Yesterday I fell for an overweight married man from New Jersey. Don’t judge– my new (unrequited) heartthrob is Governor Chris Christie, whom I heard speak at a Manhattan Institute event at the Plaza Hotel. Why this sudden infatuation? Because Christie is credible.

By Liz Peek – FOXNews.com

He lands on the third rail about every sixth sentence, and makes no apologies. I’m not the only one drawn in, needless to say. In New Jersey, where Democrats vastly outnumber Republicans, voters are backing Governor Christie even while he is doing the unthinkable – telling the truth about the mess his state is in, and trying to fix it. A poll by Fairleigh Dickinson released yesterday showed that 48% of non-public employee households approve of the job he is doing, while only 36% disapprove. Of course, not all New Jerseyans are excited about Christie’s message. Those residents whose livelihoods are threatened by the outspoken guv – who are on state or local payrolls

— are not so charitable. They disapprove of their state’s highest ranking official 58% to 33%. And there we have, folks, the divide that is growing across the country.

Christie’s talking points are powerful. New Jersey residents pay the highest property taxes in the country. State spending, had former Governor Corzine’s budget been instituted, would have increased 16% per year for the past twenty years. (Mr. Christie really should repeat that one.) When Christie arrived, he faced a stated budget deficit of $10.9 billion on a budget of $29.3 billion; the figures were even worse than they appeared since the prior administration overstated revenues. In the past ten years municipal spending increased 69%, while property taxes rose 70%. As Christie says, “At some point people’s ability to pay runs out,” which is why he recently vetoed a “millionaire’s tax” within minutes of its passage in the state legislature.

FULL STORY

Help Make A Difference By Sharing These Articles On Facebook, Twitter And Elsewhere:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•