It’s not all about the numbers Mr. Governor… It’s just common sense

Reality Check ^ | Alan Moretti

[BOSSA]

It’s not all about the numbers Mr. Governor… It’s just common sense

By

Alan Moretti

“Comes now our Borrower-Taxer-Spender in chief, the right Honorable James E. McGreevey, holding forth on a subject about which he knows absolutely nothing: "Fiscal responsibility.” – Assemblyman Michael P. Carroll

The McGreevey political legacy propelled itself into high gear a couple weeks ago, days after our “most” Honorable Governor proclaimed a strong commitment to the constituents of New Jersey in his yearly Budget address. McGreevey’s budget proposal seemed to jump and miss the ledge just like the Wild Coyote chasing the speedy Roadrunner.

Running like a well-oiled machine, the poll numbers still showed the Governor in risk of losing his job next year. The people of the Garden State are now about to see the Governor switch from spending mode to campaign mode. Unfortunately for the Governor the numbers are not what he desperately needs.

In the next couple months I want to see what comes out of the magical sleeve of the Democratic Party in this state. It seems they are adept at breaking the laws, bending the truth and getting out the vote (I like to call it “buying out the vote” or perhaps “bribing for the vote”).

What seems to weaken our Governor the most in the polls is the continual threat of higher taxes. For now he has been able to sidestep the idea of rasing personal income taxes. In reality the Governor’s budget will increase everything except the Income Tax. His budget will increase corporate business tax, estate tax (I bet you thought President Bush abolished it.. Guess again, McGreevey decided to keep it.), energy tax, casino tax, sales tax, alcohol tax, cigarette tax and my least favorite property tax. With the property tax the Governor’s administration is able to shift the public animosity to local onto municipalities. In a way this buys the Governor some time to recover from the negative press coverage and improve his public opinion polls.

Now for the what if..

What if Governor McGreevey can’t recover in the polls and there is an increased interest to pick a new Democratic candidate for Governor. Poll numbers show a growing desire to nominate a new candidate. Not only have numbers risen in the past couple months but possible contenders have been toying with the idea of creating what will become a political nightmare for the tight-lipped Governor from New Jersey.

“Congressman ROBERT ANDREWS, a South Jersey Democrat who nearly beat McGreevey in the 1997 gubernatorial primary, is considering a challenge to McGreevey for the Democratic nomination next year. And despite his absolute insistence that he is not running, Democratic party leaders continue to tout U.S. Senator JON CORZINE, the state's most popular official, as someone who could easily keep the governorship in Democratic hands”. – Inside the Edge

The Governor in his budget also introduced new ideas that would win over a particular group of New Jersey constituents. No, not the average male this time, but his own home base constituents (signaling the Democrats that he still wants the job) and “soccer moms”. The Governor focused on education and “new some feel good” related programs. Even though he is faced with a hemorrhaging state budget, McGreevey was still able to introduce new social programs and borrow more money placing the State deeper in debit by writing it off as an “investment”.

“According to McGreevey, state government no longer spends money, it "invests". Only businesses and individuals invest. Because government officials incur no risk when they spend the people's money, whatever expenditures they make are therefore "riskless". Inherent in any investment is risk, as any finance textbook states. Thus, governments do not invest; they only spend other people's money”. – Dr. Murray Sabrin

So watch and listen in closely to our wonderful Governor in action, perhaps you too can prevent him from losing his job. The Governor’s race of 2005 will be revealing especially after Federal Agents get to hang out more often with the Democrats (http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/new_jersey/8139758.htm).

"Hours before publicly insisting that the state had granted no special favors to a friend of Gov. McGreevey's, a top state tax official told federal agents that the governor's friend had gotten an unusually good deal in negotiating down $433,000 in back taxes, according to sources familiar with the investigation. The official, state Division of Taxation Director Robert Thompson, was being questioned by FBI agents Thursday about a tax settlement for McGreevey campaign fund-raiser David D'Amiano, 44, a boyhood friend of the governor's from Carteret, Middlesex County. Thompson, who was cooperating with the agents, abruptly cut short the questioning after taking a phone call from the state Attorney General's Office, sources with knowledge of the matter said yesterday." -- Philadelphia Inquirer, 03/09/04.

QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY POLL

Gov. James E. McGreevey

Approve

38% Disapprove

47%

Re-elect

28% New person

55%

Previous Approvals:

November: 34%-52%;

September: 35%-52%

Quinnipiac University Poll:

http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x702.xml

Chart pulled from: http://www.politicsnj.com

Alan Moretti is a Graduate Student in Public Affairs and live in New Jersey with his family.

[BOSSA]

Was 100 percent on about McGreevey. Just not Andrews.