A bill in New Jersey (A3615) that would weaken protections for property owners sailed through the legislature, bolstered by support from the New Jersey League of Municipalities and the New Jersey Builders Association. In my 2006 Congressional run I was against eminent domain, and fought to protect the citizens of NJ. Before the War in Iraq I had stated “Property taxes, affordable housing, education, eminent domain, loss of jobs and homes, are the real issues the people are facing.” The following was a question on the ballot and my stance. VOTE NO ON Question 3! PUBLIC QUESTION # 3 GREEN ACRES, FARMLAND, BLUE ACRES, AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION BOND ACT OF 2007 Shall the “Green Acres, Farmland, Blue Acres, and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 2007,” which authorizes the State to issue bonds in the amount of $200 million to provide moneys for (1) the acquisition and development of lands for recreation and conservation purposes, (2) the preservation of farmland for agricultural or horticultural use and production, (3) the acquisition for recreation and conservation purposes properties in the floodways of the Delaware River, Passaic River, and Raritan River and their tributaries, that are prone to or have incurred flood or storm damage, and (4) funding historic preservation projects; and providing the ways and means to pay the interest on the debt and also to pay and discharge the principal thereof, be approved? By voting YES on Question 3, you will be voting in favor of Eminent Domain, thus giving government more power in eminent domain cases. We need to define what constitutes eminent domain, before giving government broader powers. If this passes you will give the state the power and money to start negotiations with homeowners who live near rivers to sell their land to the state for open space -- part of an ongoing effort to stop construction of one family homes in New Jersey in favor of high density attached townhouses, condominiums and apartment buildings. While the question says land will only be taken from willing sellers does anyone think a homeowner or small business owner will have any leverage when a judge or bureaucrat decides that preserving Open Space is more important than your property rights. With $33.7 billion in state debt, $3 billion in interest and principal payments each year, now is not the time to add more debt. The state is asking to borrow money to buy open space and fund stem cell programs because the budget is already running at a deficit. New Jersey needs to start reducing debt. We are already spending 10% of the annual budget or $3 billion paying off current debt, we cannot afford any new spending. The state already cannot maintain the land it currently owns, the more land the state buys, the less land will be available for people to build homes and businesses, thus forcing high density housing on our towns. Defeat of the ballot questions will send a message to Trenton that the citizens of New Jersey have had it with more debt. Aside, from the fact of where you stand on the questions, New Jersey is broke, we do not have the money. We are cutting education programs, cutting state aid to our towns and municipalities, property taxes are going through the roof, people leaving their homes, businesses are laying off, and thousands leaving the state. If we do not have the money to take care of the mess we already have, why are we creating more debt? Are we ready for more tax and spend? Ask yourself, can we afford it?
Posted on: Fri, 18 Oct 2013 02:04:33 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015