Gov. Jon S. Corzine told Brian Lehrer on WNYC today that between taxes and federal spending New Jersey should see more than $17 billion in relief from the stimulus. About $7 billion will come in the form of tax relief to residents, with the rest coming in money for programs.
Corzine said that the state would have little impact on how the money is spent — the bulk come in the form of Medicaid and unemployment aid — but that lawmakers will have to sort some infrastructure dollars. The president has told governors that he expects money to be spent on shovel-ready projects that are chosen via an open process, Gov. Corzine said.
He says the stimulus money should save or create about 100,000 jobs.
He also said that there needs to be a process to track the money, to ensure that it is being used for its intended purpose.
The numbers, of course, are mind-boggling — but the spending is necessary and should be a huge help in a state hamstrung by budget problems, in terms of keeping people afloat and saving jobs.
Let’s be clear, however, federal money will not solve New Jersey’s fiscal predicament. That is something that all of us — politicians and taxpayers — created because of our unwillingness to make hard choices. There is not a New Jerseyan who has not screamed to save his or her pet program or to keep his or her property tax bill or income taxes from going up. Until we realize this, we will never climb out of the budget hole we’ve created.
Hank Kalet 