Opinion: No Need to Vote in 2020, Sweeney and Murphy Will Decide For You

"No need to vote in 2020, Sweeney and Murphy will decide for you" is the headline of this post. Sounds like I'm exaggerating doesn't it? Wish I were. Unfortunately this is what life has become in the Garden State. A handful of elite pols making decisions for you.

The latest round of "government knows best" comes in the form of a Senate bill, which passed 23-11 to bar the duly elected President of the United States from the ballot in New Jersey in 2020 unless he releases his tax returns. So despite the fact that President Trump complied with every legal statute for financial disclosure, the Senate Democrats want to deny New Jersey voters their right to make their own choice for President.

Just when you thought it couldn't get worse in Jersey, from Murphy raising taxes and AG Gurbir Grewal standing with criminal aliens over legal, law abiding citizens, now Steve Sweeney wants to deny your voting rights. Unfortunately one Republican stood with the morally bankrupt Senate majority.

Republican Senator Kip Bateman voted "yes". He's in a district that is trending Democrat and is rightfully nervous about his re-election. The fact that he sold out his constituents by siding with Sweeney is proof that he's more interested in preserving his own seat than truly speaking on behalf of his constituents.

I've known Kip for many years and respected his leadership on many issues. But it's time for the Senator to be honest and change his registration to Democrat. Just like his Senate colleague Dawn Addiego. Whether you agree with her or not, at least she's being honest that it's all about her own political preservation and not about making NJ more affordable.

Beyond Republicans selling out for their own selfish ambition, there's the merits, or lack thereof, of the bill itself. Why should politicians in Trenton decide the choices you should have in 2020 for President? Are NJ voters not capable of making an informed choice? Should Trump voters be denied the right to cast a ballot for the incumbent President? This is voter suppression disguised as moral outrage.

Sweeney is perhaps the biggest offender. He wants you to believe that he's a champion of the working and middle class families struggling to stay above water in NJ. He wants you to believe that he's an honest broker standing up to the over-taxation coming from the Governor. He's neither of those. He's a fake and a fraud who lines his own pockets with big union money all the while supporting nearly every tax that has been presented in Trenton for the past decade.

His big gripe with Murphy is over the percentage of tax on legal pot. Ridiculous distraction. Meanwhile he championed the spike in the minimum wage despite the jobs it will cost us and the pain endured by NJ's small business community. He was a strong ally of Governor Christie as the lawyers and special interest made money at our expense. He helped create a false compromise regarding pensions in 2011, which only led to an effective decrease in the income of so many teachers across NJ.

Sweeney, Murphy, Grewal and the other elite pols in Trenton don't have your back. They have no interest in standing up for families in NJ. They'd rather play politics with your money. The common theme? Hatred of Donald Trump. From Grewal's endless lawsuits against Trump to Murphy's incompetence and anti-Trump soundbites at every opportunity, it's clear we have no effective leadership in our government. It's true that if the polls are accurate, there's only a remote chance that the President would carry NJ even if he's on the ballot. But for the elites in Trenton to make that decision for you should offend everyone who stands up for voting rights and the power of the people to elect their leaders.

One last point, why do bills like this get rammed through the Senate with ease, yet there is barely even a whisper about property taxes? Who speaks for New Jersey?