The Preservation of Jobs In New Jersey

The headline reads: The unemployment in state zooms past national rate. Perhaps New Jersey’s increase in unemployment to 5.1 percent, well above the nation's jobless rate of 4.7 percent, is in an anomaly. Perhaps it is a warning sign of declining employment prospects in the state for the foreseeable future. James Hughes, a Rutgers University economist warns about a decline in high-paying private sector jobs in New Jersey and Governor Corzine is expressing concern.

NJ Conservative recently blogged about a meeting Corzine called with executives from “Big Drug” companies to discuss the “dangerous slide in New Jersey's economy.” The Star-Ledger piece states:

Between 2000 and 2005, while the private sector lost jobs, the many layers of government in New Jersey larded more than 50,000 new jobs onto their payrolls, complete with generous pension and health benefits that will be with us for decades.

This can't continue. And Corzine invited the executives to Drumthwacket to let them know he understands that and intends to change course.

Meanwhile, another headline reads: Corzine budget has lover. Carla Katz, president of New Jersey's largest public employee union began a mass mailing to union members urging them to "bombard key legislators with phone calls, pleading for support of Corzine's $30.9 billion budget".

The mailing came as Corzine faced mounting criticism of his $30.9 billion 2007 budget. Despite a $4.5 billion deficit, Corzine raised spending more than 9 percent.

The budget raises the state's contribution to the public pension system by over $1 billion and holds no layoffs. To fund the increase, it relies on raising about $1.1 billion by increasing the 6 percent sales tax to 7 percent.

Moving along to a state Senate budget committee yesterday, Senator William Grormley (R-Margate) asked Commissioner Roberto Torres what would happen if the Legislature did not approve Governor Corzine's increase in the state’s sales tax from 6 to 7 percent. An aide sitting beside Torres quickly did the math on a calculator and whispered the answer to Torres.

"Twenty thousand jobs," Torres told Gormley.

"Clearly that is in the purview of legislators and the governor's office," he said. "Layoffs are always a last resort."

Truer words were never spoken. The thinking in Trenton holds that public employee jobs must be preserved at all costs - even if it means the continued loss of private sector jobs and more tax increases on an already over-taxed citizenry. Your job and income are the first to go - public employee jobs and income are the last.