Governor Chris Christie Answers the Critics

[native]

From the Wall Street Journal:

Governor Chris Christie answers his left wing and labor union critics with specific rebuttals, from his speeches and public appearances:

The children will be the ones to suffer from your education cuts. "The real question is, who's for the kids, and who's for their raises? This isn't about the kids. Let's dispense with that portion of the argument. Don't let them tell you that ever again while they are reaching into your pockets."

Your policies favor the rich. "We have the worst unemployment in the region and the highest taxes in America, and that's no coincidence."

Why not renew the 'millionaire's tax'? "The top 1% of taxpayers in New Jersey pay 40% of the income tax. In addition, we've got a situation where that tax applies to small businesses. I'm simply not going to put my foot on the back of the neck of small business while I want them to try to grow jobs by giving more revenue to New Jersey."

Budget cuts are unfair. "The special interests have already begun to scream their favorite word—which, coincidentally, is my 9-year-old son's favorite word when we are making him do something he knows is right but does not want to do—'unfair.' . . . One state retiree, 49 years old, paid, over the course of his entire career, a total of $124,000 towards his retirement pension and health benefits. What will we pay him? $3.3 million in pension payments over his life, and nearly $500,000 for health care benefits—a total of $3.8 million on a $120,000 investment. Is that fair?"

State budget cuts only shift the pain to our towns. "[L]et's remember this, in 2009 the private sector in New Jersey lost 121,000 jobs. In 2009, municipalities and school boards added 11,300 jobs. Now that's just outrageous. And they're going to have to start to lay some people off, not continue to hire at the pace they hired in 2009 in the middle of a recession."

Isn't your talk of 'stopping the tax madness' just another 'Read My Lips' promise? "[Mine is] much better than 'Read my lips.' I'm sorry, it's just much better. Much stronger. . . . It's gonna be how my governorship will rise or fall. I'm not signing a tax increase."

[danefan]

I agree with a lot of what Cristie is doing, but this will not stop the spending in NJ. Its just going to push the costs down to local towns and boroughs who will then push it on to us residents.

Which, BTW, is fine. I want the services my town provides me (garbage pickup twice a week, weekly street cleaning, parks, yard brush pickup once a week) and I'm willing to pay a little more in taxes to make sure they continue. I'm also happy to know that these services are attractive to homebuyers and that my property values will maintain because of that.

We're still going to be an inefficient state for one reason - we have too many towns and too much administrative overlap. But people like the idea of living in a small town where they know their local government. That's fine I guess, but its not financially efficient.

On the other hand, Cristie better get his stance on social issues moving to the left or he's never going to get reelected anyway.

[Ivytalk]

The teachers' unions are running TV ads against Christie. He must be doing something right!

[danefan]

The teachers' unions are running TV ads against Christie. He must be doing something right!

Oh he is for sure.

I had a really good convo with my brother this weekend (a NYS teacher who is a tenured member of a teacher's union). They are getting some heavy pressure about forgoing their contractual raises this year.

A lot of the younger teachers are willing to forgoe their raise because (1) its the right thing to do, and (2) its a lot of bargaining capital when its time to renegotiate their contract in a few years.

Unfortunately the older teachers who won't be around for the contract negotiations don't give a crap and aren't willing to support it. The older teachers also don't have to worry about getting laid off because the layoffs will occur based completely on seniority. So, in effect, the senior teachers are throwing the younger ones (who actually still want to teach kids) under the bus.

[bluehenbillk]

Gotta love Christie, he's had season tickets for Delaware on the West Side (the side with the infamous wall), for 20+ years.

[BDKJMU]

Here's one problem:

"....New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is trying to reduce state aid to local school districts. In the past decade, student enrollment in the Garden State has grown by 3%, while total school hiring is up 14%. Instead of addressing this reality, a local chapter of the New Jersey Education Association responded to Mr. Christie's proposals by circulating a memo joking that it wishes the Governor were dead. Mr. Christie must be doing something right...."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... oveLEFTTop" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

NJ has either the highest or amongst the highest paid teachers in the nation, and their per pupil spending is either the highest or amongst the highest.

Christie was on one of the Philly area radio shows a few weeks ago- Dom Giordano. Christie was pointing out that non union state employees in NJ hadn't had a pay raise in 5 yrs, but the teachers continued to get 4-5% pay raises every year, several times the rate of inflation, and pay nothing for their health care.

Yeah, I'd like to have a job with that deal and only be under contract for about 200 days a year, which is the equivalent to about 12 weeks off, including summers.

The teachers unions in NJ are going ape over even a one year freeze. They don't give a sh*t about educating the kids. They are nothing but pure greed.

[danefan]

Here's one problem:

"....New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is trying to reduce state aid to local school districts. In the past decade, student enrollment in the Garden State has grown by 3%, while total school hiring is up 14%. Instead of addressing this reality, a local chapter of the New Jersey Education Association responded to Mr. Christie's proposals by circulating a memo joking that it wishes the Governor were dead. Mr. Christie must be doing something right...."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... oveLEFTTop" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

NJ has either the highest or amongst the highest paid teachers in the nation, and their per pupil spending is either the highest or amongst the highest.

Christie was on one of the Philly area radio shows a few weeks ago- Dom Giordano. Christie was pointing out that non union state employees in NJ hadn't had a pay raise in 5 yrs, but the teachers continued to get 4-5% pay raises every year, several times the rate of inflation, and pay nothing for their health care.

Yeah, I'd like to have a job with that deal and only be under contract for about 200 days a year, which is the equivalent to about 12 weeks off, including summers.

The teachers unions in NJ are going ape over even a one year freeze. They don't give a sh*t about educating the kids. They are nothing but pure greed.

Like I said above - its not all teachers. Just, unfortunately, the powerful ones that run the Unions that have the control.

Additionally, a lot of these school districts need to take a real hard look at their administrative ranks. Many school districts are incredibly top heavy.

[BDKJMU]

Here's one problem:

"....New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is trying to reduce state aid to local school districts. In the past decade, student enrollment in the Garden State has grown by 3%, while total school hiring is up 14%. Instead of addressing this reality, a local chapter of the New Jersey Education Association responded to Mr. Christie's proposals by circulating a memo joking that it wishes the Governor were dead. Mr. Christie must be doing something right...."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... oveLEFTTop" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

NJ has either the highest or amongst the highest paid teachers in the nation, and their per pupil spending is either the highest or amongst the highest.

Christie was on one of the Philly area radio shows a few weeks ago- Dom Giordano. Christie was pointing out that non union state employees in NJ hadn't had a pay raise in 5 yrs, but the teachers continued to get 4-5% pay raises every year, several times the rate of inflation, and pay nothing for their health care.

Yeah, I'd like to have a job with that deal and only be under contract for about 200 days a year, which is the equivalent to about 12 weeks off, including summers.

The teachers unions in NJ are going ape over even a one year freeze. They don't give a sh*t about educating the kids. They are nothing but pure greed.

Like I said above - its not all teachers. Just, unfortunately, the powerful ones that run the Unions that have the control.

Additionally, a lot of these school districts need to take a real hard look at their administrative ranks. Many school districts are incredibly top heavy.

And thats a problem in your non right to work states. Either compulsory union membership or compulsory dues going to the greedy teacher's unions if you want to become a public school teacher in a non right to work state. And the unions maintain a stranglehold on the schools and taxpayers.