Well folks, it’s that special time when a new legislature takes effect, complete with upheaval, democratic change, and a new and better agenda for the great people of the Garden State.
Or, at least, that’s the theory. A guy can dream, right?
Instead of course, after a brutally anti-democratic and pro-incumbent map foisted on us by Prof. Rosenthal and the Redistricting Committee, a relatively close election among a tiny sliver of the electorate has produced a disproportionately Democratic legislature. This arrangement is likely to be set for the next 10 years thanks to our esteemed Redistricters, a plague with no vaccine nor antibiotic.
And, despite all the powers of the Governor’s Office, the majority gets to set the agenda in the General Assembly and Senate, which is a pretty big card to play.
So what do the Democrats have planned for our fair state? Apparently the top issues will be a minimum wage hike, increased taxes on the wealthy, and gay marriage.
1. Minimum wage
Democratic leaders want to raise the minimum hourly wage from $7.25 to $8.50, which would be among the highest in the country. Ed has already outlined a number of the reasons why this is a bad idea; I’ll pile on one more. Even if businesses are able to absorb increased wage costs, employees on the margin may still be terminated. Under economic theory, an employee’s wages equal the marginal product of their labor. In a competitive market, a profit-maximizing firm will not pay wages higher than the value of labor given. So, if your labor is worth $8, you’re out of luck under the Democrats’ policy. Now, instead of being paid $8 per hour, you lose your job and make $0 per hour. The road to the unemployment office is paved with good intentions
2. Tax Hikes
Democrats wish to reinstate a “surcharge” on millionaires, seemingly pushing an issue that works better in polls than in the real economy. With a terrible tax climate, myriad regulations, and – let’s face it – not-so-great weather, New Jersey has struggled to keep people from moving out to cheaper and sunnier locales. Sen. Sweeney may think his winning personality will be enough to encourage entrepreneurs to pick Jersey over Florida and Texas, but I’m not holding my breath. How these people think that such measures are good for New Jersey during this terrible, no good, very bad economy is beyond me.
3. Gay Marriage
Finally, the Dems plan to put marriage equality first in line, and it looks like they’ll have the votes to send a bill to the Governor. To be honest, I’m 100% with them on this one, and think the state ought to allow same-sex couples to marry. Without getting into the well-tread pros and cons of the policy or the different political implications for Governor Christie in 2013 vs. a future GOP presidential primary, I’ll instead offer an alternative to the way the state handles marriage.
One of the bedrock rights in a free society with limited government is the freedom to contract. From the state’s perspective, a marriage is just a contract between two individuals, though today the state has a monopoly on most terms of that contract. Why not allow couples to define their own covenants? Every marriage is different, from the role of each partner to issues like religion, financial responsibility, division of property, etc., so why should every marriage license be the same? Just food for thought.
So those are the big issues set up by the Democrat majority, and surely more will arise over the next two years. Fortunately we have Governor Christie to wield his veto pen against these destructive economic policies. Should be another interesting year in New Jersey politics!
Matt Rooney
Brian McGovern
Ed Sheppard
Matt DeLuca
Irwin M. Fletcher
James Beattie
Joshua Einstein
Michael Ward
