Campaign News

For Release: February 17, 2010
 

NEWARK, NJ – As the Assembly Budget Committee held a public hearing over the declaration of fiscal emergency by Governor Christie, Better Choices for New Jersey spokesperson Margarita Hernandez issued the following statement:

“Governor Christie has shown that he’s more interested in cutting taxes for the wealthy than in preserving vital services and preventing higher tuition rates, transit fares, and property taxes when working families can least afford them.”

“Last year, New Jersey took a balanced approach to weathering our economic crisis by modestly increasing income tax rates on those making over $400,000, which prevented devastating cuts and maintained property tax relief. By refusing to extend the rate increase for the remainder of fiscal year on those who can most afford to pay, the Governor is leaving $500 million on the table and underfunding programs that provide working families with relief in hard times.”

WNYC

Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Bob Hennelly

A coalition of 40 New Jersey labor, education, and health-care groups is blasting Gov. Jon Corzine's plan to cut nearly $1 billion to close a budget gap.

In a statement, Gov. Corzine says the economic crisis and the fall-off of state tax revenues left his administration no choice but to make the cuts.

Eva Bonime is with Better Choices for New Jersey. She says the 40 coalition groups are particularly concerned the income tax surcharge on the state's top earners will sunset at the end of this year.

"Giving the rich a tax cut really makes no sense," she says. "You know it is a recession. Average New Jerseyans are being asked to sacrifice. Everyone has to tighten their belts and yet the wealthiest New Jerseyans are actually going to get a tax break."

In addition to the current year's $1 billion budget gap, the state faces an $8 billion shortfall next year. Gov.-elect Chris Christie has warned the state must make major spending cuts in order to be able to make payroll in March.

For Immediate Release

The FY 2010 budget is a mixed bag for New Jerseyans, the Better Choices Budget Campaign said today in its new evaluation of the $29 billion FY 2010 budget signed by Governor Corzine. Its analysis took into account how the budget provided for vital government services, whether it raised revenue to meet the state’s needs in a fair and fiscally responsible manner, and the budget’s ability to meet New Jersey’s long-term fiscal needs.

“Even though this budget takes promising steps towards fairly sharing the burden of this recession by enacting many of the revenue proposals endorsed by the Better Choices Campaign, it still contains far too many program cuts and one-shot solutions,” said Eva Bonime, Executive Director of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance and coordinator of the Better Choices Budget Campaign. “That is why we are going to keep up the pressure on legislators and fight for long-term solutions that will New Jersey to meet its needs and invest in its future.”

Below is a summary of the Better Choices Budget Campaign’s findings.

The Daily Journal

That's the wrong choice for New Jersey. Too many of the more than $4 billion in budget cuts impair critical services that help working families make do in an economic downturn, such as after-school programs that let parents keep their jobs and training programs that help residents get good jobs.

Yet these legislators want to make even more shortsighted cuts. What services do these legislators think we have too much of? Is our air and water too clean? Are our roads too safe? Are our children's class sizes too small? The real risk we face is under-investing in areas that make New Jersey a great place to live and do business.

NewJerseyNewsroom.com

Wednesday, June 17, 2009
By ROB DUFFEY

NewJerseyNewsroom.com

By TOM HESTER SR.
Wednesday, 10 June 2009

Environmentalists and activists with what is called the Better Choices Budget Campaign warned Wednesday that cuts to the state Department of Environmental Protection's proposed 2009-10 budget could have significant adverse effects on New Jersey's natural resources, slow down the permit process for small businesses, and pose a threat to public safety.

"When you look at what's happened at the DEP, the only conclusion you can draw is that Trenton has declared war on the environment," said Jeff Tittel, New Jersey Sierra Club director and a member of the two-year-old Better Choices Budget Campaign.

Cuts totaling $60 million amount to a 25 percent reduction in environmental funding and will affect all of the department's areas of responsibility, including cleanup of the state's 20,000 toxic sites and maintenance of parks and open spaces, the activists charged.

There's no way to sugarcoat it: New Jersey is mired in a budget crisis of historic proportions, and no matter what Governor Corzine does to address it, there’s simply no way to please everyone.

The good news is that a fair and compassionate approach to addressing our budget woes is also the most fiscally responsible approach.

Recently, more than 40 of New Jersey’s top economists and public policy experts wrote to the governor and said that it is just bad economics to try and solve our budget crisis by cutting the services lower- and middle-income residents of New Jersey rely on.

In fact, the experts — including Doug Massey of Princeton and Henry Coleman of Rutgers — argue it is more economically prudent to take in revenues from residents in the top 4 percent income bracket (above $250,000) than to cut spending targeted at lower- and middle-income households.

Saturday, June 06, 2009
by EDWARD COLIMORE

The Urban Women's Center of Camden may have to turn away more than 80 women, and could limit GED, computer training, and other classes.

New Jersey's 15 Displaced Homemakers Centers may have to reduce hours and cut staff, creating longer waits for abused and financially needy women and their children.

And the Hispanic Social Service Center of Burlington County may have to limit funding of domestic programs for women, after-school activities for at-risk youths, and employment programs.

Across South Jersey and the entire state, proposed 10 percent cuts in aid grants from the Department of Community Affairs threaten to undermine the nonprofits offering services and financial support to thousands of women, minorities and military families, the organizations said yesterday.

"In this fiscal crisis, we have hard choices to make," said Margarita Hernandez, a founding member of the Better Choices Budget Campaign, composed of 41 organizations seeking long-term solutions to the state's budget problems.

Sunday, June 07, 2009
By MELISSA HAYES

MOUNT LAUREL - When Kirstie Kristl separated from her husband, she lost the home and business they shared.

She turned to the Women's Opportunity Center at the YMCA of Burlington County for help.

"There's a lot of women just like me that never thought they'd be in a position where they needed this kind of help," Kristl said. "Then here we are and here they are. I can't say enough."

But program organizers say support groups and job training could be cut because of reduced state funding.

" I encourage the governor and all our elected officials to seriously consider what they are proposing. If these cuts go through, it's my belief it will increase the burden on the state," Kristl said. "More people will be looking toward welfare and crisis centers. If we have the opportunity to stop the crisis before it becomes even greater, it saves money in the long run; it creates a strong work force."

NewJerseyNewsroom.com

Friday, May 22, 2009

Over 40 New Jersey economists and public policy experts, coordinated by the Better Choices Budget Campaign (BCBC), today sent a letter to the Governor arguing in favor of increasing revenues from New Jersey's high-income earners rather than make spending cuts that harm lower and middle income households.

Dear Governor Corzine:
 

The challenges confronting New Jersey are daunting. As this is written the state faces a huge shortfall in the Fiscal Year 2010 budget. The depth of this severe national recession is yet to be determined, but it appears clear there will be no rapid turnaround.

We commend you for the leadership you have shown in trying to strengthen New Jersey state government's financial situation. And we agree with you that the federal government must do its part by providing meaningful fiscal relief to help states maintain essential public services during this crisis.