[piytar]

The inevitable result of tax-and-spend Democrap policy, aka socialism: economic ruin.

[2banana]

Unfortunately, this disease is moving west and Eastern PA is starting to look like Jersey - ie - high taxes, unions and poor service...

[Rummyfan]

Inept, often corrupt, politicians have squandered yet more billions wrung from suburban taxpayers, supposedly to uplift the poor in the state’s troubled cities, which have nevertheless continued to crumble despite the record spending.

Like McGreevy and Torricelli and now Corzine cozy with one of the public union reps? Who would have thunk it? But the sheeple keep voting Democratic.

[Joe Brower]

[Paleo Conservative]

Under McGreevey, New Jersey also instituted its own estate tax, kicking in at $675,000 in assets, well below the $2 million starting point for the federal death tax. Now a Jersey resident dying with $1.9 million in savings will owe the state nearly $100,000—an egregious levy that makes Jersey Number One in the country in per-capita death-tax collections. Perhaps to protect its residents from dying with too much wealth, the state also raised taxes on retirees with $100,000 or more in annual income, charging them extra to help pay public-sector retirees.

Shouldn't the New Jersey estate tax be called the Retiree Florida Relocation Act?

[goldstategop]

New Jersey is corrupt. Even the rich have abandoned the GOP, a me-too party, for the Democrats. Its in such a mess its literally beyond salvation.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[2banana]

This is a great article - my gawd - how liberalism have destroyed the state. But the sheep keep voting them in...

[subterfuge]

The politicians will never stop increasing taxes in this country until the people rise up and revolt. Where Jersey is now, is where the rest of the country is headed. It's only a matter of time.

[olde north church]

The major problem with NJ? Not a single member of the political class is worth the jail time for um, "neutralizing" him or her.

[justiceseeker93]

Just look at who the most recent NJ governors were: Kean, Florio, Whitman, McGreevey, Corzine. That's two RINOS (Kean and Whitman) and three 'Rats.

No wonder why the state is decadent.

[Lancey Howard]

New Jersey is owned and operated by the education mafia. New Jersey politicians, as a class, are as corrupt as any in a typical third-world country. The state is long gone. I can't imagine why any productive citizen would still be there, grabbing his ankles. (On the other hand, given the way they vote in New Jersey, I would prefer they STAY there.)

[MadIvan]

New Jersey is rapidly becoming a dysfunctional polity, rather like Washington DC, where only one party is returned to power, no matter its performance.

Regards, Ivan

[relictele]

This is why land ownership was originally a requirement for voting.

[You Dirty Rats]

We have many of the same problems in Ohio.

[oceanview]

and the thing is - Corzine has high approval ratings.

[Zack Nguyen]

The painful fact is that, in America today, it is easy for politicians to ignore the hard working and productive middle class that pay the taxes. It is very difficult to ignore the government unions, the teacher unions, the professional gripers and the race hustlers. For the most part they make politicians lives much more unpleasant than middle class Americans do.

But the fellow at the beginning of this article has the right idea. The productive need to start flexing their considerable muscle. In an ideal world we would elect people whose principles cannot be shaken by threats and pressure. But given the world we live in, most politicians will do what is expedient. We have to make it expedient to lower taxes, spend less, and learn to say "No." It can be done. I have seen it done in Texas.

[okie01]

In Camden and Newark, that system spends nearly $1 billion in state funds annually—to produce a scant 2,000 high school grads a year.

Extrapolated across twelve grades, that amounts to a mind-numbing $41,667 per student per year.

For essentially nothing!

I am well and truly speechless...