<p>You have a massive state budget problem and you want business as usual. Tighten those local belts a bit. Every year the local gov workers and teachers are getting 4-5% raises and now make excessive salaries for the work they do (if any). Meanwhile the state colleges go down the drain.</p>
<p>[wcbstv.com</a> - Citizens Bash Corzine’s State Budget Plan](<a href=“http://wcbstv.com/local/nj.budget.corzine.2.675512.html]wcbstv.com”>http://wcbstv.com/local/nj.budget.corzine.2.675512.html)</p>
<p>Just following the example set by presidents Reagan, Bush and Bush…</p>
<p>except only a fraction of the money spent by Reagan Bush and Bush went to teachers… if any</p>
<p>The business as usual comes from the government…too big, too many people on the payroll, too many people receiving large pensions, too many double dipping politicians , taking more than one pension.
And the governer makes vengeful cuts to the wrong programs ( i.e. eliminating the dept of agriculture in THE GARDEN STATE )
If there is any dilusion, it comes from the un-informed voters that repeatedly elect the same losers to hold public office here.
We have the highest property taxes in the nation ( a close tie is NY, I believe ) Corzine slashes, and in some cases eliminates state aid to towns…70% cut to a poor town in our area. His response , combine with the next town over.
He wants to raise tolls on the Garden State Parkway 800% over the next twenty years.
Speaking of the GSP, I noticed that he has managed to lower the speed limit in a twenty mile stretch from 65 to 55. Not very far from the location of the car accident he was seriously injured in last year, when the state vehicle he was being driven in crashed ( traveling at a rate of over 90MPH )
Living south of there and traveling end to end on the highway, we all realize that this is the area where the drivers get a little more aggressive and increase the speed…very rarely is anyone within the speed limit there.</p>
<p>I am sure though that this is not attempt to raise revenue in the form of speeding tickets any more than the new cell phone law with a $ 100 fine and $ 350 surcharge is ( eyes rolling )
Seriously, when I saw the thread with the title " My sleazy governor " I thought they were talking Corzine</p>
<p>The accident actually was about 35 miles south of the 20 mile stretch, just north of AC at mile 44 but that speed limit reduction still irks me. Based on: 12 fatalities in that Toms River stretch last year. Statistically not significant in the long run. And the Parkway goes from 3 to 2 lanes at mile 80, which naturally reduces the speed limit in the area (been stuck there enough times) anywhere near rush hour. It’s poorly marked and they’ve given out hundreds of tickets there, not warnings. Grrr…</p>
<p>I know where the accident occurred ( used to live in Galloway ) I was just trying to make the point of Corzine’s abuse of the system and traveling at such excess speed and his arrogance about being above the laws.</p>
<p>Have you notices the stepped up police presence on the parkway recently ?
I have seen so many people pulled over and getting ticketed everywhere…not just the GSP.
I am not a fan by any stretch of the imagination when it comes to Corzine , for many of the punishments he imposes on the residents of his kingdom.</p>
<p>^I’ve been traveling most of the length of the Parkway every weekend, and I got to say–hooray for enforcement. Sooo tired of folks on phones blasting by at 80 while drifting into my lane.</p>
<p>We can pay teachers more when the union stops sucking the life out of our schools, anyone see Ny times ad yesterday? And that no child left behind act from our brilliant president has killed anything creative out of our teachers. No time just get ready for the next mandated test!</p>
<p>lje62, nice to meet someone from this neck of NJ. Yes, I’ve noticed. They’re hiding everywhere. </p>
<p>By my rough calculation, it’ll cost me (if that increase somehow makes it) about $60 in Parkway and Turnpike tolls, $8 for the tunnel (assuming no increase there), $25 Port Authority parking (again assume no increase) and $30 in gas—>about $125 for me to drive 2 hrs each way and park to visit my son in Manhattan. Make that ~$500 if I get nabbed in “the stretch”!</p>
<p>The ferry is a wonderful thing:)</p>
<p>I guess they are trying to imitate California too…</p>
<p>It is not Gov. Corzine’s fault that revenues have decreased because of this Federal Reserve induced economic slowdown. I thought NJ had a Constitutional requirement for a balanced budget. It looks to me like Corzine is doing the best he can with what he’s got. If people don’t like his budget, they should come up with a better one.</p>
<p>Maybe if Corzine weren’t in bed with Carla Katz (literally), the state would have come out better in its last round of union negotiations. Between the CWA and NJEA, they’ve got NJ in a stranglehold. I support teachers and state workers, but the reality is their benefits are much better that private industry, and their pay is on par. The benefits were originally supposed to compensate for sub-par pay – now pay has increased & the benefits are still incredible.</p>
<p>and the cost of benefits are going up 18%, with a 4% mandated cap; where do they think the money will come from?? It is a total disaster for public education in NJ.</p>
<p>“residents”, no; voters, YES!</p>
<p>This thread forced me to take a look at my own state’s budget.</p>
<p>NJ 2009 Proposed budget can be found here at this link:
<a href=“http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/omb/publications/09budget/pdf/summaries.pdf[/url]”>http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/omb/publications/09budget/pdf/summaries.pdf</a></p>
<p>Found in Table 4.</p>
<p>Rutgers Spend (in millions of dollars)</p>
<p>2007: $309,280
2008: $328,595
2009 Requested: $342,120
2009 Proposed: $290,581</p>