Do You Support Trenton's A.C. Takeover? 
BUDGET OPEN THREAD: Special Save Jersey Briefing with Jay Webber
| March 16, 2010 After over a decade of unhealthy governance in Trenton, New Jersey finally elected Doctor Chris Christie to put the Garden State back on the road to good financial health. Unfortunately, our post-Corzine treatments aren't always going to be easy or pleasant for the patients. Today's budget speech is a prime example.
Be sure to remind every budget cut critic you encounter in the coming days and weeks that Chris Christie didn't create this mess. The voters chose him to clean it up. We all need to stay informed to save our state. Earlier today I spoke with our good friend Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-Morris), Chairman of the New Jersey Republican Party, to get a better perspective on today's events and exactly what we can expect from the Governor's first budget address. Jay is an intimidatingly intelligent guy and I'm sure you'll find his input as enlightening as I did.
So take a few moments to listen below, Save Jerseyans, and then please feel free to comment on my discussion with Assemblyman Webber as well as Governor Christie's remarks as this historic day progresses. NOTE: Beginning at 1:00 pm, viewers can watch the Governor's address streaming live at his official website (click here).
PART I: What to Expect in Today's Budget Speech and Why Eliminating Rebates Will Help Property Taxpayers
PART II: Effect of Education Aid Cuts, the Need for Structural Reforms, and How the Christie Budget Benefits State Workers
A long time coming. God bless our governor for having courage.
Reply to this
Matt:
I could hear you fine, but at times it was difficult to hear Jay Webber.
Reply to this
Police & Fire pensions were doing great until the State of New Jersey started raiding them to fill short term budgets that should have been balanced by CUTTING SPENDING. DO NOT come back years later and DEMAND that we pay 1.5 (or more) in health care costs.
We did not cause this mess DO NOT THINK WE WILL ALLOW YOU to make us fix it!!!
Reply to this
Oh, okay. We should all go bankrupt to fulfill the lies Democrat politicians told you to buy your votes?
Eat shit! The taxpayers struck back, and Chris Christie is coming for your ass!
Reply to this
I'm a Republican, spent 19 years in the private sector and now a teacher. I think it's important to note that it wasn't always the Democrats who started this problem. Gov. Whitman raided the teachers' pension fund during her tenure.
Reply to this
You are right.. it was Donnie DiFrancisco who wanted to buy a governorship who caved in to union demands for 55 and out. He's as big a buffoon as McGreevey and Corzine.
Reply to this
Matt
I could hear you fine,but couldn't hear Jay Webber.
Reply to this
Reply to this
Jay Webber seems like a pulled together guy. When is he going statewide, Matt?
Reply to this
Why do people get so nasty on here. It isn't necessary. There is great truth to what Ed wrote. Those pensions were earning great $ by investing it properly. When Whitman decided to use the money from it to fund other things, that is when everything took a turn. Police and Fire pay a lot of money into their pensions and you are misinformed or naive to think they don't. Grow up and stop with the name calling. The state has not put it's share into the pension fund for many years now. The dems have been taking from peter to pay paul for years. Whitman, a republican started it though. There is not a problem with changing some things for police and fire but he is trying to make up too much money using them and education cuts.
How about laying off some of the dead weight with the state employees? For years people who were family or friends of past govs got cushy high paying jobs and are getting huge pensions. Get rid of the ones who are unnecessary and you will save a lot of money. There is so much double and triple depts. doing the same jobs, how about consolidating depts. Sure people will lose their jobs but teachers, cops, and firemen are now losing their jobs so let's keep going....get rid of the state employees who have been living off the fat of the land for so many years. Let's regionalize schools and have less admin. We can have bigger class sizes like it was 15-20 years ago. 25 kids is not a lot and you can hire an aide to help the teachers instead of having another teachers salary so there is only 15-18 kids in a class. Get rid of unfunded mandates the state has put on the towns, some of them are unnecessary and could go. Let's use more shared services. Regionalize police depts.
NONE os this will happen because the people of NJ can't handle change and want everything to stay the same but make taxes go down. CAN"T HAPPEN PEOPLE. Things need to change and people here are just going to have to live with it.
Reply to this
Polce and firefighters are a bunch of phonies... they are the laziest bunch of people on the planet -- but want us all to beleive in the myth that they "put their life on the line for us" so they deserve to be overpaid and have benefits for life... etc. GIve us all a break. The average suburban cop can spend his entire career riding around and visiting Dunkin Donuts and never draw his gun one. Why did't fat boy go after them.. the brothers in blue?They are as much of the problem as teachers. He's a fool and will cost Republicans elections in the fall. Did he think he got elected by Newark and Paterson?
Reply to this