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What North NJ needs along with the rest of the USA is INFRASTRUCTURE!!!! People complain about traffic, but don't want to spend the money ie:taxes!!! These sorts of improvements cost money, the 2 tubes that NJ transit AND Amtrak use are over 100yrs old and need extensive repairs. CC nixed the proposed tunnel into midtown and took the money from that and spent it elsewhere. If and when "american dream" or whatever it's called opens in the Meadowlands traffic will be a nightmare, particularly if there is also an event in the stadium, yet there is NO rail link there. There's to old saying, you have to spend money to make money. If there really is this desire for NJ to grow, there has to be a better mass transit system. If you consider that NJ is the most densely populated state in the US and consider North NJ is at least as densely populated as some of the boroughs of NY why don't we have better transit?
What North NJ needs along with the rest of the USA is INFRASTRUCTURE!!!! People complain about traffic, but don't want to spend the money ie:taxes!!! These sorts of improvements cost money, the 2 tubes that NJ transit AND Amtrak use are over 100yrs old and need extensive repairs. CC nixed the proposed tunnel into midtown and took the money from that and spent it elsewhere. If and when "american dream" or whatever it's called opens in the Meadowlands traffic will be a nightmare, particularly if there is also an event in the stadium, yet there is NO rail link there. There's to old saying, you have to spend money to make money. If there really is this desire for NJ to grow, there has to be a better mass transit system. If you consider that NJ is the most densely populated state in the US and consider North NJ is at least as densely populated as some of the boroughs of NY why don't we have better transit?
Gonna call BS on this. People are willing to spend money, i.e. taxes, however people in certain parts of the country (NJ being one) are ALREADY bludgeoned with incredibly high personal federal AND state income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes etc. much of it wasted on corruption and bloated govt programs.
Gonna call BS on this. People are willing to spend money, i.e. taxes, however people in certain parts of the country (NJ being one) are ALREADY bludgeoned with incredibly high personal federal AND state income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes etc. much of it wasted on corruption and bloated govt programs.
Federal taxes are based on income and essentially the same anyplace, (I don't think I pay a surcharge for living in NJ, in fact I can claim my NJ taxes, property and income on my federal return).
"Corruption and bloated govt programs" sound like a FAUX News sound byte. What's bloated is something like the F35 Joint Strike Force program, development cost alone estimated at $400 BILLION.
Please name some of the "bloated govt programs" in NJ.
565 municipalities, many of which have less than 1000 people and are completely surrounded by other towns.
600+ School districts, each with their own Superintendent, Business Administrator, office, and miscellaneous support staff.
550 Law enforcement agencies, each with a Chief/Public Safety Director (and some with both).
725 Separate fire departments.
21 County governments that duplicate practically all of the services of the towns within them.
This isn't much different than most northeast states. Every town has a separate local government.
Would you prefer one giant central bureaucracy handling all affairs for the state?
When I needed a parking permit for Union City all I did was walk into a little town office with nobody in line and apply at the desk. Should parking permits be all handled by one state DMV department with 10,000 people in line?
Would you prefer one giant central bureaucracy handling all affairs for the state?
Schools, fire/rescue, and police should all be handled at the county level and the county level only.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoHuskies
When I needed a parking permit for Union City all I did was walk into a little town office with nobody in line and apply at the desk.
I didn't say "abolish municipalities," I just said get rid of duplication. If towns want to issue parking permits and such, let them, but for example, its absurd that in NJ municipalities issue marriage licenses, operate departments of health (since every county has a department of health already), etc... These functions can all be consolidated at the county level. As you can see, I live in High Bridge, which is not quite a donut town but is definitely close. We have a seven member police department, for what purpose I have no idea. We would be fine with State Police coverage. We also operate two schools, an elementary and middle school, again, for what purpose I have no idea.
There is no reason to be doing government on this small of a scale... I would be perfectly happy if my town was under the protection of the Hunterdon County Sheriff's Office and the Hunterdon County Fire and Rescue Squad, and if my children attended schools operating under the Hunterdon County School District. Literally nothing would change in terms of services, just the tax bill for them.
We should have an "If I was Governor..." thread to list what we would change in this state.
First priority on the list for me would be to consolidate municipalities. Any current municipality that has less than 10,000 residents must combine with others to form new municipalities that meet that threshold.
Federal taxes are based on income and essentially the same anyplace, (I don't think I pay a surcharge for living in NJ, in fact I can claim my NJ taxes, property and income on my federal return).
"Corruption and bloated govt programs" sound like a FAUX News sound byte. What's bloated is something like the F35 Joint Strike Force program, development cost alone estimated at $400 BILLION.
Please name some of the "bloated govt programs" in NJ.
All an individual cares about is his total tax burden. You harping on fed vs state is irrelevant. What IS relevant is the total tax burden to a person in NJ is either the highest or one of the highest in the US. So asking people already under that burden for MORE and wondering why they balk lacks critical thinking. Sadly, you wearing your ideology on your sleeve with the "FAUX News" comment wins no points in adult debate.
What North NJ needs along with the rest of the USA is INFRASTRUCTURE!!!! People complain about traffic, but don't want to spend the money ie:taxes!!! These sorts of improvements cost money, the 2 tubes that NJ transit AND Amtrak use are over 100yrs old and need extensive repairs. CC nixed the proposed tunnel into midtown and took the money from that and spent it elsewhere. If and when "american dream" or whatever it's called opens in the Meadowlands traffic will be a nightmare, particularly if there is also an event in the stadium, yet there is NO rail link there. There's to old saying, you have to spend money to make money. If there really is this desire for NJ to grow, there has to be a better mass transit system. If you consider that NJ is the most densely populated state in the US and consider North NJ is at least as densely populated as some of the boroughs of NY why don't we have better transit?
I agree that North jersey needs better transit. The question is how to do it.
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Schools, fire/rescue, and police should all be handled at the county level and the county level only.
