CORZINE’S BUDGET “CUTS” -- A SCALPEL WHEN AN AX IS NEEDED
Governor Corzine yesterday issued a budget proposal that tinkers around the edges when real solid cuts are needed. While the Corzine proposal requiring unions give up a scheduled pay raise is a good one, the Governor refuses to eliminate any of the thousands of state government bureaucratic fiefdoms that helped (along with the Governor’s own mismanagement and ineptitude) created this budget crisis.
Unfortunately, Corzine refuses to end the mandates on local communities through the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) -- the group currently pushing 100,000 Low Income Housing units on every New Jersey town. And Corzine continues to support the Abbott court decision that has led to exploding per pupil costs in (Democrat-run) urban areas as high as $25,000 per student.
Meanwhile, suburban towns have had their state aid nearly eliminated -- even though the sales tax and the income tax was sold on Garden State residents as a way to reduce “high property taxes.”
Now the Governor is poised to endorse expanding the in-state tuition discount to state colleges and universities to illegal aliens who live in our state. At a time when the Governor is complaining the state is short on funds, for him to even consider such a radical and costly policy shows his utter contempt for the men and women who go to work every day to help fund his European-style Socialist Welfare State.
It was hard to believe that after the McGreevey-Codey combination of left-wing liberal excesses, new taxes and more programs, that things could get worse. Jon Corzine, however, has gone far beyond Jim McGreevey even on his most liberal day. That’s why it’s more important than ever for Republicans to nominate a strong candidate ready to take on Corzine and his money.
I know that as New Jersey Republicans learn more about me, those who might be considering others will join our team and help me unite the Republican Party in a new conservative direction ready to win and take back our state.
It’s time for a change -- time for a conservative change.
On to Victory,
Steve Lonegan
Republican for Governor
