After Governor Jon Corzine delivered his address on the sorry state of the state of New Jersey, State Senator Jennifer Beck delivered the following response:

“Over the past few months, Republicans have presented a number of common-sense solutions that could quickly be enacted to prevent New Jersey’s massive budget deficit from growing even further.

“For months, Republicans in the Legislature have offered to work with Governor Corzine to fix our broken budget. Each and every offer made by Republicans to work with the Governor was summarily dismissed.

“Just yesterday, for example, I sent a letter to Governor Corzine requesting he delay the implementation of the mandatory pre-school program. At a time when state aid to K-12 programs is being cut, it does not make sense to launch a new program for 3- and 4-year-olds. We cannot afford to pay for another large government program.

“While Governor Corzine remains unwilling to review Republican budget saving proposals, he should at least consider obvious savings that the State Auditor has identified, such as the elimination of state cars that the Auditor concluded are routinely misused.”

For months Governor Corzine has refused to accept Republican led efforts to reduce spending, reform government, eliminate waste and fraud and to make the government proscess transaparent.   His refusal to make progress in any of these areas helps to reinforce our low expectations regarding anything and everything that the Governor discussede in todays message.