The Elephant Smiles

An op-ed piece in today’s Times caught my attention, purporting, as it does, to explain why the GOP consistently does so poorly in New Jersey.

The author’s concludes, in effect, that NJ residents want more services and bigger government, even if that results in higher taxes. He writes:

"As counties like Mercer, Bergen and Middlesex, along with suburban Essex, Passaic and Union, become more densely populated as the housing stock ages, voter expectations for government services are growing. These expectations, coupled with an increasingly diverse population — the 2000 census showed that New Jersey had the largest number of new immigrants of any state — trump concerns about rising taxes.

"As a result, it is no surprise that these counties are now reliably Democratic at all levels of government. Add the vote in these areas to the Democratic core vote in Hudson County and the cities of Camden, Essex, Union, Passaic, Mercer and Middlesex Counties, and it becomes difficult to see where the Republican Party can rebuild its strength."

If the voters in suburban counties want bigger government and higher taxes, they’ve come to the right place. The Dems have delivered the most expensive government in the country. Since the turn of the century, a time in which private sector employment stagnated, government has added 50,000 well paid jobs. Taxes have increased by leaps and bounds in every year since the Democrats took control, as has borrowing. Spending is out of control and the future looks bleak.

If this makes the common folk in Bergen County happy, what can a poor Republican do?

Except, maybe, move.

While the author notes that NJ leads the nation in immigration, he fails to note that it also leads the nation – or is damn close – in emigration, as relatively well off, well educated, taxaphobic folks leave, taking their wallets with them, to be replaced by relatively low income, often illegal immigrants, the latter costing the state hundreds of millions, if not billions, in services.

The author arrives at the conclusion that "most voters recognize the relative importance of government services compared to taxes and have supported increasing the services offered by the public sector."

If he’s correct, the GOP cannot hope to prevail, until the inevitable implosion. Chasing away 350,000 of your wealthiest, most productive citizens constitutes horrible policy. But that’s precisely what the state has achieved over the course of the past 15 years.

Put simply, if the people want massive government with staggering taxes, the Democrats deliver.

Which again calls to mind the wonderful quote from H.L. Mencken, defining democracy as "the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard."

Not coincidentally, the Record reports today that New Jersey economic growth is the lowest in five years. Five years of governmental irresponsibility WILL take their toll. While the rest of the nation prospers, New Jersey sinks ever deeper. Productive people leave, replaced by governmental workers.

If that’s what the people want, God bless – and God help – them.

Some encouraging signs exist. As taxes – especially property taxes – continue to mushroom uncontrollably, the same suburban voters who elected Democrats are increasingly forced to wrestle with the consequences of such foolish electoral choices. Modern Democrats exist to create coalitions of voters whose sole uniting interest lies in getting someone else to pay their bills. Increasingly, though, the targets of ever increasing taxation refuse to stay still and be taxed, escaping to less avaricious states. And the "progressive" folks who love the services government provides progressively find that they don’t love paying the resulting taxes themselves.

The inevitable consequence of a high tax, big government state is economic collapse. New Jersey continues to explore new vistas of governmental irresponsibility and its economy continues to sag. As government produces nothing of value, it cannot sustain itself without productive folks to tax. But taxing productive folks drives them away in droves, increasing the costs for the stalwart souls remaining behind. And, increasingly, they’re beginning to ask whether the costs of the governmental services they receive are worth the cost.

All the GOP need do it bide its time. One can believe in "social justice" as much as one wants, and live that philosophy in one’s own life. But as soon as one tries to impose the costs of that philosophy upon society collectively, if an escape hatch exists, people will flee in droves. An economically free society will eat the lunch of a less free society, just as PA, DE, the Carolinas and FL are doing to NJ. The more government tries to do, the less competitive the economy will be. People who believe in "social justice" should attend to it on their own time.

Sooner or later, the people will figure it out. Or, if they don’t...

Well, PA IS a lovely location, full of erstwhile New Jersey Republicans. NJ may get bluer – and more impoverished – but that’s PA’s gain.