If a gasoline tax a burden, how is a toll hike not a burden?

Gov. Corzine was on Fox 29’s "Good Day Philadelphia” yesterday said raising New Jersey's gas tax "ought to be a very, very last resort."

"I'm not anxious to move forward with a gas tax. I really think we've got to find another way," he said, according to the Star Ledger. "I think it's a bad idea right now to put more burdens on individuals."

We couldn’t agree more. But we have a question: If a gasoline tax a burden, how is a toll hike not a burden?

Now that the budget is done, the governor is turning his attention to what to do about transportation funding. The budget he just signed included no extra money to replenish the transportation trust fund.

Key lawmakers, including Sen. Ray Lesniak and Assemblyman John Wisniewski, have endorsed the idea of increasing the tax about 15 cents a gallon. New Jersey’s current gas tax is 14.5 cents per gallon, the third lowest gasoline tax in the nation, collecting 14.5 cents per gallon.

And then there’s monetization.

Corzine's last attempt was to call for an 800 percent increase to pay for transportation and debt relief. He’s said to still want both. He talks about how the funding is needed to avoid tragedies like the recent Minnesota bridge collapse.

"We've got to come up with a plan. It's not to going to be something that people are going to like because there's nothing but tough choices if we actually want to do anything," he said.

Now, why is it that whenever we hear politicians talk about tough choices, we immediately reach for our wallets?

We know that the governor believes he made tough choices in his last budget, which cut spending by $600 million.

But the state budget has doubled – doubled! in just 10 years. From 2000 to 2008, spending has increased by 6 percent a year. The state payroll has increased by 10,000 employees in the executive branch, and 13,000 in independent state agencies, from 2000 to 2006.

In 2001, lawmakers and then-Republican Gov. Donald T. DiFrancesco on their own increased pension payouts by 9 percent.

That 9 percent hike, by the way, was not negotiated by a contract. It was just given.

So yes, governor, tough choices have to be made. But we would humbly suggest that those tough choices should be made in Trenton, and that Trenton should start with their own. Government has grown by leaps and bounds since 2000, and New Jersey families have had to scramble to find a way to pay the ever-increasing tab.

So before you come to New Jerseyans for higher taxes or tolls or fees, take another look at what you spend. That’s where the tough choices have to be made.

With all due respect, we’ve already paid.

From our friends at inthelobby.net

Corzine's Ratings continue to slip... now Corzine "the person" rating is tailspinning too.

The Governor's favorable rating which is a general impression of the person rather than approval of the job he does is finally catching on just like his toll hike plan - 38% say they have a favorable impression of the Governor.

"66% say the state is headed in the wrong direction and that is a new high," says Fairleigh Dickinson University-Public Mind poll director Peter Woolley. Just 26% say the state is off on the right direction.

In the new poll out today, the public splits over the Governor's performance with 44% approving and 45% disapproving, similar to his 42%-43% showing in February, but Woolley points out, "Back in October he had an approval rating of 51% against just 29% disapproving so, things really have changed."

Also changed is the Governor's favorable rating which is a general impression of the person rather than approval of the job he does. Woolley explains, "38% say they have a favorable impression of the Governor. 52% say their impression is unfavorable…..For a long time voters have given Jon Corzine high personal marks even if they didn't approve of this or that proposal. He may have come to the end of that good will."

"77% think their property taxes will increase in the coming year; and 43% say their (property) taxes will increase 'a lot,'" says Woolley. That's an increase of 10 percentage points from the same question asked a year ago. It is not a partisan issue. Nearly half of Republicans (48%) expect their property taxes to increase "a lot," nearly as many Democrats (41%) expect the same.

Just shy of half of New Jersey voters say they prefer "very steep budget cuts" to other possible options such as raising highway tolls or the gas tax or the income tax. Before the Governor announced his deep budget cuts, 51% said they preferred cuts. "The blood and gore of the budget cuts has not yet shaken voters even though the lobbyists are swinging into high season," says Woolley.

Staunch opposition remains to the Governor's proposal to restructure the state's finances by issuing bonds against an 800% toll increase. 60% oppose the plan, including half of Democrats (51%), three of five independents (62%), and most Republicans (70%). Woolley says, "How the budget cuts play to Democratic voters is key to the Governor's success or failure in the legislature."

The poll of 816 New Jersey registered voters statewide was conducted from March 24 through March 30 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points.

Monmouth County Petition for the Recall of Jon Corzine

Click Here to Download the Petition. Petitions are in Alpha order. Want to learn more, visit recallcorzinenow.com

Gov. Corzine continues to tout his Toll plan to Businesses while ignoring bloated spending.

Gov. Corzine has held town hall meeting all around the state, but he isn't finished trying to sell his plan to "pay VISA debt with new AMEX debt" & fund transportation projects by dramatically raising tolls over the next 75 years. The Governor gave his pitch to local chambers of commerce last week. While the state Chamber of Commerce has endorsed the toll hikes, some local chambers haven't exactly taken a position for or against just yet.

The Governor detailed his plans to raise tolls and shave $2.7 billion from the state budget before taking questions from a mostly friendly audience. He said proposed spending cuts weren't the result of "some scheme" in his head. Rather, the state simply doesn't have the money to fund every program.
You can read the rest of this article RIGHT HERE

New Jersey by the Ugly Numbers Corzine Wants To Ignore

...by our friends at inthelobby.net

Have you ever wondered, just how did New Jersey get here?

How could a state as prosperous as ours get to the point of financial crisis that it is today?

Here are a few reasons:

10,000: The number of state employees who were hired by the state's governors, both Republican and Democrat, between 2000 and 2006, a 17 percent gain even though the state’s population grew by only 4 percent, according to City Journal..

(Corzine brags that he's cutting roughly 3,000 jobs wants to skip the fact that there's still a net of +7,000 jobs over the past 6 years)

13,000: The number of full-time (or full-time equivalents) hired by agencies and authorities subsidized by state government but not directly controlled by the governor, in that same time frame.

Nearly 6 percent: The amount state spending increased a year from 2000 through 2008, nearly double the inflation rate.

33: The number of times ex-Gov. McGreevey raised taxes and fees in his short time in office.

$1.2 billion: The amount Gov. Corzine raised the sales tax in 2006.

Second-worst: New Jersey's ranking for business-tax environment in the country, according to the Tax Foundation.

Third-worst: Managed state in the nation, according to Governing magazine.

9 percent: The amount then-Gov. DiFrancesco and the Legislature raised pensions for public employees, teachers and state lawmakers in 2001, according to the Asbury Park Press.

$5.2 billion: The amount the pension boost cost taxpayers.

Almost $8 billion: The expected cost of active and retired employee benefits, including pension and health care, in 2013, up from $2 billion this year.

Now how does Gov. Corzine's budget and fiscal plan address these facts?

We've said it before, we'll say it again. New Jersey doesn't have a revenue problem; it has a spending problem.

Jacking the tolls up by 800 percent, or raising the gas tax, will do nothing to change that.

NJ: HIGH PRICE FOR ROTTEN GOV'T

From the NYPOST

WHEN New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine announced his slim med- down budget recently, he said that the state could no longer afford the government that it now has. What he didn't say is that this government isn't just expensive, it's also mismanaged and ineffective.

That is, New Jerseyans pay some of the country's highest taxes to get one of the country's worst governments.

In a new study, Governing magazine ranks Jersey the nation's third-worst-managed state. The problem isn't just the shambles that its finances are in, but also its lack of investment in infrastructure, its poor employee training and development, and a failure to apply technology and data to manage public services well.

Talk about a quadruple whammy for the state's residents, who ought to be asking exactly what the heck the state has been doing with all their money.

One thing that Jersey's patronage-ridden government has been doing is hiring workers at a rapid rate, far faster than most other states. Corzine's recent pledge to trim the state's workforce by 3,000 employees (as part of $500 million in spending cuts) drew a howl from public-sector unions, as well as warnings from some editorialists that the cuts might hurt services.

Corzine might have noted that from 2000 to 2006 - after the Wall Street tech-stock meltdown and the economic fallout from 9/11 - a succession of NJ governors added 10,000 workers to the state's executive workforce, a 17 percent rise, even as the state's population grew by only 4 percent.

The hiring spree didn't stop there. State agencies and authorities not directly controlled by the governor were rapidly boosting their own payrolls, adding about 13,000 more full-time (or full-time-equivalent) workers to the state's payrolls, reports the Census Bureau. Only a few other states increased their public payrolls as quickly; all were far larger than Jersey and had more rapidly growing populations. By contrast, even New York was a model of efficiency, growing its workforce by less than 1 percent during the same period.

READ THE REST HERE

Corzine + his phantom cuts = secret tax hike

Excellent analysis by Greater Media's Greg Bean:

If it looks like a tax hike, and smells like a hike …
READ IT HERE

So this is Corzines idea to cut spending: State aid to towns dropping sharply (but lets keep the fat)

Brilliant mind (not..) that Corzine. His goal is to transfer state fiscal responsibility to the individual towns by cutting aid... which in turn means our taxes will go up. Come election day which he doesn't have a prayer for re-election, he'll say that he listened TO US, and cut spending as we demanded.

As state officials released data showing that property taxes rose by an average of 5.4 percent in 2007 — the lowest rate in four years — they also detailed municipal aid cuts that are likely to put more pressure on the local levies in 2008.

The 2007 data from the Department of Community Affairs showed the average New Jersey property tax bill grew to $6,796 in 2007, up from $6,446 the previous year.

The data is the first measure of the effectiveness of a property tax cap lawmakers and Gov. Corzine instituted early last year. The cap set maximum annual property tax increases at 4 percent, but included exceptions that allow the taxes to rise by more than that amount.

Average property taxes had grown by about 7 percent annually since 2004. In 2003 they rose by about 4.5 percent.

However, the administration also detailed $168 million in municipal aid cuts Tuesday, the bulk of Cor-zine's proposed $190 million reduction in overall support for towns and cities. The reduction is 9.6 percent of the total aid distributed in 2007.

Twenty-seven municipalities in Monmouth and Ocean counties that received municipal property tax relief aid last year will receive none this year.

With less state aid, municipalities will have to try to make up for the losses by saving elsewhere — potentially cutting services — or increasing property taxes.

Corzine has targeted small municipalities, those with fewer than 10,000 people, for aid reductions to encourage town mergers and service sharing, which he has said would lead to more efficient government.

"Oh, dear," said Roosevelt Mayor Elsbeth "Beth" Battel when told the news of the total loss of municipal aid for 2008. The borough received $44,738 in 2007.

"I would say I'm stunned," Battel said. "I don't know how we're going to make our budget."

Battel suggested consolidating services with another municipality. But that probably could not be accomplished in time for the 2008 budget, Battel said.

"To a small town like Ocean Gate, it's devastating," Mayor Paul J. Kennedy said. "Where does it leave the taxpayer at this point? I'm not happy with it. What the governor has done to small towns is tough. It's more devastating to cut the aid in small towns than big ones. The picture isn't bright for small towns."

Large towns hit, too

Larger municipalities, such as Howell and Middletown, also are affected. Howell's aid allotment will be $927, compared with $476,481 last year. Township Manager Helene Schlegel said the cut equals almost a penny on the local tax rate.

"I'm certainly not surprised, quite frankly, with the state of the state's finances," said Howell Mayor Joseph DiBella.

"In general in New Jersey, more government jobs have been added to the payroll than in the private sector," DiBella said. "This leads to enormous costs in health and pension benefits. We have to find a way to reinvent how government does business."

Middletown would see its property tax relief cut by 29 percent, to $936,999. Overall, the amount the township would receive from the state in 2008 would go down by $634,511.

"This is a lot more extreme than we thought," said Richard Wright, the township's chief financial officer, who anticipated that Middletown would see a cut of a little more than $100,000.

Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger said he considers it unfair for the state to cut funding but to also require municipalities to increase their spending in various areas, such as pension obligations and library costs.

Keyport Mayor Robert J. Bergen said the aid cuts reflect a fundamental change in the way New Jersey government will be required to operate.

"They (state) does not want to pay for it anymore, and as the governor said in his speech, government is not only going to learn to do more with less, but that it (state) is going to do less," he said.

Corzine spokeswoman Lilo Stainton said the cuts are aimed at encouraging a "streamlined" government.

"There are just too many local governments, and their services often duplicate one another," Stainton said. "It should not necessarily mean higher taxes for local residents. Just as the state is looking to become a leaner, more efficient government, local officials can use those same techniques to reduce costs for local taxpayers."

More upset officials

But at a Township Council meeting Tuesday night, Brick Councilman Anthony Matthews said, "Nobody at the state level wants to make the decisions necessary. They're going to put the burden all on us (municipalities)."

Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Vincent Barella said that government on a municipal level is the most accountable to taxpayers, and small towns should be given the ability to raise revenue on local and tourist taxes.

"Trenton needs to surrender control. They need to look at what they're doing and give municipalities the chance to raise their own revenue," Barella said.

In Seaside Heights, Borough Administrator John A. Camera said, "It's really disappointing, and it's going to be a real pain and burden to the taxpayers."

"Towns with a population of less than 5,000 to 10,000 got hit the hardest," Camera said. "If it was across the board, it would be one thing. But giving money to big cities like Camden and Newark that are poorly managed is really hard to swallow."

While many of the state's largest cities are losing large amounts of raw dollars — Newark sees the biggest cut, $6.7 million — their percentage of reductions are relatively small. The state's most populous towns, including Newark, Edison and Woodbridge, are all slated to lose between 4 percent and 7 percent of their aid.

In Farmingdale, which has held annual municipal tax rate increases to an average of 1 to 2 cents, the disappearance of state aid will result in an estimated 8.5-cent increase, to 22.7 cents per $100 of assessed property value, according to Mayor John P. Morgan.

"I'm not sure the people will accept that (rate), but I don't (know) where to cut," Morgan said. "It's not like we waste money here."

Morgan said the governor's decision sends a message that the more capable towns are being penalized for keeping frugal budgets.

Shared-services proponents

Tuckerton will likely be forced to compensate for the loss of municipal aid with an increase in the local tax levy next year, said Mayor Lewis E. "Lee" Eggert.

The cuts in aid will steer smaller towns like Tuckerton toward shared services and, ultimately, consolidation, Eggert said. In 2007, he pushed for more shared services between area municipalities but met resistence from residents and other elected officials.

"I'm a fan of (shared services), but you do have to maintain the character of the town," Eggert said.

Barnegat is also looking to shared services as a long-term solution, Mayor Jeffrey Melchiondo said.

"I think everybody expected what was coming, we just didn't know how much," Melchiondo said of the cuts. "Why should you have duplicate and triplicate (services) when you could put them together and save everyone a penny or two?"

Already the township partners with neighboring Waretown to store street sweeping spoils, and more programs with Stafford and the Barnegat School District are on the horizon, Melchiondo said.

Keyport Mayor Bergen is not optimistic, though, that municipal consolidation will yield significant economies.

"We watch every dime here; I'm not so sure that a bigger entity is going to be that more efficient," he said.

APP

Senator Jennifer Beck says Fox should not be leading the BPU

State Senate Judiciary Committee Member Furious Over Plan to Keep Jeanne Fox as President of the BPU

The good news is that Fox must be confirmed by the committee to be re-appointed

A member of the State Senate Judiciary Committee is strongly criticizing Governor Corzine's decision to re-appoint Jeanne Fox to a new six year term as President of the Board of Public Utilities.

Senator Jen Beck says Fox should not be leading the BPU because she's under investigation for "taking some 83 million dollars off-budget, and using that money to hand out grants to what seemed to be politically connected people…both the Feds and the State are investigating this - they've had some difficulty because she shredded many of the record that were associated with that grant giving."

Beck says another problem with re-appointing Fox is that "she's in the middle of a whistle blower lawsuit, and she has been politicizing the BPU with a number of patronage jobs."

A spokeswoman for the BPU says "unfortunately, Senator Beck appears to be unfamiliar with the BPU's accomplishments under President Fox's leadership, and to have relied upon factual errors to form her opinions…President Fox looks forward to speaking directly with the Senate Judiciary Committee on her full record of achievement, answering any questions on that record, and talking about why she is a prudent choice for shepherding New Jersey's utility policies."

Gov. Corzine's Approval Ratings continue falling.

" Just one in four voters (25%) say the state is headed in the right direction, the lowest percentage since November 2005 just before Governor Jon Corzine's was elected." says Fairleigh Dickinson University-PublicMind pollster Peter Woolley.

65% say the state is off on the wrong track.
54% of Democrats agree the state is on the wrong track as do four of five Republicans (80%).

Woolley explains, "In part, those dismal numbers reflect that the governor himself is emphasizing that the state is on the wrong track."

"The governor's approval rate continues to drift down with 42% approving and 43% disapproving," says Woolley and that's a 17-poinjt negative swing, "In early January he was way ahead with 48-32% approving." Those who heard "some" or "a great deal" about the governor's toll plan split with 41% approving of him and 45% disapproving. Those who've heard "little" or "none" about the financial plan approve of the governor by 44%-30%. Woolley says, "There's no way to untangle those two things."

"One in four (27%) say the governor is doing a "poor" job, up 10 percentage points from early January before his State-of-the-State speech," says Woolley. 33% rate his performance as "good" or "excellent," down from 36% in early January and from 42% in late October just before the state's legislative elections. Those who use the New Jersey Turnpike or Garden State Parkway to commute to work are more likely (33%-23%) to rate the governor's performance as "poor" than other commuters. Woolley adds, "There's no doubt the governor's proposal for raising tolls has taken a bite out of his public standing…..Considering the beating he has taken on his toll plan, it's remarkable his numbers are not a good deal worse."

"64% of New Jersey voters now say they oppose the governor's plan to raise tolls to facilitate a fiscal restructuring, up five percentage points from late January," says Woolley. 28% say they support the plan, down five percentage points from a few weeks ago.

It's not very difficult to figure out what the voters want. Asked which budget option they would support, 51% say "make very steep budget cuts" while 20% say raise tolls, 9% say raise the gas tax and 8% say raise the income tax. Woolley explains, "Budget cuts are easier said than don….after the governor lays out those cuts, there will be no shortage of well-informed and well-organized lobbies opposing those budget reductions that affect their people."

The poll of 795 New Jersey registered voters statewide was conducted from February 18 through February 24 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points.

By Kevin McArdle - Millenium Radio - 101.5fm

So Corzine... Time is up: Are you FOR US or AGAINST US?

Governor Corzine still loves his Toll Hike Scheme and will not let it die easily. During tomorrow's state budget speech, he must make it look like the best alternative so beware the drastic budget cut recommendations he proposes. He likely paid a good consulting fee to the speech-writer (the same one that gave us "flying pigs") because this is do-or-die for his scheme (we all know it's all but dead).

However... did the Governor finally hear us, and is he ready to do the right thing? The only way to know for sure is if he looks at some real fat to trim before insulting us with threats to cut much needed services.

Some ideas for him:
Eliminate the state cars driven by those like Assemblyman Speaker Joe Roberts... or better yet: what about the McGreevey appointees - do you know our other bozo Governor mcGreevey even though he's long gone, these appointees never left?

What about all those politically connected outside lawyers Attorney General Anne Milgram continues to hire to do her work - and then some like defend the BPU on the whistyleblower case that she continues to hope just goes away ?

Time is up Governor... time to see if you're for us or against us!

IT WAS THE FLYING PIGS!! Governor looks to cut thousands of NJ jobs

Star Ledger

Jon Corzine on Tuesday will become the first New Jersey governor in a decade to propose a state budget that cuts total spending, when he presents a plan that has no new taxes or fees, shrinks the state payroll by as many as 5,000 jobs and eliminates three departments, according to three individuals familiar with the budget.
Having pledged to keep total state expenses below the current $33.5 billion, the governor also will propose slashing state aid to towns and cities by about $100 million, and "charity care" funding for hospitals by as much as $200 million, according to the individuals, who requested anonymity because Corzine's plan had not been made public yet.
And while administration officials have said aid to school districts defined by New Jersey's school funding formula will increase by $530 million, overall school funding will be about the same as last year because of other reductions, not yet disclosed.

In addition, the spending plan will eliminate rebates to about 152,000 homeowners. Administration and legislative officials said last week homestead rebates would be limited to families making no more than $150,000 instead of the current $250,000 limit. The nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services estimates that move will save more than $100 million.
Rebate amounts are expected to remain about the same. They averaged $1,051 for homeowners and $303 for renters last year.
Not since Gov. Christie Whitman proposed a slightly downsized budget in her re-election year in 1997 has a governor sought less spending than the year before. Last year, Corzine recommended a $2.4billion increase, and the budget he signed in June padded that by $200 million.
Like most of his speeches, the governor's third budget address has been written by Corzine himself, though aides helped fine-tune it. In keeping with the gravity of the occasion, the speech to be delivered in the Assembly chambers will be short and direct.
In his State of the State address last month, the Democratic governor, who faces re-election next year, vowed to freeze spending as part of a broad strategy to put state finances on sounder footing. He also called for new long-term controls on future spending and borrowing.
Corzine's complex plan to halve the state's debt and create a pot of cash for decades' worth of road projects has included a sharp increase in road tolls. But Corzine conceded last week the toll plan needs major retooling to have any chance to pass the Legislature.
The proposed budget does not include the estimated $600 million in savings the governor's tolls-for-debt plan would bring, the sources said.
The proposed budget would produce big savings by laying off about 1,000 state workers and offering incentives for 3,000 to 4,000 already eligible for retirement to leave this year. The total job cuts would come on top of the 1,850 net positions eliminated by Corzine since he took office two years ago. The full-time payroll now stands at 68,430.
The source confirmed the departments of Personnel, Agriculture and Commerce all face the ax, though the administration has not yet decided where their essential functions would be transferred.
Municipal officials are expecting to be one of the biggest casualties of the budget, which now funnels nearly $2 billion to the state's 566 municipalities. In addition to plans to reduce that amount by about $100 million, Corzine will propose cutting a $75 million inflationary adjustment that municipal representatives say they deserve under state law.
William Dressel, executive director of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, said the combined cut would be "unprecedented" in scope and lead to either higher property taxes or layoffs of police, firefighters and other municipal personnel.
"It will have a catastrophic impact," he said. "It's a perfect budget storm, and the people who are going to take it on the chin are going to be the property taxpayers."
Such a reduction in state aid could force big cuts on the local level because Corzine last year signed a law seeking to prevent towns from raising property taxes by more than 4 percent.
Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex) said that while cuts are inevitable, lawmakers will try to ease the pain where possible. The Democratic-controlled Legislature must adopt a final budget by July 1.
"If anyone thinks all of the cuts are going to be restored, they are wrong," Codey said. "That doesn't mean the ones that affect people the most we won't try every way possible to restore them, especially the ones that hit the middle class and the poor the most."

Hospital officials and their legislative defenders were equally nervous about a reduction of "charity care" aid in the range of $200 million. This year, 51 hospitals and hospital systems received $716 million.
Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex), chairman of the Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, said he expects any major reduction would be "fundamentally harmful" and could trigger more hospital closures. Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center in Plainfield last week became the fifth hospital in recent months to announce plans to close.
Vitale said that within a month he intends to introduce legislation that would revamp and try to stabilize state hospital funding as part of a plan to provide universal health insurance. "We will be working overtime to try to address this issue now," he said.

To keep the budget below the present $33.5 billion level, the governor would have to offset the school funding increase, rising pension and health care costs, salaries, debt payments and other costs where growth is locked in. That would mean slashing more than $2 billion in expenses elsewhere.
Lilo Stainton, the governor's spokeswoman, said Corzine will outline a plan "that reduces spending by billions. The budget will be austere -- it will reduce the size of state government, but also seek to protect property taxpayers and society's most vulnerable as much as possible."

Joseph Doria, commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs, said his department already is feeling pinched by the loss of 140 positions since Corzine took office two years ago. For example, the former Assembly speaker said, while there is a new law requiring the DCA to inspect single- and two-family homes for lead contamination, a hiring freeze prevents the department from employing the 25 to 30 inspectors needed to enforce it.

Doria said while the public may be clamoring for budget cuts, they should prepare for fewer public services. "People want the services they believe the state should be doing, but they don't believe it costs money," he said.
Jeffrey Tittell, a lobbyist for the New Jersey Sierra Club chapter, said the Department of Environmental Protection "will collapse" if the governor continues to pare its payroll, which he said has shrunk by nearly 1,000 positions during the past decade.

While some are gearing up to fight the budget-slashing, Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean (R-Union) said Republican legislators are ready to help Democrats scale back the budget.
"We will support real cuts in government spending and we look forward on a bipartisan basis to find those cuts that are real and sustainable," he said.

As if we weren't already ticked off about Corzine's Toll Hike Scheme, wait till you read about the $500k a month he's still spending on it...

Yep - that's right! Our Jersey Republicans recently unearthed that our beloved Financial Genius of a Governor has spent $4 million on legal fees to firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meager and Flem (I mean Flom - another likely part of the Corzine Cosa Nostra).

That's $4 million that according to State Senator Steve Oroho "makes no sense whatsoever to be spending so much money in legal fees "for a plan that 75 percent of the people say they're not for - to me, that's way, way, way too much money on something that obviously we don't have the money to begin with."
He goes on to say that if we do the math, it amounts to $500,000 per month. I don't know about you - but Ohoro is right when he says that the average taxpayer like you and I should ask ourselves: Hmmm.. would I pay $548 dollars an hour for an attorney? On top of that, would I have 30 outside lawyers work on a plan that 75% of the people don't want?

So far we're talking $4 million dollars and we're still not likely done with being billed for this fiasco.

Oroho and other republicans are calling for the State Comptroller to immediately review the situation - especially because the firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom may still be planning to bill the State for an additional 4 million dollars worth of work.

LOOKS LIKE THE PIGS FLEW!! Corzine's Fiscal Restructuring Agenda: Shift From Near Dead "Toll Hike", To Budget Reduction

According to three lawmakers, Tuesday's Budget presentation is going to call for a $250 million budget reduction in likely response to the Governor's "almost dead" toll hike scheme (Trenton finally heard our LOUD VOICES!!!)

Spending and borrowing restraints are two pieces of Corzine's "fiscal restructuring" agenda. But the governor conceded Thursday that his toll road plan, the centerpiece of his proposed financial fix, has little support and that he may have to settle for less than he originally set out to accomplish.

"I'm not conceding that it's dead. On the other hand, I'm a realist. I don't have 21 and 41 votes for this. I may not have any votes for this," Corzine said.

That plan, which would sharply raise tolls in order to halve state debt and fund decades of transportation projects, needs 21 Senate votes and 41 Assembly votes to win approval. It has received a cold response from lawmakers and a skeptical public.

Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, said Corzine is now eyeing a roughly $250 million reduction in spending this coming year. Two other lawmakers, who asked for anonymity while discussing the governor's planning, confirmed that figure.

Corzine had previously pledged to hold spending flat, a move that alone requires more than $2 billion in spending cuts.

"We can only spend the revenues we have, and details of the plan will come on Tuesday," said Corzine spokeswoman Lilo Stainton.

Corzine said he still hopes to halve the state's $32 billion debt. But his comments Thursday focused more often on investing in state infrastructure, the second of the two prime goals in his toll plan.

"We may not get everything I want with regards to these issues, but if we get a long way down that path, I think we will have made real change, a real contribution to both the present and the future of this state," Corzine said.

He cited the importance of investing in bridges, highways and the state's mass transit system, and said "we will get as much as I can in restructuring the finances and hopefully the debt of the state."

In recent days, some lawmakers have embraced the prospect of using more moderate toll hikes, gas tax increases or a combination of the two to fund transportation projects.

Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, said Wednesday that tying toll increases to improvements on the toll roads would be an easier sell than Corzine's plan, which was criticized for, among other things, hitting up drivers of some roads to pay for statewide debts and transportation needs.

Corzine would not discuss details of his budget Thursday but hinted at going further than just freezing spending.

READ THE REST HERE

Asselta’s qualifications … or lack thereof, received scant attention.

What about his resume?

The Corzine Cosa Nostra hard at work…

The Senate Judiciary Committee did nothing to enhance public trust in government by holding a mere 14-minute hearing last week before unanimously advancing former Republican Sen. Nicholas Asselta’s nomination to the state Board of Public Utilities. Most of the time was spent questioning Asselta about a crucial vote he cast in favor of Gov. Corzine’s school funding proposal … one day before Corzine nominated him for the $125,301-a-year post.

Read the rest of this APP article RIGHT HERE

Corzine's Public Benefit Corp all but dead thanks to "A Different Road"

Corzine says the state is nearly broke: Wisniewski challenges that statement head-on:

"New Jersey maintains an "AA-' bond rating on Wall Street. "Goldman Sachs, who everybody would acknowledge is a world-class financial operation on Wall Street, shares exactly the same financial rating as the State of New Jersey," Wisniewski said. Corzine used to run Goldman Sachs.

Corzine's Public Benefit Corp is likely all but dead thanks to Assembly Transportation Committee chairman John Wisniewski's recommended plan.

Although the 18 cents gas tax hike may not be the ultimate answer, it does have a much more reasonable moderate Toll increase schedule and he does have the Trenton Legislators buzzing about it. The problem as I see it however, is that IT DOES NOT ADDRESS THE ROOT CAUSE. In other words, there's nothing in the plan that calls for CUTTING spending (only freezing). Some Republican legislators, (preferably a newly elected official(s) like Scanlon/Casagrande/Beck?) need to submit another alternative that may incorporate "a modest" gas tax with across the board cuts.

Wisniewski's plan would not cut state debt, which is a key element of Corzine's proposal to raise tolls by roughly 800 percent by 2022 and by inflation from then on. Corzine has said reducing debt could save the state $1 billion a year in interest payments over the next decade.

But Wisniewski said his plan would more fairly spread the costs among all motorists.

"An 800-percent toll increase was going to fund transportation. I find that unacceptable," Wisniewski said.

He said Corzine's proposal would unfairly hit seven counties, including Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean, that rely on the state's toll roads while asking much less of the rest of the state. Wisniewski's alternative would roughly double tolls by 2018 and would direct the money raised back to projects on the toll roads.

Corzine's proposal would halve the state's $32 billion debt, at least temporarily, and fund up to 75 years of transportation projects.

Under Wisniewski's plan:

• The gasoline tax would grow by 18 cents, with inflationary increases following to fund transportation projects.
• On the Parkway, tolls would grow from 35 cents now to 75 cents in 2018. Corzine's plan would raise the same toll, in four installments, to $2.70 by 2022.
• The Turnpike would see three 25-percent toll hikes in place of Corzine's four increases of 50 percent plus inflation. That means today's $1.20 average trip would cost $2.35 in 2018 under the Wisniewski proposal, compared with the $9.85 by 2022 called for by Corzine.
• A 50-cent Expressway toll would become $1 by 2014, compared with $4.05 by 2022 under Corzine's plan.

Wisniewski also endorsed the same spending controls as Corzine, and even tighter restrictions on new borrowing.

"The governor is pleased that an active dialogue has emerged on how to put New Jersey on the path to fiscal responsibility while also recognizing the need to fund critical, long-term infrastructure improvements," Corzine spokeswoman Lilo Stainton said.

Other lawmakers react

A Democrat whose support is key to Corzine's plan, Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, applauded Wisniewski's approach. Lesniak, who is sponsoring the Corzine proposal, said it will be much easier to convince toll-road drivers to support fee increases if they see the funding coming back to the highways they use.

"The governor trying to do everything all at once in one big bundle; that's too complex to do it all in one way," Lesniak said.

(That's Trenton talk for: I'm not supporting Gov. Corzine's plan any longer)

He said that once the state finds a source of transportation funding, a separate debate can begin on reducing debt.

But Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, said talk of a gas-tax hike is premature.

"Right now, there's no reason to talk about a gas tax, there's no reason to talk about toll increases until (Corzine) presents his budget," Sweeney said.

Corzine is scheduled to lay out his plan Tuesday, and Sweeney, like other lawmakers, has called for reduced spending to alleviate the state's financial problems.

Wisniewski disputed Corzine's assertions that the state is nearly broke.

"Bankrupt really means that you're insolvent, that you can't pay your bills. That's not a situation where New Jersey is at. We can pay our bills," Wisniewski said.

He said New Jersey maintains an "AA-' bond rating on Wall Street, similar to most other states.

"Goldman Sachs, who everybody would acknowledge is a world-class financial operation on Wall Street, shares exactly the same financial rating as the State of New Jersey," Wisniewski said. Corzine used to run Goldman Sachs.

New Jersey's debt costs the state $2.6 billion in payments each year, and growing pension and health care liabilities cost another $2.2 billion a year, according to the administration. Corzine has said those payments severely restrict the state's ability to pay for needed programs and repairs.

New Jersey’s Credit card bill - just unbelievable…

Amazing numbers here - the preplexing question (other than where the heck all these spending numbers come from) however is Why is Gov. Corzine is in such a panic to pay our bills?

Hmmm…. Terrific read by our friends at Enlighten NJ

Thanks guys - keep doing what you’re doing!

Another slick move by our beloved Gov.: Advocacy group “Save our State NJ” pops up to support the Toll Hike fiasco… Guess who funded it??

The Courier Post online had an article about a New Advocacy Group called “Save our State NJ (coincidence - it’s in opposition to save our assets nj?). It’s registered as a 501(c)(4) organization.

In the article, spokesman Jennifer Godoski states “We are going to raise whatever it takes to get the message out to New Jerseyans about the crisis we are in and about the plan that is on the table”.

Wow - seems like a well informed convicted backer of the Corzine fiasco - oops - I mean Toll Hike plan.

So who is this Jennifer Godoski? THAT is a great question!

She’s listed as chief of staff to Kris Kolluri, Corzine’s commissioner of transportation and one of the chief proponents of the 800 percent toll tax. Before that, she was a spokeswoman for Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-Mercer.

So our slick Governor funds a 501(c) organization to push his agenda and have the spokeswoman plucked from one of his main backers.

Hey Govna’ - if this is a wise, honest, and convicting plan, what’s with all the slick maneuvers?

Any wonder why we believe you’re totally dishonest and not credible?

Good source of information found at our friends at inthelobby.net

Jersey Towns Could Be Ready to Speak Out Against the Corzine Toll Hike Plan

Millennium Radio

As Governor Corzine presses ahead with his proposal to increase tolls 800 percent, he may soon be faced with an unexpected problem.

Last week Toms River passed a resolution strongly opposing the plan, and other towns all over Jersey could soon follow suit.

Bill Dressel, the Executive Director of the Jersey League of Municipalities, says his group does want to work with the Governor to improve the State’s fiscal situation, “but we’re not prepared at this point to sign off on this proposal - because I think this proposal is in a state of flux - I think it’s going to have to be changed…it’s difficult for us to be able to come up with a conclusion that this specific proposal is the right proposal at this point.”

He says he’s heard concerns from Mayors and other local leaders that raising tolls 800 percent would be unfairly burdensome for certain communities, and there are also fears about more trucks diverting off the Turnpike onto local roads - so “there may be a combination of revenue raisers that might have to be considered - but first and foremost, before we get into that discussion, we’ve got to see what the budget is going to bring on the 26th.”

The Governor has indicated he will present his proposed budget at the end of this month, and he says it could include budget cuts that might be very unpopular in certain circles.

Corzine’s Toll Road Plan in the Works for Years

If you think Governor Jon Corzine’s Financial Restructuring and Debt Reduction proposal is an entirely new plan, think again. A look back to the year 2005 reveals Corzine has been mulling the idea of doing something on a very grand scale for a very long time.

In July 2005, then-United States Senator and candidate for Governor, Jon Corzine was talking about ways to replenish the fiscally struggling Transportation Trust Fund. He said, “Selling long-term assets for a long-term acquisition of additional assets, capital assets, is a strategy that I think makes some sense.” He was asked if increasing tolls should be explored as well. Corzine answered, “I would like to look at other means of finding the way to fund this Transportation Trust Fund without making New Jersey even less affordable…..I guarantee you we will find a way to do that and the last resort is the gas tax. It’s going to be a complicated resolution of a problem, but we can make it happen.”

A “Corzine for Governor,” press release dated July 11, 2005 reads, “Given the recent spike in oil and gas prices that are squeezing family budgets, we must find other alternatives to raising the gas tax. As this report clearly highlights, we cannot simply enact stop-gap solutions that just buy time until the next crisis. We need fundamental reform. For example, we must explore new ideas such as repositioning assets, including state-owned land adjacent to train stations and major state highways to allow us to make critical transportation investments.”

Under the Governor’s current plan there will be no toll increases in 2008 or 2009, the year before and the year of the next gubernatorial election. In 2010, tolls will be hiked 50% plus the rate of inflation for 08 and 09. The tolls will be increased by 50% every four years after that while also factoring in the rate of inflation.

The Corzine Administration uses $1.21 as the average a toll road commuter pays per day. Under the plan, in 2010 that would go up to $2.05. In 2014, the total would be $3.46. In 2018, it will be $5.84 and in 2022, the final year of the scheme the total will be $9.86. That means a toll road commuter will be paying more than eight times what he or she is paying today to take the same ride in 2022. Tolls would continue to be increased at the combined rate of inflation every four years until the 75-year life of the plan is over.

Corzine wants to pay at least half of $32 billion in state debt and fund transportation projects for 75 years by creating a nonprofit corporation to manage toll roads and borrow up to $38 billion.

The Governor has been hinting at deep and painful spending cuts which he vows to unveil in his Budget Address next week. Last week, Corzine warned that if the State doesn’t get its fiscal house in order, property taxes could skyrocket, college tuitions could soar and hospitals could close. New Jersey has long suffered with chronic financial woes and it is reasonable to surmise Corzine knew of these problems in 2005 as well, but that hasn’t stopped State spending from rising with him at the helm.

Corzine inherited a State Budget of $27.9 billion when he took office in 2006. His first spending plan totaled $30.8 billion and the current budget stands at $33.5 billion. That’s a 20.1% increase under Corzine’s watch. He now insists the State must slash $2.5 billion just to freeze spending at the current $33.5 billion level.