Phil Murphy Would Be A Union Yes-Man and Increase New Jersey’s Tax Burden

In the New Jersey governor’s race, the Star-Ledger is out with a new editorial asking if Democrat gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy would be a “Union Yes-Man” if elected. Noting that New Jersey “has the highest property taxes in the nation” and that the problem of reining in union salaries is not a liberal or conservative view, but about “the math,” the editorial wonders aloud if Phil Murphy’s failure to commit to renewing the 2 percent cap on salary increases means he would stand up for unions, but not taxpayers. After already boasting that he would raise taxes by at least $1.3 billion, its becoming more obvious every day that New Jersey families can’t afford Phil Murphy as governor.

The Star-Ledger Editorial Board opines:

“New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the nation, a crushing burden to middle-class families and indisputably the top concern of voters.

It’s a problem that can’t be solved until we contain the salaries and benefits of public workers. That is not a liberal view, or a conservative view. It is about the math. And it’s up to the next governor to face it.

The first test is coming soon, when a law setting a 2 percent cap on salary increases for police and firefighters in arbitration settlements is set to expire in December. The Republican candidate, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, wants to renew the cap. But the front-runner, Democrat Phil Murphy, is keeping his options open.”