By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog
I’m admittedly more than a little steamed over yesterday’s budget proceedings, Save Jerseyans. You are, too. It’s an unspoken understanding between Blogger-in-Chief and his readership.
The moment that really drove it home for me was when Asm. Jon Bramnick (R-Union) gushed to The Star-Ledger over the distinct lack of rancor preceding final passage:
I don’t recall cooperation like this during the entire decade of my service,” Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick (R-Union) said. “It wasn’t very long ago when we were here overnight arguing on each and every issue that faced us in the budget. Let the nation know that New Jersey knows how to cooperate.”
With all due respect to the GOP’s Minority Leader and resident stand-up comedian, it’s not difficult to understand why Democrats were curiously reserved this time around, and frankly, there’s not a damn thing funny about it for those of us footing the bill…
No spin on this one, Save Jerseyans: the FY 2014 budget headed for Governor Christie’s desk is an abomination.
It relies on more borrowing, a massive Medicaid program expansion, no tax cuts, and a 4% or $1.3 billion spending increase over FY 2013 (despite the fact that our state’s GDP grew by only 1.3% in 2012) including more money for public education than ever before BUT without a relatively cheap $2 million voucher program that was axed by the legislature. And if your mind isn’t already blown by the hypocrisy of it all, please keep in mind that your legislators decided taxpayers couldn’t afford a measly $2 million to help kids languishing in crappy school districts but that there was approximately $7.5 million extra in the kitty for a “family planning” supplemental. You can’t blame that last part on the NJ Supreme Court.
Which leaves me to wonder, yet again, what the hell is wrong with these legislators? Were they struck mute by an atmospheric change brought on by the system of thunderstorms moving through the tristate area on Monday afternoon? No one but Jay Webber and Michael Doherty had a problem with this thing?
Or more to the point of my instant post, tell me what wouldn’t a liberal Trenton Democrat like about this budget, Assemblyman Bramnick? Why wouldn’t there be “bipartisanship” love, peace and calm on the Assembly floor when everyone on both sides of the aisle shelves their principles and agrees that this bloated, wasteful sham of a budget process is somehow a triumph of civility worth celebrating rather than a prime example of why good people no longer feel as if there’s a meaningful difference between the two major parties?
Trenton Republicans handed the Democrats most of what they wanted yesterday without a significant fight in order to take traditionally sticky campaign issues like education spending off of the 2013 electoral table. They endeavored to purchase a little bit of temporary security and comfort with billions of taxpayer dollars. It’s a faustian pact with the folks who are directly responsible for our state’s precarious fiscal condition.
I won’t speak for you, my friends, but I’ve never voted for a politician primarily to affect bipartisanship. I’m a democratic consumer searching for courageous and principled advocacy… civil but zealous! Respectful but tough. Pragmatic but unrelenting. Right now, however, unless the NJ GOP magically manages to pick up enough seats to flip a chamber in November, I’m thinking there’s not much in this budget worth self-congratulation, least of all the bipartisan bull crap that’s apparently worth billions of dollars to the satisfied folks under the dome. To me, that tired old manure isn’t worth the cows that expelled it.
The Republicans have totally lost their way. It's a shame, because if they did what they should do, they would win everywhere.
Spot on Matt Rooney.
George Carlin – "Bipartisan usually means that a larger-than-usual deception is being carried out."
Just look in the public education system and see what their stealing from THAT budget. The Governor tried to help the taxpayers by putting a cap on administrator's salaries. Everyone needs to look up their local Board of Ed meeting minutes to see how they are legally extorting extra pay from us in the form of "merit bonuses." It's how they slithered around Christies pay cap. Funny, they never performed above and beyond the call of duty in the last several decades. Now all of a sudden, they are SO concerned with our children's education, they are performing EXTRAORDINARY feats beyond their regular job duties. Feats so exemplary they call for MERIT BON– USES in addition to their 6 figure salaries, lifetime healthcare coverage, pensions, unpaid sick and personal leave, cars and computers. PLEASE, PEOPLE, THE INFORMATION IS ONLINE AND AVAILABLE TO YOU. BE INFORMED AND SPEAK OUT ABOUT THE LEGAL EXTORTION YOUR PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE ALLOWED TO COMMIT AGAINST YOU. THEY ARE SUCKING YOU DRY AND STICKING IT TO YOU RIGHT BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES.