NJ Governor Chris Christie tells it like it is, why do people on the left hate him for it? (generations, holidays)
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Yes, of course, its all the bad public employee unions. Its all their fault.
You people realize, even if he gets the concessions and cuts he wants, its not going to balance the budget? What programs do you want to cut after that?
Not: Its a start. It is. But now what? What government programs specifically do you want to cut now? Either that, or how much do you want your taxes raised?
The real issue in NJ is the outgrageous number of districts with multiple everything. Shared services is the answer, but the politicians won't go for that, some of their friends will lose power and jobs.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A federal judge sentenced a former northern New Jersey labor leader to nearly three years in prison Monday for getting union jobs for friends of a reputed Gambino crime family member, discounting the man's pleas that he acted under the threat of violence from the mobster.
U.S. District Judge Stanley Chesler called Michael Urgola's actions "unpardonable" in sentencing him to 33 months, the top end of a range dictated by Urgola's plea agreement with the government. Several of Urgola's supporters in a packed courtroom wept when the sentence was announced.
Urgola was business manager of Bloomfield-based Laborers Local Union 1153 and oversaw about 500 members. He was arrested in 2008 along with 22 others in what prosecutors at the time called "a smorgasbord of crime" that included gambling, extortion and a scheme in which fraudulent bar codes were used to rip off retail outlets like Lowe's and Circuit City.
Shared services is a GREAT idea. We have 3 school districts within 5 miles of each other with their own everything, including Superintendants and admins. That also includes 3 rinky dink police departments with their own chiefs, dispatchers, etc.
Shared services is a GREAT idea. We have 3 school districts within 5 miles of each other with their own everything, including Superintendants and admins. That also includes 3 rinky dink police departments with their own chiefs, dispatchers, etc.
Christie is a fan of regionalization.
It definitely has to be done. There are many, many towns that have multiple everything. I say make things county wide. If people want their own services in a certain town, they will have to be aware that it will be much more expensive to live there.
It definitely has to be done. There are many, many towns that have multiple everything. I say make things county wide. If people want their own services in a certain town, they will have to be aware that it will be much more expensive to live there.
And I do believe some would choose to and could afford to do so. I would be ok with that. Hey, more power to them.
The real issue in NJ is the outgrageous number of districts with multiple everything. Shared services is the answer, but the politicians won't go for that, some of their friends will lose power and jobs.
Now there is an issue I can agree with you on. We have the same major problem here in California. We have entire school districts, with just ONE school in it.
However, you realize, Christie has a HUGE history of awarding "shady" contracts to his own friends and political allies? You also realize he flat out lied in his campaign for govenor, by saying he wouldn't reduce pensions for police/firefighters, then turned around and did it anyway (yes, there is a lawsuit pending, which will probably end up costing New Jersey an awful lot of money).
Christie isn't telling anything like it is. What he has done, which is what everyone is doing, is jumping on the public employee bandwagon. Its the flavor of the month and very few people stand up against it.
Same thing here in California. 26 billion in debt (more like 30). People want a pension reform, which will occur. However, at best, it will only save 4 billion. Where is the other 22 billion going to come from? That is the problem here. NO ONE wants to make the real, hard, tough cuts. To welfare, medical expenses, etc. Everyone just wants to balance their budgets on the backs of public workers.
And I do believe some would choose to and could afford to do so. I would be ok with that. Hey, more power to them.
SourD - you have some good ideas
I think we are the same page with this stuff. You are right, there are people who are willing to pay more for their own services, good for them let them have what they want if they are going to pay for it. Choice is what America is all about. I also think municipalities need to survive on their OWN budgets and stop counting on the state to subsidize stuff. Of course there will always be aid to the towns and stuff when they need it, but planning on the aid in your budget is doing more harm than good.
It's true. We do have to try and plan on what we have instead of looking to Trenton with our hands out. That's why shared services make so much sense.
He never said he wanted to take pensions away, but there is a significant amount that needs to be changed about it. The free medical for life once you retire is a biggie that just needs changed. Maybe not done away with if both sides could concede. I believe he has concessions in mind, but is not getting any cooperation from the public workers unions.
Our flavor of the month began when he took office. Our school system had to figure out a way to operate with less and they definitely made some bad choices, not with the kids in mind, just themselves and their pockets.
There are many people out there collecting public worker paychecks that shouldn't be. In the private sector, they wouldn't last a minute, but they're protected. I worked in it for a long time and saw it with my own eyes.
He then gave the individual towns their monies and they in turn had to look for where they could make do. There have been layoffs simply due to public workers being stubborn.
Now there is an issue I can agree with you on. We have the same major problem here in California. We have entire school districts, with just ONE school in it.
However, you realize, Christie has a HUGE history of awarding "shady" contracts to his own friends and political allies? You also realize he flat out lied in his campaign for govenor, by saying he wouldn't reduce pensions for police/firefighters, then turned around and did it anyway (yes, there is a lawsuit pending, which will probably end up costing New Jersey an awful lot of money).
Christie isn't telling anything like it is. What he has done, which is what everyone is doing, is jumping on the public employee bandwagon. Its the flavor of the month and very few people stand up against it.
Same thing here in California. 26 billion in debt (more like 30). People want a pension reform, which will occur. However, at best, it will only save 4 billion. Where is the other 22 billion going to come from? That is the problem here. NO ONE wants to make the real, hard, tough cuts. To welfare, medical expenses, etc. Everyone just wants to balance their budgets on the backs of public workers.
I know exactly what you are saying about the hard and tough cuts. They have to be made. I will give you one stupid example of the stuff that goes on in state government, from the top level decision makers, that is a total waste of money just for extra funding or political gain. We have a program to help people learn a different language and some other job related skills that is actually owned by NJN (New Jersey Network), but the NJDOL pays for it, pays the NJN staff, pays for all the equipment and software and the NJ state workers take care of all of it while NJN does nothing but collect a paycheck and put their name on the program. Now the state has to take care of NON STATE literacy programs which have their own IT staff. Now the state pays to take care of all of their technical needs, hardware, software and technicians, while the entity hosting these sites pay nothing and their IT staff does nothing. These things HAVE to go! I see things like this all the time. A program area in state government takes on a project just to get the funding, then they let the program go to pieces while they spend the money on other things. Then all of a sudden a new program comes out to SUPPLEMENT the short comings of the original program, which never goes away. So you end up with 2 or more programs to accomplish what the original was intended to do. It is completely mind boggling how they decide to spend money in state government. It really is.
As far as the police pension thing, I don't think they are taking any cut, just asked to pay more in like all other public workers have. The police, fire and teachers think they don't have to share any sacrifice for some reason.
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