Borsinger Family Web Log

Wow – it has been a while since I last posted – guess I am not going to be able to retire based on my blog success!
Actually been busy – lots of work and trying to keep fit. Most of my ‘spare time writing’ involves ‘letter to the editor’. When I read something in the local paper that gets under my skin – I feel compelled to write the paper and let them know my thoughts. The Paper does a good job of validating the sender of the article – but I was surprised to find out that the editor takes considerable liberty in editing what I send in. Seems anything written that might be the least bit contested – is eliminated.
Just for the record here is the complete Letter to the Editor sent last month.
9/15/2008
 

Letter to Editor Newark Star Ledger
 

I had the following response to your article on “Affordable –housing pledge clashes with Highlands Act’ – DUH – of course it does!!
 

‘Affordable housing’ is being used as a misguided acronym in attempts to make more palatable the acts of the Coalition on Affordable Housing (COAH). COAH is the result of several NJ Supreme Court judgments in the 1970’s and 80’s that forced towns to abandon local planning and abide by what the Judges thought best for the towns. I am quite sure the judges that decided to force overdevelopment and raise taxes to support their social experiment did not consult geological experts to see if there were enough natural resources available in the most densely populated state in the country. Most of the ‘experts’ in the case at the time appeared to be what I will term ‘social planners’. In any case, our knowledge of natural resource limitations has advanced much since their rulings.
 

Naturally those representing the building lobbies will now claim that the Highlands Act needs to be thrown out. The problem is that regardless of political lobbying and lawyers with robes on playing social experiments, nature has give us limited natural resources, including water. That has and will not change. Passing laws or judgments today that force overdevelopment will only come back to hurt future generations who will suffer from increased air pollution, lack of clean water and overcrowding. Not to mention higher taxes for supporting the infrastructure that goes along with development.
 

I would propose that COAH needs to be thrown out. Consider this if COAH is not repealed – at some point in the future, New Jersey will be paved over with no more developable land anywhere and the present guidelines of COAH will continue to force more development. It can not continue.
 

We are a democratic free market society. COAH smells of socialism and is the result of unelected judges overstepping what our founding fathers envisioned as a balance between Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches. Judges should not be allowed to make judgments that force increase in taxes without the consent of elected officials or the public. Our Founding Fathers fought King George to overcome taxation without representation. We should consider the same for judges that do the same.