Corzine signs order closing N.J. gov't

Yahoo ^

[Sub-Driver]

Corzine signs order closing N.J. gov't

By TOM HESTER Jr., Associated Press Writer 8 minutes ago

Gov. Jon S. Corzine closed the state government Saturday amid a bitter dispute with fellow Democrats in the Assembly over his plan to increase the sales tax, threatening to shutter beaches, parks and possibly casinos in the coming days.

The state lottery and road construction were among the first state services expected to be closed.

After Saturday's constitutional deadline to adopt a new balanced budget passed without agreement, Corzine signed an executive order just after 9:30 a.m., a grim climax to weeks of budget squabbling among Democrats who control state government but haven't been able to agree on a budget bill.

Services such as state police, prisons, mental hospitals and child welfare would keep operating. The casinos could be forced to close because they require state monitoring, though the casino industry is challenging a possible closure in court.

[italianquaker]

Jersey will be RED in Nov

[Recovering_Democrat]

woo-hoo! They can now do no harm! :)

[weave09]

LOL!! Good one.

[sd-joe]

"Corzine closed the state government" - and nobody noticed.

[MamaTexan]

The casinos could be forced to close because they require state monitoring

LOL!

If the State (for all practical purposes) is nonexistent, they don't have the ability to put the onerous of 'monitoring' on anything!

though the casino industry is challenging a possible closure in court.

GOOD!

I hope the casinos hand the State its arse on a plate!

Just because the State is so inefficiently run it can't stay afloat doesn't give it the right to tell the casinos they can't stay open because of it.

[World'sGoneInsane]

He just moved into a 1.5k mansion with his partner. Seriously.

[World'sGoneInsane]

Beaches are scheduled to close Wednesday.

[Txsleuth]

Think the NJ citizens that voted for this idiot are proud of their votes now??? hehe

I just pray that this bumbling will rub off on Menendez that took his place in the Senate....

[mware]

NO casinos, NO beaches.

Oh the people of Atlantic County are going to love this.

[P.O.E.]

Transfer payments, handouts and kickbacks will, of course, continue unabated.

[mware]

BTW his ex wife is now living in a rancher.

I think McGreedy has a 8 bedroom home.

[Txsleuth]

Well...this has just MADE my first day of my July 4th holiday!!

Thanks for the ping.

Hey Fuddie...are you going to picket the Gov. mansion? LOL

[Txsleuth]

Lynn Swann is going to have to ratchet it up...if he is going to beat Fast Eddie.

[Swanks]

Services such as state police, prisons, mental hospitals and child welfare would keep operating

Not to mention the Union County Dem machine in biz to keep the Rats in office.

[Swanks]

What a surprise - you can't find anything on this story on the Bergen Record (bergen.com). Shutting down the Gov't - not newzworthy when the Gov is a Rat.

[OldFriend]

I assure you, the casinos will remain open.

Whitman faced a similar problem and shut all the toll booths on NJ highways. All rides were free.

[nmh]

"The dispute centers on Corzine's determination to raise the state sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent to help close a $4.5 billion budget deficit."

He's determined to do this. Then he doesn't have to CUT spending and there's more money to SPEND for ohter foolish programs.

"Corzine sees the increase as a vital step toward providing reliable annual revenue, but most Democrats in the Assembly — the lower house of the state Legislature — and several Senate Democrats say the plan is unnecessary."

It'll kill their political career and they know it.

"Opponents have questioned the need for a sales tax increase, predicting voter backlash and demanding that any increase be reserved for property tax reform."

There is NO NEED FOR IT. What they do NEED is CUTS IN STATE SPENDING. But alas, the Demoncrats don't have common sense. We have the HIGHEST PROPERTY TAXES in the NATION and still this clod wants MORE TAXES - 7% SALES TAX! MORE people are moving OUT of NEW JERSEY, than MOVING IN. Businesses are going down SOUTH and OVER SEAS to AVOID TAXES and CORRUPTION of New Jersey.

"The state Constitution requires a balanced budget by July 1, but the deadline has been missed four times in five years. Nothing happened when deadlines were missed before, but the state never went past the morning of July 2 without an adopted budget. Without one, the state has no authority to spend money.


Good. Have the state stop spending money!!!

He just wants to play the role of a hard arse.

[nmh]

Yeah, they can't get enough of the Demoncrat corruption and latest tax schemes.

[nmh]

He's a nasty S.O.B. determined to RAISE TAXES and ADD more PROGRAMS.

[nmh]

Bret Shundler would have been great.

I NEVER vote for the Demonrats!

NEVER while in New Jersey.