New Jersey governor orders partial government shutdown

New Jersey Governor John Corzine ordered a partial government shutdown as the legislature failed to pass a balanced budget by the constitutional deadline. The dispute is over the fact that Governor Corzine wants to increase the sales tax from 6 to 7% while his fellow democrats in the legislature objected to that. The state must fill a multibillion dollar shortfall in the state budget. Procedures are underway to keep emergency services such as the state police, hospitals and all essential employees on the job while other state employees are likely to be furloughed pending a decision by the courts.