(I hasten to add, Your Majesty, because I know you frequently read these distininguished columns, that the opening phrase in my title above is merely a play on an Americanism and should not be taken literally, particularly should you be considering me for a Knighthood - or better still, a Baronetcy with a seat in the Lords because it pays better. I remain, Ma'am, an ardent Royalist and your devoted servant.)
Right, having cleared my decks, so to speak, let us return 'over there' and consider Christie, er, that's Governor Chris Christie of 'Noo Joisy', he of the bridgeworks problem and I don't mean dentistry! I regret to say that I am speaking from memory so you don't need a bigger warning, but one of my American heroes is Mr. Emmett Tyrrell who started The American Spectator, and I seem to recall him a few months back urging the GOP leadership to back Gov. Christie for a presidential run against either 'HillBilly' or who-ever the Dems choose. I was surprised because whilst some three years ago I, too, waxed rather lyrical about the Governor his actions since then, particularly his 'love-in' with Obama after the hurricane damage episode, gave me pause to doubt.
Today, Breitbart.com has an analysis, not of what he has said over the years, but of what he has actually done. 'Nottalot' seems to be the conclusion! George Mason University's Mercatus Center has issued a report in which it has analysed the standards of economic solvency on the States of the Union. 'Noo Joisy' finished bottom!
The study finds that New Jersey is in the worst financial state of any state in the union generally, while also being the worst in budget and long-run solvency. New Jersey's highest ranking on any list, #39, is for service-level solvency, though the statistics used for this study predate the spike in service needs after Hurricane Sandy. It also has the worst per-capita budget deficit in the nation.
Of course, on entering the Governor's mansion he was handed a particulary large shit sandwich by his predecessor who, like his predecessors, has spent money like a drunken sailor. Even so, an intelligent man like Christie would not have been the least surprised and one would have expected him to have a plan of action. Apparently not:
Christie has repeatedly highlighted the fact that New Jersey is the largest donor state of taxes in the country-- paying far more than it receives in federal tax funding--but has done little to change this pattern. On the contrary, the tax burden on the average New Jersey family has increased 18.6% under Christie. That is not to say that Christie is exclusively responsible for the dire economic situation in the state--Governor Jon Corzine shut down the government because the legislature refused to pay taxes-- but nothing seems to have improved since Christie's time in office[my emphasis], despite Christie running a campaign based in large part on economic recovery. Under his tenure, 25% of New Jersey's youth are moving back in with their parents and rampant crime is overtaking urban centers like Newark and Camden.
Now I must respectfully ask my hero Mr. Tyrrell if, over three years Christie has proved incapable of reversing the mad spending of a previous Democrat governor, what chance do we give him to reverse any of the lunatic spending indulged by a socialist president? No chance, is my reply!
