E-Newsletter: 9/13/13

Statement

The Week Just Passed: Remembering September 11, 2001

Syria: How We Got Here

Help Wanted: Pro Growth Economic Policies

Last Week: Roseland Fire Department Marks 100 Years of Service

Salutes: Chatham Borough Police, Denville's Haylee Fucini-Lenkey

Save the Date: Rodney's Veterans Fair September 28

Follow Rodney on social media: @USRepRodney & https://www.facebook.com/rfrelinghuysen

The Week Just Passed: Remembering September 11, 2001

"As the nation once again debates the important issue of "war and peace,' we paused on Wednesday to remember the 3,000 innocent victims -- including more than 700 of them New Jerseyans -- whose lives were cut short by terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania.

"When that day was over, and as we learned more about the tragic - and yes - murderous, attacks, and loss of nearly 3,000 Americans, including 700 New Jerseyans, we witnessed neighbors and friends consoling one another and watched as Americans from all walks of life stood united -- side-by-side, waving the stars and stripes, and lighting candles to honor those missing or lost.

"We also honor those who bravely risked their lives to save others -- the first responders who rushed into the burning buildings and the passenger-patriots on Flight 93 who declared, "Let's roll.'

"Today, we are very much a nation at war, largely because of the events of 9-11. Men and women of our Armed Forces are still doing the work of freedom and security in Afghanistan and many other parts of the world. We see the character and resolve of America in these brave young people. And we are grateful for their service and sacrifice, and that of their families.

"Like most of you, I come from the "9-11 State' known as New Jersey and I take very seriously my responsibilities to protect and defend the United States from enemies "foreign and domestic.'

"In this context, I listened very carefully to the President of the United States make his case on Tuesday night for his proposed military strike on Syria.

"Like all Americans, I am horrified by the deaths of so many people who lost their lives in the sarin gas attack. But I do not believe that the President's plans to launch an attack on the regime of Bashar al-Assad will change the course of that civil war and I cannot vote to authorize his military strike.

"The President has now asked Congress to put his request to strike Syria on hold while he explores an offer by Russian President Vladmir Putin to help "secure' Syria's chemical weapons stockpile. While the Administration has the obligation to investigate each and every potential diplomatic "solution,' let's not kid ourselves. Russia, for decades, has been Syria's largest arms supplier. Is Putin going to disarm Assad and jeopardize Assad's position at the head of Syria's murderous regime?

"Recent events in Syria and across the Middle East are a powerful reminder of the global threat that violent extremists and terrorists pose to the United States and our closest allies. We must ensure that the memory of September 11, 2001 guides us as we work to protect the United States of America."

Rodney Frelinghuysen

Recommended Reading:Joby Warrick and Loveday Morris, writing in the Wednesday Washington Post, "Securing Syria's chemical weapons."

Syria: How We Got Here

Recommended Reading: Charles Krauthammer, writing in today's Washington Post, "The Fruits of Epic Incompetence."

Recommended Reading: Fouad Adjami, writing in today's Wall Street Journal: "Lost in the Mideast Bazaar."

Help Wanted: Pro Growth Economic Policies

The most recent jobs report shows lackluster job growth, a shrinking workforce, and trends that point to long-term joblessness. Perhaps most troubling is the statistic that the number of people in the labor force -- the total of people actually working -- continues to drop to lower and lower levels.

"Americans want a strong economy and a more secure future and it's not fair that an out-of-control government continues to stand in the way of hard working Americans -- at the doctor's office, the gas pump, the dinner table, and in the job market," Rodney said. "There is no greater challenge facing families and businesses today than our nation's struggling economy. And the American people know that "Job #1' for this Congress should be restoring growth and private sector job creation. The Administration and Congress should be working aggressively together to find more effective ways to spur private sector job creation and opportunities."

"To begin with, we should rewrite the tax code to help job creators and reduce government burdens on job creators," he said. "We should allow American manufacturers to compete and win in global markets, encourage entrepreneurship and growth by investing in real infrastructure (roads, bridges, rail, power grids) and maximize American energy production by diversifying supplies and encouraging increased conservation. And, of course, we mustpay down America's unsustainable debt and begin to live within our means."

We need pro-growth economic policies and we need them today!

Recommended Reading: Donna Gordon Blankinship, writing for the Associated Press, "Health costs likely rising for many self-employed."

Salutes: Chatham Borough Police, Denville's Haylee Fucini-Lenkey

Thank you to the Chatham Borough Police Department which is celebrating their 100th Anniversary this weekend.

Congratulations to Haylee Fucini-Lenkey of Denville who was honored at a Capitol Hill event on Tuesday by VSA (The International Organization on Arts and Disability), the Kennedy Center and others for her series of photographs of the female body seen through water. A graduate of Montclair State University, Haylee participated in the In/Finite Earth program.

Last Week: Roseland Fire Department Marked 100 Years of Service

Save the Date: Rodney's Veterans Fair September 28

Rodney is sponsoring a Veterans Fair on September 28 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Verona Community Center, 880 Bloomfield Avenue, Verona NJ 07044.

The event, co-hosted by the Township of Verona and the Cedar Grove Elks Veterans Service Committee, is designed to provide veterans -- men and women - with assistance in finding jobs and housing, as well as making decisions about their future in a challenging economy. Representatives from the Department of Veterans Affairs, county and state veterans service officers and other organizations will be on hand, along with local businesses who have made hiring veterans a priority.

For more information, please contact Rodney's Morristown office at 973-984-0711.

Transportation to the Veterans Fair:

Two daily NJ TRANSIT bus routes serve Verona.

· The #29 bus travels along Bloomfield Avenue through West Caldwell, Caldwell, Verona, Montclair, Glen Ridge & Bloomfield to Newark Penn Station.

· The #11 bus travels between Newark Penn Station and Willow brook Mall via Bloomfield & Pompton Aves.

Both buses operate seven days a week.

NJ TRANSIT buses are accessible: they "kneel" to lower the height of the first step and have lifts for riders who cannot use steps. Ask the bus driver for both services.

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