‘Save Our Parks Protest’ Spotlights Looming N.J. Budget Debate

CWA New Jersey state workers were among 500 demonstrators who rallied Wednesday outside the Statehouse in Trenton to urge Gov. Jon Corzine and the Department of Environmental Protection not to close nine state parks as part of a budget-cutting move.
 
At stake are beloved campgrounds, historic Revolutionary War battlefields, hiking trails, swimming pools and other public facilities -- and potentially the jobs of 80 CWA members who maintain the parks.  The closings and partial closings of other parks is only the tip of the iceberg, saving a modest $4.5 million out of a total proposed budget cut of $2.7 billion from projected spending.
 
The state's budget crunch, CWA leaders say, is the culmination of grossly irresponsible tax cuts in the 1990s by the administration of Republican Gov. Christine Todd Whitman and subsequent decisions by the GOP-dominated state legislature, compounded by the current economic downturn that is pressuring many other states.
 
CWA is preparing a major public-outreach campaign that seeks to help all New Jersey residents understand what's at stake and fight for solutions that won't devastate state programs, services and jobs.

"Governor Corzine's budget takes New Jersey in the wrong direction.  It cuts vital public services, like state parks, subsidies for prescription drugs for seniors, and state aid to hospitals and higher education, threatening the quality of life for New Jersey working families," said CWA District 1 Vice President Chris Shelton.  "We will fight these budget cuts, and push for better choices--closing corporate tax loopholes and raising taxes on the wealthy in order to preserve state services and protect our members' jobs."

CWA members from several locals were joined by protesters from the Sierra Club, Audubon Society, various historical societies and other environmental and community groups at the "Save Our Parks" protest.