Christie On Sick Leave Payouts: “Only In Government”

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This is a compromise? So much for turning Trenton upside down

By Art Gallagher

Governor Chris Christie and Senate President Steve Sweeney announced that they had reached a compromise over the nomination of Anne Patterson to the NJ Supreme Court.  

Christie nominated Patterson to the court one year ago today to fill the seek of John Wallace.  Wallace’s term was expiring but he had not reached the age of mandatory retirement.  Christie acted within his constitutional authority but broke with tradition by not reappointing Wallace.

Christie’s Democratic critics, in the legislature and the media, charged that the governor was interfering with the independence of the judiciary.   Christie countered that he was fulfilling his campaign promise to reshape the court which has a long history of overstepping its bounds and legislating from the bench, especially with the Abbott decision which mandates education spending and the Mt. Laurel decision which mandates the development of affordable housing.  These two judicial decisions are responsible for New Jersey’s highest in the nation property taxes.

Sweeney pledged that Patterson would not get a hearing in the Senate and that her nomination would not be voted on until Wallace, who hails from Sweeney’s home county of Gloucester, reached the age of retirement; March of 2012.  For a year the Wallace seat has filled by appellate Judge Edwin Stern who was appointed by Chief Justice Stuart Rabner as a temporary fill-in.

As a result of the “compromise” announced yesterday between Christie and Sweeney, the governor will withdraw Patterson’s nomination to Wallace seat and nominate her for the seat of retiring Justice Roberto Rivera-Sota.  Sweeney pledged a fair hearing for Patterson, and that timely hearings will be held for the Wallace seat and the seat of
Justice Virginia Long who reaches the mandatory retirement age in 2012.

I fail to see the “deal” here.  Where’s the compromise?  What did Christie get?   Christie could have withdrawn Patterson’s nomination for Wallace’s seat and nominated her for Rivera-Soto’s seat without consulting Sweeney.  Sweeney keeps the Wallace seat filled by Stern until March.  Was Sweeney threatening to hold up the nominations to replace Wallace and Long beyond their retirement dates?  Would Sweeney allow three seats on the seven member court to be held by temporary Justices appointed by Rabner? 

The other thing I don’t like about this deal capitulation, is that it is an indication that Christie assumes that Sweeney will be Senate President next year.  While that may be a realistic expectation given the new gerrymandered legislative map, it is disappointing to think that Christie, as the leader of the Republican party, has already given up on trying to win control of the Senate in the legislative election this November.

If Christie has given up on winning control of the Senate, who am I to argue that it is possible?

So much for turning Trenton upside down.

Christie has a Town Hall meeting in Manalapan this afternoon.

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Christie To Hold Town Hall Meeting In Manalapan May 3rd

Town Hall Meeting with Governor Chris Christie

Tuesday, May 3^rd, 2011

WHAT: Town Hall Meeting

WHEN: Doors Open at 2:15PM

WHERE: Covered Bridge Community Center
                1 Amberly Dr.
                Manalapan, NJ

Seating is on a first come, first serve basis and open to the public, but please RSVP by clicking here.

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New Jersey Is Broke

By Murray Sabrin

The State of New Jersey is a financial basket case.  The recent report that the state has not set aside one dime to pay for the promised ($66.7 billion) medical benefits of current and future retirees is another example of nonfeasance on the part of our elected officials. 

By failing to fund the medical benefits of state and local government workers, the state is on a road that will cause enormous economic hardship for the people of New Jersey.  In short, to pay for all the promised benefits, taxes will have to skyrocket, which will lead to a mass exodus of productive individuals and businesses over time.  In addition, businesses will not expand or relocate to New Jersey because of the onerous taxes that will have to be imposed to prop up the medical benefits fund. 

Even if benefits are reduced for current and future retirees, which is highly likely, who in their right mind will trust the political hacks in Trenton to be born again fiscally responsible politicians?

For years, Republican and Democratic governors and members of the state legislature from both political parties have failed to perform their duties to maintain the state’s fiscal health.  Now that the chickens are coming home to roost, what is being done to correct the gross shortfall in the state’s obligations?  Before we answer that, another report released on April 26^th reveals the state’s pension fund is $54 billion in the hole. 

Can anyone say criminal indictment?  If a corporation’s officials did not fund their employees’ retirement benefits, they would be fired and/or possible fined or even indicted by the federal government for failing to fulfill their fiduciary duties.  In New Jersey, we just keep electing the same gang of self-serving career pols from gerrymandered legislative districts who exploit the public’s income and wealth to maintain their political careers and continue the great con, the redistribution of income. 

(One legislative solution is to elect at large members of the legislature instead of from specific legislative districts. Alternatively, we could elect half of the legislature from the gerrymandered districts and half at large members.  With at large members of the legislature, all taxpayers will be represented.)

The financial solution to the $120 billion underfunding of retirees’ pensions and medical benefits is for the state to invoke something like force majeure and start from scratch.  That will send a strong signal to New Jerseyans and businesses, especially those from out of state that the politicians in Trenton will be fiscally responsible and not make promises they cannot keep. 

Without an “extreme makeover,” New Jersey will become the Greece of the United States.

Murray Sabrin is professor of finance at Ramapo College and blogs at www.MurraySabrin.com

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Christie Town Hall In Hamilton

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Christie Town Hall Meeting In Jackson On Tuesday

Governor Chris Christie will hold a Town Hall Meeting on his Reform Agenda tomorrow, April 19, in Jackson at The Westlake Clubhouse ballroom.

Doors open at 9:15AM

Click here to RSVP

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Christie: People Are Ready To Hear The Truth

Governor Chris Christie addressed the American Enterprise Institute in Washington this afternoon.

Here’s a highlight from the Q and A:

Christie’s entire appearance can be viewed here.

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Governor Chris Christie Announces Educational Reforms

By Art Gallagher

Governor Chris Christie unveiled his educational reform package before a full house at a Town Hall meeting in Old Bridge this afternoon.

MoreMonmouthMusings videoed the entire hour and 40 minute meeting which can be viewed via Youtbe in eight segments in the page in the upper right hand corner entitled Governor Christie’s Education Town Hall Meeting, Old Bridge, September 29, 2010.

Here’s a preview:

Here is the Governor’s press release:

The Christie Reform Agenda: Putting New Jersey’s Children First By Challenging the System

Governor’s education reforms challenge the status quo by putting student achievement first, empowering parents and rewarding teachers

Trenton, NJ – Only days after joining Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to announce a bipartisan education reform plan for Newark schools, Governor Chris Christie continued to provide the strong leadership needed to advance a reform agenda for public education throughout the State of New Jersey. Speaking with families and community leaders at a town hall in Old Bridge, Governor Chris Christie unveiled the first pieces of a far-reaching reform agenda to improve New Jersey public schools by challenging the status quo and transforming a system that has fallen short of the needs of parents and children. 

Despite some of the highest levels of education spending in the entire nation, New Jersey’s public schools continue to confront a critical achievement gap that shortchanges our children.  For example, the achievement gap between wealthy and low-income 8th graders in math is nearly the same as it was 19 years ago; the gap between at–risk 4^th graders and those not at–risk has remained nearly unchanged over the past 13 years.  Likewise, New Jersey’s education system has failed to prepare vast numbers of students with the critical skills required to be competitive in college or the workforce.  In 2009, nearly 30 percent of all 8^th graders statewide lacked basic math skills.

Governor Christie’s Reform Agenda will bring necessary and long overdue reform to the public education system by making teacher effectiveness and student achievement the driving forces behind public policies and practices.  The first step toward innovation in the public school system means focusing on accountability.

“As a proud product of New Jersey’s public schools, I want nothing more than to see our public education system give our children the quality education they deserve,” said Governor Christie.  “Yet, if we are to be successful in our reform efforts, we must be honest about our shortcomings, candid about our failures, and open to the necessary reforms that are crucial to bringing positive change and innovation to our classrooms, no matter their zip code. 

“For too long we have accepted low expectations and failure – particularly in our urban school districts – which has stolen hope from generations of New Jersey families.  Today, we begin to put an end to the cycle of inaction by challenging the status quo, demanding more for our children and restoring the promise of a brighter future for every one of our communities,” Governor Christie concluded.

Governor Christie is proposing reforms to reward innovative and effective teaching, expand opportunities for New Jersey’s best teachers, and put student achievement at the center of educator evaluations.  Governor Christie is challenging the education establishment with reforms to:

·         Promote Innovative and Effective Teaching by Valuing Student Achievement Over Seniority.

·         Demand Accountability and Results for New Jersey’s Children with Data-Supported Evaluations. 

·         Expand Opportunities for Great Teachers to Succeed.  

·         Ensure Our Children Have Well-Prepared Teachers.

Governor Christie also recognizes that through empowerment, parents can becomes better advocates for quality education for their children and increase accountability in our schools.  The Governor’s reforms will work to:

·         Engage Families in Their Children’s Education with Improved Access to Information. 

·         Improve Outreach and Communications Efforts to Parents and Families. 

Governor Christie’s Education Reform Plan can be found here .

Executive Order #42 can be found here.

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