Chris Christie became governor promising to “shake up Trenton”–exactly what is needed to overhaul the state budget. He has been praised for taking on the Trenton establishment and the NJEA. Christie, however, has been accused of being a “bully” for “waging war” on teachers, cutting school aid to the suburbs, and failing to resurrect the so-called millionaire’s tax to help close the 2011 budget gap.
Archive for the ‘Taxes’ Category
Police salaries handcuff taxpayers
19
Apr
If you think public school teachers are overpaid, The Record (Hackensack, NJ) reports that the award should go to New Jersey police officers, whose average annual salary in 2008 was nearly $80,000, 25% more than school employees and nearly double the average public employee, who made $41,267 that year.
Let teachers run the schools
16
Apr
Governor Christie and the New Jersey Teachers Association (NJEA) are in a war of words over his call for teachers to accept a wage freeze for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. The governor is asking teachers to forgo any salary increase so the more than $800 million cut in state aid to school districts next year would not result in teacher layoffs. Teachers are crying foul. “A contract is a contract and salary increases must be honored, because the sanctity of a contract cannot be violated.”
Millionaires for higher taxes
12
Apr
There is an outfit called the Responsible Wealth Network (RWN) comprised of upper income folks who think they are not paying enough in federal taxes. They and their supporters believe that “economic justice” requires allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire at the end of 2010 and increasing taxes on dividends and capital gains.
Ending the federal income tax
08
Apr
According to a recent AP story, nearly half of American households do not pay any federal income taxes. In other words, half of the American people have been liberated from the worst form of legal plunder the federal government can impose on the people. The federal income tax should-must-be abolished for all Americans. That’s what I advocated in my 1995 book, Tax Free 2000.
Dishonest ads from the NJEA and the CWA
05
Apr
The New Jersey Teachers Association is running a television ad asserting that Governor Christie has “given” tax cuts to “millionaires’ instead of fully funding state aid to local school districts. The ad featuring New Jersey’s Teacher of the Year is long on rhetoric and short on the facts. First, the governor cannot cut anyone’s taxes. Tax bills can be passed by the legislature and then signed by the governor. For taxes to be cut or raised both the legislative and executive branches have to agree to a change in the tax code. Neither branch of government can unilaterally raise or lower taxes.
Libraries, Netflix and the collapsing public sector
03
Apr
Librarians are bemoaning the plight of their libraries because of the state’s fiscal crisis. Supposedly, the public will be shortchanged if Governor Christie’s budget cuts are implemented, even though libraries are providing great services…for free! So-called free government services is one of the most widespread myths perpetuated by not only librarians, teachers and school administrators but anyone who asserts that the government provides services for ‘free.”
Desperate states–from coast to coast
28
Mar
The New York Times reported on its front page (March 28) that states from coast to coast “are considering new taxes on virtually everything: garbage pickup, dating services, bowling night, haircuts, even clowns” to generate more revenue to maintain the record level of spending throughout the country.
Obamacare will lead to “death panels”
23
Mar
President Obama signed his healthcare “reform” bill Tuesday. The landmark law has been hailed as one of the most important pieces of legislation in the history of the Republic. Proponents of Obamacare assert that after more than a hundred years of trying, finally, the federal government is guaranteeing virtually all Americans the right to healthcare. Read the rest of this entry »