Where are they getting the money?

From the Star Ledger:

State, local government jobs jumped since 2000
In N.J., the private sector stayed flat, analysis shows
BY STEVE CHAMBERS AND ROBERT GEBELOFF

New Jersey added 59,400 state and local-government jobs in the first half of this decade, even as private-sector employment was flat, a Star-Ledger analysis has found.

The 11 percent increase in government jobs -- driven largely by ballooning education payrolls -- outpaced population growth and came at a time of rising anger over skyrocketing property taxes.

"It's an incredible number that leaves private businessmen and taxpayers scratching their heads and saying, 'How is this possible?'" said Philip Kirschner, president of the New Jersey Business and Industry Association. "The economy is the same for all of us, so where are the public entities getting the money? We all know the answer to that question."

It is a basic rule of economics that private-sector jobs pay the bills that government jobs produce, which explains why New Jersey is suffering from huge budget gaps and soaring property taxes, experts said. In 2005, there were almost 580,000 state and local-government jobs.

"It's probably the best indicator of why we have a property tax problem," said James Hughes, a Rutgers University dean who often writes about the regional economy. "It relates to the expenditure side of the equation."

The issue of taxation -- and voter anger -- will be center stage this week in Trenton, as lawmakers and Gov. Jon Corzine wrestle over the best way to balance the budget. It also will be the subject of a summer session targeting rising property taxes.
...
School districts statewide added 15,417 teachers, 860 administrators and 2,902 other certified personnel between 2000 and 2005. They also hired another 14,485 noncertified employees, a broad category that includes everything from custodians to teachers aides.

That means schools added 33,664 new jobs at a time when statewide enrollment grew by just 101,605 children -- one new employee for every three new students.