Passing the Buck but not Passing the Bill

All we can legally do is kick them out of office, but if I had my way I'd be kicking them some other way. Use your imagination.

Who? Well, let's just say the House of Representatives and more precisely, Speaker of the House John Boehner. What a piece of crap. Instead of putting the $60 Billion Hurricane Sandy Relief Bill up for a vote before the end of the current session of Congress, Boehner decided it "wasn't a good time" for a vote.

As New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican, took his party to task for allowing this vote to pass by the wayside, and require a new bill to be drawn up, further delaying desperately needed Federal Aid, I could not have been more proud of the Governor of my state. Calling it neither a Republican nor Democratic issue, Christie raked those responsible for the lack of action, over the coals. It was a passionate and spot-on speech.

In previous hurricane disasters, Congress voted for Federal Aid within a very short amount of time:
Hurricane Andrew: 31 Days
Hurricane Gustav/Ike: 17 Days
Hurricane Katrina: 10 Days
Hurricane Sandy: 66 Days and counting

As the day went on, the outrage for the apparent "could care less" attitude by the Speaker, had reached even his previously deaf ears. He finally agreed to a meeting with angry members of his party, including NY Rep. Peter King, a man you really don't want to piss off. As of now, they will vote on a small part of the Aid package on Friday, with the rest to be taken up when the new Congress begins their session later this month.

This is a disgrace of major proportions. While thousands of families in New York and New Jersey spent the holidays displaced, with no relief in sight, these members of Congress were warm and happy with their families. Work on rebuilding the Jersey Shore, where tourism is the main commerce, cannot get any traction without the much needed package. And still, they let the Bill flounder.

At this point, all we can do is to remember that once again, politicians put the desperate needs of the American people on the back burner and did nothing.
I for one, will not forget.

Please watch Governor Christie's speech and see what an elected official of the people should be...an official willing to do the business of the people without regard to party or whose toes he might be stepping on.

(Speech begins at the 1 minute mark. If it doesn't auto load, double click)

Watch live streaming video from governorchrischristie at livestream.com

A Night of Music, Balls and Reflection

Saturday night, we took a drive into Manhattan to hear a singer I had interviewed perform at a small club downtown. The plan was to grab a bite to eat at The Meatball Shop and head over to the venue, which conveniently was only a couple of blocks away. The Meatball Shop has been in the news and all over the social media sites lately, because of the tireless work they have been doing for victims of Hurricane Sandy.

As soon as the need was uncovered, the restaurant set up a daily run to the Rockaways in Queens, to provide hot meals. They also began to collect blankets at their three restaurants. In return for a blanket to keep someone warm, the restaurant would give you an order of four meatballs. Let's just say, they've collected a lot of blankets. As I wanted to try out the restaurant, what better time would there be?

I packed up a handmade afghan my mother had crocheted and we left Jersey to begin the evening. Well, sometimes plans don't always work the way you hoped. Traffic. Not getting into the city, but the drive cross and down town took way longer than it should. Finding a parking spot only a block away from the club was sweet, but it was a little too late to grab some eats.

Outside the venue, I ran into Antje the singer, and we walked into the club together. The show was wonderful, a thoroughly enjoyable performance. At the end of the show, we had a conversation with a man who was there to see another act. He told of his experience with the storm. His beach house was gone, washed away. As we offered solace, he shrugged and said "It was a beach house, others lost their real homes. I have nothing to complain about." He also told us in the past week, he had been hit by a car while riding his bike. Not a good few weeks in his life, that's for sure. But he was resigned to what had happened, and had begun to move on.

While some of the affected areas are making strides, we can't forget even more of the coastal towns are still devastated, and will be for a very long time. What amazes me, is the resilience and acceptance of those living under conditions they could not have imagined a month ago.

Just something to think about as we sit down this Thursday for a feast, surrounded by family and friends.

By the way, we did get to the Meatball Shop after the show. One donated blanket, four delicious meatballs.

I hope the blanket keeps someone warm this Thanksgiving.

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Sandy: Time For Action

"I don't know where to go, I don't know what to do."

Photo: 6ABC Action News

Tears filled my eyes as I watched a woman who had lost everything say those words, as she was wrapped in a warm embrace by Governor Chris Christie. She is one of  thousands whose life has been forever changed by the wrath of Hurricane Sandy. And yet, she is still lucky...she survived.

Days after the storm has passed, most of the country is getting back to business as usual. For the East Coast,   things could not be farther from the truth. It is time however, to do what comes naturally to most of us in New Jersey...get up in someone's face. Or in this case something's.

The Jersey shore is on life support. I'm not talking about the reality crap which passes for entertainment. That is not the Jersey shore. It was, and it will be again, one of the strongest memories many of us have of our childhood, adolescence and even adulthood when the family circle of life was repeated. For every bar or club, there were a hundred homes with families who worked hard to be able to breathe in the salt air. It is a place of memories. It is a place called home.

Now the shore wasn't the only place impacted by the storm. Northwest NJ has been devastated by the number of trees downed by the storm. As I drove through that area on Wednesday, it was mind-boggling to think of the work utility crews have ahead of them. In New York City, the Hudson river poured into Manhattan, three blocks in. Fires ravaged The Rockaways in Queens. Home of so many First Responders, they watched helplessly as over 100 homes were consumed by fire, while surrounded by floodwater.

It's time to do what we as a country do best. Help.

Here's a few ways to do it. For me, the big three are always a good way to start. The Red Cross, United Way and Salvation Army. We are also into November, getting closer to the holidays. Traditionally the time of year for food drives. With all the people displaced or living without power, local shelters and food banks are taking a heavy hit. Support your local food pantry as much as you can. Organizations such as WhyHunger know how to get food to those who need it.

For the last two years, my company has combined a food drive along with our holiday party. There's plenty of time in the weeks ahead to set that up. Or if you own a local shop, set up a table or box where customers can bring in donations. And it doesn't need to be food. Hats, scarfs, gloves, coats...it's getting cold quickly.

If we all just thought for a minute, I'm sure we could all think of some small way to help out.

Brick by brick, street by street, we will rebuild. Right now though, we just need a little help.

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Hurricane Sandy: It's Over...or is it?

Nearly thirty hours later, the power is back on.

While living without a computer, TV and lights was an inconvenience, life during and after Sandy was not that bad...for me. Heat, we have gas heat and that was not an issue. We had no loss of running water. Funny how the little things like flushing a toilet are so overlooked in everyday living, but become so important in a disaster such as this. We were very lucky.

The 8"-10" of rain never materialized. If it had, things might have been very different. Living three blocks from the river means you are always aware of problems with the weather. The winds were like nothing I had ever experienced. Hearing the roar of the gusts as they blew in through every possible point of entry in this old house, made me shudder to think of the sound of a tornado.

The power came on 3:52 this morning. Turning on the news, it was the first time I was able to see the devastation. The shore as I knew it is gone. The overhead shots of Seaside Heights looked as if the town, or what is left of it, was built in a desert. The streets have been replaced by tons of sand deposited as the flood water receded. Listening on the radio to Governor Christie's press conference yesterday, he talked about the Boardwalk, or what used to be the Boardwalk. I knew this place. I knew the sausage & pepper stand which was built right in middle of the Boardwalk. I knew the amusement pier, whose rides are now sitting in the Atlantic Ocean.

Now, in the scope of things the Boardwalk doesn't matter. Too many people have lost their lives and their homes, to think any differently. But it is about the memories. The Boardwalk will be rebuilt, but it won't be the same. It will be much more modern, it will feel different. And for the younger generations, it will be fine. They won't have the memories of spending the day being toasted on the beach and spending the nights strolling down a Boardwalk smelling of sausage & peppers, or fresh made zeppoles. It will just be different.

So now New Jersey and a bunch of other states start to rebuild. Some places will be starting from scratch. Me, I'm just fine.

And thankful.

If you can, please donate to either The United Way, The Red Cross or the Salvation Army. Time, blood, cash.

We can all do something.

Frankenstorm: Gone Shopping Yet?

We are now into the second day of the unofficial Kat Hurricane Watch. Unofficial because Official might imply that I actually know what I'm talking about.

We left off yesterday after the early morning broadcasts of impending doom. Thank you for the heads up, but does it need to be non-stop coverage five days ahead of the storm and pre-dawn? I think not.

Left the house around eleven to do my Friday ritual of grocery shopping, getting gas, and other errands to get ready for the weekend in the Poconos. The price of gas was a nice surprise. Found a nice nest of competitive stations where the highest price was $3.07. Filling up at $2.99 a gallon was something I did not expect to see again in my lifetime. And as usual in Jersey, WE DON'T PUMP GAS. ever.

the line up.

Next stop...Shop Rite. Parking lot full and at this time of the day, it should not be. Finding an aisle where two men are getting into their cars; I wait. They are just about across from each other, so as they both pull out, there is really nowhere for anyone else to go. But that didn't stop a car from each direction in trying to pass them. Gridlock Aisle Four...and I'm still in the parking lot.

Now there are different types of shoppers and shopping trips. Around the holidays there are serious looking women on a mission, armed with detailed lists. They know what they need to do. Storm shoppers...not so much.

Yesterday the aisles were full of abandoned carts, which mainly happens when the shopper leaves the cart because they just remembered something they needed three aisles back. Then you have your duos. The elderly mother and her daughter, each with their own cart clogging the aisle, while the daughter screams every item she thinks her mother might need...and still the mother hears nothing.

Storm shoppers are like battle fatigued soldiers. They know they need supplies, but what to buy? Staples like milk and bread (btw, the 'uncle' saw a woman yesterday with an entire cart filled with white bread...wtf?), and batteries. We are told to buy them, but do we ever remember to check what size we need before we rush out the door...NO. So there you have the battery aisle overrun with people blindly staring at the battery display.

Other than beer, which is considered a staple in my home, I don't think I bought any of the usual storm supplies. I'm pretty sure we can get through a few days on my normally overstocked food supplies.

Update, update!!!!!
Morning news reports they are beginning to see the surf getting rougher and winds are picking up in Florida.

All Sandy, all the time.

Gotta go check my flashlight.

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Oh Sandy Girl...Hurricane Watch Begins

So this is how it's going to be for the next five, count 'em, days. Sandy, Sandy, Sandy, sports, Sandy, Sandy.

As I watched the NY local news at 4:30 this morning, every station had a reporter out on some beach talking about the the hurricane. The storm, Hurricane Sandy, is not predicted to hit this area until Monday-Tuesday. Every station. A beach. Four-thirty in the morning...in the dark.

There were no winds blowing sand in the reporter's faces (one of my personal favorites), no shots of the surf eroding the beach, there was NOTHING. It's four freakin' thirty and pitch black. So what is the point of dragging every low level reporter in town out of bed at some ungodly hour to stand on a beach...in the dark.

And, it's just beginning. As the storm pulls into south Florida, our local news will be teaming up with the Miami affiliates and we will see their reporters standing on the beach looking around, showing the waves begin to rise, the idiots still trying to surf and the stranded tourists who thought it would be a kick to experience a damn hurricane.

Already they are putting everyone into panic mode. I need to go to Shop Rite later for my usual weekend shopping trip. It's gonna be a zoo. The store manager is sure to have a smile on his face as he sees the pallets  of bottled water go sailing out of the store. Big news.

At some point, I'm sure they will send a reporter out to cover it.

Most likely before the store opens.

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