What Christie Was Elected To Do
Cut the deficit, cut spending. And cut taxes. It’s not easy or fun, because we’ve allowed the previous administrations to saddle us with lots of debt; we’ve to some extent enjoyed the results of letting Our Betters in Trenton splurge on the credit card…but the bills are coming due. At least voters appear to support the hard choices
By a 58%-35% margin, New Jerseyans support layoffs or furloughs of state workers. In union households, the total is 50%-44%. Freezing wages for state works also gets statewide support, 71%-23%, including 62%-38% among union households and 64%-30% among Democrats.
“Government workers are in the cross hairs. Most New Jerseyans, including union households, would okay layoffs. Almost three fourths would okay a wage freeze,” Carroll said. “New Jersey voters, 65 percent of them, expect Christie to get tough with state workers.”
It ain’t gonna be pretty or fun, but it needs to be done. We need to cut the government payroll, cut government regulation (which will mean we can get rid of even more bureaucrats) and pare back and eliminate programs.
Let’s hope he will strike while the iron is hot.
Nanny State, Politics | Mr. Bingley | 
January 20, 2010 7:59 am
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There are thousands of political appointees in state government that should go first. Why we need so many authorities, commissions, lottery “inspectors” and so many guys to operate automatic dams is known only to the party machines that put them there.
Christie also needs to swing a blunt axe at the anti-business, pro-statist regulations that keep so much deadwood employed and Jerseyans out of work. You reading this, DEP?
Here’s hoping he can stop all non-essential spending until he straightens this out.
You also need to get rid of that 25% who don’t think a wage freeze is advisable. Geez!
I think he needs to veto just about everything that comes accross his desk that even smells of pork, including critical spending bills. Let the government shutdown for a few days. If he goes before the people and explains exactly what provisions need to be deleted and why he will have the support of the people. Put the shoe on the other foot and make statists defend their position.
To paraphrase Rush, you could be on the cutting edge of societal evolution.:)
“I have come here to kick ass and chew bubble gum. And I’m all out of bubble gum.”
— They Live!
Speaking as a state employee in equally screwed up, but marginally less corrupt, Connecticut, I’d advise your new Gov to:
1) Try to wring as many concessions from the state employees as possible – including mandatory furloughs.
2) If layoffs become necessary, direct agency heads to cut payroll by X%. You’d be surprised by the how many employees are partially or wholly funded by either the feds or other sources. We had layoffs in 2003. In some instances people who were wholly funded by the industry the regulate (banking, insurance) were laid off. They went from costing the state pennies a year to hundreds a week in UC…
3) Stick to your guns. You were elected for a reason.
It’s odd to me – that term “New Jerseyans”. Being the land of my birth (nr Exit 1 of the Turnpike), I grew up with “New Jerseyites” (which sounds also like a geologic term).
Seriously, I hope NJ (and its new Gov) can provide a beacon of hope and fiscal responsibility to the rest of the states on the verge – Arizona also needs to make similar tough choices.
NJ residents of varied political persuasions have realized that most of the vastly increased public spending over the last decade has not gone toward improving the infrastructure and vital public services. It has gone directly into the pockets and benefit packages of state employees. The state workers have no one to blame but themselves for not seeing this coming.