There are three questions on the November 7? ballot in NJ.? A ‘Yes’ vote on any of them would make serious changes to our state constitution.
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With a ‘Yes’ vote on Question #1 our state constitution would force all future state legislators to retain, and never repeal? half one the one percent sales tax hike of last July.? (To repeal the tax, we would need another ballot question.? But there is no initiative or referendum in NJ.?? Only the politicians who created the tax have the power to let us vote to repeal it.) All money from this new? permanent sales tax hike would go to a special “Property Tax Relief Fund” and used for “Property Tax Reform”.
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If you remember the “Open Space Preservation” and “Green Acres” ballot questions, you know that there is no connection between the name of a fund, and how the money is spent.?? In past years, gullible voters in? New Jersey voted to borrow hundreds of millions of dollars to? preserve untouched woodlands for future generations.? But big chunks,?if not most of that dough bailed out big campaign contributors who made bad real estate investments, by buying undesirable land at grossly inflated prices.?? “Open Space Preservation” and “Green Acres” funding paid for vacant stores in big cities, and for Taj Mahal type projects that poured money into union construction workers and the politically connected contractors who hired them.
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“The Devil is in the details”.?? The Devil in Ballot Question #1 is that it never defines “Property Tax Reform” and never specified how money in the “Property Tax Relief Fund”? must be spent.? The legislators can spend the money any way they want, as long as they call it “Property Tax Relief”.?? If a crooked or irresponsible mayor and council (or school board) overspend, and force big property tax hikes in their towns before an election, state politicians will pour money into that town as “Property Tax Relief”.? That’s why so many rotten local politicians get re-elected in this state.?? In return, the saved politicians give their of high pay no-bid contracts and jobs to those selected by the Trenton power brokers.
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Think I’m cynical???? Look at what Democrats and Republicans did with hundreds of millions of dollars of “Discretionary Grants” for “Property Tax Relief” during the past 15 years.?? This is why hundreds of millions of our tax dollars are already subsidizing low property taxes in Camden and other corrupt and mismanaged cities around the state.?? State Ballot Question # 1 would only give the existing honey pot a larger a permanent source of funds.?? This is why the puppets of Democrat Camden County boss George Norcross’s puppets even closed the Atlantic City casinos to get to get their hands on this money!
A ‘Yes’ vote on Question 2 would force all future state legislatures to “dedicate” first 15% and then 17% of an onerous business tax to “the development of lands for recreation and conservation purposes”.??? The environmental folks may say that this money will protect parks and piping plovers.?? But the cold legal effect of a ‘Yes’ vote is that the state could leverage the income from these ‘dedicated’ funds, and borrow billions of dollars against future tax collections without another public vote.?? Are their any NJ politicians who need some more stadiums to reward their construction contractor and union friends?
A ‘Yes’ vote on Question 3 would force future legislators to ‘dedicate’ even more of our state gasoline tax money to borrow more money for our “state transportation system”.? Translation:?? Camden County boss Norcross cemented his power with the billions of dollars squandered on the brand new and useless railroad between Camden and Trenton.??? Jealous political bosses in North Jersey want you to vote ‘Yes’ so they can do the same thing in their districts.
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?Our state constitution does for government, what the rules of the game do for professional sports.??? Would you change the rules of the whole game of baseball so batters get six strikes instead of three, so that one or two team owners could win games and make more money in one season?
????? If New Jersey voters knew as much about government as they know about professional sports, they would vote no on all three questions.
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