Voter Input Needed On Spending

Assemblyman Michael Doherty of Warren County plans to introduce legislation to require all borrowing in the state to be approved by the voter. The usual suspects for closed government in secret immediately jump to the forefront:

Some state officials, however, believe the "one-size-fits-all" approach would not work.

"It can't always be a popularity vote when you want to do something," said Democratic Sen. Stephen Sweeney, also freeholder director in Gloucester County. "What if you have to bond for your roads and bridges?"

In Gloucester County, for example, Sweeney has proposed a highway system to bypass Route 322 in Harrison Township which would require about $10 million in county bonding for the $22 million venture and an estimated $90 million courthouse project.

"Doing a courthouse is the last thing I wanted to do, but governmentally I needed to do it," Sweeney said. "These are things that have to get done."

Sweeney is typical of our elected politicians. For example, we recently had a major road project near my home. They spent millions of dollars to add a jug handle. Where we never had accidents or traffic backups before, we have them daily now. That is the kind of good government that Mr Sweeney wants. I plan to blog in detail on the road project soon but how much do you want to bet that this project was paid for with Federal transportation "use em or lose em" funds. And there is not one person within 30 miles of here who would have voted for this traffic boondoggle. Lack of popularity usually has a basis in fact.

Maybe if New Jersey politicians were truly accountable to the voter instead of their established party patronage culture, we wouldn't have the highest taxes in the country.

Read the article from the NJ.com here.

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