New Jersey Lawmakers Call For Cuts In State Government Jobs

Yesterday, New Jersey State Senator, John Adler (D-Cherry Hill), called for reducing the state’s workforce by 2,000 jobs to save about $100 million in the 2007 budget.

"The time has come for a dramatic reduction in the state's work force," said Adler, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He said the state already has asked taxpayers and local governments to bear a greater burden through higher taxes and reduced aid.

State Senator, Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) and members of the Assembly, have called for a 15 percent reduction in personnel costs as an alternative to the sales-tax increase.

"One week after the governor attended a rally of state workers and kind of led them in cheers to support the sales tax, we have another powerful state senator in his own party, saying, "Guess what? Taxpayers come first.'"

Corzine responded to Adler's proposal with a terse statement.

"It is curious that Mr. Adler decided to send this letter on the 98th day of budget negotiations, but we will throw it into the pile," the governor said in a statement

This call for a reduction in the state’s workforce is not new and it is widely known the tremendous growth in public sector jobs is a key driver in the state’s financial crisis.

"From Day One, it's been a concern for State House observers that the governor did not recommend more layoffs in a work force of 82,000 people," Rebovich added. "I think this strikes the average New Jerseyan as bizarre that there wouldn't be layoffs. If this were their own company, surely there'd be layoffs."

Rebovich also noted Corzine's opponents face the risk of payback. "The governor has the line-item veto," he said. "He can really screw people."

Those were probably the truest words that ever came out of David Rebovich’s mouth. Corzine can really screw people and he is, with demands for huge state spending and tax increases. Corzine has made no attempt to improve state government efficiency; instead he threatens other lawmakers and taxpayers.

Seventeen months ago we wrote these words:

Senator Corzine would have you believe his wealth puts him beyond the reach of special interest groups. But Jon Corzine can’t afford to alienate state workers if he hopes to become the next Governor of New Jersey. Corzine will buy the votes of government employees, not with his money, but with yours. A candidate in the pocket of teachers and other state workers can not bring real reform and fiscal sanity to Trenton.

Now with New Jersey more than $4 billion dollars in debt, the Democrats fall back on their tried and true answer to all fiscal problems - raise taxes. They never consider the other side of the equation – cut spending. The citizens of New Jersey are the most heavily taxed in the country and still the Democrats don’t think we are taxed enough.

Our analysis was spot on. It's clear that unless the people of this state demand change, we’ll be writing about New Jersey's fiscal crisis in 2007.