Keeping Them Addicted in the Garden State

In New Jersey's governor's race, Republican candidate Doug Forrester has significantly chipped away at Democrat Jon Corzine's lead, from 18 points this summer to seven points last week, according to a Quinnipiac poll. If Mr. Forrester doesn't catch up and loses, it may be his best campaign proposal that does him in.

Property tax reform has been the top issue in New Jersey all year. Mr. Forrester's plan has the state ending its current "rebate" program, which kicks back a portion of the tax to older and lower-income homeowners, and crediting the tax bills of all homeowners by 30% within three years. Mr. Corzine's plan calls for increasing the current rebate program by 25% in four years. Both candidates say they will pay for the proposals by cutting wasteful spending and corruption. Neither plan addresses the real cause of high property taxes -- runaway school spending without commensurate results. But the Forrester plan is clearly better because it cuts taxes and reduces drag on the economy rather than boosting wealth redistribution. It's a classic Republican v. Democrat tax fight.

But New Jerseyans are addicted to their annual checks, which arrive about a month before Election Day. Mr. Corzine argues that "rich" homeowners should continue to subsidize seniors and "the poor" by ever higher amounts. So why not just find any excuse to tax the "rich" and distribute the money before Election Day? Voters are beginning to notice the pandering here, although the media refuses to credit Mr. Forrester's hammering of Mr. Corzine as a tax-and-spend liberal for Mr. Forrester's improving performance in the polls. Should Mr. Forrester win, watch the media marvel at the mystery of how he overcame a big deficit to beat a U.S. senator. But the real significance will be a liberal state endorsing Republican tax-cut strategies. That would be a true achievement.