Poor Grades

Gov. Jon S. Corzine is receiving poor marks from New Jersey residents who don't particularly like his policies or his style of governing, according to a new Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll.
Midway through his four-year term, 40 percent of the poll respondents said they approved of Corzine's job performance, while 44 percent disapproved, the highest negative rating found by the poll since Corzine took office in January 2006.
State residents gave Corzine an overall C-minus grade on issues ranging from cost-cutting, property taxes, government ethics, cost of living, schools and Corzine's level of effort.

Those words are not mine. This is the lead of a Gannett New Jersey story by James W. Prado Roberts. And the story notes that since he took office Corzine has never achieved an approval rating higher than 51 percent. Now, as a professor I can tell you that a grade of C- is not good. Not good at all - especially for a Democrat in a decidedly Democrat state. And 51 percent? Well, that's a failing grade.

But New Jersey's wacky governor never seems to get the message. While the state wallows in red ink he proposes bigger and bigger tax and spend plans, hands out more money and continues to build America's biggest Nanny State. Corzine has just signed a pay-raise bill making New Jersey's judges among the highest paid in the nation. On average judges will get raises of about $20,000 annually. I think the world of judges. But I also think that when a state is billions of dollars in debt some discretion must be shown.

And Corzine also signed into law a bill which brings red light cameras to the state - another Big Brother move. Both pieces of legislation were approved at the 11th hour by a lame duck Democrat legislature. Many of those who provided the margin of victory are leaving office (only to be replaced by more Dems) so they don't care anyway. It was their last "gift" to New Jersey's sucker-taxpayers.