New Jersey Nixes Tax on Millionaires

In a sign that the popularity of Governor Christie with New Jersey voters may be forcing legislators in New Jersey to pay attention and act more fiscally responsible, lawmakers in the Garden State have conceded they don't have votes to override his veto of a substantial tax increase from earlier this year.

"New Jersey Democratic legislators on Monday failed to gather enough votes to extend a tax on millionaires that would have been used to provide property tax relief for senior citizens and the disabled.

Democrats wanted to override Republican Governor Chris Christie's veto of the plan but were unable to get any Republicans to join them to muster the two-thirds majority needed in the state Assembly.

The Democrats had wanted to reimpose a one-year, 10.75 percent tax on income above $1 million that would have hit 16,000 people, some of them likely to work as financial professionals just across the Hudson River in New York."

It's a shame that it takes a veto by the governor to stop lawmakers from imposing a draconian tax on the most productive members of society.

What lawmakers should actually be doing is cutting personal and corporate tax rates to encourage more people and businesses from neighboring states to move to New Jersey.

Yes, providing help to senior citizens and the disabled is certainly a noble cause. But if finding money for this cause was important enough, lawmakers could easily come up with the funds for those initiatives if they were willing to cut spending on their sacred cows - the public unions that have extorted money from the public for year and given lavishly to their campaigns in exchange.

NJ Governor Christie Impresses Again

New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christie once again demonstrated excellent fiscal sanity, by rejecting a "millionaires tax" that had been proposed by New Jersey lawmakers.

The vote came within minutes of the Democratic Assembly passing a bill that they projected would raise over $500m, but be immediately spent on various items.

"The Assembly voted 46-32 to pass a bill that would raise taxes on income over $1 million to pay for property tax rebates and prescription drug benefits for seniors and the disabled."

Christie's response while vetoing the bill was priceless:

"While I have little doubt that the sponsors and supporters of this bill sincerely believe that the state can tax its way out of this financial crisis, I believe that this bill does nothing more than repeat the failed, irresponsible and unsustainable fiscal policies of the past," wrote Christie in his veto statement. "Now is not the time for more of the same. Ultimately, another tax increase will punish the state’s struggling small businesses and set our economy further back from recovery."

Why are there so few Chris Christie's (i.e., elected men and women with some fiscal sense and a backbone) in statewide and national office around the country?

Every state needs a Chris Christie running it, to stand up to special interest unions, corporations and citizens demanding more and more handouts and sweetheart deals from government.

NJ HS Students Protest Budget Cuts

Yesterday high school students in New Jersey expressed support with teachers and school administrators and showed their opposition to proposed budget cuts by walking out of classes.

"Students at Rancocas Valley High School in Burlington County left school just before 8 a.m. to show their support for teachers in light of Governor Chris Christie's proposed education cuts in the state budget.

Last week, a majority of voters in New Jersey rejected 59 percent of school budgets in the state's 537 school districts."

It's not often that voters in New Jersey seek to reign in the costs of local education.

"It was the first time in 34 years that the majority of budgets were defeated."

It's ironic that in walking out of school, these kids are basically protesting the decision made by their parents to reject the local budgets.

Of course, the state teacher's union is grateful for the show of support and as such is egging the students on by basically likening their cause to Ghandi, Martin Luther King, etc. by referring to their behaviour as 'engaging in civil disobedience'.

Fundamentally, the grandstanding that took place will prove to be an empty show of support by easily-manipulated kids who do not understand the economics of what they are protesting and who do not understand the anger of taxpayers who are fed up with shoveling increasing amounts of their money towards overpaid, overstaffed bureaucracies.

New Jersey Governor Off to an Impressive Start

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is off to an impressive start in his first few months in office. He's attacking spending, considering targeted tax cuts and generally has the left-wing in an uproar.

"In nine days, Gov. Chris Christie will present a budget that attempts to reverse everything from the Corzine years.

Working families will be thrown off health care programs. Bus and train fares will go up by 25 percent. School aid will likely be slashed, a blow that will land hardest on lower-income districts that depend on Trenton most. Even unemployment checks will get the squeeze. And all that won’t get him even halfway to a balanced budget."

Notice the loaded language: that people will be "thrown off" various health care programs. Yep, I'd say the formerly powerful left-wing is getting more and more upset that their carefully crafted socialist programs are being discarded or at least not fully funded.

And why shouldn't they be? New Jersey is one of the highest tax states in the Union. Taxpayers in that state are already being taxed to death.

Just because politicians, in a bid to be reelected, made outlandish promises of money they didn't have to people looking to be subsidized by others, doesn't mean that those promises must be kept.

Politicians should keep in mind that taxpayers are not willing to follow through on all of their grand plans, especially if doing so will send said taxpayer to the poor house.