Last week we reported to you about a Boston College study which showed that New Jersey had lost $70B in wealth over the past 4 years.

Today, Sen. Joe Kyrillos (R-13) issued the following statement on the report:

“This discussion is about one thing and one thing only – the critical need to create permanent, quality jobs for the middle class of New Jersey. It’s the entrepreneurs and small businesses owners that generate the stable, high-paying jobs we need to recruit and retain in New Jersey to build a new foundation for a strong economic recovery.

“Any economist – liberal or conservative – will tell you that New Jersey’s outrageous taxes on everyone have made our state increasingly unaffordable. It’s common sense that if these taxes continue to be the highest in the country, entrepreneurs will look to open businesses and create permanent jobs in other states.”

We agree with the senator. And that's why we'd like to see him improve on his C-minus voting record.

Here are just a few of the tax-hiking bills Sen. Kyrillos voted on during the last legislative session:

• S1702, which allows casino employees to unionize
• A3101, which creates a new entitlement program for the homeless
• S2577, which undermines the authority of local zoning boards, allowing builders to switch from adult/senior living to low income housing without the consent of the local board
• A2544, which provides for the funding of an aquarium in the Meadowlands Sports Complex

And just last week, Sen. Kyrillos was one of seven senators voting for a $350M bailout of the Morgan Stanley Revel Casino project in Atlantic City.

So, our message to Sen. Kyrillos is simple: if he is truly interested in stopping the hemorrhaging of wealth out of New Jersey, then all he needs to do is stop voting for bills like these that raise our taxes.

The only question now is, will he do so?