You Won't Believe What the Governor of New Jersey is Proposing
- By Nancy Maxwell
- Published Tuesday 11th 2008
Nancy Maxwell
Nancy owns a landscaping and farming business with her husband in New Jersey. She has been farming for over 12 years and has her Masters Degree in Horticulture. When she is not getting her hands dirty or taking care of her children, she is freelance writing or working on her fiction novels.
He is proposing to eliminate the NJ State Department of Agriculture, along with the Department of Commerce and Department of Personnel, as part of his plan for $2.5 billion in cuts to reduce the state’s $32 billion debt.
By eliminating those agencies, 4,000 to 5,000 state workers will be laid off and offered early retirement incentives. Some of the more disturbing cuts are reduced funding for hospitals, state colleges and property tax rebates.
New Jersey is at the top of the list in the nation for having high property taxes, averaging more than $6,000 a year. Most families currently receive a property tax rebate as some sort of tax relief.
During a public address to students at Rutgers University, Corzine informed the crowd that these budget cuts are necessary sacrifices and that, “All of us have to do more with less.” If only Corzine knew what that would be like.These budget cuts will hurt middle class families the most, of which Corzine is definitely not a part of. When he became governor of New Jersey he declined the $175 K salary because he was already a millionaire.
Oh, and another curve ball Corzine proposes to throw at residents to help decrease the state’s debt: an 800% increase of New Jersey’s highway tolls. Corzine has already increased the state sales tax from 6% to 7% while in office.
One county legislature in support of Corzine’s budget cuts says, “…we have to be serious about these cuts.” So, it is not until the state has reached a debt crisis that legislators are making drastic, if not alarming, solutions to solve the problem. The state’s former political leaders have done a fine job of spending, spending, and more spending over the years without regard to future consequences. And now, New Jersey residents will be the first to pay - or maybe the first to leave.
