TRENTON – Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex) today issued the following statement on Governor Chris Christie’s first budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2011:
“I agree with Governor Christie that we face a serious fiscal crisis and we need to come together to create a plan to meet that crisis by cutting spending and reducing government. People want us to be honest with them – they are ready and eager to hear the truth. At the same time, they are desperate for us to listen to the truth; and that means engaging in an earnest dialogue to determine how these cuts will affect their daily lives and whether or not they are truly the best course of action for our state.
“Honesty also demands that we examine the Republican plan to balance the state’s budget and close both the structural and recurring deficit. This will necessitate many more public hearings in order to thoroughly examine whether these cuts are truly cuts or only illusory and simply shift the burden onto someone else, like homeowners, college students or low- and middle-income earners.
# # #