Thursday, January 24, 2008

Keep your opinion to yourself

Environmentalists, small business owners, taxpayers and commuters who pay tolls were not listed among the special interest groups briefed in advance about Gov. Jon Corzine’s proposal to raise tolls on the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, Atlantic City Expressway by 800 percent and start charging motorists along Route 440.

In order to escape the vast public debt Corzine plans to borrow $38 billion, for which the commuters and truckers who use toll roads will pay more than $200 billion during the next 75 years, without asking permission from voters.

Borrowing $38 billion at a cost of $200 billion is no way to get out of debt.Polls show that nearly 60% of New Jersey residents oppose Corzine’s scheme, 15% support it and 25% don’t have an opinion, but undeterred by public opinion, Corzine is pushing the legislature to pass the plan in March.

Former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan and South Jersey radio personality Seth Grossman were arrested last weekend while peacefully protesting Corzine’s proposal.

Corzine’s reputation as a financial genius seems a silly. Maybe the guy has no more fiscal ingenuity that someone who hit the lottery.

Corzine also plans to borrow $2.5 billion, over and above the toll road scheme, to build new schools but he does not want to put that measure before the voters either.

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