Republican Assembly Members Should Vote Against Gas Tax Hike
By Art Gallagher
This column is for my Republican friends in the Assembly, especially those from Monmouth County.
Dave Rible, Rob Clifton, Sean Kean, Monmouth Republican Assembly Members who voted for gas tax in June, and Declan O’Scanlon who didn’t vote, should join Amy Handlin and Ronald Dancer, Republicans who represent parts of Monmouth and voted NO in June, in voting NO on Wednesday or whenever the bill that Governor Christie, Senate President Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto agreed to on Friday comes up for a vote.
I say this unselfishly and at the risk of forsaking record breaking advertising revenue next spring during the primary season and again in the 2017 general election season should my friends prevail in the June 2017 primaries that they will surely face should they vote in favor of the gas tax increase. Primaries and competitive elections are great for my business.
Vin Gopal has already declared he’s coming for your jobs next year. That’s his job. Don’t make it easy for him.
Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey, the LD 11 Democrats who pulled off a narrow upset victory last year to unseat Mary Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande voted NO in June as, no doubt, they were instructed to do as a matter of political expediency. So did Andrew Zwicker, the Democrat who pulled off a similar upset of Donna Simon in the 16th district. Of the seven Democrats who voted NO in June (and the two that didn’t vote)– and probably will again this week, seven of them represent districts that should be competitive. The one safe Democrats who voted NO is a kind of a dick. The safe Democrat who didn’t vote is named Cleopatra and represents Newark.
No matter how you vote, by the end of this week New Jersey drivers will be suffering a bump at the pump. The Democrats have the votes without your help. They have enough cushion to let their colleagues in potentially competitive districts vote NO. The Democrats are looking ahead. Republicans should too.
I realize I’m talking politics, not policy. Some of you have valid policy arguments for supporting the gas tax bill:
- The gas tax is a user fee that out of state drivers contribute to. No argument from me there, but how about addressing the cost of our roads and legislating in some safe guards from waste, fraud and abuse before raising the user fee that will be paid for overwhelmingly by working New Jersey residents.
- The tax cuts in the bill offset the gas tax increase and this was the best deal we could get. If you really believe that the tax cuts will last as long as the gas tax will last, please prepare for another career. This is a politically expedient argument—for Christie and the Democrats. Your YES vote will be politically damaging to YOU and Republicans locally and statewide, this year, next year and beyond.
- You legitimately fear a bridge failure or other catastrophic infrastructure failure and as much as you dislike the gas tax increase and the excesses in road construction contracts, you’re voting to save lives. Fair enough. The bill is going to pass anyway without your vote. Vote NO and you can still sleep at night.
Trenton insider politics could be pressuring you to vote YES. You may have already promised your support in exchange for something else. Don’t be a sucker. Any Democrat that promised you something is out to get you. Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick and Governor Christie either can’t or won’t be enough of a help next June or November. Talk to Mary Pat, Caroline and Donna.
The Democrats are planning ahead. As foreign a concept as that is to New Jersey Republicans, you should too.
More from my site
Sen Michael Doherty: Gas Tax Sunk NJ Assembly Republicans
Christie makes Gas Tax increase deal with Sweeney and Prieto
Sen Beck: Public Massively Opposes New Gas Tax
Kyrillos, Beck On Opposite Side Of Gas Tax Debate- No Proof $1+ Billion Gas Tax Increase Is Necessary
Insiders: Monmouth Dems will only compete in LD 11 this year
Election Day Predictions 2017
2017 Predictions
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MMM Year In Review – April
I’m in line with State Senator Beck in calling for non passage of this tax.
Until we can reign in the insane costs of road construction associated with union demands ie: $65.00 an hour for traffic control personnel to flip a sign that says stop or go, or $1.00 a day per orange cone in construction zones, there should be no increase in fuel taxes that only line the pockets of road construction companies who are the biggest contributors to campaign coffers!
Unions killed Detroit, don’t let Sweeny kill New Jersey!
that what is left of the GOP delegation covering this county would be able to surmise that a vote for this outrageous tax increase could seal their fate as “former” legislators: hey, there are just so many “honorary” titles and volunteer boards to go around, that could give them some kind of “title” after losing! Hoping they let all the “safe” Dems do this dirty deed- they don’t look suicidal, but we will see..
I agree vote no. The estate tax is really a rich mans tax. People just getting by need to pay 250 per year in exchange people with 2 million pay less. Do not get me wrong I disagree with the entire concept of a estate tax. It shoul be dropped at all levels of government. What about a 1 dollar surcharge on all train tickets.
You’re on the right track, but it’s not just union demands. We’re not the only state with unions, far from it, yet we’re something like 3x our next runner up (Massachusetts I believe). Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, California, Illinois, Michigan, far from “right to work” states, yet they pay much less per mile than we do. New Jersey needs to look at such things as endless studies, planned obsolescence and the “perpetual construction site” that we see on so many of our roads.
Christie needs to start thinking like a prosecutor again and bring in a forensic accountant and start auditing these projects that we are paying for.
Otherwise, this will be his “read my lips” moment.
The gas tax increase is nothing but a subsidized tax break for the rich. Raise the gas tax, eliminate the estate tax and a 3/8 of 1% sales tax break that will never materialize. Just watch, the sales tax will be 9% when this fat buffoon leaves office, and Sweeney is every bit as bad, which is why he suspended his campaign for governor. There is not a single one of them that gives a rat’s ass about us,local, state or federal, lets face it. We are all just a means to their greedy evil ends.