Governor Christie is again desperately trying to divert attention from the fact that he broke the economy, broke his word and broke the law on the pension

Governor Christie is again desperately trying to divert attention from the fact that he broke the economy, broke his word and broke the law on the pension.

Chris Christie is a dishonest politician and a  liar. He broke promises to the working class, he is drowning in scandals like the George Washington Bridge and Pulaski Skyway Scandals, and he has been accused by the mayor of Hoboken for mob-like arm twisting for Hurricane Sandy funding. Now he pushes pension reform, battles with protesters in wake of new NJ budget all the while protecting New Jersey's mega-wealthy and huge corporations

By Matt Arco/NJ Advance Media, for NJ.com
on July 02, 2014

TRENTON — In years past, Gov. Chris Christie would sign a state budget and then enjoy a victory lap around New Jersey touting it to friendly audiences.

Not so Tuesday.

The Republican governor kept to his script, pitching the new spending plan and defending his decision to drastically reduce a payment to the public worker pension system and veto Democratic bills to raise taxes on millionaires and businesses on TV and at a town hall.

But Christie was met with jeers throughout the day. Angry teachers booed at him at a swearing-in ceremony for Paterson’s new mayor, and waves of protesters were escorted out of a town hall in Caldwell for objecting to the state budget and other issues.

The combative governor didn’t hold back at the town hall, calling those objecting to him "professional protesters" backed by unions and poking fun at them for reading their statements from iPhones.



Gov Chris Christie spars with additional protesters at Caldwell town hall
Gov Chris Christie spars with more protesters at Caldwell town hall that are angered by the governors line item veto tuition aid grants for undocumented students. (Video by William Perlman/The Star-Ledger)
In the midst of the tough day, Christie issued a warning to public employees who are in court over his decision to cut pension payments after signing a law in his first term promising increased contributions: Next up is a hard look at your health benefits.

"Let’s talk about some things that are unsustainable going forward," said Christie during a town hall at the Caldwell Community Center.

"Here’s one thing that Barack Obama and I agree on. (The president) looks at the New Jersey public health care plan for public workers and says it’s a ‘Cadillac plan,’" noting that under the Affordable Care Act, New Jersey would be fined if it didn’t make changes to public workers’ health care plans.

Saying New Jersey could "drive into bankruptcy," Christie said he would spend the summer pitching a yet-to-be-revealed plan to curtail public worker benefits. Unions vowed to continue their fight, saying Christie created his own budget mess by mismanaging the state economy and making bad revenue projections.

"Governor Christie is again desperately trying to divert attention from the fact that he broke the economy, broke his word and broke the law on the pension," said Hetty Rosenstein, New Jersey director of the Communications Workers of America."

At the town hall, Christie sparred with protesters, many of whom were ejected from the hall. Some were angered over his line item veto of tuition aid grants for undocumented students attending state schools.

"The governor is pandering to a presidential primary (audience) instead of the voters of New Jersey," said Giancarlo Tello, a youth program organizer for New Jersey Working Families Alliance, a left-leaning coalition of labor and community organizations. "Full equality means full equality."

Christie took aim at the protesters.

"After being governor for five years, having them yell and scream at me doesn’t bother me one damn bit," he said.

Later, after another group was led out, he said: "This is an example of why the education system in New Jersey is pretty good because he could actually read that whole thing."

Christie chided another town hall attendee, Donna Jackson, who was escorted out after she began shouting at the governor about the state’s education system in Newark. He told Jackson, president and founder of United Parent Network, not to make "a spectacle."

Hours earlier, Christie was booed by Paterson teachers as he swore in the city’s new mayor.

About five dozen public school teachers wearing bright red T-shirts gathered along a metal partition a few hundred feet from the stage where Christie swore in Mayor Jose "Joey" Torres. They jeered every time the governor’s name was mentioned.

"Christie’s gotta go!" they chanted. "Christie’s gotta go!"

The boos continued as the governor stepped to the podium to deliver the oath of office to Torres, a Democrat who won a third term despite not having the support of local party officials. Christie quickly said he wouldn’t be giving a speech.

"Liar!" the teachers yelled as he left the stage.

The state took over the Paterson school district in 1991. The protesting teachers said they have been working without a contract for four years and a the new contract their union is negotiating with Christie’s administration is unfair, leaving many without a raise for another three years. "We’re not being treated as professionals," said Ryan Cohen, a social studies teacher in the district. "And that’s the state of education in New Jersey."

Star-Ledger staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report.