A few weeks ago, thousands of so-called progressives congregated at their local Tesla car dealerships to protest Elon Musk, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency that he leads, and the draconian cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, and other critical federal programs that will negatively impact the lives of millions of Americans.
On the surface, acts of resistance like these might seem impactful, particularly as Tesla’s stock price continues to plummet, but in the grand scheme of things, they will have little to no impact on Musk’s agenda, which is to disembowel our country’s social safety net in support of trillions of dollars in tax cuts.
Imagine if the time and energy that these so-called progressives spent on resisting Musk and President Donald Trump were instead directed towards constructive and productive activities like advocating for their preferred gubernatorial candidate or if they don’t have one, something as basic, yet critical, as registering voters.
Even more recently, New Jersey’s own United States Senator Cory Booker added a record-breaking 25-hour speech, which required him to miss an important committee meeting, regulating his allies in Silicon Valley, to the long list of performance art pieces that have defined the entirety of his political career.
Conversely, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is on the verge of losing his leadership position and facing a primary challenge from Alexandria Ocasio Cortez in 2028, because he and other responsible Democratic Senators had the temerity to keep what remains of our federal government open rather than allow a shutdown that might have represented the beginning of its end, enabling the other irresponsible Democratic Senators to perform their own acts of “resistance” without any consequences.
At the same time, Democratic gubernatorial candidates spend far less time talking about how they will govern the State of New Jersey in the face of massive cuts to federal education and healthcare funding among the many areas where our state is dependent and far more time talking about resisting Musk and Trump. To this I say the following:
TO HELL WITH MUSK, TRUMP, AND THE RESISTANCE!!! IT’S THE GOVERNANCE, STUPID!!! YOU ARE NOT RUNNING TO BE THE LEADER OF THE RESISTANCE!!! YOU ARE RUNNING TO BE THE F’N GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY!!! START ACTING LIKE IT!!!
If Senator Booker wants to lead the resistance. He can. Throughout his political career, he has shown that he is far better suited to acts of performance art like running into burning buildings than governing, which is why he has passed on every opportunity to add the one title to his resume that might have made him a credible Presidential candidate, and that is Governor.
While I understand that the endorsement of a Jamesburg Borough Councilperson and Vice Chair of the Democratic Organization of Jamesburg is not highly coveted by any of the gubernatorial candidates, I will give it to the first one who comes up with a serious plan to replace billions of federal education and healthcare dollars.
I will give you a hint. Watch the movie, “DAVE”, starring Kevin Kline as a Presidential doppelgänger, who through an unexpected chain of events becomes President of the United States. He employs an accountant friend of his, played by Charles Grodin, to go through the federal budget and find some savings so that he can fund homeless shelters.
Where can some savings be found that might help pay for the loss of critical federal education funding? Let’s start with home rule.
The last thing that a state with New Jersey’s population density and potential for economies of scale should have is nearly 600 municipal governments and over 600 school districts. Billions of dollars could be saved by eliminating all of those local business administrators, chiefs of police, superintendents, business managers, and other positions earning hundreds of thousands of dollars per years, expanding the scope of our county governments, and replacing local school districts with county school districts.
Of course, that would eliminate lots of patronage appointments and the influence-peddling that comes with them, but if that is the cost of keeping our schools afloat, so be it. But fear not transactional politics!
Consolidating power at the county level will make county commissioners and county boards of education members much more powerful, so it is not like the gravy train is going to come to a screeching halt. It is just going to be slowed down a little.
If this eliminates my elected office in my small town of Jamesburg, so be it. I wasn’t planning to run for re-election anyway. Like Thanos at the end of “Avengers: Infinity War”, I can sit back, relax, and know that I left the universe better than I found it.
And if you are concerned that large cities will benefit from consolidation more than smaller towns, more-populated counties with large cities like Bergen, Camden, Essex, and Middlesex, can be split and less-populated counties like Cape May, Cumberland, Salem, Sussex, and Warren can be merged.
Thanks to Dave’s Redistricting App, this was pretty easy, and the State of New Jersey now has a nice, even number (20) of counties, which include the following changes:
- Bergen County has been split into North Bergen County and South Bergen County. No, North Bergen Township is not in North Bergen County. When Brian Stack defeats Nick Sacco once and for all, North Bergen and Union City, which oddly enough is not in Union County, should merge and be renamed Stack City.
- Newark has been detached from Essex County and has been attached to a few breakaway Hudson County towns to form Newark County.
- Hunterdon, Sussex, and Warren have been merged to form Hussen County.
- A few Union County towns were added to Somerset County.
- Middlesex County has been split into North Middlesex County and South Middlesex County.
- A few Monmouth County and Ocean County towns were taken out of both counties to form South Monmouth County.
- What remains of Monmouth County is now North Monmouth County.
- A few Atlantic County towns, including Atlantic City, were added to what remains from the former Ocean County to form a new Atlantic County.
- Cape May County, the rest of what was Atlantic County, Cumberland County and Salem County have been merged to form a new Ocean County. Ocean City is now in Ocean County.
- A few Camden County towns were added to Gloucester County. Gloucester City is now in Gloucester County.
And how will we replace billions of dollars in Medicaid funding? Ask George Norcross. If there is anyone in this state who knows the insurance business, it is him. The Netflix show, “Cobra Kai” gave us one of the greatest redemption stories in the history of modern media in the form of William Zabka’s Johnny Lawrence. Assuming for a moment that the creators of this show are unable to give Tom Wilson’s Biff Tannen the same kind of redemption story, who needs one more than George Norcross?
Hollywood could not write a better arc than after Norcross watches his best friend and political ally, Senate President Steve Sweeney get upset in 2021 by Ed “The Trucker” Durr and almost winds up in prison on racketeering charges from a hyperambitious Attorney General Matt Platkin, he works with the now former Senate President and gubernatorial candidate to develop a single payer health care plan for the State of New Jersey that becomes the same kind of model for the rest of the country that Romneycare was for Obamacare, which results in Sweeney becoming the second coming of Woodrow Wilson in 2028.
How might they do that? Consider for a moment that the State of New Jersey currently allows the private insurance companies that are licensed to sell health insurance to private employers to mark up the cost of providing coverage by 20% in order to make a profit.
Imagine if instead of the State of New Jersey paying private health insurance companies premiums to cover New Jersey Family Care beneficiaries and public employees, they retained that money and paid claims instead. How much money might our expanded county governments and school districts save if they were charged a premium by the state that is a 5% markup instead of a 20% markup?
Let’s take this a step further and imagine that the State of New Jersey offered to sell health insurance coverage to private employers as well at a 10% markup instead of a 20% markup. That would save New Jersey businesses a lot of money.
Could the net revenues that these markups generate for the State of New Jersey make up for the billions of dollars in federal healthcare funding that our state may lose? I don’t know. But I would be willing to bet that George Norcross knows the answer to that question. If he needs to tweak these numbers a little to make them work, he can feel free. I am just spitballing here.
This is the kind of thinking that we should all be demanding from both Democratic and Republican candidates for Governor instead of the resisting and butt-kissing that we have seen from everyone in this race except for Senate Minority Leader Jon Bramnick who is the only one who has come up with an interesting idea.
I don’t know how much of an impact his proposal to bring self service gas pumping to New Jersey will have on anything, but at the very least he is thinking outside of the box. My final statement to all of the candidates running for Governor this year is that they should all feel free to steal all or part of any of the ideas that I have presented here if they think that they have merit.
They don’t even have to thank me. As I wrote earlier, the knowledge that, like Thanos, I left the universe better than I found it is thanks enough.
In addition, I will donate $100 to the gubernatorial candidate who can make it to the June primary election without saying the name “Trump” in public ever again. I double dog dare you.
Bertin Lefkovic is currently a Jamesburg Borough Councilperson and Vice Chair of the Democratic Organization of Jamesburg. He was also a Bernie Sanders delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention and one of the leaders of Howard Dean’s 2004 Presidential campaign in New Jersey.
Governance plays a crucial role in ensuring the smooth functioning of any organization or society. It involves the establishment of rules, regulations, and processes that guide decision-making and behavior within a group. In the case of influential figures like Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and the Resistance movement, governance becomes even more important to prevent abuse of power and ensure accountability.
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been known for his controversial statements and behavior on social media. His erratic tweets have often caused fluctuations in the stock market and raised concerns about his leadership style. Without proper governance mechanisms in place, Musk’s actions could have serious consequences for both his companies and the broader economy.
Similarly, Donald Trump, the former President of the United States, has faced numerous allegations of corruption and abuse of power during his time in office. His administration was marked by scandals and ethical violations, highlighting the need for strong governance structures to hold leaders accountable for their actions.
On the other hand, the Resistance movement, which emerged in response to Trump’s presidency, has been a powerful force for change in American politics. However, without proper governance and leadership, the movement risks losing its focus and effectiveness. It is essential for resistance movements to have clear goals, transparent decision-making processes, and mechanisms for accountability to ensure their long-term success.
In conclusion, governance is essential for ensuring the responsible and ethical behavior of leaders like Musk, Trump, and the Resistance movement. By establishing clear rules and processes, organizations and movements can prevent abuse of power, promote transparency, and uphold the values of democracy and accountability. It is crucial for all stakeholders to prioritize governance to ensure the long-term success and sustainability of their endeavors.
