Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving! Apologies for the slight hiatus – this Fall has not been so forgiving.
I just wanted to throw some thoughts out given the “cool down” of election season and the transitions taking place in Trenton (and the craziness taking place in Washington).
Governor-Elect Murphy has rapidly begun to fill out his transition team – the folks across the state with different ranges of expertise ranging across a spectrum of fields and backgrounds – to begin the ascent into Trenton next year. I happen to know a few people from here down in South Jersey that have been picked to join this team and I have to say it’s an interesting time for someone my age to watch this transition take place. I was never into politics when Christie took office in 2009-10 and still didn’t care too much about state politics when he won again in 2013, but now seeing this within the middle of a political mindset is amazing to see unfold; I think that many people in my generation had similar sentiments watching President Obama (and the first full political career of a President from start to end consciously) leave office.
I think this transition is a pivotal moment not just for those transitioning in to or out of seats of power (there a few shake ups in the Legislative elections this year as well), but also for folks in my age range that can now comprehend fully the weight of the decisions being made in their lives and the future being shaped in their state. Young people have an opportune moment to join a fresh start in Trenton, whether they agree with the people in the Seats or not, and create their own path to influencing the next generation and decisions being made – and they can do that themselves, not letting someone else take the reins. I know that Governor-Elect Murphy’s transition team has begun looking for employees in their ranks so feel free to check that out here. And if anyone else has information about how youth can become more involved (volunteering, running for office, etc.) please feel free to share in the comments below!
I also want to mention what is happening in Washington. I read my weekend New York Times briefing this morning about the effect that Trump’s tax bill would have on state and local economies. In short – it’s bad. More intricately, the bill would essentially force state economies to consider lowering sales and property taxes to offset the repeal of the state and local tax deduction (which currently exists so that citizens don’t pay those taxes twice). If people can’t deduct sales and property taxes, they’ll essentially be paying them twice – once to the state (when they buy goods with sales tax or pay their mortgage which accounts for property taxes) and again to the federal government during tax season. The issue then becomes how to make sure the state doesn’t lose revenue that would have come from the sales and property taxes residents and consumers pay. Governor-Elect Murphy won’t just have to deal with power transitions if this bill lands on President Trump’s desk. I’m interested to hear about alternatives people also have on this issue as it relates locally to Camden and New Jersey.
I don’t want this to run too long and I would really love to hear feedback and comments about both points touched on below. Once again, hope you enjoyed your holiday – let’s get back to work (until Christmas next month)!
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