(WEST ORANGE, OCTOBER 4) - Schundler for Governor campaign manager Bill Pascoe, responding to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s endorsement of Jim McGreevey, today issued the following statement:

“Bret Schundler has his own plan for parenthood -- one that’s far more in tune with what New Jerseyans want and need than anything offered by yet one more special interest group endorsing Jim McGreevey. Bret’s plan is to give a $500 tax credit to New Jersey parents so that they can defray the cost of their children’s out-of-pocket education expenses. This $500 tax credit will help parents pay for items like school supplies, after-school tutoring, tuition, or a home computer. Every New Jersey family is eligible for this education tax credit, regardless of whether their children attend public schools, charter schools, private schools, or are home-schooled by their parents.

“As every mother and father in New Jersey knows, parenthood is an awesome challenge and responsibility, particularly when finances are tight and families are facing lay-offs and lost income. We want to help New Jersey parents in these uncertain economic times by giving them meaningful tax relief. This initiative speaks to Bret Schundler’s values, his priorities as a leader and his respect for the challenges that parents face everyday.

“Jim McGreevey and the Trenton Democratic machine have made clear that they do not support giving a $500 tax credit to New Jersey families. Instead, they want to raise taxes on New Jersey parents so they can spend more on bigger government programs and give more money to special interest groups, like Planned Parenthood. Jim McGreevey and the Trenton Democrats’ plan to spend more and tax more will drive New Jersey’s teetering economy into recession and destroy jobs. That’s a plan that will hurt New Jersey’s parents.

“New Jersey parents are concerned about their jobs, they are concerned about the health of our state’s economy, and they are concerned about the size of their property tax bills. They are not concerned about the endorsement of special interest groups, like Planned Parenthood, who want more of the people’s tax dollars to pay for their programs.

“As far as Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell are concerned, let’s be clear on Bret’s position on this issue. Their comments immediately following the events of September 11 were inappropriate, Bret Schundler does not share the sentiments expressed in those statements, and Bret was glad to learn that Rev. Falwell apologized for making them. However, it is quite clear that the Democratic Party’s continued focus on this topic has less to do with its relevance to New Jersey voters, and much more to do with the fact that the Democratic machine in Trenton is uncomfortable defending Jim McGreevey’s record of raising property taxes 59 percent in Woodbridge and his failure to stand up to the Party bosses, instead casting the deciding vote in favor of Governor Jim Florio’s 2.8 billion dollar tax increase -- the biggest tax increase in New Jersey’s history.”