Jersey voters had hoped that Gov. Jon Corzine’s grand vows would lead to real relief from their killer tax bur den and endless state budget woes.
But taxes and spending grew under Corzine — even as the state’s infamous political corruption mushroomed, garnering international headlines.
Residents have been let down too often; it’s time to change governors. Which is why The Post today endorses Corzine’s GOP challenger, Chris Christie.
A trailblazing, anti-corruption former US attorney, Christie offers the best hope for a long overdue end to the state’s never-ending tax hikes.
He also stands the best chance of reversing Jersey’s global reputation for political sleaze. As a federal prosecutor, he won convictions against more than 130 public officials on corruption charges — never losing a single case.
Let’s face it: Corzine just hasn’t delivered. In his 2005 campaign, he vowed to boost property-tax rebates by 40 percent over four years and to rewrite the state’s antiquated property-tax structure.
We’re still waiting — on both counts.
Surely, he understands the problem. “The time of living beyond our means is over,” he said last year, and prescribed “cold-turkey therapy for our troubled spending addiction.” Then he caved to lawmakers protecting special interests.
Now Corzine won’t even promise to hold the line on taxes. Credit him for honesty — but for many Jerseyans, higher levies will simply break the bank.
Christie, by contrast, vows to cut “taxes that are just killing our families.”
Yes, it’s disappointing that Christie hasn’t spelled out details of his tax-cutting plan or how he’ll contain property taxes, the hottest hot-button issue in Jersey. His vagueness seems to have spurred a jump in support for independent candidate Chris Daggett.
But Daggett doesn’t have the answer. He’d cut property taxes only by hiking other taxes and tolls. No wonder two key Jersey papers, The Home News Tribune of East Brunswick and The Courier News of Bridgewater, back Christie over both Corzine and Daggett.
“If voters genuinely want to change the reckless, unethical culture of Trenton, Daggett’s not the way to go,” they said in a joint editorial. “And another four years of Corzine certainly won’t do it.” Rather, they said, Christie is the “clear choice,” citing his readiness to talk “meaningfully . . . about what the state can’t afford.”
Meanwhile, the race has national import — as it’s seen as a sign of whether Americans will tolerate the multitrillion-dollar burden of higher taxes and insurance premiums under ObamaCare.
But for Jersey voters, local taxes — and political sleaze — are the key issues. Christie’s their best shot on both scores.