The Left Marches On Part Six: Emotion Based Politics = Big Government

This November’s ballot is dripping with syrupy feel good politics and phony promises ranging from doling out phantom “Property Tax Relief” to curing Alzheimer’s disease. The New Jersey State Legislature has abandoned all pretense of practical, responsible governance in favor of irresponsible social engineering schemes impacting everything from genetic cloning to manipulation of the state’s real estate market, intent on forcing our population into high density government funded housing projects. Let’s take a stroll through ballot question hell and see what shadows lurk in the hearts of the Trenton crowd - even those who have not yet been indicted.

Ballot Question One? A repeat of last years continuing property tax relief fraud. Fool me once,-shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. This phony promise dedicates another one half of the new point on our sales tax to the phony “Property Tax Reform” account within the already farcical “Property Tax Relief Fund.” Voters passed this question last year and are still waiting for the 20% property tax relief we were promised. The election year rebate checks have arrived and voters are supposed to believe this vote will guarantee this government largess. Hold on to your wallets folks. This question dedicates the sales tax revenue to a vague slush fund called “Reform” and I can tell you that one legislators idea of reform is not another’s. This slush fund is and will be cut up in back room deals that taxpayers will never vote on. Passage of this question lays the groundwork for an 8% sales tax next year and I challenge any proponent of this fraud to guarantee otherwise.

Question two asks taxpayers to endorse the borrowing of $450 million in new debt to fund failed embryonic stem cell research. Not withstanding the fact that embryonic stem cell research has not produced a single cure, Democrats and Republicans voted to put this disgraceful question on November’s ballot. Disgraceful because the explanatory statement proclaims this borrowing could lead to cures for everything from Cancer to Alzheimer’s and everything in-between. This despicable act of presenting false hope to so many should be condemned for what it is - sick. The explanatory statement fails to disclose that passage of this question empowers the legislature to levy municipal taxes on “real and personal property” of our already over burdened taxpayers.

Question three incurs even more debt, this time to fund the social engineers’ vision of buying up all developable property to end the construction of the one family home and replace it with high rise high density housing projects. The Trenton crowd wants to further mortgage our children’s future so the same children can never afford the American Dream of the single family home with the white picket fence. The explanatory statement for this scam fails to disclose the government’s intention to use eminent domain to make this nightmare vision a reality.

These ballot questions mean more and higher taxes on the state with the highest property taxes in the nation, the worst income tax in the country and the highest state sales tax. With the second highest per capita debt, this administration seems committed to being number one. In a competitive world, New Jersey must become lean and cost effective. Highly risky research projects Wall Street will not invest in and radical social engineering schemes coupled with phony promises of “Property Tax Relief” will not achieve that goal. Last year the slogan “Enough is enough” was the mantra of the Democrat leadership. This was nothing but rhetoric. Now voters have the opportunity to vote NO on all of these questions and through that slogan back in their faces. But this time we really mean it.

Steve Lonegan is the Mayor of Bogota, NJ, and Executive Director of Americans for Prosperity - New Jersey. Americans for Prosperity (AFP) and Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFP Foundation) are committed to educating citizens about economic policy and mobilizing those citizens as advocates in the public policy process. He is a prolific writer, having been published in newspapers and blogs. He currently has a book in pre-publication on the impact of New Jersey state government on the well being of the taxpayers of the state, where he offers solid and workable solutions.