Our Monmouth Blog

I’m a sloppy barbecue chef. Nothing draws the flavor of hops out of an import than a sirloin that’s been marinating for twelve hours. Once on the grill I continue to apply a liberal smothering of steak sauce.

Or as Winnie the Pooh would interject – smackeral, Piglet.

All that tangy, salty liquid flashes and splashes into the guts of the grill. Neil Young was right: Rust never sleeps. Now I have replaced the burners and jets of a few barbecues in my attempt to reduce suburban waste. If diapers do not decompose in landfills, will my great grandchildren be scaling the summit of a colossal mountain of Weber and Coleman cast-iron cookware?

The old barbecue just ain’t what she used to be. So yesterday I shot her. The Missus issued a simple command: Go buy a new barbecue.

I like to frequent Mom-and-Pop hardware stores. Hire the little guy. Invest in the local economy instead of shipping my cash southward on the Turnpike to some corporate headquarters in Delaware.

For years I’ve patronized Becker Family’s Hardware on Route 34 in Colts Neck. As a Realtor® getting keys cut is a weekly occurrence. My man Jerry cuts a mean stencil of Schlage aluminum. Pat is always courteous and quick to assist.

But at six o’clock in the evening I found myself meandering towards … one of those Conglomerate Big Box home improvement airplane hangars.

Disclaimer: Should I identify this public traded company? I mean, whose going to file a legal action against a consumer blogging a complaint? How about Freedom of Speech (while the Congress approves massive wire-tapping and privacy invasion)? Pass.]

Beckers closes at five. I’m not a conglomerate “homer.” Probably because the corporate borg undermines American manufacturing and disenfranchises competition. No. I believe the Big Box retail concept reduces me and my money to Small Shopper Status.

I walked into the store and approached a young male employee loitering amongst the young female cashiers, strutting his denim overall’d self. The Lion King meets Clerks.

“Excuse me,” I interrupted.

Immediately the young man turned around, entered my personal space and boomed, “WE DON’T HAVE ANY!” directly into my face. He closed with a smirk and half-sinister chuckle.

“Is this boy impaired?” I asked myself. I was twenty years old once. I remember trying to impress young women. I was so startled that I didn’t hear his condescending apology.

“Dude, you know I’m just fooling with you.”

He cleared his throat and tried desperately to recall his corporate Customer Service training.

“How can – er, may – I help you?” Props for conjugating the verb correctly.

I grumbled and walked away. Even my knees creaked. Truth be told, I sloughed away like a grumpy old man. I just wasn’t in the mood to serve as fodder for adolescent lust. Probably because I’m no longer an adolescent and at my age lust is scheduled between oil changes and Graduation Parties. The lad was rude or crazy. Is this the mental state of service?

Rust never sleeps in an old barbecue and apparently lust never sleeps in department stores. The Customer Service desk politely asked me to return outside to the grill section and assistance would arrive shortly.

Assistance appeared as – you guessed it — my favorite playa.

“I’m sorry about before. I can get someone else to help you,” Don Juan DeWalt sheepishly and rationally offered.

“You’ll do,” I countered, not realizing until later that I subconsciously tossed out the last line from Babe the Pig. I felt both youthful and magnanimous again. The young horny squire apologized. Let’s move on. Let’s start the healing.

Besides, I was hungry.

I found a suitable grill. The young man helped load the box onto my truck. The Vice President of Human Resources would be heartened to hear he recovered adequately during the consumer’s (that’s me) shopping experience.

Yet that outburst and my subsequent embarrassment would never have happened at Becker’s Hardware. Yes, conglomerates offer wider selections and competitive pricing. There’s something to be said for the small business owner treating his patrons larger than life, however.

Next time I’ll cook my steak in the oven and wait for Mom-and-Pop to open in the morning. Or take the little woman out to eat and maybe later go parking up on the Scenic Overlook. Hubba hubba.

Andrew J Lenza is the Broker and Owner of Andrew J. Lenza Realty in Colts Neck. When Andrew isn’t writing or enjoying Monmouth County life he is serving his clients needs in the residential and commercial sectors of the market. You can visit Andrew at www.andrewlenza.com

© Copyright, 2008. Andrew J. Lenza, All Rights Reserved.

Maryann Spoto of The Star-Ledger reported yesterday “Seven arrested in Monmouth County drug bust“.

Federal and state authorities said today they arrested seven people and dismantled an elaborate Monmouth County-based drug trafficking and money-laundering operation that each month allegedly netted $1 million and distributed more than 1,000 kilograms of cocaine.

I have driven by that house countless times. I always admired it and often wondered “what job/business/inheritance the family had”. Well now I know……

Perhaps I should not be surprised but it is kind of shocking and way too close to home.

John Cichowski of The Record recently reported “Welcome to the stupid driver state”

With the warm-weather driving season under way, GMAC Insurance has confirmed our worst suspicions: New Jersey’s 6.2 million licensed drivers are the nation’s dumbest. The big auto insurer came to this conclusion after giving an online test to 5,524 drivers from the 50 states and Washington, D.C. (gmacinsurance.com/SafeDriving). Most questions came from state driving exams.

We didn’t simply flunk this test. We came in 51st — dead last — even worse than the drivers we love to ridicule in Washington, D.C. (50th), New York (49th) and Massachusetts (48th). This failure rate is more than embarrassing. It’s historic. In the four years that GMAC has been giving these tests, no state has scored lower than 69.9 percent correct answers — our score this year.

The stupid driver state? I know that you tested a little over 5,500 people to draw this conclusion and in all fairness our Governor doesn’t wear a seat belt and almost died in an accident. Fellow New Jerseans unite and together we can overcome this label. When we rank 50 next year we can flip GMAC the bird.

I don’t know what is more embarrassing the fact that we were the worst in the nation scoring the all time lowest score or that someone actually authorized expenditure for this type of ridiculous survey. Sounds like a ploy to raise my insurance rates, what do you take me for, a fool?

Tom Johnson of The Star-Ledger reported today “Cost of heating a home could skyrocket“. Call me crazy but hasn’t it already gone through the roof? According to the report:

The cost of heating a home in New Jersey with natural gas could rise by 20 percent if state regulators approve a pending rate increase. Public Service Electric & Gas filed for the increase, which would boost the monthly bill for the average customer by $28.60, to $174.06. The company, based in Newark, is the state’s biggest utility and has 1.7 million gas customers.

This degree of inflation is not sustainable:

1. The exponential rising costs of purchasing a home
2. Significant rising cost of fuels
3. Double digit percentages cost increases of food
4. Uncertain/shrinking job market

While I am no economist the trend is clear and we have some serious issues to deal with as a nation.

Stever Robbins’s of Business Explained by Stever wrote an excellent related post about spotting trends.

What steps are you taking to protect your financial future and the health of your business?

Jeff Whelan of The Star-Ledger reported “Passaic Mayor pleads guilty to Corruption“.

Passaic Mayor Samuel Rivera pleaded guilty this morning to federal corruption charges.

Rivera, 61, among 11 public officials caught in a statewide FBI sting last year, pleaded guilty to one count of extortion after being accused of accepting $5,000 in cash from an insurance brokerage firm in exchange for his help getting contracts. The firm turned out to be a front for the FBI.

He was indicted earlier this year by a federal grand on bribery and extortion charges. By pleading guilty to the extortion charge, Rivera faces 18 to 24 months in prison under federal sentencing guidelines, according to his lawyer, Henry Klingeman.

This is a good first step in cleaning up the political cesspool that still remains intact within our local government. Justice needs to be served swiftly to anyone who takes advantage of an appointed position for their own dishonest and immoral personal gains. More results like this are need to finish the job and clean up New Jerseys political landscape.

Tom Hester of The Star-Ledger reported “Top 10 most endangered historic sites named“.

Mr. Hester reported “The non-profit Trenton-based historic preservation organization unveils a list of what it considers 10 endangered historic sites annually in an effort to draw public and government attention to the danger that they may face demolition or alteration“.

* Sacred Heart Church, Jersey City: In its heyday in the 1920s, this monumental church was the parish for immigrants from Ireland, Germany, Poland and Italy.

* Shady Rest Golf Club, Scotch Plains: First African-American owned and operated country club in the United States.

* Lake Solitude Dam, High Bridge: Built in 1909 to provide hydro-electric power to the Taylor-Wharton Iron and Steel Company.

* Forney House and Clinic, Milltown: Late 1800s house built that later became the first American site of the Michelin Rubber Company.

* 160 Willard Avenue, Bloomfield: Unique Craftsman house considered crucial to the preservation of its neighborhood.

* Speedwell Avenue Business District, Morristown: An historic area where a redevelopment plan calls for demolition of old storefronts and some 19th and early 20th century houses.

* Arneytown Historic District, North Hanover: Three-building 1700s’ hamlet with tavern as centerpiece.

* Atlantic City Post Office: Classic and imposing Depression-era building.

* Beach Theater, Cape May: Landmark beachfront theater built in 1950.

* Belcoville Post Office, Weymouth: Built in 1918 as post office for a World War I munitions plant boomtown.

Tom Hester of the Star-Ledger reported yesterday that the “NJ court system struggling with flood of debt-related cases“.

Foreclosure filings for the first three months of the year exceeded 4,000 a month, a staggering 44 percent increase over the same period last year, Judge Philip S. Carchman told the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. They are on track to hit 49,000 cases by the end of the year, double the number from just two years ago.

Debt cases, mainly from credit cards problems in which $15,000 or less is owed, are also spilling into the courts. Carchman said 621,000 are expected this year, 100,000 more than last year.

The cost of living has increased dramatically over the last few years. The back-up of the court system is just one of many minor consequences. If the corporate fleecing of America continues to go unpunished why would it stop? For example, the cost of gas continues to rise as the oil corporations make record profits. Lending companies that pitched risky loans and used unethical tactics walk away leaving the consumer holding the bag. Property and local taxes are rising because of corruption and misuse of public funds. The list seems endless.

How has the current economic conditions effected your business or your spending?

American Recreational Military Services (A.R.M.S), a 501 (c)(3) Public Charity

In order to help the local charity ARMS on its important mission we have volunteered to actively help promote its latest fund raising efforts. Any business or organization making a suggested contribution of $250 dollars or more will receive a thank you on OurMonmouth.com.
A special section on the homepage has been created just to show support from the local business community. Our troops and their families really deserve community support for their sacrifices. Please help us show them that we appreciate their service to our county. You support a great cause and we support your business! Any support or help in promoting this cause is appreciated.

For more information go to the business and community directory of Monmouth County.

Best wishes and thank you!

Complete Press release:

ARMS reaches out to fellow New Jerseyans to help “our own” deployed troops.
This year NJ will experience the biggest troop activation of our National Guard and Reserves since WWII. We cannot continue doing what we have done so well for the past 5 years without everyone’s help. 3,200 troops will be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, they and their families will need comfort both abroad and at home and ARMS can supply this with help from all fellow New Jerseyans. Please help our campaign and donate a tax deductible donation to A.R.M.S.
Red Bank, NJ, April 14th, 2008: American Recreational Military Services (ARMS) an all volunteer 501c3 is asking for your help. This year NJ will experience the biggest troops surge since WWII. We cannot continue doing what we have done so well for the past 5 years without everyone’s help. 3,200 troops will be deployed, they and their families will need comfort both abroad and at home and ARMS can supply this with help from all fellow New Jerseyans.
Our biggest expense is packaging material and shipping cost. The average comfort package that we send to the troops cost about $10.00 in postage to ship. We do not get a shipping cost discount from the U.S. Post Office The content of the packages are all donated by the wonderful school children, parents, church groups, civic groups, veteran organizations and business owners, of NJ. Over the past 5 years we have shipped over 20,000 packages to the troops.
The impact your can make on these families lives with your support cannot be underestimated. Your donations either financial, goods, or time is critical to our success. To show our appreciation of your support OurMonmouth.com has committed to recognize any business, organization, or individual that contributes over $250 with a featured spot on the homepage. OurMonmouth.com is a local business and community directory of Monmouth County.
American Recreational Military Services (A.R.M.S), a 501 (c)(3) Public Charity was founded in 2003 by a group of grass roots volunteers who wanted to give something back to the military and their families. In a matter of months, this small organization had grown from just a handful to more than 325 volunteers throughout the tri-state area. A.R.M.S. continues to provide services to local armories throughout the region. A.R.M.S. supports the area unit Family Readiness Groups, as well as providing direct assistance to family members in need. In addition, A.R.M.S. has been working with the local military bases to address quality of life issues for soldiers and their families.
# # #
If you’d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Ronnie Micciulla, please call (732) 890-4914 or e-mail ronnie@supportarms.org.

In the April 16th Star Ledge report “Corzine considers alternatives to closing parks, Agriculture Dept“.

Gov. Jon Corzine today backed off his unpopular plans to abolish the Department of Agriculture and shutter nine state parks this summer, saying he is considering alternative budget reductions.

“We will have to figure out where we have financing to substitute for things people feel, maybe properly so, are priorities they would rather sustain,” he told reporters after a public appearance in Paramus this afternoon. “I may not be in total agreement, but I’m open to it.”

Please let Gov. Jon S. Corzine your opinion by posting a comment on the origional story “New Jersey State Park Closings” posted on OMB.

Best Wishes

I was glad to see such passionate responses to my recent blog post “New Jersey State Park Closings“. In case you missed the story reported by APP “Nine NJ State Parks may close as part of cost-cutting measures forced by Gov. Jon S. Corzine’s austere budget. 80 park workers would also face lay-offs as part of the cost cutting measure“. It was amazing to see so many people feel strongly about the value of our local NJ State Parks. I will send all of the feedback posted in the comments of the blog post to the office of the Governor April 30th.

Please pass this message along; together we can make a difference in our community by letting our collective voices be heard.

This post is closed for comments and related feedback should be entered here.