside, I’m a fan of this book and I appreciated the humor that Dreyer used in his writing. This was a fun read and as someone who never picks up a brand new book, I am glad that I broke with my historical book-buying approach and purchased this one. If you’re into the English language and its many oddities, then give Dreyer’s English a try. I think you’ll enjoy it!

If any of you are interested in buying one of these textbooks or any of the other books that I’ve posted on the auction, please let me know. Also, if you have access to students in college who might be looking to purchase some textbooks for the spring semester, please share this link with them:

http://shop.ebay.com/balrog275/m.html?_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1

Any folks you can send my way would be greatly appreciated. All of the proceeds from these sales will go directly to reduce my remaining USDOE student loan. Thanks!

FOX News Projects a Christie Win

That said, I do think that it is important to remember that this is New Jersey and, even though 83% of precincts have reported and the vote stands at 49% for Christie and 44% for Corzine, anything can happen. But for now – it’s exciting to know that the voters in New Jersey made the right decision by getting rid of Jon Corzine. The Republican Governors Association has already called this win (along with the big win in Virginia earlier tonight) a turning point for the Republican Party. Their website boasts that comeback begins with Virginia and New Jersey…and so let the drums begin beating for 2010 already, huh?

It looks like the vote by mail ballots have not been counted yet in New Jersey. As a guy who votes by mail, I’m a little concerned about that. Stay tuned for additional information as the night – and the vote counting – continues… And hey, is anyone watching the Mayoral election in New York City right now? With 85% of the vote counted, incumbent Independent Mayor Michael Bloomberg is up with 50% of the vote to his opponent’s Thomson’s 47% of the vote. That’s significant when you consider that Mayor Bloomberg spent upwards of $100 million on this campaign and some estimates have Thompson’s expenses at just $3 million. Definitely something to watch in New York City.

But be wary, folks. Large portions of Camden and Essex counties and many of the New York City suburbs have not reported their election results yet. These are areas that are notorious for voting the Democratic ticket for no reason other than that it is the Democratic ticket. These are also areas where there was talk a few weeks ago about a gigantic increase in vote by mail ballot applications along with some talk about the possibility that ACORN was helping to register voters. Something tells me that if these counties come in strong for Corzine (which everyone expects them to) and in enough numbers to sway the vote that there is going to be an explosion of citizen rage in this state.

We’re tired of corruption in New Jersey and we’re tired of paying for crooked politicians and their lies.

The major X factor in all of this are the Democratic counties in New Jersey, namely Essex, Camden, and Hudson counties. These are counties where a large portion of the population votes for the Democrats just because there is a “D” after their name on the ballot (that’s not even a joke). Unfortunately, many of our fellow citizens in these counties believe that the Democrats will help them with their struggles…even though they haven’t done a damn thing for this state in the last 20 years. But I digress.

Again, with 35% of the vote counted, Christie has a 10 point lead over Corzine.

I intend to stick around tonight and see who wins this election, though if it winds up that we have a dead heat going into the wee hours, I’m going to sleep! Stick around and let me know what you thought about this year’s election via the comments section of the blog.

There was no way that I could bring myself to vote for Jon Corzine. I don’t care that he’s a Democrat and, in fact, I’ve voted for much better Democrats than Corzine in the past. What bothers me about Corzine is that he is completely out of touch with what it means to live a real life in New Jersey. Frankly, Christie isn’t so much more grounded than Corzine, but he’s closer to understanding what you and I and our families go through on a daily basis than Corzine could ever hope to be.

I really wanted to vote for Chris Daggett this year – I really, really wanted to vote for him. In fact, on at least two different occasions since I sent in my vote-by-mail ballot, I’ve wondered if I voted for the right “Chris” in this election. In the end, though, it was a suggestion by Frank Esposito – Daggett’s running mate for Lieutenant Governor – that assured me that a vote for Christie was the right vote in this election. As I talked about in a previous entry, Esposito made it very clear that he and Daggett would support allowing illegal immigrants who had been in New Jersey since they were very young to receive in-state tuition at state colleges. Look, student loans and the completely unaffordable nature of attending college for many student is my major issue. When I hear that people who are not citizens might be getting in-state tuition…I can’t support that.

And it frustrates me that a guy like Daggett supported that position, but that’s politics.

So my vote has been cast for Chris Christie and I hope that you vote for him, too. In the event that you support someone else, that’s cool. I believe that it is more important that you go out and vote today than you vote for the person that I support. However, in case you were wondering – JerseySmarts.com endorses Chris Christie and Kim Guadagno in this year’s election.

You are invited to a
Post-Election Panel Discussion
What Happened in New Jersey?

Thursday November 5, 2009
1:00 – 2:15 PM

Jules L. Plangere Jr. Center for Communication (TV Studio)
Monmouth University, West Long Branch

Two nationally recognized campaign strategists and other keen observers of the Garden State’s political scene will break down the election results and look forward to 2010.

Moderators:
« Alan Steinberg, Former EPA Regional Director and Monmouth University Public Servant in Residence
« Michael Murphy, Former Gubernatorial Candidate and Democratic Lobbyist

Panelists:
« Bill Pascoe, Republican Campaign Communications Strategist
« Steve Ayscue, Democratic Campaign Communications Strategist
« Patrick Murray, Director, Monmouth University Polling Institute

Sponsors:
Polling Institute
Department of Political Science
Office of Academic Program Initiatives

This event is open to the Monmouth community, the general public, and the media.

For more information, or if you want to bring a class, call: (732) 263-5860 or polling@monmouth.edu

Sounds like it’s going to be a good event so if you’re in the area and you have an hour or so to spare, you might want to go check this out and see what this panel has to say. Lord knows that the entire state is going to be crowing after this year’s election. It’s interesting when you think about it. No candidate has a clear majority of the vote so you would assume that less than a majority of the people in New Jersey are going to be happy with the winner of this election no matter what the outcome. Pretty amazing, really.

Both Governor Jon Corzine and Chris Christie’s remarkable inability to give specific information on the details of their supposed plans to lower property taxes have left a filthy taste in the mouth of many New Jersey voters. All one needs to do is listen to any of the debates that these candidates have had over the last several weeks and you’ll be sick to your stomach.

Since I’m a glutton for punishment, I decided to listen to WBGO’s podcast of the last gubernatorial debate of this season, which occurred at their studios last Thursday. Hold on to your hats for this shocking revelation… it was more of the same! In fact, you can read a review of the debate from the mainstream media’s point of view at the New York Times website by clicking here.

The last few weeks of this year’s election cycle have been interesting as the Independent candidate Chris Daggett is gaining in the polls to the greater detriment of Christie, but now also to the detriment of Corzine. Much like what is going on in New York’s 23rd Congressional district, it appears that a third party candidate is going to spoil the New Jersey Governor’s race. Frankly, I’m glad that Daggett has decided to stay in the race and fight. New Jersey, and the entire nation, needs an alternative to the Republicans and the Democrats.

I wrote up a few entries and set them to automatically upload over the next few days while I’ll be away. So keep on coming back to JerseySmarts.com and you’ll continue to be enlightened and entertained while I try to make some socially responsible financial magic happen down in the nation’s capital!