July 1, 2011
Governor Christie's profligate use of the line item veto on the state budget enacted by the Legislature this week did serious damage to virtually every constituency imaginable in this state - except for corporations and the super-rich.
Christie red-lined a litany of critical funding needs: health care for working families; tax credits for low-wage workers; after school programs for inner-city youth; legal counsel for indigent defendants; drugs for people with AIDS; college scholarships for gifted middle-class students; a resource center for Hispanic women; protective services for abused children; postpartum education; legal clinics; libraries; museums; mental health services; technology and even public television programming. The list is as long as it is damaging.
Unlike responsible governors in states such as Connecticut and California, Christie chose only to make cuts in services to balance the state budget. He refused to sustain the critical investments in New Jersey's social infrastructure that have allowed all of its residents to enjoy a broadly shared prosperity.
The only winners in the governor's budget are corporations that will continue to rake in hundreds of millions of dollars in tax subsidies; those wealthy residents whose yearly income exceeds $1 million; and a governor who continues to choose partisan politics over sound public policy.
It's now up to the Legislature to right these wrongs by over-riding the governor's veto, line-by-line if necessary.
5 comments:
The budget that the Democrats in the NJ Legislature passed sought to increase spending by 6% over last year's levels. Thank God for Governor Christie and his veto pen.
The Democrats that control the Legislature are nothing short of reckless when it comes to spending. They sound like socialists when they call for even higher taxes in order to achieve their dream of "a broadly shared prosperity."
Memo to Deborah Howlett and the liberals like her: The overburdened taxpayers of New Jersey are sick of "sharing." How dare you suggest that anyone in New Jersey should "share" (pay) more. How dare you suggest that our bloated government isn't big enough already. Get your hands out of our pockets!
Veritas, spoken like a true ME, ME Republican. Blame it all on the Middle Class who works just as hard, if not harder, and pays more in taxes relative to their income than the rich.
I expect our legislature to continue to fight for a strong middle class.
We ALL have to sacrifice, including the rich who certainly can afford to pay a little more in taxes, and the unions who have to contribute more to their benefits.
Why is it OK when the governor vilifies unions saying we can no longer afford their demands, and then refuses to raise the income taxes on the wealthy?
He can't have it both ways.
That's not socialism, that's called fairness.
Deborah Howlett and the liberals like her are not suggesting to increase the size of government as you accuse. They are looking for a more fair and equitable tax responsibility.
The next words I would expect to hear from people like you are "Well let them eat cake".
No, the next word you will hear from me is this: "WHEN."
WHEN will you socialists say that government is too big? WHEN will you socialists say that our government's taxes are too high? WHEN will you socialists say that government is too intrusive into our lives? WHEN will you socialists recognize that government spends too much? WHEN will you socialists recognize that the government borrows too much? WHEN are you socialists going to recognize that government employs too many people? WHEN are you socialists going to recognize that we compensate government workers entirely too generously?
WHEN are you socialists going to stop blaming successful people because your life didn't turn out to be what you wanted it to be? WHEN will you socialists recognize that socialism doesn't work? WHEN are you socialists going to realize that we aren't going to tax & spend our way into prosperity? WHEN will you socialists stop thinking that spending other people's money is the solution to your/our problems? WHEN will you socialists stop blaming others? WHEN will you socialists stop seeking to take more and more and more?
WHEN? WHEN? WHEN? WHEN will it be enough? WHEN?
Seamus Mack ,aka Brown Sugar, Village Greener, Cons 1234, Dig 1129,Digger,Marion Barry, Jet Fan and on and on and on ....WHO DO YOU THINK YOU FOOL ?????
Seamus Mack, When are we going to stop hearing how your paying your fair share of taxes is a punishment?
The whole trickle down theory doesn't work.
The more the wealthy make, the more they keep.
When are you going to realize that a strong middle class builds a strong economy and benefits everyone?
It would be one thing if companies were adding jobs now, but they're more concerned with profits than hiring.
If the middle class is out of work, they don't pay taxes and can't spend.
Our state is broke and yet you and the governor won't look at the wealthy to contribute more. You would rather continue to punish the middle class.
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