This General Election should be about tax money/OCT. 11

How government spends money has got to be the most important thing in this coming election.

Regardless of political parties or affiliations, who has the nicest signs or the best slogans, the issue of public financing is front and center, whether or not the candidates or the electorate like it or not.

From a purely common sense perspective, opening a business in New Jersey is a poor business decision right now. The same can be said for purchasing a home, or acquiring land.

The solution for solving these economic problems can’t be chanting how great the Garden State is for business, despite the reality of the situation.

Business in New Jersey is hammered by over-regulation; endless and repetitive documentation for various levels (municipal, county and state); and zoning decisions that are more rooted in partisanship than common sense. It’s not a big secret anymore — people know. New Jersey has solidly earned its well-cultivated image of disliking business.

So, the burden of funding various levels of government falls on home and property owners. Since this is a “home-rule” state, and that means government is mirrored on every level (local, county and state) so there is practically no synergy between any of them. Every level of government is an ‘island’ and every island is funded by the taxpayers.

Every time any level of government wants to raise taxes, it can without hardly any oversight. Without business propping up the economy, that leaves the taxpayer out there by themselves, waiting for the next assault on their wallets.

Every politician has great ideas about saving money during the election season, and after that season the promises seem to get forgotten and there’s a bigger tax bill because of some ridiculous idea or other during the year.

Right now, I would not invest in the purchase of one more foot of land in New Jersey, not an inch of space more than I have.

The tax rate varies with the whims of partisan politics for whatever party is involved in leadership and the last thing on the politicians’ mind is lowering the tax rate.

Lawmakers at the state level want to talk about ‘side dish’ legislation about smoking or J-walking on Sunday, anything but the real issue of taxation and how government is spending money.

If a candidate cannot tell a taxpayer how they are going to cut taxes, then that candidate shouldn’t be elected, from either party.

The days where residents could afford to cast “knee-jerk votes” are gone if they were ever here.

If every candidate who wins on November 6th is the candidate that has a plan and intention to cut taxes then the voter will do well.

Big Government is not a concept of one party. Sure, the rhetoric about Big Government and making government smaller comes from one party, but the reality is there is no practical difference between the ideologies of the two parties, minus the sidebar issues of special interests.

Whether or not a candidate is for or against a tax cut has nothing to do with any ‘special interest.’ It is a matter of general interest, and it should be the single-most important issue in the campaign.

If this election is not about whether taxes are cut or not is the difference between whether it was worthwhile to taxpayers or just to partisan machines.