The Swamps of New Jersey

The Lord of Truth keeps us updated on the crazy shenanigans in his home state, where he's headed for more wonderful governance...

This year's race for governor finds the residents of the Garden State in a surly mood. Personal and financial scandals forced Democrat Jim McGreevey to resign last year, and the recent release of taped conversations between a South Jersey Democratic boss and other pols have only deepened a public perception that the state's local governments are dominated by a public-sector version of the Soprano family.

But none of this compares with the public anger over the state's highest-in-the country property taxes. Already 50% higher than the national average, they are going up 7% a year to keep pace with constantly growing local budgets and a state debt burden that is the third-highest in the country. An activist state Supreme Court has taken over distribution of a large chunk of property taxes and directed 60% of it to failing urban school districts. But none of that extra money appears to be improving education.

Next Tuesday, Republicans will select someone to challenge the certain Democratic candidate, Sen. Jon Corzine. A human ATM who spent $63 million of his own money to narrowly win a U.S. Senate seat, Mr. Corzine now vows to spend "whatever it takes" so he can take over the governor's mansion. But while he has both bucks and name recognition, he hasn't closed the sale with voters. This month, Mr. Corzine winced when Phil Thigpen, a Democratic leader in Newark, introduced him by saying "I know he's having a difficult time in Washington, being the minority in an unsympathetic majority. Maybe that's why he's coming home."

Indeed, there are signs that Sen. Corzine is returning to a state that could view him as part of the problem rather than the solution. His self-described political mentor, Sen. Bob Torricelli, had to drop out in disgrace from his U.S. Senate re-election race in 2002. This year, Mr. Corzine's name surfaced on tapes that prosecutors made of conversations by George Norcross, the South Jersey boss to whose political committees Mr. Corzine has funneled $700,000. Mr. Norcross boasted of breakfast at the Corzine home and speaking weekly with the senator: "In the end, the McGreeveys, the Corzines, they're all going to be with me. . . not that they like me, but because they have no choice."

For the record, Corzine's probably not an ethical slimeball like McGreevey (or the Democratic machine in NJ, for that matter). Corzine's so rich, it's hard to buy him with outright bribes.

But he's also insanely liberal, as Fund noted. Perhaps there's still hope...

Whoever emerges from the GOP primary next Tuesday will trail Mr. Corzine by double digits in polls, but that doesn't mean the race is over. Mr. Corzine began his 2000 Senate race with a 20 point lead and ended up winning with only 51%. On property taxes, he has backed a plan to call a constitutional convention that critics say could propose new taxes but be precluded from discussing spending limits.

One reason would be that Mr. Corzine is nothing if not liberal with other people's money. The National Taxpayers Union Foundation reports that the former Goldman Sachs executive supports the most costly current agenda of bills of all U.S. senators--a piggish pricetag of $441 billion. In his race for governor, he is already proposing to offer health coverage to two-thirds of the state's 1.2 million uninsured.

Corzine is beatable, but I'd rather back Schundler than Forrester, and I don't think Schundler can beat the money machine Forrester has. But in the meantime, the Lord of Truth should consider moving south to Jesusland.