Department of Agriculture saved?

by: Hopeful

Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:45:08 PM EDT

The administration wants to increase spending by about $66 million to avoid some cuts. They include $15 million in extra aid for small municipalities, $10.7 million for charter schools, and $500,000 to restore the Department of Agriculture.

Update:  Some thoughts after the break...

As the Senator from the 3rd District, the 40 towns I represent comprise the largest constituency in the State.  Many of these towns are small in size, but each one has its own identity - something residents take pride in.

       "Governor Corzine's FY 2009 budget contains a number of proposed cuts in aid for smaller towns, as an attempt at forcing them to consolidate.  Often, more attention - financial and otherwise, is paid to our cities, simply because they are larger in both geographic and population size. While I understand that cuts and consolidations are necessary, we cannot allow this budget to be balanced on the backs of small-town residents.

       "I'm all for service consolidations, in fact, I've sponsored legislation calling for school districts to consolidate services, but there has to be a sense of fairness when it comes to these necessary, but unevenly distributed proposed cuts.

     "If cuts and consolidations are to be made, they need to be made across the board.  If small towns must tighten their belts and cut back, all of New Jersey needs to tighten belts and cut back.  If small towns will be asked to pay for State Police patrols, then Camden and Newark should also have to pay for them.

       "I cannot, in good conscience, allow small-town residents to bear the brunt of this budget because they choose to live in less populated areas. As Majority Leader, I will fight to make sure that our hard-working, small-town residents are not unfairly targeted."

I think we're in for some interesting battles.