Do You Support Trenton's A.C. Takeover? 
Chris Christie is Winning the War (So Far)
| March 9, 2010 Let the NJEA loyalists and New Jersey Transit bureaucrats scream until they're hoarse, Save Jerseyans. I don't really care and Chris Christie's supporters shouldn't, either. They didn't vote for him in November 2009, and nothing he can say or do over the next four years can assuage their knee-jerk hostility to Republicans in the run up to November 2013.
As budget day looms, a noisy minority will raise their voices, concoct tall tales, and pit citizen against citizen, all in a vain attempt to block Chris Christie's reform-oriented budget cuts. Rest assured that their petulant whining will fall on deaf ears. A recent Fairleigh Dickinson poll revealed that an astonishingly high 78% of the public are in agreement with the Governor that state employees should contribute financially toward their own health care benefits (currently, public school teachers and other public employees contribute nothing towards their health coverage). Furthermore, 69% of the public backed capping payouts for unused vacation days and 77% agreed that capping public employee salaries at $200,000 is a grand idea.
Chris Christie has built a mandate and he's not afraid to use it!
The big man deserves all of the credit for using it correctly, Save Jerseyans. He's mustered a broad alliance behind his reform package virtually overnight by acting decisively -- and speaking articulately -- on the challenges facing our state.
Timing is everything, and Chris was extremely prudent to not wait to fight for dramatic changes in Trenton. The public appetite for limited government reforms is positively ravenous right now. Rather than try to pass his agenda through the Legislature in a piecemeal fashion, the Governor is front loading his initiatives in order to force the Democrat-dominated State House into action. Sure, some of the speed we're witnessing is budgetary necessity, but it would be a mistake to completely ignore the political calculations occurring behind the scenes. State Democrats can't possibly fight everything on the Governor's to-do list or risk appearing like overly-ideological obstructionists to angry voters; subsequently, the administration has successfully driven a wedge between the liberal Democrats who want to vocally resist the Governor's plans and the moderate Democrats who are arguing for compromise in the near term despite the temptation to strike back in a partisan fashion.
The Christie strategy also has the added benefit of getting unpleasant budget decisions out of the way early in the Governor's first term. By the time 2013 arrives, any fallout from the tough choices in 2010 will have signficantly dissipated. Did I mention that timing is everything?
So let this Governor's detractors do their worst, Save Jerseyans. It's backfiring big time. We're winning the war. Chris is holding his own and will stay on the offensive. Our job is to continuously help Governor Christie reeducate residents regarding the urgent need for a total restructuring of state government. Argue the pension facts (click here) confidently with the teacher in your family. Share the Governor's stoic words (click here) with a skeptical neighbor. Explain the connection between (click here) tax hikes and lost jobs to a coworker. Make every conversation an instructional opportunity! Your tax bill may rise or fall because of it!
I also want you to know that we're inching closer every day to truly Saving Jersey, folks. We've come much too far to engage this budget brawl with anything less than the full intensity, passion and dedication with which we fought to depose Jon Corzine last year. The 2009 Election was always only the first step in turning this state around. Step two begins Tuesday, March 16th. Let's win the war for our state's future together!
Got news for you Matty boy...our taxes are going BECAUSE of Christie. Our property taxes will skyrocket because of the cuts to schools and to municipalities. What you're doing is a smokescreen. Its not a baseless accusation, it will be a fact.
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The idea is for the municipalities to cut their spending as well. Towns should not be relying so heavily on state aid. The governor is setting a great example for local leaders to follow. The spending at both the state and municipal levels is unsustainable. Any municipality that raises taxes due to these cuts is simply irresponsible and should have to answer for it at the polls.
We are lucky to finally have someone standing up for the taxpayers of our state to work towards a future where our children aren't paying for our mistakes.
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In theory, I totally agree with you...but you know and I know that that's not how it works. Even when you shoot down the school budget via the vote, it still gets reinstated. My taxes in Colts Neck go up every year, even though we have no services other than police. No garbage pick up, no sewers, etc. In Colts Neck, the republicans have been in power for nearly 30 years and they have no fear of the ballot box, so my taxes WILL go up.
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There maybe problems with the state employees pension system BUT, it is not the employees fault.
Below is a link NJSPBA explaining why the state is in trouble with it's pension
http://www.njspba.com/Documents/PFRS%20Funding%20and%20Reform.pdf
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They voted for the union leaders who brokered these financially unsustainable deals, didn't they? So whose fault is it? Huh?
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Wrong, the union leaders did not broker these deals. The governor made these deals. The governor did this so towns would not raise property taxes.
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Hey guys I'm looking for some answers. I heard Chrisie is going to get rid of the property tax rebate. Also, KYW is reporting that he'll also be raising taxes on employers by 17%. Are these things true? He ran by saying that he would not raise taxes. Please, try to answer as a fellow conservative and not just as a GOP-apologist. Thanks in advance. I voted for Christie and support his spending-freeze but these things don't sound right to me.
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1) It's being reported that Christie may cut the rebates. None of these reports cite specific administration sources. Could be a trial balloon. Could also be complete bullshit.
2) The Democrats pegged an automatic business tax increase to fund the unemployment benefits fund. Chris can't remove it without legislative approval. He's in the process of trying to negotiate it down.
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Thanks for the info. I appreciate it.
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