Lurking at the Leg’s Reorg

By Synnove Bakke The Save Jersey Blog

2014 pics 075I was honored to attend the Assembly Swearing in today at the Patriots Theater in Trenton NJ. My boss was among the ones that got reelected due to his hard work and always, steadily adhering to his constituents. I was very proud of him.

It was a beautiful ceremony and I truly enjoyed it.

That’s until I had the non-pleasure of having to sit through Assembly leader Greenwald’s “all about me with a little bone thrown at family and friends, told for an interminable amount of time” speech. It was truly nauseating.

I was trying to change my mindset and just stay a neutral NJ resident for the duration of the proceedings but it felt like the Dems wouldn’t quit their war on my eardrums…

I make a point of not watching the Oscars, Grammy’s or any other shallow celebrity drooling idolizing event where everyone gets together and pats each other’s backs followed by up fake congratulations of their friends/co-workers’ “values and morals” and what “we will accomplish going forward” etc in speeches.

But sadly, there were times where I kinda felt I was at one of those performances on at Tuesday’s legislative reorganization at the Trenton War Memorial. As I said above, I loved being there, but at the same time I was floored by what I felt was hypocrisy and possibly gloating (hoping I’m wrong).

I am a political junkie, and I know where most of the Dems stand and I know how they have introduced spending bills, and at other times voted time and again in roundabout ways on different bills that have further increased our taxes.

Both Assembly leader Greenwald and Assembly speaker Prieto had a lot of time on the floor speaking. Majority in the Assembly gets you that privilege. Prieto came off as likable and there were times I wanted to hug him because he choked up speaking about his mentor who had passed away. Prieto is likable as a person. I could also identify with his parents being immigrants from another country to the U.S., being that my parents did the same and they didn’t have means at the time either.

What I found disturbing is how Greenwald claimed lower property taxes are NOT a Republican thing alone, it’s a Democrat AND Republican thing and the two Democrat leaders both claim they want to fight to lower the taxes in their speeches. Then, disappointingly, a few minutes into their speeches, both mentioned the enactment of new entitlements spending.

This is how you know nothing will change, Save Jerseyans. The Dems will do the same as they always have, saying they want lower taxes with one breath but then increasing entitlements so it’s not possible, and Reps will continue to try and cut. Reps in turn will look bad to the public because of how the Dems present the issue and because the media is helping them state their cause. We all know most people are “headline readers”; the NJ electorate will read headlines and think the “Big Bad Reps are taking things away from them” and “Dem’s are trying to help us.”

Lost is the real issue: lower taxes. How do we lower property taxes that are among the highest in the nation when the bleeding heart Dem’s are in majority? They refuse to cut entitlements and rather than cut, they keep adding new ones.

Sure, we all want to give money to the poor, and we all want to help the unfortunate that are struggling, but at some point, somewhere cuts must happen or there will be no middle class left in NJ to speak of and no one left from whom we can drain property taxes. Detroit is a great example of what happens when Dem’s that push high taxes are in control too long.

Property tax relief is not going to happen any time soon. And troves of NJ residents will continue to leave the state for greener pastures.

When I though I couldn’t take another minute, minority leader Jon Bramnick was given his chance to speak and with his deep smokey voice, he jokingly said, the new motto of the State of NJ should be, “There’s never a dull moment” followed by laughter and applause from the scandal-weary audience. No one here forgets how much fighting it’s been and how divisive it’s been between Republican and Democrats in the NJ legislature the last few years.

He followed with: “I pledge to you, Speaker that I will not allow us to fall victim to the environment that plagues Washington DC, marked by partisan bickering, and rhetoric that rejects compromise.”

Not once did I hear any of the Dem’s say anything like this. The sad thing is, they won’t. They truly believe they are right in all aspect, and when you are right, how do you compromise? I love Bramnick’s positive manner and how he wants to compromise without compromising his principles.

He took a jab at the rhetoric that’s happening through cable news media and social media saying, “[t]he Media should never drive policy”

Bramnick ended his speech with Rodney Kings famous words: “Can’t we all just get along”

He was short, to the point, and entertaining. He didn’t waste time brown nosing with anyone. He gave thanks to the appropriate people, and then moved on. I have to say that his speech was a gem that I enjoyed tremendously.

Yes, I know you may say I’m not objective, but I randomly met some people outside after the event and they were all in agreement on who had the better speech.

Bramnick is a rising star and had he been a legislator in a red state for a few years, where people appreciate a funny, sincere, limited Government, low taxes kind of guy, he would probably be running the state by now.

I wish the best for the NJ Assembly going forward, and even though I am a Republican and favor them, my wish is the same as Bramnick’s: can’t you all just get along? We are New Jerseyans and Americans first. So discuss, respect each other’s opposite views, discuss some more and then compromise as much as you can, because after all you are the voices of the people in your district first. Anything else comes second.

And lastly, please don’t forget your oath to the Constitution and to the people on this day in Trenton. Your left hand was on the Bible when you were sworn into office:

“I do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey, and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and to the Governments established in the United States and in this State, under the authority of the people; and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of a member of the General Assembly according to the best of my ability. So help me God.”

Synnove Bakke
About Synnove Bakke 27 Articles
A 2015 candidate for the N.J. Assembly, Synnove Bakke was born in New Jersey to immigrant parents but moved back to Norway as an infant where she lived throughout her childhood and young adult years. She returned to the U.S. after graduating from nursing school to work as an au pair for one year. She quickly fell in love with this great country and never relocated back to her native Norway.

6 Comments

  1. I agree with your points on the Democrats saying with the Democrats double talk and we as NJ Residents will not see lower property taxes anytime soon, sadly.

  2. In 2005 the campaign issues were property taxes, jobs, the economy and illegal immigration. The same goes for 2007, 2009, 2011. Nothing has changed other than different players and the same rhetoric of empty promises.

    Christie may have slowed the tide, but unless permanent, realistic goals are put in place for the coming years, nothing will change. Once Christie is no longer governor there are no guarantees that taxes won't rise. Nothing significant ever goes towards helping the taxpayers; the more money collected just goes towards funding new programs or keeping the old ones in place. Increasing taxes 70%, and then say we get a 2% reduction is a pittance and insult to those that have to work harder to pay the tax man.

    Funny how jobs are paying the same or less than they were before the recession, but yet taxes continue to rise as the spending is never cut nearly as much as the taxpayers have to sacrifice to keep refilling the state coffers.

  3. it's a pity the atmosphere of these usually festive occasions was ruined by Chris Christie's personnel issues.

  4. That……so help God at the end changes this oath from a pledge to the people of New Jersey to a pledge to God….remember….when you violate this oath….you lied to God.

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