N.J. governor sets tone for US

[Beacool]

By A.B. Stoddard - 05/12/10

......Upon taking office Christie declared a state of emergency, signing an executive order that froze spending, and then, in eight weeks, cutting $13 billion in spending. In March he presented to the Legislature his first budget, which cuts 9 percent of spending, including more than $800 million in education funding; seeks to privatize numerous government functions; projects 1,300 layoffs; and caps tax increases.

Teachers unions are incensed, fighting Christie’s proposal that — in order to avoid cuts to education — teachers accept a one-year wage freeze and contribute 1.5 percent to the generous-by-every-standard healthcare plans they now enjoy for free. New Jersey, which has the highest unemployment in the region and highest taxes in the country, lost 121,000 jobs in the private sector in 2009 while adding 11,300 new education jobs. During the last eight years, K-12 enrollment rose just 3 percent while education jobs increased more than 16 percent. According to the Newark Star-Ledger, during the recession that has cost many residents their homes and jobs and scaled back hours and pay for the employed, teachers’ salaries rose by nearly 5 percent, double the rate of inflation.

Christie is adamant about lowering taxes. After taxes were raised 115 times in the last eight years, he said the wealthy are tapped out. Property taxes rose nearly 70 percent in the last decade, and studies show top earners — the 1 percent of taxpayers paying 40 percent of income tax — are fleeing the Garden State.

The goal is not just to crawl out of crisis but ultimately to lead, said Christie in his budget address. “If we make the tough decisions now, we will be one year ahead of 80 percent of the states in the race to economic growth. If we fail to act, we will fall even further behind ... by going first, we can become first.”

http://thehill.com/opinion/columnists/ab-stoddard/97603-nj-gov-sets-tone-for-us?page=2#comments

I live in NJ, and as much as I hate to admit it, there's some validity to this article. We can no longer sustain the amount of property taxes that we pay in this state. As for the teachers, a one year salary freeze and a contribution of 1.5% toward their healthcare plan is something that plenty of people in the private sector would have gladly taken in lieu of losing their jobs.

:(

[madmax]

1. Former Jersey girl here

more like 'old Jersey hag' ;)

Yes, the property taxes are outrageous and the school system sucks. So tell me where the hell the money goes.

Where is the money from the lottery for education. The schools are terrible, no books for the students - books stay in the classroom and they 'share'. Homework - no books?

Atlantic City - surely that must bring in some revenue to the state coffers.

Parkway and Turnpike should be taking care of themselves with the money from tolls.

Moved 3 years ago and aside from the fact that it's cheaper, the QUALITY of our lives can not be equated with $.

We didn't have much of a choice, my husbands' company went belly up after filing for bankruptcy for the 3rd time they had to liquidate. In retrospect, it was the BEST thing that ever happened to us.

I agree with you that there are valid points but, again I ask where the hell is all the money going? Someone is lining their pockets because the state really doesn't offer all that much in the way of amenities or natural beauty aside from a few pockets here and there. :shrug:

[RKP5637]

5. I agree so much with what you said. I used to have property there for years

and sold it, the taxes on real estate are absolutely outrageous. I've smelled something crooked in NJ for years. As you say, there are some pockets here and there, but overall I'm hard pressed to think of much in the state that would make it a destination and deserve the horrific tax rate. I'm surprised there has not been more of a mass exodus for those not bound there for some reason or another. There are certainly IMO a lot of better states to live in...

[madmax]

7. Here in Wake County

North Carolina there is a high percentage of people who are relocating from NJ and NY. In my small development there are 4 families from NJ. I've met so many people from NJ it's becoming an area joke. The acronym for the town of Cary is Containment Area for Relocated Yankees. :rofl:

[RKP5637]

8. LOL !!! n/t

[mmonk]

23. Here in Raleigh, we call Cary New Jersey.

Of course Raleigh could be renamed either Pittsburgh PA or Buffalo NY. But my street is a little more international with neighbors from France, Japan, and India. But every once in awhile, I'll run into an original native.

[mmonk]

28. And I've heard that acronym as well.

[Beacool]

14. Well, most people that stay here do so because of job or family ties.

But it's getting harder for working class people in the state to keep a roof over their head.

Having said so, I don't subscribe to the notion of making NJ a national joke. It is not called the Garden State for nothing. Outside of the industrial area around the turnpike corridor, which gives it its bad rap, NJ has some beautiful spots.

;-)

[aikoaiko]

9. I grew up in Allendale. My parents paid 6k in prop taxes in 1990 on an average 4 bed house

We did however have great freakin school.

At that time, my parent house sold for 300K and its about 900k now.

Its hard to see how that is sustainable.

[NNN0LHI]

31. average 4 bed house doesn't say much

How many square feet? Total number of baths? How many rooms? In 1990 300K bought a good sized 4 bed Mcmansion around here.

Don

[Beacool]

13. I wish I knew where the money is going.

There doesn't seem to be much to show for it, particularly in my town where we spend most than any other town in Hudson County in education. We also pay the highest property taxes in the county. That's saying quite a lot in the state that has the highest property taxes in the nation.

These are tough times for most people, the teachers will have to tighten their belts just like the rest of us.

:shrug:

[phasma ex machina]

15. Question: Tell me where the money goes? Answer: Pensions.

Teacher Retiree Class of 2008: One School District, 13 Retirees = $50 Million in Pensions

[DevonRex]

2. Bea, for some reason I never realized you were in NJ.

Thanks for passing the article along. And I hope things get better for you there.

On a side note: An old schoolmate of mine is now living in NJ. She's a RWnut so be careful when you're out in public. :hi:

[Beacool]

16. Yep, I'm in Hoboken.

Dubbed "The Mile Square City" and birthplace of Frank Sinatra and the guy from "Cake Boss".


View of Downtown Manhattan from Hoboken


Uptown Hoboken


One of the waterfront walkways. The building in the background is in Jersey City


The blizzard of 2006


That's my building on the right and the spire of the church I attend. Lot's of 19th century buildings in Hoboken. The building on the
left is from 1876.

:hi:

[Danmel]

24. My husband went to Stevens in Hoboken

And a good friend owns empire coffee.
Hoboken is very nice & so convenient to NYC

[Beacool]

26. Really?

Stevens is literally up the block from my place. Past the church and up the hill is the start of the Stevens' campus. They got the best view of Manhattan from Castle Point. The Stevens family was very influential in the 19th century in Hoboken. One of them was the engineer who brought the first steam engine to the US from Britain (he later sold the patent to someone in NY).

I love Empire coffee and used to buy my beans there when they were on the main drag (Washington St.). They moved some time ago and I haven't gone there recently, but a girl used to run it (I'm not sure whether she was the owner).

As they say, small world.........

:hi:

[bookman]

3. Teachers as scapegoats

When others were making big bucks and they scorned at teacher's pay. NJ Teachers bargained for medical coverage rather than salary increases because it made sense. Local school boards agree to pay increases. So why in these times do they become the scapegoat.

Many who would never teach (because there's no money in it.) now point to teachers as the problem.

The problem was governors (Whitman esp.) who "borrowed" from the teacher's pension fun.

Teachers gave up much over the years to get those benefits. Why should they give them up now? Just because some repug wants them to.

[NJGeek]

4. give me a break

teachers, fire, and police all get the highest salaries in NJ, plus ridiculous lifetime benefits. their run is over, and thankfully someone is in office there that can hold them to task.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

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[Tesha]

21. These days, you see a lot of amazing things on DU. (NT)

[NNN0LHI]

29. You sound pretty happy that this Republican pig is governor

[Beacool]

17. I don't think teachers should be scapegoated.

But there are thousands of people in the private sector who have lost their jobs and most of them weren't making that much money either. I think that unions should reach a compromise with the governor in these difficult times, with the caveat that these reductions should be reviewed once the state is in better financial shape.

:(

[Bitwit1234]

10. BUT what they forgot to mention is this

he cut taxes for the most wealthy...I think they said at a cost of 800M lost revenue. THEN he cut funds to education in the amount of 800M to make up for the tax cut he gave the wealthy.

If he was in the least bit serious in trying to balance the budget he sure as hell got his priorities screwed to the devil. No matter what you say.

[dionysus]

11. hey Bea, you know what takes the sting out of NJ property taxes?

BANKY!

:hi:

[Beacool]

19. Banky!!!!!

:woohoo:

Thank you, buddy!!


:pals:

[MadBadger]

12. If that tone means decimating public education...then I get you're right.

[madinmaryland]

20. "the wealthy are tapped out"

:wtf:

So they have to cut their vacation to the French Riveria back to two weeks to help support the state.

Fuck them.

:mad:

[mmonk]

22. That's what happens when you cut out federal domestic spending for tax cuts

for 30 years. State and local taxes had to keep going up to fill the void.

[Beacool]

27. Yes,

Subsequently, states are drowning in debt.

:(

[SoCalDem]

30. yep..it's like a water balloon.. squeeze it on one side, and it bulges on the other

until it breaks:(

Our system is odd, to say the least..

individuals send money to the fed govt, who then gives some of it back to the state it came from.

states (most of them) also tax people to keep it "local"

when the fed govt gives too much to the uber-rich, and to wars, they have less in the coffers to send back to states, so states then raise taxes and/or cut services that fed money used to help with

Neither entity seems to have a realistic budget, or plans ahead...at all..

[Odin2005]

25. Neo-Liberal Austerity, US-style.