All political power is inherent in the people, even in New Jersey

“All political power is inherent in the people. Government is instituted for the protection, security, and benefit of the people, and they have the right at all times to alter or reform the same, whenever the public good may require it.” ~ New Jersey State Constitution, Article I, 2a.

The public good, now more than ever, requires that the people of New Jersey alter and reform our government. Trenton no longer even has the pretext that “all political power is inherent in the people.” Rather, we are governed by clever cadre of Republicrats with little regard for the “protection, security and benefit of the people.” Upon taking office, our “public servants” swear to “uphold and protect” the Constitution of the State of New Jersey. I would be willing to wager that most have never read the Constitution they have sworn to uphold.

Our state government while instituted for the protection, security and benefit of the people, now exists for the economic benefit of those who work for, retired from, and do business with the government. New Jersey has become the People’s Republic of Trough Swillers.

In Highlands and Sea Bright, we have the State government forcing a bridge design on the communities over the objections of the residents and municipal governments of the communities. In order to get one of the communities, Highlands, to comply with the State government’s will, high level bureaucrats threatened to pull the borough’s State funding and to seize the borough property needed to build the bridge without compensation.

Last November, we had a statewide election that included a referendum on weather or not the State should be authorized to borrow $450 million dollars to fund stem cell research. For the first time in decades, “the people” exercised their political power to vote NO. The Governor went ahead and started building stem cell research centers anyway.

Now Governor Corzine wants to form a “Public Benefit Corporation” (PBC), that will be independent from the will of the people, to take control of our toll roads for 75 years and raise tolls 800% plus inflation. For this, the Republic of Trough Swillers will get $38 billion now and the commuters and truckers who use the roads will pay over $200 billion in tolls over the seventy five year period. Polls show that nearly 60% of New Jersey residents oppose Corzine’s scheme, 15% support it and 25% don’t have an opinion yet. Undeterred, by public opinion, Corzine is pushing the legislature to pass the plan in March, and he is going on a statewide tour to sell the plan in a series of “pig and pony shows” as Gannett’s Bob Ingle calls the Town Meetings. Former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan and South Jersey radio personality Seth Grossman were arrested last weekend while peacefully protesting at one of the pig and pony shows.

Corzine insists that New Jersey is in a financial emergency and that his scheme is the only answer. He’s half right. Trenton’s finances are a mess, but Corzine’s scheme is not the answer. Over the last twenty years the Republicrats have squandered New Jersey’s prosperity with reckless spending, borrowing and taxation. The answer is not to borrow another $38 billion to payback the mistakes of the past while funding more of the same going forward.

The answer is to scale back state government. Reduce spending. Reduce the payroll by either laying people off or renegotiating labor agreements that were entered into irresponsibly and that we can not afford. The auto industry is doing this, as is airline industry. Corzine said in his State of the State address, that a 15% spending cut would be required if his toll road scheme was not passed. That would be a good start, especially given that state spending is up 50% in the last decade.

Corzine is bringing his pig and pony show to Monmouth County on February 4. It will be at Marlboro High School on Route 79, for 7PM until 9PM.

Also published in The Courier and the Bayonne Evening Star-Telegram