Jeff has a pretty simple metric, lower taxes
Phil Murphy is now our governor. Gov. Phil Murphy. Roll it around your tongue. How does it feel?
You know what — don’t answer that question just yet. Let’s wait for the Phil Murphy mouthfeel. Let’s wait and see what he does and how he does it.
I expect the Murphy years to be much like the years of every other governor: A lot of talk, not a lot of action. I mean, really: He’s going to solve all the state’s problems? I doubt it. Seems impossible.
So what would make a successful run for Murphy? What can Murphy do that would make me sit back and say, “Yeah, you know what? Not too shabby.”
By figuring out a way to get more money in my bank account. That’s it. Simple. If the percentage of my pay that isn’t touched by state, county, or local taxes manages to go up in the next four years, I will consider Murphy a rousing success.
Selfish? Hardly. If I have more money, so do you. Let’s all have more money.
Of course, I expect to host Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump in my backyard for a game of quoits before Murphy pulls off this feat.
Listen: He’s a very, very, very progressive Democrat. He’s already planning on soaking the rich, and I have a hard time believing the middle shouldn’t be getting their umbrellas ready.
It costs a lot of money to run the state when you have a Republican using their fingers and toes to stop the dam from bursting, and I have to imagine it costs more when you have a liberal Democrat at the helm.
I hope I’m wrong. I hope Murphy can help turn New Jersey around without having to dip into all of our wallets. That’s my hope, and that’s going to be my measurement of Murphy.
Jeff Edelstein is a columnist for The Trentonian.