PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
by Chris Freind
Corzine is the Worst Kind of Liberal
New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine just proposed a massive toll hike on many of the Garden State's highways. Why? To control the state's out-of-control spending habits.
Notice we didn't say "solve" the spending dilemma---Corzine has no interest in actually solving the debt crisis facing Jersey. He merely wants to perpetuate the government's largess by having someone else subsidize it, namely, as always, the taxpayers.
How much will Corzine increase the tolls? Not much---only eight-fold over the next twelve years (from 2010 to 2022, there would be 50% increases every four years, with inflation-matching increases to follow). But here's the kicker: Corzine is projecting that the state will have a $1.6 billion surplus after the tolls stop increasing. Granted, it's a good thing to have a "rainy day" fund, but not with money the state doesn't own. Let's be honest. Corzine wants the extra money for more pork-barrel projects, which is precisely why the state is, in Corzine's own words, "pretty much broke". There's no such thing as "government money"; it's people's money, sent to the government through taxes. Although this might be anathema to government intellectuals, the people know best how to spend their own money. And keeping extra revenue out of the government's hands takes away its temptation to spend it.
Instead of being a real solution for the state's financial morass, Corzine's proposal will only serve to further break the back of the middle-class. The average poor person in Newark isn't using the New Jersey Turnpike, and the "rich", while rightfully annoyed, aren't financially affected by increased tolls. But the middle class commuter, who is already living in an overpriced state, will now have to contend with tolls he may not be able to afford. An average three exit trip on the Turnpike, which now costs $1.20, will cost a staggering $9.85 each way by the end of this plan, and some anticipate a $65 fee to drive the length of the Turnpike and back.
I'm no economist, but I have to think those numbers will far outpace the inflation rate. Strike one.
As an added bonus, do we even have to mention the increased cost for a gallon of gas today, let alone in the future? Is there anyone out there who truly believes gas will go down to previously manageable levels? Strike two, Governor.
But the issue here is infinitely bigger than quantifying budget numbers. It's about a warped philosophy.
You see, Jon Corzine is the worst kind of liberal, because he can afford to be liberal, in the mold of Teddy Kennedy. These types of initiatives don't affect Jon Corzine the man, or the circle of elites who surround him. As Governor, you can bet he isn't paying the tolls now (based on the fact that he almost killed himself and numerous civilians while recklessly speeding to meet the Rutgers basketball team, we know Corzine doesn't think the law applies to him). When he leaves office, do you really think a twenty dollar trip will affect a man worth hundreds of millions of dollars?
Interestingly, there are some New Jerseyans who are quoted as saying the Governor's efforts are "courageous", if unpopular. Sorry, but that's not courage. It's hypocrisy.
Corzine is, first and foremost, a financial guy. He knows what has to be done to make the state solvent, but he looks the other way. He knows the need for sweeping spending cuts, and he knows that non-essential state personnel should be fired. He should be using his line-item veto on out-of-control appropriations, and he should be vetoing bills that continue to put the state---and its citizens--- at risk.
But he won't.
He's not a bold leader nor a courageous Governor---he's simply trying to masquerade as one. It's "business as usual" in Trenton, nothing more.
Welcome to The People's Republic of New Jersey.
