The Week Just Passed:

The Dangerous Situation in Ukraine

Obama Administration Giving Up American Oversight of the Internet

The Latest “Unintended Consequence” of Obamacare

“Back to School” Week…in March?

Saluting the Market Street Mission on 125 Years of Service!

Welcome Spring!

The Dangerous Situation in Ukraine

Russia’s invasion and annexation of the Crimea, and its ongoing threat to the rest of Ukraine, is a deeply troubling threat to peace and freedom and to the inviolate right of national sovereignty.  Russian president Vladimir Putin seems determined to reestablish the sphere of influence in Europe and Asia once claimed by the Soviet Union. The United States and its NATO allies must take a strong stand against this Russian aggression, as I called for in this Letter to the Editor that appeared in the Star-Ledger yesterday. 

The Obama Administration is apparently beginning to understand the broad nature of the threat, as it scrambles to assure our allies in Eastern Europe – especially those who once were imprisoned behind the Iron Curtain – of our support. 

Earlier this week, George Will wrote a searing column that exposes the brutal treatment of Ukraine under the Soviet Union.  This bitter history helps explain the fierce determination of the Ukrainian people to bravely resist Russian expansionism into their nation.

Anne Applebaum’s compelling Pulitzer Prize winning book, Gulag: A History, published in 2004 and still in print, is a must read for anyone interested in learning more about the horrifying tyranny of Soviet Communism and its toll on millions of enslaved people throughout the Soviet empire.  I highly recommend it.

Obama Administration Giving Up American Oversight of the Internet

No nation on earth has a more enduring legacy of support for the free and open expression of ideas than does the United States.  The global expansion of the Internet has fostered economic growth, social equality, political freedom, and cultural awareness in ways unimagined even 20 years ago.

That’s why the Obama’s Administration’s decision to give up American oversight of the Internet is so troubling.  By yielding to the demands of some who have questioned U.S. oversight for their own self-interest, we face the very real possibility that this international marketplace for ideas and commerce could lose the freedom that has made it such a powerful force around the world.

The Wall Street Journal’s L. Gordon Crovitz’s take on this is well worth a read and can be found here. 

The Latest “Unintended Consequence” of Obamcare

For the millions of seniors who are enrolled in Medicare Advantage, the Affordable Care Act will result in higher premiums and increased out-of-pocket costs.  Under Obamacare, $200 billion is being cut from this popular and successful program over the next ten years. 

These cuts are yet another example of how this ill-advised law is and will continue to raise the cost of health care for millions of Americans, while also separating patients from their doctors and consumers from the insurance coverage they preferred.

“Back to School” Week…in March?

During this week’s Congressional District work period, I was glad to be able to spend the entire week here in the 11^th Congressional District, meeting with constituents, attending numerous events, and visiting eight schools across the district. 

I really enjoy having the chance to meet with students to hear their concerns about the future and to share with them why I believe they should be engaged and involved in their communities, counties, states, and nation.  Over the years, I’ve made hundreds of visits to local schools.

This week I met with students at schools in Cedar Grove, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Little Falls, Pompton Lakes, Wanaque, and Wayne.

You can read here about two of this week’s school visits:

Cedar Grove High School 

Brooklawn Middle School 

Saluting the Market Street Mission on its 125^th Anniversary

This week marks the 125^th anniversary of the founding of the Market Street Mission in Morristown, which opened for the first time on March 18, 1889.  Founded as a “Gospel Rescue Mission,” the Market Street Mission assists “individuals to overcome homelessness, addictions, and disabilities through a life centered on Christ.”

In the past year, the Market Street Mission has served more than 90,000 meals to homeless and underprivileged individuals, provided more than 30,000 shelter nights of care to men at its Emergency Shelter and residents in its Life Change Program, and distributed 1,200 backpacks filled with supplies to needy school children and teens in the area.

Thanks to the good work of the men and women at the Market Street Mission, the lives of countless numbers of our less fortunate neighbors in Morris County have been immeasurably improved. 

Welcome Spring!

It is hard to remember a year when the arrival of spring was more welcome than it is this year.  This past winter was long and hard, with near record amounts of snow, the visit of the Polar Vortex, and potholes almost as numerous as snowflakes.

Spring is a great time to enjoy the 11^th District’s many beautiful natural areas. 

Information about national parks in the District, including the Morristown National Historic Park and the Thomas Edison National Historic Park in West Orange, can be found here. 

More information about state parks in the District can be found here.

Also, here is information about your county parks in Essex, Morris, Passaic, and Sussex counties can be found at these sites:

http://www.essex-countynj.org/p/index.php

http://www.morrisparks.net/

http://www.passaiccountynj.org/index.aspx?NID=251

http://sussex-countywebsite.com/Sussex_County_New_Jersey_local_parks_recreation_outdoors_amusement_lakes_nature_preserve_NJ.html