My wife, in pain from a recent tooth pulling a couple of days ago, was still nice enough to cook a delicious chicken dinner for me Thursday night. Perhaps it was love that kept her stirring those mashed potatoes; then again it might have been the painkillers. Either way, it’s really nice having prescription painkillers in the house ag… Wait, what was I writing about? Oh yeah, chicken. Served by loving wife, hot on the plate. I was easing back on the sofa to eat some good times and watch some Simpsons, when all of the sudden Fox News had the audacity to cut into my comedy spot with a ‘breaking story’. Breaking, heh heh. You’ll get the joke by reading this:

Governor Jon S. Corzine broke his left leg and several ribs when his motorcade was involved in an accident on the Garden State Parkway Thursday night, but the injuries were not considered life-threatening. A state trooper and an aide to the governor were also injured in the crash, which occurred just after 6 p.m. near milemarker 44.5 in Galloway Township, Atlantic County. All three were taken to Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where Corzine underwent surgery performed by Dr. Robert S. Ostrum. At the time of the crash, the governor was on his way from Atlantic City to his mansion in Princeton to take part in the meeting between radio host Don Imus and the Rutgers University women’s basketball team.

As interesting a time we’ve been having talking about Imus on the boards, I was not distracted from the oh, so many ironies in this story. Emotional investment? You bet your ass. In those few moments, my mind unhooked- and a thousand thoughts flashed before my chicken hungry eyes.

I live in New York, but work in New Jersey. I grew up in New Jersey. I will always have sore spot when it comes to New Jersey politics and politicians. Even now, Jersey not only taxes me, but also taxes my wife. My wife lives and works in New York. No one could accuse Governor Corzine of having a lack of ideas about closing the budget gap through increasing taxes. Since becoming governor, Corzine has proposed a new water tax, a new hospital tax, raising the cigarette tax to $2.75 per pack and raising the sales tax from 6% to 7%. Sadly, the former Wall Street genius has never considered lowering the state budget which he is looking to increase by $1.9 billion.

Here’s another fact: New Jersey residents are paying too much in property taxes. Just in case you didn’t know- The 2 million homeowners pay the highest property tax bills in the nation. New Jersey’s more than one million renters feel the burden too: New Jersey rent numbers are the 2nd highest in the nation.

I’m not sure where these health care and hospital budgets cuts are heading, but for a time I thought Corzine’s plans were to stick it the insurance man. Perhaps not. If the proposed ’sick tax’ is implemented, hospitals could be forced to close, layoffs of health care and other hospital workers would occur and services would be cut. Hospitals are already taxed by the state at the rate of 0.53 percent on gross receipts and $10 per admission, resulting in $55 million a year being directed to the state treasury from New Jersey hospitals. I’ve read that 44 percent of the hospitals in New Jersey are already operating in the red, and they cannot absorb any additional financial burdens. I’m skeptical of this, considering the high costs of hospital visits all around- but clearly Corzine isn’t helping a situation here, even when he proposed to pass the burden entirely onto employers.

I wonder, was that state trooper driving the Corzine proposed 55 miles per hour? Gas is going up, you know. Driving the Garden State every day myself, I am surrounded by lunatic drivers- there is no law on that road during rush hour. Sure, I like that Mad Max feel when I’m tearing through south Jersey. Who doesn’t? If Gov. Corzine’s hand-picked Attorney Gerneral worked every day of the year (she doesn’t-), the cost of her daily work would add up to about $20,000 per day. Are you fucking kidding me? Much of this was spent reviewing the State Police supervision program- which cost taxpayers roughly $7.2 million dollars. Yeah, they canceled that anyways. With that type of money flying around to support a better state police effort, you would think the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike would be safe places to drive? Please.

So, here’s my beef: You fucking asked for an accident on your own roads, Corzine. And while you received medical treatment like a Hollywood star, I’ve watched my grandmother get pushed out of hospitals because of the rising costs to diagnose her. My father had to wait months before going into the hospital for a serious condition because he couldn’t swing the cost, nor get the right insurance going for him soon enough. My whole family- my mother, uncle, grandmother, and father get the living shit kicked out of them by property taxes each year. And as if the cost of my own New Jersey education and state surcharges weren’t enough over the years, you have the nerve to tax me and my wife with no return. The state will murder my grandmother’s assets if she needs elder care, my parents are struggling to determine how exactly they are expected to retire, and yet you recently gave close to $100,000 to 9 aides who worked for his U.S. Senate and gubernatorial campaigns. The gifts were given in cash rather than bonuses, and were each under $11,000 so that those who recieved the cash would not have to pay income tax on it.

No ill will towards the cops involved the accident- I hope they get well soon. But Corzine, it’s a pity you didn’t get a head injury. Corrupted politicians make me sick. Maybe they all are, maybe it will never change. I don’t care… it disgusts me that, while watching the people around me suffer from your poor leadership, you get a helicopter to rush you to safety for minor injuries. You deserved to sit there and bleed.

Anyways, I missed 5 minutes of a Simpsons rerun, and that’s exactly what went through my mind… but honey, dinner was delicious as always. Get well soon.

Filed under: Society, Speak Easy