Good thing they don't do anything

by: Thurman Hart

Fri Dec 05, 2008 at 05:45:41 PM EST

Meanwhile, Rob Andrews is having a Sarah Palin moment, with an explanation that leaves major questions unanswered (If the airlines gave Andrews a check for his clothes and he signed it over to his campaign - what happened to the clothes?  If Andrews kept them, then doesn't he have to claim them as being a gift from the airline?) on what would normally be a stupid little story.  And four of the remaining fourteen members of the Jersey delegation to Congress worked together to pull down $2 million for St. Peter's College in Jersey City.

Yes, this is the kind of "pork" that Dick Zimmer wanted to cut.  Far from being "pork", this is a program that has immediate consequences for New Jersey - plasma is used to purify water, and our growing population will need more purified water in the very near future.  Beyond that, it will help create a truly world-class research center in Northern Jersey.  If New Jersey wants to stop its brain-drain, it needs to build regional universities that can draw the best and brightest and keep them here.  This is an important step in the right direction, and will likely draw private investment dollars to help keep down the cost of higher education in the future.