New Jersey Tax Dollars At Work

Instead of spending the money on academics, Trenton is sending money to help fund the Rutgers sports programs, especially the construction of a major addition to the football stadium.

Over the past four years, lawmakers in Trenton have steered $2.25 million in special grants to the Rutgers athletics program, even as academic aid to the state university was being slashed.

The funding -- around $500,000 each year -- was tacked onto the state budget without public scrutiny. The money was channeled directly to the university's football team and athletics department and kept separate from the school's annual aid package.

Documents and e-mails obtained from the university show most of the funding was used for capital improvements and stadium expenses. The payments were detailed in documents obtained by The Star-Ledger through the Open Public Records Act.

Priorities.

It comes with some smug satisfaction that the Rutgers football team is now 0-3.

The Rutgers stadium expansion was meant to capitalize on the team's rise to prominence in national rankings, but the school simply doesn't have the financial means to make this work. At a time when the state should have been tightening its belt to keep costs under control, legislators were busy pushing funding under the radar.

There is absolutely no fiscal responsibility in the state, and it starts with Gov. Corzine, who allowed this to happen.