New meaning to the term 'foreign cars'

I went shopping for a new Honda the other day. After checking out the price, gas mileage and features on one of them, I noticed the sticker provided information about what percentage of the parts were made in what countries, where the car was assembled and where the engines and transmissions were manufactured.

Surprisingly, there was substantial variation among models. In the CR-V SUV, for instance, most of the parts were made in the U.S. and Canada. The engine was made in Japan. The tranmission was made in Indonesia - yes, Indonesia. And the car was assembled in Wiltshire County, England - home to Stonehenge and Honda's giant Swindon plant.

In many of the other models, the majority of the parts came from Japan, but most of the Assembly work was done in Ohio.

Japanese cars continue to get the highest ratings from consumers. Maybe it's time to start giving some of the credit to the U.S., England and Indonesia.

McGreevey headed for Oprah?

Former Gov. James E. McGreevey has kept a low profile since resigning from office some 16 months ago after revealing he was gay and had an adulterous affair with a man. That will change with the Sept. 19 release of his memoirs, a 384-page hardcover book titled ''The Confession.''

McGreevey is scheduled to embark on a book tour in early September, which will include national TV appearances.

''It's a very authentic and soulful presentation of his life,'' said state Sen. Ray Lesniak, a friend of McGreevey's.

The book has been billed as a tell-all autobiography. I hope McGreevey will spare us the intimate details of his personal life and give us an intimate portrait of his life as a politician. He would be performing a valuable public service by doing so.

But given the track record of his publisher, Regan Books - an imprint of Harper Collins - we suspect the book will focus more on McGreevey's sexual peccaddillos and less on politics. The publisher's stable of writers includes porn queen Jenna Jamison, steroid king Jose Canseco, political consultant Dick Morris - fired by President Clinton after it was revealed Morris paid prostitutes to let him suck their toes - and a daughter and a grandson of the late mob boss John Gotti.

If you don't want to fight the crowds when the book stores open Sept. 19, you can pre-order the book online through amazon.com. Maybe McGreevey can donate the proceeds to help close the state's budget gap, which he was so instrumental in widening.

Nonsense beginning already in U.S. Senate race

Somehow, we were hoping that Tom Kean Jr. would be different. Kean, a state senator running against Robert Menendez for the U.S. Senate seat this fall, has started peppering the media with inane press releases.
This week, he has been trying to call out Menendez on Corzine's proposed budget, which increases spending by nearly 10 percent. Kean has asked Menendez to come out publicly against the budget. Nothing wrong with that. But, frankly, we'd like to know what Kean's plan is for balancing the state budget without raising taxes. Kean, after all, sits in the state Legislature. Menendez does not.
The amateurish attacks by Kean's flacks have already begun to grate. I'd like to hear some intelligent discussion of issues for a change. Tom Jr. will be able to ride the coattails of his dad's popularity only so far. He needs to come up with a new strategy for wooing voters - one that is based on substance, not juvenile attacks.

Any questions for head of NJ Builders Association?

On Monday, our editorial board will be meeting with Patrick O'Keefe, executive V.P. and CEO of the New Jersey Builders Association. We would be happy to pass along any questions you have for him, about land use, smart growth, affordable housing, zoning issues or housing prices. We will ask as many of your questions as we have time for.

Gas prices soaring again

It seems like only yesterday that you could get a gallon of gasoline for under $2. Those days lasted for about a month. Since falling below $2 in December, prices have shot up to an average of $2.32 today, according to the http://newjerseygasprices.com Web site. That figure has been rising daily and there is no reason to believe it will stop anytime soon.
How best to deal with it? Make your next car a high gas-mileage car and shop around for the cheapest gas. In Ocean County, according to newjerseygasprices.com, it's the Raceway on Route 37 and Conifer St. in Toms River ($2.21 a gallon). The lowest price in the state today is $2.19. The highest is $2.89 at an Exxon station in Summit.
The good news: pump prices in New Jersey are about 15 cents below the national average.

What's with all the patrols on I-195?

I've spent a lot of time on Route 195 and the N.J. Turnpike over the past few weeks and have been struck by the disparity in State Trooper coverage on the two roadways.

I have yet to travel on 195 without seeing troopers - most of the time with their prey alongside them on the shoulder of the road. On the Turnpike, between exits 7A and 10, I have yet to see a trooper - in wait, with a bagged speeder or on a chase.

Anyone have any insight into why trooper coverage seems so intense on 195, and seemingly nonexistent on the Turnpike? It certainly isn't because speeding, tailgating and weaving are less prevalent on the Turnpike. There are far more maniacs on the Turnpike than on 195. And when traffic isn't particularly thick on the Turnpike, the general flow of traffic is about 75 mph.

Postcard from Las Vegas

I got another "Wish You Were Here'' postcard in the mail the other day, this one from Las Vegas, site of the Change to Win Organizing Convention. Change to Win is a coalition of labor unions that formed in 2005 as an alternative to the AFL-CIO.

The postcard had a photo of the MGM Grand Hotel on the front, where the convention was held. On the back, it read:

"Dear Union Member,

The tables are hot! And we aren't playing "Change'' to win - we're playing with wads of big bills (your dues $). When we win, we get to keep the cash. Only in America! We guess you're the loser. Hey - maybe someday you'll be a union big shot.

- The Change to Win guys

The postcard was sent by the Center for Union Information, a group that claims it isn't anti-union. It says it opposed to undemocratic unions whose leaders abuse their power, often at the expense of their membership. Its Web site, http://www.unionfacts.com/index.cfm, is a good read.

Shop around for auto insurance

We got a news release faxed to us from the state Department of Banking and Insurance yesterday touting a new consumer guide from the Insurance Council of New Jersey. While it wouldn't hurt to read it, if you are thinking about changing insurers, your best bet is the state insurance department's Web site.

In addition to providing useful general information about buying auto insurance, the site includes rate comparisons, broken down by Zip codes. The price variations among insurers are substantial - more than $2,000 a year in some cases. If you are looking for ways to balance your own budget, check out the site, at http://www.state.nj.us/dobi/filings.htm

How to avoid luxury car tax surcharge

One of the more obscure tax increases in Gov. Corzine's proposed budget is a one-time registration surcharge of 0.4 percent on new luxury cars - those with sticker prices of more than $45,000 - and new cars with an EPA rating of less than 15 mpg. It would take effect July 1.
If you are planning to buy a new vehicle this year and you want to avoid the modest surcharge - about $200 on a top-of-the-line Hummer - here are the vehicles to avoid, or to purchase before July 1.
Vehicles that get less than 15 mpg (according to April 2006 Consumer Reports): Chevrolet Avalanche, Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra, Chevrolet Suburban/GMC Yukon XL, Chevrolet Trail Blazer/GMC Envoy, Dodge Dakota, Dodge Durango, Dodge Ram, Ford Expedition, Ford F-150, Hummer H3, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler, Land Rover, Mitsubishi Montero, Nissan Armada, Nissan Titan, Toyota Land Cruiser and Toyota Tundra.
(In case you're curious, the Dodge Ram is the biggest gas-guzzler - 11 mpg.)
Vehicles with minimum sticker prices of more than $45,000 - remember when you could buy a condo for that? - include: Acura RL Audi A8, BMW 7 Series, Cadillac Escalade and XLR, Hummer H2, Infiniti Q45 and QX56, Jaguar S-Type, XJB and XK8, Land Rover Range Rover, Lexus GX470, LS430 and LX470 and SC430, Lincoln Navigator, all Mercedes-Benzes but the M-Class and SLK, and Porsche 911 and Cayman.
If you can afford any of these cars, a 0.4 percent surcharge isn't likely to faze you. Me, I'm sticking with something that gets more than 15 mpg and costs less - far less - than $45,000.
If you are looking to impress the neighbors, go for the BMW7 Series line, which has the top sticker price in this year's Consumers Report car issue - $118,000. If you want to make your neighbors think you have lots of money, even though you don't, try the poor man's BMW, the 3 series, which starts at $30,900.

Will sales tax increase survive?

Politicians from both parties were making a lot of noise in the wake of Gov. Corzine's call for an increase in the sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent about how they hope to be able to head it off. We'll see. We're skeptical of any Democrats who say they want to decrease spending. Typically, they are looking for ways to add money to the budget. Republicans haven't been much better, which helps explain their lack of success at the polls in recent years. They have failed to provide any unified, coherent opposition, particularly at budget time. This year, for a change, we would like to see them present an alternative to the governor's budget - one that doesn't balance it on the backs of taxpayers.

Surprise, surprise: taxes going up again

Gov. Corzine made it official in his budget address today: Taxes will be rising again, big time. If his spending proposal is approved by the Legislature - something I wouldn't bet against - the sales tax will go from 6 percent to 7 percent - a 16 percent increase - and the state budget will increase another 9 percent, to $30.9 billion.
Corzine said the budget will require sacrifices on everyone's part. Everyone, apparently, except the people largely responsible for the runaway taxes - government officials and employees. Corzine says his budget eliminates 75 programs, reduces funding for 130 others and reduces the rate of growth for another 30. If all those programs are being eliminated or reduced, why is he retaining the state's full complement of unionized workers? Is there a shortage of no-show jobs? Corzine says he will be lopping off about 300 non-union positions from the state workforce of about 80,000. Another 700 non-union jobs will be eliminated through attrition. That's shared sacrifice?
In presenting a budget with a nearly double-digit spending increase, he lost all moral authority to implore local governments and school boards to keep spending in check. The impact the state budget and its flat funding for municipalities and school districts will have on property taxes is not pleasant to contemplate.
But keep one thing in mind: Corzine's budget is only a proposal. Start letting your legislators know how you feel about it. And start telling your local officials and school board members that they need to wring every last dollar of waste from their budgets. If enough of you scream, it will make a difference.

The good life in New Jersey

A newly released annual survey says New Jersey is the fifth most livable state in the union - up three spots from the year before. No doubt, if you can afford to live here, it's a great place.
Heading the list of most livable states for the third straight year was New Hampshire. Minnesota was runner-up for the third year in a row.
The ranking, done by Morgan Quitno Press of Kansas, takes 44 factors into account - everything from personal bankruptcy, unemployment and crime rates, to home ownership rates, average number of sunny days per year and books in public library per capita.
New Jersey's ranking has improved steadily over the past 15 years. In 1991, was 34th.
After improving from 49th last year, Louisiana was 50th this year - a position it has now occupied for seven of the past eight years. Connecticut was 8th, Delaware 18th, Pennsylvania 30th and New York 32nd.

When will the bad news about taxes cease?

Tomorrow, we will get the official word on how much more Gov. Corzine wants to tax us during his budget address. Last week, the Tax Foundation reported that New Jersey contributes more federal tax dollars, and gets fewer back in the form of services, than any other state in the nation.
New Jersey has long gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to federal taxes. But things are getting worse. According to the latest report, which analyzes data from fiscal year 2004, for every $1 New Jersey contributed to federal coffers, it got 55 cents back. That's 12 cents less than the year before.
New Jersey fares poorly, according to the report, because of a progressive tax system in which tax dollars tend to flow from higher-income states to lower-income states. New Jersey, being the wealthiest state in the nation, takes a particularly big hit.
The report also noted that the red states tend to get a better deal than the blue states. Twenty-five of the 31 states President Bush won in 2004 received more federal tax dollars than they contributed to federal coffers.
''They pay their taxes too,'' said Tax Foundation President Scott Hodge, ''but those payments are not as high because of the progressive income tax.''

Resurrected dreams

It doesn't take much to rekindle my frequently dashed hopes of one day retiring to some exotic tropical clime before I'm fitted for a box. Wall Street's performance this week had me dreaming again. The Dow set four consecutive five-year records, closing today at 11,279. That's nearly 10 percent higher than it was back in October.

Will the rally last? Maybe not. But my dream of a life filled with white sand, blue sky and warm translucent water never will - regardless of the ups and downs of the stock market.

My Final Four picks

I stopped throwing away my money on NCAA basketball tournament pools years ago. I never came close to winning one.

But I'm a huge college basketball fan, and will be glued to the TV set at every opportunity until the tournament concludes. My choices for the teams I'd like to see in the Final Four are Penn, Monmouth, Bucknell and Seton Hall. Too bad none of them are higher than a 9 seed.

I'm rooting for Penn, because Princeton is my favorite team and I always pull for the Ivy League. I pull for Monmouth - except when they play Princeton - because they're local and I like their game, which is similar to Princeton's. I root for Bucknell because my brother went there and I have fond memories of the time I spent on campus visiting him in Lewisburg, Pa. And I'm pulling for Seton Hall because I patterned my game after my childhood basketball idol, the Pirates' Nick ''the Quick'' Werkman.

Will any of my favorites advance beyond the first round? You never know. The tournament is always full of surprises.

Holy smokes! Another cigarette tax hike?

The latest tax hike proposal being floated by the Corzine administration is another increase in the cigarette tax - 60 cents, from $2.40 a pack to $3 a pack. That would make New Jersey No. 1 in yet another tax category, far surpassing Rhode Island ($2.46 a pack). If enacted, New Jersey's cigarette tax would be $2.83 per pack higher than in Missouri.

In 2001, New Jersey's cigarette tax was 70 cents. It has been increased three times since then.

Despite the tax hikes, the increasingly common health insurance surcharges for smokers and the fact that it now costs upwards of $6 a pack for most brands of cigarettes, huge numbers of people refuse to kick the habit. For the addicted, is there a tipping point? New Jersey seems to be doing its best to find out what it is.

Sales tax politically palatable?

Gov. Corzine is apparently leaning toward raising the sales tax to generate new revenue because polling suggests it would generate the least amount of outrage from taxpayers. If Corzine does indeed hike the sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent, as his aides have hinted he is considering, that will put New Jersey near the top in that tax category as well. Only California, which has a 7.25 percent sales tax, has a higher rate than 7 percent. Three states have a 7 percent sales tax - Mississippi, Tennessee and Rhode Island.

New Jersey doesn't need higher taxes in any category - property, income, sales or business. What it needs is public officials with the guts to reduce wasteful spending.

Right back where I left off

I returned from a week's vacation today, picked up the Press and saw the lead headline, "New Jersey sales, income taxes going up?" Yep, Corzine and his advisers are contemplating an additional $1.5 billion in tax increases - sales and income - to balance the state budget.

At the same time, Corzine is saying there will be no additional state aid to schools or municipalities. That means we could be in for a triple whammy - higher sales, income and property taxes.

There's only one way to stop the madness - fight back. It's time to start screaming, folks.

Greetings from San Diego

I got a postcard in the mail at work the other day I thought I'd share with you.
On the front was a picture of the lavish Hotel Del Coronado, site of the recently concluded AFL-CIO Executive Council meeting. The hotel, situated on an island off the coast of San Diego, has been called one of the 10 top resorts in the world by USA Today. Room rates range from $270 to $735, according to the hotel's Web site. (The latter price includes breakfast.)
The back of the postcard read:
Dear Union Member.
Wish you were here! But don't worry, the AFL-CIO Leadership is having a great time. We've been using your dues money wisely - we only order the expensive drinks at happy hour! By the time we fly home first class, we'll have figured out which politicians to give your money to -
See you soon!
- John S
John S is AFL-CIO President John S. Sweeney
The postcard came from the Center for Union Facts, which claims it isn't anti-union. ''We are against union officials' abuse of power, often at the expense of their own rank-and-file members. We are against corruption, violence, and intimidation. We are against the misuse of union dues.'' Its Web site, http://www.unionfacts.com/index.cfm, features ''the 3.8 million facts union officials don't want you to know.'' It's interesting, often amusing, reading.

Corzine and Carla back in the news

The romance between Gov. Corzine and Carla Katz, the head of the state's largest employee union, ended some months back. But Katz apparently still knows how to "sweet-talk" him.
Last month, Corzine ordered department heads to submit budget-cutting plans at levels of 5 percent, 10 percent and 15 percent. But Thursday, after Katz told the Associated Press "we will not tolerate this budget being balanced on the backs of hard-working public workers," Corzine clarified his intentions. There will be no layoffs of civil service workers.
For taxpayers hoping for a leaner state government, that's depressing news. Only about 10 percent of state workers are not civil service. And about half of those - a group that represents state troopers - are represented by unions.
If you are planning to attend Corzine's public hearing on the budget Wednesday night in Long Branch, you might want to ask him how he expects to bring government spending under control if 95 percent of the state workforce is exempt, and if he isn't willing to send a strong message to towns, counties, school districts, state and county colleges and independent authorities about the need to get rid of the dead wood.

Another pointless survey

The number of worthless surveys out there is mind-numbing. A classic example is the Association for Children of New Jersey's ranking of counties as being the best and worst for children. Almost all of the factors used to determine the rankings are correlates of wealth. The higher a county's income, the better it will fare. It's hardly coincidental that the wealthiest counties in the state came out on top, and the poorest - urban and rural - were clustered at the bottom.

Monmouth County was ranked 6th out of 21 counties. Ocean ranked 12th. Those two counties aren't among the best for kids? With the beaches, the parks, the schools, the athletics, the recreation and the doting parents equal to those in any county?

Identifying issues important to the well-being of children and trying to shine the spotlight on problems is one thing. Turning the numbers into an intramural contest between counties - one in which the outcome is predetermined by demographics - is another. The association should put an end to the rankings.

Homer, Marge, Bart and the Five Freedoms

Scary, but true. A new poll conducted by the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum found that only one in four Americans could name more than one of the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment - press, religion, speech, assembly and petition for redress of grievances. But more than half could name at least two members of ''The Simpsons'' TV cartoon family. And more people could name the three "American Idol" judges than could identify three First Amendment rights.

Scarier still, the survey found that about 20 percent of those polled thought the right to own a pet was one of the guaranteed freedoms. Even my dog knows better than that.

Maybe it's time for the writers on the "The Simpsons" to crank out a script on the five freedoms. And time for "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell - ever quick with the insult - to let his viewers know what he thinks about their cluelessness.