Leading Republican gubernatorial candidate Kim Guadagno has a plan that will slash the average homeowner’s property tax up to $3000 a year, costing the state $1.5 billion. How will she accomplish that?

Simple. Just cut government waste. Oh, and of course the New Jersey economy will just take off after that massive tax cut, adding about a billion dollars right there in additional revenue. While we’re at it, let’s also cut $2.5 billion from the cost of providing healthcare to our state employees.

State Senator Steven Oroho was the driving force behind New Jersey’s elimination of the estate tax, another give-away to the rich. The Senator, and wealth management advisor, explains on his web site: “Eliminating this tax will give a deserved break to families, allow retirees to stay in their communities and increase the state’s ability to retain and attract businesses, and grow jobs.”

They deserve it, you see, for being so rich. And there’s that magic wand, again, to create job growth. But what about the ability to “allow retirees to stay in their communities”? That’s the main argument, that rich people will leave the state. Well, that’s not happening either, as the state’s millionaire population is actually growing.

The Trump Tax Plan (assuming you can call 150 words on a single page a “plan”) will take $5.5 trillion out of the budget over the next ten years, providing a truly massive tax cut for the rich. Where will that money come from? Easy, says treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin. “We expect to pay for this through economic growth.” Piece of cake.

Sussex County needs legislators who will govern. It’s time we recognize that the GOP is just a shill for the wealthy, relying on hocus pocus to sell their policies to the rest of us.