[randita]

"In two short decades, under both Democratic and Republican administrations, the state has gone from a financial powerhouse to a financial basket case,"

It's a stretch to label Kean and Whitman Republicans. Nonetheless, during that time, the NJ State Legislature has remained firmly in Democrat hands.

[MortMan]

Gee, Corzine calls for tax increases... Now, THERE'S a shocker!

[Peach]

What does he mean tax 401(k) accounts? We already pay taxes on the money we put in, and then on the $$ that comes out.

[AbeKrieger]

Taxing 401(k) accounts is a direct attack on the working class. Unrealistic that this is even proposed... but then again, those that rely on big daddy gum'ment for basic survival, have no idea what a 401(k) even is.

[AbeKrieger]

Consider a temporary increase in the state income tax. Ha ha ha ha ha HA HA HA HA HA ha ha ha. Ha ha HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

but seriously, THAT was funny. (wiping my eyes)

[TheBigB]

DEMOCRATS PROPOSE TAX INCREASES

SUN RISES IN EAST

WATER FLOWS DOWNHILL

PARIS HILTON "NOT VERY INTELLIGENT"

Etc...

[harpu]

You Jersey folks gonna get a dose of just what a P_O_S y'all elected.

[Pete'sWife]

Son graduates from high school in '09.

Pete's Wife, Husband, pets, cars, furniture, and all other posessions are outahere the next day.

GUARANTEED

[staytrue]

"Our residents are moving to Pennsylvania

Philly realtors used to call these people "the Jim McGreevy fan club"

FYI, when republican Bob Ehrlich took office in MD, there was a 2 billion dollar deficit which the democrats said could only be closed by tax increases. Ehrlich vetoed every attempt at a tax increase and now the budget is balanced.

For people mad a GW Bush, ok spending is out of control, but he never increased taxes and cut them quite a bit.

[Range Rover]

I wonder if anyone is advising Corzine to attempt to eliminate the Bergen County Blue Laws (don't know if they have that power, though)...The big Box stores would love that, the proposed clothing tax would have a year of Sundays to bleed monies into the state coffers and Bergen would become a traffic congested nightmare on the only day you can reasonably drive from point to point without it taking a year and a day.

I expect they will be hiking the tolls on the GSP and the turnpike again too.

If this clown goes down that road, he'll give my Mother In Law more reason to move out of the Garbage State and move in with us.

I've got a pending nightmare and I moved out of NJ a decade ago. Thanks a lot, John.

[Leatherneck_MT]

These maggots never heard of cutting costs

[goldstategop]

Yep. See - liberals in Blue States love spending. They just hate taxing themselves for it. Hence the conundrum.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[stevio]

This is great. Just what we need here in Eastern Pennsylvania, more Nazi Jerseyians.

[rod1]

Guess Gov. John has a few more women to keep and would just as soon not use his own dimes.

[ZULU]

Corzine should impanel a bipartisan committee of state legislators to address this issue. The decisions about rectifying the mess he inherited will then be essentially thiers. I hate Corzine, but he didn't create this problem. The idiots in Trenton did.


What New Jersey needs to do is reduce the starting salary for teachers from $30,000 per year for somebody right out of college with no experience.

Increase the length of the school year and require teachers to work an eleven month work year.

Stop immediately the practice of permitting elected politicians to get appointed to official positions on various committees at exorbitant salaries for short periods of time which allows them to collect retirement benefits that no government employee in the State who worked their entire life could ever receive - this is bankrupting the system.

They should also revise the salary bases of law-enforcement personnel in that state and totally eliminate the practice of allowing cops to retire after twenty years of work on full benefits.

They should stop debilitating - permitting government employees to jump from one pension system to another after accruing enough time in one system to eventually collect retirement benefits from two or even three separate pension systems.

They should restructure government in the state to reduce the number of political divisions. There are over 500 municipal governments in New Jersey. Each governmental unit has its own police force, its own road department, its own garbage collection, etc, etc. In addition there are twenty one counties which also frequently have road departments, law-enforcment personnel, etc. Plus this they have the entire state structure which also preforms these functions. Each of these entities requires its own administrative staff. This leads to unnecessary overhead and duplication of services all of which raise taxes and the cost of government.

Also, there are are more school districts than there are municipalities. Frequently one town will have several different school districts, each with its own superintendent and support staff. That's ridiculous.
Each County should have only one school district with a County Superintendent to oversee all the schools in that county. In the long run, it will reduce government costs.

The people of that state pay more in taxes than anyone ever should.

Their teachers are THE HIGHEST PAID in the nation, but their students rank in the MIDDLE of the country in performance on tests.

But then they have no one to blame but themselves for voting in Corzine, although the alternative was little better.

[jmaroneps37]

To all those ash holes in New Jersey who voted for corzine and helped put an extortionist in the senate: In the word of Nelson Mundt, "Ha Ha!".

[winner3000]

"While the road to decline was often paved with good intentions, the results are alarming."

Good intentions = Liberalism. It's too bad results don't depend on good intentions.

On the other note, Corzine consulted with former state treasurers and Rutgers professors. Why would you want to consult with the people who got you in the mess, and a bunch of liberal professors full of "good intentions"?

[Hank Rearden]

How did someone who looks like a tax-crazed child molester get elected?

Oh. It's New Jersey. The "Whadda you lookin' at?" state.

[small voice in the wilderness]

Wow. Didn't see this one coming.

[Coleus]

no surprise here, democraps run the state. big budgets, out-of-control spending, budget gimmicks, selling GO Bonds to fund the budget, Christmas-tree items, pork, business taxes, hotel fees, fees on tires, etc.

[Lancey Howard]

Hahahaaa...! New Jersey loves socialism and taxes - - just look at the corrupt scum they elect, over and over. They can handle all those tax increases, no problem. In fact, New Jersey is the Kevin Bacon of the United States. "Thank you sir may I have another?"