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Corzine signs tax-hiking budget, Republicans united in opposition
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AP Photo-Mel Evans
Governor Jon Corzine signed the state's $29 billion budget into law today, a measure that was opposed by every single Republican in the state legislature. The budget increases taxes on cigarettes, hard liquor, wine, and families with incomes over $75,000. The plan contains $4 billion less in state spending than last year's budget, but relies on $2.2 billion in federal stimulus money to make up for those cuts. That stimulus money will not be available to plug holes in the budget after 2010.
When the budget was passed, Corzine said it was "unfortunate" that no Republicans voted for the budget. But New Jersey Republicans took a page from their Congressional counterparts, who voted en masse against President Barack Obama's stimulus package. National Republicans have been largely insulated from growing questions about the efficacy of the stimulus bill amid increasing unemployment and a continuing economic slump. Similarly, by denying the governor a bipartisan vote on the budget, Republicans will be able to run against Corzine's tax increases and one-shot stop-gap measures in this fall's election.
GOP gubernatorial nominee Christopher Christie assailed the budget when it was passed as irresponsible. "In this year's budget, like each year before it, Governor Corzine has failed to manage our state's priorities. The result is a budget that raises taxes, cuts spending for programs that matter, and leaves us in greater debt next year instead of responsibly planning for the future." Corzine said that the opposition, "no real alternative," and accused Republicans of playing politics with the issue.
As the national economy continues to stagnate, spending and taxation will become bigger issues in the governor's race. By holding together against the Democrats' and Corzine's budget plan, Republicans have aligned themselves with Congressional Republicans in opposition to increased taxes and reckless spending. That message compliments Christie's run against entrenched Trenton interests in the governor's race. Corzine, meanwhile, has aligned himself with President Obama. The governor's race, therefore, could turn on how well the White House, not the State House, manages the economy through the fall.
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