Why not just sell the government to Halliburton?

by: Hopeful

Thu Jan 18, 2007 at 10:33:13 PM EST

I'm very concerned with the direction this property tax plan is taking. The governor is pushing selling off (or "leasing") the turnpike, property along highways, and (oddly) the lottery. Now, at the New Jersey State League of Municipalities:

Gov. Corzine yesterday told mayors concerned about a proposed 4 percent annual cap on property-tax increases to fight for alternative sources of revenue - such as impact fees imposed on developers - to avoid the service cuts and layoffs they predict would result from the cap.

I find this astounding. It seems towns are now expected to fund necessary government services by selling off any remaining open space to developers. That's not a model of sustainable government. To be sure, mayors certainly must aim to keep property tax increases below 4%, but it seems to me that Corzine wants to put enforcing his campaign promises on someone else, while selling off the state's assets. And as njdem says, it looks like most of the government reforms are falling apart. I don't think selling assets without a longterm fix is a good idea.

If I'm wrong, please explain it to me.

Hopeful :: Why not just sell the government to Halliburton?

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Why not just sell the government to Halliburton? | 1 comments

Or to Goldman Sachs ... (0.00 / 0)

What I find very disturbing about the current property tax debate is the lack of new ideas. For all the talk of hardwork and his brilliance, Gov. Corzine hasn't brought any new ideas to the table. His main proposals: 1) sell off government assets to private companies 2) caps on local expenditure growth and 3) cut salaries and benefits for workers are the same proposals that have been out there. There are good reasons why most of these proposals haven't gone anywhere before.

The real way to stop the growth in government spending is to reform government. New Jersey's government is in desperate need of overhaul and structural reform. Such reform could enable a slowdown in government growth. Granted, such reform is hard, but that's where the ultimate solution lies. I'm really dismayed that the Governor doesn't seem interested in getting his hands dirty and investigating the details of state government.

-pb

by: princetonblue @ Fri Jan 19, 2007 at 12:11:26 PM UTC