Do You Support Trenton's A.C. Takeover? 
The Sweeney Plan: Raise Unemployment Taxes... and Create More Unemployment?
| March 5, 2010Steve Sweeney is the titular leader of the embattled New Jersey Democrat Party. His opinions, however utterly ridiculous or ill-informed, carry more weight than the average Garden State politician these days. That's the nature of his position as senate president.
So when Senator Steve makes an absolutist comment in the public policy arena, such as calling Chris Christie's plan to cut unemployment benefits a "non-starter," we have assume he's speaking for the rest of his loyal caucus members comrades.
But if he won't even consider the Governor's plan, then what is the Sweeney alternative?
We know what he'd like to do, Save Jerseyans. It's not a question that requires much imagination to answer. Sweeney simply wants to repeat the tax 'n' spend 'n' borrow Jon Corzine plan that got us into this mess in the first place.
I'll take the liberty of articulating 'The Sweeney Plan' details for him:
$$$ THE SWEENEY PLAN $$$
Step 1: Increase the size of government to buy votes, employ cronies and control taxpayers' lives. 
Step 2: Raise taxes to pay for the new spending required by Step 1.
Step 3: Levy additional job-killing business tax (ironically) to fill the unemployment fund.
Step 4: When businesses close shop or leave N.J., raise taxes (again) to compensate for lost revenue.
Step 5: As unemployment rises, raise business taxes to stabilize the unemployment fund.
Step 6: Hike taxes, create more unemployment, then raise taxes again to support the unemployed.
And there you have it, Save Jerseyans. It's Steve Sweeney's self-perpuating cycle of pain for New Jersey taxpayers and small businesses. Democrats want to raise business taxes to drive job-producing businesses into the ground, then raise business taxes again to provide benefits for the people whose jobs they just got done taxing out of existence! If that's "progressive" economics in practice, then I'd certainly hate to see what else they consider "progress." Is 10.1% unemployment "progress," Senator?
Any way you slice it, Democrat-style "progress" is something New Jerseyans can't afford any longer!
Have you ever been on unemployment Matt? If you were, then you should realize that its no bed of roses. To cut unemployment benefits to people that need that help is criminal. The max you can make is $600 a week...and that's for someone who made $1000 a week or more. Most benefits are much lower than that. Can you live on $300 a week? And then, because he disagrees with Christie's plan to cut those benefits, you rail against him with some made up bullshit.
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You're asking the incorrect question, Rick.
The reason why we have unemployment is that businesses are being overtaxed! If you lower taxes, we'll have job growth because employers can afford to hire more workers. They'll also pass less cost off to the consumers which makes everyone's life cheaper. Raising taxes only perpetuates the cycle of pain.
How much simpler can this be? Want me to talk slower?
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I never said raising taxes was a good thing...hell, do you know anyone at all that likes to pay more in taxes? I'm saying that we shouldn't burden the little guy with cuts to funds he needs to survive. But then again, you're a republican and you don't really care about the little guy.Want me to explain it slower to you Matt?
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You explained it beautifully, Matt. The Democrats make problems worse, not better. They care more about government than workers.
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