By Richard A. Lee
When
children’s behavior crosses the line from playful to rambunctious or even
dangerous, parents place them in Time Outs.
The action is designed to end – at least temporarily – the offending behavior. It
also gives children time to ponder the repercussions of their actions.
After
following the back-and-forth that took place this week between the Governor and
a State Legislator, we now can make a good case for placing some of New
Jersey’s leaders in Time Outs. Although
healthy debates are an essential component of democracy, the exchanges we
witnessed this week simply are unacceptable.
The
exchanges concerned the death of a 21-year old man named Eric Thomas, the
victim of multiple gunshot wounds suffered during a dispute after a house party
in Jersey City. His death is a tragedy; it should not be used by anyone to
score political points.
This is
not to say that we should not ask questions and seek answers about the factors
that led to Thomas’ death. The fact that he allegedly was shot by a man who was
released from prison early under provisions of a state program raises
legitimate questions about that program. Those questions should be explored and
debated in a constructive manner in order to determine whether the program
needs to be altered, eliminated, or kept as is.
Unfortunately,
the dialogue that ensued in the aftermath of the shooting has been anything but
constructive.
It was
Governor Christie who started the discussion by calling for the elimination of
the early release program. Nothing wrong here. He’s the Governor; he makes it
clear what he wants done. But he didn’t stop there.
Christie
then said the early release program was responsible for Thomas’ death. He also
placed blame on Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, who sponsored the law that
created the program. “It is tragic that because of Assemblywoman Watson
Coleman’s philosophy on crime, that we now have one person who has lost his
life,” Christie told reporters at a news conference.
After
learning of the Governor’s comments, Watson Coleman fired back.
“Governor Christie attempting to
blame me for Mr. Thomas’ death is as ludicrous as me blaming the Governor for
the death of every woman who couldn’t gain access to critical health care
because the Governor eliminated women’s health funding,” she said in a statement.
“Or as preposterous as me blaming the governor for deaths as the result of the
massive police and firefighter layoffs resulting from his policies.”
The Assemblywoman’s point is
well-taken. It is not fair to hold a lawmaker personally responsible for every
action that results from a law he or she sponsored. On the other hand,
politicians are quick to take credit when the laws they sponsor yield positive
results. What type of public scenario would we have seen if the man accused of
killing Thomas had gone on to great success after getting out of prison early
as part of the state’s early release program? Consider the old English proverb:
“Success has many fathers; failure is
an orphan.”
As
troubling as the discourse surrounding this incident has been, it sadly is not
an isolated occurrence. The exchanges between political opponents – at all
levels of government – have reached new lows. Sometimes Republicans emerge as
the winners; other times, it is the Democrats. But regardless of who wins, the
losers always are the citizens who expect – and deserve – better from their
elected officials.
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