For New Jersey, "Democracy Dies in Darkness"

With critical final decisions about the budget only four weeks away, Governor Murphy has been actively promoting his initiatives and answering questions from the public. The day after his budget address he took his spending plan on the road as seen to the left. Both Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin have said they are not inclined to raise taxes on millionaires. Coughlin says almost nothing about his position on these key issues, and Sweeney, who has changed his stance on one important matter, only on occasion will make a pronouncement of disagreement with the governor.

Absent is a vigorous debate. The result: at the last moment decisions will be reached in secret by the three leaders seen above. The new motto on Washington Post’s front page, “Democracy Dies in Darkness,” says it all.

NJPP President Macinnes has made his position clear. So has Republican Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick who says Murphy’s fiscal plans are “scary and extreme.” The most recent poll from Quinnipiac has found seven in 10 New Jersey voters were in favor of raising taxes on those with income over $1 million. On the issue of rolling back the recent reduction in the sales tax another poll indicated 53% were in support and 34% opposed.

One consequence of working in the dark can be seen in New York State which operates much the same way. In the past few years there former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos was sentenced to prison for extorting about $330,000, and former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was sentenced to 12 years for pocketing about $4 million. Even earlier Joe Bruno the former Senate majority leader who, along with Silver, was once one of the so-called ‘three men in a room,” was sentenced to two years for mail and wire fraud. Although four N J State Assemblymen have been convicted in the past eight years, the top leadership has been spared. Still it’s no way to run a government.

Read more: http://www.bluejersey.com/2018/05/for-new-jersey-democracy-dies-in-darkness/