Assemblyman Neil M. Cohen

By jdonnelly

COHEN GLAD GOP SOUNDS RETREAT
AFTER MISGUIDED ASSAULT ON PROPERTY TAX RELIEF
Lawmaker Says 'To Sue or Not To Sue?' Was Real Question of the Day for Republicans

(TRENTON) -- Assemblyman Neil M. Cohen today welcomed signs that Assembly Republicans are retreating from a threatened lawsuit to obstruct a bipartisan-supported property tax relief plan aimed at providing 20 percent property tax cuts to a majority of New Jersey homeowners.

COHEN GLAD GOP SOUNDS RETREAT
AFTER MISGUIDED ASSAULT ON PROPERTY TAX RELIEF
Lawmaker Says 'To Sue or Not To Sue?' Was Real Question of the Day for Republicans

At an early afternoon press conference, a trio of Assembly Republicans threatened potential legal action on the property tax relief measure. But later in the day, after heavy criticism, Republicans retreated.

Invoking William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Cohen (D-Union) said Republicans should have asked themselves the question of the day -- "To sue or not to Sue?" -- before casting themselves to the fates of a political embarrassment.

"To sue or not to sue? That was the question," said Cohen. "Whether it was nobler in Republican minds to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune by taking up arms against a sea of frustrated residents, perhaps we'll never know."

Citing two well-publicized (and failed) legal cases Assembly Republicans mounted in 2000 and 2001, Cohen surmised that litigation-happy Assembly Republicans came to their senses after realizing their potential new foray into the courts also looked doomed.

"It's one thing to sue over state debt," said Cohen. "But it is reckless to sue over an issue that impacts people's livelihoods. Luckily, the Assembly Republicans decided against tilting at this windmill before any taxpayer money was wasted in a defense against this frivolous claim.

"It's bad enough that seven Republicans voted against efforts to provide residents with property tax relief. Why would this minority of the minority want to deal itself more self-inflicted wounds by holding up the delivery of relief until after the next election?"

Cohen suggested that Republicans earlier today looked like they were listening to the same group of crack legal advisers who encouraged an expensive failed 2000 court challenge to former Governor Christine Whitman when she sought to protect the reproductive choice rights of women and another unsuccessful 2001 case challenging the state's current legislative redistricting map.

The new lawsuit threat abated shortly before 6 p.m., however, when Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce sent a letter to Governor Corzine promising to refrain from legal action on the property tax credits bill.

"I wish to emphasize in the strongest possible terms that Assembly Republicans are not raising this legal issue to block property tax relief. We have no inclination or desire to commence legal action and will not do so," DeCroce wrote in his letter.

"It's reassuring to see that Assembly Republicans saw the error of their ways and realized that their legal challenge was on shaky ground," said Cohen.

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JDONNELLY can be reached via email at JDonnelly@njleg.org.

Related topics: U.S. Republican Party, Trenton, Neil Cohen

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Comments

Bravo Assemblyman. How dare those Republicans demand that the c

posted by uniformity

Bravo Assemblyman. How dare those Republicans demand that the constitution be followed? They should never have sued over that illegal borrowing either. Just remember, when Assemblyman Roberts sponsored those unconstitutional ideas they were the right thing for New Jersey too. In fact, in 2004 when Roberts was deriding the Republicans decision to sue over his bill authorizing the illegal borrowing of 2 billion dollars to balance the budget he called that unconstitutional scheme "a victory for New Jersey citizens who want relief from suffocating property taxes." Some victory, 3 years later and the budget deficit is in worse shape and the property tax problem is in worse shape. Don't worry though, this unconstitutional idea will fix it.

Here's a real idea, stop using the constitution for a coaster and actually spend a few minutes reading it. Really, it is only about 50 pages long. It shouldn't take you more than an hour or two. In fact, skip all that nonsense about the powers of the legislature and go right to the part on taxation and finance. It's only 8 pages and you won't have to suffer through all that other nonsense you'll never use.

01/31/07 1:13 am