Washington Examiner: Since assuming office, Chris Christie has been relentlessly hammering home the message that New Jersey’s state government, which is badly in the red, must live within its means. But he’s also not afraid to make the tough decisions either. Whereas the previous governor, Jon Corzine, struck a deal to prevent layoffs in the public sector at a time when private sector workers were unemployed in record numbers, here comes Christie taking on the public sector unions:
State government is on track to shed at least 1,200 jobs in January, Gov. Chris Christie said today.
“Whether it will grow beyond that, I don’t know,” he said at a Statehouse press conference. “That’s very much going to be dependent on what the revenue outlook looks like for the state.”
The job cuts include layoffs and attrition, spokesman Michael Drewniak said.
How much do you think unions are going to spend to take Christie out when he runs for reelection? Sky’s the limit, I bet.
This is the other side of the balance budget equation. For too long politicians only see the increase revenue (i.e. higher taxes) side of the equation. Chris Christie is looking at the cutting spending side.
I can already hear the left’s complaint that Christie will be adding to the unemployment rolls by cutting these jobs. This argument is flawed because public sector jobs are not like private sector jobs. Public sector jobs must be funded by the private sector and right now the private sector is struggling with high unemployment, foreclosures, job insecurity, high taxes and creeping inflation. Is it fair then to ask these folks who are under such economic assault to continue carrying the burden of public sector employment?
As our economy continues to struggle along, I think more and more people are going to start realizing that the time has come to unburden ourselves from the weight of big government.