Maybe someone knows the answer to this. I was invited to a 50th wedding anniversary, not at an elaborate place, just a restaurant. A gift of money was given, quite a lot of money. I don’t recall getting a thank you note. Do people not do this anymore? I’m just curious to know.

No Thanks

I agree. I think a thank you note would be required here. But — and I don’t mean to be crass — but maybe the happy couple has since left the mortal coil? — Ed. Note

I was worried about the economy, now I’m worried about the pensions. OK fine, you put money in and you retire, fine. But the disparity about it between the common person and the government employee is that after 55, if you work for the government, you get lifetime benefits. What a perk that is. Same with the cops. It goes right on down the line. Maybe I’m a little sour because I’m part of a system that doesn’t pay for health insurance after you retire. It’s got to be socialized.

Penned

Work until you’re 65, and presto, you’ve got your Medicare. Socialized. Done and done. — Ed. Note

I cried when I read the editorial about the first Thanksgiving. I cannot relate to what those people went through. Governor Bradford was very eloquent in his account of the situation. I wish I could personally thank all those pilgrims and would definitely thank the Native Americans for helping out that band of pilgrims. We should have a national holiday dedicated to them alone.

Day Off

Yeah, honoring the Native Americans would be nice, but I think they’d rather we just keep going to their casinos. — Ed. Note

I love Chris Christie already, especially because he said he’ll veto the gay marriage law if Corzine signs it. Finally, someone with common sense.

Dude

Hey man, you said you “love” Chris Christie. Ha-ha. You love him! You said it yourself! Love! — Ed. Note

Hey Ed, not a bad idea putting death row inmates in a pit and let them fight it out to boost the economy of New Jersey. But then, the crooked politicians will probably take the money for something else and put it in their pockets. You know they used to do this in Rome, right? Put the inmates in the pit and let the lions and tigers at them.

Grrrr

Well, now that you mention it, maybe I’m going to change my mind on the whole battle to the death thing. After all, Rome didn’t end too well. — Ed. Note

Dare I say that the Imam Sohaib Sultan made a mistake? Those Princeton University students are tomorrow’s “responsible” citizens and their repression of free speech shows a dark side to their preparation for the “real world.” Their education is as sheltered as their young lives.

Disappointed

It was a tough call, either way. I’m leaving it at that. —Ed Note.

If our governor-elect does read BackTalk maybe he can help, along with Mayor Palmer. It has come to my attention that the bodegas in the city of Trenton are scamming the hardworking taxpayers in the State of New Jersey. Their trick is every first of the month when the “needy” receive money on their Family First debit cards (welfare), the “needy” know the right stores to hit immediately. The “needy” person hands the card over to the bodega worker, the card is swiped on the credit card machine for $100 and the “needy” person is given $50 cash and the bodega pockets $50 of my hard-earned tax dollars. It’s going on all over the city, and most of the bodegas are in on this scam. The card is supposed to be for food and other items needed for poor families, not an ATM card and not a profit maker for the bodegas.

Scammy

Even if what you’re saying is true — which it very well may be — all I see is capitalism at work. I mean, if the rich are expected to scam the American taxpayer, shouldn’t the poor have the same opportunity? — Ed. Note

Ed, anyone who suggests that the cost of a project can be estimated with any degree of accuracy should consider the developer of the new visitors’ center and museum at the Gettysburg National Military Park announced that the cost would be $39.3 million and the entire amount would be paid for by private funds. In reality, the actual amount jumped four fold to $135 million and the taxpayers were forced to pick up the difference.

Numbers

Got to get the lockdown price, no? And not a penny more. — Ed. Note

Hi Ed, Dave Blake from Blake Hardware here. I read about someone looking for relatives of Joseph McNerney, the first veteran of Hamilton Township killed in World War II. I’m a relative, and I can be reached at the store at (609) 393-2575. Thanks.

Dave

And the plot thickens. Like Thanksgiving gravy. — Ed. Note

Ed, I read Jeff Edelstein’s column in the paper and I wanted to add something. I work in a pediatric practice in Hamilton. Right now it seems that every parent thinks every child with a cold has swine flu. We are dealing with an enormous amount of patients. In my 30 years I have never seen such rude, arrogant and demanding people. We are trying to help you, but it is not our fault that so many patients are demanding to be seen at this time. I just want to tell patients not to take it out on the medical staff. I know the wait is long, and I can sympathize with Jeff’s doctor’s office and all the other practices that are handling patients now. So, parents, chill.

Cool It

As long as there are stories of swine flu killing healthy children, there’s little hope of parents “chilling.” —Ed. Note

Ed, I just read in BackTalk that Chrisite reads this column every day. I hope he does. I hope he took a good long look at the election. I am a Democrat, but I did not vote for Corzine. Unless Christie wants to be a one-term governor, he really needs to listen to the people. Not the wealthy people, the people who have to live off unemployment, who are losing their homes, and who do not have health insurance.

Listen Up

Power to the people. —Ed. Note

Ed, I read the BackTalk comments on the nursing homes. I’d like to say you really have to be specific about what you are talking about. Some nursing homes are run privately; some are under state control. All caretakers in this state, including me, a nurse, have to be fingerprinted and get a background check of criminality or wrongdoing in other nursing homes. No one wants to know or hear of bad treatment in a nursing home. I have seen it in privately run homes. If you want the best in Trenton and the vicinity it is Morris Hall. I worked there for several years. But, try to get in there, in the assisted living or skilled nursing part of that facility you need big bucks. If you don’t have a lot of insurance you can’t make it. So good luck.

Nurse

That’s usually how it works. If you have the money, you can get the best (care, schooling, legal defense, etc.). —Ed. Note

Ed, I sure hope this National health care plan passes. My Blue Cross has gone up 240 percent since 2002. I am paying over $100 a week for coverage that is minimum. Don’t even mention the co-pays, deductables, prescriptions — they don’t cover so much of this stuff. No dental and no eyeglasses, etc. Just think, this is a non-profit company and they want to be profit. If that happens it will drive half the people out of that organization because they just can’t afford it. I have cut so much I don’t know what else to cut. Don’t let me forget auto insurance. It is out of this world, but they are on the back burner, and nobody is saying anything about auto insurance.

I. Rate

Maybe Geico will get into medical insurance. Those cave men can regulate which tests doctors can perform on which patients — and make calls like whether a patient is worth saving or beyond the point of no return. I’m comfortable with that. You?—Ed. Note

Ed, I would like to respond to the comment about the nursing home inspections or investigations. Let the public know that they can contact the Department of Health and Human Services and they can file a complaint. FYI, the nursing homes are inspected annually by that department and anybody can voice a complaint at any time. They can call the 800 number for the New Jersey Health and Human Services Department. You can also go to NJ.gov and get the report cards on the nursing homes.

Make the Call

Some BackTalker like you always has to call in with helpful information that might lead to change. How is anyone supposed to keep complaining if you keep offering solutions?—Ed. Note

Ed, as an avid Yankee fan and BackTalk reader I have a question for you. How in the world can your competitor’s paper report on the front page of Friday’s sports section that the Yankees World Series ticker tape parade will be held on Saturday (Nov. 7) when I already attended it live on Friday (Nov. 6). Perhaps your competitors should return to afternoon duty and I can go back and sweep up all the confetti. Kudos to your sports department for getting this correct.

Reading Closely

Now I have a follow-up question for you: Why bother reading the other paper?—Ed. Note

Ed, I have a response to that temporary worker who was complaining about not being able to go out to get lunch and get back in the building again without her supervisor escorting her in. You are paid by the hour, and it takes you 20 minutes to go out and get a lunch and get back. That means you are going to be paid for 20 minutes you did not work, and you will not stay late to make up those 20 minutes. So shut up, make a lunch and bring it.

Tempted

Ed, about “Temporary Blues” in BackTalk. That person is complaining that she can’t go out to get lunch and get back in the building. She is only a temporary worker. Tell her to give the job up. There are so many people who are willing to work that they are holding up signs on the street. They will do anything for pay. Tell her to stop complaining.

Tempted 2

So that temp thought she could get some sympathy after a long day of work and turned to BackTalk for support. Then BAM! — the BackTalk smackdown.—Ed. Note

Ed, I need help in locating any surviving family members of Joseph McNerney. He was the first veteran of Hamilton Township killed in World War II. I would like any family members to contact you and I will contact you back.

Soldier Search

Well that’s a new one. I’d be more comfortable if I knew your purpose. I assume it’s for some kind of history project or publication, or do you have a score to settle?—Ed. Note

Ed, well, Colonial Fire Co. in Hamilton has done it again. Once again, I went to the fire prevention night at the firehouse ... and once again, I have seen that almost every child/grandchild of a member there won an award for the school’s poster contest. I find it hard to believe that this is just a coincidence. For the past five years, I have seen this over and over again. The first two years I didn’t think anything of it, but then as the next few went on, and more and more of the kids and grandkids of the members went to school, the more and more I noticed that this was starting to become a trend. I don’t want the commissioners to think it is going unnoticed, because many parents have noticed it. It’s just this year, I do believe that more and more parents are starting to get very aggravated by the situation.

Burning Mad

Have you contacted the feds?—Ed. Note

Ed, this is Louise, please listen to me. I am an older lady and I live about three blocks from this church they are trying to debate upon, the Ewing Presbyterian Church. The members of that church are mostly gone. They have moved out someplace else or they have died out. They are still debating on what to do with this church. If they build it back up they have no members to keep it going and maintain it. If they decide to tear it down I don’t know what to say about that. I want to know what you have to say about it, Ed. I love reading your articles.

Church Lady

It’s a beautiful, historic building, and I would love to see it survive as a landmark. But I don’t have to take care of it or fix it or pay for taking care of it and fixing it. I’m rooting for a solution that saves the church, but if it has to go, I would like to see a dramatic, explosive demolition. We don’t get enough of those.—Ed. Note

Ed, I want to thank all of those who vote for Chris Daggett for re-electing Jon Corzine.

Dagnabbit

This message brought to you by Jon Corzine for Governor.—Ed. Note

Ed, I had a sign out in front of my house to re-elect Buddy Tyler for mayor of Fieldsboro. This is for the person that stole that sign. It doesn’t matter about the sign. Buddy Tyler has been mayor for 27 years and he will continue to be mayor. You may have stolen the sign, but you didn’t win the election.

Buddy’s Buddy

Maybe it wasn’t stolen by an enemy; Buddy Taylor is such a cool name —I’d want a Buddy Taylor sign for my wall. But I didn’t steal the sign, just to be clear.—Ed. Note

Ed, I had to rub my eyes to read this story correctly. We have an illegal immigrant who attacked an innocent 13-year-old girl in a dark ally, and the judge lowers his bail. How is that possible? This is what is wrong with our country. You got a dangerous person on the street. The judge should be held accountable for anything this man does on the street while he is out on bail.

Bailed

But then judges would need malpractice insurance, and that would drive up the cost of justice.—Ed. Note

Ed, a few weeks ago there was a big accident on Miry Brook Road. I am a resident of Miry Brook Road. I guess it is going to take for someone’s child to get hit rather than a parked car to get some police presence out here. It is just like the Indy 500 on that road. I would just like to express my opinion and tell everyone to slow down.

Alert

It’s a wise suggestion, and you phrased it in such civilized fashion. Allow me to chime in with a more-forceful SLOW DOWN!—Ed. Note