Give this a read: http://stopspendingmymoney.com/release.asp

That?s just one example of where cuts in spending can come from. Now how about public works contracts, how about all the grant funding of private enterprise, public school costs, and the list goes on adnausium.

Now add to this whole debacle our bonded debt of over 30 billion, that?s right BILLION dollars and it begs the question; ?What the hell are you folks thinking about down there in Trenton??

Can any of us run our households this way? Until we stand up and absolutely say ?NO MORE? this insanity will continue. It has become so bad that there are families losing homes, homes that for generations have provided shelter to them, because they can no longer afford the property taxes. This is wrong period. There can be no justification of this happening.

We need to cut spending and that?s all there is to it. In the days of free flowing money if we wish to be extravagant then so be it but these are not those times, nor have they been for quite some time, and if we don?t start holding our elected representatives to task, really it?s just a matter of simply doing the job we elected and are paying them handsomely to do, then we will not see an end to this fiscal insanity and yes thievery. And to think one of the impetus? for the founding our fair nation was excessive burdensome taxation. We really haven?t learned much over the years have we?

Peace,
Ed

He'd get a lot more support if he cut spending rather than increasing taxes. He points out waste but only enables it. Like other local plutocrat/politicians (eg. Bloomberg) he is happy to make it harder for everyone else if it preserves his own celebrity.

Quote:

Fair nuff Eddie. The details weren't well distributed. Shocking.

Part of the problem is that the term "property tax reform" begs the question, which is actually "county & municipal spending reform".

For all the bitching at Corzine there was no "plan B" that I heard, other than do nothing.

I agree with you Corzine deserves credit for tackling thorny issues that our previous governors have left for him.

However, his methods leave a lot to be desired. The sales tax increase will push more business out of the state (NJ currently lacks close to the bottom in business friendliness). This costs the state not only sales tax revenue, but also revenue on corporate profit, and income tax revenue from workers of those companies.

Secondly, he actually isn't shifting the burden from property owners, at least not permanently. The revenue from the sales tax is earmarked for "property tax relief", not reform. This means that property owners will received rebates on their taxes over the next two years, not a permanent lowering of their tax rate. Since they aren't chaging the tax law for property owners, our wonderful legislature can drop the relief at any time when they need a quick revenue injection, without changing the law and actually voting on the issue.

Looks like just another bunch of half-measures from NJ politicians to me.

If you're right and the machine turns on him, it could, ironically, end like his tenure at GS -- he was forced out as chairman because he went againt his board by pushing for the IPO, even as everyone involved made a buttload of money. You have to admire someone who puts up with all the bull$h!t in politics when he could kick back, relax and count his millions.

I agree about the regressive nature of the sales tax. Increasing taxes on the ultra-rich would have been a no-brainer, but I don't think he's done. Seems like he wanted to win the tough fight first.

I love him for taking on the same problems that Florio fell on his sword for, but I hate the regressive tax outcome of the opening battle of this war. Shifting the burden from property owners to all consumers isn't the way, taxing the poor is a cowards path.

Watch the machines chew him alive for threatening their patronage cash cows. I hear the "dump Corzine" stuff already.

The Gov. deserves props for taking on the county and municipal governments of both parties as they cling to their double-dipping patronage jobs and sweet benefits. Show him some love.

Example of what he's up against:

The thorniest issue of all might be consolidating services provided by the myriad of local government across the state.

New Jersey has 566 municipalities, 616 school districts and 186 fire districts. All of those, plus 21 counties, use property taxes to pay for operations.

As an example of the cost of such duplication, Corzine offered up Bergen County. With 800,000 residents, Bergen has twice as much firefighting equipment in its local fire departments combined than in all of New York city, with 8 million residents, Corzine said.

"You don't have to be a genius or a rocket scientist to understand that all the proliferation of services isn't the most efficient way to pay for delivery of fire, police, education -- all of the services government is about," Corzine said.


Couldn't get link to work:

Corzine lays out agenda on property tax reform
Governor targets revamping of local services and state school aid
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
BY DEBORAH HOWLETT
Star-Ledger Staff