Chris Christie blames unions for dismal New Jersey economy
Chris Christie is a piece of work. He has driven his state to nine downgrades. His minions have been the focus of scandals including the BridgeGate scandal. He acts like a bully. But it is the fault of everybody else.
In the clip above Chuck Todd challenged Chris Christie’s New Jersey economic record. He pointed out that New Jersey is,
- 50th for business tax climate
- 47th for doing business
- 46th for growth in 2014
- Unemployment above U.S. average
- 9 Credit downgrades.
“You should have seen what it looked like when I got there,” was Chris Christie’s response. He subsequently said that New Jersey did not want higher taxes nor higher spending. He blamed the downgrade on the unions not wanting to give concessions on their pensions.
Christie was asked if he is unable to work with Democrats in New Jersey why does he believe he could do any better as president. Chris Christie came back with a response one hopes every middle-class and poor person hears and understands.
“Here is the bottom line,” Chris Christie said. “We got a Senate Democratic President to be able to sit down and sponsor a pension reform bill that cut COLAs, that raise retirement age. Does that sound familiar to things we need to do in Washington DC? And I got the Democrats to do that in the face of ten thousand union protesters on the front steps of the state house.”
To be clear, Chris Christie is proud to stick it to middle-class union workers. He does not want to raise additional revenue that may cut into the wealth growth of a few. He acts as if he is oblivious to the growing income inequality and wealth disparity. But he is OK to force the middle-class and the poor to sacrifice even more. Work longer. Likely die before you collect a pension. COLA? Take marginally less and less every year.
Inasmuch as the numbers are irrefutable that the few are getting wealthier as they take an unfair and unearned chunk of the American pie, Chris Christie and his ilk will continue the pilfer. Americans better listen. They are telling you what they will do to you not for you.