I will protect your pensions. Nothing about your pension is going to change when I am governor. - Chris Christie, "An Open Letter to the Teachers of NJ" October, 2009

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Still Running Against Corzine

Way over a year, Chris - time to let it go:
At NorthJersey.com, Washington correspondent Herb Jackson reports that Christie also criticized his predecessor, Jon Corzine. Christie accused Corzine of working against the taxpayers by getting too close to the unions. He cited a campaign rally where Corzine promised public sector workers that he would fight to get them a good contract. Christie called it unfair since Corzine would have to work against the taxpayers for these union contracts.
Corzine’s campaign promise convinced Christie that a taxpayer advocate must be involved in collective bargaining negotiations. He offered the statistic that while so many workers have not had a pay raise, the contracted salary increase for many New Jersey public sector workers this year was seven percent. Christie pledged different negotiations when contracts are renewed this year.
Who? Who got 7%? Anyone bother to ask him?

I find it hysterical that all of the wingnuts who criticized President Obama for daring to obliquely refer to GWB are now in love with a guy who continues to run against his predecessor until this very day.

And then there's this:
Christie has faced constant criticism in some quarters for his commentary against the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), the powerful statewide teachers union. The CourierPostOnline.com reports that Christie refuted Schieffer’s question about whether he “demonized” teachers by responding that “the teachers of New Jersey deserve a union as great as they are…and they don’t have it.”
Christie lamented that 104,000 students are stuck in failing schools, saying they deserve good teachers and school locations not determined by their zip codes. Christie accused the NJEA of being stuck in a mindset that all is fine, instead of recognizing their system “protects the worst of the worst” by “making it impossible to fire bad teachers.” Based on their merit, Christie said he would happily pay the best teachers more.
Devil's in the details, Guv. How much more?

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