Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Corzine Blast Republicans Over Law Suit - DeCroce Responds

Corzine:

STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR CORZINE REGARDING THE LAWSUIT BY SENATE REPUBLICANS

TRENTON – Governor Jon S. Corzine today issued the following statement regarding a lawsuit filed by Republican members of the Senate Budget Committee:

“As we close out a year of economic upheaval more severe than any since the Great Depression, with so many people in New Jersey losing their homes, jobs, and financial security, it is disappointing that Republican legislators have chosen the Bush-Rove path of divisive, partisan politics. Those tactics helped create the current meltdown, and while we are entering a new era in Washington with a new President and renewed hope, the Republicans here in New Jersey are still playing political games.

“Within hours we will be announcing deep and painful budget cuts that must be made to comply with our constitutional obligation of a balanced budget. What we need in this climate is statesmanship and cooperation by all who have been elected to serve the people of this state. The last thing we need is for Republican legislators to use taxpayer resources to gin up a partisan lawsuit. Partisanship should be off the table as we deal with this crisis.

“My door has always been open to anyone of any party who has a good idea. If the Republicans really have something to contribute to help deal with this economic crisis, they could have walked into my office instead of a courtroom.”

DeCroce:

DeCROCE TELLS CORZINE TO ‘GET REAL’
BECAUSE THE PAIN AWAITING TAXPAYERS IN 2009 WILL BE


Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce says he is not surprised Gov. Jon Corzine has waited until the “12th hour of the last day of the 12th month” to give New Jersey taxpayers a clue how he intends to balance the budget.

“It’s simply pathetic that the governor waits until New Year’s Eve to disclose what budget cuts he intends to make,” said DeCroce, R-Morris and Passaic. “When the revelry at midnight ends, most taxpayers won’t even have an inkling of how much additional economic pain is in store for them in 2009 because the governor chose to keep the bad news hidden until hardly anyone would notice.

“The governor’s strategy won’t protect him for long because when taxpayers get wind of what he is up to – and that it will likely mean higher taxes for them in the new year – they will do precisely what he asked them to do a long time ago and hold him accountable for the mess he created.”

DeCroce said it strains credulity to suggest it is only coincidence that Corzine suddenly decided to announce budget cuts after he was threatened with a lawsuit by Republicans and less than a day after treasury officials say they are “four-to-six weeks behind schedule” trying to come up with a way to plug a projected $1.2 billion hole in the current state budget.

“It’s time for the governor to get real and level with the people,” DeCroce said. “No one, including any impartial economist, is going to believe Corzine’s financial blunders and spending policies had nothing whatsoever to do with the mess we’re in. Just this week an economist said New Jersey entered 2008 ‘in desperate shape and came out a complete basket case.’ Jon Corzine has no one to blame but himself for the ‘desperate shape’ New Jersey was in before the national recession hit home.”

DeCroce called Corzine’s claim that Republicans have not recommended ways for the state to save money preposterous.

In a statement released today, Corzine said: “If the Republicans really have something to contribute to help deal with this economic crisis, they could have walked into my office instead of a courtroom.”

“The problem with that statement is that it isn’t true. Tom Kean and I have ‘walked into his office’ many times offering serious ideas and alternatives. It is the governor who chooses to ignore everyone’s advice but his own.”

DeCroce said the people of New Jersey would be better served if Gov. Corzine actually stayed in the state long enough to deal with the state’s economic problems instead of traveling around the country and doing the TV talk show circuit “alternately praising and begging President-elect Obama for money.”

2 comments:

Tom said...

This is quite simply 'more of the same' from Corzine. Whenever a Democrat says they want to end the divisiveness and partisanship, what they really mean is that wish everyone would simply shut up and quit disagreeing with them.

Corzine has shown himself as utterly unwilling to face down the entrenched insiders and special interest in Trenton who make their way slopping at the government trough. The unions and the other parties interested in keeping government expenses high can always count on Corzine to run to someone else when it comes time to pay the bill. He's made no serious effort to trim even the slightest excesses in the budget and has instead looked to fleece the already strained private sector again and again and again.

With a shrinking commercial base and taxpaying population, our little 'East Germany on the Delaware' can't go on like this for long. And Corzine is only speeding our 'race to the bottom. We'll be lucky to be rid of him.


Tom From RadioFReeNJ

ESedler said...

Did he really use the term "Bush-Rove"?

Oh please, tell me this is the Democrat strategy for the 2009 Elections!