New Jersey Democrats' Weaselly Budget Comments

Here are my reactions to the Assembly Democrats' commentary regarding Governor Christie's budget. When I've commented inline, my comments are in italics.

Assembly Budget Chairman Lou Greenwald (D-Camden):

“I thank the acting treasurer for testifying and answering our questions. I had hoped that this would be the start of a renewed bipartisan effort to find alternatives to Gov. Christie’s budget cuts. The governor’s cuts hike property taxes, threaten health care for the middle-class and poor and forsake opportunities for federal funding.

Assemblyman Greenwald, in this statement you have merely (a) pretended that you don't support high taxes, (b) talked about not cutting funding, and (c) made the non-controversial claim that we should try for more federal money where possible. (By the way, "Federal" money is no panacea. It's still paid for by some taxpayer somewhere). Unless you show how you intend to actually make cuts, you're completely unserious about any "alternatives" to Gov. Christie's actual budget cuts.

“We will continue our efforts to slash spending, but we must do it in a sensible way that doesn’t leave us with an even higher property tax burden, more unemployment and a devastated cancer research industry, among other impacts.

Assemblyman Greenwald, in order to continue efforts to slash spending, you first have to actually try to slash spending. And if you want to promote employment and any type of industry, why not try cutting the tax burden on businesses?

“We need to be making educated decisions and taking advantage of all opportunities to obtain federal aid that is rightfully ours and will help reduce the impact on our property taxpayers.

Duh. But what cuts do you recommend?

“Gov. Christie is not doing that here, but the impact on people’s lives is worthy of a greater debate.”

By making us dependent on the New Jersey Nanny State, you and your fellow Democrats have already had a bad impact on people's lives. When someone comes along, after years of devastating Democratic spending, and offers concrete ideas to eliminate a $2 billion budget gap, the "greater debate" that you call for is really just disingenuous partisan obstructionism.

Assembly Budget Vice Chairman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic/Bergen/Essex);

“It is my hope that we can take a step forward and find ways to work cooperatively toward slashing spending but in a way that doesn't devastate our middle class, commuters, college students, seniors and our most vulnerable New Jerseyans. Everyone needs to be involved in serious bipartisan discussions if we're going to right our state's financial ship in the most judicious way possible."

Where was the bipartisanship when Assemblyman Polistina was trying to get you to stop runaway spending two years ago? You just rode over the top of him, spending, spending, spending. And now look -- our middle class, commuters, college students, seniors, and most vulnerable New Jerseyans are devastated because we can't pay our bills. Don't lay this at the feet of Governor Christie. This is your mess.

Assembly Appropriations Chairwoman Nellie Pou (D-Passaic/Bergen):

“These hearings have been invaluable in giving the public the open debate and discussion Gov. Christie’s plan initially lacked. Residents have had the chance to hear the impact Gov. Christie’s cuts will have on their lives, and they now expect us to move forward together to find alternatives that won’t hurt education and health care and boost property taxes.”

Governor Christie laid out his planned cuts in the open. What you mean is that these hearings have given you a propaganda platform to lay out anecdotes about people who are being hurt by cuts, in the hopes that these anecdotes will paper over the destructive Democratic policies of the last three administrations.

You're talking like a pro-heroin advocate who, showing a man suffering the symptoms of withdrawal, claims that we need an alternative to going off of heroin.

And again -- if you want to find "alternatives", name them. Actual cuts, please.

Assemblywoman Joan Quigley (D-Hudson):

“Gov. Christie’s plan to withhold adult education payments is just one of many examples of a short-sighted move. Ensuring quality adult education is available to those who need it not only boosts self-confidence and improves lives, but helps keep our economy in step with ever-expanding global competition. This is among the areas I hope to now see get a second-look.”

You know what else improves self-confidence? Having a job. You know how to get a job? Help businesses provide them by reducing taxes.

You know what else keeps our economy in step with ever-expanding global competition? Having more jobs available. You know how to make more jobs available? Help businesses provide them by reducing taxes.

Do you sense a trend?

Assemblyman Gordon Johnson (D-Bergen):

“Gov. Christie’s cuts send the wrong signal to middle-class New Jerseyans, but at least now we can hopefully work together to find alternatives, with the Legislature’s input valued. Cutting the budget to increase property taxes is certainly not the way to go.”

What, then, was the right signal? Was it the right signal to continually live beyond our means? Was it the right signal to continually increase services on the backs of taxpayers? Was it the right signal to put special-interest groups -- I'm thinking here of labor, in the form of Jon Corzine's fornication-toy Carla Katz, for instance -- ahead of the ordinary, non-unionized middle-class New Jerseyan?

Assemblyman John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester/Cumberland/Salem):

“Now that we’ve heard from the acting treasurer, I’m hopeful that we can work together to solve this budget shortfall in a way that doesn’t disproportionately hit the middle-class and people less fortunate with higher property taxes and more job losses.”

I'm hopeful, too. Name a way to cut two billion dollars from the budget without doing that. Christie has. Now it's your turn. Real cuts, please.

Assemblyman Albert Coutinho (D-Essex):

“We have to work together – Democrats and Republicans, the Legislature and the governor – to protect the middle-class and poor the best we can so we create as little pain as possible. I hope we will especially rethink any illogical plan to leave federal dollars on the table when hospitals in particular are struggling and NJ FamilyCare is also in line for cuts. Gov. Christie’s cuts will have unintended consequences that hurt the state of New Jersey.”

The pain has already been caused; the addiction is fully in place. Withdrawal symptoms will happen. These were caused by Democratic control of this state. You have put us here.

You may not have intended these consequences, but they are the ones you have inflicted on us. How, then, can you snivel about unintended consequences of someone who is at least trying to wean us off of our addiction?

Assemblyman Peter J. Barnes III (D-Middlesex):

“Government must be leaner and more efficient and we must reduce costs, but Gov. Christie’s cuts would hurt middle-class families and jeopardize the education of our children. Now maybe we can cooperatively find alternatives that do otherwise.”

Interesting that in all of these statements I can't find a single way to "find alternatives." Not one.

These Democrats are simpering whining weasels. Their own words convict them. I despise them.

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Does Corzine Really Not See The Irony?

Here's the headline from BusinessWeek:

Corzine Condemns ‘Too Damn High’ New Jersey Taxes as He Exits

...and here's the lede:

New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, making his valedictory speech to lawmakers, said the most critical issue facing them and his successor boils down to this: “Everyone’s property taxes are too damn high.”

Super. Too bad he's about four years too late. He says other good things, too, that he should have been talking about for years. But keep going:

Corzine, 63, a Democrat with a Democrat-controlled Legislature, said his single term succeeded in adding children to the ranks of state-run health care programs and expanding access to preschool even as the U.S. suffered the worst recession since World War II.

Huh? In the same speech, he's going to say that our taxes are too high and that he's proud of the way he increased our fiscal obligations during a recession?

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NJ citizens to Christie: Cut don't tax!

An amazing poll was reported on today on Philly.com (from the AP):

Most New Jersey voters surveyed say Gov.-elect Chris Christie should wield an ax and not a tax to help budget the state's budget.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday shows 75 percent of voters surveyed support a wage freeze for public employees. Even Democrats and union households back that strategy.

Sixty-one percent also support layoffs compared to 33 percent.

Sixty-eight percent say Christie should cut programs and services and 23 percent support higher taxes.

For a long time, we have listened to politicians like Jon Corzine and leading state Democrats telling us that NJ citizens will not stand for significant programs cuts. I think that this poll leaves those kinds of opinions open to serious re-interpretation. It appears that the people have finally realized that the government balance sheet has two sides, revenue (taxes) and costs (spending). We've certainly tried the tax side. About time the state paid attenntion to the spending side.

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Corzine and Obama Billboard - Keep what going?

As I am driving to Trenton today to catch and Amtrak to DC, I notice a billboard with Barack Obama in the foreground and Jon Corzine in the background. In large bold letters the billboard reads "Keep it going". That made me start to think...what is Jon Corzine trying to tell me? To understand the billboard, you must understand how Corzine or Obama define IT.

Let's take a shot from Obama's perspective:

Keep IT Going!

- does he mean New Jersey politicians voting in lockstep with you regardless of the impact on the state?
- could he mean that he wants more Acorn volunteers working in Trenton, Newark and Camden hustling "voters"?
- maybe he means NJ should keep adding more and more citizens to the roles of public assistance as jobs are driven from the state
- how about, keep the unions in charge of the state

Or from Corzine's perspective:

Keep IT Going!

- keep New Jersey as the state with the worst business climate
- keep New Jersey as the state with the highest in the nation property taxes
- Democrats in New Jersey could keep filling up the federal corruption dockets and going to jail
- Citizens in New Jersey can keep electing politicians who do not listen to their concerns and see them as a unending piggy bank for special interests
- Jon Corzine could keep paying off cronies when investigators dig into his ethics violations
- keep leading the charge to drive productive business out of the state
- pushing more and more of our citizens to states with a more family friendly tax policy
- laughing with his Democrat buddies knowing that no matter how many Democrats are arrested and jailed for corruption, they will be more to take their place!

I guess I get it after all.

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Point Pleasant Tax Revolt

I recently received a heads up from the folks at George Mason regarding this blog post by Eileen Norcross. The problem and the story are pretty clear:

Residents in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey have resorted to a seldom-used method to protest their mayor’s proposal to raise taxes: they want him recalled from office. The recall petition containing 1,250 signatures was approved this week, giving Mayor Vincent Barella until July 22 to mount a challenge to the motion being placed on the ballot in November.

The movement to recall Mayor Barella began in the fall, after he asked the state government permission to levy local special options taxes on beach badges, paid parking lots, and alcohol — and more controversially, proposed parking fees on all neighborhood streets — to meet the $11.5 $1.5 million gap in the borough’s budget.

I caught wind of this story when I was travelling the other day. The article is a pretty good description of what can happen when a state and municipality maintain a dysfunctional financial relationship. It is well worth the read.

More interesting inherent in the discussion is the problem between cutting spending and raising taxes. No one wants to pay more taxes. That is why Barack Obama has been so effective at neutralizing this issue by saying that the "RICH GUY" will pay the bill. But folks are finding out that even when the rich guy pays the bill, he often just passes it along to you. For example, if the pizza parlor owner on the boardwalk is asked to pay more on his taxes, he and every other pizza parlor owner is going to raise the price of pizza a dollar or two. You can feel good that you "Socked it to the rich guy" but all he did was stick it right back at you. So whether the government collects it, or business passes it on, or the rich guy moves away, someone has to pay the bill.

In addition, Point Pleasant's situation is also comical on the spending side. When the proposal to cut back on the number of the city's police, residents balk. Well, again, you can't have it both ways. Cuts mean cuts. So you either cut the force or find another way to pay for it. Norcross made an excellent point here:

An excellent solution comes from Stanley Fischer, one of the petition’s authors. The beaches and boardwalks belong to the bars, amusement parks and pavilions. To deal with the summer partygoer crowd, let the boardwalk businesses hire additional police. Good idea, and it can be taken further. Point Pleasant need only look to neighboring Seaside Heights’ Business Improvement District. There are already about 80 Special Improvement Districts in the state.

Maybe Point Pleasant is a good example of individual citizens coming together and trying to come up with some good ideas to solve real (not imagined) problems. It's a shame the congress cannot seem to do the same.

We will follow this story as it develops. Hat tip to the Public Affairs team at George Mason!

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New NJ Budget Tax Increases

As predicted here, Corzine's budget that passed this week including a partial restoration of the property tax rebate program due to increase tax amnesty collections of 500 million dollars. Rebates have continued for Seniors and are restored for those making up to 75,000 dollars per year(at a 2/3 rate). It does eliminate the rebate for renters which I never understood anyway.

From the Burlington County Times:

The recession-year budget raises $1.3 billion in new taxes on liquor, cigarettes and the wealthy. It extends a 4 percent surcharge on the corporate business tax that was to expire, and realizes $500 million by suspending rebates to renters and higher income homeowners. Republicans say all that amounts to $2.8 billion in tax increases.

The article goes on to note the increased tax on residents earning over 500,000 dollars per year. In addition, to those making over 250,000 per year, next year you cannot deduct your property taxes. For those under 250,000 per year, your property tax deduction is now capped at 5,000. Check out your tax bill, I bet many of you out there are about to get a tax increase and you don't even know it.

What is missing from this budget is cuts. Real cuts. And that is why Corzine is still doesn't get it. The only people who will get it from this budget is the citizens of New Jersey. And they are going to get it in ways they never imagined.

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Belmar Tea Party Pics!

I have to admit that the Belmar event so far has been one of my favorites
around the country. Why? I used to live at the shore and I know very well what happens when weather conditions like yesterday occur. They had 200-300 people in absolute nor-easter weather. Now that is impressive!


From citizen reporter Eileen:

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Trenton Tea Party Pics!

From citizen reporter Nicole:

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Tea Pictures Wanted!

Based on the emails we have been getting, a lot of you will be attending the tea parties around the state. I have a flight tomorrow afternoon but am going to try to get to the early part of the Trenton event to shoot pictures. If any of you bring your cameras to your local tea party and would like us to post them here at NJTaxRevolution.com, we would love to provide a forum to display them.

Send your photos to: njtaxrevolution@gmail.com

If you want to be a citizen reporter, we will include any commentary you would like to add so even if you don't have photos, let us know what you have seen and we will share it.

Also let us know if you would like attribution - First name and town is all we will share on the blog unless you wish to share more.

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The Real Meaning of the Tea Party Movement

Certain events cause you to think about what is going on in the world today and where you came from. Well over a year ago, Jake and I created this blog as a response to the New Jersey Governor and legislature's implementation of their massive sales tax increase. Early commenters treated us with a "grow up" kind of disdain. I am sure that their reasoning said that New Jersey citizens have always been apathetic to taxes and this would never change. We always believed that if people only knew the facts, they would respond and rise up against a culture of corrupt government that only serves itself and the politically connected. And never serves the taxpayer.

Fast forward almost two years. On April 15, we are likely to see a demonstration that none of us has ever experienced. You see, the tax tea party movement is not a pack of liberal professional protestors. It also is not a bunch of hippies looking to revisit the glory days of the 60's. The movement is made up of regular people who have not responded as expected to the anti-wealth rhetoric of the current administration and their liberal colleagues in the states.

I have been getting a steady stream of emails since our first posting of the tea party locations. While the comments section shows a lot of anonymous posters, these folks send us mails looking for help, offerring to volunteer and are generally disgusted by our state and the state of the federal government.

The media is trying to paint the tea party movement as a bunch of conservative kooks. It is clear to me that there is nothing kooky about what is going on. This movement is made up of honest, hard working, normal people who don't appreaciate the "changes" that we are supposed to believe in.

I think that the issue is that Americans at heart aspire to do better than their parents and even themselves. We are always striving to work hard and make sacrifices for our families. We don't resent the guy or lady in the fancy car that drives by, we strive to be that person. And we do not appreciate a president or governor that assumes that we want someone to take care of us. Thanks Barack and John, we will take care of ourselves thank you.

We all knew who brought us to this point and many of the same people who caused the current crisis are bathing in earmarks right now as a byproduct of the president's policies. Sure, Bush played a part. However, he has left the stage. What about those who would blame Bush but carry far more of the blame than he ever did? They are still on the stage, profiting from the crisis. Dodd. Frank. Schumer. Why don't they leave the stage?

And in the end, who is left holding the bag? Us. Hence the tea party movement.

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Latest Tea Party List

From Taxdayteaparty.com:

City: Belmar
When: April 15, Noon - 3:00pm
Where: 16th Avenue boardwalk

————-

City: Flemington
When: April 15, Noon - 2:00pm
Where: The northwest corner of Main Street and Court Street
Contact: flemingtonteaparty@gmail.com
Other Info: http://flemingtonteaparty.blogspot.com/
————-

City: Hackensack
When: April 15, 4:00 pm - 6:00pm
Where: Bergen County Court House, Hackensack, NJ (Court Street Side)
Contact: rratwt@optonline.net
————-

City: Jersey City
When: April 15:Cancelled
Contact: adcjul@aol.com
————-

City: Morristown
When: April 15, Noon
Where: On The Green at the center of Morristown
Contact: jeffreymw@gmail.com
Other Info: http://morristownteaparty.blogivists.com/planning-meetings/
————-

City: Newark
When: April 15, 12:00 pm
Where: Gateway Center One - 782 McCarter Highway, Newark Offices of Senator Lautenberg and Menendez conveniently located in the same building.
Other Info:Parking: 66 Edison Place, Newark
————-

City: Piscataway
When: April 15, 5:00pm
Where: Johnson Park (River Road, Piscataway Township)
Other Info:http://www.americansforprosperity.org/032409-new-jersey-tax-day-tea-party
————-

City: Trenton
When: April 15, 11:30am - 4:00pm
Where: New Jersey State House, 125 W State St
Email: bkkteaparty@gmail.com
————-

City: Vineland
When: April 15th, 1-4PM
Where: 722 E Landis Avenue, Vineland, NJ 08360
E-mail: t@thomassnow.com
Phone: 973-406-4688
Web Site: http://tomsnow.serveblog.net

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Morristown Tea Party Update 3

Two updates to the Morristown event. First is that they have a new web site for the event. You can find it at the following link:

www.MorristownTeaParty.org

They have also put out a new invite that you can send to all of your friends. The next invite reads as follows:

Are you tired of all the talk about raising your taxes by the Obama Administration and the Corzine Administration? Are you fed up with all of the corruption in government at all levels? So are we! Our group - Morristown Tea Party - will be holding a Tax Day Tea Party on April 15, 2009 at Noon on The Green in Morristown, NJ, right in the heart of the city. We will be rallying against the Obama Administration' s Porkulu$ $pending and for a return to America's core values of less spending, smaller government and self determination. We are part of a national movement which will be holding these protests on April 15.

Why did we choose The Green for this activity? Of particular importance in the history of the Green is its role in various aspects of the American Revolutionary War period, linking local history to the history of the United States as a whole. General George Washington was headquartered at the Green in Arnold's Tavern during his first encampment in Morristown (January - May, 1777), and was in town again during the winter of 1779-80. As a result, the Green was frequently the center for military and political activities related to the period, and was visited by many of the national military leaders.

We hope to see you there on April 15, 2009 at 12:00 Noon rallying for honesty, responsibility, accountability and transparency in government.

Please get in touch with myself, or our Group's point person,
Jeffrey M. Weingarten, at: 973-272-3341 or JeffreyMW@gmail.com
..
Thank you and best regards,

Remember Boston - 1773!

Peter Glenn, Media Liaison
MorristownTeaParty
(TeaPartyMorristown@yahoo.com)

Be seen on the GREEN on April 15!
(Morristown, NJ)

If you are in the area, this promises to be an excellent event. Be there or quit complaining about how bad New Jersey and the federal government are beign run.

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NJ vs NY Tax War - A battle worth losing

American's for Tax Reform had an article tuesday discussing the battle going on between NJ legislators and NY legislators. Since there is only one thing both of those esteemed groups of politicians take seriously, you can guess what the article is all about:

New York and New Jersey are locked in an epic battle. The fight: which state can raise the tax burden the highest until virtually every resident and business just leaves.

The article proceeds immediately into a depressing mode:

In mid-march, we reported on New Jersey's attempt to turn the Garden State into a depopulated ghost town by raising $1 billion in taxes on individuals, businesses, homeowners, and consumers. As a result of having raised more taxes than any other state since 2002 (a combined $22 billion), the Garden State has seen hundreds of thousands of residents flee for low tax states like Pennsylvania and Florida.

It is so sad that we in New Jersey are routinely listed in case studies as one of 4 states that you really do not want to emulate-in any category. But there was at least some good news.

In a resounding victory for fiscal imprudence, the budget will give the Empire State the worst-ranked business tax climate in the nation - stealing the number one spot away from rival New Jersey.

Read the entire article here.

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Morristown Tea Party Update!

You have all been screaming for us to update the info on Morristown. Well, you asked and the folks who are organizing the event have responded. Please follow this link to find out the details of the event.

This is going to be a very cool event at Morristown Green. They will also have Steve Lonnegan as a speaker. Sounds like a winner to me.

April 15, 2009
High Noon - On the Green
Latest:

Permission to use the Morristown Green has been granted (pending application approval)
Organizing Meeting Appointments:

Event Director: Jeff Weingarten
Secretary: Janet Cornish
Public Official Liaison: Jeff Weingarten
Media Liaison: Peter Glenn
Steve Lonegan has accepted our invitation to speak
We have an alternate venue
Next Meeting: Thursday, March 26 (Morris County Library) 7pm

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Announcement - Another Tea Party - AFP Piscataway

Our loyal readers have been asking for more tea party info. Here is another event guaranteed to be solid turnout. From American's For Prosperity:


AFP-NJ Announces Taxpayer Tea Party to Protest Gov. Corzines’s Tax Hikes, April 15

New Jersey citizens urge Corzine to reduce spending, reject stimulus money



Join AFP-NJ along with grassroots activists across the country on April 15th at 5PM for a Taxpayer Tea Party to protest Governor Corzine’s proposed tax hikes.
NJ has the worst tax climate in the nation, and yet Governor Corzine continues to rely on tax revenues to support the state’s overgrown budget. This tradition has left us poorly positioned to deal with the economic recession.
Even with the so-called stimulus funds that are coming to New Jersey-- totaling $2 billion-- Governor Corzine has introduced a FY 2010 state budget with a $7 billion deficit, and massive tax hikes to go along with it.
Governor Corzine continues to increase taxes—it is the same mistake over and over again. Taxpayers have carried the burden of these mistakes long enough-- It’s critical to fight back against this proposed budget and its tax hikes!
Urge Governor Corzine and state legislators to take the first step in mending this $7 billion deficit by cutting the size of the state budget and planning for New Jersey’s financial future.

What: Taxpayer Tea Party
Who: Americans for Prosperity
When: Wednesday, April 15, 5:00pm
Where: Johnson Park ( River Road, Piscataway Township)

For more information or to register, click here or call 201-487-8844.

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Where does the government get its money?

I cannot even believe I am writing this post but recently, polls and even some local man on the street coverage has made me rethink whether or not this is a valid post. The main driver that took me over the edge was a radio station in New York Friday had a "man on the street segment". They were asking about where the government gets the money.

One respondent said, "I know the government gets money from taxes. But they also should spend some of their own money". I found this answer unbelievable. So I thought that it would be worthwhile to review where the government gets it money.

Rules for Government Funds:

1. The government can tax citizens for funds
2. The government can tax business for funds
3. The government can borrow...against funds they tax on citizens and business
4. The government has no other source of funds EXCEPT to just print money-which as a policy must be backed by.....taxpayers.

So you see, the government has no money "OF ITS OWN". It only has your money. And if you think it is any different, you are either naive or ignorant. Either one is unacceptable in today's economic situation.

If this post has made you angry and you want to know why, please send me a private note. There is nothing here that should upset anyone and if you are upset, you need some asisstance understanding of the economics and we are perfectly happy to accomodate you.

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Corzine's (and the Democrat's) Budget Problem

Jon Corzine just submitted his version of a budget this week with apparent lukewarm support only from his Democrat cronies in the legislature. This budget is likely to dramatically decrease Corzine's approval in the state due to the dire situation of the state's finances. Corzine in his budget address on March 10 claimed that he is a champion of cutting the budget:

To that purpose, the budget I am proposing for FY 2010 totals $29.8 billion - that's $1 billion less than the first budget I presented in 2006. Stop and think about it, since 1947, every governor before me has grown spending over their four years.

With this proposal, we will have reduced spending two years in a row and will literally spend less than in the first budget I presented in 2006. This isn't a matter of debate or nuance. It's a fact.

Let's examine this statement. He compared his drop in spending to the budget he submitted in 2006. For those of you who believe that facts should trump malarkey (I used that word in preparation for St Patrick's Day), here is the budget statement for the budget he submitted in 2006:

Governor Jon S. Corzine’s proposed Fiscal 2007
Budget seeks to restore fiscal integrity to the State
of New Jersey. This $30.9 billion Budget is an
important first step in a multi-year process to
reestablish prudent fiscal management. A
fundamental principle reflected throughout this
Budget is that we, as a State, must pay the bills for
the current operations of State government. We
cannot continue to defer the costs of our decisions
to future generations, or even until next year. This
simple practice of matching current expenditures
with current revenues has been missing from State
budgets for too long.

So, truth check one is on track. But what about the budget that acting Governor Codey submitted in 2006? Shouldn't that have some relevance on "Governor Spending Cut"? This is from the Budget brief for 2006:

Acting Governor Codey’s $27.4 billion proposed Fiscal
2006 Budget is an honest and responsible budget that
has State government living within its means and meets
the challenge of reining in government spending while
at the same time not recommending any increase in the
sales tax or income tax rates. Despite nearly a billion
dollars in increases for mandatory entitlements, the
proposed budget is $614 million, or 2.2%, below the
$28 billion budget enacted in fiscal 2005. In contrast,
the Fiscal 2005 Budget actually increased spending by
17% from the year before. In fact, the reduction
proposed for fiscal 2006 is the largest spending cut in
State history, both on a percentage basis and in its
amount.

So the real facts are that Governor Corzine is proposing spending 2.4 Billion dollars more than the budget that Codey submitted before he became Governor. And those were much better times than today. So Corzine while claiming the mantle of a spendthrift, is lying through his teeth. He raised spending 3 billion dollars his first year in office and now pats himself on the back for not getting anywhere near what Codey did as temporary Governor the year before he took office. I cannot consider this rhetoric or nuance, Mr Governor. You are dishonest.

Another dishonest portrayal is the claims about how the prior Republican Governor ran the state into the ground. Here is Christie Todd Whitman's final budget brief:

The total budget recommended by the Governor for
fiscal 2001 is $21.253 billion, an increase of $1.278
billion, or 6.4%, over the current year. Over the
seven budgets of the Whitman Administration, the
annual growth in appropriations has averaged 4.5%.
This compares to 6.3% in the prior administration.

Let's summarize what we have gotten from Corzine and McGreevey and their Democratic counterparts. Budgets that have grown from 21.2 billion dollars to 30 billion dollars. That represents growing the budget of this state 150% in the 8 years they have been in office. Our taxes are out of control and the only thing that has grown in the state are corruption arrests for New Jersey politicians (mostly Democrats) and the state workforce.

This Governor and legislature could have made an effort to get spending under control. They could have created a rainy day fund in good times to protect the state from economic downturn. They could have exhibited at least a semblance of fiscal self control. But they haven't. And we continue to pay for it.

And now, as the Governor tries to claim that flat lining spending increases will balance a budget devastated by the personal misfortune of many Wall Street "Rich People" that Corzine likes to point to when he is ginning up his class warfare act, he is being dishonest once again. And guess who is going to pay the price?

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Corzine Tax Increase on All of NJ

The Governor announced his budget plan yesterday. He made a point to be Obama'esque by citing the global economic condition rather than his own mismanagement for the poor state of NJ's economy. As a matter of fact, he tried to balance the "i inherited the problem (from his Democrat counterpart?) with the economic situation. He proudly spewed Obama by announcing tax increases on those making more than $500,000 per year as if everyone didn't expect there was more to his populist pap.

Well there was. He quietly announced a proposal to not only eliminate the rebate program for everyone but seniors thereby increasing taxes on most of the homeowners int he state, he also announced the elimination of the deduction for mortgage interest in income taxes. I caught this last night and alerted Jake but I didnt get a change to do the research before the folks at NJ.com did commenting on the budget.

That could translate into a double whammy for non-senior homeowners earning between $75,000 and $150,000. Not only would they lose their rebate, they would also miss out on hundreds of dollars in savings from the deduction.

A homeowner earning $95,000, for example, would not only lose a $1,000-plus rebate. Scrapping the property tax deduction would take away another $350 or so, according to state figures.

But that isnt all:

According to income tax data from 2006, the most recent available, there were 469,300 tax returns in the $80,000- to $150,000-income bracket. Those taxpayers had an average savings of $356 from the deduction. The average savings was $175 for the 258,500 tax returns in the $50,000 to $70,000 range.

The proposed budget would offer rebates averaging $900 for non-seniors earning less than $50,000 annually, and checks averaging $700 for non-seniors making between $50,000 and $75,000.

Last year, Corzine's budget included rebates averaging $665 for households earning $100,000 to $150,000. Households earning up to $100,000 received checks averaging $1,115.

So guess what all of you New Jersey resident who voted for hope and change and a new way of doing things? You voted for a middle class tax cut that apparently amounts to $13.00 per month for most people. Review this post and you will realize that thanks to your Obama loving Governor, you are already in the hole by quite a large margin. You thought it was the OTHER GUY who was going to be taxed.

You were wrong.

Read the entire article here.

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Corzine: "We're going to fight to hold our education funding"

Thank you, Jon Corzine! Even when times are tough, we should avoid reducing our expenditures on education.

Except he's playing the typical bureaucratic trick: the fight to hold our education funding is actually a fight to expand it by a third of a billion dollars.

Budget troubles endanger $350M preschool plan
Delaying expansion of programs would be last resort, Corzine says
Thursday, October 30, 2008
BY DUNSTAN McNICHOL
Star-Ledger Staff

Mounting state budget troubles may force New Jersey to delay plans for a $350 million expansion of public preschool programs, but such a move would be a last resort, Gov. Jon Corzine told a convention of school board members yesterday.

"We're going to fight to hold our education funding," Corzine told about 500 delegates at the New Jersey School Boards Association's annual workshop in Atlantic City. "That doesn't mean there won't be any cuts. That doesn't mean there won't be any freezes. But it means it will be the last thing on the table."

This is just another example of the Nanny State -- literally, in this case -- expanding even in the face of catastrophic fiscal burdens in the state.

"But wait," you say, "I thought we had to fund pre-K programs for needy students."

You're right, we do, because of Abbot v. Burke. But this gluttonous expansion isn't part of that ruling:

Part of the new school funding formula enacted last year, Corzine's plan would be the state's biggest expansion of preschool for low-income students since the state Supreme Court's Abbott vs. Burke rulings, which ordered universal pre-kindergarten in 31 of the poorest districts.

The plan would take the court rulings a step further and order similar preschool for all low-income students, wherever they live. Depending on the numbers, districts would be required to establish the preschool themselves or contract with outside centers to provide the service for eligible students. The state would pay the tab and estimated 17,000 more students would be served as the program is phased in over six years at an eventual cost of $350 million. [Emphasis added.]

So this isn't court-mandated, it's a Corzine pet project.

Jon Corzine wants to add $350,000,000 in spending. Not expanding the budget will be the last thing on the table.

My jaw drops. It makes me wonder what it's like to be inside Corzine's head.

Well, let me try. He thinks that higher tolls will solve budgetary problems, right? So maybe I should think of it this way: It currently costs $6.45 to go from exit 18W to exit 1 on the Turnpike, so we're talking about 54,263,566 trips down the whole length of the Turnpike. Since we're already using all of the current money from the Turnpike, we'd have to increase the number of trips on the Turnpike by that much.

Somehow I don't feel better.

But I'm still not thinking enough like Corzine. After all, he wants to octuple our tolls. If he did that, each trip would cost $51.60, which would only be 6,782,946 trips.

Now that's a much smaller number. What a relief! And since he'd be forcing most people off of the Turnpike and Parkway, we'd see a massive improvement in our statewide carbon footprint, too! See? Win/win!

I'm trying, people, but I still don't see how he forces himself to ignore the fact that increasing the price of using the Turnpike will reduce peoples' willingness to use it. How does he ignore basic laws of supply and demand?

His mind must be the opposite of his budget: flexible, focused, and disciplined.

My own school superintendent gets mentioned in the piece, too:

Jerry Tarnoff, superintendent of West Orange schools, said he was encouraged that Corzine suggested the preschool funding would only be cut as a last resort. "I am pleased he would like to commit to full funding," said Tarnoff. "Anything less, if the program were to go forward, would make it extremely difficult for the local taxpayers."

Now, Jerry's a smooth politician, and I don't think he would say anything that would irritate Corzine unnecessarily. But look at what he's saying: if the program were to go forward, and the state didn't pay for it, it would be a serious burden for local taxpayers.

So there's the threat of an unfunded mandate to the towns that would increase taxes substantially, whether the towns like it or not.

And I have another question: if it would be a serious burden for local taxpayers to pay for this, who would be burdened if the state funded it?

Those rich guys in Mendham, I guess. To hell with them, though. If they can afford to live near Whitney Houston's birthplace, they should pay for the pre-K programs in West Orange and Edison and Camden. And I hear Neil Cavuto lives there! For Pete's sake, if a Fox News anchor lives in New Jersey, he should pay twice what the ordinary citizen does!

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Soak the Rich, Take the Risk

This article shows another reason that we shouldn't soak the rich:

The first person to testify, Rutgers economist James Hughes, confirmed the grim possibilities facing the Garden State. "A sharp economic rebound is not in the cards," Hughes said. "We still have a lot of pain to go through."

Forty percent of New Jersey's income tax is paid by the wealthiest 1 percent of residents, Hughes said, and under the "worst-case scenario" the state could see its income-tax collection drop by 13 percent or so in the wake of Wall Street cutbacks.

So the rich people who live in New Jersey and work on Wall Street are paying for the nanny state. The people become dependent on the nanny state. But when there's an economic shock concentrated on Wall Street (not an unheard of event, right, guys?) the rich people lose their money, stop paying taxes, and make it impossible for the nanny state to support the people who became dependent on it during good times.

"Progressive" overtaxation of the rich sucks for everyone.

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