From the Asbury Park Press:
One of the few bright spots about the work of the special legislative committees that studied property tax reform was the series of recommendations for reducing pension and other benefit costs of public employees. Now, even that flickering flame has been dimmed, if not extinguished.
Gov. Corzine, who back in the summer implored legislators to “make history” and to be “bold, bold, bold” in devising ways to reduce property taxes, sent a letter Thursday to Senate President Richard J. Codey and Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts Jr., urging them to delay action on several employee benefits reform bills central to that mission.
Corzine, who could have spared the committees lots of trouble by telling them to back off on those reforms weeks ago, told Codey and Roberts to defer action on most bills aimed at implementing the reforms because it might compromise ongoing contract talks with the state’s public employee unions.
Corzine’s request, and Roberts’ and Codey’s unflinching willingness to grant it, constitute a major victory for the unions, who had lobbied furiously to take the issues out of the legislative arena. It is highly unlikely the state will achieve at the negotiating table anything close to what was recommended by the legislative committee studying benefits reform.
The letter gave Roberts and Codey the political cover they needed to avoid locking horns with the unions. In a laughable response to the letter, they wrote: “We were prepared to move forward with the pension and benefits reform legislation. However, we have no intention of advancing a bill that the governor won’t support.” What a crock. Codey said earlier this week that the proposed public employee reforms would be handled through negotiations, not legislatively.
…
Corzine’s sellout to the unions comes on the heels of the so-called 20 percent property tax relief plan — one of the biggest flimflams ever perpetrated on the taxpaying public. Codey and Roberts announced earlier this week that at least 70 percent of New Jersey homeowners would receive 20 percent reductions in their property tax bills through a tax credit. Although they still haven’t revealed how the state will pay for it, it appears the chief funding source will be recycled tax dollars.To illustrate: Nonsenior taxpayers with gross incomes of $60,000 to $70,000 a year, for example, would see their median property tax of $4,451 reduced by $890. If you subtract the current homestead rebate of $350, the credit is actually $540. If you subtract the state’s estimate of the average cost to families of this year’s increase in the sales tax — $275 — the net tax reduction is $265.
In effect, that 20 percent property tax reduction is a net tax decrease of less than 6 percent. And most of that will be offset by increases in next year’s school, county and municipal budgets. The word “sham” immediately comes to mind.
From the Home News Tribune:
Corzine denies he caved in
Gov. Jon S. Corzine defended his decision yesterday to yank a host of benefit reforms out of lawmakers’ hands just before they were to act on the changes as part of their effort to cut property taxes.
Corzine said cutting the cost of pension and health care for government workers is an important part of paying for property-tax reforms, including a proposed tax credit for most homeowners. But he added any changes to employee benefits should be negotiated.
“I believe in the collective bargaining process. I believe that’s the way you get buy-in on these issues,” Corzine said.
Corzine said the proposed benefit reforms could save $700 million a year over the next 15 years, making them a ripe target in the effort to hold taxes in check.
He dismissed criticism that he caved in to public employee unions when he asked lawmakers to delay action on reforms ranging from the basic — requiring public workers convicted of corruption to forfeit their pensions — to the drastic, such as increasing the retirement age and slashing pensions for future workers.
“I’m going to have to stand responsible for what we come (up) with in the collective-bargaining process,” Corzine said, later saying “it’s premature” to assert that he caved until a deal is done.
“I believe in the collective bargaining process. I believe that’s the way you get buy-in on these issues,” Corzine said.
Please. That’s a joke and you know it. The unions will not yield one inch or make the slightest concession without a fight. Corzine has made it clear that the unions come first in this state.
RentinginNJ,Of course the unions comes first remember Corzine slept with ,loaned money to ,cmon’go to the viedo tapes cause she must have em’…basically Corzine is all money, no substance,and we all pay for it
he was told they would burn the
state house down . plus no more from
ms.katz
the guys a low life , just like the rest of
the nj pols.
taxpayer screwed again.
whats next free housing for the illegals?
“Corzine’s request, and Roberts’ and Codey’s unflinching willingness to grant it, constitute a major victory for the unions,”
Is there any other way in NJ????
Well, this is democracy. This madness will continue as long as people vote for the democratic party.
No wonder why taxpayers are leaving NJ (and CA) in droves to be replaced by illegals and other welfare recipients (which further strengthens democratic party). NJ has no future.
I’m still living in NYC but infortunately, it seems that AlSharpton/unions/democrats take absolute control in NYC after Bloomberg. Then we also can enjoy Dinkins era benefits of high crime rates and high taxes and more public housing projects for illegals popping up everywhere. Say goodbye to middle class in NYC..
We’re screwed.
rory Says:
Exactly. In their eagerness to vote against Bush, the dems and libs in NJ end up electing the lousiest governors and senators in NJ
Home prices drop 44% in Fort Myers, Florida !!!
Home prices drop 18 percent
By STEPHEN FRATER and MICHAEL POLLICK
November 29. 2006 5:26AM
Prices remain the story in home sales, with Sarasota-Bradenton prices falling 18 percent in October, the second biggest drop in the state.
The median sales price in the Sarasota-Bradenton market was $277,900 last month, compared with $340,700 during the same month in booming 2005.
The Charlotte County-North Port market was not far behind, with a drop of 17 percent, from $243,900 to $202,800.
Only Fort Myers-Cape Coral took a bigger fall, posting a 44 percent decline in median sales price, from $445,100 to $249,200, the Florida Association of Realtors reported on Tuesday.
The median is the point where half the homes sold for more and half for less.
Those numbers came against the backdrop of a national decline in sales price of 3.5 percent, to $221,000, the biggest year-over-year drop on record. It marked the third straight month that prices have fallen nationally, the longest stretch on record.
Home price have been declining in Sarasota-Bradenton since June.
Read more: http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061129/BUSINESS/611290461
So let me see if I understand this ,Corzine says the the legislative committee studying benefits reform to let him do the
negotiating with the union BOSS , Katz because I have been screwing her and she still owes me $470,000,but don’t worry I’ve got the taxpayers best intrest at heart here.I know one thing if he comes out of that meeting and wags his finguer and says “I DID NOT HAVE SEX WITH THAT LADY”..were in more trouble than you know !
he was a standup guy. he forgave the loan.
lets see if he forgives the 3.5 million
loan to the baptist minister.
the guys a known lowlife.
same class as jimmy
Corzine forgave a $470,000 loan ?….And to think Monica gave it up for free !
So corzine ‘thinks’ he will get anywhere negotiating with these SUPER POWERFUL UNIONS ?——-HEY cORZINE, they OWN the democrat party !!
It’s amazing that the stupid public votes-in bums like corzine and actually think that codey was a good acting governer—–These are the guys and hundreds of similiar political hacks that owe their souls to those NJ state unions—WE, the citizens are just nobodies to these bums !!!
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This blog is great!