NJ gov shutdown

[OmegaNYC]

Anyone else who is from Jersey feeling the pain of the state shutdown? :(

[stache]

Have you noticed anything so far?

[OmegaNYC]

Well, I always go to Liberty State Park. I LOVE that place. I won't be able to go after the 5th because this state can't get it's act together.

[Gregory Tenenbaum]

HobRoken?

[OmegaNYC]

Well, it's the 5th. Casino, State Parks, Beaches, Historic Sites, and all Road constuctions on highways will most likely close today. :mad:

[Dagrecco82]

I was thinking of going down to Sandy Hook tomorrow but I'm guessing that'll be closed. I'm wondering if you could still venture into the beach areas anyway?

[OmegaNYC]

That's a good question. I think you can, but there will be no lifeguards, and the stores will be close too.

[Bob]

Corzine gets in and WHAM up goes the taxes. NJ deserves everything this guy dishes out.

[Ninjahedge]

Corzine gets in and WHAM up goes the taxes. NJ deserves everything this guy dishes out.


Yeah. We deserve a deficit. :rolleyes:

[lofter1]

Corzine gets in and WHAM up goes the taxes.
When the Feds cut taxes the burden shifts to the states.

[stache]

Everybody has to pull their weight.

[Ninjahedge]

Everybody has to pull their weight.

Actually, everybody has to pull everyone ELSES weight.

We SHOULD all pull our own weight so that the burden of the few that genuinely cannot do not break the backs of those that need to carry them.

[kliq6]

Im praying to the real estate GODS that they eliminate the sales tax breaks they give companies going forward, as that will just about eliminate the job exodus from NYC to Jersey completely. That one exemption, firms getting 10 to 15 years of sales tax free spending, has created 100,000 of jobs in this state

[NYatKNIGHT]

New Jersey Lawmakers Reach Budget Deal

By DAVID W. CHEN and JOHN HOLUSHA
July 6, 2006

TRENTON. July 6 — An agreement to break the state budget deadlock and raise the sales tax to 7 percent, from 6 percent, was reached today, Gov. Jon S. Corzine announced late this afternoon.

According to Democrats in the New Jersey General Assembly, half the revenue raised would go to close the $4.5 billion gap in the state's operating budget. The other half would be subject to a ballot question on whether it should be used for municipal aid to reduce or slow the rise of property taxes.
In 2008 another public referendum would ask whether all the revenue from the tax should go for property tax relief.

Property taxes in New Jersey are among the highest in the nation and an important political issue.

The agreement came after a day of maneuvering in the capital on the sixth day of a shutdown of state government because of the lack of a budget.

The break in the deadlock came in the afternoon when a group of Democrats in the Assembly who opposed the tax increase broke apart.

A top Democratic senator said today that a bloc of legislators opposed to Governor Corzine's proposed sales tax increase "broke up" and that an agreement on the state budget could be announced as early as this afternoon.

Senator Bernard F. Kenny, the majority leader, said the bloc, led by Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts Jr., did not have enough votes to pass its own proposal in the Assembly or to override a veto by Mr. Corzine. The proposal was advanced Wednesday night and did not include a sales-tax increase as does Mr. Corzine's plan.

As a result of the break-up, Mr. Kenny said a budget agreement was "close" and would be announced "hopefully this afternoon."

An agreement would pave the way to end the shutdown of state government after six days and permit the reopening of revenue-generating casinos in Atlantic City.

"The Assembly Democratic caucus broke up," Mr. Kenny said after emerging from a meeting in the governor's office, with Mr. Corzine, Mr. Roberts, Senate President Richard J. Codey and others. "The votes weren't there."

If a deal is announced today, Mr. Kenney said a budget could be voted on and signed by the weekend, ending the shutdown that began last Saturday.
Mr. Roberts, a Democrat from Camden, has been the principal opponent of Mr. Corzine's plan to raise the sales tax to 7 percent, from 6 percent, to close a budget shortfall.

Mr. Corzine is promoting a compromise that would dedicate half the tax increase to abating New Jersey's property taxes, which are among the highest in the nation. Mr. Corzine said the plan would provide "billions of dollars of funding for property tax relief over 10 years, while implementing meaningful progress towards financial responsibility."

The outlines of a possible deal came after Mr. Corzine called the Legislature into joint session for the third consecutive day to appeal for a settlement of the budget dispute that has closed state offices and Atlantic City's casinos.
Speaking as idled state and casino workers demonstrated outside, Mr. Corzine said, "We need to sit together and fix this mess."

Showing more emotion than usual, Mr. Corzine repeatedly said the Legislature needed to act "today, today, today." He received a standing ovation from the public gallery, but the legislators voted to adjourn shortly after he left the chamber.

Referring to the state's worsening financial position, he quoted his father as saying, "If you're trying to get out of a hole, stop digging."

Although legislators ended the day on Wednesday seemingly no closer to approving a budget, the Assembly Budget Committee took an incremental step toward possibly sending furloughed state employees back to work.

Late Wednesday, the committee met for the first time since Mr. Corzine ordered the shutdown on Saturday, and it approved a bill that would give the governor the authority to reclassify as "essential" employees the 45,000 workers who had been told to stay home without pay. The bill would have to be passed by the Assembly and the Senate and signed by Mr. Corzine before taking effect.

The tax proposal — which has been opposed by a group of Democratic legislators led by Mr. Roberts — is at the heart of the dispute that has paralyzed the state government and led on Wednesday to the closings of the 12 casinos in Atlantic City.

Mr. Roberts met with Mr. Corzine for about 45 minutes on Wednesday afternoon, but their session produced no reported progress.

"We all have to compromise, simple as that," Mr. Codey said.

Still, there was so little movement that perhaps the most compelling development of the day was the disclosure that Mr. Corzine had slept overnight in his office on a cot that was delivered last week.

Republicans in the Assembly, where Democrats hold a 49-to-31 edge, continued to bemoan the process. One of them, Bill Baroni of Mercer County, challenged Mr. Roberts to move the debate forward.

"Mr. Speaker, it's time to put us to work," Mr. Baroni said. "The people of New Jersey want their state back. They want their casinos open and they want their legislators to go to work. Until we get to work, they have every right to be angry with us."

Copyright 2006 (http://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/help/copyright.html)The New York Times Company (http://www.nytco.com/)

[OmegaNYC]

Corzine boldly bets it all
http://nydailynews.com/images/editors/header_editorials.gif


New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine has partially shut down government services in a dramatic bid to impose fiscal order on a state sliding toward bankruptcy. Good for him.
With half the state workforce furloughed, the DMV and the lottery had to shut. Parks and beaches are closed. Even Atlantic City casinos went dark, unable to operate without state monitors. The standoff is causing pain and inconvenience for millions, but Corzine is right. And the blame rests squarely with New Jersey's wastrel Legislature.
In his first budgetary confrontation with the Trenton gang, Corzine has flatly refused to go along with their irresponsible modus operandi. No more raiding pension funds. No more recklessly running up debt. No more balancing the budget on a wing and a prayer.
His plan was hardly austere, with overall outlays up more than 9%. But he held flat spending on schools and other programs and called for tax hikes, most notably a penny increase in the sales tax to 7%.
Cooler-headed Democrats in the state Senate accepted a compromise version of Corzine's budget that uses half the new sales tax revenue for property tax relief. But the Assembly, under Speaker Joseph Roberts, must want to go back to the bad old days of spending cash it doesn't have. As of yesterday, his house had not put forward a realistic counterproposal or passed a single piece of budget legislation.
So Corzine's hands are tied. There's no budget for him to sign - not even a proposal to negotiate - and the state Constitution says funds cannot go to nonessential services without a budget in place. Corzine is doing his part to resolve the impasse. He's sleeping on a rollaway bed at the statehouse. He called the Legislature into special session on the Fourth of July and again yesterday, pleading for sanity. So far, none has materialized.

[lofter1]

New Jersey Budget Deal Reached


NEWSDAY (http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-new-jersey-budget,0,7260047.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines)
By TOM HESTER JR.
Associated Press Writer
July 6, 2006

TRENTON, N.J. -- New Jersey's governor and lawmakers reached a deal Thursday on a new state budget, six days into a state government shutdown that shuttered casinos and threw more than 80,000 people out of work.

Gov. Jon S. Corzine said the shutdown could end by late Friday or early Saturday if budget bills pass the Senate and Assembly. The legislation will be considered Friday by committees in both houses, allowing final budget votes as soon as late Friday.

The governor cautioned that the budget accord was not cause for celebration, because too many residents' lives were disrupted.

"We have much more to do in the coming months and years to fix our state's public finances," he said.

The deal will increase the state sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent and use half the $1.1 billion that it will raise to help lower property taxes, which are among the highest in the nation. It allows the possibility that, in future years, the entire increase will go to property tax relief.

"I honestly think that in the end with the agreement that we have reached, our state and more importantly our citizens are all emerging as winners," said Senate President Richard J. Codey.

Democrats who control the state Assembly had opposed the sales tax increase, which would cost the average New Jersey family an estimated $275 per year.

"This is a very, very fair resolution: good for the state, good for the taxpayers," said Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts Jr., who had been the main opponent of the sales tax hike.

Republicans, the minority party in New Jersey, blasted the agreement.

"Robbing Peter to pay Paul is not the solution to our property tax crisis," said Senate Minority Leader Leonard Lance.

Corzine, a Democrat, shut down non-essential government operations on Saturday after the Legislature failed to pass a budget by the July 1 deadline.

More than 45,000 state workers were furloughed, including those who staff state parks and beaches and the gambling inspectors who keep an eye on the casinos. Without the gambling inspectors, Atlantic City's dozen casinos had to shut their doors Wednesday, putting 36,000 casino employees out of work.

The casinos stood to lose more than $16 million a day while shut down, and the state would lose an estimated $1.3 million a day in the taxes they normally generate.

"Everybody's relieved this is going to be behind us," said Michael Facenda, a spokesman for the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, which opened a $200 million expansion last week and then had to close part of it Wednesday. "We're anxious to get back to work and show off the product."

Casino executives were meeting behind closed doors to plan for reopening the halls, but it was unclear when that would occur.

Dealers and other laid-off workers have not been called in yet, pending official word from the state Casino Control Commission on when casinos can reopen, said Alyce Parker, a spokeswoman for Harrah's Entertainment, which operates four casinos here.

"We're just happy it's resolved, and let's move on," Parker said.

It was also unclear when lottery sales would resume. Convenience store owners say they've lost not only hundreds of dollars each day in lottery sales, but they're also being hurt by the lack of sales of sandwiches, milk and other items that lottery players usually buy.

"They have to reopen the lottery," said Raj Sing, who owns the Brick Mini-Mart, almost pleading. "I don't want to lose my business; this is all I have."

Associated Press Writer John Curran in Atlantic City contributed to this report.

On the Net: Legislature: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us (http://www.njleg.state.nj.us)

Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc.

[Bob]

Higher taxes in New Jersey? Think this will solve the problem? Far from it! Here's what will happen: the NJ state government will continue to find new ways to spend money, "correct" this problem and "address" that problem, increase spending to make salaries "more fair," etc. Bottom line: more fees, more taxes down the road. As for Corzine, he's a taxaholic. The kid can't help it.

[Ninjahedge]

Higher taxes in New Jersey? Think this will solve the problem? Far from it! Here's what will happen: the NJ state government will continue to find new ways to spend money, "correct" this problem and "address" that problem, increase spending to make salaries "more fair," etc. Bottom line: more fees, more taxes down the road. As for Corzine, he's a taxaholic. The kid can't help it.

So lowering taxes will do it?

When you have a bunch of programs that take a long time to change and you are already facing a fiscal shortfall you need to do both.

The problem is, national aid for things like infrastructure and education are diminishing, so how do you handle that shortfall on top of excessive spending already in place?

The only programs that usually get cut are the ones that are not "padded" enough (as in the politicians pockets) to protect themselves.

So what will happen is that, as with most government, services will be cut, education will suffer and all sorts of public works will not get the funding they need, but the administrative bodies that run and control them will.


One thing too Bob, please refrain from the condescending colloquialisms such as "Kid" in a political discussion. It does nothing but reduce your criticism to namecalling.

[Bob]

The Honorable John Corzine, Governor of the State of New Jersey, cannot help it.

[Bob]

Jon Corzine (ahem)

[Ninjahedge]

Jon Corzine (ahem)


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(ahem) ;)

[NYatKNIGHT]

You mean he can't help attempting to avert fiscal catastrophes, right? I'd think you'd have to increase taxes on a daily basis to be referred to as a taxahaulic. He's attempting to fix the state's finacial troubles at the risk of unpopularity. Bravo for doing something, the last 3 governors did jack.

[Ninjahedge]

You mean he can't help attempting to avert fiscal catastrophes, right? I'd think you'd have to increase taxes on a daily basis to be referred to as a taxahaulic. He's attempting to fix the state's finacial troubles at the risk of unpopularity. Bravo for doing something, the last 3 governors did jack.

Actually, the last one did Jack.

The other two did Mary.

[NYatKNIGHT]

Buh-dum-bum. We're here all week. Try the veal!

[stache]

The last one *was* 'Mary'.

[Ninjahedge]

The last one *was* 'Mary'.

And you are saying I am wrong? :o

[Bob]

I will agree that it's often the Governor's job to make tough choices, but I find very few in government willing to say "no" to anybody, for anything. Want sidewalks in your neighborhood? Sure! Want street lights? But of course! Want parks? Yep. Want our school teachers to earn 6 digits? You betcha. More cruisers for the State Police? That, too. This goes on and on and on, and you end up with a never-ending spiral of spending and more spending and more spending...at some point -- at this rate -- the marginal tax rate on just about everything will be 100%. Of course, people are purposeful entities and have an interesting little habit of reacting to stimuli. People adapt to increased taxes. They move. They make choices in their spending habits. They close businesses. They move some things into the underground economy. What we will need (at some point, and why not now?) is to put a complete halt to all increased spending. From this point forward there should be no growth in ANY government spending, and any expense on A necessarily shall come at the expense of B, C, and so forth. If that means cutting the budget for street lights, then so be it. What do you want? Street lights, or schools? The days of having the cake and eating it, too, are eventually going to be OVER.

[stache]

And you are saying I am wrong? :o

Was Mary, did Jack. Everybody wins!