New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie: the wrecking ball
New Jersey's governor is giving his state the economic tough love it needs.
Shown here on election day 2009, Gov. Chris Christie addresses his supporters after beating incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine. Governor Christie has balanced New Jersey's budget by getting tough with unions and entitlement spending.
Henny Ray Abrams/AP/File
NJ Governor Chris Christie is as close as you get to a heroic politician these days regardless of whether you are a Democrat or a Republican. He's actually applying the tough love that his colleagues all talk about and saving his home state. He came into office with the promise that, even if it meant he'd be a one-term governor, that damn state budget was getting balanced at no additional cost to NJ employers and homeowners, period.
On June 28th, 2 days early, Christie rammed through a budget for the state that closed an $11 billion deficit without any new taxes or tax increases. Christie talked tough with the labor unions and the benefits/entitlements crowd and came through for his state. His theme is that the public sector needs to suffer a bit and share some of the sacrifice with the bedraggled private sector that pays for it. This is, of course, the most rational way of coping with hard times.
I told you back in April that this guy was gonna be killer, see here:
Yo NJ, Wanna Trade Governors?
Christie is the Anti-Europe, taking things away that the people simply cannot afford to pay for any longer. He is also Anti-Stimulus on a national level, which should not be surprising given his ideology of responsibility.
If he is now politically successful, his actions will strengthen the resolve of other politicians around the country and show them, by example, that you can do the right thing without torpedoing your career aspirations.
Here he is discussing his achievements, facing off with the teachers' union and speaking the truth...
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