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Guest
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 Posted: Thu, Dec 30 2010, 7:51 pm EST Post subject: Re: NJ Republican governor Christie slammed for Disney vacation during snow stor |
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Name one actual example of real, meaningful policy Christie has crafted, negotiated and overcome obstacles to make happen? |
Arbitration reform. |
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Goofy
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| Posted: Thu, Dec 30 2010, 8:05 pm EST Post subject: Re: NJ Republican governor Christie slammed for Disney vacation during snow stor |
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Some of you either believe in magic, or you are just plain goofy. Corzine used federal money, false projections, tax and toll increases to "balance" the budget. And he skipped the pension payment, too.
Christie managed to "balance" the budget by cutting spending and skipping the pension payment.
And here's a newsflash, the impending doom of the pension plan is the "big stick" in the negotiations. The fear of a pension system collapse is driving unions to the bargaining table. Why would you expect Christie, or anyone else seriously negotiating with the unions, to be anxious to give up their leverage?
It seems like you expect the governor to magically erase years of bad decisions without any cooperation from the party controlling the Assembly, the Senate and the Court. Maybe you are the one spending too much time in Disney? |
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Guest
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| Posted: Thu, Dec 30 2010, 9:14 pm EST Post subject: Re: NJ Republican governor Christie slammed for Disney vacation during snow stor |
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| Goofy wrote: | Some of you either believe in magic, or you are just plain goofy. Corzine used federal money, false projections, tax and toll increases to "balance" the budget. And he skipped the pension payment, too.
Christie managed to "balance" the budget by cutting spending and skipping the pension payment.
And here's a newsflash, the impending doom of the pension plan is the "big stick" in the negotiations. The fear of a pension system collapse is driving unions to the bargaining table. Why would you expect Christie, or anyone else seriously negotiating with the unions, to be anxious to give up their leverage?
It seems like you expect the governor to magically erase years of bad decisions without any cooperation from the party controlling the Assembly, the Senate and the Court. Maybe you are the one spending too much time in Disney? |
You are confused. You think if we are unimpressed with Christie we must be Corzine supporters. Nope Corzine caved to his own party on his first budget and never recovered.
You are missing the big picture. Let's do a thought experiment. We fire all state workers. We are still underwater because of a 56 billion dollar obligation. He has done nothing about this. He has presented no plan and done nothing to prepare the state. Why? Because in order to fix this he will have to lay off a lot of state workers, cut most services, raise taxes, and sell off most of the state assets.
If he does that he will save the state. Unfortunately, if he does that he will be unelectable for national office. That is why we have heard nothing.
Incidently, it was the national office idea that fatally flawed Corzine. If you recall his initial budget actually came close to balancing the budget. Then he went into a room with Shirley Turner, who apparently explained to him to get democratic party support for national office he would have to save union jobs and raise taxes and that is what he did.
Don't delude yourself that the pension deficit is a good thing because it gives Christie leverage. It is strangling the state. This is analogous to what took General Motors down. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Fri, Dec 31 2010, 2:14 pm EST Post subject: Re: NJ Republican governor Christie slammed for Disney vacation during snow stor |
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IMO it is delusional to think any politician will take the actions you have prescribed for "saving" the state. My point was, is, and will continue to be that your expectations are unrealistic.
No one is going to "save" New Jersey. The only question is how hard are we going to hit the iceberg and how many of us will make it to the lifeboats. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Fri, Dec 31 2010, 2:45 pm EST Post subject: Re: NJ Republican governor Christie slammed for Disney vacation during snow stor |
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| Guest wrote: | IMO it is delusional to think any politician will take the actions you have prescribed for "saving" the state. My point was, is, and will continue to be that your expectations are unrealistic.
No one is going to "save" New Jersey. The only question is how hard are we going to hit the iceberg and how many of us will make it to the lifeboats. |
What is unrealistic? That a politician will do it, probably. But answer this. What else can be done. I think the prescription is pretty accurate in what has to be done. If you are saying no politician has the political guts to do it, I agree. That was the point of my post.
We have now had governors of both parties stand at the precipice and look over the edge. I think anyone who honestly looks at the state of New Jersey's finances will come to my conclusion. Balance the budget. Allow no one new in the pension system. Sell off assets to pay down pension obligations.
Are you disagreeing with my prescription? |
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Guest
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| Posted: Fri, Dec 31 2010, 3:00 pm EST Post subject: Re: NJ Republican governor Christie slammed for Disney vacation during snow stor |
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| I agree that your prescription is logical but not practical and I think you are missing that the Governor does not have dictatorial powers. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Fri, Dec 31 2010, 3:22 pm EST Post subject: Re: NJ Republican governor Christie slammed for Disney vacation during snow stor |
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I am glad we agree on the prescription. I am not assuming he has dictatorial powers. To start the process someone, and that someone should be the governor, needs to publicly state the extent of the problem. Then outline a plan, that I think will have to look suspiciously like the prescription outlined here, to move the public and the legislature toward this solution.
Obviously, if Christie hasn't done it after one year he is not going to do it.
I think where we really disagree is on the extent of the problem. Though I don't blame this on Christie in the past year the pension obligations have increased from 44 to 56 billion. That is about a 25% a year rate. That is officially a runaway rate. Whether you like it or not at that rate in three years this state will be bankrupt and my prescription will implement itself.
My biggest complaint is that Christie seems to pretend this is not happening. He gets in a giant fight with the NJEA, which whether he is right or wrong does nothing to address the bigger problem.
I think he should have addressed the big problem and then gotten into a fight with the NJEA. What he has done is gotten the entire state involved with a rather stupid debate over the NJEA, to the point where any criticism of the governor gets a response that you must be a teacher. We have to focus on the problem and we are not. |
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