By Jarrett Renshaw and MaryAnn Spoto/Statehouse Bureau Staff
BRICK — It was a day for heat but little light.
Gov. Chris Christie gave Democrats a preview today of the tongue-lashings they can expect all summer — or until they relent and give him a tax cut he has been seeking since January.
A day after Democrats sent Christie a $31.7 billion budget, the hard-charging governor amused a town hall crowd in Brick Township by calling the Senate budget committee chairman an "arrogant SOB."
And resorting to an earthy warning that gained him national attentional last summer, he urged the public to tell lawmakers "to get the hell off the beach and back to Trenton and deliver my tax cut, right now."
But Christie’s fiery comments — the first since Democrats sent him their budget Monday night — gave no indication as the July 1 deadline neared whether he would sign the spending plan, shut down the government or do something in between.
Gov. Christie calls Senate Budget Committee boss an 'arrogant SOB'Speaking in front of a crowd of about 750 people in Brick Township, Gov. Chris Christie took aim at Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen), the budget committee chairman. Christie called Sarlo an "arrogant SOB" for holding the taxpayers hostage in response to the chairman's recent comments published in The Star-Ledger. (Video by Michael Monday/The Star-Ledger)Watch video
Democrats set aside $183 million to pay for a tax cut, but said Christie had to earn it by hitting his ambitious revenue targets between now and December. The tax cuts were not intended to kick in until January, so Democrats argued that given the state’s sobering revenue figures, the responsible thing to do was wait and see if the economy improves.
The wait is not likely to be pleasant. Christie vowed to go on the attack — a strategy that has proved popular — and "kick their rear ends from one end of the state to the other to get you a tax cut."
Even as Christie addressed the crowd, Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) issued a statement accusing the governor of being blinded by his own political ambition.
"His irresponsible demand for an immediate implementation of a plan ... appears to be motivated by his desire to sell a political tale to a national Republican audience, even if it puts New Jersey’s finances at risk," Weinberg said.
Christie’s target today, however, was state Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen), chairman of the budget committee, who recently told The Star-Ledger that lawmakers were not denying the governor a tax cut, but rather treating him as they would a child.
"We’re putting the cookies on the table and saying, ‘Be good and you can have it later,’" Sarlo told the newspaper.
Gov. Christie lays out his summer plans to get tax cutsWith New Jersey's final legislative session taking place this Thursday, Gov. Chris Christie laid out his summer plans. The governor told the Brick Township crowd that to handle the Democrats, he will “kick their rear ends from one end of the state to the other to get you a tax cut.” (Video by Michael Monday/The Star-Ledger) Watch video
Christie called Sarlo an "arrogant SOB" and accused him of holding taxpayers hostage.
Completing the exchange, Sarlo said in a telephone interview: "I have too much respect for the office of the governor to resort to name calling. The fact is, he has a budget that is on his desk that reflects his priorities and includes a tax cut. He should sign it."
For months, Christie warned Democrats he wouldn’t negotiate a budget unless it included a tax cut. But in recent days he has tempered his threats and signaled that he might veto portions of the bill and then publicly browbeat the Democrats, as he took relish in doing today.
Democrats contend that while they, too, would like to enact a tax cut, the state might not be able to afford it if the economy doesn’t perk up.
Christie appeared to have a compromise with Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) last month, but a news conference to announce a deal was abruptly cancelled. Weeks later, Sweeney agreed with party leaders to delay the cut.
The governor said today that instead of digging in his heels, he agreed to work with them, but "I got fooled."
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/06/christie_calls_senate_budget_c.html
If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.
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