Corzine and Obama Billboard - Keep what going?

As I am driving to Trenton today to catch and Amtrak to DC, I notice a billboard with Barack Obama in the foreground and Jon Corzine in the background. In large bold letters the billboard reads "Keep it going". That made me start to think...what is Jon Corzine trying to tell me? To understand the billboard, you must understand how Corzine or Obama define IT.

Let's take a shot from Obama's perspective:

Keep IT Going!

- does he mean New Jersey politicians voting in lockstep with you regardless of the impact on the state?
- could he mean that he wants more Acorn volunteers working in Trenton, Newark and Camden hustling "voters"?
- maybe he means NJ should keep adding more and more citizens to the roles of public assistance as jobs are driven from the state
- how about, keep the unions in charge of the state

Or from Corzine's perspective:

Keep IT Going!

- keep New Jersey as the state with the worst business climate
- keep New Jersey as the state with the highest in the nation property taxes
- Democrats in New Jersey could keep filling up the federal corruption dockets and going to jail
- Citizens in New Jersey can keep electing politicians who do not listen to their concerns and see them as a unending piggy bank for special interests
- Jon Corzine could keep paying off cronies when investigators dig into his ethics violations
- keep leading the charge to drive productive business out of the state
- pushing more and more of our citizens to states with a more family friendly tax policy
- laughing with his Democrat buddies knowing that no matter how many Democrats are arrested and jailed for corruption, they will be more to take their place!

I guess I get it after all.

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NJ New Liquor Tax Starts Today - Buy in Delaware instead!

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that another tax goes into effect today in New Jersey:

New Jersey's tax hike on wholesale wine and hard liquor goes into effect today, and those in the business say customers will most surely pay more than the fraction of a cent per drink that the extra 25 percent levy on spirits amounts to for distributors.

Gov. Corzine proposed the 25 percent increase and the Legislature approved it on wine and liquor - but not beer - as one of many measures to help balance the budget in a recession year. The extra tax is expected to raise about $22 million a year.

When you really think about it, purchasing liquor and wine are not exactly last minute impulse items and can be planned. Given that a significant portion of our state border other state, my suggestion is to go to PA, Delaware or NY to buy. I know that this suggestion is bad for business in New Jersey but until businesses in this state stop just accepting asinine policies from or dysfunctional state government.

Due to pricing policies in our surrounding state, Delaware is the place to go if you want to save money. And for those of you concerned about the legality of transporting liquor into our state, here are the rules from the Attorney General's office where they will make sure you go to jail for buying fireworks in NJ but not if you are a public official and accept bribes for your vote:


8 Are New Jersey consumers permitted to order alcohol from a catalog or via the internet and have it delivered to their homes?

New Jersey residents are not permitted to purchase beverage alcohol via telephone, mail order or the Internet from producers and retailers in other states. These sales, commonly known as “mail order sales,” are illegal because they bypass the State’s regulatory system for controlling liquor. Some of the problems caused by mail order sales involve the delivery of alcoholic beverages to underage persons, loss of tax revenue and the fact that entities, not licensed in New Jersey, are delivering and selling alcohol in this State. Most states in the country prohibit mail order sales for these and other reasons, and in some states, violations are treated as a criminal offense.

A person may personally purchase alcoholic beverages in another state and transport them into New Jersey only if (1) the alcoholic beverages are intended to be used solely for personal use and (2) the alcohol is personally transported in a vehicle into New Jersey. The amount of alcoholic beverages transported into New Jersey for personal use cannot exceed l/4 barrel or one case containing not in excess of 12 quarts of beer and one gallon of wine and two quarts of other alcoholic beverages within any consecutive period of 24 hours. If a person wishes to transport alcohol for personal use in excess of the above amounts, an application must be made to the Director, who if satisfied of the good faith of the applicant, and upon payment of a $50 fee, may issue a special permit permitting the transportation of alcohol into New Jersey in excess of the amounts listed above.

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New NJ Budget Tax Increases

As predicted here, Corzine's budget that passed this week including a partial restoration of the property tax rebate program due to increase tax amnesty collections of 500 million dollars. Rebates have continued for Seniors and are restored for those making up to 75,000 dollars per year(at a 2/3 rate). It does eliminate the rebate for renters which I never understood anyway.

From the Burlington County Times:

The recession-year budget raises $1.3 billion in new taxes on liquor, cigarettes and the wealthy. It extends a 4 percent surcharge on the corporate business tax that was to expire, and realizes $500 million by suspending rebates to renters and higher income homeowners. Republicans say all that amounts to $2.8 billion in tax increases.

The article goes on to note the increased tax on residents earning over 500,000 dollars per year. In addition, to those making over 250,000 per year, next year you cannot deduct your property taxes. For those under 250,000 per year, your property tax deduction is now capped at 5,000. Check out your tax bill, I bet many of you out there are about to get a tax increase and you don't even know it.

What is missing from this budget is cuts. Real cuts. And that is why Corzine is still doesn't get it. The only people who will get it from this budget is the citizens of New Jersey. And they are going to get it in ways they never imagined.

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Christmas in June for Corzine - prepare for the rebate scam

I was reading the New York Post editorial today referring to a larger than expected revenue collection from the NJ Tax Amnesty program. I read that New Jersey politicians were calling it Christmas in June. From the Daily Record:

It's Christmas in June, but it also upsets the apple cart," said Senate President Richard Codey, D-Essex.

The real question is "When did Corzine and cronies know about this windfall?". Was it before they submitted the budget and planned to REVIVE the property tax rebate just in time for Corzine's re-election in the fall?

If that is the case, I actually hope New Jersey voters fall for it. Because that would cement the utter and complete bankruptcy in this state and Corzine's responsibility for it. The rebate program has long been a scam to avoid fixing the state's financial programs and Corzine appeared for the first time to show some courage. But he didn't really. It was all a sham because he knew he would revive it at election time. And he knows what we all know. NJ voters will go along because apparently none of them take the time to read or understand what is going or act even if they do.

Status quo will continue here. Until we become Michigan. Most of us will be forced to leave by then.

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Another NJ Politician Sentenced for Corruption

From the Star Ledger:

A "crass, immature" Passaic ex-councilman was sentenced yesterday to more than six years in federal prison for accepting $44,500 in bribes for himself and other onetime city officials.

Every time I see one of these articles, I am struck by the sheer audacity of the corruption. It is often in plain sight and the citizens keep re-electing these people who do not act in their interests. And more shocking is that the charges are NEVER leveled by New Jersey prosecutors. They are always Federal investigations.

His undoing was an FBI investigation that led to indictments of 11 New Jersey public officials, including convictions for mentor and Mayor Sammy Rivera; Passaic Councilman Marcellus Jackson; Paterson schools trustee Chauncey Brown III, and Democratic Assemblymen Alfred E. Steele of Paterson and Mims Hackett Jr. of Orange.

In a separate trial yesterday, also before Thompson, a fourth Passaic official became a casualty of that investigation: Councilman Gerardo Fernandez was convicted of perjury for lying to a grand jury reviewing evidence of corruption.

"Clearly, for a significant portion of the City Council, corruption was just part of doing business," acting U.S. Attorney Ralph J. Marra Jr. said in a statement. "We can only hope that all of these convictions in Passaic will have the desired deterrent effect and give the public hope that their other current representatives are honest and working in their best interests."

Of course, I guess we can expect these to end with the election of Barack Obama. New Jersey corrupt Democrat politicians can breathe a sigh of relieve with AG Holder in charge as he is only interested in prosecuting Republicans for political purposes.
At least we can hope that we get rid of Corzine and let Christie take over and put teeth back into prosecutions at the state level.

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Chavez gift to Corzine - Marsy dotes, and doesy dotes...

Some comical news impacting the state of New Jersey:

Venezuela's U.S.-based oil company is donating an island in the Delaware River to the state of New Jersey to be turned into a wildlife sanctuary.

Alejandro Granado, president of Houston, Texas-based Citgo Petroleum Corp., said the donation of Petty's Island shows a commitment by President Hugo Chavez's government to environmental conservation.

New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine welcomed the move in a statement Wednesday, saying "Earth Day is a fitting time to consummate the donation of this special place."

I find it hilarious how often Democrat politicians in this country have no issue cozying up to dictators. And yet, these same policians would never speak civilly to Americans they do not agree with on politics. It just shows how there are no stateman left in today's Democratic party. Dictators ok. US citizens who do not share my view-evil.

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