| Yesterday's Herald News Tribune editorial "Guv's latest budget grabs put hurt again on middle class" is another example of how New Jersey media outlets continue to get it wrong when it comes to Governor Jon Corzine's success in managing revenue shortfalls while simultaneously reducing the size of state government. Reading more like a Chris Christie press release than the fact based analysis one expects from a widely read newspaper, the editors' thesis is that Corzine has yet to pursue a "steady, aggressive reduction in the size of government, from its number of workers, to nose-bleed salaries, to overly generous health and retirement benefits, to departmental waste."
Intentional or not, the editorial is misleading. Governor Corzine has reduced the size and cost of government, has rooted out waste, and he continues to develop responsible solutions to New Jersey's present fiscal crisis.
The Herald News Tribune criticizes Corzine for striking:
... again at beleaguered property taxpayers and those he classifies as New Jersey's "wealthy," a definition of well-off that gets smaller every time Trenton's bureaucrats need some extra cash, which is pretty much all of the time.
Let's be frank. No one enjoys paying taxes. Yet New Jersey finds itself in the midst of a perfect storm. Not only is revenue collection down due to the economic recession, but two decades of irresponsible borrowing and reckless raids on so-called dedicated funds (e.g., the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund) have placed demands on state coffers at a time when they could not be more empty. Upon taking office, Corzine reversed these unsustainable practices and has invested more in dedicated funds such as the state worker's pension program than any New Jersey Governor since Brendan Byrne.
No one wanted to cut the Homestead Rebate Program, and that is evident from Corzine's public statements and recent efforts to preserve this important benefit. But he's faced reality. Something his opponents, and the editors, fail to do. The editorial continues:
Meantime, Corzine wants to once again raise income taxes on households earning more than New Jersey's average, this time on those that take in more than $400,000 a year ... It's one among many reasons some of New Jersey's high-flying performers, from doctors to bankers to successful entrepreneurs, are fleeing the state as fast as they can.
Funny. A study released by Princeton University's Policy Research Institute, "Trends in New Jersey Migration: Housing, Employment, and Taxation," debunked the myth of the flight of the wealthy. According to the paper's findings, the 2004 tax on millionaires had a small effect on migration in and out of the state (67 out of 44,000).
One expects Chris Christie to run roughshod over the facts, but professional journalists? The editorial continues:
... nowhere does the governor really call on government to sacrifice. Sound familiar? Absolutely, sadly enough.
Governor Corzine has reduced the size of the state payroll by over 4,000 workers and the current FY 2009 budget reduced the cost of state government by $300 million. Moreover, he has made tough decisions on funding and presented budgets that, for the first time in New Jersey history, resulted in two consecutive years of reduced state spending.
That's right. The first time in state history. And he's about to do it again.
The proposed numbers for FY 2010 pare down spending to 2006 levels, an achievement that reflects both stark economic realities and Corzine's determination to reform government so that it lives within its means. Rather than panning his policies as shades of McGreevey, editorial writers should be commending a record of fiscal responsibility - indicative of Governor Corzine's budget priorities - that none of his predecessors can match.
Confronted with a national recession and an inheritance of reckless fiscal policies, Corzine has a demonstrable record of success on budget issues. The mainstream media should quit reciting Chris Christie talking points, examine the record, and demand that candidates from both parties answer the hard question of how they intend to right New Jersey's fiscal ship, ease the burden on taxpayers, and set state finances on the path to long term stability. |
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