In the mid 1990s, I served on a commission co-chaired by now New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine.  I found him to be incredibly smart, courageous, an excellent leader, and remarkably down-to-earth for a multi-multi-millionaire.  I loved working with him.

So this article from yesterday's USA Today, which explained why Corzine was proposing to eliminate whole departments as he attempted to reduce spending, wasn't that surprising.

Nevertheless, it was a breath of fresh air.  Not only is Corzine proposing to reduce spending, he's doing it by one of the few ways that will actually work.  Rather than making incremental changes that will reduce the effectiveness of his government more or less across the board, he's making a decision that there are some things the government should no longer be doing at all because it can't afford it.

And note how that bold proposal has scrambled the budget politics in the state. 

Whether or not you like what he's proposing to eliminate, you have to admire the governor's willingness to do something different and, if agreed to by the legislature, likely to have a lasting positive impact on the state's budget outlook.

I wonder if anyone in Washington is watching.