A view into your neighbor's thoughts on taxes

I don't normally pay attention to Fran Wood, Op-Ed columnist for the Star Ledger, because she rarely writes a thought provoking column. However, yesterday she penned a column that I thought was instructive on how most of our neighbors view of state spending and tax increases.

Fran starts with Steve Lonegsan's idea that we ignore court mandated funding:

In last year's Republican gubernatorial primary, Mayor Steve Lonegan of Bogota got some attention by suggesting the state should consider simply not funding some of those mandates, like the Abbott school districts -- ignoring the state Supreme Court's order on funding education in poor districts.

Right. Like that's going to happen

Idea dismissed without a thought.

Again she takes a solid idea, a Citizens' Convention, and trashes it with nary a second thought:

We've also been teased with the notion that lower property taxes are just one little constitutional convention away, which is more nonsense. In case you haven't figured it out, a constitutional convention is a copout. It would put into citizens' hands the business our legislators are elected to do but won't because they won't risk their jobs. Moreover, it would cost a heap of money that the state doesn't have, and the only likely result -- a cap on property taxes -- would simply force us to find some other way to fund the things property taxes pay for, mostly meaning our schools.

A great idea dismissed because it would cost a "heap" of money. That figure came from where? Do we really need we ask?

My favorite part of the above quote, however, is how Fran misses the only good point she made:

a cap on property taxes -- would simply force us to find some other way to fund the things property taxes pay for, mostly meaning our schools.

Exactly! We would have to find other ways to fund schools. Yes! Perhaps deep cuts in other state programs or cuts in how many districts we have or laying off state workers or cutting their pension benefits or cutting legislators salaries, or using the money that was ear marked for schools like the income tax and lottery funds, or, or, or. The list is endless.

And finally, Fran comes to her sad but inevitable conclusion:

Laying off some state employees and trimming some government expenses are like chipping paint off the Queen Mary. Yes, we must do it, but it's far from a total solution. I don't want to see clothing taxed, but we probably need to do it. With a nearly bankrupt transportation trust fund, raising gasoline taxes is unavoidable.

Chipping at the Queen Mary? We need to take dynamite to the good ship New Jersey. Massive layoffs are required not chipping. As for tax increases, according to Fran "we probably need to do it." Probably? What thought has been given to this concession to have your money confiscated by the State? None.

And for her finish... a sad missive on corporate America cutting pension benefits for workers.

Corporate America is addressing its own pension crisis by replacing company-funded pensions with employee-funded 401(k)s. Disheartening as that trend is, the state probably needs to do it as well.

Fran, in case you don't read the business section, Ford recently announced that it was laying off 30,000 workers. See, corporate America knows that when it is spending more than is coming in you need to cut expenses.

unfortunately for anyone that wants to see real changes in the way the State does business needs to look no further than Fran to see why voters voted for Corzine and won't raise a voice when taxes are increased and the current spend culture is left in place.