Cody picks the right man for the job

Acting Governor Richard Codey has picked harold Shapiroto oversee ethical issues into stem cell research in the Garden State. He could not have picked a better person. Harold Shapiro, former President of Princeton, former Chair of President Clinton's National Bioethics Advisory Commission, and all-around mensch (i.e., upstanding, good-hearted person) will oversee New Jersey's stem cell effort with the gravitas and broad mindedness it deserves. Codey pledged $380 million to try and make new Jersey a major player in stem cell research in the United States. Though it is a drop in the bucket compared to California's $3 billion stem cell initiative, if invested wisely and targeting the right start-ups, New Jersey can certainly capture one of the many potential niches for stem cell therapeutics. And with Harold Shapiro running the ethics effort, we can be sure that whichever direction New Jersey goes in, it will go there with proper oversight. maybe New Jerseyans ought to think about giving Acting Governor Codey that job on a more long-term basis?