Your Vocabulary Lesson for the Day

   

    Once again, Gov. Chris Christie appeared on national television to spread his idiosyncratic version of history.  Appearing in an interview on ABC with Diane Sawyer, he said, 

    "I believe the teachers in New Jersey in the main are wonderful public servants that care deeply. But their union, their union are a group of political thugs." 

     He said the New Jersey Education Association refused to negotiate on a salary freeze last year. 

"They should have taken the salary freeze. They didn't and now, you know, we had to lay teachers off."

"They chose to continue to get their salary increases rather than be part of the shared sacrifice," he said.

     Dismissing objections to his blunt talk, Christie said, 

"We're from New Jersey and when you're from New Jersey, what that means is you give as good as you get."

    Christie is also suggesting a dramatic change in the state's tenure program, forcing tenured teachers to undergo a yearly review and face removal from tenure if they're found to be ineffective.
    thug   [thuhg] –noun

1. a cruel or vicious ruffian, robber, or murderer

    But here is what the Newark Star Ledger has to say about Christie's remarks:

     When Christie told ABC TV’s Diane Sawyer, in an interview aired Wednesday night that New Jersey teachers “should have taken a salary freeze. They didn’t, and, you know, we had to lay teachers off,” it’s incorrect.

And he knows it.

     Even if all school districts had agreed to freeze pay and contribute 1.5 percent of salary toward health premiums, it would have covered only 22 percent of Christie’s proposed education cuts. 

    Christie still would have had to cover $849 million in cuts, according to a report by the non-partisan Office of Legislative Services.

    In other words, even if the unions had caved, thousands of teachers still would have lost their jobs — 

which is why the New Jersey Education Association advised local unions against accepting the freeze.

bul·ly-    [bool-ee]noun, plural -lies, verb, -lied, -ly·ing, adjective, interjection–noun

1. a blustering, quarrelsome, overbearing person who habitually badgers and intimidates smaller or weaker people.

Double Standard for Double Dipping?

 Joe DiVincenzo, Jr, and Gov. Christie,
perhaps discussing other ways to say one thing and do another.
Laughing all the way to the bank, at the tax payers' expense.

    

 At the end of March, a story broke in New Jersey which reported that Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr., a Democrate, had quietly been collecting a monthly $5,738 pension since August, 2010 — on top of his $153,207 annual pay. Even as he worked with Gov. Christie to push for pension reform, claiming that the state was broke.

A look at Christie'ss first year in office shows that has cozied up to politicians who don’t always practice what he preaches. Although he attacks teachers, cops and bureaucrats for various abuses, he goes silent when his allies are caught in their own controversies — especially Democrats whose help he needs on New Jersey’s political battlefield.

   Christie has worked closely with DiVincenzo on rolling back pension benefits. Earlier this year, the county executive said, “The bank is broken, and the time has come to put everything on the table.”

  DiVincenzo’s nonretirement retirement let him tack a $68,862 annual pension to his $153,207 salary, and public employee unions called him a hypocrite.

   DiVincenzo said he did nothing wrong, adding he’s only trying to take care of his family. He said he’s following a law that lets public employees retire while still holding elected office as long as they previously held a different public job.

  As a candidate for governor, Chris Christie promised to stop public employees from double-dipping in the salary and pension punch bowl.

   Among the "88 Ways Chris Christie Will Fix New Jersey" on his campaign website were No. 23, 

      "I will fully eliminate dual officeholding by our state's elected officials by proposing immediate changes to state law," and 

   No. 24, "I will ban the practice of dual public employment, whereby one person holds a full-time government job while also holding a salaried, elected position."




Update:  On March 4, Gov. Christie was asked about DiVincenzo's situation and offered his criticism:

"I made this really clear. I think it's wrong," he said. "And it's not just for him. It's wrong for all the other people who are doing it."

Come On Up for the Rising-- Once Again Christie Misses Springsteen's Point

   






   Below please find a letter that appeared in the Asbury Park Press recently:

Letter to the Editor

Thank you for your March 27 front-page story by Michael Symons, "As Poverty Rises, Cuts Target Aid." The article is one of the few that highlights the contradictions between a policy of large tax cuts, on the one hand, and cuts in services to those in the most dire conditions, on the other

Also, you've shone some light on anti-poverty workers and analysts such as Adele LaTourette, Meara Nigro, Cecilia Zalkind and Raymond Castro, among others, all of whom have something important to add to the discussion: real information and actual facts about what is happening below the poverty line.

These are voices that in our current climate are having a hard time being heard, not just in New Jersey, but nationally. Finally, your article shows that the cuts are eating away at the lower edges of the middle class, not just those already classified as in poverty, and are likely to continue to get worse over the next few years. I'm always glad to see my hometown newspaper covering these issues.

Bruce Springsteen

COLTS NECK [New Jersey]

Original Springsteen Letter

The article that prompted his letter:

As Poverty Rises, NJ Cuts Target Aid

see also  Mr. Big Thing

Big Things, or BIG LIES?

Court Clerk:    "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

Gov. Christie:  "I call 'em as I see 'em.  Ain't that the truth?"

Today the New York Times published an article with the headline Christie’s Talk Is Blunt, but Not Always Straight .

   I'll quote from that article shortly, but before I do, I should add that its author, Richar Perez -Pena, is not the first, nor the only, journalist who has wondered about Mr. Christie's casual relationship with the truth. The closer one looks at Chritie's statements AND the measured responses of those who were in a position to know more of the facts in each situation, the more obvious it seems that the Gov doesn't hesitate to spin any story or act towards a favorable reflection on his behavior or decisions.

Consider these examples:

The Snowstorm and Acting Governor Sweeney

   And in December, Mr. Christie was at Disney World during a blizzard that paralyzed the state. He refused to apologize, saying he had kept in touch with the acting governor, Mr. Sweeney — but Mr. Sweeney said they never spoke.

State Workers Don't Pay for Benefits

“two types, those who receive benefits and those who pay for them.”

Don't state employees pay taxes too?

New York Times Magazine Profile

Recently the New York Times Magazine published a lengthy profile of Mr. Christie. What was particularly telling was that the article generated over one thousand published comments from readers, so feeling it was too laudatory while others felt it was an attack on the Governor. But these comments also amplify the facts behind some of his assertions:

Comment Highlights from NYTimes Magazine Profile

   This article elicited well over 1000 comments from readers, some feeling it was a puff piece, laudatory of the Governor, while others thought it was a hatchet job.  But what was particularly enlightening were the thoughtful remarks by individuals who had actual firsthand knowledge of many of the events in question.

Then there is a similar article from a New Jersey journalist, also questionning several of Christie's budget cutting claims:

Twisting the Budget Figures and other Facts

Much of the $11 BILLION BUDGET gap Christie closed was done by skipping a $3.1 billion pension payment.

Christie also reduced tax relief. Property tax rebates were cut by 75 percent in fiscal year 2011, meaning that ultimately, homeowners had a higher tax bill.

CHRISTIE: State workers got a 7 percent salary increase this year.

THE FACTS: They did in July 2010. But that's because they deferred for 18 months a 3.5 percent raise in 2009 as part of a deal with former Gov. Jon Corzine that guaranteed no layoffs. The 7 percent Christie cites combines the 3.5 percent raises over two years.

CHRISTIE: Says he increased K-12 aid by 3 percent the 2012 budget, or $250 million.

THE FACTS: That's true. What he doesn't mention is that he cut education funding by $820 million in the 2011 budget year, which ends in June. So by comparison, the state spent $8.5 billion in direct school aid in the 2010 budget year ($1 billion was federal stimulus money). It spent $7.9 billion in 2011. Christie proposes spending $8.1 billion in 2012. So spending is up, but not at the same level as before he took office, when federal money was available.




Now here is how the NYTimes article referenced above begins:

New Jersey’s public-sector unions routinely pressure the State Legislature to give them what they fail to win in contract talks. Most government workers pay nothing for health insurance. Concessions by school employees would have prevented any cuts in school programs last year.

Statements like those are at the core of Gov. Chris Christie’s campaign to cut state spending by getting tougher on unions. They are not, however, accurate.

AEI Speech and No Lost Sleep

   And of course many will recall Christie's coming out party in Washington, DC, earlier this year when he made a speech at the American Enterprise Institute with the title “It's Time to Do Big Things”

And Governor Corzine very famously invited the press into his office, now my office, and there was cot in the office. I can tell you it's not normally there. And he said to them," I'm going to be sleeping in this cot, right over here, until this crisis is averted." So I knew these were the same fellas who had been in the legislature when he was there now threatening to do the same thing.

So I decided to call them down early on and advise them that the place was under new management. And what I said to them was listen, if you want to pass an income tax increase that's fine, I'm going to veto it. And if you want to close down the government because of that, that's fine. But I want to tell you something-I'm not moving any cot into this office to sleep in here.

If you close down the government I'm getting into those black SUV's with the troopers and going to the governor's residence I'm going to go upstairs, I'm going to open a beer, I'm going order a pizza, I'm going to watch the Mets. And when you decide to reopen the government give me a call and I'll come back. But don't think I'm sleeping on some cot take a look at me you think I'm sleeping on a cot- not happening.

More on Twisted Facts

Then I read this report from someone who was covering the legislature during those weeks:

Brilliant, or Dumberer?

And there was his infamous trip to Illinois in an attempt to lure business to the Garden State:

Text Press Release on Illinois Business relocation:

New Jersey has extraordinary advantages:

Well-educated, diverse talent pool.

Funny, back in New Jersey, it seems that all he ever does is rail against what he then labels as a

“failed educational system.”  HEAR: the ad 

Booed by 7000 Firefighters

Another of Mr. Christie's bragging statements is that he went to the New Jersey Firefighter's Convention where he was booed by over 7000 in attendance.

But consider this line in that same article:

“Booing the state's governors has become a tradition for firefighters at the annual convention,” and then read the comments from one who was in attendance:

Comment:  Rich Kocsis

"With thousands of firefighters booing him from the Wildwood Convention Center bleachers Friday".... THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN but it makes a great opening sentence for this propaganda called media. sure he was booed by union FF's, a few dozen...maybe a hundred or so but there were 7,004 in attendance and why doesn't the "media" report how the governor changed the heckled boos into overwhelming cheers by the end of the speech. this type of reporting is just fueling a fire that doesn't serve to anybody's interest. as Christie said on friday, if his plan to save their pensions work, he expects them to thank him in the future. if not, he's take the heat. one thing is certain, under the current system, there will be no money to pay any unionized worker in this state.

 

Read all the articles and decide for yourself.

But apparently it would seem that as was often said in those politically incorrect Westerns from my youth, “Fat Man speak with forked tongue.”

Depends on Whom You Ask, Mr. Popularity or Mr. Not Really That Hot!

Dateline: March 8, 2011

While Chris Christie's concerted effort to get his name out seems to be working. Although a virtual unknown little over a one year ago, now more and more Americans feel he could be an up and coming Republican leader, perhaps capable of higher office.

   However, two stories today indicate that the more you know about him, perhaps the less you like all that Christie really has to offer.

    First, consider this piece of video, from The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell. As you will see in the piece, Howard Fineman begins with footage of a statement from last year's “next big thing,” Sarah Palin, as she attempts to boost her own (limited) gubernatorial achievements while criticizing Christie:

Okay, so Christie comes off better than Palin, right? Not so fast, buster. How about this story from the Newark Star Ledger, in Christie's home state of New Jersey:

New Jersey Voters, That Same Week

     Voters are split on whether they have a favorable or unfavorable impression of Christie, with 46 percent viewing him favorably and 44 percent unfavorably. That’s down significantly from December, when 49 percent of voters saw Christie favorably and 39 percent had an unfavorable impression.

   “While some polls showed Gov. Christie’s support increasing before the budget speech, reaction to the budget itself is mixed, which appears to be reflected in a decline in his post-speech favorability and job performance ratings,” said poll director David Redlawsk.

      Forty-eight percent of voters said they are displeased with the govenror’s proposed budget, while 45 percent said they are pleased.

     When asked to rate Christie’s job performance, 14 percent said excellent, 28 percent said good, 30 percent said fair and 26 percent said poor. 

     Fourteen percent graded him with an A, 24 percent gave him a B, 26 percent gave him a C, 15 percent gave him a D and 19 percent failed him with an F.

      President Obama fares better than Christie among Garden State voters, with 57 percent viewing him favorably to 36 percent unfavorably.

ARC Tunnel, cont. (March, 2011)

Devoted readers know that in the Fall of 2010, Gov. Christie lumbered to the forefront of a major construction project that would have delivered a train tunnel underneath the Hudson River, connecting New Jersey with New York City. The ARC Tunnel would have permitted increased rail traffic for both New Jersey Transit commuters and Amtrak, with a projected cost of $8.7 billion. New Jersey was to commit $2.7 billion towards this total, with New York and the Federal Government each paying for the $3 billion.

      However, citing concerns about potential cost overruns that might bring the final total closer to $11 billion, Gov. Christie ordered a halt to the project. So it came as a surprise four months later when it became public knowledge that New Jersey was negotiating to reclaim part of nearly $162 million paid to insure the Hudson River rail tunnel project.

     An official says locking in insurance coverage saved taxpayers millions because it insulated the project from potential price increases.

     For those who are continuing to tally the final costs of this Tunnel to Nowhere, here is a partial list of known expenses, to date:

$272 million already delivered to New Jersey from the US DOT, to be reimbursed.

$95.5 million for land leased ONE WEEK prior to the project cancellation

$162 million for the insurance

?? unknown sum for legal work by DC firm attempting to keep Federal funds

$528.5 Billion, plus Legal Fees (total)

    So it came as something of a surprise when Gov. Christie proudly talked about his role in terminating this project by claiming that afterwards the only phone calls he got in protest were from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York Gov. David Paterson and Manhattan real estate developers.  Odd, how both New Jersey senators made public statements critical of the cancellation-- but maybe they didn't call.  

     Never mind that only two months after canceling the project, he was asking for an unusual $4.4 billion loan from the Port Authority-- which normally only funds projects which connect the states of New York and New Jersey.  Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, Democrat of New Jersey, said, 

“The plan is more proof that the governor killed the critically needed new tunnel to Manhattan so he could use its funding as part of a fix for his political problems. During Governor Christie’s campaign for office, he said borrowing to finance the Transportation Trust Fund is unconscionable. Why is it now acceptable?”

 Once again, Gov. Christie continues to put spin on a story, making himself a hero for saving the New Jersey tax payers from the evil doers on the other side of the Hudson. 

How BIG Is His Ego?

       No one has ever said that Chris Christie was a shrinking violet, but nevertheless nothing prepared us for the incredible hubris he displayed in his recent interview with The National Review. After turning aside the questions about a White House run and stating time and time again that he was not interested in running, he still surprised most people when he told a reporter,

"I have people calling me and saying to me, 'Let me explain to you how you could win.' 

 And I’m like, 'You’re barking up the wrong tree. 

 I already know I could win.' That's not the issue.”

    This is The National Review headline for that article:

Gov. Chris Christie said He Knows He Could Win the White House if He ran for President next year.

    Not since George W. Bush has there been such a display of political arrogance and ignorance, from a man who has held elective office for just over one year.   And barely won the gubernatorial race, despite running against an incumbent who would have lost to Anybody But Jon Corzine.

   Digging deeper in another, related National Review article we learn,

“I have a Google alert on myself. Who doesn’t?” he asks. 

“I’m well aware of it, I’m well aware of all the stuff. My temperament is off, I’m too fat, I’m too abrasive, I shoot from the hip, I read all of it. 

Some of it’s right, but that’s okay. Nobody sold me as perfect, I have my faults also. 

But I think people from New Jersey generally look at me and say “‘He’s one of us.’”

Res Ipsa Loquitor (2-28-2011)

Cerf's Up!!! What's Up with That?

  In the seemingly never-ending saga of Chris Christie versus the teachers and the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), their union ,  the Governor has mounted a frequent, and often bitter attack on the educators in the state. 

   To hear him tell it, the teachers are responsible for the budget deficit in the state, as a direct consequence of their pensions and health benefits.  Why, the primary obstacle to budget reform must be NJEA and its central tenet, teacher tenure.  Abolish both, and not only would the deficit disappear-- POOF-- but also all the problems of low student performance would instantaneously disappear as well.  We could have more charter schools, vouchers to improve school choice, and a sudden jump in student achievement all over the state.

  Never mind that many of the schools in New Jersey already rank among the best in the country, with high achievement, high student graduation rates; these he never mentions.   Only the failing schools, in places like Newark, Camden, and Jersey City -- which by coincidence also seem to be failing cities in so many measures.

   With that as background, we turn now to the latest savior of public education in New Jersey, currently Acting Commissioner of Education,  Christopher Cerf.  In the wake of the Christie foul-ups that led to the loss of $400 million in Race to the Top funds, Christie got rid of Bret Schundler, then Commissioner of Education, and nominated Cerf, whose background included a variety of political appointments, as well as time with the New York city schools chancellor's office.  As of late Feb. 2011, his appointment has not been confirmed by the Legislature-- and in light of recent revelations, that may never occur.

   See, it's this way:  in February, the Newark Star Ledger revealed that Cerf's home address in Montclair, New Jersey, was on record as the location of an educational consulting firm that just happened to be recommended for work on reforming the Newark school systems.  Faster than you can say, "Conflict of Interest?",  Cerf started spinning:

Cerf acknowledged Tuesday that he had a hand in the creation of the firm, but said he was no longer connected with it. He said he is now merely lending his address to the consulting firm because it needed a New Jersey mailing address. 

  "When this little consulting company [Global Education Advisors] was formed, I was part of the creation of it," he said. "I severed my relationship to it literally right after its formation. I have never received any compensation from it."

   He said he never did anything with the company. "I have no presence or association with it. I have never taken a nickel from it," he said. "I never actually did anything with it, so I’m not in any way, shape or form related to it."

   He asked The Star-Ledger not to publish this story because he said he did not think it was very important.

  Even though Cerf didn't think it was very important, he immediately sat down with the Star Ledger in an attempt at damage control.

   What is particularly curious about this kerfuffle is that it isn't the first time Cerf has not been as "pure as Caesar's wife."  When he was working for the NY chancellor, it was revealed that Cerf had not disclosed his equity in the for-profit Edison School Ventures, as required by law.

   Little is known about Global Education Advisors, despite their obvious talent for procuring a consulting contract.  According to Cerf, the company is run by Rajeev Bajaj, who also seems to be president of Sangari Global Ventures, which lists Cerf's brother, Randall, as its CFO.  And most of the work of SGV has been delivering instructional materials in Latin America.

   So, to return to the question in the title, Mr. Cerf, What's Up with That?

  

    

The Boss and Mr. Big Thing

Chris Christie is a many with several curious attributes, including his blustering style, his mercurial temper, his occasional deviations from the more cautious political line. But on the issue of his devotion to Bruce Springsteen, he somehow manages to juggle two paradoxical ideas at the same time. On the one hand, Christie opposes many of Springsteen's central tenets, including opportunity, equal rights, the dignity of work, and yet by his own reckoning, he has been attending Springsteen concerts since he was 13, with a total now exceeding 120 [that's no typo, one hundred and twenty!]

This fanaticism-- there is no other word for it-- can best be attributed to three factors: the broad, lasting appeal of Springsteen's music. Christie's seemingly insatiable appetite and financial capacity to feed that appetite. And finally, what psychologists would call compartmentalism, the ability to separate ideas into distinct parts or categories; in this instance, the ability to enjoy Springsteen's music while somehow remaining oblivious to his message and themes.

Such is Christie's devotion to Springsteen-- and his disconnect from the themes of the music-- that he actually hoped to have Bruce play for his Inaugural Ball. When that request was summarily rejected, his organizers opted for the next best thing: a Springsteen Tribute Band (a.k.a. An imitation). With no disrespect to the musicians who performed at that event (The B Street Band from Belmar, New Jersey), this choice epitomizes so much of Christie's and the Republican's words: full of falsities.

So the Big Thing got to fantasize about being there with Bruce, the Big Man, Little Steve, and the others at his Coming Out Party.
Born to Run                Badlands                 (sorry about the ads. Not my fault!)

Almost every other major artist has had fans (cf. Dead Heads) who consider their devotion an important facet of who they are. Christie's income level and many personal and professional connections have enabled him to by-pass the more established avenues to obtain prized tickets to sold-out shows. But it is his compartmentalism that makes his Springsteen fixation so curious.

Christie is not alone in this sort of compartmentalism, although you would think that after having seen over one hundred shows, he might eventually begin to hear the messages behind the music.

September 19, 1984, long before Christie was in the public limelight, at a campaign stop in Hammonton, New Jersey, Ronald Reagan added the following to his usual stump speech:

"America's future rests in a thousand dreams inside your hearts; it rests in the message of hope in songs so many young Americans admire: New Jersey's own Bruce Springsteen. And helping you make those dreams come true is what this job of mine is all about." [N.B. There is nothing to insinuate that a 22 year old Young Republican from New Jersey like Christie had any role in this misappropriation.]

Shortly thereafter, Springsteen responded, "The President was mentioning my name the other day, and I kinda got to wondering what his favorite album musta been. I don't think it was the Nebraska album. I don't think he's been listening to this one."

In Springsteen’s own words, the song "Born in the U.S.A." is about "a working-class man" [in the midst of a] "spiritual crisis, in which man is left lost...It's like he has nothing left to tie him into society anymore. He's isolated from the government. Isolated from his family...to the point where nothing makes sense."

Similarly, many of those attending the 2004 Vote for Change Shows in Meadowlands exhibited the ability to ignore Springsteen's themes.

“Many said the music mattered more than his messages."... "We support Bush, and we support Bruce," said Dan George, a law enforcement officer from Netcong, N.J., wearing a T-shirt that said, "Bruce fan. Bush fan." "We're going to have a great time tonight," he said.

Springsteen also showed his support for Christie's gubernatorial opponent, Jon Corzine, on the issue of gay marriage: "I've long believed in and have always spoken out for the rights of same sex couples and fully agree with Governor Corzine when he writes that 'The marriage-equality issue should be recognized for what it truly is -- a civil rights issue that must be approved to assure that every citizen is treated equally under the law."

Prior to getting behind candidates, Springsteen was a stickler for staying on point, whether it be joblessness, the environment, veterans affairs or his most enduring cause, hunger. (Local food banks have had collection stations at his concerts since the early 1980s and he always alerts his audience that they are present). Post-Katrina, he made his first performance ever at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, a political statement unto itself and, like many of his points and causes, strictly American.

Consider these words spoken to Ted Koppel in explanation of his 2004 support of then Democratic candidate for President, John Kerry:

"I stayed a step away from partisan politics because I felt it was always important to have an independent voice. I wanted my fans to feel like they could trust that. But you build up credibility. ... And I think there comes a time when you feel, all right, I've built this up and it's time to spend some of this. And I think this is one of the most critical elections of my adult life, certainly. Very basic questions of American identity are at issue. Who we are. What do we stand for? When do we fight? As a nation, over the past four years, we've drifted away from, I think, very mainstream American values."

In 2008, Springsteen endorsed Barack Obama issuing this statement via his website:

According to Springsteen's statement, Senator Obama "speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems. A country that's interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit. A place where '. . . nobody crowds you, and nobody goes it alone.'"
"I have now seen and heard enough to know where I stand," Springsteen said Wednesday on his website.

And yet, still it seems, Chris Christie loves The Boss. Compartmentalism, surely!

A Waist Is a Terrible Thing to Mind

   Okay, let's face it, there is no getting around the fact that sooner or later, any discussion of Chris Christie will stumble over some reference to girth and poundage, whether by design or accident.  I mean, who can read about Christie "cutting the fat from the budget," "tightening the belt," or "throwing his weight around in a meeting" and not inwardly chuckle while striving to come up with an all-too-easy punchline?  Not from someone who says he wants to "Do Big Things."  Right, Big Guy?

  So we were pleased to read this story entitled "Gov. Christie says he's losing weight the old fashioned way"

   Now granted, there are those who will immediately tell you that "diets don't work," and for the most part, research has shown that to be true.  Who doesn't know someone who has tried Atkins, grapefruit, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Runway Model, etc., with some success?

   So we wish the Big Guy luck with his personal Biggest Loser Challenge.  Cynics might wonder if this isn't one more step in image enhancement in preparation for the pursuit of higher office, but not this author. No, there are plenty of other reasons to drop a few pounds, including improved health, less strain on the heart, the thrill of driving a Mini Cooper, the freedom to shop in a normal menswear shop, and more.

   So keep us posted...we'd love to have a weekly bulletin issued from the Governor's Office, reporting on the weekly weigh-in.

   Think of how inspirational that would be.  And what an incentive it would be for your weight loss efforts.  Like a weekly Weigh-In at Weight Watchers.

It's About Mr. Bluster

   It's this way:  Chris Christie is the governor of New Jersey, and if you listen to the talking heads on various television programs, you'd think he walks on water.  He is Da Man who is slashing taxes and budgets in the State of New Jersey, standing up to the Teacher's Union, an compassionate champion of education, a friend of big business, and an all around good guy.

   If you look carefully, however, and give his career a thorough examination, you quickly conclude that while he has many strengths, there is plenty of room to be skeptical.


   And even if you love him, really love him, his behavior, rhetoric, style, and demeanor should be cause for concern.  Because the more you know about him, the more you realize that he is a bully, a big bully.

   So welcome to this exploration into the real Big Thing from the Garden State.



   Facts, stories, and opinion pieces about the Big Man from New Jersey, who makes confrontation a daily habit, and has ambitions for bigger things.   It's a Big Thing.