On February 2, State Senator John Adler came to East to speak to an open meeting of the Young Democrats of America Club after school.

Despite what many East students may be thinking, Adler is not the kind of senator that goes to Washington, DC. Instead, he goes to Trenton, where he represents our district, the sixth district, in the state government.

In the state government, Adler works for Homeland Security, Ethics and the Environment. He was also Co-Chair of John Kerry's campaign.

During the meeting, students asked questions concerning the Democratic party, national issues and state issues. It was clear throughout the meeting that Adler has faith in the Democratic party and its future.

"[The Democratic party is for] giving people the tools to succeed," he said.



The senator also looked back on the recent presidential election.

"[The party] let some of the values issues slip away," he said.

He also repeated the theme of families in his discussion, and he made remarks concerning the 2008 election, saying, "it's our turn."

Some national issues he mentioned were the debt, the Iraqi war and social security. He also mentioned the upcoming governor's race.

"It's very likely that [U.S. Senator Corzine] will win [the governorship]," Adler said.

Adler also raised some interesting issues taking place in New Jersey, such as bad air quality and homeland security.

Adler's visit gave the students of East a chance to speak with a truly interesting and important state politician.