At the first debate gubernatorial debate televised by NJN last Thursday none of the gubernatorial candidates proposed a credible plan to deal with the state's high tax burden, runaway spending and projected $8 billion budget deficit for fiscal 2011.
Yet all the media attention and buzz by the pundits after the debate has been focused on Chris Doggett's proposed $3.9 billion property tax cut that would be offset by extending the state's 7 percent sales tax.
According to Daggett's website, his "tax reform plan would extend the existing 7 percent sales tax to a wide range of personal, professional and household services, including services provided to individuals by professionals suchh (sic) as lawyers, accountants and architects. The sales tax extension would not include business-to-business services. The expansion would add $3.9 billion in tax revenue." Huh?
In order to generate $3.9 billion of additional sales tax revenue, $55.71 billion worth of services would have to be taxed at 7%. Daggett is asserting that in New Jersey lawyers, accountants, and architects as well as other personal service providers generate nearly $56 billion of services annually. Where is the evidence?
But even if there is a $56 billion pot of services that could be taxed, Daggett's assumption that there will be no negative effects of a nearly $4 billion hike in the sales tax is absurd.
Every tax hike reduces someone's income, which in turn reduces consumer spending and investment. In addition, increased taxes reduce employment. A sales tax on currently untaxed services would reduce the demand for those services and in turn would reduce employment in those sectors. This is basic economics.
Moreover, according to the slide presentation on Daggett's website, his tax plan amounts to nothing more than rearranging the chairs on the Titanic.
Under Daggett's plan property taxes decline by $4.0 billion, from $24 billion to $20 billion. Wonderful. Income taxes decline by $600 million, from $11.7 billion to $11.1 billion. A token drop. Corporate business taxes are reduced by $700 million, from $2.7 billion to $2.0 billion. A good beginning. However, sales tax revenue jumps from $8 billion to $12 billion, virtually wiping out his proposed tax cuts.
In short, Chris Daggett is another "reformer" who wants to maintain the status quo, making him a "conservative", in the real sense of the word. He does not want to end the cycle of tax and spend that has gotten us into this mess.
Governor Corzine is also a conservative-a "progressive" conservative who wants to expand the status quo, namely New Jersey's welfare state and redistributionist policies. His collectivist vision of the world-more people dependent upon the government for healthcare and other social services, more federal tax dollars flowing from a bankrupt federal government which has to borrow every "stimulus" dollar it spends, and more tax dollars from suburban families to support the expensive, dysfunctional urban education districts around the state-is flawed and doomed to massive failure. That is Corzine's platform, and incredibly it just may get him reelected.
Chris Christie, on the other hand, needs to articulate a freedom agenda to jump start the state's economy instead of trying to run out the clock. His double digit lead has just about evaporated. He must support a massive overhaul of New Jersey's welfare state. Otherwise, he is running as just another "conservative"-a caretaker of the welfare state.
Christie knows that the tax and spend and borrow policies by governors from both major parties have taken the state government to the brink of bankruptcy. And he should know that to revitalize the state's economy, Trenton must shrink substantially. This policy can be summed up in one word: decentralization.
Decentralization means abolishing the state income tax-which was supposed to dampen property tax hikes--and having local school districts raise their own funds to pay for their schools. In one stroke, the state budget declines by nearly $12 billion. This is not only fair but will lead to better education outcomes. Suburban districts would be much better off financially and urban districts would have to restructure their school systems because they no longer would have the huge subsidy the state currently provides.
In addition, the school property tax would only be levied on homeowners who have children in government run schools. Parents who send their children to religious or private schools should not have to pay for education twice. Any homeowner who is childless would be exempt from the school property tax. Taxing people for services they do not consume is unjust and should be abolished immediately.
It doesn't take a "village" to raise children, but couples who bring children into the world must bear the cost of paying for their needs.
To help urban school districts fund their schools all sales taxes should remain in Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, etc., so these communities would have the local generated resources to pay for public education. Foundations, corporations, wealthy individuals, suburban families and others who want to support urban educaiton would now have the opportunity to step up to the plate and put their money where their collective mouths are, i.e., wanting to help kids in urban districts get a better education without the bureaucrats in charge of education.
The Corporate Business Tax (CBT) should be abolished, leaving nearly three billion dollars in the hands of the wealth creators in the state--corporations and small business owners. New Jersey would become the Mecca for thousand of businesses in the region and around the country, and indeed from all over the world.
All state subsidies to nonprofits would be abolished. This would force them to become "entrepreneurial" by raising funds from the communities they serve. Well managed nonprofits would thrive and poorly managed ones would fold.
A major overhaul of the state government workforce would probably reduce the number of employees by several thousand, maybe by as much as ten thousand or more workers. With the influx of businesses into the state and the creation of untold new businesses, they will be able to find work during New Jersey's economic renaissance.
Under the above proposals, less state funding would no longer mask the true cost of government. Local communities would then have to run ‘tight ships" for their taxpayers, and mayors and council members would be held even more accountable for the management of the public's tax dollars.
As far as the bankrupt Transportation Trust Fund is concerned, a 25 cent hike in the gasoline user fee, yes the gas tax is a user fee, just like a postage stamp is a user fee, would cost an average driver about $150 per year. For that small hike many our roads, highways and streets would be repaired ASAP.
Corzine and Daggett are wedded to the status quo, the failed policies of big government. If Chris Christie plays it safe, he will lose. It's time for our state motto-Liberty and Prosperity--to become a reality once again. And the only way New Jersey will flourish is for the politics of redistribution to be abolished once-and-for all and replaced by empowering all residents throughout New Jersey under a decentralized political economy.
South Jersey Democrats are touting Cinnaminson native Anthony Mazzarelli, the head of the emergency medicine department at Cooper University ... >
Everybody needs to start a new job with a list of priorities and Chris Christie is no exception. There might be a thousand things that need to get ... >
Political discourse in America contains much in the way of intellect or intellectual honesty. One considers the Federalist Papers with wistful awe: ... >
The NJ gubernatorial election result demonstrates that Governor-elect Chris Christie resurrected the center-right voter coalition of Republicans, ... >
With a convincing win in defeating an encumbent Governor, why were there no coattails? >
As in any transition, speculation is rampant as to whom Governor-elect Chris Christie will appoint as Chief of Staff, State Treasurer, and Attorney ... >
Now that the dust has finally settled after the grueling campaign for governor, there are a number of lessons that we can draw from this ... >
When he was growing up, Chris Christie's folks must have taught him that when he went to a new playground, he should pick a fight with the ... >
“My work is done here. Winfrey has finally succumbed,” announced Novick at a press conference, pumping his fist in ‘win’ style. ... >
New Jersey voters repudiated Governor Jon Corzine's policies of the past four years on November 3rd. Republican Chris Christie and Independent ... >
Murray
Murray is bitter that Daggett has surpassed him as the most recognizable NJ 3rd partier
Murray
Murray is right about what it would take to fix NJ. His plans make sense and are fair, which is why they'd have no chance of being implemented here.
There was a candidate who believed largely as he does in the primary, but he let personal squabbles cloud his vision, which makes him pretty much like every other politican now.
With the current crop of candidates, it doesn't matter who is elected. Daggett is just as redistributionist as Corzine, he just goes about it a different way. We end up in the same place with all three, just at different speeds.
Daggett--a plan to nowhere
His plan is as laughable as his commercial, his fundraising and his assertions that he's not in this race to help Corzine. If the liberal media weren't on the same team, Daggett would already have been exposed to be the fraud he is.
Murray's Right, but . . .
The raison d'etre of major political parties is to get elected, establish patronage, and to control the POT OF MONEY that goes through Trenton for the benefit of itself a some of their more important constituencies.
Additionally, the major political parties control the political process by statute, making it virtually impossible for any other potential political party to challenge their duopoly of power.
The major political parties make sure that they nominate candidates who will move their aganda forward. None of this agenda includes reform or making government smaller or more efficient or anything else sensible for that matter. The major political parties are self-interested, and have their own internal logic and dynamic.
We should not expect the major parties to nominate candidates who will actually work against the entrenched interests of those parties or to run on platforms that would engender true reform.
Dr. Sabrin has seen his own candidacy more forward only when he ran as a third-party candidate, but could not gain any real traction as a candidiate seeking the nomination of a major party. Candidates like Steve Lonegan will always meet a similar fate, because they run against the entrenched interests of the party they claim to represent.
This election is no different than any other. The players names are different to some extent, but the animating force behind their respective campaigns is the same. It will ever be thus.
I believe that it is time to vote for democrats and especially Corzine. This will bring about the bankruptcy of the state more quickly instead of dragging it out by electing an alleged fiscal conservative like Mr. Christie. Might as well get it over with sooner than later. Only afer the collapse of the current system will there emerge the conditions allowing for the possibility of reform.
I'm voting for Corzine.
Murray The Moocher
"Maverick" Murray The Moocher's claim to fifteen minutes of fame rests with his ability in 1997 to con gullible libertarians into sending him money so he could qualify for taxpayer-funded welfare for his campaign managers and consultants. Beyond that he has spent nearly his entire life schnoring off the taxpayers from attending taxpayer-funded government primary schools since childhood, to taxpayer-subsidized higher education at government owned universities, to a taxpayer-funded paycheck at the government owned school he works for.
And make no mistake, Murray and his cronies like Rick Shaftan have financially profited from his various though politically fruitless political campaigns. I'm always fascinated by so-called libertarians who are so anxious, and practically make a career out of, becoming part of the political system they claim so much to despise.
Let's see how anxious Murray will be to join the ranks of unemployed state workers if everything he says he wants to happen becomes reality.
http://christiegonewild.blogspot.com/
Bullhorn is right
"I believe that it is time to vote for democrats and especially Corzine. This will bring about the bankruptcy of the state more quickly instead of dragging it out by electing an alleged fiscal conservative like Mr. Christie. Might as well get it over with sooner than later. Only afer the collapse of the current system will there emerge the conditions allowing for the possibility of reform.
I'm voting for Corzine."
Exactly. If the libertarians are right the system will eventually go bankrupt and collapse of its own weight just like the Soviet Union, and the entrepreneurial/capitalist class will takeover and reform the system in accordance with their own free market/laissez-faire principles.
And if the libertarians are wrong, and the current system not only survives but thrives ala socialist systems in Europe and elsewhere, then maybe they're wrong about alot of other things as well.
http://christiegonewild.blogspot.com/
Well . . .
I predicted the collapse of the Soviet Union at the same time our government-sposnored and funded CIA (information agency?) was still touting the "success" of Soviet-style socialism. My lawyer colleagues thought I was completely bonkers, even after I recited the "facts" as I understood them at the time. When the USSR imploded, none of these people mea culpaed . . . they simply shrugged and gave the happening an "ole'". I tried hard not to be smug . . .
European-style socialism is a failure as well, for some of the same reasons and some different ones, too. What is ironic is that many European social democracies with socialist economic models are now rejecting those models and moving toward more market-based economies . . . ironic because the U.S. is clearly moving in the opposite direction. Duh.
No one knows what a collapse will bring. Probably many different things in many different parts of the country. Some states will likely ignore the federal government when the money becomes useless, which may lead to even more onerous authoritarianism (yes, perhaps even worse than that of Bush and Obama) and could even spark widespread secession movements with regional realignments (like the former Soviet Union). And some civil unrest will likely accompany any such collapse, particularly in the urban areas where the majoprity of the populace is most dependent upon government largesse for its very existence.
But what has become abundantly clear is that the current arrangement is simply unsustainable and completely unacceptable. Thus, it behooves us to support the pols who will bring it to an end most quickly.
Lbertarians will not be proven wrong about anything. Libertarians support an unfettered market because it is consistent with the concept of self-ownership and its collary, the non-aggression principle. It is nice that the free market does, in fact, provide the greatest good for the greatest number, but that is wholly incidental to the libertarian idea. In other words, if slavery could be found to be "efficient" libertarians would eschew slavery as inconcistent with the concept of self-ownership and non-aggression.
Conservatives support some less free model because they claim such a model is more "efficient" than any alternative interventionist model. Presumably, conservatives would support slavery if it could be shown to be more "efficient" than the free market.
Libertarians have no particular allegiance to the idea of free markets as such, but only insofar as such a system is consistent with libertarian principles.
It is true that the various forms of interventionist models all share the same functional difficulty: a lack of a rational price system. Economic waste is the result, as ure as night follows day. Such systems are therefore unsustainable in the long run.
Bullhorn is right again
"Conservatives support some less free model because they claim such a model is more "efficient" than any alternative interventionist model. Presumably, conservatives would support slavery if it could be shown to be more "efficient" than the free market."
Exactly. I've always maintained that libertarians/conservatives tread dangerously when they make the argument for efficiency. Actually there are some revisionist historical studies (Fogel & Engermann, "Time On The Cross") which demonstrate the efficiency of slave labor in the Old South, and Albert Speer's reputation as an industrial efficency expert in Nazi Germany could not have been achieved without the massive use of forced labor.
I also should add that from my own personal experience I have found dealing with government agencies and institutions to be, in some instances, less stressful and more productive than my experience dealing with private-sector companies and organizations.
Only time will tell whether the libertarian and Ron Paul paleoconservatives are right about the collapse of corporate/welfare socialism.
http://christiegonewild.blogspot.com/
Murray the dope
In his quest to finally pick a winner since he's incapable of winning himself, Murray Sabring chose Chris Christie for governor even though he knows Christie is just slightly to the right of Corzine! Murray did this because he didn't want to see Mayor Steve Lonegan win the GOP Primary and it's his version of "pay back" because Lonegan endorsed Joe Pennachio for the US Senate. Sabrin has nothing in common with Christie. He knows Christie has no plan, but he so eagerly wants to be with a winning candidate even though it seems Chrsitie is on the verge of blowing the race because he has no plan when it comes to taxes. Sabrin was cover and testament for conservative values Christie is "renting" until November 3rd. He couldn't pull this charade with Lonegan, but Murray is too desperate to know any better! Vote Column "A" - All the way!
Murray Sabrin's unrealistic plan
Well, Mr. Sabrin, you've come up with a great plan, now let's see you enact it! Oh, wait...you can't because, you see, your point of view is shared only by a rather small minority of the New Jersey electorate. Such radical, sweeping changes are without a doubt an excellent vision from a libertarian perspective, but are they realistic in any way? Of course not. You found that out yourself when you ran for governor in 1997, received public financing and still only managed to muster 5% of the vote.
The reason why Daggett is doing so well in the polls is largely because he's a credible challenger with actual state and federal government experience, a clearly defined platform, and enough money raised to receive public financing and appear in the debates. But there's another component to it: He's a moderate, who bridges the gap between disgruntled would-be Corzine voters and disgruntled would-be Christie voters. He truly resides in the middle of the political spectrum. That's why he's doing well and those on the far right or far left of the spectrum, whether it's libertarians or socialists, never do well. His realistic plan is to provide real property tax relief in a non-gimmicky way by shifting the tax burden -- cutting income taxes and corporate business taxes in the process. Shifting, Mr. Sabrin, not slashing altogether. That's the premise, not a trick.
So I would contend that Daggett is not wed to the status quo, as you wrote, so much as he is grounded in reality while you write from a fantasyland where libertarians are actually elected to the governorship in blue states like this. That's the difference between his 17% (according to FDU) and your 5% in 1997.
natural reality trumps political reality
I love reading posts allegedly outlining "reality".
There's a difference between natural reality and political reality. Eventually, over time, natural reality overtakes political reality, particularly where, as here in New Jersey, the current political reality is based upon a completely flawed understanding of natural reality.
If political reality is consistent with natural reality, political reality becomes almost invisible and irrelevant, if not redundant. Minimal conflict. If current political reality is inconsistent with natural reality, events will eventually trump current political reality and impose a new political reality. Much conflict during the readjustment.
Simply put, the long term favors those whose ideology is more compatible with natural reality. And the existence of a large number of adherents of an incompatible, but current political reality will not prevent (but can delay for some time) the readjustment of political reality to natural reality.
In the case of the Soviet Union, it took over 70 years for natural reality to take down the existing political reality. The vast majority of the Soviet population, on the eve of its collapse, still thought that the USSR was a viable and strong political entity, even as many hated and distrusted the regime controlling it.
In short, democracy is not reality and cannot create reality. What people believe to be true, even large numbers of them, if erroneous, will not prevent the eventual readjustment to a state consistent with natural reality.
The question is not IF a collapse will occur; rather, the question is WHEN IT WILL OCCUR AND HOW SEVERE WILL THE READJUSTMENT WILL HAVE TO BE.
[The GOP, with its traditional accomodationist, incrementalist statism, is simply getting in the way of a much-needed readjustment. Electing pols like Christie will just serve to perhaps put off the readjustment to a later date, but will increase the severity of the readjustment.]
Libertarian-minded people will never be elected to the Governorship of New Jersey. Never. Following the breakdown of national representative democracy and the accompanying political realignment (regionalization), most likely some states will opt to align with other states to institute social democracies and other states will opt for more libertarian political organization. Dr. Sabrin and I and others who understand and recognize the political primacy of individual property rights will simply move to to those places (if we're still on the right side of the lillies).
Unless some real change in the general ideological orientation of New Jersey occurs, I see NJ as an ongoing failure, destined to impoverish and enslave its reamining people. Producers, entrepreneurs and libertarians will leave, leaving only those who cling to the false ideology of statism to loot each other. Those left will find out the hard way that you can't vote yourself rich, no matter how many elections you hold and how many democrats or republicans you elect.
And that's the reality of it.
one other matter
Time on the Cross was very interesting. I remember being a bit bollixed by the assessments of the Marxist economic historians who wrote the two volumes.
Fogel and Engermann, both of whom were both former advocates of Soviet-style communism (until the embarasssment of the Stalinist purges came to light in the U.S.) are/were still advocates of the Marxist labor theory of value and made their assessments of "efficiency" based more upon their idea that slaves recouped about 90% of the "value" of their labor. Of course, this notion that one can objectively value labor is nonsensical on its face from a market-oriented point of view. Only the laborer can "value" his or her labor, and that valuing process presupposes a panoply of options (freedom to choose them). The idea of "efficiency" (a relative term) PRESUPPOSES a free market in labor.
Notwithstanding, these works deserve some credit for arguing that slavery may not have ended had it not been for the War to Prevent Southern Independence. Those works prompted many other "revisionist" historians to examine the idea more closely than it had been examined heretofore. The result was a rush of materials perpending the claims of Fogel and Engermann, based upon a wider view of southern chattel slavery and the federal legal/constitutional REGIME that supported slavery than had been provided in that two-volume set.
Go Daggett!!
Corzine complaining about Christie Being fat. Christie complaining about photo-ops and emails. Both candidates can do little more than to sidetrack voter's from the fact they both duck the issues and offer no real plan.
Why not write about the issue that matter, like the plaque of corruption and scandal that has been brought on our state or how you plan on dealing with the exodus of business, residents and income from our state? No let's complain about photo-ops, emails and people being fat.
However, as echoed by the Star Ledger endorsement of Chris Daggett, we finally have chance to change all of this.NJ voter's are the only ones that have the power to change our government
I am working hard to spread that message and so can you. Click here to learn how.
Sorry Mr. Higgins, but . . .
Mr. Higgins makes the classic error, to wit: thinking/believing that elections can effect a real substantive change in governance. It was either Mencken or Twain who quipped that " . . . if elections actually changed anything, voting would be illegal". Right.
There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that substantive change can be effected through the electoral process. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero. Yet people still hang on to this myth . . . testament to the power of myths.
The problems that originate in government are SYSTEMIC and not MANAGERIAL. Closely related to systemic problems are IDEOLOGICAL problems.
The current dominant ideological orientation/paradigm of the government is statism . . . with the exception of perhaps the hapless Constitution Party and the feckless Libertarian Party, all other political groups and independents subscribe to this idea.
The level of corruption of any government entity is directly related to the size and scope of that government. Thus, statism is the prime cause of corruption.
Mr. Daggett is a big-time statist, as are Corzine and Christie. QED.
Democrats don't even bother
to find out what they are spending our tax dollars on.
Democrat Freeholders Julie O'Brien & Vernon Walton don't bother to read spending bills before they vote for them. Watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT2KRO6RcqY
Wake up Bergen County - these people don't care about you - they just want the power that comes with spending your money. Vote out ALL incumbents!
sic'em
According to Daggett's website..."by professionals suchh (sic) as lawyers, accountants and architects"
Such diligence in pointing out the mistakes of others would carry more weight were it not for:
"Yet all the media attention and buzz by the pundits after the debate has been focused on Chris Doggett's proposed $3.9 billion property tax ..."
Sorry, meant "Doggett's" [sic]