New Jersey Governor Chris Christie freezes spending in New Jersey and you’d think the world had ended. Democrats in the New Jersey Assembly criticized Governor Christie for taking such hard stance. However New Jersey is facing a $2.2 billion dollar budget shortfall and tough stances are needed. Perhaps other states or heaven forbid the federal government would follow Chris Christie’s lead.
Within the New Jersey spending freeze, Christie even had the audacity to cut money to school districts which enjoy surpluses. One whiney democrat said that the districts would be forced to raise property taxes to make up for the shortfall in state aid. I suppose the terms “budget crisis” and “financial emergency” don’t resonate if you have a D beside your name, no matter where you’re from.
Another cut came at the expense of New Jersey transit; Governor Christie cut subsidies saying that the system needs to be fiscally efficient. Democrats played the environment card on that one saying that Christie’s decision would hurt the environment and the economy because people needed the transit system to get to work.
Anybody else see a pattern here? The Democrats complete argument is that every system, whether it be public transit, schools, or healthcare is completely dependent on government to operate. Governor Christie is living up to a campaign promise to fix New Jersey’s budget problem. Most with common sense would agree, the first step in fixing a budget shortfall is to stop spending. No matter what the argument against doing so is.
Christie said that he doesn’t think schools will cut jobs or programs right now, but he also promised that the spending cuts would likely continue in next year’s budget. One thing that really rubbed the democrats the wrong way was the way in which Chris Christie initiated the spending freeze in New Jersey. He did it by executive order; not wasting time with a bunch of democrats who wouldn’t have went along with a spending freeze regardless.
When Chris Christie beat Jon Corzine in January’s election, he ran on a platform promising “fiscal reform.” I’d say that a complete and total spending freeze New Jersey style is the first step in the right direction to accomplish just that. If only other conservative Governor’s and lawmakers would take such measures. When will the Democratic Party understand that spending money isn’t the answer to every problem and more often than not causes more?
February 12th, 2010 at 3:07 am
See what can be done when you’re not beholden to the unions.
February 12th, 2010 at 4:40 am
yeah, it’s not like we really need well funded schools or hospitals anyway. what do teachers and doctors really contribute to society anyway?
correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t it a spending freeze that made the great depression great?
February 12th, 2010 at 5:13 am
Christopher, please read a book. A spending freeze would have saved us from the great depression. It was massive government spending that prolonged the great depression for 20 years.
When we have a recession, people quit spending. This lowers demand and lowers prices. When they get low enough, people spend again and the recession ends.
Government overspending during these times keeps prices high for too long.
This is an oversimplification but it is accurate.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:41 am
Good for Gov. Christie – I voted for him, but still was impressed at how tough he has come out. All I can say is – you go, Gov! We have one of the highest tax burdens in the nation – and highest levels of government corruption, too. (think there is a link there?). There is no reason we can’t maintain reasonable levels of service without ridiculous levels of spending by not just laying people off, but cutting down gold-plated benefits and pensions, allowing people to volunteer without the unions insisting on trying to unionize even volunteer positions. The only growth in jobs has been in government jobs for the past 10 years in NJ. That is not only unsustainable, it is insanity. Let’s here it for Gov. Christie for trying to stop the insanity.
Let the whiners start whining – at least we’ll know where our enemies lie in this process of regaining our state.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:46 am
Spending cuts or tax increases are the only way to close budget deficits. No matter how politically distasteful they may be, it always comes down to revenue versus expenses. Personally I think widespread spending cuts are the obvious option, but I respect people willing to pick one or the other much more than I respect people who waffle on the fence for political reasons.
Hopefully other Republicans will follow in Corzine’s lead instead of maintaining the ridiculous fiscal irresponsibility that dominated the Bush years. You can’t keep cutting taxes and spending your a*s off at the same time just because people don’t want to hear about medicare cuts or defense cuts or spending freezes or whatever.
February 12th, 2010 at 9:00 am
Sorry Chris, but you’re wrong. The spending spree by FDR and the overwhelmingly Democrat congress in the early and mid 30s actually prolonged the depression well beyond when it should have corrected itself. If it wasn’t for a large Republican resurgance in the ‘38 election and WWII, we’d have been sunk for decades.
February 12th, 2010 at 9:24 am
I hope this is just the start of a massive overhaul of waste, unjust favoritism, and corruption in the Garden State.
Democratic excess has crippled this state for decades, but the GOP has had its failures as well. Bloated Unions, pork projects, social programs, corporate welfare, and lax immigration enforcement – among other issues – have created this toxic cocktail and we need to get sober…quick.
This is a good start, and I hope Christie keeps the ball rolling.
BTW: Enough of the “Bush did it, Bush did it” from some of you. Its overkill already. Ignorant, inaccurate, and tired drone-speak is not needed.
February 12th, 2010 at 9:45 am
They should bring in “consultants” as in Office Space- make government employees justify their jobs and cut inefficiency. That would be a good start.
February 12th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
I applaud Governor Christie’s cuts and am taking names of those who complain so I know who brought this State down in the first place. You should be ashamed of yourselves. There’s a nice place in Hell for the bankruptcy you’ve caused while living like fat, lazy pigs!
February 12th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
Get rid of tenure. Some of these teachers are the scum of the earth in NJ and they teach our kids to be just like them. Get it straight NEA, YOU are not my kid’s mother and we’re coming for you next. BACK OFF or else! Us moms have HAD it with YOU!
February 12th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
most teachers i know are fine people stuck in a very difficult job.
the curriculum we teach is specified by the state and local school board, not by us.
if you have a particular problem with a particular teacher pull your child out of his/her class
February 12th, 2010 at 3:04 pm
Good luck to you New Jersey. People think there are no consequenses to Dictator Christie actions. Oh you’ll save money alright, but…watch were the money goes…right to his buddies who will THANK YOU for his patronage. You remember the people who helped him into office, who he owes. New Jersey people appear to live up to the name of Da. Good luck to you all, because you’ll need it!
February 13th, 2010 at 2:58 pm
[...] Governor Christie, who said No More. And he isn’t wasting any time arguing with ideologues who will not listen. He did it by [...]
February 13th, 2010 at 3:41 pm
[...] which is a direct result of rampant and grossly irresponsible Democrat policy and spending.Enter Governor Christie, who said No More. And he isn’t wasting any time arguing with ideologues who will not listen. He did it by [...]
February 14th, 2010 at 6:59 pm
He also said NJ Transit will have to “revisit its rich union contracts rich union contracts hog wash we have taken many zero’s in our contract, including one this past janruary. A new union worker gets zero sick days, yes i said zero, but appointed james weinstein new excecutive director gets 25 sick days, yes 25 sick days, 25 vacation days, over a quarter of a million dollars a year pay, and a car. This is so contradictive, christie is reacting and not using reason. What about the states lottery, who audits it, who controlls it, nobody, it is time the state gaveback to the state. don’t cha think? how many times you pass up the lottery billboard posting millions and millions of dolllars in the pot. just a few weeks giving back lottery profit can cure any budjet.
February 14th, 2010 at 7:49 pm
“correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t it a spending freeze that made the great depression great?”
Okay. You’re wrong.
The way this administration is acting upon the education system via the economy in about 15 years were gonna have so many uneducated idiots at the polls it’ll be like 2010 all over again.
Which by the way is the closest thiscountry has ever come to the great depression.
They’re doing the same thing here in Hawaii, furlough Fridays, parents have to stay home and miss a days pay or subsidize a day care institute.
Meanwhile, my kids grades have dropped since all this crap started because they’ve crammed 5 days curriculum into 4 which means he brings the work home with him and I have to play teacher.
Soooo… yeah, you’re corrected and you’re wrong.
February 15th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
Predatory Lending is a major contributor to the economic turmoil we are currently experiencing.
Here is an example of what I am talking about:
Scott Veerkamp / Predatory Lending (Franklin Township School Board Member.)
Please review this information from U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley regarding deceptive lending practices:
“Steering payments were made to brokers who enticed unsuspecting homeowners into deceptive and expensive mortgages. These secret bonus payments, often called Yield Spread Premiums, turned home mortgages into a SCAM.”
The Center for Responsible Lending says YSP “steals equity from struggling families.”
1. Scott collected nearly $10,000 on two separate mortgages using YSP and junk fees. 2. This is an average of $5,000 per loan. 3. The median value of the properties was $135,000. 4. Clearly, this type of lending represents a major ripoff for consumers.
http://merkley.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/?id=A09C6A80-537A-4EB1-83C5-31925F046B6F
February 15th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
Remember that “predatory lending” only makes sense from the lender’s perspective if the money is guaranteed by some sort of government program. What good is giving out a bad loan if you’ll never get the money back?
As always, these “predatory” businesses are simply reacting to the false incentives superimposed on the market by government subsidy and regulation. Take out the government guarantee that lenders will re-coup bad loans, and we’ll see a huge decline in those bad loans.
A lending company has no power to coerce its customers. Only the government is granted the power of coercion, and the government is the first place to look when we see perverse business activity. Five will get you ten that the business in question is responding to an improper market incentive established by regulatory frameworks.
February 17th, 2010 at 8:52 am
Way to go, Governor! I agree that there should be a spending freeze. The local governments should also follow suit. Fiscal responsibility is everybody’s responsibility. We are not only going from pay check to pay check; we have been spending next months’ pay checks! It takes courage to stand up against the unions and status quo. But somebody has to do the right thing.
February 18th, 2010 at 5:27 am
[...] Shannon Bell, RightPundits.com, ”Governor Christie is living up to a campaign promise to fix New J… [...]