Christie-palooza

[Ragnar]

Power Line - What price Christie? part 7

Wall Street Journal editorial page editor Paul Gigot took a timeout last week to check in with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie upon his victory in the legislative session that just concluded. The interview runs in the first 14 minutes of the video below.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuYl0vXbIwU]YouTube - The Journal Editorial Report 7/3[/ame]

Also see:

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis: Governor Christie: "Time to Hold Hands and Jump Off the Cliff" - Chris Christie For President?

In an amazingly candid appraisal of the sorry state of affairs in New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie laid it on the line in a speech to about 200 mayors at the New Jersey League of Municipalities.

What follows is a partial trascript via "Mish":

In the time we got here, of the approximately $29 billion budget there was only $14 billion left. Of the $14 billion, $8 billion could not be touched because of contracts with public worker unions, because of bond covenants, because of commitments we made accepting stimulus money. So we had to find a way to save $2.3 billion in a $6 billion pool of money.

When I went into the treasurer's off in the first two weeks of my term, there was no happy meetings. They presented me with 378 possible freezes and lapses to be able to balance the budget. I accepted 375 of them.

There is a great deal of discussion about me doing that by executive action. Every day that went by was a day where money was going out the door such that the $6 billion pool was getting less and less. So something needed to be done.

People did not send me here to talk, the people sent me here to do. So we took the executive action we did to stop the bleeding.

As we move forward, and we evaluate what we need to do three weeks from now in our fiscal year 2011 budget address, you all need to understand the context from which we operate.

Our citizens are already the most overtaxed in America. US mayors hear it all the time. You know that the public appetite for ever increasing taxes has reached an end.

So when we freeze $475 million in school aid, I am hearing the reverberations from school boards saying now you are just going to force us to raise taxes.

Well there is a 4% cap in place as you all know, yet school boards continue to give out raises which exceed that cap, just on salary. Not to mention the fact that most of them get no contribution towards the spiraling increase in health care benefits.

Now, we are going to reduce spending at the state level. And we are going to continue to reduce it because we have no choice but to do so. Our obligation to you is twofold. One, is to let you know that. So I'm' letting you know that.

Second to work with the legislature to give you the tools helping you to reduce spending at the municipal level. Now the pension and benefit reform package that was passed unanimously in the senate this week begins to give you some of those tools.

But it is only a beginning.

Do we need to change some of the rules of arbitration to level the playing field to allow municipalities and school boards to have a more level sense of collective bargaining?

I think the evidence of ever increasing raises being given to public sector workers as a result of the arbitration system tells us that we do. [Applause From Mayors]

But you have to stand up and give the support to the legislators in this building to get them to do that. I can guarantee you this, that more pension and benefit reforms which I will consider arbitration reform to be one of them, are things that when they come to my desk, they will be signed. [Applause From Mayors]

Because we can no longer continue on a path where we say we are going to reduce spending at the state level but we are not going to give you any tools to do that at the municipal level and the school board level.

By the same token I am tired of hearing school superintendents and school board members complain that there are no other options than raising property taxes. There are other options.

You know, Marlboro, after a two year negotiation, they give a five year contract giving 4.5% annual salary increases to the teachers, with no contribution, zero contribution to health care benefits.

But I am sure there are people in Marlboro who have lost their jobs, who have had their homes foreclosed on, and who cannot keep a roof over their family's head there is something wrong.

You know, at some point there has to be parity. There has to be parity between what is happening in the real world, and what is happening in the public sector world. The money does not grow on trees outside this building or outside your municipal building. It comes from the hard working people of our communities who are suffering and are hurting right now.

I heard someone in the legislature say two days ago that they wanted no fare hike in New Jersey Transit, no cuts in service, and no cuts in subsidy. And I was thinking to myself, man I should have made this guy treasurer. [Laughter] Because if you can pull that one off, you're obviously magic.

This is the type of awful political rhetoric that people sent me to this city to stop.

I would love to be able to do that, but I can't. I would love to tell you that municipal aid will stay level, but it's not. And it's not because we don't have the money. So you need to prepare. You need to prepare for what's coming down the line because we have no choice but to do these things.

And so we need to get honest with each other. In this instance, the political class,for which unfortunately all of us are a member of, the political class is lagging behind the public on this. The public is ready to hear that tough choices have to be made. They're not going to like it. Don't confuse the two. But they are ready to hear the truth.

In fact, they find it refreshing to hear the truth.

They are tired of hearing, don't worry I can spare you from the pain, because they have been hearing that for a decade, as we have borrowed and spent and taxed our way into oblivion.

We have done every quick fix in the book that you can do. And now we are left, literally holding the bag.

Leadership should be about making tough decisions. I'm not hear to tell you that anything you are going to have to do as mayors, council people will be easy. But I firmly believe after spending the last year traveling around the state of New Jersey, talking to regular citizens, that this is what they are expecting us to do.

They are also expecting us to ferret out waste and abuse. But they also know that old song that waste and abuse is going to balance the budget is an old and tired one, and it's not going to.

Now we are going to have a fight about COAH. And I have engaged in that fight and I have engaged in it directly. Not only will I be fighting COAH, I will be fighting the courts too. [Applause From Mayors]

That's OK.

We need to understand we are all in this together. And you know, all of you know in your heart, what I am saying is true. You all know that these raises that are being given to public employees of all stripes, we cannot afford. You all know the state cannot continue to spend money it does not have. And you all know that the appetite for tax increases among our constituents has come to an end.

And so the path to reform and success is clear. We know what it is. We just have to have the courage to go there. What we are doing is showing people that government can work again for them, not for us. Government has worked for the political class for much too long.

There's no time left. We have no room left to borrow. We have no room left to tax. So we merely have room left now, to do this. We are all reaching the edge of a cliff. And it reminds me a bit of that part of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid where the had a seminal decision to make. So what did they do? They held hands and they jumped off the cliff.

We have to hold hands at every level of government, state county, municipal, school board. We have to hold hands and jump off the cliff.

I firmly believe we will land and we will be fine. It does not mean it will not be a scary ride on the way down. And it does not mean there won't be moments of fear and moments of apprehension.

But for certain, the troops of the decades of overspending and overborrowing and overtaxing have gained on us. So the ruination of New Jersey's economy, and of the quality of life we want all our citizens to have, is certain if we do not take this course.

It's time for us to hold hands and jump off the cliff. It's time for us to do the difficult things that need to be done and to stop playing the petty politics of yesterday, of lying to the people telling them they do not have to pay for it because someone else will.

We are going to make the leap because that's what people elected me to do. We are going to make the leap because it is the responsible thing to do. We are going to make the leap and we are going to do it together because that is what leadership demands for us. That is what the responsibility of the offices we hold requires of us.

Forget about the next election. Forget about the next editorial in the newspaper, and forget about the next angry letter or phone call you are going to get from someone who wants something for nothing.

One thing is certain. The alternative will lead to certain defeat. And so it is time for us to show courage, and resolve. And we can do it because we are from New Jersey. And I have never, in all my travels around the country, met a group of tougher people than we all have the opportunity to lead.

Also note a second video, Chrstie's speech to the League of Municipalities on public television here:

NJN - New Jersey Public Television and Radio

For a bit of history on Christie's short time in office from a left wing viewpoint, see the final OP link below. In fact, I would recommend reading it before viewing the second video for a better understanding of the players in NJ political circles.

Tension between Gov. Christie, N.J. Dems marks path to budget passage, property tax deal | NJ.com

For the record, Christie is not without his critics from the right and NJ is a far left leaning State in which some future deals will have to be made that are sure to satisfy no one. However, I think it's a heck of a start for a growing right of center star. It will not all be pretty but if Chris Christie has anything to say about it NJ will, at the very least, be spared the dire fate of California and Illinois.

 

[rightwinger]

Video: Too long...didn't watch

Text: Too long didn't read

 

[Ragnar]

Video: Too long...didn't watch

Text: Too long didn't read

Cliffs Notes version for those left of center or likewise impaired...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1Jf89ULwV0]YouTube - Governor Christie: They Said It Couldn't Be Done[/ame]

- He froze aid to schools
- Challenged school boards.
- Wants to change arbitration rules for public workers
- Requests public-private salary and benefits parity
- Demands pension reform
- Property tax hikes not an option
- Wants to get rid of programs like COAH
- Is not thinking about the next election

It's been noted that, "This is what leadership looks like". Just call him Gov. Git-er-done.

 

[Rozman]

Video: Too long...didn't watch

Text: Too long didn't read

That's the way the left governs now....massively long bills, Health care,Cap and Tax.Bills rushed through with extra pages shoved in at 3 AM ex; Cap and Tax.When Republican Minority leader asked to have time to read the additional pages before the vote the LIBS tried to use a ruling to not allow that.They wanted a vote right there and then...

 

[kyzr]

Christie's approval ratings are amazing for a NJ governor. I hope Ahrnold is paying attention in Calyfornia....
NJ Gov Chris Christie approval rating rises to 51 percent | Washington Examiner

 

[rightwinger]

Christie's approval ratings are anazing for a NJ governor. I hope Ahrnold is paying attention in Calyfornia....
NJ Gov Chris Christie approval rating rises to 51 percent | Washington Examiner

Republicans Tom Kean and Christie Whitman had much higher ratings. Christie is struggling with the politics of New Jersey...just like Jon Corzine

The guy has a monster set of balls though and is willing to fight the tough fights. We will have to see if it lasts. He doesn't have the political backing to get things done without compromise and he is a "My way or the highway" leader

 

[kyzr]

Christie's approval ratings are anazing for a NJ governor. I hope Ahrnold is paying attention in Calyfornia....
NJ Gov Chris Christie approval rating rises to 51 percent | Washington Examiner

Republicans Tom Kean and Christie Whitman had much higher ratings. Christie is struggling with the politics of New Jersey...just like Jon Corzine

The guy has a monster set of balls though and is willing to fight the tough fights. We will have to see if it lasts. He doesn't have the political backing to get things done without compromise and he is a "My way or the highway" leader

IMHO the NJ Christie is working with is much more of a basket-case than Kean's or Whitman's. We need a president to do for the US exactly what Christie is doing in NJ. I saw the interview, and one of the most interesting factoids Christie mentioned was that $70b left NJ for neighboring states due to the tax structure/rates.

 

[Ragnar]

OP now comes with bold-y goodness for those caught like deer in headlights by multiple paragraphs.

 

[Mr. Shaman]

Video: Too long...didn't watch

Text: Too long didn't read

They're attempting to cannonize a WIMP?????!!

​

"We can go to war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and threaten to blow Iran off the face of the planet. We can conduct a nonstop campaign of drone and helicopter attacks in Pakistan and run a network of secret prisons around the world. We are the mightiest nation mankind has ever seen.

But we can’t seem to build a railroad tunnel to carry commuters between New Jersey and New York.

This is a railroad tunnel we’re talking about. We’re not trying to go to the Moon. This is not the Manhattan Project. It’s a railroad tunnel that’s needed to take people back and forth to work and to ease the pressure on the existing tunnel, a wilting two-track facility that’s about 100 years old. What is the matter with us?

The Chinese could build it. The Turks could build it. We can’t build it.

There have been many times when the U.S. has stunned the world with the breadth and greatness of its achievements — the Marshall Plan, the G.I. Bill, the world’s highest standard of living, the world’s finest higher education system, the space program, and on and on.

Somewhere, somehow, things went haywire. The nation that built the Erie Canal and Hoover Dam and the transcontinental railroad can’t even build a tunnel beneath the Hudson River from New Jersey to New York. "

 

[rightwinger]

Tough week for Christie....he is starting to show some warts.

Still taking flack for botching a federal grant because of his personal pissing contest with the teachers

Now he arbitrarilly cancels a critical tunnel to NY

 

[Revere]

Oh, are all Federal grants worth the strings attached?

Is cancelling a public works boondoggle you can't afford "arbitrary?"

 

[Mr. Shaman]

Tough week for Christie....he is starting to show some warts.

Still taking flack for botching a federal grant because of his personal pissing contest with the teachers

Now he arbitrarilly cancels a critical tunnel to NY

Chrisite hardly looks like someone familiar with the WORK, involved, in rebuilding infrastructure....and, quite-obviously doesn't have much a handle on the economic$ (of doing it, now), EITHER!!!!!

​

 

[Revere]

Was all that Porkulus money states and cities got to hire public employees worth it, only to have it run out and let them go?

 

[rightwinger]

Oh, are all Federal grants worth the strings attached?

Is cancelling a public works boondoggle you can't afford "arbitrary?"

New Jersey has been fighting for this Rail Tunnel for 15 years. It is far from a boondoggle. Anyone who has ever taken the trains into NY knows how badly an additional tunnel is needed. Rail projects in NJ are on hold because there is not enough access to NY.

Christie has a hard-on for the teachers. For him to let personal animosity get in the way of urgently needed federal funds is petty. What does he care? The additional reenue will have to be made up by the local taxpayers

 

[Revere]

Oh, are all Federal grants worth the strings attached?

Is cancelling a public works boondoggle you can't afford "arbitrary?"

New Jersey has been fighting for this Rail Tunnel for 15 years. It is far from a boondoggle. Anyone who has ever taken the trains into NY knows how badly an additional tunnel is needed. Rail projects in NJ are on hold because there is not enough access to NY.

Christie has a hard-on for the teachers. For him to let personal animosity get in the way of urgently needed federal funds is petty. What does he care? The additional reenue will have to be made up by the local taxpayers

Who cares how long they have been fighting for it? Is it going to be a rock around the necks of taxpayers?

Teachers unions, lile all public employees unions, are gaming the system. It's obvious to everyone.

 

[Ragnar]

U.S. transportation head convinces Gov. Christie to rethink killing Hudson River rail tunnel | NJ.com

Critics have maintained that Christie wanted to scrap the tunnel so he could put New Jersey’s more than $2 billion share for the project into the state’s nearly bankrupt Transportation Trust Fund, which pays for road and bridge repairs and transit services. Christie has vowed not to increase the gas tax to pay for the transportation fund.

Tunnel opponents maintain the project was rushed together so then-Gov. Jon Corzine could get a re-election campaign photo opportunity at a ceremonial groundbreaking in North Bergen in summer 2009. They also said the tunnel, which was to end at West 34th Street in Manhattan, lacked connectivity to Penn Station and Manhattan’s prosperous east side.

NJ Sierra Club director Jeff Tittel dubbed it the "tunnel to Macy’s basement."

New Jersey is broke. And not for nothing, so is the grant giving U. S. of A. (a small portion of said federal grant money is coming from the people of New Jersey to boot)

 

[Revere]

U.S. transportation head convinces Gov. Christie to rethink killing Hudson River rail tunnel | NJ.com

Critics have maintained that Christie wanted to scrap the tunnel so he could put New Jersey’s more than $2 billion share for the project into the state’s nearly bankrupt Transportation Trust Fund, which pays for road and bridge repairs and transit services. Christie has vowed not to increase the gas tax to pay for the transportation fund.

Tunnel opponents maintain the project was rushed together so then-Gov. Jon Corzine could get a re-election campaign photo opportunity at a ceremonial groundbreaking in North Bergen in summer 2009. They also said the tunnel, which was to end at West 34th Street in Manhattan, lacked connectivity to Penn Station and Manhattan’s prosperous east side.

NJ Sierra Club director Jeff Tittel dubbed it the "tunnel to Macy’s basement."

New Jersey is broke. And not for nothing, so is the grant giving U. S. of A. (a small portion of said federal grant money is coming from the people of New Jersey to boot)

Yeah, WTF is with these people. Why do they think they are entitled to other people's money no matter how broke people are?

 

[Ragnar]

Oh, are all Federal grants worth the strings attached?

Is cancelling a public works boondoggle you can't afford "arbitrary?"

New Jersey has been fighting for this Rail Tunnel for 15 years. It is far from a boondoggle. Anyone who has ever taken the trains into NY knows how badly an additional tunnel is needed. Rail projects in NJ are on hold because there is not enough access to NY.

Christie has a hard-on for the teachers. For him to let personal animosity get in the way of urgently needed federal funds is petty. What does he care? The additional reenue will have to be made up by the local taxpayers

Who cares how long they have been fighting for it? Is it going to be a rock around the necks of taxpayers?

Teachers unions, lile all public employees unions, are gaming the system. It's obvious to everyone.

Dollars to donuts the new jobs created by the tunnel when all is said and done are public employee union jobs. Thus another pinch from the taxpayers who make less and have fewer bennies. (I'm talking about the bulk of the jobs once the thing is built... in 2018! or whenever... more like 2022 at 3x the projected cost)

 

[Ragnar]

U.S. transportation head convinces Gov. Christie to rethink killing Hudson River rail tunnel | NJ.com

Critics have maintained that Christie wanted to scrap the tunnel so he could put New Jersey’s more than $2 billion share for the project into the state’s nearly bankrupt Transportation Trust Fund, which pays for road and bridge repairs and transit services. Christie has vowed not to increase the gas tax to pay for the transportation fund.

Tunnel opponents maintain the project was rushed together so then-Gov. Jon Corzine could get a re-election campaign photo opportunity at a ceremonial groundbreaking in North Bergen in summer 2009. They also said the tunnel, which was to end at West 34th Street in Manhattan, lacked connectivity to Penn Station and Manhattan’s prosperous east side.

NJ Sierra Club director Jeff Tittel dubbed it the "tunnel to Macy’s basement."

New Jersey is broke. And not for nothing, so is the grant giving U. S. of A. (a small portion of said federal grant money is coming from the people of New Jersey to boot)

Yeah, WTF is with these people. Why do they think they are entitled to other people's money no matter how broke people are?

Can't get blood from a stone.

 

[Revere]

New Jersey has been fighting for this Rail Tunnel for 15 years. It is far from a boondoggle. Anyone who has ever taken the trains into NY knows how badly an additional tunnel is needed. Rail projects in NJ are on hold because there is not enough access to NY.

Christie has a hard-on for the teachers. For him to let personal animosity get in the way of urgently needed federal funds is petty. What does he care? The additional reenue will have to be made up by the local taxpayers

Who cares how long they have been fighting for it? Is it going to be a rock around the necks of taxpayers?

Teachers unions, lile all public employees unions, are gaming the system. It's obvious to everyone.

Dollars to donuts the new jobs created by the tunnel when all is said and done are public employee union jobs. Thus another pinch from the taxpayers who make less and have fewer bennies. (I'm talking about the bulk of the jobs once the thing is built... in 2018! or whenever... more like 2022 at 3x the projected cost)

Christie is right to stop the juggernaut of more and more government workers on the backs of fewer and fewer private sector jobs.