For decades, politicians have promised to solve the problem, and this year is no different. Republican Assembly candidates Marc Fleischner and JoAnn Gurenlian say voters have a chance to send a message to Trenton by ousting Assembly Budget Committee Chairman Louis D. Greenwald in the Nov. 8 election. Greenwald, D-Voorhees, has been in power for 10 years, plenty of time, Fleischner says, to take action.

The Republicans promise to slash property taxes by 30 percent. But you'll have to read the fine print to find out how they would pay for their tax cut. They don't mention until the 42nd paragraph of the plan posted online Friday that they would eliminate the popular rebate checks.

Greenwald and his running mate, Pamela Rosen Lampitt, vow to keep the rebates coming. They say the state should increase them by 40 percent over the next four years. But while the rebate checks give some money back to people, they would not stop property taxes -- already the highest in the nation -- from continuing to steadily increase.

There's a consequence to allowing this problem to fester for so long, according to hundreds of 6th District residents who responded to a Courier-Post survey over the summer.

Many say their taxes are now so high that they are seeing an erosion in their basic quality of life.

"The last time I went out for dinner? Wow. It was me and my husband, maybe three months ago," says Cynthia Marquez, 33, of Pine Hill. Together she and her husband earn about $62,000 per year. They thought that was a decent salary. They live with two children in a modest home. But in Pine Hill, property taxes have shot up an average of $1,088, or 36 percent, in the last five years.

Here's what that means:

"The television cable had to go. So did the home phone. We just have a cell phone now," says Marquez.

Another Pine Hill resident, Beatrice Dougherty, 82, is so strapped for cash she is afraid she'll lose the home where she's lived for 48 years.

When she and her husband built their home in 1957, they never dreamed taxes would be so high, Dougherty says.

"I get $998 a month. Almost half the money goes for taxes," she says. Her husband died 10 years ago after a long illness. Instead of enjoying her golden years, Dougherty says her options are bitter.

Should she sell her home?

"It would be extremely hard," she says. "My husband and I worked so hard to get this home. We put our life into this. I have all my friends here."

Should she move?

"It would be impossible to move," she says. "The houses are so expensive now."

She'd like to call her daughters in Cape May, but she can't.

To save money, she discontinued her long distance phone service.

Dougherty is trying to hold onto her car, a 1990 Mercury Topaz.

"It's pretty hard not to have a car," she says.

Over the past five years, the biggest average property tax increase -- $2,498 -- has been in Haddonfield. One of the biggest percentage increases -- 41 percent -- has been in Cherry Hill.

To live in her Cherry Hill home -- "Three bedrooms, no basement!" -- Jennifer Neeman, 56, works three jobs. She's a teacher, a tutor and a Realtor.

She also sells Avon products on the side. But no matter how many hours she works, she has trouble getting ahead.

"I leave the house every morning at 6:30 and come home at 10 o'clock at night," says Neeman. "The property taxes are just out of control here."

In interviews, Marquez, Dougherty, Neeman and others said their taxes are too high. But they don't know who's at fault.

To generate more debate and interest in the issues, the state is testing the "clean election" concept in the 6th District. If both sides qualify for public funds, Republicans and Democrats would have the same amount of money to spend and would not be allowed to accept any other donations.

Ideally, both sides would have the same chance to explain themselves to voters.

But in dozens of interviews, people seemed more confused than informed.

They had no idea where the candidates stand on the issues and did not know who represents them in the Assembly.

"I don't know what the answer is," says Neeman. "I don't have all the facts and figures. I just know it's hurting people like me."

Dot Mazzone, 55, has worked for ShopRite for 35 years.

"The taxes keep going up," she says. "The wages aren't."

Taxes in her town, Berlin Township, have gone up an average of 34 percent, or $1,072, in the last five years. To pay the burden imposed by government, she's taken money from other areas of the economy.

"I used to eat out a lot, but I don't do that much anymore," she says. "I sit home a lot and watch TV. . . . I try to cut down on my air conditioning."

But who's to blame? Who has the right ideas?

"To be perfectly honest with you, I really don't know," Neeman says. "I try not to get involved in politics." Reach Alan Guenther at (856) 317-7871 or aguenther@courierpostonline.com

Comment: YOU have been informed through various sources the government is too deeply in debt to ever be able to get out. Collapse is inevitable, and you have only two choices. Let yourself get dragged down to ruin with them, or quit pouring good money after bad and let the US Government go the way of the USSR, taking its bad debts with them. Those are the ONLY two choices you have. Decide.

As Katrina has proven, you are not getting what you were told you were getting for your taxes. You are not getting better schools, better roads, or emergency preparations for your taxes. Your taxes are being spent on wars, gifts to cronies, and support for Israel. Israel got YOUR tax money to build a wall. New Orleans did not. Think about that.