Lawrence and DiCicco: Corzine’s Crazy Toll Road Scheme Is Back

Gloucester Township, NJ- Eugene Lawrence and Domenick DiCicco, Republican candidates for Assembly in the 4th District, said voters should reject Jon Corzine, Paul Moriarty and William Collins before they get the chance to implement the governor's plans to raise tolls 800 percent and borrow $40 billion with false promises of reducing state debt.

"Everyone knows that people are being forced from New Jersey because of its worst-in-the-nation tax burden fostered by Governor Corzine, Paul Moriarty and their Democratic colleagues," Lawrence said. "But instead of cutting spending to lower taxes, the Democrats keep pushing the governor's foolish scheme that will entail massive borrowing and toll increases despite the fact that people clearly rose against this plan when it was first proposed."

Last year, the governor's administration approved a toll increase on the New Jersey Turnpike that will raise the average commuter's annual tolls by $728 by 2012. If the original monetization plan were enacted, a person's commute would increase by nearly $5,000 by 2022. The governor is considering the plan despite strong opposition from the public and Republican legislators, who have proposed reducing state debt through a comprehensive plan that entails restricting government's ability to borrow what taxpayers cannot afford to repay and other responsible budgeting reforms.

"Our state's finances face several daunting challenges, but instead of using common sense to fix the state's problems, the governor and his party mates cling to this convoluted plan that makes no sense, nor benefits, anyone except the governor's friends on Wall Street," DiCicco said. "The people need leaders willing to tackle our problems directly, openly and honestly - not more complicated gimmicks."

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