Reconsidering Forrestine '05

This editorial in today's Philadelphia Inquirer got me to thinking a bit.

The race for governor of New Jersey has gotten nastier than usual, earlier than usual. So far, Democrat Jon Corzine and Republican Doug Forrester have not given New Jersey residents the campaign they deserve.

Their camps spent most of August trading "gotcha" accusations over the legality of Forrester's large campaign donations to fellow Republicans and Corzine's gift mortgage loan to a former girlfriend.

Neither of these tempests provides valuable insight into how either man would govern. Now that Labor Day has arrived, it's time for the candidates to get their messages across on issues that will make a difference in the lives of New Jerseyans.

Property taxes, which are the highest in the nation, should receive much of the attention. Corzine and Forrester have yet to make a convincing case that they can provide sustainable relief.

Forrester's plan is to amend the state constitution to guarantee a 30-percent reduction in property taxes over three years.

He proposes to pay for these automatic rebates partly by cutting waste in state government. Hmmm, where have we heard that before? Only from every candidate who wanted to sound like he had a tax reform plan when he really didn't.

A tip-off that Forrester's not serious: He pledges not to raise other taxes. Forrester says his plan would involve about $6 billion over three years; Democrats say the figure is more like $10 billion.

Railing against wasteful spending always sounds nice. But many politicians have charged the ramparts of waste, fraud and abuse only to find that the savings don't add up to their promises. Forrester claims he'll find the savings in a state budget that rose $14 billion in four years.

Corzine says he will increase state property tax rebates by 10 percent per year for homeowners and renters earning less than $200,000. This, after a budget season in which a Democratic governor and Democratic lawmakers fought over trimming those rebates.

He projects that his plan would cost $7.67 billion over four years. He, too, needs to specify how he'd make the books balance. Republicans say Corzine's plan offers too little relief to the average homeowner.

Acting Gov. Codey did take steps this year toward controlling the state budget; both candidates need to spell out in far more detail their plans for restraining spending - being honest that sometimes what will be cut is a program that is useful, not wasteful, but simply is a lower priority.

With gas prices rising, Forrester says he is opposed to raising the state's gasoline tax. But the state's transportation trust fund is running on empty. Corzine has said he would raise the tax only as a last resort. Fine, gentlemen, explain how this bankrupt fund will somehow manage to keep New Jersey's roads, bridges and mass transit in decent repair.

The list of New Jersey's pressing needs goes on. Combating corruption, making higher education more affordable, curbing sprawl - all must be prominent in this discussion.

Right now, these candidates are flunking the job interview by squabbling between themselves rather than addressing the questions their prospective employers - the voters - really want answered.

To learn more, I visited the web sites of the Forrester and Corzine campaigns so I could read up and feel a little less jaded about this whole race.

I actually have to admit that Forrester seems to be better ideas related to homeland security, including training modules for first responders and security cameras in smaller airports, but somehow I don’t think that money for these ideas is going to be forthcoming when New Jersey or Pennsylvania can’t even get the matching federal funds for security measures that are already in place.

However, Corzine does a much better job of articulating the problems facing the state concerning the environment and the day-to-day issues of kids, families, and jobs. His site articulates ivory-tower goals for a wider range of issues than Forrester does (with Forrester mimicking much of the same type of rhetoric, which every politician does, I realize).

Also, Corzine’s site is pleasantly free of the “Doug did this, Doug did that” stuff that pollutes Forrester’s home page against Corzine, as well as the typical Repug snarly attitude that reverberates all over the place. I realize that that’s the way it goes when you’re trailing and all you can do is follow the playbook given to you by your handlers in Washington, D.C., but that’s still no excuse (and if Forrester cared a whit about appearances – and he obviously doesn’t – he would do what Frank Lautenberg said and give back the campaign money he raised when Karl Rove appeared with him, though I’m sure Forrester needs all the dough he can get with the question of the campaign donations he was not allowed to make still up in the air).

Oh, and regarding allegations of impropriety, am I the only one who greeted the news of Corzine’s half-million dollar loan to his girlfriend with a great big yawn? Wow, a Democratic politician in New Jersey in bed with organized labor (literally and figuratively). Stop the presses!

Does that make it right? Of course not. Is there a lot of institutional rot in New Jersey from years of primarily Democratic patronage? Apparently so (I can’t say for certain because I don’t live there, but that’s what I hear).

But Forrester is nothing but a Repug water boy for the cabal of crooks and supposed Jesus freaks that are running our country right into the ground. Better the imperfect status quo with potential for improvement with Corzine than the ruin, budget deficits and pseudo-neocon blather of Forrester as he tries to turn New Jersey into a satellite of Bushworld.