Theme:– Operation J.U.M.P. For Jobs, Justice & Unsung Dreams

Recently, New Jersey has been in the media spotlight. First it was the Bridgegate scandal which has Governor Christie on his heels. The Governor put on a show at his almost two-hour press conference. It seems not everybody is sold. Now Senator Cory Booker and others cry foul about Superbowl spoils.

They say the NFL and its TV jocks are giving NJ the slight. With all the press coverage favoring NY, it’s as if the game is not being played at the NJ Meadowlands. Booker was joined by other elected officials in saying to the NFL, “come-on man! There’s enough to go around but you gotta make it go around.”

Well, NJ also made news for other reasons. The statewide jobs numbers show that NJ lost 36,300 jobs in December 2013 almost more than it gained the whole year. Hopefully, this is not a trend but it’s certainly cause for concern. It’s like taking three steps forward with almost the same number of steps backward.

That’s basically how the jobless might feel in their job search and about how Congress allowed benefits to expire. This could also explain why so many give-up, stop looking and fall through the cracks. If NJ officials feel left out of Superbowl spoils, imagine how the jobless might feel about losing their benefits?

The NFL chimed-in saying they’re not treating NY any more favorably. The Superbowl is a NY/NJ affair. Well, that’s true, but NJ might be getting the short end of the stick. So Operation J.U.M.P. is serious about speaking-up for those in the shadow. The question as with other situations like this is.. will anyone listen?

Footnote: Operation J.U.M.P. in speaking out for the jobless is saying to elected officials “common man, there’s enough to go around but you gotta make it go around.”