4/20/12- Even in the best of times, small business owners' days are long and downtime scarce. Time spent away from one's business often requires a trade off in commerce. And keeping up with the ever-changing rules, regulations, and requirements can be a job in itself.

Too often, small business owners say that they don't vote in "off year" elections for the state legislature because they're not as important as Presidential elections.

4/26/12- As noted in your editorial, "Look for savings in New Jersey anti-bullying law," (April 3), the state's anti-bullying law for schools continues to be an underfunded mandate, despite the bipartisan efforts of Gov. Chris Christie and the Legislature.

In addition to stretching valuable resources to train staff, the law has so many bureaucratic nuances that lawsuits are all but assured. Taxpayers and school districts will have to bear these costs as well, and with a multi-million-dollar settlement already granted in a North Jersey school district, the stage is set for a lot of litigation at a high cost to everyone involved.

4/4/12 - If you are a New Jersey resident, there is a good chance that you know someone who is employed by one of the 24 pharmaceutical and medical technology companies which have crowned us the nation's medicine chest. Some 51,000 residents earn their livelihood at one of these entities, which produce everything from life-saving drugs to baby shampoo. Another 70,000 New Jersey residents collect paychecks from the industry through service contracts.

3/19/12 - It's not the president, but those in the levels of government closest to the people - the mayor, town council and state senators and Assembly members - who decide the best use for the empty lot across the street from one's business, vet factors that affect the small-business owners' liability insurance rates and determine how long trash will remain near a storefront.

2/27/12 - The state's most prominent lawsuit reform advocate may be Marcus Rayner, executive director of the New Jersey Lawsuit Reform Alliance, which launched in 2007 to bolster lobbying on tort reform and related issues.

Rayner said the political climate is shaping up to be good for the bills.

Carl Wilkins' family suffered an unspeakable nightmare when their loved one was tragically struck and killed after a double hit-and-run incident. The family's attorney has indicated that they intend to sue NJ Transit, the state of New Jersey and Ewing Township for his death, along with the women who committed this crime.

2/19/12- Governor Christie's public display of contempt last week for the routine review of judicial nominees by the state bar association shocked many.

It shouldn't have. Christie's tenure has been marked by tirades against individual judges, threats to ignore the court's most anticipated rulings and the occasional second-guessing of when judges should and should not recuse themselves on specific cases.

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Kwon and Harris would fill seats held by former Justice John Wallace Jr., whom Christie declined to reappoint in 2010, and Justice Virginia Long, who faces mandatory retirement on March 1, 2012.

1/3/12 - Here in New Jersey, it's no secret that the private sector is struggling to create jobs. The state continues to have the highest unemployment rate in the region more than three years after the economic downturn began. Neither New York, Pennsylvania, nor even Ohio has more residents out of work than New Jersey, where the unemployment rate is 9.1 percent. Fortunately, Gov. Christie and the Democratic Legislature agree that we need to remove roadblocks to economic growth. They are frequently cited as a combination of inflation and overly burdensome regulation on businesses.