Text of Gov. Chris Christie budget speech to Legislature

NJ.Com ^ | 03/16/2010 | Star Legder Continuous News Desk

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

Mr. President, Madame Speaker, members of the Senate and Assembly.

I am required by statute to report to you today on my plan for the state’s budget for fiscal year 2011.

I am required by our state’s constitution to submit a plan in which revenues and expenditures are in balance.

And I am required by the duty I have to the people of this state -- and by the moral obligation we all have to the generations who will follow us -- to take bold action now to reverse the direction we have taken for many years.

This is my first full budget to be presented to this legislature. And, to be frank, it represents a completely new course: • A new course that will stop our fiscal hemorrhaging; • A new course that will fulfill our joint responsibility to leave this state better than we found it; and • A new course that will make possible a brighter future of growth and opportunity.

My friends, this new course is long overdue.

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

Great Speech, really long read though....REALLY STICKS IT TO THE UNIONS, ESPECIALLY TEACHERS' UNION.

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

NJ PING!!

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

PING!!

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

From the Speech:"We have one of the highest top marginal income tax rates; the second highest sales tax rate; the sixth highest corporate tax rate; and the highest property taxes in the nation.

Add it all up, and the sad fact is that we are number one – with more state and local taxes taken as a percentage of income than any other state in America.

That is one distinction I am prepared to give up."

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

Taking on teachers' union..."And I am also proposing legislation to finally give school districts the power they have repeatedly asked for in collective bargaining and in setting employee benefits so that they can lower the costs of their budget without affecting learning in the classroom.

Now, let’s speak candidly about the costs of our public school system. I am a product of New Jersey’s public schools and proud of it. I honor the service of good, conscientious teachers who care deeply about training the leaders of tomorrow for our state.

The leaders of the union who represent these teachers, however, have used their political muscle to set up two classes of citizens in New Jersey: those who enjoy rich public benefits and those who pay for them. That has created a system that cannot be sustained – a system fueled by mandatory dues of more than $700 a year taken out of every one of the nearly 200,000 teachers’ paychecks.

Political muscle fueled by intimidation tactics, political bullying and smears of public officials who dare to disagree. This conduct has set up an unfair system. Is it fair to have any public employees getting 4-5% salary increases every year, even when inflation is zero %, paid for by citizens struggling to survive? It is fair to have New Jersey taxpayers foot the bill for 100% of the health insurance costs of teachers and their families from the day they are hired until the day they die? Is it fair that teachers have a better, richer health plan than even state workers and pay absolutely nothing for it?

I believe rank and file teachers know this is not fair and that we can no longer afford to burden our taxpayers with these costs and runaway taxes. The union bosses will tell you, as they always have each time their empire is threatened, that they are protecting our children. This tired song has grown old and inaccurate. Is the way our children learn affected by whether the union gets free family health insurance for life for its members? Does a child learn more if the union gets 5% taxpayer funded raises every year for its members? This is nonsensical and self-serving – and we all know it.

Just how arrogant has the union gotten? By refusing to accept merit pay and use it to reward their best members, the union may have cost New Jersey $400 million in race to the top school aid from Washington. They did this in a year when they complain about budget cuts; in a year when we could truly use the money. Ask yourself, just who is putting their personal interests ahead of our children’s?

My proposal is simple: school district employees should pay for a reasonable portion of their health care costs, just like every other New Jerseyan. If we do not end this dual system, state and local government will have to raise taxes endlessly to pay for it. Teachers are not the problem, they get it. Trenton special interests are the problem and we must stand up to them.

With respect to municipal aid, I am recommending a reduction in various forms of municipal aid of $445 million, but it has been designed to minimize the effect on any one municipality. I am also ordering the department of community affairs to implement a new, disciplined, and significantly reduced program for the past recipients of special municipal aid and extraordinary aid."

[kittykat77]

Any word on implementing the Diaster Control Act to cull the herd of state employees? ‘Cause that’s gonna be fun to watch....

[Parley Baer]

Governor Christie is leading the way on how a governor should govern. Arnold should take note. Arnold had a chance but became a big time RINO and sold out the Conservatives.

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

"$2.9 billion of the budget gap was closed by reforming programs to make them better and more efficient than ever before.

Every single department of state government will be reduced:
Agriculture, down 24%;
Banking, down 12%;
Children and families, down 4%;
Community affairs, down 35%;
Corrections, down 7%;
Environmental protection, down 2%;
Education, down 8%;
Health and senior services, down 6%;
Human services, down 4%;
Labor, down 6%;
Law and public safety, down 7%;
Military affairs, down 2%;

The public advocate, down 25%.

State, transportation and treasury, down 11, 3, and 39%, respectively.

Every department of state government has been asked to tighten its belt. And we will demand local governments do the same. We cannot and should not make state government shrink only to let local government expand.

$3 billion in savings results from recognizing that our pension system must be reformed before we can or should fund a broken, out of control system. The pension system has been so generous that it has created a flood of liabilities. From 2002 to 2008, pension payments to retirees grew 56%, triple the inflation rate. Our benefits are too rich, most public employees contribute too little, and the taxpayers have had enough -- enough of out of control pensions to public sector unions while they are losing their own jobs, enough of losing their homes, and then being told by the union bosses that they must pick up the tab for rich pensions at the same time.

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

PING

[LizardQueen]

Wow. A politician who is actually a leader. This stuff is what I want to hear from EVERY elected official in the country.

I give Christie a standing ovation for this.

LQ

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

It was a long read, but I really think he is trying to fix all the waste and overspending that the Dem's have been doing for years.

The unions are really going to have a fit. I pray for the the Governor, and hope he has the resolve to bust the union grip on our tax $$$$$.

[freekitty]

What an improvement. A politician that actually cares about his country.

[paulcissa]

I admit, I didn't know a whole lot about Christie when he came up against Corzine, but there was no way I was gonna vote Corzine.

So far, I like what I see - a refreshing change after years of money-sucking democrats. I just hope he can get it done.

[fightinJAG]

I read every word of this excellent, plain-spoken, substantive speech. Well done, Governor Christie!

Now. I wish many more governors would pick up on these exact themes and ACTIONS and take action, pronto.

I’d especially like to see such boldness out of the new governor of Virginia.

[fightinJAG]

Amen.

[pandoraou812]

Ping

[JerseyHighlander]

There are 2,112 line items in New Jersey’s budget and we have reviewed every one of them. For some we recommend a cut. For some, we ask that they stay intact. For still others, we propose reform. And for those that are not essential, we recommend elimination. Due to the elimination of those unnecessary programs, there will be as many as 1,300 layoffs, beginning January 1, 2011.

That's not good. He needs to get above 4000 layoffs in January just to tread water for this fiscal year.

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

He is trying to start somewhere.

Trying to fix what the democrats have done year after year cannot be fixed so quickly.

After the first purge, I'll bet he finds more places to cut and they will go too.

[Whitebread]

I loved his line: "If you tax them, they will leave"

Christie is a Jersey tough guy, and his no apology to anyone tone was so right. He laid it out plain and simple and I don't believe he will waffle.

[novemberslady]

Bkmk & Bttt