The Spectacle Blog
Cuttin’ Christie: Skeptic or Alarmist?
George Will has a great column today about how New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is making budget-cutting decisions that are drawing a lot of heat from government employee unions.
George Will has a great column today about how New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is making difficult budget-cutting decisions that are drawing a lot of heat from government employee unions:
He inherited a $2.2 billion deficit, and next year’s projected deficit of $10.7 billion is, relative to the state’s $29.3 billion budget, the nation’s worst. Democrats, with the verbal tic — “Tax the rich!” — that passes for progressive thinking, demanded that he reinstate the “millionaire’s tax,” which hit “millionaires” earning $400,000 until it expired Dec. 31. Instead, Christie noted that between 2004 and 2008 there was a net outflow of $70 billion in wealthas “the rich,” including small businesses, fled. And he said previous administrations had “raised taxes 115 times in the last eight years alone.”
So he closed the $2.2 billion gap by accepting 375 of 378 suggested spending freezes and cuts. In two weeks. By executive actions. In eight weeks he cut $13 billion — $232 million a day, $9 million an hour.
One of Christie’s actions was to take $65 million from the state’s global warming fund — its entire allocation — to balance the budget, which upset other special interests:
New Jersey Sierra Club Director Jeff Tittel said the DEP budget is designed to dismantle many key environmental programs and cost the state so-called green jobs….
RGGI, a compact with multiple states in the Northeast, was established to create programs that reduce the greenhouse gas footprint. Programs help pay for clean energy programs that reduce carbon and create jobs.
Tittel charged that by cutting the fund, the governor is hurting the environment and keeping green jobs out of the state.
“When it comes to clean energy and reducing greenhouse gases, this budget shows the governor is full of hot air,” Tittel said. “He keeps taking money away from green jobs and clean energy programs, undermining the environment and costing us jobs as well.”
While the global warming realists ought to be encouraged by Christie’s bold action, he still bears watching on the issue. This may be a matter of making some tough priority decisions rather than anti-alarmism. According to his campaign Web site, on energy and environment he commits to principles such as “global warming justice,” “saying no to coal,” and even more subsidizing of inefficient renewable energy projects, especially solar.
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victor| 4.23.10 @ 1:48AM
Jeff Tittel said. "He keeps taking money away from green jobs and clean energy programs, undermining the environment and costing us jobs as well."
Typical of the mindless democrat liberal opponents of Christie.
If you don't keep mindlessly and endlessly spending the public's money, people will lose their lives, their jobs and their houses.
If their were such a thing as a "green" job, private enterprise would be making money at it.
Instead you hire more public service employees, i.e. SEIU, to soak up as much of our money as possible.
There is now an organized campaign against Christie, such as the email sent out by the teacher's unions and organized seminar callers to talk radio. Last night on the McIntire program on WABC 770
http://www.wabcradio.com/showdj.asp?DJID=53816
a "caller" told the host that Christie doubled his office budget and was laying off teachers.
My wife called up and corrected the record by saying that Corzine was not married and so did not have a First Lady or her staff and that the office of Lieutenant Governor was created only last year because of Corzine's sexual escapades; telling his driver to do 90MPH while he was in the back seat with his girl friend. The subsequent crash landed Corzine in the hospital for months, hence the need for a second in command.
The bit about the teachers was blatantly distorted.
They are being asked to freeze their salaries for one year.
The union is telling their members that they should strike instead and therefore be laid off.
The unions are killing New Jersey by having lifetime pensions with limitless health benefits.
Much as the UAW has built in $2500 in each Gov't Motors vehicle.
Every day the government opens for business, they have to pay people that are not working their anymore.
The fact that the democrats are squealing so loudly, you have to know that he is doing the right things.
Next stop, The Parkway Tolls!
michael s.| 4.23.10 @ 9:39AM
I wouldn't be too concerned, the site could just be cover for the fact he gutted the entire global warming budget! Better he talks liberal and acts conservative on the issue than vice versa. Go Christie!
Oldefarte| 4.23.10 @ 1:45PM
Christie should put Al Gore and the rest of those ENVIRONMENTAL WACKOS on a SLOW BOAT TO CHINA!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sascha H. James | 4.23.10 @ 5:57PM
Lets Finish This
http://www.letsfinishthis.com/
Sandy| 4.24.10 @ 6:37AM
Maybe when Gov. Christie finishes cleaning up the cess pool that Corzine, and a list of Democrat NJ Governors left, we might want to consider a President Christie. He has shown great leadership abilities, and the willingness to stand up to those that have broken the budgets in so many states. I wonder if NJ has "rubber rooms" for their wayward teachers? It wouldn't be a bad idea to make the government pensioners, who sometimes retire at 50, perform some sort of "community service" to give back for the bleeding they are doing at the taxpayers expense.
Pingback| 4.24.10 @ 5:20PM
The St. Angilbert Press » Weekend Report: 24 April 2010 links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
dofus kamas | 4.28.10 @ 2:46AM
whether you know it ffxiv gil or not
pets | 4.30.10 @ 5:12AM
He did sit out one portion of contact drills.They’ll get more of the same heading into Cleveland http://www.petsworlds.com .