Gov. Chris Christie on New Jersey union and school reform

[jpzxcvbnm]

Public education sucks. Get rid of the department of education. Have private school vouchers and support charter schools.

[paulnadra]

This man is very dangerous, he wants to destroy public education

[ledzelda9]

@paulnadra i'm sorry, i hope ur kidding, hes fixing nj and what has become of its economy, blame the unions for teacher cuts, he warned them that if teachers couldn't agree to a $2 (or about that I forget the actual digit) pay cut in their salary, he would need to cut, and unions, being the worthless shit they are, refused to agree, he's spot on btw, if all teachers were good, unions wouldnt b necessary, unions keep in crap teachers, he's fixing this state

[paulnadra]

@ledzelda9 Nope, I am not kidding. He is going out of his way to destroy the school system and coddle the very wealthy in this state. If we had no unions (what you call shit) the teachers would be making Walmart type of salaries. I don't think that would lure good people into the teaching profession.

Would you take a 2% cut in your salary?

[ledzelda9]

@paulnadra read better, i said $2, he's fixing the economy because unlike so many idiots, he knows u cant spend what u dont have, $2 paycut, 1 year salary freeze, (which doesnt mean u dont get paid it means it doesnt increase from the last year) would help to save a ton of money, unions are shit, if teachers were good, they wouldnt need to be in unions, all unions do is make trouble. they certainly wouldnt have walmart salaries, which im guessing is minimum wage, like i said, look this stuff up

[paulnadra]

@ledzelda9 Research better, it was a 2% percent cut in benefits (NOT $2) and a freeze in salary. I never said that you don't get paid, what I said is that would you take a cut in your salary or benefits. Your English and facts are atrocious. Walmart workers make $7.50 an hour with little benefits, So I will ask you (not the word U by the way) again. If you pay the teachers crap, do you thing you will get good ones?

[ledzelda9]

@paulnadra so i mistook, $2 with %2, the point is i did my research, and yes i would take a salary freeze for a year if it meant helping to get out of the economic crisis, and about my spelling, its actually fine, thats how people type on the internet, so if thats all u have against me, go for it, btw, my facts, (except for $ and %) which is an honest mistake, are spot on, i dont see where ur getting this idea that because there arent unions teachers salaries r gonna go down to nothing...

[ledzelda9]

@paulnadra if the unions were just around to help teachers out, then thats fine, but they are stepping all over everyone else, they refuse to make sacrifices in this crisis like everyone must, the pay freeze is absolutely fair, the salaries were going up disproportionately to the increase in inflation, maybe if u did more research based on fact, ud understand, if a good ass teacher is brought in, and the cuts are being made, the good teacher will be fired first

[ledzelda9]

@paulnadra and yes, if i could pay %2 of my salary to fix the economy, or to at least make good progress towards that, i sure as hell would, what you dont seem to understand is that when u dont have money, yes "U", u cant spend it, and nj doesnt have any money, so what christie is doing is he's cutting uneccessary spending, which wasnt to kill teachers salaries, just to spend what is neccessary, the unions wont budge and thats y the teachers needed to be cut

[gumball3D]

NJ has one of the best education systems in the country

[gumball3D]

NJ as a state is at the top or near the top in terms of sending students to college.

[gumball3D]

There's always gonna be failing schools. This isn't utopia.

[david52875]

@gumball3D But when spending increases exponentially and schools don't improve, don't you think theres a problem?

[gumball3D]

This guy would screw us over BIG TIME if he became president.

[gumball3D]

@smahty, couldn't agree more

[smahty]

NJ is at the top of all achievement lists in education, but Christie persists in referring to "our failing schools." I suppose his years as a registered lobbyist

[atchisrj1]

I love his sense of humor.

[TheTypicalGirl]

Leftism is impervious to reality. Whether something works or not doesn't matter. All leftists care about is that you remain committed to the appropriate ideal. If the ideal is incompatible with nature, it matters not.

[rfky845]

I want to see the factual data that says NJ spends 18,000 per student. Another Christie lie in a long line of them that these stupid sheep keep eating up. How about you watch this gov and tell us how the teacher is supposed to fix this?

[biggerturtle]

@rfky845 Teachers unions are full of incompetent scum Time to wash out the scum GO CHRISTIE

[richardmorrison78]

@biggerturtle So are you saying that my mother and grandmother that spend countless hours inside and outside of the classroom teaching student with a salary of less than 40,000 dollars / year are scum?! Think before you talk please. Teachers Unions aren't the problem It's the Union leaders with the corrupt political ties.

[biggerturtle]

@richardmorrison78 I've had teachers in my family also. I agree with you for the most part; it is the corruption within the union "system" perpertrated by union bosses with their own agenda where the problems primarily lie. I believe good teachers should be paid as much as lawyers and doctors and merit combined with a free market approach should dictate salaries, promotions firing, etc. An example of unionas irrationality happened recently in Millwaukee; the teacher of the year was fired

[biggerturtle]

@richardmorrison78 instead of incompetent older teachers with seniority because of union contracts. In New York, 4,000 inept teachers are still being fully paid even though they don't teach or work because union contracts make it virtually impossible to fire a bad teacher. The same is true in California etc. thanks to the NEA.. The teachers in your family who sound dedicated and good at their job should be paid MORE;

Those in in your particular district who are no good should be fired.

[biggerturtle]

@richardmorrison78 "unionas" should read "unions' "

[ledzelda9]

@biggerturtle in order to fix nj's shit economy caused by past liberal leaders, christie bargained with teachers unions saying if they took an approximately $2 pay cut which could have fixed it but they refused and he followed up on the warning of cutting teachers, who are, as he says, shit in some cases

[GuitarStringSnap]

I hope Christie becomes president. Not because I think he would do a good job - I think he would be an atrocious president, but I would really like him to get the fuck out of New Jersey and stop ruining my education so directly. He may hide behind this smokescreen of pretending to be for the children, but the fact of the matter is that he's allocating funds to charter schools, sucking school districts dry, and redirecting our education problems in another direction.

[circusmaximus10]

@GuitarStringSnap You don't even pay taxes or vote so STFU punk

[GuitarStringSnap]

@circusmaximus10 I can't even handle the irony. Someone as foolish as YOU can vote, yet I can't.

[circusmaximus10]

@GuitarStringSnap My taxes have fueled your "education"...omg how tragic

[GuitarStringSnap]

@circusmaximus10 As have my parents and every other taxpayer in the state. Please remove your head from your ass and enjoy being blocked after having posted on my profile.

[circusmaximus10]

@GuitarStringSnap Lol...kid...tell your mommy that she missed roe v wade...

[TheTypicalGirl]

@GuitarStringSnap Are Charter schools outperforming public schools? If so, why shouldn't they get more money? Why do your leftist ideals marry you to things that don't work?

[GuitarStringSnap]

@TheTypicalGirl Charter schools "outperform" public schools because Charter schools have a choice of who they educate. They're not admitting the disabled child who costs an extra $15,000 to educate, nor are they admitting the child who needs something explained a few extra times. Charter schools, although not necessarily all "bad", siphon money from school districts because they don't save school districts money when pupils are coming from all over an area, and a school can't eliminate a class.

[DillonDee1]

You listen to Christi for a while & you'll think New Jersey has the worst educational system in the nation...but actually New Jersey is one of the better educated states w/ a high % of college graduates (about 34%).

Christi just wants to cut the poor & middle class & get more to the rich in the state.

[circusmaximus10]

@DillonDee1 Maybe he is trying to cut out the free lifetime benefits these leeches get

[DillonDee1]

@circusmaximus10 -- is Christi gonna waive any retirement funds resulting from his term as governor?

[circusmaximus10]

@DillonDee1 After he cuts the ones teachers and cops get

[DillonDee1]

@circusmaximus10 -- why doesn' Christi tske a cut himself simultaneously with those of others?

[circusmaximus10]

@DillonDee1 After the cops & teachers give up their BIG lifetime benefits

[TheTypicalGirl]

@DillonDee1 Probably because there's only one governor and NJ is billions in debt. Does he earn billions? Your demand is superficial.

[megalife21]

Benefits? Within reason. Tell Chris Christie, possibly many other governors, congressmen, and senators making $175,000 per year to make sacrifices and take a cut. They can afford to pay for their own health care and retirement. Its always the middle class and the little guy that gets screwed. Don't vote for the greedy sellout lawyer based 2 party system. Vote independent!

[KnowingTheFuture]

Go Governor Christie!

[megalife21]

See our new talk shows and learn the real hard-hitting truth that Washington and your state will not tell you.

[megalife21]

Hey Christie, why don't you and your rich buddies take a big pay cut and make sacrifices! Cutting taxes from the rich never created jobs in America. Giving all the breaks to the middle class and small businesses was and will be the backbone of a very strong U.S. economy.

[circusmaximus10]

@megalife21 So you are ok with all the free benefits unions get

[megalife21]

School reform, basic skills, high grades, successful? Give me a break, conservatives are in bed with corporate elitists who pay no taxes, that outsource almost all of our jobs. They is no opportunity for success, there are no real jobs with a future, its a big conservative lie. U.S. jobs are in India and mainland China. RepubliCONS blame unions all the time, but if it was not for unions we all would be busting our ass for a lousy minimum wage with no benefits, if we are lucky.

[introduire]

Oh, I see you are a suck up to Christie because you're on either his payroll, your company just got a loophole or you're a lobbyst that has just been handed the key to raid the state finances, which one is it, Suck up? And, don't play the innonent game like you don't have an ax to grind here. And, there were many state roads that did not get cleaned during the storm;a state road is not a driveway! And, we're talking about NJ here, Who's the governor, Obama or Christie? Who was in Disneyland?

[introduire]

OK, CHRISTIE: BUT MAKE SURE THAT YOU CAN CLEAN UP THE SNOW IN NJ. AND LEADERS DON'T ESCAPE TO DISNEY WORLD WHEN THE STATE IS GOING THROUGH A SNOW STORM! TALK ABOUT THAT TOO, CHRISTIE!

[2012vote]

@introduire Suck it up and stop whining. The streets got cleaned he did not need to be there for that. Christie is trying to solve a real problem he is not worried about your driveway. A guy tried to blow up a plane and the man in charge of American counter terrorism stayed on the ski slopes for several days after the attacked Obama stayed in Hawaii

[Jollycoolwater]

All you morons need to know that we live in a Capitalist country where people are encouraged to create businesses and reap the profit for their hard work. All you lazy ass welfare recipient who believe that it's unfair then pack your bags and move to North Korea where everyone is equally starving. Where socialism is at its best.

[oldmunger]

Of course I'm Voting Republican,

Billionaires need tax cuts.

[oldmunger]

“As people do better financially, they start voting Republican, unless they have too much education and vote Democrat, which proves there can be too much of a good thing.” ~ Karl Rove

[republigun1]

Yes, cut taxes for the wealthy and cut spending on education!

Just look at all the jobs those tax cuts for the rich have created since Bush instituted them.

Pure Genius!

[VOTETHEDUMMYOUT]

@republigun1 Oh yes lets raise taxes on the "RICH" so we can throw more money at education it's work so well so far. We are what rank 33 in the world.

Pure Genius!

[leestauf]

My God! I love this guy! If I weren't completly straight I would think I had a man crush on him. Can you imagine him running the country instead of the fool that is sitting in the white house right now?

[InformingChristians]

Pull your children out and home school them.

Debra...

Home School Mom, Turned Right Wing Christian Activist

Journalist at "Informing Christians"

[oldmunger]

How do you convince the ignorant to vote against their own self interest?

In Texas, where barely two-thirds of the population have full health insurance and over a fifth of all children have no cover at all, opposition to healthcare reform legislation is at 87%. Frightening...

[swh114]

@oldmunger ... ignorant? perhaps they are the smartest in the nation and realize that it's government involvement that has created the current HC environment and Obamacare is doubling down. It's like trying to cure a cold with the flu.

[irishmermaid4]

Break the backs of these goddamn unions!!! They are strangling our country! Worse, they are destroying the minds of our precious generations.

[janses08]

18,000 per student in new jersey? holy crap. How idiotic is this that america spends more money on their students, yet were arent even in the top 10 in the world in education.

[762lenny]

Schools fail because the teachers don't teach the basics - they are bent on giving lectures on how bad America is and how they don't give a damn.

[NouCrazyBitches]

Teacher Unions deserve to get huge WAGE CUTS... It's your fault for putting rise of unemployment!!!

[pwoznic]

The NJEA needs to be annihilated by ANY MEANS NECESSARY!

[jalokia]

fact,weve lived with taxcuts for the rich for ever and lost jobs.fat cats arent creating jobs with the extra money dubya gave em

[CitizenOfTheRepublic]

@jalokia your grammer/spelling must prove you are a NJ teacher.

[StarWarzFreak92]

@jalokia Especially if you look at the second-longest consecutive era of growth in the nation's history starting in 2001.

[Reggid123]

@jalokia it did, it was at 4.7 unemployment in 06 before the dems took over congress, the real cause of the crisis is Fannie mae and freddie mac with sub-prime lending and Acorn took part of the crisis by pressuring banks to give out "risky" loans. I've seen videos of it.

[flukeumup]

IM a Carolina guy and I love Christi. America needs a guy like this to be president.

[oldmunger]

Tea-Baggers, are American protesters with little to no understanding of sexual slang. They came out in droves in 2009, opposing government-run health care, higher taxes, current fashion trends, bailouts, shirts with sleeves, and all logical thought.

[Fitzcard]

@oldmunger I thought they were the libertarian wing of the conservative ideology. The paleo-cons, to the neo con GOP/Blue dogs. Though if sexually devoid lunatics is what you say they are, it must be true.

[WmFrench1]

@oldmunger Do you or the other liberals here have any facts to bring, or will you just spew the usual garbage to make yourselves feel smart? None of you has ever done anything to make any small part of the world a little better, but you have a great deal of just plain stupid crap to say about people who are trying to improve things.

[alwayssunnyinNJ]

I'm in my senior year of high school in NJ. In my AP Literature class, I must now buy my own novels instead of having the school provide them. My former history teacher had to switch to teaching "TV Production" to save another teacher's job. Also you can't just blame teachers for failing students. The fact that a lot of people refuse to believe is that some students just cannot be helped. If their parents don't push them to do their homework or achieve good grades, there will not be any results.

[oldmunger]

Christie can't even control his own caloric intake and you folks want him to run for President?

Comical.

[DJKeebler808]

Jeb Bush put this event together so that should tell you a lot. Any relative or associate of one of the most corrupt families in America cannot be trusted. 

[vanzorge]

thank you gov christie!!!!!!!!!!

[Ron01104]

"We're shining a bright shining light on what the unions stand for."

[crescentcristy]

Asian wives waiting  # lushfmlk.info #

[Pattycakessmiles]

WHO ELSE but teachers have a contract that says they they may fail at every standard, but may not be fired???? Are we crazy to allow this for our kids?

[Micheleeroo]

thank goodness word is getting out about how badly public employee unions are ripping off the public, while the public is getting laid off, cut back, etc and expected to pay for easy street for teachers. No more. The jig is up. It's NOT all about you, NEA.

[gutsyt123]

Sorry New Jersey, but we want him for President 2012! You can't have him all to yourself!

[xxxxxxxpimptaddyone]

damn, Christie is tougher than chuck norris........

[oldmunger]

What do Republicans know about education?

The states that ranked the lowest for high school and college graduates were all red states. Eight out of 10 of the states that ranked the highest for high school college graduates were blue states.

Is this too much truth for you?

Oh well, go back to watching the ex-alcoholic, former drive time DJ, nut-case, Mormon Glenn Beck, he'll tell you what to think.

[XxUrSoLoStxX]

@oldmunger I bet you're the type of person who thinks money is the solution to all problems. This country use to be the highest ranked in education and now have fallen to 18th. How many years and how much money has been thrown at education with no results. So tell us, since you know more,what's your solution?

[hiway280z]

@oldmunger

Well you keep on drinking the kool aid. This is about educating kids which they have not done for years not about dems and repubs. I would think all people would like to see children get a good education.

[Cyrus255]

@oldmunger Education is not always an indicator of success or happiness. Most yankees I've met are unhappy, on depression medication, and general losers.

You forget, higher graduation rates and even higher per capita doesn't always mean a better style of living. $40k in materialistic yankeeland is still poverty, a closet-sized apartment, grumpy unfriendly neighbors, high taxes, etc.

In Texas it means a giant house with a big yard, happy families, and relaxed living.

[Cyrus255]

@oldmunger You forget many conservatives, myself included didn't much like the idea of going to a liberal university for 4 years, where they force you to take classes about subjects UNRELATED to your field. Like Geology. I mean WTF, business degree and they want me to study rocks

So of course I dropped out and started my own successful business. Which employs ppl twice my age w/degrees who never learned how to think for themselves.

Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Oprah, etc. All have no degrees.

[Pro3110]

@Cyrus255

Amen to that!!! I'm currently going to a fully accredited community college where the nursing program exceeds that of my (nearby) university's program. The nurses are more highly sought after and my school has a higher % of licensure than the university's students have. Additionally, I don't have to put up with the level of indoctrination of liberal universities and I get to pay much less for a better education.

[bsg1206]

He'd make an excellent president.

[republigun1]

@oldmunger Great post. Why does Conservatives hate facts?

[blacktalon12]

GO CHRIS CHRISTIE!

[oldmunger]

Who funds the EAG Foundation? Any guesses?

[oldmunger]

At least the kids in Jersey aren't as dumb as the kids in Texas....

A recent study by The National Center for Science Education gives Texas and just four other states a failing grade when it comes to educating science students about evolution, a foundational concept in the biological sciences. Go GOP!

[munseym]

@oldmunger Half of the jobs created in 2010 in the United States were in Texas.

[TedVoron]

Great speech!

[donke7171]

please run Chris 2010...please??????

[HiramPMaxim]

I have neither seen nor heard anybody about who more people are saying, "this person should be President."

They are right.

[ABGrhino]

Gov. Chris Christie for president

[duvexy]

We must transform the schools. They teach to brainwash, mislead and to breed resentment of their fellow citizens.

[xxxxxxxpimptaddyone]

no liberal can stand toe to toe with this man ......christie shoots fire from his mouth and laser beams from his eyes.....he consumes liberals with his fire breath and kills union scum.

Chris Christie is america's governor

[swh114]

@xxxxxxxpimptaddyone

Would love to see a debate between Christie and Obama. Obama is a great Orator, but he speak in platitudes and never really actually says much. The contrast would be startling and Obama would come off looking like an empty suit.

[jercommm]

@swh114 Obama is an empty suit which matches the inside of his head.

[CARDUELIS999]

@swh114 I don't wan't to get into an argument. But "Obama is a great orator"? Please, anyone, quote from memory a single sentence he's spoken.  (Not ironically.)

[Jermybug]

@CARDUELIS999 How about "Change you can believe in"? I don't know what he meant because he speaks in suck vague generalizations, but I know he said it.

[CARDUELIS999]

@Jermybug Herbert Hoover famously said, "Prosperity is just around the corner."

[swh114]

@CARDUELIS999 ...you are I are not arguing. I dislike Obama, but you cannot deny that he is a masterful speech giver. He is however, absolutely terrible when he has to speak extemporaneously. He seems to recycle the same 5 talking points and speak for 13 minutes when a 30 second response would do. That is why Christie would clean his clock. Obama would talk in circles and Christie would break it down decisively and clearly in 10 words.

[CARDUELIS999]

@swh114 I think that the defintion of a great orator is a man who verbally presents compelling ideas in a compelling way. So, it's not the way Obama delivers a speech, it's the emptiness underneath the flourish with which I take issue. Cheers.

[atchisrj1]

@swh114 I would also like to see Ron Paul debate Obama. But, either way would be great to see.

[adm1ackbar]

UNIONS DESTROY ECONOMIES!!! we need a president to take on the unions!!!! limited government, no more spending, lower taxes, free market, free health care, get the government out of our lives!!!

[Mark5610]

We need this guy in the White House!

[onceuponamidnightdry]

The NEA and AFT are led by criminals who should all be in jail.

[yakyakyak69]

"Progressive" Collectivism & Fiat Debt-Currency are destroying America.

Watch: "Money as Debt" here on YouTube

[leestauf]

Public employee unions must be disbanded and declared illegal. Move to Russia if you want socialism.

[TTURedRaidr]

The problem IS the Unions, poor teachers who are in the wrong profession and the home life of 80% of Black Americans is extremely negligent. It's a recipe for disaster.

[Nincumpoopie]

God bless Chirs Chritie.... and please watch his back

Oh and FUCK all Unions!

[bydesign001]

I have similar conversations with 2 friends who are school teachers. The moment I mention their union, they become nasty. Both acknowledge our children are being denied a quality education yet both refuse to admit that the unions are the problem. Both swear they are making a difference, yet their response is "I'm not giving up my union for anything." They choose the union, two cars, three 50 inch hdtvs, lifestyles and benefits over America's children and both overuse every year their sick days.

[bydesign001]

I understand that Mario Cuomo has been back and forth with Chris Christie. I pray that this is one of the subjects they're going back and forth on. Just like New Jersey needs Chris Christie and so does Mario Cuomo AND New York.