Governor Corzine says he’s “bound and determined” to right troubled state finances.
New Jersey hospital workers rallied today outside the Statehouse. They were protesting Corzine’s plan to cut state hospital aid by 14 percent.
The protesters waved signs reading “Some Cuts Never Heal” and “Imagine a Day Without Us,” while many wore surgical masks that read, “These cuts make me sick.”
They predicted shuttered hospitals, unemployed workers, eliminated services, longer drives and longer waits. The cut is part of $2.7 billion in cuts sought by Corzine in his $33 billion budget proposal that aims to fix state finances plagued by chronic deficits and high debt and taxes.
More budget cuts seem likely. Legislators expect spring state tax collections to fall about $200 million short of what was predicted.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)