Vote of the people should stand when school budgets go down
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 04/23/06
Voters are fed up, defeating more school budgets - 256 - than have been defeated since 1994. Meanwhile, Gov. Corzine and members of the Legislature are stalling on property tax reform and making excuses.
Politicians set it up so your vote means nothing. Defeated school budgets can be reinstated by your municipal governing body. In the rare case the municipality agrees with voters, rejected budgets can be appealed to Trenton, which can overturn voters and municipalities.
Does it make sense our men and women in uniform are dying to establish democracies in foreign countries while in Jersey a legitimate vote of the people can be overturned by unelected bureaucrats you never heard of?
This also demonstrates what a crock home rule is. If there were any home rule, the vote of the people would stand. Home rule is a joke trotted out when political trough-swillers can't think of any legitimate reason to oppose changing the status quo that's making them rich.
School budgets always have items they can take out in case of defeat. They'll cut $1,000 from a $100 million budget and call it fixed. If your local government tries that stunt or if it overturns voters, take 'em out in the next election. The alternative is more taxes.
And send new blood to school boards. Incumbents ran unopposed too many times. These are the nimrods who ask for things like $340,000 to start a varsity ice hockey program and $5.8 million to install artificial turf at four high schools, as property owners are working two or more jobs and struggling to put food on the table and buy gas at around $3 a gallon.
The moronic hockey and turf proposal comes from the poster boy for wasted property tax, Burlington County's Lenape district. It's the one that spent $1.5 million on politically connected lawyers and more than $100,000 trying to keep secret what the lawyers did.
Since voters consistently say property taxes are the state's biggest problem, why isn't the Legislature working on it? Candidate Corzine talked about calling a special legislative session during his first 100 days. Didn't happen. The Big Excuse is the budget process. That's good until July 1 when the budget has to be in place. Will there be another excuse then?
As 101.5 FM radio newsman Kevin McArdle pointed out, there are 27 legislators on budget committees. That leaves 93 lawmakers who could be getting serious about property taxes. The best Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts, D-Camden, could come up with is that lawmakers are meeting with constituents and getting an earful. Well, duh! He's been in Trenton since 1987.
And yet he and his cronies have to travel to find out we've had it with property taxes. Travel is easier for Roberts than you. He has a state car with gas and insurance paid for by taxpayers. His phony sincerity on serious issues like property taxes has worn thin. In his 19 years here, the problems have worsened while he feathered his nest and looked concerned.
Roberts, like many lawmakers, is in the pockets of party bosses and special interests like the teachers union, which is why nothing gets better. Gutless, all of 'em.
New definition: Used to be oligarchy best described New Jersey's political setup. That's rule by a few for their own advantage. Nowadays the collection of Trenton public trough-swillers can best be described as a kleptocracy. That's a government characterized by rampant greed and corruption.
Blogosphere: Starting today you can share opinions and see input from other readers about our wretched kleptocracy and the world in general. You asked for a Politics Patrol blog. You got it. It will be updated daily. The journey starts at this Web site: www.app.com.
Free at last: Tax Freedom Day is that date that marks the end of the time all of your income for the year goes to pay for federal, state and local taxes. This year it's April 26. Unless you live in the Kleptocracy of New Jersey, in which case it's May 6.
New Jersey workers have to put in more days to pay the extra taxes that come from living here, things like Joe Roberts' car and gas and insurance. With all the tax hikes Corzine and the Legislature are planning, next year it should fall about July 4 - which could be a positive thing, a reminder another revolution is called for.
ON THE WEB: To read and respond to Bob Ingle's blog, go to www.app.com and click on the Opinion section.
Bob Ingle is Trenton bureau chief for Gannett New Jersey newspapers. He can be reached via e-mail at bobingle@app.com and heard on New Jersey 101.5 FM radio at 5 p.m. Fridays.
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 04/23/06
Voters are fed up, defeating more school budgets - 256 - than have been defeated since 1994. Meanwhile, Gov. Corzine and members of the Legislature are stalling on property tax reform and making excuses.
Politicians set it up so your vote means nothing. Defeated school budgets can be reinstated by your municipal governing body. In the rare case the municipality agrees with voters, rejected budgets can be appealed to Trenton, which can overturn voters and municipalities.
Does it make sense our men and women in uniform are dying to establish democracies in foreign countries while in Jersey a legitimate vote of the people can be overturned by unelected bureaucrats you never heard of?
This also demonstrates what a crock home rule is. If there were any home rule, the vote of the people would stand. Home rule is a joke trotted out when political trough-swillers can't think of any legitimate reason to oppose changing the status quo that's making them rich.
School budgets always have items they can take out in case of defeat. They'll cut $1,000 from a $100 million budget and call it fixed. If your local government tries that stunt or if it overturns voters, take 'em out in the next election. The alternative is more taxes.
And send new blood to school boards. Incumbents ran unopposed too many times. These are the nimrods who ask for things like $340,000 to start a varsity ice hockey program and $5.8 million to install artificial turf at four high schools, as property owners are working two or more jobs and struggling to put food on the table and buy gas at around $3 a gallon.
The moronic hockey and turf proposal comes from the poster boy for wasted property tax, Burlington County's Lenape district. It's the one that spent $1.5 million on politically connected lawyers and more than $100,000 trying to keep secret what the lawyers did.
Since voters consistently say property taxes are the state's biggest problem, why isn't the Legislature working on it? Candidate Corzine talked about calling a special legislative session during his first 100 days. Didn't happen. The Big Excuse is the budget process. That's good until July 1 when the budget has to be in place. Will there be another excuse then?
As 101.5 FM radio newsman Kevin McArdle pointed out, there are 27 legislators on budget committees. That leaves 93 lawmakers who could be getting serious about property taxes. The best Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts, D-Camden, could come up with is that lawmakers are meeting with constituents and getting an earful. Well, duh! He's been in Trenton since 1987.
And yet he and his cronies have to travel to find out we've had it with property taxes. Travel is easier for Roberts than you. He has a state car with gas and insurance paid for by taxpayers. His phony sincerity on serious issues like property taxes has worn thin. In his 19 years here, the problems have worsened while he feathered his nest and looked concerned.
Roberts, like many lawmakers, is in the pockets of party bosses and special interests like the teachers union, which is why nothing gets better. Gutless, all of 'em.
New definition: Used to be oligarchy best described New Jersey's political setup. That's rule by a few for their own advantage. Nowadays the collection of Trenton public trough-swillers can best be described as a kleptocracy. That's a government characterized by rampant greed and corruption.
Blogosphere: Starting today you can share opinions and see input from other readers about our wretched kleptocracy and the world in general. You asked for a Politics Patrol blog. You got it. It will be updated daily. The journey starts at this Web site: www.app.com.
Free at last: Tax Freedom Day is that date that marks the end of the time all of your income for the year goes to pay for federal, state and local taxes. This year it's April 26. Unless you live in the Kleptocracy of New Jersey, in which case it's May 6.
New Jersey workers have to put in more days to pay the extra taxes that come from living here, things like Joe Roberts' car and gas and insurance. With all the tax hikes Corzine and the Legislature are planning, next year it should fall about July 4 - which could be a positive thing, a reminder another revolution is called for.
ON THE WEB: To read and respond to Bob Ingle's blog, go to www.app.com and click on the Opinion section.
Bob Ingle is Trenton bureau chief for Gannett New Jersey newspapers. He can be reached via e-mail at bobingle@app.com and heard on New Jersey 101.5 FM radio at 5 p.m. Fridays.
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