We at U.S. 1 thought we were done with Obamacare when we printed our cover story on the subject in the September 4 edition, previewing two major upcoming conferences on the subject.
As it turned out our reporting triggered several questions posed by our own staff, none of which we could definitely answer based on our own reporting. Accounts in the national media didn’t help much either. In fact, as we kept hearing reports about the political viability of the legislation, we quickly began to wonder if the national news hounds knew any more about Obamacare than the general public did. As we heard reports that only a minority of the public liked the new law, we wondered if a more valuable poll would first determine how many people actually knew anything about the law. We began to yearn for a poll that began by asking potential respondents to name one thing — just one — that the new law will change or implement. Then the respondents’ pro and con views could be grouped by how much they knew about the law.
Given that knowledge gap, we decided to run another Obamacare article in this issue, beginning on page 5. This is a question-and-answer exchange with a Rutgers professor who is director of the university’s Center for State Health Policy. He seems to know a lot about the new law and we thank Rutgers for sharing the exchange.
As for us, we may be just beginning our coverage. If you or your company have first hand experience that will shed some light on the law and its costs or benefits, please E-mail our editor: rein@princetoninfo.com. We will pass the word along.
#b#To the Editor: New Legislation Good for Business#/b#
The passage and signing of the New Jersey Economic Opportunity Act (A-3680) is very good news for those who care about the New Jersey economy because it is specifically designed to grow jobs and motivate companies to expand in the Garden State. It allows more businesses, including small and mid-size firms, to qualify for already existing tax credits when they create jobs or bring jobs to New Jersey. In short, it makes New Jersey a more attractive place to relocate and expand in an age when other states are competing for the same companies.
We commend the legislature and Gov. Christie for adopting this important piece of legislation. It is yet another example of what our leaders in Trenton can accomplish when they put partisan politics aside and work together.
We also thank the Smart Growth Economic Development Coalition — led by Ted Zangari, a lawyer with Sills Cummis & Gross and a member of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors — which devoted countless hours to helping craft and promote this new law.
Tom Bracken
President and CEO, New Jersey Chamber of Commerce
