For Thee Must We Sing!

On Sunday, January 1, 2012, the Woodbridge Township School District opened the Woodbridge Middle School for a political celebration extravaganza; the swearing in of John McCormac and his re-elected town council members.

According to a comment attributed to John McCormac, the Middle School auditorium was chosen over the town council chambers because “there's not enough room for all 600 plus members of the township government team."  There was no mention as to whether attendance by all the township’s government team was mandatory, or if any of the attendees were being compensated for being there on a Sunday.

While the celebration extravaganza was sponsored by the Woodbridge town council, it is unknown, as of this writing, if the township or the school district paid for the cost of opening the school on a holiday weekend for the political victory celebration.  Then again, perhaps, the costs of the celebration was paid for from the victors’ surplus election campaign funds.  Wouldn’t that be refreshing in these tough economic times?

Surely, there are those who will contend this was a government function, and accordingly, should be paid for with taxpayer monies.  That could be a valid assertion, if it were not for the fact this celebration appears to be more a tribute to a man’s ego than a legitimate government function.

Should having children - in a combined three high school choirs, dress in matching green and white tee-shirts with the "Johnnie Mac Singers" logo on them, sing well-known songs, which were reworked to invoke the names of McCormac and other council members and their November election victory - be considered the act of a noble elected official or a narcissist?

One such song included a revamping of Bruce Springsteen's version of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," featured a saxophone solo and new lyrics:

"You better not pout/
you better not cry/
you had a chance to dump him/
and you didn't even try/
Johnnie Mac is staying in town." 

Hearing or reading about foreign leaders, in controlled societies, who use children to sing praises about them is not uncommon.  But a local mayor, in this great republic, doing so could, and perhaps should, give rise to serious concerns.  One might ask: Was an administration sworn in on January 1st or was it a regime?