What do you want to ask the next Governor?

What do you intend to do to assure that State power and independence, relative to the Federal Government, does not continue to be eroded?

correction

The unfunded liabilities for pension and retiree health care benefits for public sector employees as well as the excessive total direct compensation packages provided those employees are a major driver in skyrocketing costs in New Jersey. Why can’t our Governor set a goal of maintaining wages and benefits at a level commensurate with the median value offered to employees at the 100 largest private sector employers in the State? Why should it be sacrosanct that Union pay and benefits are off bounds?

Gov. Corzine, why is governments answer to every so-called budget “crisis” to raise taxes and/or fees, and not cut spending? And when spending cutsa are proposed, it is always something meaningless like, “we’ll have to close State Parks”?

Annual skyrocketing property taxes have helped make NJ one of the most expensive places to live in the U.S. What will our next governor do to ease this crushing burden on citizens of NJ?

The infusion of illegal immigrants have served to increase crime in our state and takes jobs away from U.S. citizens. Since the Sessions E-Verify bill was defeated by the Democratic congress, what will our next governor do to alleviate the influx of illegals?

The state of New Jersey is rapidly becoming a welfare state as is evident by the large exodus of its working citizens as well as the oppressing tax burden being placed on its small business sector which is responsible for the majority of jobs created in the state.

How do you plan to reverse this trend which further increases the already historic state deficit?

What will you do as Governor to rein in run-away healthcare and pension benefits for New Jersey state employees and reduce taxpayer expenses?

What would you do to establish the development of NJ’s offshore energy resources; ones that could not only create jobs, but also be a boon to our economy here and countrywide? How would you educate the “environmentalists” that seem bent on driving up the costs and reducing the availability of our energy?

Lynda Hurley’s last blog post..BE SEEN ON THE GREEN

Right now, New Jersey has the highest per-puil costs in schools in the US and near the highest per-capita governmental costs. As governor, will you have the ambition to stand up to the employee unions and demand givebacks and employee reductions, benefit copayments and such, in order to make real cuts in costs?

Question #1: The state of New Jersey is currently facing an historic budget deficit In order to address this deficit, the current administration will raise taxes and fees. This, in my opinion, is the wrong solution. I feel welfare programs, in order to lessen dependency on the state and its taxpayers, should be cut dramatically, and welfare programs (including health care and education) to illegal aliens should be cut entirely. As governer, will you do this.?

Question 2:With the Obama administration’s constant effort to gain power and control, will you as governer stand for states rights, more local control of our lives, refuse federal money with its many restrictions and obligations attached, and make New Jersey finacially independent and more responsive to its constituents

There are several overreaching food safety bills currently circulating in Congress which usurp the states constitutional authority to regulate intrastate farming practices and aims to place a heavy burden on small farmers so that the local markets and roadside stands many people associate with living in the Garden State, will be forced to close shop. The federal government continues to usurp the states authority on many issues important to the growth, health and sustainability of farmers in New Jersey.

We also face battles within the state, as farmers are subjected to heavy-handed environmental regulation through The Pinelands Preservation Commission which enjoys a free reign protected by what has been New Jersey’s distorted emphasis on headline-seeking environmentalism without regard to property rights infringements or how their regulations impact the ability or affordability of farmers to make a living for their families off the land.

Pinelands preservation has not been a good experience for farmers, landowners or people trying to make a living from resource-based industries. From the beginning of its inception 25 years ago, landowners, which were by majority farmers within its boundaries, were disenfranchised by having their property declared “protected” and slapped with unconstitutional restrictive regulations all without any fair or reasonable compensation for their loss of property use and rights! The Farmlands Preservation Program, which has limited funding, a long waiting list and application process, was established after the Pinelands Preservation Act, and is only for lands outside the Pinelands, so it offers no recourse for those losses either. This is a travesty! Basically, this leaves land owners living within the Pinelands Preservation boundaries, no rights to their property except to pay taxes on it and no compensation for their losses!

This commission continues excessive regulations to the point that it is becoming impossible to farm existing farm land, requiring permit applications and tens of thousands of dollars spent in assessments and lawyer fees trying to jump through the overreaching hoops set by the Pinelands Commission. Farmers live in fear that what rights they have left will be regulated away. Farmers have been subjected to a cartel-type of harassment at the whims of environmentalists for 25 years causing loss of property rights, loss of income and loss of local food resources to New Jersey residents.

Farmers in the Garden State are over-taxed, over-regulated, and tired of being bullied by their government. As farmers retire, their children choose not to continue under the oppressiveness. Other farmers are purchasing land in states that are more welcoming to farmers. If this continues, New Jersey will have to find a nick name for herself; the Garden State will be a thing of the past. I can’t even sign this with my name for fear there will be personal repercussions directed towards our farm by the hostile regulators in our state. What will you do to make this state a place that protects its farmers from these Federal and State unconstitutional and oppressive legislation and regulators?

Question #2: Would you consider saving a lot of money by consolidating schooll districts and administrative positions? Right now there are some 267 school districts, each with it’s own superintendant and Assistant Superintendant and support staff. This comes to tens of millions of dollars spent for duplicated services. My advice would be to create 21 school disctricts at the county level, let them handle all the administrative support for each school, and make the school principal responsible for the budget for his own school, reporting to the Superintendant. The teachers would report to the Principal. All purchasing would be handled by the county.

1) Mayor Lonergan has pledged his strong support for an expansion of Second Amendment rights so that law abiding New Jersey Citizens will not only be able to keep arms but bear them as well. He supports a Pennsylvania style law that will require the issuance of a permit to carry a firearm to any individual who meets all the reasonable legal requirements to do so.

If elected, what actions will you take and what legislation will you propose that will restore to the law abiding citizens of this state their full rights under the Second Amendment?

2) Do you support Initiative and Referendum? If so, what actions will you take and what legislation will you propose that will provide I & R to the citizens of New Jersey as another means of redress?

3) The Governor’s term of office is limited. Do you support a similar limit on the term of office for every elected position in this state?