Trenton’s Broken Record
Jun. 19
By Joe Sinagra | The Save Jersey Blog
“This plan is not only a matter of fairness and responsibility with pension payments, it is really about the full range of government services and opportunities, including such things as property tax relief, college affordability, public schools, law enforcement, transportation and many more priority needs,” NJ Senate President Steve Sweeney said on Wednesday as he rolled out his counter-proposal to Governor Chris Christie’s budget. “We have to maintain the state’s commitment to all New Jersey residents by meeting all of our commitments. This is a fair and responsible plan that will help meet those needs as it restores balance to the budget in a fiscally responsible way.”
So in all the years and administrations prior to Christie being governor, the 154 tax increases, raising the state sales tax from 6% to 7%, a 4% corporate tax surcharge, a 25% increase in liquor taxes, increased taxes for the citizens of New Jersey by over $10 billion dollars, an increase in the Realty Transfer Tax of $62 million on the state level, another $22 million on the county level, along with another $8 million tax on the lottery. . . Senator Sweeney now suddenly believes we need a fair and responsible plan?
What happened to all of the revenue that was already collected?
Even the promised tax rebate disappeared. On average, property taxes went up 55 percent statewide from the prior seven years before Corzine and another 20 percent when Corzine took office, and Corzine left us a $2.2 billion shortfall that existed when Christie took office on Jan. 19, 2010.
And Senator Sweeney decides now is the time to meet the commitments of the residents? Why is it that more is never enough in this state?
– See more at: https://savejersey.com/2014/06/new-jersey-budget-sweeney/#sthash.VrJfTZ1d.dpuf
Sweeney is a union member, and that mentality has no place in running the State…unless you want to ‘run it into the ground financially’.
If not for being in the backyard of NYC, thus allowing many high paid NJ residents to commute to the financial industry, NJ would be bankrupt.
In time, those financial industry employees will leave NJ when they get tired of having their ‘pockets picked’ by the state.
It’s already happening. The public sector unions and their abject greed for always more are destroying NJ. Their contracts don’t stand up top the glare of common sense and financial sustainability. The burden placed on state and property tax payers from public sector entitlements including heavily subsidized comprehensive healthcare coverage, risk-free pensions for life, and accumulated sick leave, all based off insane step wage increase schedules, longevity payments, 15 days of annual sick leave that carry over year after year, and annual wage growth well in excess of inflation in NJ, are Unsustainable. It’s great if you’re a 52 year old, retired public safety official on a +$110K risk free pension, only paying $15 co-pays on your Viagra prescription which will help you enjoy your Florida vacation home paid for with your six months of accumulated leave paid out at your final compensation rate when you retired last year, and financed with a subsidized mortgage care of the PFRS retirement fund at rates of 3.68% (0.7% below what the rest of us pay for bank originated mortgages). Tax payers are on the hook for all of this ! As these fifty year old retirees will likely live longer in retirement than their 25 year working careers, they will create enormous strains on tax payers paying for all of this.
We pay them plenty while they are working for 25 years.
To continue to pay them for the next 25+ is absurd and will bankrupt the state.
#2 that sounds like a really good deal where or how do I sign up?
#4, you have to live in Ridgewood and preferably be a legacy or connected…. no one from Paramus, Ho-Ho-Kus, Midland Park, Glenrock, or Waldwick need apply to Ridgewood, these deals are reserved for the lucky few.