Community News from Lodi, New Jersey • A13

OPINION When snowstorms were followed by small boys with shovels V- 1. Ed side streets. Making matters worse was the fact that there was no such things as a snow-blower available to help the individual homeowner dig out. It wasn't until 1951 that the I lynn AFTER THOUGHTS Once upon a long time ago, back when I was a small boy, the snows of winter seemed deeper, but maybe that was just because I was still built closer to the ground. Or maybe it was because we didn't have the proper tools to remove it.

The fact is that in the 1930s the technology for snow removal, as it was for so many other things, was still in its primitive stages. The earliest snowplows had been wooden wedges drawn behind horses and, at least according to whatever records can be found of such things, the first crude plow that could be attached to an automobile wasn't invented until 1923. That, incidentally, was one year after I was born. By the time I was 10 years old or so the dump truck that came through town with a metal plow mounted on its front bumper struggled to clear a passageway down the middle of the main roads and left behind a mound of snow that clogged the crossing at had cashed in on the bonanza of white that had fallen from the sky. On Bradley Avenue in Bergen-field where I grew up most of the houses had 50-foot frontage and driveways from the street to the backyard garage.

The going rate, as I recall, was a quarter to clear the sidewalk and the path to the front door and 50 cents for a driveway, a total of 75 cents for the deluxe package. For a young lad that was a lot of money in an era when the Saturday matinee at Pop's Palace theater cost a dime and the drug store had jars of penny candy on its counter. One of the problems, however, was that dad gave me a weekly allowance of a quarter, and in exchange he expected me to do some chores around the house which included mowing the lawn in summer and shoveling snow in winter. Another problem was the competition. Every young boy in town would be out, shovel over shoulder, looking for uncleared sidewalks and ringing the doorbell to quote on the job.

Speed was of the essence, particularly in getting your own house done so you could move on and join the shovel brigade. So, while I can't remember which one of us thought of it, my boyhood pal Mickey and I came up with a simple but brilliant idea. We decided to form a partnership. We'd work together as a team. The first advantage of teamwork came with our own houses.

I explained to my dad that Mickey and I would be doing our sidewalk and driveway together and that while I would be working for free it wasn't fair not to pay Mickey something. So my dad, who I suspect saw right through this "snow job," never-the-less agreed to give Mickey a quarter. Then we swung the same deal with Mickey's dad. That way when we set off looking for other paying customers, we each already had a quarter that we wouldn't have normally made. From then on the concept of teamwork continued to pay dividends.

Not only were we able to do a sidewalk and driveway twice as fast by working together -which really didn't mean more money since we had to split it -but we were able to keep an eye open for competition, and when we spotted another kid with a shovel coming along the block one of us would run to the next house and line up that job before he could get there. Besides, working together was more fun. As I recall, after a decent snow fall we could end up with as much as three or four dollars each, a small fortune when the average weekly salary for grown men was only $25 a week. But, of course, in this modern technological age young boys no longer have to shovel snow and deliver newspapers and magazines or run errands for the local grocer the way we did to earn some extra spending money for themselves and that's a good thing, right? Or is it? first walk behind snow blower it was called a snow thrower at first was introduced by Toro and well into the 1960s before easier to handle, more efficient machines became commonplace. But if the days when the only tool available for snow removal was a shovel constituted a chore for our parents, it represented a boon for us kids.

Sleigh riding on our Flexible Flyers and skiing on the wooden slabs that passed for skis back then could wait until we Emerging with yet another prediction of us believe that the government should declare Super Bowl Monday a federal holiday. Absenteeism in the workforce the day after Super Bowl is always high. The game now Replays in the Super Bowl as in all other pro football games can be can be called by protesting coaches, whose teams lose a time-out if the official call is upheld after a televised review. The coaches are limited in the number of replays but the officials "in the booth" can order a replay late in the game. There is not a great demand for Groundhog sweatshirts.

We've never seen a woodchuck wearing a 2009 Champion T-shirt or cap. We checked at Party City and there are no paper plates emblazoned with a groundhog theme It's virtually an untapped market. Nancy Rnbenstein BELIEVE ME Whatever the groundhog (aka woodchuck) predicts this week, its projection is never as reliable as a Super Bowl forecast. Groundhogs are like The Old Farmer's Almanac. They attract a lot of attention when they emerge annually but the very next week no one remembers exactly what they said about the weather.

Super Bowl is another story. First, there's no betting on the groundhog. Second, the animal doesn't command an audience anywhere near as large, or interested, as the Super Bowl. And third, there has never been, to my knowledge, a Groundhog party. Super Bowl parties, on the other hand, have become a national phenomenon, so huge that many starts well after 6 p.m.

And there are longer time-outs and half time breaks, keeping spectators indulging well into the night. The groundhog has never been subjected to a replay by officials observing the emergence ritual. Volunteers should be given everything TO THE EDITOR: In an article on Jan. 21, Saddle Brook Councilman Omar Rodriguez took offense to Battalion Chief R. Meyers remarks suggesting the council hasn't done anything for the department in five years.

In my opinion, Councilmen Rodriguez's remarks were uncalled for. We have given you radios. We have given you? How dare he! Unless I am wrong, the money comes from the people of Saddle Brook. What have the good men of the fire department given us? They volunteer with no compensation, many, many hours; they keep this town safe and sound. They are there when it floods.

To help in a fire, to help in a snowstorm, to help in an accident, to help! We, as a town can not afford to pay them for all the countless hours they are there for us. I know that I sleep a lot better knowing that they are there. To say we have given you is a joke. We as a town owe them, in my opinion at the very least a new fire truck. I am not sure if the volunteers receive a package at the end of their time or not, but I do know they earn whatever they are given 10 times over.

I must also include our police department. Yes, they do get paid but they go far beyond what they are paid. I have had to call the SBVAC on several occasions. A police officer also responds, always with concern and compassion. They have even checked back on me to make sure everything was ok.

That caring is not book-learned, it comes from the heart. Rita Celentano Saddle Brook LETTERS FROM PREVIOUS PAGE disappointment they caused to these young people and their parents. While nothing can make up for the lost experience, CYLC must also re-examine its processes and procedures to make sure its subsequent trips are executed in the highest professional manner. In the meantime, I look forward to working with the aggrieved parents, their children and CYLC, to help better this situation. As always, I am happy to see my constituents, young and old, whenever they come to Washington, D.C.

Congressman Steve Rothman NJ-09 Reader is disappointed in Republicans TO THE EDITOR: It looks like Fair Lawn's Council in 2009 will see a continuation of the Republican political carping we saw in 2008. That was certainly evident at the council's reorganization meeting on Jan. 6. In voting against Steve Wein-stein for mayor, Councilwoman Baratta said we have philosophical differences and Councilman Trawinski said, I don't like the direction you led us or misled us. Those words did a disservice to Mayor Weinstein, a man of integrity who has worked tirelessly and effectively for Fair Lawn.

Enough already! Fair Lawn, like the whole country, will have big problems this year. As someone who publicly supported the election of Councilmembers Jeanne Baratta and Ed Trawinski in 2005, I'm extremely disappointed in their behavior. Marvin Levitt Fair Lawn U.S. Census Bureau has job opportunities for residents looking for New Jersey field staff in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties. In addition to field staff, the Census Bureau is seeking temporary clerical staff for future opening offices in Hoboken and Rocky Hill.

Both field and office staff will spend the next several months preparing to help count every person living in the United States. How does one apply for a Census job? It all begins with a test, which is given in a number of locations throughout the region. To schedule a test in the New Jersey area, call the Census Bureau recruiting line at The U.S. Census Bureau is looking to hire thousands of New Jersey residents for the 2010 Decennial Operation as it embarks on the largest civilian mobilization in history. At a time when the private job sector continues to undergo increased downsizing, the Federal government is about to mobilize the largest temporary civilian employee workforce in history.

The U.S. Census Bureau is preparing for Census 2010, and Census recruiters are looking for more than a few good men and women to help in the effort. The Decennial Census, conducted every 10 years, is a count of every person living in the United States. This count, mandated by the U.S. Constitution, determines Congressional apportionments, affects decisions at every level of government and helps determine distribution of more than $300 billion in federal funds to communities each year.

"Census 2010 is certain to prove very challenging and rewarding for anyone who becomes a part of the operation," said New York Regional Director Lester A. Farthing. "Many jobs can last several weeks up to one to two years, and the experience is invaluable. Working for the U.S. Census Bureau provides people the chance to utilize a wide spectrum of skills.

And it's a great way to serve your country." Right now, Census 2010 is News tip? E-mail communitynewsnorthjersey.com or call 201-791-8994..