[reaganaut1]

It's good to have a flat tax and have even lower-income people pay some tax, because otherwise government services are seen as free goods, and there is no broad-based opposition to higher taxes. The problem is that we already have a system where many voters are net tax recipients.

[YoungHickey]

“because otherwise government services are seen as free goods”

I think this is a really good point. If everyone shares the tax burden, people will stop using government services except when absolutely necessary.

[Melchior]

Christie sounds like a lawyer-politician peddling the Whitman liberal tripe. Dump him and give the people of New Jersey a real alternative to the tax and spend crowd.

[Williams]

Actually if ever a state were in need of bold economic reform, it would be California, followed by New Jersey.

[gridlock]

The majority of voters in this country are net tax recipients. We have passed the tipping point, and are in the regime where the looters are going to vote themselves and every larger amount of government money, until the system finally collapses.

Mayor Lonagan can try to stem that tide, and I will help him. I don't hold out much hope for success.

To quote the great Winston Churchill...

“If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without blood shed; if you will not fight when your victory is sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.”

[pnh102]

In an ideal world, anyone who receives any sort of welfare would not be allowed to vote.

[ExTxMarine]

“It’s good to have a flat tax and have even lower-income people pay some tax, because otherwise government services are seen as free goods, and there is no broad-based opposition to higher taxes. The problem is that we already have a system where many voters are net tax recipients.”

Thank you, Captain Obvious! /sarc

This is one of the biggest, broadest problems we face - people expect MORE but want to pay LESS! And as long as we have Democrats promising MORE by making someone else pay - they are going to win over the easily led, the lazy and the un-impassioned! Unfortunately, I think we have a majority of these types in Amerika now!

[Man50D]

A tax on income is one of the planks in the Communist Manifesto. We've already seem over the last 96 years the result of a flat tax on income with the federal income tax code. It began with a 1% tax on the first $20,000 of income and 7% over $500,000 when the 16th Amendment was passed in 1913. It was essentially a flat tax on income since 99% of the population did not earn more than $500,000. It morphed into the multi tiered taxed system we have today. The same will happen with a state flat income tax.

A more effective tax code would be a consumption tax bill similar to the Fair Tax bill on the federal level. Fair Tax movement on the sate level has already started. The house chambers in Missouri and South Carolina have approved Fair Tax legislation.

[jmaroneps37]

Lonegan talks a good game about being against illegal immigrants, but that’s only for you and me. He was caught knowingly hiring two illegals as per the AP.

[phillyfanatic]

This is NJ. Don’t you understand that no matter what the issue, the media , the GOP will destroy themselves as the Dems cheat ala Senator Frank’s last two campaigns. The polls always show that the Pubs have a chance then the lemmings in NJ always put in a liberal Dem. So issues, except taxes, do not matter. The flat tax is just too complicated to be debated in a state where cheating is well known to elect Dems.