so i'm taking this class...
 

called New Jersey Politics. it's actually quite interesting and we learn about a lot of facts the common Jerseyian probably doesn't know. i'm sure Jeff would love this class, i started writing a paper yesterday about New Jersey's problems with tax and why the current tax reform sucks. so far, the one thing i've taken from this class is that i now know why everyone is moving out of New Jersey and that is part of the solution to many of New Jersey's problems; overpopulation.

whats wrong with jersey is corrupt politicians and society leeches such as [people who live on welfare]

corruption in trenton has brought in a ton of funding to New Jersey. some politicians have stole money from the state, but that happens everywhere. i'm talking bribes and such, that has helped NJ. i'm not condoning it, i'm just saying it happens and theres nothing we can do about it so why not enjoy the advantages it brings about... everyone knocks corzine, but i bet most don't know he declined his salary as governor. mcgreevey was taking 157k a year!

yeah he declined his salary cuz he steals money from elsewhere. he also gives out free needles to drug addicts and put a tax on coffee and magazenes as well as other things. everyone knocks on him cuz hes a crook.

Take a look at Bob Ingle's blog, there's tons of stuff in there that could help you with your paper. He's the Trenton Bureau Chief for Gannett NJ, and he posts a lot of stuff most people won't normally hear about.

As for the governor, salary or not, he's spineless and a liar. He consistently caves in to the special interest groups, and has gone back on vitually every campaign promise he made. Not to mention, his property tax reform is a joke. The reason he's not taking a salary is because he has more money than probably everyone on this board combined from his years at Goldman Sachs. He doesn't really even want to be governor.....he's just using it as a stepping stone to the White House (which hopefully he never gets).

can you write my paper for me? thanks for the link and you are spot on about Corzine. his reform ideas blow but i still honestly think he is well intentioned for New Jersey. it has been said that new jersey is THE hardest state to govern. with so many problems, where do you start? if you ask me, i think the state needs a COMPLETE overhaul. 567 municipalities and 610 localized school districts are completely unnecessary. this state is so inefficiently run, 98% of your property tax goes to public schools, while the national average of property tax percentage allocated to public schooling is 74%. which also doesnt explain New Jersey having the highest property tax per capita in the nation. its a bunch of crap.

-plus he wants to sell roads such as the parkway to private owners. so you know, if they jack it up to 20 bucks a toll booth(which they can technically do) this will be Corzine.... :shrug:

Haha...my paper writin' days are long over. In regards to Corzine, if he were truly well intentioned, he would veto every property tax reform bill that came across his desk that wasn't long term and watered down. You're definitely right about the municipalities and school districts, but the consolidation will never happen (at least on the scale that it should) because there are too many union and politically connected jobs that'll be lost. The school districts could easily be condensed by county, the way it should be, but the same people that complain about high taxes are the same ones that cry about "home rule". The Abbott districts also need to be severely reformed. I think the intentions were great with them at the start, but the administrators with their heads in trough both abuse and mismanage the system. Administrators in Camden fixed the test scores of 3rd graders to keep the funding coming in, both Camden and Newark districts paid out over $300,000 EACH to DEAD employees, a principal in Newark purchased a Wurlitzer juke box with Abbott $$$, and a custodian in Jersey City made over $175,000 in a year!!! That's our tax $$$ hard at work......uhhh, yeah.....and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

why would he care? he can afford it.

which is what i believe is the greatest prolem with politics anywhere in teh world today. the only people who can afford to be directly invovled are those who would never be effected by teh consequences of their actions/inactions in the first place.

i'm surprised a sales tax on clothing hasn't been implemented yet. we have a 8.125% sales tax in new york (which is why i do all my clothes shopping in NJ) so 6 or 7% wouldn't be too bad and really would provide a huge amount of revenue. as much as i say consolidation is key, i know it works because your cutting the salary of useless people. but putting those people out of work will never happen so what the hell. why bother wishing?

and tim- as for corzine. he is no different from any other politician; and thats precisely the problem. he promised to be the "different" politician. but he isn't. i'd like to think hes not taking salary to help the budget. but i dont think thats the case. i think hes trying to look like hes trying to make a difference. but hes really just covering his own rear. i don't believe the whole "he's rich enough so he doesn't need the money." he was rich enough when he worked for goldman sachs, but the reason he got rich is the same reason the idea isn't true; greed.

speak for central and south jersey.... up here in northeast jersey we are waaaaaaaaaay too overpopulated for that to work

a district per county is streching it... but every town shouldnt have its own school district.