Both Republicans and Democrats are responsible for the lackluster ranking.
“CNBC unveils its 10th annual America’s Top States for Business ranking, scoring all 50 states on 10 key measures of competitiveness.”
Source: America’s Top States for Business 2016
Former Ramsey Mayor Richard Muti asserts in The Record that Gov. Christie’s “fairness formula” for state education aid to local school districts would result in “chaos”. Mr. Muti bases his conclusion on the premise that so-called children in poor districts have “substantial needs” that cannot be supported by local property taxes. Thus, he concludes, the New Jersey Supreme Court’s 1990 Abbott v. Burke decision that created the aid formula that has funneled tens of billions of dollars of taxpayer dollars to primarily urban school districts was correct, because it provided a “thorough and efficient” education that the state constitution requires.
However, Mr. Muti, also writes the following: “The ruling was unanimous — all seven justices concurred, Republicans and Democrats alike. They acknowledged that equal funding alone would not cure the problem of failing schools in urban districts. (emphasis added) ‘We realize our remedy here may fail to achieve the constitutional object,’ Chief Justice Robert Wilentz wrote. ‘No amount of money may be able to erase the impact of the socioeconomic factors that define and cause these pupils’ disadvantages. We realize that perhaps nothing short of substantial social and economic change affecting housing, employment, child care, taxation, welfare will make the difference for these students; and that this kind of change is far beyond the power or responsibility of school districts.’ “ (emphasis added)
By its own admission, the Court made a “sociological – political” decision, not one based on sound legal principles. Moreover, “equal spending” that the court ordered has been turned on its head. Asbury Park spends more than $33,000 per pupil, and receives nearly $29,000 per pupil in state aid, while Cherry Hill spends almost $18,000 per pupil and receives slightly less than $3,000 in state aid for each public school student. In other words Asbury Park receives 10 times per state aid per pupil than Cherry Hill. The discrepancy in state aid not only is beyond the pale but Asbury Park only has a 66% graduation rate compared with 94% in Cherry Hill. The Supreme Court was correct; money is not providing educational success in the so-called Abbott school districts.
Instead of debating back and forth the proper aid formula for local school districts, the public, legislators and policy wonks should focus their energies on evaluating the whole premise of government schools.
Instead of debating which education funding law is constitutionally sound and compatible with the states constitution “thorough and efficient” clause, we should embrace the insight of Frederick Bastiat in his classic monograph, The Law, where he wrote the following about education and the state.
“You say, “There are men who want knowledge,” and
you apply to the law. But the law is not a torch that sheds
light that originates within itself. It extends over a society
where there are men who have knowledge, and others
who have not; citizens who want to learn, and others who
are disposed to teach. It can only do one of two things:
either allow a free operation to this kind of transaction,
i.e., let this kind of want satisfy itself freely; or else preempt
the will of the people in the matter, and take from
some of them sufficient to pay professors commissioned
to instruct others for free. But, in this second case there
cannot fail to be a violation of liberty and property—legal
plunder.
Bastiat wrote passionately about the structure of a free society. He combined the insights of sociology, economics, politics, and philosophy to describe what the law would be in a free society. Education, an important element of human development, is the responsibility of parents, not the state. Until this paradigm becomes one of the components of our society, the conflict over education spending and “fairness formulas” will be endlessly debated.
Gov. Christie fired the first shot in this continuous and contentious – and needless – argument over how to distribute money extracted from taxpayers. The next “battleground,” which the two sides in the education state aid formula must address is why the state and local governments have socialized education. This debate is long overdue and when cooler heads on both sides of the current debate take a timeout, we will finally address one of the most important issues in the country, how we can desocialize education, which in the final analysis will increase educational opportunities for all children and provide the much-needed tax relief for taxpayers throughout the state.
And people still have faith in government–and Republicans and Democrats??? This is just the tip of the iceberg. The federal government’s unfunded liability is more than $200 trillion.
“If the Actuarial Standards Board enacts recommendations from its Pension Task Force, actuarial valuations for state and local government pensions will report unfunded liabilities of over $5 trillion a…”
Source: Are State and Local Government Pensions Underfunded by $5 Trillion? – AEI
The failure of Governor Christie and the Legislature to come to an agreement to fund the Transportation Trust Fund is another example of why government in general is a dysfunctional organization populated by feckless individuals who have abrogated their responsibility to the public. Our elected officials have demonstrated they are poor stewards of taxpayers assets. No private enterprise firm could survive if they treated their customers with such contempt.
“New Jersey taxpayers may face more than $60 million in added costs due to a pending shutdown of transportation projects.”
Source: No gas tax deal, roadwork shut down … and thousands of jobs in danger
New Jersey is only one of two states where drivers cannot pumps their own gas. Another example of a stupid regulation. More nanny state idiocy.
Source: Why you can’t pump your own gas – Trivia and Fun – BergenCounty.com
Virally all spending by government is unconstitutional. This is one of the most flagrant examples. Taking money from people (taxation) to pay for spending that violates people’s consciences is sufficient reason to end the funding or make it voluntary Government schools, known as public schools, is the best example of the improper use of taxpayer dollars. Schools, no matter how they are structured, should be funded by fees, scholarships, private grants, donations. etc.
Source: Landmark Ruling Halts Unconstitutional Taxpayer Funding of NJ Yeshiva and Seminary
Economic illiterates on display in Trenton–again. Stunning ignorance. You don’t fight poverty, you work your way out of poverty. New Jersey needs jobs, not high taxes, not onerous regulations, and certainly not more entitlements.
Democrats want to add spending to fight poverty.
Source: N.J. Dems introduce $34.8B budget with more money to fight poverty
Governor Christie’s public school aid funding proposal would treat each child “equally,” that is, the state would send every school district the same amount for each child in its school district. Most school districts would get a huge increase in state aid so that should mean substantially property tax relief for suburban taxpayers, assuming of course the school districts pass along the new aid in the form of lower property taxes. The criticism from the usual suspects is disingenuous. Instead of applauding the fact that many of their constituents would finally get property tax relief, which was the goal of the 1976 income tax, suburban legislators are voicing their objections, because urban districts would be “shortchanged.”
Despite what the state constitution regarding education funding and a series of state Supreme Court rulings, there is no reason education should be provided by the government. In fact, education should be provided by teachers, parents and others, without the need for taxpayers to shell out an obscene amount of money for an education monopoly. The case for delinking government and education has been made by several analysts such as Sheldon Richman, John Taylor Gatto, and Samuel Blumenfeld, among others.
Education socialism is expensive and has failed to educate urban students effectively. It is time for education freedom. Christie gets us one step closer.
Seeking to bypass the state Supreme Court, upend three decades of education funding and lower property tax bills, Governor Christie will spend the summer campaigning for a sweeping new plan to spend the same amount of money on every student in the state — regardless of where they live.
Source: School aid: Christie proposes equal funding statewide – News – NorthJersey.com
If you believe government should provide education to all youngsters, then you have lost the argument against the proponents of socialism. If you support taxpayer-funded education, why then shouldn’t the government provide health care, transportation, housing, energy, banking, food, etc.? In fact, government has been heavily involved in virtually every aspect of our economy and our lives. In short, America is already heavily “socialized.”
Today’s Record (Bergen County, NJ) features an article about the need to create affordable housing in the Garden State. The long history of litigation is another example of judicial overreach–the courts ordering towns to have “affordable” housing goals.
There is one way to create affordable housing, it is called the free market. Ryna McMaken spells it all out in this essay.
In his Star Ledger column, “Crackpot libertarianism at the convenience counter,” Paul Mulshine tries to make the case that Senator Richard Codey’s bill to increase the age to legally buy cigarettes from 19 to 21 is not an infringement on individual liberty. He fails miserably.
The front page article of the New York Times, “A Growing Trend: Young, Liberal and Open to Big Government,” is another example of why individuals need a basic education in economics and finance, which they apparently are not getting in high school or in college. Read the rest of this entry »
The Christie administration is on the warpath against so-called price gougers. Attorney General Chiesa has filed suit against gas stations and hotels and motels charging them with violating the state’s anti-gouging laws. As the Attorney General stated, “Safe, comfortable lodging is not a luxury when people have been displaced from their homes.” AG Chiesa obviously never took an introductory course in economics.
The devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy will be felt by Shore residents for years if not decades. Nevertheless, the destruction at Shore communities will cause some residents to relocate and not try to rebuild their homes and businesses. Other residents will rebuild and hope that another “storm of the century” is just that, 100 years away.
Robert Wenzel shows how Paul Krugman makes the case for separating school and state without knowing it.