To the Editor:
This is an open letter to Governor Jon Corzine of New Jersey. It is in regards to his state budget for the year 2009-2010 with a deficit of $2.5 billion dollars.
Governor Corzine, in his reasoning to keep state expenses down, increases existing taxes and institutes new taxes to decrease the state budget. Our state still remains in our nation first in property taxes, pollution and crooked politicians. When elected to office, Governor Corzine stated that all this would change. It has only gotten worse!
I strongly propose three alternatives that, by using common sense, will reduce the New Jersey state budget for 2009-2010! In order to implement these three proposals, we must eliminate politics for its intrusions because it would defeat these changes to succeed.
The first proposal is for Governor Corzine to eliminate 40,000 non-essential state workers. When the state could not balance its budget, it laid off 40,000 non-essential workers and in less than two weeks rehired them with back pay. They should never have been rehired! Why? Because of politics as usual.
The second proposal is to have our members in the state assembly or state senate to introduce a bill to eliminate county government. Vote to pass it and the governor to sign it. County government is a waste of taxpayer’s money, a cesspool of political nepotism, cronyism, and kickbacks, triplication of services and whatever else that’s dishonest! County government must go!
The third proposal is to implement charter schools throughout our state. Currently, there is strong opposition to teachers’ unions in public schools not to allow this to happen. It is a proven fact that charter schools with vouchers cost over 50 percent less per pupil to teach. When firmly established they exceed in performance over public schools.
These three proposals that I have presented will save our state billions of dollars to improve the good and welfare of its residents. These reforms are long overdue and should be instituted immediately. If our elected state officials fail to implement them, then it is time for the electorate on Election Day in 2010 to vote all who opposed them out of office regardless of their political party affiliation.
LEONARD R. KANTOR