Post by admin on Jan 14, 2009 5:48:42 GMT -5
As move into the coming year, we see so many very good things happening around town. There is a lot to look forward to and a lot of work ahead for our town to meet desirable goals. Unfortunately, there are still many unresolved issues. The impact of illegal immigration is one of those issues and, without doubt, the one that has caused the most damage to our town. At best, our town has been at a stand still with this issue. Just because there is no movement does not mean the issues have gone away. I believe a great deal of that is due to the fact that our residents have a great deal of pride in this town and crave positive news and events. I know they will get that. The recent re-organization meeting was chock full of great things to come. The schools ( both elementary and high school) have seen an upswing of good things. I also believe the FCP will be showing some very notable improvements this coming year.
That may be part of the problem. Our town is great, but it seems that every time we see forward movement, we get kicked in the teeth. I know a lot of our residents have certainly built up a sense of humor around that. But, there comes a point where certain conversations will have to take place and certain issues addressed. There are many unresolved issues.
On this site we have seen some recent discussions that touch upon the future. Casual reader made some very interesting predictions. Rich has been challenged again. I have to start with Rich. There is little doubt that even before he left our town, he had tried to effect change. He made predictions and offered warnings that were not listened to. Even since he left, he has tried to help, but still nobody was listening. If anybody goes back and reads the “what would you do” section, it is obvious that I agreed with a more proactive approach to our issues. Rich agreed with that approach. It is a fact that the voters did not. They have returned people into office who have always waited to see what would happen and have allowed outside events to dictate the future of our town. There is nothing wrong with that, we call it Democracy and it is beautiful. Those of us who disagree simply have to make peace with that and try to be positive influences when and where we can. The point of the above paragraph is not to say who is right or wrong, but to further illustrate the difficult decisions that have been, and will be made.
I believe this year we will find out who is right and that we will see many things effect us. I believe that some of the unresolved issues will pop up. Between the good news we will be seeing and the not so good news, our town could very well be in for a turbulent year.
I have to start with the obvious. Amnesty. With the changes at the national level, we will see it. Casual Reader made his prediction, which is not a stretch, and I believe he is right. I also believe it will happen sooner rather than later. The Democrat Congress will have to grant amnesty well before the mid term elections. They will have to bank on voters having a short memory if they are to avoid a nasty voter backlash.
The bottom line, we will get amnesty without any real enforcement. If anything, the Dems are going to kill enforcement at the federal level. At the local level we have got to ask how that will affect us. Much of that effect will be due to past actions. Again, this is where we will have sat back and allow outside influences to dictate our future for us.
I have said before that amnesty without enforcement can very well be a deathblow for this town. The people who came here illegally will now have opportunity for family reunification at their disposal. When the economy gets better, illegal immigration will also increase due to less enforcement than we have now. I have asked the question before, how is this town going to handle another three thousand people? The biggest problem with illegal immigration in our town have been the numbers and economics. The issues around that will increase. This town is ripe for future increases in the numbers of illegals who come here. I have written before about the imbalance in our town.
Casual Reader mentioned that with amnesty there would be white flight. He is part right. There will likely be American flight. Across the country it is well documented that when illegals move into a town in significant numbers, Americans do flee. That is rarely found in just one race of people, but across racial lines as whole, not excluding legal American born Latino’s. Often that American flight is noticed within the African American population. There are two places where this change is evident now and could easily continue to grow. The 1900 rental units and the overcrowed schools. Neither happened overnight and amnesty will probably continue the trends we have seen to date. Both are the result of the sit back and wait approach.
Another card in play is the Board of Freeholders. For the first time in many years, we have a Dem majority. As the county seat, this should be interesting to watch. For years there has been an apparent disconnect between the GOP Freeholders and the Dem council on our town. Now that it is Dem/Dem, can we expect better communication and influence? If the answer is yes, then we will have to watch the Freeholders very closely. If they remain an independent entity, then that will be a good thing. If they appear to be working with and for the Trenton Dems, it will be a very bad thing. We can expect our governing body to receive a lot of very bad advice if the latter is the case. As it is, there are questions as to how much our governing body is taking advice from the League of Municipalities, which is striving for amnesty and sanctuary.
I have to wonder, will the Freeholders decide that they want to open up tons of social services in our borough? They will do so under the bogus justification that we are the county seat. How will that effect our downtown revitalization? Will that brand new state of the art methadone clinic accentuate the trendy boutique that opens up on Main Street?
We all know by now that the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Panel on immigration is a fraud. It is nothing more than a Democrat scheme to secure future votes via amnesty and sanctuary. I am still glad our Mayor was not appointed. He is a better person than that committee and does not need to have his name associated with that fraud. How much of an influence will this Panel have on our town, especially now that we have Democrat Freeholders? Our governing body in Freehold will have to walk on eggshells and be closely guarded as to how close they get with their own party. When it comes to the above issues, our governing body will be faced with the choice of that is good for the Democrat Party vs. what is good for the town. The two are not always one and the same.
Getting away from the Freeholders and Trenton, we also have to look inside our own town. Past history and events dictate that we watch and be guarded against any repeats of past ugly incidents. With amnesty just a short pen stroke away, will we see more from the open borders crowd that has attempted to influence our town? Based on past history, I would guess the answer is yes. It is evident that they intend to set up shop and influence things in their direction. It is ironic that so many of them do not even live in this town. But they have succeeded in ensuring that their influence is here to stay. AS mentioned in the beginning of this writing, there is a lot to look forward to this year in terms of good news. How will the open borders crowd respond?
For start, there is the new rental board. We already got a good taste of what the open borders crowd thinks of sane rental regulations when they beat the tar out of our town a couple of years ago. The rental suggestions were the real reason for that rally, not Marc’s comments. The sad part of that episode was in how the governing body responded. That will ensure future actions similar to that infamous meeting on March 5. If the new rental board does its job and gets good results, we should expect to hear more on this from the open borders crowd.
There is also the candidacy of Marc Le Vine who is also the council president this year. This too could wake up the open borders crowd and subject our town to further problems. Marc is without doubt the most active and vocal councilman. It is a sad reality, but that will make him a target. For Marc to not be targeted by the open borders crowd, he will have to change his tune and go from the centrist he is and swing left. His ability to do so will largely be dictated by the possible GOP challenge he faces.
OF course, there is the down town revitalization. This means so much to all of us and I know that all of us want our main Street and surrounding areas to reach their full potential. The question is, do the open borders crowd expect a piece of the pie? Will they be striving for their own vision, therefore undermining the vision of the greater town? AS it is, it has been noticed that some of the recent shop openings are from people from north Jersey. Are they being driven here as others are being driven out? I pose that as a question, not an accusation. For the success of down sown that we all want, this has to be watched. I have asked about the marketing of down town related to the vision study. IMO, that is the one element that has not been discussed and needs to be.
While on the topic of down town, I have to get away from the impact of illegal immigration for a second and state the obvious. With an economy that is in the toilet and not likely to get better for a few years, how will that impact the restaurant industry? People can say what they will about that industry, but it does put us on the map in a good way, at least until other things come along. With a bad economy, coupled with so many restaurants, I believe we will see a number of them close. I bet up to 25 percent, none of which will be replaced until the economy improves. If that occurs, it is not a good thing at all and some past critics will find out just how valuable those stores are.
Getting back on topic of the amnesty, there is the obvious power struggle that will ensue in this town. For now it is a GOP/Dem thing. With amnesty, we will see the open borders crowd also thrown in the mix. It will be interesting how the dynamics play out here. This especially holds true for the Dems. Will they continue in an adversarial role toward the open borders crowd or will we see more of a wedded bliss? AS it is, in recent years we have seen a shift from the governing body. Five years ago, they were constantly talking about the negative effects of illegal immigration. We have seen some changes since then. One councilman referred to people who expect the law to be upheld as extremists.
Another had more right wing views but has since shifted harder left. Another touted the merits of amnesty and appeared to embrace it. This is why we have to watch just how tied into the state party our local Dems are. All of this will also dictate what direction the GOP has to go in. Chances are, the GOP will get pegged as extremists. The Dems will likely take what they call a middle of the road approach, but that may not be the case. The open borders crowd? I have said before I believe they are the future power in this town and I bet this year we see them gain some steam.
With amnesty, I do not believe it is unreasonable to expect the open borders crowd to become more demanding. I believe there will be more demands for a seat at the table. That will include, but not limited to, social services, voting, business and economic development, and further committee appointments. Eventually, they will seek council seats. This will be the time when the really solidify the support of the illegal immigrant community. There will likely be an arrogance attached, saying “ We were right” “ I told you so. ” With amnesty, everything they have fought for will be realized.
The sad part is, we will not see integration of the illegal immigrant community in this town. If that were to happen, it should have been started by now. What we will likely see is a push for a bicultural town. It will be sold as diversity, but the fact will remain that this town will be divided-lacking unity and true diversity. It is easier for some to lead and solidify their influence and power that way.
People who support amnesty and the bogus blue ribbon panel always try to sell them as helping to integrate the immigrant community. That is crap. In Freehold, the illegal immigrant community has been here for several years. Yet, we see no movement from them in trying to help the town or integrate with us. If not the majority, a large percentage of our schools population is the children of illegal immigrants. Where are the parents in the PTO? Notably absent. This past re-org meeting was filled with people who care about the town. Who was absent? The illegal immigrant community. These are just examples of where progress should have been and could have been made. We know the majority of immigrants are just average people who want to earn a living, but the lack of caring and participation is a poor reflection of them, as well as an abysmal reflection of those who advocate for them. The illegal immigrants have got to come out of their shell. I implore them to help out; make friends with their American neighbors, just show that they care about being a positive part of our community. My question, who has held them back from this and why? The illegal immigrant community should not have been waiting for amnesty or invitations to work with and help this town. They should have been doing it because it is right and moral. Some people may not like the above, but it is fact that we will always have a population of illegal immigrants who have to be treated in a sane, and civil, and respectful way.
The above writing is a bit lengthy. It is bound to get some people angry with me. That is fair. My point behind this is not to beat up on anybody, but to get people thinking and to challenge things in a good way. I don’t expect anybody to agree with all, or any, of what I wrote.
As I mentioned in the beginning, there are so many good things coming in the future. So much of that is the result of great people who care about this town and work hard to make it a better place. I completely include the governing body in that. I always encourage people to get involved with positive initiatives in our town. That especially includes things that bring us together for the right reasons. “ Unity in our Community”
Sometimes posts like this have to be made. Even though this is a good town with great people, we do need to be as honest as possible and work on our weaknesses. Rose-colored glasses are great to have- if you can afford them. For the most part, they are too costly for most of us.
I could be wrong on every darn thing I wrote. We will just have to wait and see.
That may be part of the problem. Our town is great, but it seems that every time we see forward movement, we get kicked in the teeth. I know a lot of our residents have certainly built up a sense of humor around that. But, there comes a point where certain conversations will have to take place and certain issues addressed. There are many unresolved issues.
On this site we have seen some recent discussions that touch upon the future. Casual reader made some very interesting predictions. Rich has been challenged again. I have to start with Rich. There is little doubt that even before he left our town, he had tried to effect change. He made predictions and offered warnings that were not listened to. Even since he left, he has tried to help, but still nobody was listening. If anybody goes back and reads the “what would you do” section, it is obvious that I agreed with a more proactive approach to our issues. Rich agreed with that approach. It is a fact that the voters did not. They have returned people into office who have always waited to see what would happen and have allowed outside events to dictate the future of our town. There is nothing wrong with that, we call it Democracy and it is beautiful. Those of us who disagree simply have to make peace with that and try to be positive influences when and where we can. The point of the above paragraph is not to say who is right or wrong, but to further illustrate the difficult decisions that have been, and will be made.
I believe this year we will find out who is right and that we will see many things effect us. I believe that some of the unresolved issues will pop up. Between the good news we will be seeing and the not so good news, our town could very well be in for a turbulent year.
I have to start with the obvious. Amnesty. With the changes at the national level, we will see it. Casual Reader made his prediction, which is not a stretch, and I believe he is right. I also believe it will happen sooner rather than later. The Democrat Congress will have to grant amnesty well before the mid term elections. They will have to bank on voters having a short memory if they are to avoid a nasty voter backlash.
The bottom line, we will get amnesty without any real enforcement. If anything, the Dems are going to kill enforcement at the federal level. At the local level we have got to ask how that will affect us. Much of that effect will be due to past actions. Again, this is where we will have sat back and allow outside influences to dictate our future for us.
I have said before that amnesty without enforcement can very well be a deathblow for this town. The people who came here illegally will now have opportunity for family reunification at their disposal. When the economy gets better, illegal immigration will also increase due to less enforcement than we have now. I have asked the question before, how is this town going to handle another three thousand people? The biggest problem with illegal immigration in our town have been the numbers and economics. The issues around that will increase. This town is ripe for future increases in the numbers of illegals who come here. I have written before about the imbalance in our town.
Casual Reader mentioned that with amnesty there would be white flight. He is part right. There will likely be American flight. Across the country it is well documented that when illegals move into a town in significant numbers, Americans do flee. That is rarely found in just one race of people, but across racial lines as whole, not excluding legal American born Latino’s. Often that American flight is noticed within the African American population. There are two places where this change is evident now and could easily continue to grow. The 1900 rental units and the overcrowed schools. Neither happened overnight and amnesty will probably continue the trends we have seen to date. Both are the result of the sit back and wait approach.
Another card in play is the Board of Freeholders. For the first time in many years, we have a Dem majority. As the county seat, this should be interesting to watch. For years there has been an apparent disconnect between the GOP Freeholders and the Dem council on our town. Now that it is Dem/Dem, can we expect better communication and influence? If the answer is yes, then we will have to watch the Freeholders very closely. If they remain an independent entity, then that will be a good thing. If they appear to be working with and for the Trenton Dems, it will be a very bad thing. We can expect our governing body to receive a lot of very bad advice if the latter is the case. As it is, there are questions as to how much our governing body is taking advice from the League of Municipalities, which is striving for amnesty and sanctuary.
I have to wonder, will the Freeholders decide that they want to open up tons of social services in our borough? They will do so under the bogus justification that we are the county seat. How will that effect our downtown revitalization? Will that brand new state of the art methadone clinic accentuate the trendy boutique that opens up on Main Street?
We all know by now that the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Panel on immigration is a fraud. It is nothing more than a Democrat scheme to secure future votes via amnesty and sanctuary. I am still glad our Mayor was not appointed. He is a better person than that committee and does not need to have his name associated with that fraud. How much of an influence will this Panel have on our town, especially now that we have Democrat Freeholders? Our governing body in Freehold will have to walk on eggshells and be closely guarded as to how close they get with their own party. When it comes to the above issues, our governing body will be faced with the choice of that is good for the Democrat Party vs. what is good for the town. The two are not always one and the same.
Getting away from the Freeholders and Trenton, we also have to look inside our own town. Past history and events dictate that we watch and be guarded against any repeats of past ugly incidents. With amnesty just a short pen stroke away, will we see more from the open borders crowd that has attempted to influence our town? Based on past history, I would guess the answer is yes. It is evident that they intend to set up shop and influence things in their direction. It is ironic that so many of them do not even live in this town. But they have succeeded in ensuring that their influence is here to stay. AS mentioned in the beginning of this writing, there is a lot to look forward to this year in terms of good news. How will the open borders crowd respond?
For start, there is the new rental board. We already got a good taste of what the open borders crowd thinks of sane rental regulations when they beat the tar out of our town a couple of years ago. The rental suggestions were the real reason for that rally, not Marc’s comments. The sad part of that episode was in how the governing body responded. That will ensure future actions similar to that infamous meeting on March 5. If the new rental board does its job and gets good results, we should expect to hear more on this from the open borders crowd.
There is also the candidacy of Marc Le Vine who is also the council president this year. This too could wake up the open borders crowd and subject our town to further problems. Marc is without doubt the most active and vocal councilman. It is a sad reality, but that will make him a target. For Marc to not be targeted by the open borders crowd, he will have to change his tune and go from the centrist he is and swing left. His ability to do so will largely be dictated by the possible GOP challenge he faces.
OF course, there is the down town revitalization. This means so much to all of us and I know that all of us want our main Street and surrounding areas to reach their full potential. The question is, do the open borders crowd expect a piece of the pie? Will they be striving for their own vision, therefore undermining the vision of the greater town? AS it is, it has been noticed that some of the recent shop openings are from people from north Jersey. Are they being driven here as others are being driven out? I pose that as a question, not an accusation. For the success of down sown that we all want, this has to be watched. I have asked about the marketing of down town related to the vision study. IMO, that is the one element that has not been discussed and needs to be.
While on the topic of down town, I have to get away from the impact of illegal immigration for a second and state the obvious. With an economy that is in the toilet and not likely to get better for a few years, how will that impact the restaurant industry? People can say what they will about that industry, but it does put us on the map in a good way, at least until other things come along. With a bad economy, coupled with so many restaurants, I believe we will see a number of them close. I bet up to 25 percent, none of which will be replaced until the economy improves. If that occurs, it is not a good thing at all and some past critics will find out just how valuable those stores are.
Getting back on topic of the amnesty, there is the obvious power struggle that will ensue in this town. For now it is a GOP/Dem thing. With amnesty, we will see the open borders crowd also thrown in the mix. It will be interesting how the dynamics play out here. This especially holds true for the Dems. Will they continue in an adversarial role toward the open borders crowd or will we see more of a wedded bliss? AS it is, in recent years we have seen a shift from the governing body. Five years ago, they were constantly talking about the negative effects of illegal immigration. We have seen some changes since then. One councilman referred to people who expect the law to be upheld as extremists.
Another had more right wing views but has since shifted harder left. Another touted the merits of amnesty and appeared to embrace it. This is why we have to watch just how tied into the state party our local Dems are. All of this will also dictate what direction the GOP has to go in. Chances are, the GOP will get pegged as extremists. The Dems will likely take what they call a middle of the road approach, but that may not be the case. The open borders crowd? I have said before I believe they are the future power in this town and I bet this year we see them gain some steam.
With amnesty, I do not believe it is unreasonable to expect the open borders crowd to become more demanding. I believe there will be more demands for a seat at the table. That will include, but not limited to, social services, voting, business and economic development, and further committee appointments. Eventually, they will seek council seats. This will be the time when the really solidify the support of the illegal immigrant community. There will likely be an arrogance attached, saying “ We were right” “ I told you so. ” With amnesty, everything they have fought for will be realized.
The sad part is, we will not see integration of the illegal immigrant community in this town. If that were to happen, it should have been started by now. What we will likely see is a push for a bicultural town. It will be sold as diversity, but the fact will remain that this town will be divided-lacking unity and true diversity. It is easier for some to lead and solidify their influence and power that way.
People who support amnesty and the bogus blue ribbon panel always try to sell them as helping to integrate the immigrant community. That is crap. In Freehold, the illegal immigrant community has been here for several years. Yet, we see no movement from them in trying to help the town or integrate with us. If not the majority, a large percentage of our schools population is the children of illegal immigrants. Where are the parents in the PTO? Notably absent. This past re-org meeting was filled with people who care about the town. Who was absent? The illegal immigrant community. These are just examples of where progress should have been and could have been made. We know the majority of immigrants are just average people who want to earn a living, but the lack of caring and participation is a poor reflection of them, as well as an abysmal reflection of those who advocate for them. The illegal immigrants have got to come out of their shell. I implore them to help out; make friends with their American neighbors, just show that they care about being a positive part of our community. My question, who has held them back from this and why? The illegal immigrant community should not have been waiting for amnesty or invitations to work with and help this town. They should have been doing it because it is right and moral. Some people may not like the above, but it is fact that we will always have a population of illegal immigrants who have to be treated in a sane, and civil, and respectful way.
The above writing is a bit lengthy. It is bound to get some people angry with me. That is fair. My point behind this is not to beat up on anybody, but to get people thinking and to challenge things in a good way. I don’t expect anybody to agree with all, or any, of what I wrote.
As I mentioned in the beginning, there are so many good things coming in the future. So much of that is the result of great people who care about this town and work hard to make it a better place. I completely include the governing body in that. I always encourage people to get involved with positive initiatives in our town. That especially includes things that bring us together for the right reasons. “ Unity in our Community”
Sometimes posts like this have to be made. Even though this is a good town with great people, we do need to be as honest as possible and work on our weaknesses. Rose-colored glasses are great to have- if you can afford them. For the most part, they are too costly for most of us.
I could be wrong on every darn thing I wrote. We will just have to wait and see.
