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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

In the bad old days (this is FY2019's end-of-year summary), more than 1/5 of the NJT operating budget was capital transfers! And unsurprisingly, if you raid capital for a decade, the next decade has reliability issues. Who knew?????

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

NJT's low subsidy ended up with the agency raiding capital budget to pay for operations for YEARS. Guess what happens when you neglect long-term maintenance and equipment replacement? Also note the budgets have no inflation adjustment. 2024 budget is LOWER than 2020 when inflation adjusted

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

giant businesses and billionaires promising that another tax cut will trickle down to the masses

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

To the extent there is polling on this, lgbtq+ identity is a very small chunk of the overall reasons why people cut off parents, with abuse, manipulative behavior, and other interpersonal conflict making the bulk of the reasons

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Other than climate change (and honestly linked to climate change), this might be the biggest problem that world governments need to team up to solve. The creation of a class of outrageously wealthy individuals, with outrageously low tax rates due to avoidance, needs a global solution.

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

"CLIMATE CHANGE IS A WOKE HOAX," I shout as I stare at my 100 degrees with patchy wildfire smoke forecast

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Full poll from here: www.monmouth.edu/polling-inst... Shout-out to the true diner sickos going several times a week.

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Today Governor Sherrill signed many of these changes into law as part of the Data Center Fair Share legislation. Meanwhile the legislature has passed the End Data Center Tax Credits Act and it awaits the governor's signature. These moves will help keep NJans from footing the bill for data centers

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

In March @alexfromnj.bsky.social and I wrote a report on the hidden costs of AI data centers. In it, we recommended: 1) defining data centers in statute 2) a higher electric power rate for data centers 3) incentivizing clean energy production by data centers 4) ending subsidies for data centers

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

You know who else had a disastrous fireworks display for personal self aggrandizement while using elected political office to steal from the public and commit crimes?

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

me watching the legislature thinking about adding new corporate tax credit giveaways to the state budget at the last minute

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

It's 12 days before June 30. There is no budget agreement, no list of bills on Monday's committee agendas, and no information on budget resolutions submitted by lawmakers, including who submitted them. The public will have almost no time to provide feedback on how $60 billion in funds are spent.

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

wow punchbowl coming out as anti-central-jersey

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

4. And consumers honestly won't feel much difference. Gasoline prices are salient bc they are prominently displayed. But gasoline made up <2% of consumer expenditures in NJ. And taxes are an even smaller piece of that cost.

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Excited to learn about the governor's commitment to listen to transit riders and improve their experience on buses and trains

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Another fake NJ flag that is a beautiful bright goldenrod color and not the gross brown-beige that we deserve

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

"Neither credible nor attractive? Has eBay been talking to my wife?" *Laughter* "I coulda told GameStop it wouldn't work, I've been giving unsolicited proposals to my wife for years and I just end up on the couch!"

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Tax the rich Tax the rich Tax the rich Tax the rich Tax the rich Tax the rich Tax the rich Tax the rich Tax the rich Tax the rich Tax the rich Tax the rich Tax the rich Tax the rich Tax the rich Tax the rich Tax the rich Tax the rich Tax the rich Tax the rich Tax the rich

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment (owner of the NJ Devils and the Sixers) spent $230k in lobbying expenses. In exchange, they ended up with $300 MILLION in public dollars to renovate the Prudential Center. Why wouldn't special interests play this game every time?

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Happy May Day! Last year top CEO pay increased 20x faster than worker pay. Since 2019 adjusted for inflation, global worker pay fell, while real CEO pay increased 54 percent. The only solution to this is fair taxation. The wealth generated by the many should not rest in the hands of the few.

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Really NYT? "Freestyle diplomacy"????? what are we even doing man

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Old enough to remember supposedly scandalous maps showing that approved federal infrastructure projects were near major population centers that tended to vote Democrat.

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

One final point. The total ABC deduction costs the state $193M for FY2027 The amount the ABC reform saves is ~$120M for FY2027 Keep in mind those earning $500k-$1M still get to keep half the deduction! This means **the vast majority of this deduction was captured by the top 1% in incomes.**

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Objectors to the reform note the 10,000 returns this will affect. But there were 4.3 MILLION returns in NJ (in 2019)! Which means this affects ~0.2% of all income tax returns, all with >$500k in income.

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

So what was the result? 2016 was the first year of the full (current) ABC amount. Bw 2016 and 2019, the last year we have data for... All deductions (minus ABC): +6% ABC deductions: +26%(!) And keep in mind, this was during a period of sustained growth for small biz owner income!

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Data is old but @fracposts.bsky.social analysis from 2018 showed wide variation among seniors w low income participating in SNAP especially by county. I do wonder how different the numbers look now, given that overall SNAP participation rate has been fairly flat.

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Themed Wordle words are an abomination

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

stop. no. do not do this. broad-based taxation is the foundation of every progressive policy. if no tax, then no schools, no trains, no buses, no health insurance, no child care. what are you doing?

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

can't even watch my PBS cozy murder mysteries without NJ politics intruding

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

Re this section of Gov Sherrill's budget address, I couldn't agree more about the promise of government to create opportunity. But note! The New Deal was paid for with taxes on the wealthy WW2 needed bigger income tax Social Security and Medicare needed payroll tax Big ideas need big revenue!

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

And in the meantime, govt employment has actually DECLINED. Hard to get effective govt if you have fewer people to answer phones, approve permits, or investigate fraud. www.njpp.org/publications...

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

One separate note: commentators and lawmakers frequently cite the growth in the NJ budget since 2010. But they don't adjust for inflation!!! FY10 ended w $28.9B in expenditures IN 2010 DOLLARS FY10 ended w $43.9B in expenditures IN 2026 DOLLARS That's a 35% increase, not a 100% increase

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Reducing the income cap and benefit amount of Stay NJ saves money and ensures that wealthy homeowners are not disproportionately benefiting. This was our proposal from last year. Looks pretty similar, with some differences (Sherrill proposal has higher income cap $250k and lower benefit cap $4k)

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Gov Sherrill notes the growth in the middle class and economic prosperity in the 1940s-60s. Worth noting this period coincided with high marginal tax rates on the rich and high rates of union membership

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

Watching the UK, Norway, and South Korea hold leaders accountable for misconduct and crimes, instead of behaving like they are magically immune from all laws