In 1960, Senator John F. Kennedy was asked why he wished to run for the presidency of the United States. His eloquent response was that he wished to lay before his generation the great unfinished business of his time. Now as we face the 2008 election, the issue is what is the unfinished business of our own time. To ascertain that agenda for the State of New Jersey, the Hall Institute of Public Policy conducted a series of special forums in different regions of the state this spring. These included panel discussions at Monmouth University and the Richard Stockton State College of New Jersey, a cable television program at Montclair State University, and a voter poll conducted by the Monmouth University Polling Institute. We also received input from emails, a blog and a focus group.
In each of these settings, the great issues before the State of New Jersey were discussed in a most telling and passionate manner. We found New Jerseyans' priorities to be:
- The War in Iraq - According to recent polls, there is an even higher level of discontent with the war in New Jersey than nationally. The respondents however have not dealt with timetables or benchmarks for the Iraq government.
- Universal Health Care - The increasing anxiety over job security, even among the middle class and in the managerial staff, plus concerns from small and even large businesses have added to calls for universal health care.
- Illegal Immigration - Like many states, New Jersey is very dependent on immigration and foreign-born workers. Those needs are especially apparent in the shore areas and on farms in the state.
- Educational Reform and Re-training - New Jersey devotes a considerable amount of its local and state budgets to K-12 education and has supported, in the past, educational reform efforts, especially in the Abbott districts. There was very little discussion about the No Child Left Behind legislation.
- Costs of Higher Education - Costs for a college education have far outpaced the cost of living, and in New Jersey a good section of the freshman class goes to out-of-state and private colleges where they have to pay even higher costs.
- Protection of the Economy, Including the Jersey Coast - New Jersey's major tourist site is the coast and its attractions. The state has also been in the forefront of those concerned about pollution and environmental controls.
- Treatment of Veterans - There has been considerable criticism of veterans care, especially in the investigative stories on Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. Some of those same concerns have been expressed over facilities in New Jersey.
- Terrorism - The attacks on New York City on September 11, 2001, have had a direct impact on neighboring New Jersey. With its tunnels, ports and air facilities there is a real concern that the state is particularly vulnerable.
- Affordable Housing - The establishment of new businesses and entertainment has provided low income jobs for many people, but the state is a very expensive place in which to live and raise a family.
- Unemployment - New Jersey's recent losses of jobs in communications, pharmaceuticals, and financial institutions have raised questions about unemployment, retraining and medical coverage.
- America's Poor Reputation Abroad - In these discussions, there is a genuine feeling that America was once the beacon to the world and is now criticized by its traditional allies for being arrogant, isolated, and overly assertive.
What is most striking is how many of the people we talked to and interviewed told us to focus our letter not on any particular issue, but on leadership qualities and on the need to provide the nation with a vision. Uniformly, we found respondents to be deeply concerned about the future of this nation and very disquieted about the current state of affairs.
The Hall Institute has asked the presidential candidates to let us know where they stand on the issues of most importance to our state. Their responses will be posted on our website in September. This project is consistent with the mission of the Hall Institute, which is to foster solutions to our state's challenges and problems by generating constructive debate. The project also builds upon the success of the Virtual Debate that the Hall Institute conducted during New Jersey's U.S. Senate campaign last year.
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