Pinpoint legislation off the mark

Record columnist Mike Kelly plays Mr. Nice Guy today, recounting the heartrending story of a Bergenfield family struggling to deal with crippling disability, serious illness, and now a heavy property tax burden on account of the extensive renovations on their home courtesy of the network television show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. While detailing the "courageous" efforts of our own state legislators Valerie V. Huttle and Loretta Weinberg to gain relief for the Llanes family through the introduction of special bills in Trenton, Kelly laments the fact that some unnamed community members oppose this.

Is it really wrong to object? I, for one, concur that special treatment in this case would be unfair. Kelly is wrong to chalk up such complaints to petty jealousy rather than an authentic disagreement with what is taking place. One may support any and all private efforts to benefit this very unique family and encourage them to take full advantage of any and all existing government entitlements they have coming to them without wishing for special exceptions to be made to tax laws on a case-by-case basis. There are no doubt many less heralded but equally deserving families struggling in the shadows who also need help. Singling one household out for extraordinary assistance while leaving the others to fend for themselves would be a disservice to all New Jersey taxpayers.

If the system is broken, fix it for everybody. An unparalleled opportunity to do this was recently squandered by Trenton lawmakers when long awaited recommendations for extensive reform of the property tax system were basically killed by inaction. Elected legislators should not be evading real debate on the issues in favor burnishing their credentials as compassionate individuals by taking on popular pet causes, even if they are as worthy as this one is. If Huttle and Weinberg really want to help their constituents, they should turn up the heat on their colleagues in Trenton's Democratic majority and pressure them to start delivering on the unfulfilled promises of radical reforms that they made to New Jersey voters. That, Mr. Kelly, would constitute real "courageous political leadership."