Taxes

As if Democrats need another reason to push universal health insurance, enterprising New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine found one: Tax the sick. Not as a novel incentive to stay healthy, but to help close a state budget gap.

His $47 per day hospital bed fee is only one of a bunch of new taxes he proposed to fill a $4.5 billion budget hole. He also wants to boost the sales, booze, and cigarette taxes and tax utility water. You flush, you pay.

Look for the property tax issue to dominate New Jersey's race for governor this year. The state's gubernatorial battles will be closely-watched around the country not just because it's an off-year with few other races -- but because a big win by Senator Jon Corzine, the likely Democratic finalist, would considerably raise his presidential profile.