Corzine's big ideas

Gov. Corzine says his drastic budget cuts may not be enough. The decline in retail sales for February has got him running a bit scared.

So what do you think?

Corzine was the head of an investment firm for a number of years, and has a strong finance background, so do you think that means he is the man that can bring down the NJ budget beast?

There is no question that NJ is in a bad way when it comes to balancing the budget. Years of borrowing and poor planning have led to huge deficits.

If we think on this issue on a small scale, as in one household, it makes it easier to wrap our heads around.

Image that you were in so much credit card and loan debt that you couldn't keep your head above water (and for many of us, this isn't a big stretch). Every month you have to decide what gets paid and what doesn't. After a couple of months, you start owing double payments and your debt is growing because of interest and late payment fees. Things are only getting worse.

So, what do you do?

You certainly don't plan on spending more money next month than you did last month.

You look for a better job (more revenue), tighten your belt (budget cuts) and stop using credit cards and loans (borrowing restrictions).

This might be very inconvenient, and even present you with great hardships (giving up your car to walk or bike places), but it is a necessary evil.

Now, back to the state....

It seems logical to me, that if you want to reduce your deficit, you have to make hard changes. I am not, however, an economist. I am not even that good at keeping my personal finances straight. Because of this, I am in no way saying that I think Corzine's plan will save us all, I am just saying that it sounds like it is at least moving in the right direction.

That being said...tell me what you think about it.

I am, as they say, all ears!