To the Editor:
According to the National Education Association, the average New Jersey teacher is paid $61,277 per year. This is well above the U.S. average of $52,000. New Jersey teachers also get medical and other benefits costing $19,140 a year, according to the teachers union. Governor Christie has been accused of waging war against teachers. If that is the case, the teachers’ union has provided him with plenty of ammunition.
It has also been alleged that Mr. Christie is waging war on the middle class. The governor has made it abundantly clear that he will not spend dollars which the taxpayers do not have. In this respect, he is waging war on behalf of the middle class against politicians who only know how to tax, borrow, and spend. According to the Tax Foundation, the average property tax bill for owner-occupied homes in New Jersey is the highest in the nation. New Jerseyans pay an average of 11.9 percent of their income in state and local taxes. (Yes, highest in the nation, once again.)
In his first year in office, the governor has been attempting to rein in years of out-of-control spending inflicted on us by the previous four or five governors of both parties. Bayonne taxpayers should hope that he succeeds in wearing the state off its decades-long spending binge.
RICHARD JOSEFOWICZ