A Governor’s Blunt Talk Isn’t Always Straight

[NeoConsSuck]

Source: NY Times

New Jersey’s public-sector unions routinely pressure the State Legislature to give them what they fail to win in contract talks. Most government workers pay nothing for health insurance. Concessions by school employees would have prevented any cuts in school programs last year.

Statements like those are at the core of Gov. Chris Christie’s campaign to cut state spending by getting tougher on unions. They are not, however, accurate.

In fact, on the occasions when the Legislature granted the unions new benefits, it was for pensions, which were not subject to collective bargaining — and it has not happened in eight years. In reality, state employees have paid 1.5 percent of their salaries toward health insurance since 2007, in addition to co-payments and deductibles, and since last spring, many local government workers, including teachers, do as well. The few dozen school districts where employees agreed to concessions last year still saw layoffs and cuts in academic programs.

“Clearly there has been a pattern of the governor playing fast and loose with the details,” said Brigid Harrison, a political science professor at Montclair State University. “But so far, he’s been adept at getting the public to believe what he says.”



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/nyregion/10christie.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion

---

Another anti-union puke governor.

[Angry Dragon]

1. radical right republican political scum

[The Wizard]

2. Governor Goodyear

is elbow deep in corruption. Why did his brother avoid legal consequences for Wall Street irregularities when others involved with him were indicted by then United States Attorney Chris Christie?
Christie grievances
http://bluejersey.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=17194

When Chris Christie first ran for Freeholder and was sued for defamation, it wasn't his fault and he did nothing wrong.
When Chris Christie went from "not a candidate for US Attorney" to being appointed US Attorney after he was directly responsible for raising hundreds of thousands (and his brother donates hundreds of thousands) for Bush, the donations had nothing to do with it.
And when many top NJ lawyers pointed out that Christie didn't have any experience in criminal law and his appointment was directly connected to the above hundreds of thousands in donations for Bush, that was just a coincidence.
(but wait....there's more!)
Adam L :: Chris Christie has lost the benefit of the doubt When Chris Christie suddenly got off the list of US Attorneys to be fired at the same time he issued bogus subpoenas to Senator Menendez weeks before the 2006 election, the timing was just a coincidence and Christie's word should be trusted.
When Chris Christie gave his top aide Michele Brown a $46,000 loan and didn't report it on his tax return or other disclosure documents, that was just an oversight and not a conflict of interest.
When it was discovered that criminal-turned-informant Solomon Dwek, the man who Christie turned from bank fraudster to briber-of-elected-Democrats, donated to Bush directly through Chris Christie, the two were in no way connected.
And when Michele Brown pushed to have the Dwek bribery arrests of elected Democrats announced at an opportune time during the campaign, there was nothing wrong with that. The same Michele Brown that had the $46,000 unreported loan from her boss Chris Christie.
When Chris Christie gave his former boss John Ashcroft a no bid deal worth at least $30 million, despite Ashcroft having no experience for this work, he demanded that he be given the benefit of the doubt.
When Christie's brother was not indicted, despite being found by the SEC to have made 1,600 illegal trades, bilking investors out of almost $1.5 million and netting himself $1.5 million, it was just a coincidence.
When the US Attorney from NY didn't prosecute his brother for securities fraud and then got a multi million no bid deal from Christie himself, it was just a coincidence.
And when it was discovered that Chris Christie violated the Hatch Act by discussing running for Governor while still a US Attorney, that was "an attempt to smear him".
When Chris Christie also gave a multi-million no bid deal to buddies Herb Stern and John Inglesino and then Inglesino raised tens of thousands for his campaign, there was no "quid pro quo".
When Assemblyman Richard Merkt said that same John Inglesino tried to bribe Merkt to drop out of the Governor's race with a "major position", it was denied, and Christie knew nothing about it anyway.
And when Chris Christie went the wrong way down a one way street, causing an accident, sending the biker he hit to a trauma center - then didn't get a ticket when he identified himself as US Attorney - he did nothing wrong.
And when Christie was caught in an apparent lie about being sued by that biker, that was just a misunderstanding and he had forgot.
And when Chris Christie was stopped for speeding in an unregistered and uninsured vehicle, only to pull rank and not get a ticket, his position as US Attorney had nothing to do with him being able to leave without his car being towed.
When Christie hijacked the Race to the Top application process, only to lose $400 million for the state's students and then get caught in at least two apparent lies, that wasn't his fault - it was Obama's and Bret Schundler's.
When a recent DOJ report identified Chris Christie as being the biggest offender of overbilling the Government for extravagant and unsubstantiated travel expenses of all the US Attorneys, it was because nothing other than 5 star hotels and limos were available.
http://bluejersey.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=17194
When Chris Christie recently was caught inflating numbers about the ARC tunnel cost, that wasn't done on purpose for political reasons.
And now Chris Christie has decided that he's now a scientist and doubts global warming, he should be trusted to be skeptical?
Let's face it. The man has a carefully crafted false bravado persona that is in direct contrast to the layer upon layer of lie, conflict, hypocrisy, insider deals, abuse of authority, quick tempered emotional decisions and favoritism. And quite honestly, if he was a Democrat and not Republican, he'd be skewered, mocked and hated by the right - and rightfully so.
He consistently is defensive about anyone daring to ask about the long list of his actions and behavior - always saying that he deserves the benefit of the doubt. That he should be trusted. That he is right.
He has lost that right - although I'm not sure he ever deserved it in the first place.
http://bluejersey.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=17194

When Chris Christie first ran for Freeholder and was sued for defamation, it wasn't his fault and he did nothing wrong.
When Chris Christie went from "not a candidate for US Attorney" to being appointed US Attorney after he was directly responsible for raising hundreds of thousands (and his brother donates hundreds of thousands) for Bush, the donations had nothing to do with it.
And when many top NJ lawyers pointed out that Christie didn't have any experience in criminal law and his appointment was directly connected to the above hundreds of thousands in donations for Bush, that was just a coincidence.
(but wait....there's more!)
Adam L :: Chris Christie has lost the benefit of the doubt When Chris Christie suddenly got off the list of US Attorneys to be fired at the same time he issued bogus subpoenas to Senator Menendez weeks before the 2006 election, the timing was just a coincidence and Christie's word should be trusted.
When Chris Christie gave his top aide Michele Brown a $46,000 loan and didn't report it on his tax return or other disclosure documents, that was just an oversight and not a conflict of interest.
When it was discovered that criminal-turned-informant Solomon Dwek, the man who Christie turned from bank fraudster to briber-of-elected-Democrats, donated to Bush directly through Chris Christie, the two were in no way connected.
And when Michele Brown pushed to have the Dwek bribery arrests of elected Democrats announced at an opportune time during the campaign, there was nothing wrong with that. The same Michele Brown that had the $46,000 unreported loan from her boss Chris Christie.
When Chris Christie gave his former boss John Ashcroft a no bid deal worth at least $30 million, despite Ashcroft having no experience for this work, he demanded that he be given the benefit of the doubt.
When Christie's brother was not indicted, despite being found by the SEC to have made 1,600 illegal trades, bilking investors out of almost $1.5 million and netting himself $1.5 million, it was just a coincidence.
When the US Attorney from NY didn't prosecute his brother for securities fraud and then got a multi million no bid deal from Christie himself, it was just a coincidence.
And when it was discovered that Chris Christie violated the Hatch Act by discussing running for Governor while still a US Attorney, that was "an attempt to smear him".
When Chris Christie also gave a multi-million no bid deal to buddies Herb Stern and John Inglesino and then Inglesino raised tens of thousands for his campaign, there was no "quid pro quo".
When Assemblyman Richard Merkt said that same John Inglesino tried to bribe Merkt to drop out of the Governor's race with a "major position", it was denied, and Christie knew nothing about it anyway.
And when Chris Christie went the wrong way down a one way street, causing an accident, sending the biker he hit to a trauma center - then didn't get a ticket when he identified himself as US Attorney - he did nothing wrong.
And when Christie was caught in an apparent lie about being sued by that biker, that was just a misunderstanding and he had forgot.
And when Chris Christie was stopped for speeding in an unregistered and uninsured vehicle, only to pull rank and not get a ticket, his position as US Attorney had nothing to do with him being able to leave without his car being towed.
When Christie hijacked the Race to the Top application process, only to lose $400 million for the state's students and then get caught in at least two apparent lies, that wasn't his fault - it was Obama's and Bret Schundler's.
When a recent DOJ report identified Chris Christie as being the biggest offender of overbilling the Government for extravagant and unsubstantiated travel expenses of all the US Attorneys, it was because nothing other than 5 star hotels and limos were available.
http://bluejersey.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=17194
When Chris Christie recently was caught inflating numbers about the ARC tunnel cost, that wasn't done on purpose for political reasons.
And now Chris Christie has decided that he's now a scientist and doubts global warming, he should be trusted to be skeptical?
Let's face it. The man has a carefully crafted false bravado persona that is in direct contrast to the layer upon layer of lie, conflict, hypocrisy, insider deals, abuse of authority, quick tempered emotional decisions and favoritism. And quite honestly, if he was a Democrat and not Republican, he'd be skewered, mocked and hated by the right - and rightfully so.
He consistently is defensive about anyone daring to ask about the long list of his actions and behavior - always saying that he deserves the benefit of the doubt. That he should be trusted. That he is right.
He has lost that right - although I'm not sure he ever deserved it in the first place.

[hay rick]

3. Off to the Greatest Page.

Rec #5.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. “Clearly there has been a pattern of the governor playing fast and loose..."

Translation: YOU LIE!!!!!

[6000eliot]

5. Oh, how I wish this fat pig wasn't my governor.

[Unvanguard]

6. Chris Christie is a vile anti-worker lying sack of shit.

Color me unsurprised.