Niemann’s reform ‘same as the old boss’

Frederick Niemann has successfully led a campaign to replace the leadership of the Monmouth County Republican Party. One of the arguments for needing to do so was desire to get rid of all the backroom politics and control — it was time to renew the party and how it does business. As with any other victorious campaign, now is the time we will see whether the promised changes and a new agenda will actually be brought about. Will this just be a new crew who wants power? Or will it be a genuine movement to reform not only county politics but also what goes on in Trenton?

I suggest one barometer will be the degree to which Monmouth County Republicans act to change from funding education, the municipality and the county through property taxes to something else. This tax is an anachronism and no longer fair.

In fact, it is oppressive. When this was an agrarian country and 90 percent of people’s ability to generate income was directly attributable to the land they owned, it was fair.

That is no longer the case. Today, the value of one’s home has no correlation to one’s ability to produce income nor to pay taxes.

This is especially true for the unemployed, disabled, retired and those forced into new lower paying careers due to corporate downsizing.

It is time to bring fairness back to the tax structure. Will Monmouth County Republicans finally take a bold stand and support a whole new way to fund these three vital government services? Or will its new leadership prove to be more of the same? Will Mr. Niemann and his new team show they really do care about the average person or will they do their part to perpetuate the myth that Republicans are the party of the rich and could care less about the little guy?

The answer to this question will be made clear when Mr. Niemann lays out the new agenda for Monmouth County Republicans.

If we do not hear anything about this subject or if we only hear about the need for "reform" and "reducing reliance upon property taxes," then we will know there really has not been a change.

The change will only be in the faces and who gets favored now. It will be like the lyric from the old Who song, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." Unfortunately, we will have been fooled again.

John Hendrickson

Middletown