Actually Springsteen fanatic Chris Christie's first solo in Trenton is a downbeat number, a little bit like the end of Thunder Road. Of course, it may be the end of the road for some New Jersey residents:
A mother of two who is getting a divorce, Ferlazzo said she received a check last year for about $4,000 through the earned-income tax credit, a program for low-income workers, along with a property-tax rebate check for $1,000.
Christie has proposed cutting the state's earned-income tax credit from 25 percent of the federal benefit to 20 percent and essentially slashing property-tax rebates by 75 percent for the fiscal year that begins July 1. If the budget is adopted, Ferlazzo estimated, she could lose from $1,000 to $2,000 through cuts to both programs.
For Ferlazzo, who has two sons, 9 and 22, that translates into necessities such as paying credit-card bills and repairing cars when they break.
Proposed cuts to child-care and after-school programs also worry Ferlazzo, because her 9-year-old relies on a free program where children can work on homework in a supervised environment until 5 p.m. each weekday.
So when thousands of regular middle-class citizens like Ferlazzo stop all their discretionary spending -- deepening the recession and leading to more private-sector layoffs, which will be on top of the thousands of public-sector employees losing their jobs -- are Republicans doing to be screaming "Where are the jobs?!" at Christie like they do now at Obama? You should note that the steepness of the cuts on the middle-class are partly a factor of Christie's promise to not renewl a tax on above-$400,000 earners -- who probably don't need an afternoon day-care program to get to work every day. To me, what the new governor is doing here is the most repugnant kind of class warfare: Crushing the have-littles to benefit the have-a-lots.
As a fellow citizen, it pains me to read stories like Ferlazzo's. Analyzing the situation politically, you have to wonder if the GOP backlash against Obama, the Democrats and "big government" peaked too soon, because now folks like Scott Brown and Chris Christie have to govern and make the kind of difficult decisions that others -- trying to clean up the mess that was left by the lack of leadership in places like Trenton and Washington from the 2000s -- have been dealing with. Now, some Republicans actually have to offer a product along with their brand -- and I don't think November 2010 voters will be racing out to buy it.
Christy's political future: One and done. Guaranteed. Unfortunately for NJ, we have 3+ years of this Bush lacky. Hey Guv, go have another doughnut!— Les Ismore
"So when thousands of regular middle-class citizens like Ferlazzo stop all their discretionary spending " Discredtionary spending with what? Money that the State of NJ would need to borrow, when one of the major global financial concerns is sovereign debt load? It's called fiscal reality, Will, and it's about time you woke up and smelled the coffee. Governments can no longer borrow the money that Americans are unable to borrow for themselves.— db_cooper- "Christy's political future: One and done. " Nope, sorry, that was the spendthrift Dem Corzine.— db_cooper
Comment removed.- I'm fairly sure Christie campaigned on cutting spending, so people bought into the message. Secondly, while Ferlazzo's story is sad and unfortunate, it does not entitle her to taxpayer money. Fianlly, the real budget killer in most states are the pensions and benefits given to state workers, and we know they aren't giving them up, regardless of the state's fiscal outlook or who might be hurt by cuts to other spending programs.— RG
- Its unfortunate that some programs have to be cut, but spending in NJ is out of hand. I have a relative who is a teacher that may lose their job, but I am still for the cuts. Taxes in NJ are out of hand ant the govt is bloated and awful, the pain that comes now will make things far better a few years down the line when property and other taxes can go down. Regarding this woman, why is she still a care giver for her 22 year old son? Even if he lives with her still he should have a job and carrying his own weight around the house, if not helping out with the bills also.— Greg S
- "Fianlly, the real budget killer in most states are the pensions and benefits given to state workers, and we know they aren't giving them up, regardless of the state's fiscal outlook or who might be hurt by cuts to other spending programs." Christie campaigned on cutting those as well, but Corzine managed to legally lock in the contracts to where Corzine can't touch those. So in other words, people who are unemployed still have to pay their property taxes for featherbedded government jobs with pensions that you can't find in the private sector. That's really going to go over well to a guy struggling to put money in his 401K while paying for the underfunded and overpromised pensions of government workers.— db_cooper
- Let's get real here. There is NO money to continue the irresponsible spending of the past. Are we going to ask the most taxed people in America to be taxed even more? Although the Ferlazzo story is sad, she does have 3 jobs when others have none. Right now, between what is going on in NJ and nationally, we're all trying to survive out here. What angers me most is the uncanny ability of politicians to turn the victims of their immoral (if not criminal) stewardship into the perpetrators of the problems.— ariesbob
- "The new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll offers a few interesting insights on health care. In particular, the results suggest Democrats would be committing political suicide if they let this opportunity fail. First, let's note a few top-line results. President Obama's approval rating stands at 48% in this poll. On the generic ballot questions, Dems lead Republicans by three points, one point better than in January, and Democrats still enjoy a modest lead over the GOP on overall favorability. Congress' overall approval rating is down to a humiliating 17%, its lowest point since late 2008. Specifically on the issue of the day, however, the divisions on health care are pretty stark. A 46% plurality believe it would be better to see the Democratic proposal pass, while 45% would rather see it fail and keep the status quo (this is better than December, when the numbers leaned in the other direction). Just 36% believe the reform plan is a good idea, though that total is up five points since January." The times they are a-changing...— Les Ismore
- "The times they are a-changing..." They most certainly are. Back in the day, 36% support and a 48% aproval rating would have been conisdered pretty cruddy. Now, the bar's been set so low, its a cause for optimism?— RG
- you can't tax your way out of this mess. The more you tax people, the more likely they'll leave.— palmyra21
///As a fellow citizen/// So, Will, you're a citizen of New Jersey?- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
"Republicans actually have to offer a product along with their brand -- and I don't think November 2010 voters will be racing out to buy it." Denial is a pathetic thing. Will thinks you have nothing to offer if you don't have some big government monstrosity to get people hooked on. How about fiscal restraint, limited government, and individual liberty. They sound like pretty good products to me. Politicians, like doctors, should work to eliminate the need for their own existence.— jmc
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
E-mail Will by clicking here.
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