No Jo I'm sure he put money in to pay his lawyers Not to pay it back?

"bottom-up"

Christie would be well served to refrain from pointing out 'bottom's - EWWW my eyes! lol

That is very insightful. Fat jokes are totally in right now, and very progressive

A sizable majority of Americans say their states are now having major budget problems, and they think spending cuts, not higher taxes, are the solution.
Most voters continue to oppose federal bailouts for financially troubled states. Voters aren’t thrilled with the idea of letting states declare bankruptcy, but they're more supportive if told government employees might have their pensions reduced in the process.

Seventy-eight percent (78%) of Americans say politicians’ unwillingness to reduce government spending is to blame for the budget crises in many states.
When it comes to the nation’s historic-level federal budget deficit, 70% of all voters think voters are more willing to make the hard choices needed to reduce government spending than elected politicians are.

Sixty-six percent (66%) of all voters nationwide favor a proposal to cut the federal payroll by 10% over the coming decade.

Sixty-eight percent (68%) of Americans think workers in the private sector work harder than government workers.

Christy would know about "sizable " majorities and "bottom-up" approaches. LOL....

Sorry safecracker, just because some polls say that voters think this or think that doesn't necessarily mean that the voters are right. I live in Texas, and our Republican politicians on the state level are not going to even think about trying to raise taxes to help cover a $27 billion shortfall. They want to cut everything to the bone, and let the county, city, and local gov'ts. do all of the tax raising, so they can claim they didn't raise taxes and balanced the budget. The real problem is, that unless unemployment plunges severely, and lots of new jobs are added, the shortfalls will only keep coming. This is not a one time deal, but our current Gov. and his lackeys don't care about the future, just the present and what he can do to make himself look good. They have over $9 billion in a "Rainy Day Fund", but do not want to touch it. What is a $27 billion shortfall, if not a "Rainy Day"? They will end up increasing the poverty rate on an almost exponential basis, and not care that we are going to become the very bottom of the education list as well as the number of people that are uninsured for healthcare. Yet they will cut the services for welfare, and COBRA, and unemployment. Explain to me how this will help the state economy, if you can. Increasing the unemployed, and poverty rates, does not bring prosperity.

Sixty-eight percent (68%) of Americans think workers in the private sector work harder than government workers.

As a government employee who is having the 'pleasure' of working alongside private contractors (private sector; awarded a no-bid contract), I would like the educate those 68% of Americans:

I officially work 40 hours of week, but unofficially it's upward of 60, and I know for a fact that none of my private sector counterparts are on-hand during the weekends. We get to work before they do each morning, and leave after they do each night. And while our private sector counterparts are busy Facebooking each other, each one of us in my department are actually working and pulling our weight, and have achieved recognition with several 'employee of the month' and 'department of the quarter' awards.

But you want to know what the funny thing is? Those 'hard-working' workers are making more money than we are and working less in return. So that '68% of Americans' can take their 'opinions' and shove it.

Christie said today (paraphrasing):"No more of this TWO-class society where you have the rich union folks on one side ~ and the hard-working Americans on the other".

What Governors Christie/former Lehman Bros-Kasich/Walker really mean is: "Do not mess with our top 2% income bracket because they can do as they please, and they want you give up your rights". The budget deficit is now their weapon of choice to deny the rest of us and our families decent wages and recourse to employer abuse.

Are we going to take orders/advice from friends of Wall street, whose crimes caused a million housing foreclosures and the near-collapse of our financial system? We know how to spell 'inequality'. We know what it means and the truth is our nation's teachers earn on average $30K a year.

I have not heard one person quote a source for all these polls that tell us what the American people think. Sound like the made up statistics that people always come up with to support their points. And even if these polls are accurate we all know that the majority of people in this country don't know what they're talking about. How many people in this country still think trickle down economics is an effective economic strategy.

Let's look at the details. It's called 'Zero based budgeting', where the task is defined and then the budget to do that task has to be justified, starting from Zero. It's an old concept, but very pertinent to todays bloated government spending policies, which just continue the failed policies of the past.

ConservativeRepublican-1854 "I officially work 40 hours of week, but unofficially it's upward of 60, and I know for a fact that none of my private sector counterparts are on-hand during the weekends."

You must be the exception. When I worked in the public sector for several years (a city), it was mostly 'look busy' work, where the department head's main concern was spending every penny of his budget so he would get more money next year. And at 5PM, there was a mass exodus out of the building, and half of the time was spent 'gabbing' about politics. I quit because I just got too bored.

haha...why would I want to insult you.... no matter how much you goad me, I ain't doing it lol...

@Please, just keep your hands away from Christy's mouth when he's eatin', that is if you want to keep all of your fingers.

@Please... another good one...

Must be after 5:00

@please.. funny, I actually did LOL.... gtg have a good night.

@please

Michelles lumberjack arms? It is obvious that as a true republican you don't have to be sensitive to others and are a proud insulter. Keep up the good work and continue to exemplify the republican ideology.

@ please

You were criticizing someone for insulting and in the same breath you inserted a petty insult yourself. That, dear "don't insult me", is the definition of hypocracy. But then, you wouldn't be a t-bagger if you knew the difference.

When are the wealthy going to join in our suffering?

Debbie, When are the wealthy going to join in our suffering?

Why?

"Can anyone actually disagree with that?"

I'm sure you meant..."anyone", outside of the confines of First Read?

In that case...no, dangerfield.

There are no concession to reality here.

I doubt that there'll ever be.

Let me answer that Debbie: Simply this thetotas: Not so long ago, we in American knew that there were times where it was important to SHARE sacrifice. World War 2 is a good example of that. People understood that taxes must be raised to afford that war, young people left schools in droves to enlist, and EVERY MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD bought War Bonds with every little extra cent they had. They gave up meat, new cars, new tires, sugar and butter, and used ration books. Large factories were re-tooled to make armaments, and the women went to work to build planes and ships. The end result? That generation, who knew sacrifice for the greater good benefits ALL beat the most evil menace of that day, and ended the Great Depression. Now? We hear that the sacrifice is only patriotic and right if it benefits the rich, that they, because they are rich are exempt from giving their all to this country in its time of need. That the rich must hold sway over the lower classes, and God help the middle class and working poor if they want to negotiate with their employer. Add to that, a Governor of a state is now threatening to fire those workers for going to the trough, pulling their forelocks as an act of obeisance and saying "Please sir, may I have, some crust that you won't feed to your dog" and then you ask WHY? You offend me to my soul.

Debbie, President Obama extended the Tax Credits, allowing all Americans the ability to reduce their tax bill. If you have issues with it, please call or write you President.

I'm certain that the working poor, or the poor are greatful, for they do not, as many speech of, pay taxes at all. And the middle class, whatever income level it is today, pay the majority of the freight.

Wouldn't it be nice for everyone to pay a flat percentage of their income to resolve the issue?

And New Day Dawning, you dawn went south with that explanation!

The problem is that we ALL want the services government provides, national security, defense, garbage pick up, snow removal, fire, police, education but for some strange notion, people think these things can be provided by cutting spending and reducing taxes. I do not doubt there are areas where government spending can be reduced without causing damage but some of what I have seen being cut will have far more expensive ramifications down the road. It is time to start looking at long term goals and not short term fixes.

As the population increases, so does the cost of providing services. This is a global world, a complex one with dangerous elements yet people are unwilling to acknowledge that protecting our country, educating our people and providing some sense of security and safety when we are too old to earn a living costs money. We cannot have it both ways. If we want to retain a quality of life, a sense of security and want a bright future, we have to be willing to invest in it collectively. That simple truth has been denied for too long. We are angry at deficit spending yet are unwilling to either pay slightly higher taxes or go without the services.

I was frustrated with former Pres Bush and the GOP for spending tax payer money without asking anyone to pay for it; the resulting massive debt is proof that you do not get something for nothing. In 2008, Bush had to deficit spend and when Pres Obama took office, the Government HAD TO continue to deficit spend to keep the country from falling apart and from a second Great Depression. I do not begrudge that spending but I do resent the unnecessary UNFUNDED spending by Bush and the GOP during the good years; for starting two wars without thought to paying the costs or asking for shared sacrifice.

Libbies can only attempt to discredit the man on size, not principal.

@safecracker: Too easy:

the size is so large

and the principals are virtually non-existent.

Really great response, Duh101, I enjoyed it, thanks for the chuckle!

@Duh,

well Duh, Duh. No question the man is large, but his principals apparently reach out to the voters who elected him.

Since I don't reside in NJ, I can't comment on the issues. But if you ever wish to discuss the Spending Party problems in CA, let me know.....

@ New Day, today I found "be a libbie for a day" to be difficult. How do you go through life so unlightened?

Unlightened? What would that be? Surely you don't mean unenlightened..if you do, I think you demonstrated that you are.

I didn't know you had a personal line into the governors office in NJ to find this information out.

Isn't this mainly speculation on your part AnaBanana from the Sacto area?

No. It was a fact this last winter! He was derelict in his duties as governor during the holidays. Can't have him act like that with the title of President. He doesn't have the dedication for running the country.

Wow, derelict in his duties........missed it, just what did he do/not do? Anything different from our Spending Party leaders in SAC?

Ana,

I guess you didn't see the same interview with Morning Joe as I did. The question was asked why he left and he explained it. Let me ask you, was there a disaster in NJ during that time. Answer is no. Was there and issue in NYC, the answer is yes. Noboday died due to the fact of the storm in NJ, people died in NYC. You're Disney arguement is pretty damn weak, so you want to attack the way he looks? Really? I'm sure you're the poster women for womens health eh? You can't come up with anything intellegent so you attack his appearance. You're awesome!!!!

That's why we are getting rid of Government Unions .

You know what's awesome there Lee? Walker said he was going to do what he's doing now and the people voted him in, so what do the Democrats do?? Run away like freaking cowards!! yeah, dude, be proud, be very proud that you belong to the Party of Cowards. I don't know what's worse, the Party of No or the Party of Cowards. Which one are you?

I feel your frustration Paul, but I think there is a Coward in the Heroe, for if not, we would have another word to call those who do heroic things. Right? I mean, we'd call our Heroes, "Frank" or "Booty-pooh-pooh" other than "Heroe" if not for those who we also call "Cowards".

I am teaching Sir Isaac Newton's ideology of and usefulness of Universal Mechanics--"For every action, there is an equal and or opposite reaction."

And so if you think like a Philosopher, you will see all sides of a pyramid, and not just the side facing your line of sight--a single dimension. Therefore, there is a Democrat in each Republican and visa-versa.

Ours is a messy Democracy. In times that are "interesting" we want it messy, because it brings out the necessity for argumentation--the essence of the very building blocks of a 1st Amendment put into motion is "discovering" what our moral imperatives are, from generation to generation.

An example: My parent's generation, pushed for big families and traditional values. My generation divorces and or has children out of wedlock and ushered in single parenting. The next generation from what I can see, is throwing the Old away and building the future extinction of mankind as electronics and toys that make lots of lights and things to fiddle with, (texting) are replacing the common sense needs of having people around to provide for the tangile necessities of life.

I laughed the other day, when (here in Texas) this little Ol' country gal said, "You don't have children--who will take care of you when you are old?" LOL And I said, "Honey, if you have kids, as an old age insurance policy...............................I demand my money back, since most kids today, aren't going to take care of their parents--they are too busy keeping up with the Hellish life, their parents will leave for them--a life of debt, joblessness and the land of few opportunities once called "Milk and Honey"."

Lawyers don't farm, rancher's kids want the big city and modern comforts of technology and carpentry is viewed as something convicts do for release programs. People want everything given to them, as that is what Mommy and Daddy "Child Obsessive" did to kids in the last 20-years. And so, kids today have NO value system nor concept of the value of money nor of themselves, as most don't have to work for anything. This is going to prove to be the final destruction of America, as diseases of inactivity will bankrupt the nation--obesity, heart disease and Diabetes will overtake cancer. But don't worry................cancer will revive as cell phones and laptop companies will the tomorrow's R. J Reynolds of product libelousness--radiotropics and Nicad battery emmissions will make brain cancers and bone cancers a close second behind heart disease.

Ahhh......................but those who live in blissful denial, will continue to think their children will take care of them in their golden years, while the best they can hope for, will be Alzheimer's at an early age--where each day, they forget a little more thanks to the radiation damages caused by years of cell phone obsession.

In other words..........................as long as we, the people are pitted against each other, the Money Gods will keep getting away with feeding us more and more McDonalds whilst we erect more and more Cell towers instead of creating more jobs dedicated to infrastructural necessities. And that aint a Democrat versus Republican ideology--it's a human thing.

@1Philospher: get real. If you do not have what you call the "Academicly Annointed" you do not get teachers, engineers, architects, doctors or many other professions. Your carpenters won't have anything to build, because they won't be designed. They will die, because there won't be any doctors. Their children will die, because there won't be any teachers and the children will run wild in the streets.

Perhaps you, and many in the Tea Party, are hoping to take back America, to the era of Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" or the life of poverty as it was in Dickens.

Try to think before you post, you would be amazed what happens when you do.