The death of Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey this morning at age 89 is a loss for the Jewish community worldwide, and reminds us that a wealthy person (the person who began ADP, the payroll system), can really care for the middle class and the poor, rather than for his own class!
Lautenberg served nearly five terms, and was a critic of the alcohol and tobacco industries, and worked to support the AMTRAK transportation system that became so important for the Northeast Corridor in particular.
He was a crusader for good ideas, and a man who spoke his mind, and he will be missed.
The question now is who will replace him, and will it be by appointment, or by election, and it opens up the possibility that Newark Mayor Cory Booker might be able to gain a Senate seat sooner than he had planned, which would have been the 2014 elections, when Lautenberg had decided to retire.