Tonight, as I was driving home, I listened to a New Jersey – based radio talk-station. (The non-Garden Staters should know that most of our radio and TV is New York City or Philadelphia-based). Anyway, the subject was, not surprisingly, the state government shutdown.

I heard at least three people call the host and say of the Governor’s desire to raise the sales tax from 6% to 7%, in words or substance, “It’s only one percent. What’s the big deal? What’s the fuss? It’s only a penny.”

I’ve tried to make this clear at least twice before, but I’m going to try again. Pay attention.

A one percent increase would raise the sales tax from 6% to 6.01% 6.06%**, not 7%.

Let me say it again, only LOUDER this time.

A ONE PERCENT INCREASE WOULD RAISE THE SALES TAX FROM 6% TO 6.01% 6.06%**, not 7%.

Raising the sales tax from 6% to 7% constitutes an increase in the sales tax of not 1%, but 16%.

Let’s try it this way.

If you were earning $6.00 per hour, and your pay was raised to $7.00 per hour, would you say you got a 1% raise? A one percent raise would mean your new pay would be $6.06. Or, would you figure that your pay was raised by 16%?

If you want to agree with the Governor’s position, fine, but at least know what the hell you are agreeing to.

Don’t make me explain this again.

Sheesh.

**Math correction courtesy of Blanton’s and Ashton’s – Article II. Section 4. PRS regrets the error, but disagrees with the author’s downplaying of the democrats’ effort to play hide the football with taxpayers.

Ladies and Gentlemen of New Jersey, the state government is shut down, and here is our legislature at work. It is a democrat versus democrat pissing contest over the best way to wring the money out of the state’s taxpayers to fund a budget that contains a 9.2 percent spending increase at a time when the state already faced a massive deficit.

The republicans in the legislature proposed $2 billion in spending cuts rather than saddling the citizens with a host of new taxes, but they have no meaningful voice in all this, for this is a Blue, Blue state.

At this moment, it is Disgusting State.

HAPPY FOURTH!

Accroding to the Star Ledger, New Jersey State Employees will be paid retroactively, whether they work or not, during the shutdown, “unless the Legislature votes to withhold that money”.

State Senator Stephen M. Sweeney (D-3), Chairman of the Senate Labor Committee, views this as an “outrage”.

Once again, this Governor is protecting those who have nothing at stake in the process while the taxpayers assume the entire burden.

It’s really simple: Those who work deserve to be paid; those who don’t work shouldn’t be paid.

It’s time for the Governor to listen to the people I speak with every day at the convenience stores and diners – people who don’t get anything close to the deals these state employees get with double the vacation days of those in the private sector, 35-hour work-weeks, little or no co-pays or contributions to the increased costs of health care – and they’re all telling me enough is enough! The citizens of this state have reached a breaking point.

First he wants to force a sales tax increase down the throats of taxpayers to pay for more bloated state government that none of us can afford. Now he wants to give state employees a retroactive paid holiday so they don’t have to feel the pain everyone else has to feel.

It’s time for the Governor to honor his promises from last year’s campaign to cut out-of-control state spending. It’s time for him to stand up for the taxpayers who deserve a break from financing bigger state government. The culture of entitlement in Trenton needs a wake-up call.

Sweeney is an outlier among the democrats in the legislature, where they are busy trying to find ways that are less obvious than a sales tax incrase to fund the Governor’s budget, which increases spending by 9.2% at a time when the state is awash in red ink.

Obviously, things are not going well in Trenton, and it seems that no matter how it shakes out, the taxpayers lose.

Enlighten-New Jersey is posting regularly on the ongoing disgrace.

Jersey Blogger and former Battlewagon sailor, Ken at SmadaNek, is following an absolutely amazing event. It is the Shepherd Ocean Fours Rowing Race. On June 10th, four teams (one from the U.S. and three from the U.K.) of four men each left New York harbor in special rowboats (the American boat is pictured above) with the goal of seeing which team can row to Falmouth, U.K. in the shortest amount of time.

It’s a 3,100 mile trip, and they have been at it for 23 days now. According to Ken, the U.S. Team, the OAR Northwest, is currently in the lead.

Do these guys have grit, or what?

Yesterday, former Do-Nothing Senator and now Tax-and-Spend Governor, Jon Corzine, shut down New Jersey’s State Government. All “non-essential” state workers were advised not to report to work until a budget is passed.

We went through the same crap last year, except then, at the eleventh hour, the then-Governor (You remember him) and the legislature figured out new ways to tax the citizens of New Jersey in order to permit the Political Swamp to continue to function.

The origin of this year’s train wreck is Governor Corzine’s decision to increase spending by approximately nine percent in the face of a massive deficit. In order to fund this lunacy, the Governor is adamant about raising the state sales tax from six percent to seven percent. He cleverly pitches this as a “one percent increase”. Even the Star Ledger characterized this as increasing the sales tax “by a penny”. This is, of course, pure bullshit.

Anyone who has made it through grammar school arithmetic knows, or damned well should know, that raising the sales tax from six percent to seven percent means that New Jersey taxpayers will be paying sixteen percent more sales tax if the Governor has his way. Sixteen percent more! Think about that for a minute, and it is obvious why the Governor is wedded to this idea.

The democrats in the state legislature are frightened that eventually the people will catch on and run their asses out of offices. Heaven forbid. This is why no budget was passed and why the state government has been shut down. The democrats in the legislature are burning the midnight oil trying to find ways to raise the same amount of revenue in a way that is not so obvious to the lames who continue to vote them into office. (E.g. increased payroll taxes are on the table).

The Governor’s Shutdown Plan is more about getting people’s attention than making wise moves. For example, the first thing to go was the State Lottery, something that puts $2.2 dollars per day in the states coffers, all of which is voluntarily ponied up by taxpayers. He tried to close the racetracks, but the racing folks got a break from the court for a day or so. Closing the tracks over the weekend would have cost the state about $1 million. He has promised to close (gasp!) the casinos, which are privately owned, but require state employees on site keep an eye on things. (Note: The Casinos, not the government, pays these folks.) The government makes about $1.2 million per day from the casinos. It’s all about attention.

As I said last year, the legislature and the Governor had better sort this out quickly before the taxpayers realize how many of the “non-essential” workers could be better classified as “non-necessary”.

The folks at Enlighten-New Jersey are all over this mess.

I’m off to The Deck to party and stand around in the pool with a drink swim with the Usual Suspects.

I sorely need this party.

Later.