newjerseynewsroom.com

BY JOSEPH CRYAN

COMMENTARY

Have you been watching "The Pacific" on Sunday nights on HBO?

If you haven't tuned in, try to make the time. It's a reminder of the heroism of Americans in the most trying conditions and what The Greatest Generation accomplished, not only during the war, but after it as well.

Our grandparents changed our world after World War II. They built new schools, built a highway system, learned to be frugal with a dollar and taught us — from generation to generation — the value of hard work and shared sacrifice.

Nothing was wasted — we learned how to wear our older brother's suits, jeans and sneakers if his feet grew too fast. We learned leftovers were good, pot luck was a treat and bones made great soup.

We were taught that if you cared for your neighbors, they would care for you. When someone was out of work, you sent over dinner. If a friend's mom was sick, they would eat at your house.

There was a sense of community for all.

A tragedy for one family was a shared sacrifice for everyone.

Today we are going through some tough fiscal times, as we did in the seventies, eighties and early nineties, but to some in Trenton, shared sacrifice has a different meaning from the days gone by.

Some would prefer to leave our seniors to fend for themselves, while allowing those who are doing exceptionally well financially to avoid sharing the pain.

To our governor, giving the rich a tax break is a new twist on the meaning of shared sacrifice, but I doubt New Jersey's middle-class and senior citizens who would get slammed by property tax increases and higher fees under Christie's budget would agree.

I support reinstating the income tax surcharge on those earning more than $400,000 annually in New Jersey because it would eliminate the need for painful cuts that would directly hurt our senior citizens.

We would eliminate Gov. Christie's plan to force senior citizens to start paying expensive deductibles for life-saving prescription medication through the Medicare Part D, Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD) and Senior Gold programs.

The plans to charge seniors in the PAAD program is especially harsh, considering those who quality for the program must have an annual income for 2010 of less than $24,432 if single or less than $29,956 if married.

Senior Gold isn't much different. It's for seniors with an annual income for 2010 between $24,432 and $34,432 if you are single or between $29,956 and $39,956 if you are married.

The facts speak for themselves — Gov. Christie is looking to balance this budget on the backs of poor senior citizens.

This must be changed.

But that's not all.

Christie also wants to more than double the cost of brand name drug co-payments for senior citizens.

Overall, these proposals would cost our senior citizens $54.63 million.

Gov. Christie is also looking to slash property tax relief for senior citizens. Under his plan, 468,000 senior homeowners earning less than $100,000 who received $1,295 in property tax relief in 2009 would receive nothing this year.

Meanwhile, 36,000 senior homeowners earning between $100,000 and $150,000 who received $763 in 2009 would also receive nothing this year.

We should restore property tax relief to our seniors because they need it the most.

Finally, with the reinstated surcharge expected to raise about $900 million, I would also eliminate Christie's classroom cuts. School cuts total $1.2 billion in Christie's budget plan, and the remaining $450 million or so raised from the surcharge should be used to restore teachers to the classroom to eliminate the escalating class sizes we would see under Christie's plan.

So there it is.

It's a question of priorities. It's a question of the definition of shared sacrifice.

My definition is everyone should share the pain.

My priorities are senior citizens, lessening the property tax burden and education for our children.

Gov. Christie's priority is protecting the rich.

You decide which priority best reflects your values.

Joseph Cryan (D-Union) is the Assembly majority leader and represents the 20th Legislative District.

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