Mayor praised for standing up to Trenton
Congratulations to Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger for his courage in standing up to Trenton's bureaucracy. The resolution passed by the majority on the Middletown Township Committee calling for a moratorium of state mandated lowincome housing being forced on local municipalities is refreshing and timely. Middletown taxpayers cannot afford to have local property taxes driven even higher so Trenton's central planners can continue to manipulate the state's housing market while simultaneously growing the state's outrageous debt, which is how much of this government housing will be financed.

New Jersey's financial situation is reaching a crisis point. The state's economic strength is deteriorating, not because of anything out of our control but because of one single factor - the policies of the state government. Now this reckless and irresponsible Trenton ruling class wants to force their ridiculous social experiments on every community in the state. They think they can outthink the housing market and in doing so will create an artificial oversupply of low-income housing. Where will the inhabitants of these units come from?

With New Jersey experiencing the outward migration of our upper-income job-producing taxpayers and polls revealing the majority of our young people do not believe they have a future here, the central planners are making New Jersey a magnet state for those looking for a taxpayer subsidized handout. They believe that those they categorize as "low income" have a mortgage on the success and income of others. This entitlement mentality is contrary to all the principles that have made America a great country. Taxpayers simply cannot afford this train wreck.

Most politicians would prefer to avoid tackling this issue. It seems to have become "politically incorrect" to oppose all these new entitlement programs. Mayor Scharfenberger has set a standard for defending the free market and spirit of individual responsibility for the rest of our state's mayors to emulate. In America, everyone has the right to the opportunity to prosper under equal protection of the law and equal opportunity. They do not have the right to equal things.
Steven Lonegan
Executive Director
Americans for Prosperity NJ
Bogota