Three Great Speakers and Three Great Topics

Our Somerset County Tea Party Organization hosted the New Jersey Chapter of Americans for Prosperity Foundation “Courts Gone Wild” program last night at the Holiday Inn in Somerset. The event was well attended by our membership and the public, and everyone who came went home with a wealth of information. Steve Lonegan, State Director of Americans for Prosperity, provided an excellent timeline of the New Jersey economy and explained that New Jersey was once “the envy of the entire country.” Our economy was thriving, and “Trenton Makes – The World Takes” was a popular slogan. Our economy was healthy and it is interesting to note that prior to 1963 we didn’t even have or need a sales or personal income tax. He explained that actions taken by the courts, such as the introduction of sales tax, the Mt. Laurel Decision, and Abbott school districts in the mid 1960′s through the present have contributed greatly to the decline in the New Jersey economy. Mr. Lonegan covered several important court cases and their impact on the economy. The bottom line is that our once thriving economy is now a thing of the past. Did you know that according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics last year New Jersey ranked 36th out of 50 states in private sector job growth?
State Senator Michael J. Doherty also spoke about court decisions that have negatively impacted many of our schools. Factors such as receiving a free lunch and speaking limited English can make schools eligible for large amounts of money per student. The at risk designation can be faulty though in that it is based on the honor system and neccessary reevaluations have not always occurred. State Senator Doherty has introduced the Fair School Funding Plan (SCR162) in the state legislature, which can lower property taxes and actually provide more funds to 85% of our school districts than they are currently receiving.
Michael Proto, Communications Director of Americans for Prosperity, spoke about some of the major court decisions involving abortion and how New Jersey courts have interpreted some of those decisions.
Three great speakers and three great topics equaled a great meeting. A big thank you to Steve Lonegan, Senator Doherty, and Michael Proto.

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