State needs independent comptroller and spending cuts

I was most disappointed in reading various articles noting attempts at ending dual office holding being dropped due to the ire of the Hudson County Democrat lawmakers and that Senator Buono was withdrawing her support for establishing the office of State Comptroller due to changes which in her opinion made for a "watered down and emasculated bill." While disappointed, I was not surprised.

I further read with despair of our governor's continuing efforts to sell off the assets of our state (asset monetization) to private interest in order to raise money fast to facilitate his grandiose spending programs. If the governor is successful in selling off the assets of our state, it will only be a few short years until we are again out of money with the only alternative being to further increase income, sales and property taxes, etc. I would suggest that instead of hiring the Swiss financial services firm of UBS to determine how best to sell off our state, taxpayer money could be better used to hire experts on how to cut spending and waste in our state government. Let us not fall back on "One Shot Fixes" of past administrations. Let us instead bring fiscal responsibility to our state budget.

The only answer to "Property Tax Relief" is to cut spending and get our financial house in order! This, together with the establishment a truly independent State Comptroller with broad powers to oversee and enforce ethics, will end cronyism and corruption and bring reform to our state.

I believe the special interest of many legislators and lack of will by a governor, himself beholden to these same interest groups, will stop any meaningful reform from coming to fruition. While I believe it is the responsibility of the legislature and governor to bring about "Property Tax Reform," we may need a Constitutional Convention.

Frederick R. Wolke

Edison