while talking about Governor Christie: N.J. Senate President Stephen Sweeney was in the middle of a live interview,
Lightning Almost Hits Christie Foe On TV: MyFoxPHILLY.com
Gateway Pundit says it’s a sign! I say it’s the weather.
American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture
By Fausta
while talking about Governor Christie: N.J. Senate President Stephen Sweeney was in the middle of a live interview,
Lightning Almost Hits Christie Foe On TV: MyFoxPHILLY.com
Gateway Pundit says it’s a sign! I say it’s the weather.
By Fausta
New Jersey Lawmakers Approve Benefits Rollback for Work Force
New Jersey lawmakers on Thursday approved a broad rollback of benefits for 750,000 government workers and retirees, the deepest cut in state and local costs in memory, in a major victory for Gov. Chris Christie and a once-unthinkable setback for the state’s powerful public employee unions.
The Assembly passed the bill 46 to 32, as Republicans and a few Democrats defied raucous protests by thousands of people whose chants, vowing electoral revenge, shook the State House. Leaders in the State Senate said their chamber, which had already passed a slightly different version of the bill, would approve the Assembly version on Monday. Mr. Christie, a Republican, was expected to sign the measure into law quickly.
It wasn’t simply “a few” Democrats. As Tom Blumer points out,
Given that the Assembly has 47 Democrats and 33 Republicans, it took more than “a few Democrats” to get the law passed in the Assembly by the 46-32 margin indicated. If all Republicans voted “yes,” 13 Democrats, or over a quarter of the total, also had to support the bill.
Indeed, both the Senate and the Assembly are controlled by Democrats, by 60% and 59%.
The legislation will sharply increase what state and local workers must contribute for their health insurance and pensions, suspend cost-of-living increases to retirees’ pension checks, raise retirement ages and curb the unions’ contract bargaining rights. It will save local and state governments $132 billion over the next 30 years, by the administration’s estimate, and give the troubled benefit systems a sounder financial footing, mostly by shifting costs onto workers.
Workers in the private sector have been doing that forever, and paying for the government workers’, too.
Senate president Steven Sweeney, Democrat, supported the bill.
The fight over benefits reflected both Mr. Christie’s ability to exploit the divisions among Democrats, through his alliances with more conservative Democratic party bosses and legislators, and his success at using the public-sector unions as a foil in his drive to shrink government spending. It has also allowed a nationally known but highly polarizing governor to claim the mantle of bipartisan conciliation, telling audiences that New Jersey is setting an example that other states and the federal government should follow.
The bill applies to all state government workers and
to a much larger number of county, town and school district workers, because most local governments participate in the state-run pension and health care systems.
Stacy and Jazz are amazed that the people of New Jersey may even be understanding the state’s dire fiscal situation.
Who knows, at this rate, maybe Americans will understand the nation’s dire fiscal situation.
By Fausta
The grey-haired lady, which the Star Ledger says is a “retired history teacher”?
WyBLog googled her,
She’s Co-Chair of the Government Relations Committee for the Hudson County Education Association (ie the Teachers’ Union).
One could only wish the reporters could actually, ehm, report.
By Fausta
Because nothing speaks about oppression like hyperbole and striking while paid by the taxpayers: NJ unions say Christie is Gaddafi. Paul Budline was at the demonstration and got it on video.
Gateway Pundit has the video:
I disrespectfully suggest that teachers who seriously liken Governor Christie to Moammar Khadafy and their own protests to the Egyptians facing down the Mubaraks are too ignorant to be charged with teaching our children. But judge for yourselves.
Possibly relevant point of interest: There are only 45 states with lower average teacher salaries than New Jersey. So, you know, I see where they are coming from.
And that’s for 180 days of work per year.
Help! I’m being repressed!
By Fausta
Transcript:
MICHAEL BARONE: Michael Barone with AEI and The Washington Examiner. You said that your colleagues in politics should say that social security, retirement age should be raised. Do you believe it is no longer the case that social security is no longer the third rail of American politics and that you can’t touch it? Or are you simply advising your fellow Republicans and your fellow executives to take a stand that you believe may very well be politically fatal.
GOVERNOR CHRISTIE: I was right with you till the last clause on that sentence. See I think the world has changed and I don’t believe it is fatal. I don’t. In fact, I think that you are going to be rewarded for courage. And I think those that don’t show the courage are going to get the opposite treatment as well. The public understands. They understand, I’m telling you. I’m out there every day. I can feel it. They get it. What they want though it shared sacrifice. They want everybody in this game. And if they feel like people down here in Washington or in the State capitol in Trenton are gaming the system and some folks are getting a special advantage and then everybody else is getting harsher treatment, they are going to respond badly to it and you’re going to get some of that third rail treatment. But I think if folks believe that they have a group of leaders who are going to say to them this is what’s necessary, it’s a mathematical equation, it needs to be done, we’re going to do it fairly. Everyone is going to share in the sacrifice. I think the American people and the people of New Jersey, in my instance, will step up to the plate and be a part of that shared sacrifice. They’ve done it in New Jersey. We cut everything. And everybody said my approval ratings were going to tank and they’ve gone up. That’s not because people aren’t paying attention. I’d suggest to you that it’s cause they really are paying attention. And they are saying, someone is actually talking to us like we are adults. They are telling us the truth. Now listen, for people who have been down here a long time I understand there’d be a sense of cynicism. They feel like they’ve watched this movie over and over again. You know, Republicans have demagogued this issue against Democrats and Democrats have demagogued it against Republicans. And I understand why you’d be cynical. All I’m telling you is, from out in the field I think there is something different going on in our country right now. And I think people are ready to hear the truth. But again, you have to show leadership and show people you’re willing to do it first.
I couldn’t sit back in New Jersey and say well I know we have a pension and benefit problem. I’ll wait for the Democrats in the legislature to come forward with their plan and then I’ll critique it. I put my plan out there in September and got booed by the firefighters. And it took five months but guess what? The Democrats in the legislature have now come forward with their plan on pension reform and their plan on benefit reform. Now, it’s not exactly what I want. But now we are going to have the debate. We are going to have the discussion and I believe we are going to get to a fix. It won’t be the perfect fix that I want. That’s part of what comes with divided government. But I started the conversation. And I took the risk to put mine out there first. And in the beginning, the Democrats in the legislature took the same position of what is happening down here. They were like – well let’s see if he gets burned at the stake first before we go in. Well, all of the sudden four or five months later, approval ratings continuing to go up, they went – hey this looks like a good idea, why don’t we put our plan forward?
So, some of it is – you just have to have the spine to take the risk. But I think that’s what we elect leaders for, hence the name. If you’re waiting midway back in the pack and call yourself a leader, it seems to me that, that isn’t consistent. So you want to be a leader, lead. And I want to conclude, Michael, saying I’m not saying it doesn’t involve some measure of risk. Everything does that’s worth something. But what did you get sent to this party for? I mean really, what did we come to do this for? Just to mark time and collect a title? Before I got this job I had plenty of titles – I was the United Sates Attorney and most importantly husband, father, son. I didn’t need new titles. I came here to achieve and to succeed. And these jobs give you an opportunity to do that like no other jobs in my view. But you’ve got to step up to the plate and do it.
Indeed, the country is in dire need of real leadership.
UPDATE
Ace blogged the Chris Christie Livestream
“We have to reform Social Security because it’s bankrupting us. We have to reform Medicare because it’s bankrupting us. We have to reform Medicaid because not only is it bankrupting the federal government it’s bankrupting every state government. I just said these things and lightning didn’t come through the window and strike me dead. There you go.”
You can watch the whole speech here.
By Fausta
New Jersey Gov. Christie Vetoes Planned Parenthood Funding Bill
Following the release of a video that has received nationwide attention showing Planned Parenthood staff at a New Jersey abortion center helping alleged sexual traffickers cover up their crimes with abortions and STD testing, Governor Chris Christie has vetoed a bill funding Planned Parenthood.
A new undercover video shows Planned Parenthood officials in New Jersey telling a pimp and his prostitute assistant how they can get abortions for young teenage girls who, Planned Parenthood officials are informed, are Asians in the country illegally and forced into the sex trade. The staffer was later fired for her actions.
The Perth Amboy abortion center where the video is filmed is the second-largest Planned Parenthood center operated by Planned Parenthood of Central New Jersey and the abortion business plans to double its number of abortion centers in the state.
Christie has already yanked state taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood but the state legislature sent him a bill to restore the taxpayer funds.
Here’s the video,
It is to be noted that this is, in fact, the second time Christie has yanked taxpayer funding of the organiztion. Planned Parenthood has already had to close clinics in NJ, due to the funding squeeze caused directly by Governor Christie.
Furthermore, Christie’s office referred the matter to the New Jersey attorney general – who is now calling for an investigation of the incident.
Planned Parenthood Struggles to Cover Up Scandal, not surprisingly, considering their immoral and reprehensible behavior.
By Fausta
Chris Christie’s radio ad running in Illinois,
Chris Christie Ad to Illinois Businesses: Come to Jersey
By Fausta
What the hey?
According to CNBC, New Jersey Wants to Seize Your Unused Gift Cards
New Jersey isn’t giving up its effort to seize unused money on gift cards and traveler’s checks.
Lawmakers voted last year to allow the seizure of cards after two to three years as a way to raise about $80 million and help balance the state’s budget.
But in November, a federal judge temporarily struck down the law.
The Record of Bergen County reports the state isn’t giving up though. State treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff has told a judge that the state will appeal the earlier ruling.
New Jersey Retail Merchants Association, the New Jersey Food Council and American Express [AXP 43.30 0.38 (+0.89%) ] filed suits to block the law.
Well, the suit headed to the US District Court
The legislation amended part of the state Uniform Unclaimed Property Act to include gift cards for the first time, allowing the state to consider a card abandoned two years after purchase and seize the balance.
The amendment also allowed the state to consider a traveler’s check abandoned if it is not cashed or spent three years or longer from the purchase date, instead of after 15 years under the previous law — the rule in most states.
And it’ll be retroactive, too
Christie’s administration estimated that the amendment would bring in $80 million to help solve the state’s chronic budget problems. A key element of the legislation was that it would be retroactive, allowing the Treasury to seize money from travelers checks as far back as 1994.
The notion of private property is long lost, my friends.
Cross-posted at The Green Room.