Today is Tuesday, November 5th, 2019, an off-off-year Election Day, as it is in many other locales and a state holiday here in New Jersey.
The schools are closed all week. I checked the township school calendar. There is no specific mention of it being fall “recess” as it does for other weeks later in the school year specifically called winter and spring recess. What the calendar does say is that schools are closed specifically for Election Day, two days for staff “in-service/flex” days, and off Thursday and Friday for the 2019 New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) Convention.
I found more on in-service requirements here. I wonder why these occur in the middle of the school year and not immediately before? And I also found these interesting comments from attendees of such meetings, and I won’t even get into “teacher’s conventions,” held again this year in…wait for it…Atlantic City. It’s all for, you know, “improving education” and “for the children”…the same phrases used to justify the state being in the gambling business (aka, the state lottery).
Back to Election Day…
As I said, this is an off-off-election year. The ballot has only five elections perpetuating the usual political machines at state, county, and this municipality (including the mayor, up again for sure re-election) and one ballot initiative. The polling place was dead quiet. No surprise there.
Again, I point out that according to the school calendar, schools are not closed as part of a scheduled “recess” week, but specifically because it’s Election Day. In Massachusetts, back in the 60s, my elementary school was a polling place, held in the cafeteria/gym as is so common everywhere (as is my present polling place). The cafeteria did not serve lunch that day. Instead, we “brown-bagged” it, ate at our desks (we were still able to get the usual 3¢ milks) and thought it was a great change-of-pace from the usual lunchtime routine. We did not miss a school day.
Because Election Day is a state holiday, my garbage will not be collected on this Tuesday, its usual scheduled day, so that township employees are assured of having the ability to exercise their constitutional right to vote, (I didn’t make that up, and the “right” is dubious) during the f-o-u-r-t-e-e-n hours—yes, 14 hours—from 6am to 8pm that the polls are open on this dead-quiet off-off-election year (and every other election year in this municipality).
Fourteen hours, even on a workday, isn’t enough time to go vote? Funny how I always manage to do it despite my private-sector job with no designated time off to do so. Funny also how many township and county employees I regularly see executing what must be their official duties at various commercial establishments, including what I assume are officially authorized prescription pick-ups at various liquor pharmacies while using township/county vehicles during workdays.
It’s all so funny…so why am I not laughing? Watching or reading the news these days one might agree with the notion that the nation rots from the head down. But pay attention to everything going on almost anywhere and you will realize that decay is evident at every level of society and institutions everywhere.
