spending 
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Mon Oct 19, 2009 at 01:53:59 PM EDT
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I'm baffled by something Christie said yesterday, that if he's elected, it would be okay if his top people didn't always adhere to the austerity required by Corzine, restricting state workers to government rates on travel.
Christie's own expenditures as US Attorney regularly exceeded - often by a heap - rates allowed almost anybody else who works for state or federal government. That's how he'd play it as Governor? I mean, I can believe he'd spend like that if history's any indication. I just can't believe he'd say it out loud. Is he tired?
You'd think he'd avoid drawing attention to his unusual relationship with Michele Brown, put in charge (before she resigned) of FOIA requests to uncover Christie's travel documents, who turns out to be Christie's frequent travel companion in some very swanky hotels. We now know he & Brown spent your money on:
a 3-night 2007 trip to Chicago, Indianapolis & Boston at $4,500 for hotel rooms?
a 2-night 2008 Vegas trip costing you $2,600?
a 4-night 2008 London trip costing you $8,800?
Imagine the example he could set if he traveled Newark to AC on public transportation. NJTransit's website is frozen right now but they're listed: 973-275-5555. Round-trip Newark to AC: $31 bucks. You could do that 22.65 times for what Christie billed taxpayers to limo in style. Maybe one of those bus trips where they fork over free casino chips and a steak dinner? And his Orlando trip? AP points out there are 450 hotels in Orlando. He chose Ritz-Carlton, a luxury hotel.. Maybe a helpful state worker could point outhotels.com, where I clocked out after 12 pages of accommodations in-budget (300 hotels, plenty of pages left). Pool & breakfast, too.
Why is this guy - who campaigned on cutting government waste, touting integrity - embracing his profligate spending of public dollars for his own convenience and comfort? Is he just winding down? Getting demoralized as the sun shines for Corzine and Daggett, at his expense? Or did somebody slip him some truth serum? Because if it's that, we've got some more questions.
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Thu Mar 12, 2009 at 11:04:21 AM EDT
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Right-wing commentator Bob Ingle calls Governor Corzine "a BIG Government guy" (emphasis his). This, according to Ingle, is what "BIG" government looks like:
The Star Ledger isn't kidding when they call the governor's budget "draconian.". Indeed, the proposed cuts in this year's budget cut dwarf anything seen in the past 60 years. In only five years since 1952 has state spending decreased, and never have cuts exceeded 2.21% of prior year's spending. Corzine's budget literally decimates spending; the $29.8 billion he is proposing for 2010 represents a cut of more than 10% from estimated 2009 expenditures of $33.2 billion. In fact, Corzine's cuts blow away the other five years combined, both in absolute dollars and in percentage:
State budget cuts since 1951
| Year | Spending cut |
| $ billion | percent |
| 2010 | $ 3,403.5 | 10.2% |
| 1976 | $ 61.0 | 2.2% |
| 1993 | $ 258.3 | 1.7% |
| 2009 | $ 375.0 | 1.1% |
| 1955 | $ 1.4 | 0.6% |
| 2006 | $ 135.1 | 0.5% |
All of those governors are Democrats, and "BIG government" Jon Corzine is the only one who makes the list twice. It seems Ingle could use a semester or two of remedial math.
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Mon Feb 16, 2009 at 01:52:38 PM EST
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It is possible...just possible, mind you, that our elected officials in the Republican controlled County government just don't get it; that they actually believe the old adage "If you say it often enough, people will believe you forever."
It is more probable, however, that the other old saying "Absolute power corrupts absolutely" is more appropriate.
Take for example, the campaign last year for Ocean County Clerk: Jason Verano, the Democratic candidate alleged, that the incumbent Republican had misappropriated funds from a Dedicated Trust Fund under his control; that he had used the money for expensive trips; promotional items, and a 42? plasma TV, among other things.
"No, no, no," the incumbent said during the campaign, "I wouldn't do anything like that! Using the taxpayer money from the Dedicated Trust Fund for these expenses was completely legal! Please, believe me."
And, so, the voters of Ocean County did and reelected him, although by a margin almost 2/3 less than the one he had in his first election.
Then, after his swearing in, when he told us that Jason Varano was right; that he had misused the Dedicated Trust Fund money, Ocean County voters learned that he had abused our trust; that he had used our natural desire to believe our leaders for his own self-serving purposes. "I've changed the way the Dedicated Trust will be used. Trust me." he said.
Huh? What about the hundreds of thousands of dollars this official now admits he misappropriated? How do we, the taxpayers, recoup our money?
Hey, Watcher has an idea: How about he donates his salary back to the county until the debt to the rest of us is paid back? That would work for Watcher. How about all of you? We could even have a public ceremony showing him handing over his $10,000 monthly salary check. By my calculation, it would only take 2-1/2 years for him to pay back all the money that he used improperly.
Well, we know that won't happen, unfortunately, and that is why Watcher will be watching everything that happens in our government; tracking every expense; examining every contract and cross-checking them with every contribution to the party and telling you what our elected officials won't tell you.
Ocean County residents have the right to the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about our government and those who hold the power to spend out money. We have the right to transparency about every action our elected officials take, every penny of taxpayer money they spend; and every benefit they receive.
To paraphrase the famous line from the movie "Network", "We're getting mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore"
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Tue Apr 29, 2008 at 09:54:32 PM EDT
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Earlier this month, Senator Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex), Chair of the State Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, scored points for fiscal responsibility and common sense by advocating the elimination of pension credit for part-time government employees. This past week, she scored a touchdown when she pledged to reject any attempts to insert "Christmas Tree items" into the budget for the new fiscal year beginning July 1. She also proposed the restoration of $62 million in proposed cuts in municipal aid, including $37 million in eliminated tax relief for towns with fewer than 10,000 residents.
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Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 07:12:44 PM EDT
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As New Jersey copes with its increasing budget woes, perhaps the Legislature should consider several measures that would help reduce out-of-control spending: unannounced audits and the elimination or transformation of pension credit for part-time government work.
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Tue Feb 26, 2008 at 12:01:22 AM EST
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With fewer than two weeks before the Texas and Ohio primaries, Hillary Clinton does not have much time to turn around her sagging campaign. With polls showing that her unfavorable ratings are continuing to climb and her approval ratings are in a slow but steady decline, the Senator from New York has to mastermind a miracle, and quickly. Across the Hudson, Governor Corzine faces similar polling numbers, but time is on his side. Unfortunately, the Governor must also transform himself but has not shown adeptness at doing so.
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Fri Sep 28, 2007 at 09:07:24 AM EDT
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President Bush's dazzlingly ambitious plan to provide on-the-ground military training for insurgents and terrorists, all while eroding America's military strength, increasing the regional influence of anti-American players and blackening America's name all over the world - a plan otherwise known as the invasion and occupation of Iraq - is obviously an expensive one. And since the Democrats seem determined to cave in to the president at every possible opportunity, it's going to continue that way for the foreseeable future.
So let us thank the Center for America Progress for providing this handy interactive map that allows the taxpayers of each state to determine the size of their financial contribution to this blood-drenched fiasco, and how much more money Bush and the Republicans wish to pour down the rathole.
For example, as a resident of the Garden State, I can point to $20.8 billion already vampirized from the state by George's little project, with another $7.1 billion set to follow it while our elected representatives mobilize for the important work of condemning advertisements from MoveOn.org.
So by all means, click on the map and contemplate your share of the tab. You might want to wait until after lunch, however. What you see is apt to spoil your appetite for the remainder of the weekend.
Cross posted at The Opinion Mill.
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