FEEDBACK: Gov. Phil Murphy accepts 175k salary
Here is a sample of comments from readers on our story about Gov. Phil Murphy accepting in full the governor's $175,000-a-year salary. The comments about whether he was right to accept the salary were culled from our online story chat and Facebook pages.
Chris Brandt: He donated almost $1 million last year to charity. Give the man his rightful salary.
Stephanie Sinigaglia: I get paid to go to work, otherwise it would be volunteering.
Michael De Fortuna: Taking the salary sets a bad precedent and is very hypocritical on his part. If he feels so strongly about redistribution of wealth, he should start with himself. The real Phil Murphy, as expected, is beginning to show his face, and he's going to tax the hell out of the middle class (not the wealthy) to pay for his ludicrous agenda.
Steve Mezzano: A. He should get paid B. Why do I care about his taxes? He can move if he wants to pay less.
Theresa Costello Ziegenbalg: I'm not a fan of his but in today's society that's not a lot of money for that job. Pay the man.
D'Nyce Burgos: Yes, of course. He is a working governor, not a volunteer.
Marylou Healy: Yes, he doesn’t appear to have a rich wife like Christie.
Anne-Marie Cottone: Why not accept the salary? He's doing the job.
David Stackewicz: Trump doesn’t take a salary as president and his taxes are much higher than this guy's taxes.
Robert Matthews: It's peanuts for a job like his. He donates over a million to charity already.
More:Gov. Murphy accepts $175,000 salary but it doesn't cover his Middletown property tax bill
More:POLL: Should Gov. Phil Murphy have accepted full $175k salary?
More:BERGMANN: Dear Gov.-elect Murphy:
Alys Terhune: Become illegal...no taxes.
Pamela Sierchio Inelli: Corzine took $1. Socialism is for the people. Not the socialist.
Kenneth Reed: Yes, for a write-off just like all the other millionaires.
Rob Barrows: No. It should be redistributed.
Christine La Grace: Accepting his salary does not mean that he doesn't intend to 'redistribute' it (as he implied regarding his ambassador's salary). In what way do you think it should be redistributed?
Ryan Finley: Nothing should be redistributed. Whoever feels that way has a mental disorder or can't understand basic economics.
Susan Reid: Did Christie take his salary? Sure did!
Justin Escher Alpert: He’s a working man again. Let him earn every penny of it.
Karen Mirando: None of my business. He got the job. It has a salary.
Timmy Poling: This guy is completely rubbing his wealth in the faces of his "voters." The same people he had so much "in common" with. Lmfao. Where do you thinks his best interests are?
Linda Pantini: He's a greedy person. He doesn't care about the legal citizens of NJ. He needs to work for the hard working legal citizens of the state that elected him! He won because many people were mad at Christie and a lot of people didn't vote.....
Denise Louis: He deserves the salary that goes with the job. I hope he is not taking the farm tax exemption that many large nonfarming property owners do. I find it unethical when very wealthy nonfarmers are able to put a few sheep or farm animals on their massive estate and whittle their taxes down to those of a normal middle class homeowner. This is a shameful tax avoidance activity in NJ that should be banned. None of us like our huge tax bills, but we know we are funding great schools and municipalities. All should pay according to the size and price of their property.
Brad Harmanjot Singh: They should take the salary. They are public servants. They work for us, they should get paid by the public and in theory they makes them obligated not to be making backroom deals and getting richer on the side... i know that's a fairy tale but that is the theory behind the salary.
Helene Winters: Of course he should get paid..The rest isn’t our business. I doubt that, like Trump, the taxpayers will be paying for him to golf every weekend
Valerie Fenton: I voted for him. But with that said, no one twisted his arm to seek the governorship of New Jersey. I really don' t want to hear about his property tax problems. He's a multimillionaire. He will get loads of tax breaks. If being governor is such a sacrifice, resign.
Traycee Ann: Sure, he’s entitled to a salary. But what he should do is take a good hard look at property taxes and why they’re so high.
Sean Casale: I think anyone should take their salary unless they campaigned on not taking it. Even Trump should take it, no matter if I think he deserves it or not. Why is this even an issue?
Carolyn Ann: Of course he should accept a salary.
Kate Khan: So the president of NJ shouldn't collect a salary cause he's rich and his taxes are higher than the salary.
Patricia Courchene-Krone: He was elected, salary is part of that. Whether he chooses to accept or not, and use it as a huge tax write-off, is apparently his choice.
Lea X. Morris: Why shouldn’t he get paid for doing the job?