This could be the opportunity of a lifetime, not just for same sex couples, but for all citizens of New Jersey who believe in the civil rights of every individual regardless of race, color, religion or sexual orientation. I don’t care whether you call it gay marriage, same sex marriage, or marriage equality; there is good reason to believe that both houses of the state legislature are on the cusp of passing legislation that would have New Jersey become the 7^th state to legalize marriage between two men or two women.

So the Christie watch is finally over.  The governor ultimately decided that the timing was off and that he is too much of a “Jersey guy” to run for president right now.  One can only imagine what Governor Christie had been going through over the past couple of weeks, but he had to decide now.  Every day he waited, the political theater was becoming more and more surreal.  Even though he hadn’t announced that he was running for president, he was beginning to be attacked from all sides as if he were a full blown candidate. 

Get this.  There is actually some good news coming out of the Statehouse these days.  Amazingly, there is a lot more money coming in to the state Treasury than anyone expected.  Specifically, anywhere from between nearly a billion dollars, according to the office of legislative services, and $500 million according to the state treasurer.  Either way, it’s a lot of money, particularly in a state that’s been struggling financially for so long and has been teetering on fiscal chaos and potential insolvency. 

Politicians are easy targets.  We blast them when they engage in hypocrisy by saying one thing and doing another.  We have every right to be peeved when it comes to New Jersey elected officials collecting a pension while still being in elected office (the law never should have been passed allowing it) particularly when so many people in the private sector are worried whether their pension is going to be there at all when they really retire.