NJ Gov. Christie Lays Off All Employees (130) at State-Run Public TV/radio network, closes station

[Hannah Bell]

Christie Lays Off NJN TV Employees: The continued privatization of America continues:


Employees at New Jersey Network received 45-day layoff notices on Tuesday as the public television and radio network prepares to move off the government payroll. A legislative task force last month agreed with Gov. Chris Christie that the state should no longer be in the business of running the network.

Christie said earlier this year that New Jersey can't afford to operate New Jersey Network.

His budget eliminated state funding for it after Dec. 31, forcing NJN to convert from a government entity to an independent broadcast outlet.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/11/njn_employees_receive_layoff_n.html


Christie says the only thing New Jersey can afford is tax cuts for hedge fund criminals like Whitney Tilson.

But publicly-financed tunnels, public TV, school aid - that stuff Jersey can't afford.


I find it offensive that the NJ media fails to point out that the governor who claims to be so fiscally prudent now was so profligate as U.S. attorney:

Gov. Christie overspent on trips more than any other U.S. attorney in 2-year span, report says
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/11/gov_christie_spent_more_money.html

But that's how it goes in America these days.

And one big fat governor with big fat appetites sees nothing wrong with overspending taxpayer money on himself while he cuts the same taxpayer money for public transit, public TV and schools.

http://perdidostreetschool.blogspot.com/2010/11/christie-lays-off-njn-tv-employees.html

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

1. He's the next rising star in the Republican Party.

I want to ask my father and all those in New Jersey who cast a "protest vote" because they hated Corzine so much...

"How's that 'protest vote' working out for ya?"

[tabbycat31]

3. Many voters I talked to last year did not vote at all.

Corzine should have seen this coming and stepped aside holding the seat for the party.

[DainBramaged]

26. They cast a protest vote because they didn't get their property tax rebates

and Crass Christie promised them he'd give them if elected, then he said fuck you NJ we can't afford property tax rebates but we can give hundreds of millions to my friend's carter schools.


We told them so and they wouldn't believe us. Christie is the LAST Republican Governor of this century in NJ.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

30. I hope you're right, but every time NJ has a Republican governor.they

seem to forget how bad it was before.

We did try to warn them but they are so angry about their fucking taxes!

[Starry Messenger]

2. k&r

[name not needed]

4. Hey, at least you don't have to share a state with the braindead slobs that voted him into office.

[defendandprotect]

5. Gov. Christie is just another GOP criminal....and how he got elected I'd love to know ...did he?

[alanquatermass]

6. Why is he a "criminal"?

You may not like his policies (he is a Republican, after all) but on what basis are you labeling him a criminal?

[Binka]

7. LOL

You are just so darn funny!

[alanquatermass]

8. Terrific answer!

nt

[Hannah Bell]

9. ...

http://njelection.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/christie-corruption-chris-christie-investigated-for-blackmail/

http://www.bluejersey.com/diary/17194/christie-has-lost-the-benefit-of-the-doubt

http://whistleblowerrn.com/

[alanquatermass]

10. Hannah, I gotta admit...

-- that I wasn't aware of ANY of that stuff until you showed it to me.

And although we both know that being "under investigation" for something is a long way from being CONVICTED of it, I gotta concede...

I did not know this.

So hat's off.

[Hannah Bell]

11. yeah, i thought this list was pretty good; glad you're willing to concede he's questionable.

Adam L :: Chris Christie has lost the benefit of the doubt
When Chris Christie suddenly got off the list of US Attorneys to be fired at the same time he issued bogus subpoenas to Senator Menendez weeks before the 2006 election, the timing was just a coincidence and Christie's word should be trusted.

When Chris Christie gave his top aide Michele Brown a $46,000 loan and didn't report it on his tax return or other disclosure documents, that was just an oversight and not a conflict of interest.


When it was discovered that criminal-turned-informant Solomon Dwek, the man who Christie turned from bank fraudster to briber-of-elected-Democrats, donated to Bush directly through Chris Christie, the two were in no way connected.


And when Michele Brown pushed to have the Dwek bribery arrests of elected Democrats announced at an opportune time during the campaign, there was nothing wrong with that. The same Michele Brown that had the $46,000 unreported loan from her boss Chris Christie.


When Chris Christie gave his former boss John Ashcroft a no bid deal worth at least $30 million, despite Ashcroft having no experience for this work, he demanded that he be given the benefit of the doubt.


When Christie's brother was not indicted, despite being found by the SEC to have made 1,600 illegal trades, bilking investors out of almost $1.5 million and netting himself $1.5 million, it was just a coincidence.


When the US Attorney from NY didn't prosecute his brother for securities fraud and then got a multi million no bid deal from Christie himself, it was just a coincidence.


And when it was discovered that Chris Christie violated the Hatch Act by discussing running for Governor while still a US Attorney, that was "an attempt to smear him".


When Chris Christie also gave a multi-million no bid deal to buddies Herb Stern and John Inglesino and then Inglesino raised tens of thousands for his campaign, there was no "quid pro quo".


When Assemblyman Richard Merkt said that same John Inglesino tried to bribe Merkt to drop out of the Governor's race with a "major position", it was denied, and Christie knew nothing about it anyway.


And when Chris Christie went the wrong way down a one way street, causing an accident, sending the biker he hit to a trauma center - then didn't get a ticket when he identified himself as US Attorney - he did nothing wrong.


And when Christie was caught in an apparent lie about being sued by that biker, that was just a misunderstanding and he had forgot.


And when Chris Christie was stopped for speeding in an unregistered and uninsured vehicle, only to pull rank and not get a ticket, his position as US Attorney had nothing to do with him being able to leave without his car being towed.


When Christie hijacked the Race to the Top application process, only to lose $400 million for the state's students and then get caught in at least two apparent lies, that wasn't his fault - it was Obama's and Bret Schundler's.


When a recent DOJ report identified Chris Christie as being the biggest offender of overbilling the Government for extravagant and unsubstantiated travel expenses of all the US Attorneys, it was because nothing other than 5 star hotels and limos were available.


When Chris Christie recently was caught inflating numbers about the ARC tunnel cost, that wasn't done on purpose for political reasons.


And now Chris Christie has decided that he's now a scientist and doubts global warming, he should be trusted to be skeptical?


Let's face it. The man has a carefully crafted false bravado persona that is in direct contrast to the layer upon layer of lie, conflict, hypocrisy, insider deals, abuse of authority, quick tempered emotional decisions and favoritism. And quite honestly, if he was a Democrat and not Republican, he'd be skewered, mocked and hated by the right - and rightfully so.


He consistently is defensive about anyone daring to ask about the long list of his actions and behavior - always saying that he deserves the benefit of the doubt. That he should be trusted. That he is right.


He has lost that right - although I'm not sure he ever deserved it in the first place.

http://www.bluejersey.com/diary/17194/christie-has-lost-the-benefit-of-the-doubt

[DainBramaged]

29. You done good, a bookmarkable moment

:hug:

[trumad]

12. It's refreshing to see someone "concede" when shown the evidence...

[alanquatermass]

13. I always do, or at least try to. You always wanna fight hard --

-- but fight fair.

[defendandprotect]

22. Thank you ...

I had no idea of most of that -- !!

And, I still don't see how anyone like Christie could get elected!!

:)

[defendandprotect]

20. Why do I label ALL Repugs "criminals" .... because they succeed thru

by political violence, stolen elections and lies --

We've had more than 50+ years of right wing in plein air political violence in

America whick took not only our president, our liberal leadership and rising

leadership, but our people's government.

Corporatism is fascism -- and criminal --

Lies that took us to war in ME are criminal --

Bankrupting our Treasury is criminal --

GOP is sexist, racist and homophobic -- these are means are oppression -- and are criminal.

[DainBramaged]

HAHAHAH you defend Crass Christie?

:spray:

This is a GREAT place to defend Rethuglicans, a great place.



Keep it up!

[no_hypocrisy]

14. If the station can get enough donors to keep it broadcasting, I hope it becomes

a truly independent entity that is scathing in its criticism against the Governor and the Legislature.

[Democat]

15. Christie wants to kill Fox competitors because Republicans are paid by Fox.

Pretty obvious.

[Vinca]

16. I'd love to know what his staff is being paid.

I've got a suspicion the hogs are feeding at the trough at the expense of everyone else.

[UTUSN]

17. Prolly admires that Hugo can shut down *other* (besides State-run) media n/t

[Ikonoklast]

23. Rookie aspiring dictators think alike.

No dissenting voices allowed.

[deacon]

18. Another GOP job killer. This goes in their column. n/t

[Stinky The Clown]

19. Christie is running for Vice President.

[Winterblues]

28. Palin/Christie

[BoneDaddy]

31. I am afraid you are correct

he is being groomed for such a position and is the GOP poster boy for how to take on Education labor and win. Sad state of affairs

[KamaAina]

21. There actually are possibilities here

NJN broadcasts into both NYC and Philly. Thus, its potential audience is something like 15 million.

Your typical repuke would have looked at this and maybe tried to form one of their beloved "public/private partnerships". But as we've already seen, Christie is hardly your typical repuke. Only he could handle this so ham-handedly that five stations could well go dark. :dunce:

[8 track mind]

24. Does NJ law allow for Christie to be recalled? N/t

[Nedsdag]

35. If there was going to be a recall, the governor AND the lieutenant governor must go together.

LG Kim Guardagno is no prize either.

[Raine1967]

25. 130 more unemployed workers --

People like this man claim to be FOR the people and then fire people. That is 130 workers not having the ability to reinvest in the economy. How exactly can NJ afford more people on the unemployment rolls?

[Jkid]

27. The real purpose for the privatization is that NJN would become another commercial network.

All the PBS standard programing will be gone and replaced with the same crap like from MyNetworkTV or syndicrap television.

[LisaM]

32. Stories like this are why I get so frustrated when liberals bash PBS

The fact that the Republicans hate them should be enough to get the drift that they are useful entities, but I am just saying, they went after public schools - now the physical assets (buildings, lands are falling into private hands through the charter school scams. Next up: public broadcasting, with its valuable bandwidths. NPR is a very, very valuable asset. I hope the station can truly go public but I think that supporting them with public funds is extremely important.

[Starry Messenger]

33. Good post Lisa. The privatization pattern should be obvious to anyone now.

These looters are not very creative, just thorough.

[Toucano]

34. Public money spent on me: GOOD. Public money not spent on me: BAD.

That's the Republican mantra now.