I have to chuckle. Liberals have hissy fits approaching conniption and apoplexy whenever anyone wonders what Clinton was doing while the terrorists were coming back and forth into the U.S.A., training to take down the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the White House. Their normal answer is "who was in charge on 9/11?"
Ah, but when a Democratic Governor and vast majority Assembly in New Jersey shut down most of the State functions, putting many NJ citizens on to involuntary and unpaid leaves, as well as seriously damaging tourism during the summer months, who do they blame?
How sad it was to read your July 4 editorial blaming the Democrats for the budget mess in Trenton. When every state was awash with budget surpluses during the Clinton years, it was Republican Gov. Christine Todd Whitman who made us into one of the only states suffering from major deficits.
Whitman left this state in a horrible financial condition we are still paying for today. Both political parties are to blame for using cheap political and financial tricks to balance the budget over the last decade and beyond. No party was dealing honestly with the realities of having a real balanced budget in place that meets all the state's responsibilities.
Gov. Corzine is the first to take the politically risky choice of doing the right thing and stop the fiscal bookkeeping games this state is famous for. The penny rise in the sales tax would bring in the revenue this state needs to fund our obligations — to the residents as well as the state employees — and get our fiscal house in order. He took the right first steps in cutting programs that could be cut. Now it's time for everyone to bite the bullet.
I would like to see the penny rise in the sales tax for a period of three to five years. A guaranteed sunset provision would state that any attempt to continue the penny rise in the sales tax after the allotted time would require a state voter referendum and cannot be changed by legislation. That would be a true sunset provision that both parties could get on board with.
To be totally fair, is it all Corzine's fault? No, it isn't. He has only been in office since this year. There was a democratic governor in place since 2002, and McGreevey and Codey share some of the burden. And perhaps Whitman shares some, as well. Hell, why not go back and blame Florio. He did major damage with his tax policies.
Liberals are great at blaming others, but never seem to want to clean their own house. Why not through some blame at the majority Democratic Assembly? What have they done?
But, really, it is all about blaming a Republican. Vietnam? Nixon's fault. Despite being started by a Democratic president, and destroyed by a liberal media and Congress. Iran Hostage Crisis? Ford's fault, because Ford should have removed the Shah. First WTC bombing? Bush 41's fault.
Let's say the Dems regain Congress and the White House. The nuclear bomb that goes off in 2010 in Chicago? That would be Bush's fault, you know.
