4.13.2010

We Need More Leaders Like This

Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey is a man with backbone.

Inheriting the reins of a state drowning in debt and where in 2009 public employment added 11,000 jobs while the private sector lost 120,000, Christie is insisting that the leaks that are sinking the state's budget be plugged.

Mr. Christie's answer is simple: "a smaller government that lives within its means."

However quaint that may sound, when you have to cut nearly $11 billion in state spending to get there, you are going to get a lot of yelling and screaming. Most comes from the New Jersey Education Association, hollering that "the children" will be hurt by Mr. Christie's proposals for teachers to accept a one-year wage freeze and begin contributing something toward their health plans. What makes the battle interesting is the way Mr. Christie is throwing the old chestnuts back at his critics.

The children will be the ones to suffer from your education cuts. "The real question is, who's for the kids, and who's for their raises? This isn't about the kids. Let's dispense with that portion of the argument. Don't let them tell you that ever again while they are reaching into your pockets."


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