Posted on 09/17/2010 3:05:44 AM PDT by Scanian
Chris Christie gets it -- and he didn't need the Tea Party to inspire him.
Christie has been shaking up New Jersey since Day One, and now he's done it again -- proposing an unprecedented tightening of pension and health-care benefits for public employees, in order to shore up a system that's teetering at the edge of bankruptcy.
He wants to raise the normal retirement age for teachers and most state and municipal workers to 65, requiring 30 years service for early retirement instead of 25. Police would have to work 30 years for full retirement, but could retire early with reduced benefits.
He also wants public employees to:
* Contribute 8.5 percent of their salaries toward their pensions.
* Start paying 30 percent of the cost of their health premiums.
* Accept the rollback of a 9 percent raise in pension benefits granted in 2001 -- an increase he admits was put into place by Republicans, who "shouldn't have done it in the first place."
Naturally, this has the public-sector unions -- and their Democratic legislative allies -- screaming bloody murder.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Hey, he’s not running for election right now, and he seems to be doing a damn good job for the most part.
If he gets behind O’Donnell and supports, I’ll forgive his earlier support of Castle. That’s the way it should be.
When he’s up for reelection you can support someone you like better. Right now, let’s not pee all over the few hardnoses who are making Conservative progress, albeit not in every way we might like.
Or his STRONG pro gun control stance.....
Christie is a RINO....always has been a RINO.
NJ finances are so bad that I don't care if he tilts to the left on some issues to broaden his appeal. I hope he says nothing about Christine O'Donnell. She'll do just fine with other high profile supporters. I can't wait to see her campaigning with Sarah Palin
I'm saying let Chrsitie do what he knows best--- Which is to heap ridicule on greedy public sector workers and to extract many pounds of flesh from them to balance the budget and lower taxes. His only job is to straighten out NJ on the financial level. His efforts on this have gone national. They are well known and are inspiring other governors
It keeps her visible and nationally popular for a 2012 campaign.
The fact is: there is no constitutional way to keep those mutts from doing what they want to do. They are using our own constitution against us.
The only politician who can do anything about it is Cyrus Vance, the Manhattan DA, by finding criminal charges to block their development permits. No one else can do much of anything.
It looks to me like Christie can either choose to fight the existing civil unions law - which is unrepealable with the Democrat majority in the assembly - or he can do what he can actually accomplish: get rid of thousands of useless state employees.
Again, Christie does the smart, effective thing.
I certainly don't agree with him on every issue (and maybe disagree with him on most), but I find it refreshing to hear someone in a position of leadership who is willing to tell people what they don't want to hear.
All the nations governors are watching Governor Christie as a test case on nullifying the greedy public sector unions.
One step at a time in New Jersey which has one of the highest auto insurance rates for years. And highest property taxes for years. Impossible to unwind but Christie says the money has run out so it has to be done
I am concerned about social issues but Christie must concentrate on NJ finances. I’m sure his polling shows the same. Arnold Schwarzenegger failed spectacularly and he was a well known movie star.
What you guys said!
You’ve failed to explain what Christie said to support the building of the mosque.
I don't know about others, but I only voted for Christie because I thought that would be the most effective means of expressing my displeasure with the Obama Administration. There is no "Tea Party." There are just a lot of people who share this extreme displeasure. (I was even at a meeting with about 200 of them last night! This is not some sort of third party in any way shape or form.) Christie may not be inspired by it, but he almost certainly became Governor here because of it.
ML/NJ
Good for you.
Sanford was a sneaky bastard who talked the talk, but was not what he claimed to be.
Christie is exactly what he says he is: a family man, a fiscal conservative and a partial social conservative/partial social moderate.
He's quite open about his positions that strict conservatives do not like. He's terrible on the Second Amendment and he's very upfront about his position.
He is also very upfront about his pragmatism: he supports the GOP candidate he feels is most likely to be elected to office.
He doesn't talk around his positions or conceal them.
You were right about Sanford, so let me make a prediction: O'Donnell is a disaster waiting to happen. She has the thinnest resume of any Republican seeking office this election season.
Bravo!
I'm so tired of hearing that relatives of those killed on 9/11 have some sort of special status.
ML/NJ
You're right.
Clearly someone who lost their brother or their wife on 9/11 should just sit down, shut the **** up and think whatever you tell them to think.
You know best, not them.
Hey Schmuck!
I wasn't suggesting that I get special status (even though that would clearly be best for the Republic). Why don't you take all of this up with Ann Coulter (whose ideas and prescriptions would also be best for the Republic).
ML/NJ
Yes, my queen.
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