Of course they can cut your taxes. Here's why they won't

It's not that New Jersey politicians can't cut programs, can't cut taxes, Jim Gearhart says. Fiscally, there's no reason they can't make it happen.

But politically? Lots of luck with those cuts.

So says Jim in the latest edition of the Jim Gearhart Show podcast, every Thursday on iTunes, Google Play and the New Jersey 101.5 app.

He remembers well the Flying Pigs Day in Trenton in protest of then-Gov. Jon Corzine budget, back in 2009. In fact, he wore a flying pigs T-shirt to tape this week's episode.

"Pigs will fly over the Statehouse before there is a realistic level of new taxes or spending cuts that can fix this mess," Corzine said at the time.

Well, they did — in the form of pig-shaped balloons And the mess is still there.

"The governor did not say you cannot save enough money on waste and graft and the like to balance the budget because it was fiscally impossible. No, it was politically impossible.," Jim remembers. "They know perfectly well they're not going to be able to do it. It's economically very feasible."

But cutting programs would mean cutting out "a lot of the money that essentially goes to buy votes," Jim says.

That's just part of the latest installment of the Jim Gearhart Podcast, available every week on New Jersey 101.5 and in the New Jersey 101.5 app. You can also subscribe with your favorite podcasting app for iPhones, Android devices or your computer:

Get The Jim Gearhart Show on Google Play

Get Jim on iTunes

Love podcasts? Also check out Forever 39, Annette and Megan's new podcast about turning 40 — and loving life along the way. This week, they explore what happens when the wrong person is hired at work.

And the New 'Jersey' Guys, Chris and Dan, ask whether sports celebrations are getting out of control?

— Townsquare Media staff