TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie recounted what he considers his fiscal accomplishments to a packed house at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School this afternoon, touching on the 2 percent property tax cap, cutting every government department in his budget, and rejecting the millionaire's tax. Christie repeated throughout the speech his ability to say "no," referencing a New York Magazine...
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A file photo of Gov. Chris Christie during a press conference at the Statehouse.TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie recounted what he considers his fiscal accomplishments to a packed house at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School this afternoon, touching on the 2 percent property tax cap, cutting every government department in his budget, and rejecting the millionaire's tax.
Christie repeated throughout the speech his ability to say "no," referencing a New York Magazine article entitled "The Answer is No," and a New York Times Magazine profile calling him "The Disruptor."
Christie also touted growth in private sector jobs, and reduction in public sector jobs, which he suggested would continue.
"We have more public employees per capita than any state in America," Christie said. "So while we're declining and shrinking the size of government, we still have more work to do."
The millionaire's tax would affect small businesses at a time when the state is trying to lower the unemployment rate, he said.
"At a time when we're trying to take our unemployment down below 9 percent, the idea of putting an additional tax on those folks is, to me, completely illogical and is only going to be done if you don't have the courage to reduce the size of government," Christie said.
Despite his hard-line approach and emphasis on saying no and slashing, Christie listed a host of areas he will not cut.
"We will protect the most unfortunate, we will have a safety net for those who need to use it," he said. "We will not cut charity care to hospitals. We will not cut money to families who are dealing with children with autism. We will not cut back on healthcare for the poor."
Former Gov. Brendan Byrne attended the speech, and Christie referenced the Democratic governor several times in his speech. He said while many compare his election to former Gov. Tom Kean's in 1981, he feels his election was similar to Byrne's in 1973.
In both cases, New Jerseyans were "adrift with a lack of leadership, questioning the ethics of their public officials," and questioning spending decisions, he said.
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