Just gleaned a bit off the net and media on this mess.

The state will loose 2 mill a day in tax collections JUST from the gaming of 12 casinos! They can and will pay the super cops to continue to SWAT serve warrents and such, but can't find a grand a day to pay some bookworm types to preserve a 2 mill a day habit!

I'd bet that even in NJ the citizens can impeach the gov, right?
TC | Homepage | 07.04.06 - 2:48 am | #

I'm ashamed to admit I live in NJ (but not for long). This place is a rats nest that has one thing going for it: proximity to NYC.

Hopefully, pretty soon that won't be enough to overcome the absurd cost of living (and a 7 percent sales tax if corzine gets his way), and a lot of people will follow us out.

I don't see how shutting down the casinos helps. Guess I'm not as smart as Corzine.
Keith | 07.04.06 - 9:42 am | #

Oh, in my last post I was referring to North Jersey, South Jersey (another state by all accounts), has proximity to Philly and casinos going for it (but not any more).
Keith | 07.04.06 - 9:43 am | #

there is no reason to shut down the casinos except to coerce legislators into raising taxes. Who closes down a money-making operation to solve a budget short-fall? And oh yeah, Corzine closed down the lottery too.
cicero | Homepage | 07.04.06 - 11:09 am | #

The State is Constitutionally constrained from paying for the workers to oversee the casinos (whether requiring such oversight is necessary is another question). Since they don't have any budgeted income, they can't incur the expenses.

Anyway, there's a fight going on here at (at least) two levels.

The obvious battle is the governor stupidly insisting that no budget plan that doesn't include a sales tax will be signed. At this level it's easy for us all to get behind the legislators that won't get into line.

However, there's a subtext as well, and it's hard to square with the primary issue. This is a power struggle, and it is one that Corzine needs to *win*. Those opposing Gov. Corzine are the minions of George Norcross, the NJ Democratic Party "boss" who (ahem, allegedly) controls NJ politics from behind the scenes.

We're damned if we do and damned if we don't. We can hope Corzine loses and that we get some spending cuts. However, that will cement Norcross's puppeteering for the rest of Corzine's time in office.
Chris Wuestefeld | Homepage | 07.04.06 - 2:01 pm | #

The interesting thing is that the only aspect of the shutdown that seems to be causing big problems is the casino shutdown. What does that tell you? That the rest of the government could probably be shut down for good and no one would be the worst for it, except for public sector unions.
Leonardo | Homepage | 07.05.06 - 1:33 pm | #

Why is it that when an individual or a family has a shortfall they cut back on unnecessary things? But when a govenment has a shortfall they just hit everyone up for more money in the form of higher taxes.
The majority of politicians at all levels of government are pompus arrogant a-holes and NJ governer Corzine is the poster boy for that arrogance.
I was born and raised in NJ, presently live in PA and will be quite happy to get out of the entire northeast.
Paul Smith | 07.08.06 - 8:02 am | #