New Jersey

The governor of the State of New Jersey is Jon Corzine. He is a Democrat and has been the governor since he took office on January 17, 2006.   The Governor of New Jersey is one of the most powerful governors in the nation.   This is due in part, to the fact that it is the only state wide and non-federal elected office in the state.   The governor, under the rights given to him by the state constitution, appoints the entire cabinet which is subject to confirmation by the New Jersey Senate. Governor Corzine, a Democrat, took office after his predecessor James McGreevy was forced to resign after he admitted to having an adulterous affair and felt political and personal pressure to resign. On Election Day 2005, the governor was stripped of some of his powers as the citizens of New Jersey voted in favor of adding an amendment to the state constitution that creates the position of Lieutenant Governor which will become effective after the 2009 election. The power that the governor possesses comes from the state constitution of which that power comes directly from the people. The current constitution was ratified in 1947. New Jersey’s Governor Jon Corzine was born on January 1, 1947 in central Illinois.   He graduated from the University of Illinois at Champaign and went into the army where he stayed from 1969-1975. Governor’s keen business and fiscal talents comes from his decades working in various investment firms. â€Å"In 1975, Governor Corzine was recruited by Goldman Sachs, the New York investment firm. He left Goldman Sachs in May 1999 after successfully converting the investment firm from a private partnership to a public company. Also in 1997, Governor Corzine was the chairman of a presidential commission to study capital budgeting as a means of increasing federal investment in schools, technology, and infrastructure.† (www.state.nj.us) This background is important in knowing what type of governor he is and that he will not hesitate to move away from his party’s overall consensus when it comes to the task of balancing the budget. (as seen in the 2006 government shutdown). In 2005, after more than four years in the U.S. Senate for the state of New Jersey, Jon Corzine announced his candidacy for the governor of New Jersey. â€Å"Corzine won his campaign for the post of Governor of New Jersey with 54% of the vote. Republican nominee Doug Forrester, a businessman and a former Mayor of West Windsor Township, in Mercer County, won 43%. Corzine received 1,224,493 votes to Forrester's 985,235. A total of 80,277 votes, or 3%, were scattered among other candidates.† (wikipedia) The governor is directly elected by the people of his state. The governor performs the executive functions of the state, and is not directly subordinate to the federal authorities. The governor assumes additional roles, such as being the Commander-in-Chief of the New Jersey National Guard forces as well as appointing members of his cabinet, judges and having the responsibility of presenting a budget that needs to be accepted by July 1 of the previous year. The election of Governor of New Jersey is much more important and has wider ramifications that say the election of governor for the state of Illinois for example. The main reason for this is that a vote for a gubernatorial candidate is also a vote for all which he is likely to appoint in his cabinet whereas such candidates for State Treasurer, Comptroller and State’s Attorney in the State of Illinois for example, are elected through a direct vote by its citizens. The Attorney General, State Treasurer, Comptroller and the Head of Education, to list a few, were all appointed by either Governor Corzine or his predecessors. As I am not a lifelong citizen of New Jersey but instead spent some of my adolescence in Illinois where its citizens had the right to vote for the candidates of these positions, it seems foreign to me that a governor would have so much power to appoint so many important positions. New Jersey’s state constitution seems to be giving a free pass to the spoils system that was fought so hard against in the 19th century in this country. The ugly side of political graft has plagued the entire democratic process in this country and has taken the people’s voice out of the democratic process. The governor should not have the right to appoint New Jersey’s State Treasurer, Attorney General or any other highly important positions in the state’s government unless that seat is vacated in the middle of a term due to an emergency. Doing otherwise takes the voice away from the people who have the right to vote for these positions.   Also, failing to do so, helps breed partisanship within the governor’s cabinet since a Democrat is more likely to appoint all Democrats as well as a Republican’s inclination to do the same. If a governor’s cabinet is to be all Democrat, all Republican, or a mixture of both, it should be up to the more than eight million residents of New Jersey and not a single man! This same ideology needs to be enacted regarding the governor’s ability to appoint judges. In Illinois, judges are appointed by the people. Isn’t that what ought to happen in a democracy, at least on the state and local level? I would even be in favor of the appointment of judges being the responsibility of the state legislature instead of the governor alone as a lesser evil. Currently, it seems to be a one party system in New Jersey and with New Jersey being one of the most diverse states in the country: Diverse by way of racial, religious and political affiliation, such a setup seems to be disadvantageous towards the goal of complete representation of New Jersey’s citizens. This high level of diversity should be representative from the governor on down but sadly it is not. This is not to blame the governor for he/she is inclined to appoint members of their own party. What is alarming is the number of appointments the governor of New Jersey is allowed to make under the current state constitution. The role of the governor is not only to appoint a cabinet but to submit a budget for the upcoming fiscal year.   The deadline to do this in July 1st. Incidentally, that was the same date as the start of New Jersey’s only government shutdown in the year 2006.   The New Jersey Constitution states under Article VIII that a state’s expenses for the year be provided for â€Å"in a single budget act.† The constitution also specifics a provision stating preventive measures against going into debt. A start to New Jersey’s troubles was ignoring this sound advice. Governor Corzine, in an attempt to pass his budget, came into conflict with fellow Democrats within the General Assembly.   The main point of contention was the Assembly’s refusal to increase the state tax from 6% to 7% in order to fill the budget gap. Corzine stated that there was no other way in coming up with the money as the state’s constitution forbade other forms of revenue. Months before the shutdown, Corzine states that he would not accept a budget that did not include a tax increase and he stood firm in this conviction and the General Assembly did the same which eventually resulted in the shutdown. When the budget failed to pass, the shutdown occurred. This resulted in 45,000 workers being told that they were non-essential and would have to stay home for an indefinite period of time. The shutdown lasted only a week but thousands of workers were affected by this shutdown.   Even though it seems more to be the cause of the legislature’s inability to act regarding the needed passing of the budget before the deadline, should a governor have the right to shut down the state government?   This is a hard question to answer and one that requires a bipartisan dissection of the problem in the long term and not just with the current players in my state’s administration. It seems that the power that the governor has in appointing judges, his cabinet and in shutting down the government is not his own but is a right given him by the state constitution. In the state legislature’s present state: fiscal irresponsibility, political corruption and a general disconnect by the state legislature from its citizens, it seems that the governor really had no choice but to use the authority at his disposal to help get the state back on track and to be held accountable for presenting a responsible budget to the people. But the more important issue is that a stoppage should never have occurred and therefore, Governor Corzine would not have been in the position to contemplate the need for a government shutdown. One really does roll the dice when voting for the governor of New Jersey.   Will he keep his political promises? Will he appoint members of his cabinet and judges that are concerned only with their responsibilities? Will there be any attempt at a bipartisan cabinet? And if the governor is not of the same political party and/or the same ideology as myself, then I can rest assured that my voice and my vote will have only a fraction of its effectiveness if I were in Illinois or any other state where the â€Å"elected officials† are just that-elected by the people to represent them. Also, the governor’s additional authority to appoint judges makes it even more likely that an atmosphere of partisanship will permeate New Jersey politics. There has been a great deal of talk about â€Å"activist judges.† I do feel that with judges being human beings and unable to be 100% impartial 100% of the time, the political party of a judge is something to consider and the likelihood that a Democrat governor will likely nominate likeminded judges and Republicans will do the same, results in a is a lack of stability in not only the state legislature but also in the way that laws and cases are decided. The possibility of a complete overhaul concerning the ideology of my state as a result of the governor’s power and a different political party possibly taking control every four years is something, I feel does not resemble a true democracy but instead serves as an impediment to the expectation that a person’s voice will be heard. Our governor, regardless of whether or not we are in agreement, has more political power than he ought to. Our founding fathers were weary of a political system that garnishes absolute power to its representatives and believed that absolute power corrupted. In the end, the power rests with the people and not until New Jersey has the displeasure of electing a governor who takes full advantage of the rights given to him by the present state constitution and uses it for sinister motives as did Huey Long in 1930’s Louisiana, will any of the needed change happen. WORKS CITED www.ngs.org (National Governor’s Association)   www.naag.org (National Association of Attorneys General) www.wikipedia.com www.state.nj.us/governor/about ; ; New Jersey New Jersey (NJ) is one of the states in the US that forms a transition between the states of the north and the south.   It exhibits characteristics in the physical geography and intermingling of various cultures of the US.   It is one of the largest states in the US and has a multiethnic community.   It has acted as a support home to several of its densely populated neighborhood.   The community present in NJ is highly urbanized and is the second most densely populated state after California.NJ remains to be one of the most densely populated states in the US.   All the 21 counties that belong to the NJ state are classified as ‘metropolitan’.   The density of the population has been about 1100 per square miles, compared to the nation average of about 79 per square mile (in 2000). The state concentrates on farming in some regions and for this reason it is frequently known as ‘the Garden State’.   As early as the 17th century, farming was consider ed important due to the agricultural potential of the soil.   In the Northwestern parts and the southern regions, the areas are sparsely populated due to the presence of mountains and tidelands in these region.   Typically, New Jersey appears S-Shaped on the map (the upper limb is formed by the Appalachian highlands and the Piedmont plains, and the lower limb of the ‘S’ is formed by the Coastal plains) (Stansfied. 1998, Swartz & Stansfield. 2007 & US Census. 2007).The land between the Hudson and the Delaware River is termed as ‘New Jersey State†.   There are three unique characteristics of NJ.   It is made up of a multi-ethnic community belonging to various races and ethnic groups.   The second unique characteristics are that it has an orientation of both the metropolitan cities that it neighbors.   Thirdly, people feel the NJ economy is based on the ability to reach the metropolitan cities, which it neighbors.   I do feel that initially NJ Sta te was much of a transition state, offering a place for people of various cultures and ethnic background to intermingle.There has also been a climatic transition between the northern and the southern US, and this has had an effect on the economy and the social life of the state.   The characteristics of NJ is somewhere between New York and New England (considering weather and geographical features).   The state houses some of the features that seem to intermingle with these two other states.   The Geology of NJ consists of the oldest rocks in the Appalachian and Piedmont regions and recent sediments in the southeastern regions.   The state of NJ hence shows a transition, as two different types of geological characteristics are present.   Besides, it has water sources concentrated in certain areas, whereas in other areas; the ground water is deep, leading to water problems (Stansfield. 1998).NJ has an area of about 7, 200 square miles.   On the other hand, the area of the US is about 3, 500, 000 square miles.   It has an inland water area of about 1, 026 square kilometers.   NJ State has a greatest inland length of about 166 miles, and the greatest inland breath of about 75 miles.   More than 125 miles is actually coastline (Swartz & Stansfield. 2007, Murray et al. 2007 & Stansfield. 1998).One of the physical characteristics of NJ State is that it is surrounded by water in all areas except the northern border, where it contacts New York State for about 80 kilometers or is about 12 % of the State’s land.   NJ belongs to the middle Atlantic region of the US and lies along the eastern coast.   The Hudson River runs along its border in the northeastern regions.   Pennsylvania lies along its western border.   The Delaware Bay and the Delaware River separate NJ from Delaware State in the southern and the southwest regions.The largest city in NJ is Newark, and its capital is Trenton.   Newark is one of the most important cities in NJ .   From here people can easily travel to New York using the river ferry or the railroad.   Trenton is located on the eastern side of the Delaware River.   It houses several government and civil quarters for the NJ State.   About 10 miles from Trenton is the town of Princeton that houses a major university in NJ.The Northern portion of the state contains the Appalachian Highlands and the entire northern regions contain mountains, ridges, streams and lakes.   This region is often known as ‘the New Appalachians’.   One of the prominent sandstone ridges present in the northeast is Kittatinny Mountains. This ridge contains the Delaware River (in the Delaware water gap).   The highest elevation present in the state is the Kittatinny Mountain that is at a height of 550 meters, present in a few kilometers with the border with New York State.   The average elevation of the state is 80 meters (Swartz & Stansfield. 2007, Murray et al. 2007, & Stansfield. 1998).In the Southeast of Appalachian Highlands, the Triassic lowlands and the Piedmont plains are present (the Piedmont plains lie to the east of the NJ Highlands).   It occupies about 20 % of the entire NJ area.   This extends from the Northeastern border and includes all the major cities such as Trenton.   From the Hudson region, ancient rock ridges extent, which break the monotony of the lowlands.   Between the highlands and the lowlands of NJ lies a valley that is highly populated.   This valley is underlain with limestone and sandstone, which is bright red in color.The other stones that are present in this region include conglomerates, shale, igneous stones, etc.   These parts of NJ State contain older rock system compared to the coastal plains.   The valley is located at a height of 120 to 150 meters and can be routed from the Hudson River, all the way to Alabama.   The termination portion of the Piedmont plains in the Hudson region is known as ‘the Palisadesâ₠¬â„¢, and is made of trap rock (Cloister Hill).   The Piedmont is about 30 kilometers wide.The valley also contains dark rocks known as ‘trap rock’ that was formed during the earlier geological ages.   This rock offers a wonderful arena for waterfalls in the region.   The sandstone in several areas has eroded and now appears as prominent ridges.   Some of the prominent mountains found in the Piedmont Highlands are the Watchung and the Sourland mountains.   The Piedmont lowlands or the â€Å"Newark Basin† forms the area where most of the major cities are located.   Through this region access to New York and New Jersey could be made.   In this region, three of the major rivers drain, namely, the Raritan River, the Passaic River and the Hackensack River (Swartz & Stansfield. 2007).The NJ Highlands is also known as â€Å"New England Upland†, as it is geologically similar to New England.   It contains several lakes of great tourist interest.   These include Greenwood Lake, Lake Hopatcong, Culvers Lake and Green Pond Lake.   The NJ Highlands occupies about 12 % of the entire NJ area.   The ridges formed in these regions are made up of an old rock known as ‘gneiss’.   The Musconetcong and Pequest River are formed in this area (Murray et al. 2007, & Stansfield. 1998).The Atlantic Coastal Plain, from the southeast to the coastal areas, occupies about 60 % of NJ area.   It has one of the world’s largest chains of sandy barrier islands, which are continuous.   It appears wedge shaped, which is thickest in the east-southeast region and thinnest in the center.   It has two portions, namely, the inner plain and the outer coastal plain.   The inner coastal plain or the â€Å"Greensand Belt† is located near the Piedmont area and has a size of 40 kilometers.Many orchards and agricultural homes are located in this region as the soil is very fertile and conducive to agriculture.   On the othe r hand, the land present in the outer coastal plain is very infertile and not very conducive to agricultural activities.   It forms the western rim of the NJ state and area where it meets with the ocean.   The outer coastal plain contains several hills, which are not more than 60 meters in height.   The outer coastal plain also forms several beaches, lagoons and marshes.   Several islands are located off the coast of NJ, some of which are inhabited and form popular tourist destinations.The ocean currents and the tides have an effect on the offshore islands and the coasts of New Jersey State. On several occasions tidal waves have had an effect on the New Jersey Coast.   In southern parts of NJ, the coastal plains contain high amounts of scrub oak and pine trees.   Several cranberry and blueberry plantation are located in several areas of the outer coast.   The Pine Barren is some of the vast forests located in the outer coastal plains.   A few settlements of people an d rivers are also located.   Many a times, the Pine Barrens of NJ seems to be a source for forest fires.The number of fires that have occurred since the 1940’s is about 1100.   About 8, 000 hectares is usually burnt every year through wild forest fires, much less than the 22, 000 that existed before the forest department began to use effective means of reducing these fires.   Most of the fires occur during the dry months of January to September periods.   Many of the important resorts and spas are located in the coastal plains.   The islands present close to the coast make harbor construction difficult.Many ships have met with accidents along the NJ coast due to the rough ocean currents and the shallow waters.   However, sheltered waterways are located which help to provide some relief for ships.   Portions of the NJ coast even have offshore sandbars and barrier beaches.   In parts of the northern NJ coast, the coastline is severely eroded (Swartz & Stansfield . 2007, Stansfield. 1998 & Forman et al. 1981).The islands, beaches, sandpits, etc, present along the NJ coast, are one of the longest chain in the world.   They run from the Texas region all the way up to the New York’s long island.   The islands of NJ coast seem to be dynamic in nature.   The ocean currents, tides, winds, waves, etc, have a dynamic effect on the NJ shoreline.   Many of the estuaries located off the coast of New Jersey form important beds for natural oyster shelters and oyster cultivation.   Several factors do favor the growth of oysters in the seabed including the tidal currents, the prevailing tides, eddies, prevailing winds (their force and direction), etc.   The larvae of oysters can help in regulating their own populations by rising and settling in the tidal currents.   In the NJ estuaries, the larvae do rise and settle in the tidal currents thus having potential to grow and develop along the coastal waters (Carriker. 1951 & Stansfield. 19 98).NJ State enjoys an extreme type of climate, with summers being warm and winters cold.   To the west of NJ, lies a huge landmass, which causes an extreme type of climate during winter and summer.   The climate is produced as a result of its latitude (located halfway between the equator and the North Pole), thus in a position to produce distinct seasons.   The distance from the season and the height above sea level also has a role to play in the development of climate of NJ.   During the summer, the moist tropical winds bring in hot air causing temperatures to rise and humid conditions to exist.   During winter, the continental winds bring in freezing temperatures and causing snowfall in several regions.The sea tends to retain the heat for greater amount of time during the day.   Hence during the night, the sea breezes tend to cool the land.   During the day, there is a strong sea breeze, which tends to cool the land.   The average rainfall received by the state is more than 1000 per annum.   The southwest regions of the state receive lower rainfall compared to other regions.   In January, the average temperature in NJ State is about 1 degree centigrade and in July, one of the hottest months, the average temperature is about 23 degrees centigrade.   However, extreme temperature have also been recorded, suggesting that at times the temperature can rise or fall to varying degrees.   In the winter of 1904, the temperature once dipped to – 37 degree and in the summer of 1936, the temperature once rose to 43 degrees.Due to the extremes of temperatures recorded in the Piedmont regions, seedlings do not become established within a year.   They begin to get established after two or more years.   Trees tend to invade areas occupied by herbs and shrubs.   During winter, the free-thaw cycles occur which hinders the establishment of the tree seedlings.   In portion of the Northwestern regions of the state, seasons last for about th ree to four months.   However, in some of the southwestern regions, the seasons last for about 8 months.Towards, the coastline, the climates tend to be less of an extreme.   Hence, during summer, these places stay cooler than those inlands, and in winter they tend to stay warmer.   Many people consider the NJ climate to be variable during various seasons of the year (Swartz & Stansfield. 2007, Stansfield. 1998 & Buell. 1971).Thus, I do feel that NJ State offers variables in terms of geography, climate and landforms, compared to any other parts of the world.   This has caused a diverse flora and fauna to exist in the region.   Besides, it also forms a home to many people who would like to visit New York and the Philadelphia region.   This has resulted in the population of NJ to be high compared to the other parts of the US.References:C. A. Stansfield. A Geography of New Jersey. 2nd Ed. Rutgers University Press, 1998.  Hugh Murray, William Wallace, Robert Jameson et al. The Encyclopà ¦dia of Geography: Comprising a Complete Description of the Earth.. New York: Carey, Lea and Blanchard, 2007. M. F. Buell, H. F. Buell, & J. A. Small, â€Å"Invasion of Trees in Secondary Succession on the New Jersey Piedmont.† Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, 98.2 (1971).M. R. Carriker â€Å"Ecological Observations on the Distribution of Oyster Larvae in New Jersey Estuaries.† Ecological Monographs, 21.1 (1951).R. T. T. Forman & R. E. Boerner â€Å"Fire Frequency and the Pine Barrens of New Jersey.† Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. 108.1 (1951).Swartz, J. & Stansfield, C. A. â€Å"New Jersey.† Microsoft Encarta. 2007.   3 Nov. 2007: http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761559873/New_Jersey.htmlUS Census Bureau. New Jersey. US Census Bureau. 2007. 3 Nov. 2007