Posted by
Logical Party on Monday, February 04, 2008 1:16:19 PM
Corzine Budgeting for Corruption
by David DiBello
If every man, woman and child of New Jersey’s nearly 9 million populace sent in a dollar a week to Trenton for 52 weeks a year, it would take seven years to pay off the projected $32 billion deficit. This approach seems more feasible than to double and triple thruway tolls, singling out drivers both home and out of state for past legislative mismanagement.
We can tweak the contribution levels so little Timmy and Jane, or Rasheesh and Shaquana don’t get unduly burdened and rudely awakened to NJ economics. Of course there will be the clamor of discrimination of the wealthy if they have to pay $2 for this shortfall, but at these levels we can risk it.
Segregating the debt and eliminating it will not alleviate the real problem going forward. Like teaching a man to fish instead of handing him a carp, it would be unwise to hand a new credit card to spendthrift legislators, especially ones still in the throngs of addiction.
It’s time to address the waste in this city’s government, that is, if we can keep an elected official out on bail long enough to make a “town meeting.” New Jerseyans should question the need for an “ombudsman,” a window dressing office as old and irrelevant as the New Hampshire primary, or the countless dog catching titles that add to the fiscal mess. How difficult can these jobs be if one can hold dual titles, and matching pensions?
Then we approach perks given to “gift” office holders, along with Part Time employees (phantom jobs?) who receive full time benefits for life, including expensive health care and pension to boot. These employees work as little as 10 to 15 hours a week, equivalent to watching two Seinfeld reruns a day for six days; something to break up the monotony of doing nothing.
New Jerseyans are in a state of massive kickback and corruptions, and stolen funds never recovered, that it would be unwise to hand over a clean slate before Corzine confronts the fiscal hemorrhaging going forward for fear of another new deficit in ten years.
Credit Corzine for making his proposals, unlike Gov Florio, while New Jersey was awake. However we fear Corzine’s budget already takes into account future corruption as part of the state’s operating costs, explaining the toll hike request. Suspicious if it only takes a dollar a week from every citizen to pay off this debt.
We elected Corzine because he was a shrewd financial manger, but like driving without a seatbelt, he seems accustomed to the “old way of doing business,” especially allocations for frivolous projects and bureaucratic misadventures. If the Governor can’t adapt to prudence, then the electorate should consider its own drastic cost cutting measures – Impeach Corzine.
The only looming problem is explaining to your child as they break into their piggy bank why they have to pay for someone else’s misdeeds. It will be time for the “life isn’t fair” speech, to which they might reply “nonsense – it’s their fault; make them pay.”