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It's particularly bad with infastructure mods and highway maintenance. I wish NJ would get their s*** together when it comes to this kind of stuff.
NJTP = 5th busiest toll road in America.
38,131 miles of road. State owned highways and toll roads make up 7% of that mileage, and 66% of traffic volume.
We've got old infrastructure because the state has been here a while. Yes, many things need to be addressed, but when you consider the volume the roads in NJ handle, the road conditions are not that horrible. I'd like to see improvements, but guess what...that costs money. The idea that we can cut spending yet still have better highway maintenance and more highway miles is absurd.
So what is it?
And where do you live? California? You want to talk infrastructure?????
38,131 miles of road. State owned highways and toll roads make up 7% of that mileage, and 66% of traffic volume.
We've got old infrastructure because the state has been here a while. Yes, many things need to be addressed, but when you consider the volume the roads in NJ handle, the road conditions are not that horrible. I'd like to see improvements, but guess what...that costs money. The idea that we can cut spending yet still have better highway maintenance and more highway miles is absurd.
So what is it?
And where do you live? California? You want to talk infrastructure?????
Oh god, shut up. Your last sentence is like diharrea: "Oh you lives in California'sss how's them gangs and smogs treatin' yas? Ain't got no Wawa's eitherss....DURRR"
My solution to bad roads: Take some pension dollars out of the overall budget and fix them. NJ roads are notorious for high tolls, poor signage, crubling infastructure etc. What's your solution? Sit around and wait for them to get worse?
Guess what? Other states poorer than NJ have the money to fix their roads. What's NJ's excuse? Please enlighten me instead of making lazy "we don't have the money or time to do it" excuses.
Oh you're from New Jersey? Want to talk Pulaski Skyway? I hear that's about to fall down!
this isn't true of every type of service. consolidating doesn't necessarily mean you need less police officers, fire fighters, teachers, etc. at best it demotes a couple of people at the very top. it's highly situational depending on the town, and like I said, it's up to residents to decide if they want to do that.
I'm down. Let's have less public workers. What are they good for anyway? Just sitting duck union cronies.
38,131 miles of road. State owned highways and toll roads make up 7% of that mileage, and 66% of traffic volume.
We've got old infrastructure because the state has been here a while. Yes, many things need to be addressed, but when you consider the volume the roads in NJ handle, the road conditions are not that horrible. I'd like to see improvements, but guess what...that costs money. The idea that we can cut spending yet still have better highway maintenance and more highway miles is absurd.
So what is it?
And where do you live? California? You want to talk infrastructure?????
Maybe we could get a little of those federal dollars that we pay and don't recoup. It's complete crap we need to get our federal dollars to improve the infrastructure.
i see what you're saying, i just think you are oversimplifying things.
it's not about a casino or card room being noticeable. just look at what happens in the areas around legal gambling operations. i wouldn't want one near where I live. as for taxes....sales tax is a regressive tax. that's just economics. what is it you need explained? Reducing pensions for existing workers requires contract renegotiations. I also don't want the State Police being my local police responder. I grew up in an area where that was the case. Response times are lower, the police officers aren't as familiar with the local area, there are advantages and disadvantages. Also, State Police are generally higher paid.
You don't seem to understand that everything would be spread evenly and crime stats would determine where police would be going. There are a surplus of police in rich communities that would be moved around. Add in a centralized command and control center and response times would drop and crime would go do as more long term investigations could take place. The days of small town police are over.
I get your point on the people who 'retire' and collect a pension and then get a 2nd job....but people do that in their 60s too. Hell...at the federal level, virtually every veteran does that. You'd have to increase the # of years required to earn full pension, and you could do that for new hires (which I think most places have done already, so this will phase out over time anyways).
Completely different story on comparing veterans and public servants. The amount of double dippers in the local governments is out of control. When your a police officer in one town, retire, and take a job down the street in another town while drawing a 50% plus pension, then something is wrong. The reason the 20 year pensions were set up was due to police and firefighters didn't last past 50. They broke down and retired, all that's changed with today's medical resources, they retire in the mid 40's move down the road and repeat the cycle. Veterans serve in the US. Military and move around the for 20 years working 80plus hours a week. Serve in war zones, are away from their families for months on end, and make less than their civilian counterparts.
NJ isn't in as dire fiscal condition as this paints. We have tough choices to make, but it's not like they are truly that tough. People like making it sound like it's horrible to further push their agenda.
Do them no before it gets worse.
Pennsylvania just essentially tripled it's gas tax to pay for badly needed infrastructure upgrades. You're telling me we couldn't raise our gas tax by a few pennies to help pay for ours? There's one area of the fiscal issues that would be addressed.
....... You're telling me we couldn't raise our gas tax by a few pennies to help pay for ours? There's one area of the fiscal issues that would be addressed.
NJ's problem with that is our polititicans take money that's raised for one thing then decide to pi$$ away on something completely unrelated.
bellhead- are you saying police officers retire and get jobs as cops in another town? Also what is the % of double dippers- do you even know? You realize the systems with the double dippers is financial sound right? I believe you are reacting to limited information and thinking it is more widespread than it is.
It is not that I support double dippers but you want to harm all pension holders for an outrage that is limited to a few.
You also never answered my question - do you believe in property rights?
What I am saying is pension reform, you don't draw it until you are 59 or 62, also health care doesn't start until then.
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