Legal Commentary

Politics Is Stupid: NJ Trains Edition

By Big Tent Democrat

As Atrios points out, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's looming decision to spike the new train tunnel from New Jersey to NYC under the Hudson River is so obviously bad policy that it does not even merit much discussion.(Here is an explanation if you need one.)

But politics is stupid. Even Chris Christie knows it would be stupid policy to kill the tunnel project, which gives New Jersey billions of dollars of FEDERAL money already and will give it billions more to come in the future. (Not to mention the jobs, economic growth that would be spurred, improvement of New Jersey as a business destination, etc.) From New Jersey's perspective, this is as big a no brainer as you can get. But New Jersey's highway funds are in a serious shortfall right now. Like most states, New Jersey funds it highways with tolls and a gas tax. But raising the gas tax apparently is a third rail in New Jersey, which has not raised the gas tax in 21 years (which amounts effectively to a huge cut in the gas tax):

[Zoe] Baldwin suggested that instead, Christie look at raising the state’s gas tax, which is the third-lowest in the country and hasn’t budged for 21 years. “We’ve raised all kinds of other fees and taxes, she said, but the gas tax and other transportation fees have been untouchable.” That’s led to a years-long crisis in transportation funding for the state.

Christie knows all this. He's not stupid. But some Democrat will be running against Christie in the next election and would no doubt run ads decrying 'the largest tax increase in New Jersey history!' Politics is stupid.

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on October 06, 2010 (boomark / email).