Abbott Outrages

The Ledger reports – yet again – that the paltry $6 billion we ponied up to build schools in the Abbott districts falls far short of their "needs".

• $178 million on projects which never got off the ground;
• obscene "expert" fees;
• schools which cost half again as much to build as those which were not being underwritten by the state taxpayers.

Call this the Mulshine effect: if someone offers a governmental official a credit card, for which someone else will pay the frieght, he’ll find a way to max it out. And then moan about he much more he needs. Perfectly serviceable schools are replaced with newer models, not because they must be, but because they can be.

Simply put, why would anyone in Newark give a damn about how much their schools cost, since they aren’t paying a nickel for them? OF COURSE they build Taj Mahals; the schools are "free".

When you consider that there are 30 Abbott districts, and we allocated $6 billion for schools, that works out to $200 million per district. Sounds like a lot of money, until you consider that just one school in West New York – a magnificent affair, boasting a huge stadium and solid gold amenities – costs $130 million (and will CERTAINLY run over budget). At $100 million plus per copy, the number of schools built for a mere six bil will be relatively small.

So, Newark can glom $200 million plus from the Port Authority and employ it to construct a white elephant arena, while we’re sending $600 million or so into the City because they can’t afford to run their own schools. Is it any surprise that irresponsibility runs rampant?

Not one more nickel for this boondoggle.