Skewed priorities
win again in Trenton

When Gov. James E. McGreevey condemns an action of the state that he leads as "bureaucratic nonsense," you know you are talking about something special.

New Jersey is a state in which "bureaucratic nonsense" is so typical, it barely generates more than a shrug from any resident, let alone the one in Drumthwacket.

What political lightning rod could have prompted this reaction from the state’s top elected official? The decision by the state Division of Civil Rights in the Attorney General’s Office to deem ladies’ nights, which many bars use to boost business, discriminatory.

From Woodbridge to Wildwood, the announcement definitely elicited a lot more than a shrug. The reaction was not limited only to women in search of cheap drinks (and the men in search of those women), but prompted many non-barflies to ask, "Why?"

In all honesty, there’s no getting around the logic of the Division of Civil Rights’ decision — it’s obvious that giving a discount based on gender is discrimination — but, as with other preference programs, there is also a sound argument for extending the discount.

It is well documented that women — on average — are paid less than men for comparable work.

Couldn’t the bars and restaurants offering the ladies’ night discounts say they are just trying to level the playing field?

Of course they really don’t need to make any such argument because almost as quickly as the state made the decision, the embarrassment it has caused has state officials backing away from it.

Rather than waste time and money getting into and out of hot water over what is essentially a non-issue, maybe the civil rights division could spend a little more time trying to correct the real, egregious violations of the basic rights of New Jersey citizens.

If we had to hazard a guess, we’d bet there is no shortage of those.