Feed the government what is healthy

by: Thurman Hart

Thu Jul 15, 2010 at 05:20:43 PM EDT

Lovable, huggable old Cookie Monster has it right - cookies are a sometimes food (check out his "healthy food" rap). If Cookie Monster was into politics, he'd be telling us that transparency is just as healthy for government as broccoli is for a growing boy. The Asbury Park Press is having to remind Governor Christie of that:

But actions speak louder than words. Christie continues to appear as a guest star at some of Reform Jersey Now's] $25,000 per-person soirees. That is unacceptable. Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, hit the nail on the head when he said, "I'm not arguing when the governor says, "I got beaten up by all these groups.' But you knew who was beating him up."

Exactly right. And it should be noted that for all the pounding Christie took from the big, bad unions, it hasn't stopped him from getting pretty much everything he's wanted - or from pounding the unions right back.

The pay-to-play laws need to be strengthened. One of candidate Christie's "88 ways to fix New Jersey" called for exactly that, particularly when it came to the unions. Christie should use the bully pulpit and the power of his office to push for those changes, including changes for groups like Reform Jersey Now.

In the meantime, Christie should take the high road and separate himself from those who run headlong into whatever loopholes the law currently allows. To do otherwise is disingenuous and two-faced, and encourages a willful disregard for the spirit of the law.

The emphasis is mine. Because that is the heart of the matter. Allowing a person to know who is paying for a message tells them a lot about whether or not they should believe it. If you have nothing to hide; then there is no reason to hide.

Even if you're the Governor and his buddies.

X-posted from Garden State Politics