TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- Their faces may be veiled, but their contempt for budget cuts isn't.
About 200 people protested Tuesday at the Statehouse in what some called a funeral for the middle class.
State worker Maureen O'Rourke and three friends wore black veils and waved handkerchiefs as protesters opened caskets full of empty wallets.
O'Rourke says ``it's just too tough all around'' for residents to bear Gov. Jon S. Corzine's budget-cutting proposals.
Those include worker wage freezes and furloughs, scaling back property tax rebates, and restricting a property tax deduction.
Corzine defends his budget as ``beneficial to the middle class.''