The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
A Glen Rock resident who has prosecuted major white-collar crimes for the U.S. Attorney’s Office will be appointed acting Bergen County prosecutor on Monday, officials said. Mary Jo Layton, The Record Read more
Warning that “pigs will be charging down State Street” in Trenton if voters elect a Democratic governor after he leaves office, Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday urged New Jersey’s business community to join his fight against public employee unions. Matt Arco, NJ.Com Read more
November 22, 2015, 09:50 am
By Cory Bennett
Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie on Sunday continued his assault on the White House’s approach to admitting Syrian refugees into the United States.
“The FBI director himself said they cannot vet these folks,” Christie told Jake Tapper in an interview Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
The New Jersey governor has drawn criticism for his opposition to taking any refugees in his state, even widows and “orphans under five.”
Everyone from President Obama to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio have gone after Christie for his remarks. The issue has been in the spotlight as Congress considers a bill to restrict Syrian immigration in the wake of the terror attacks in Paris.
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has taken credit for the attacks, which killed about 130 people, and reports have since emerged suggesting at least one of the attackers may have entered Europe by using a Syrian passport.
November 21,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, A United Flight bound for Boston with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was on board was delayed nearly six hours and each passenger was individually searched.
United Airlines Flight 1108 was supposed to take off from San Francisco at 8:32 a.m. and everyone was on the plane, preparing for takeoff. The aircraft was on the runway when the pilot announced they were returning to the gate for “operational difficulties.” ( https://www.myfoxboston.com/story/30570940/gov-christie-reportedly-threatened-on-plane-bound-for-boston )
The plane returned to the gate and they kept everyone on board for about 45 minutes. Then passengers were taken off five at a time to be checked. Every person was individually searched and some were cotton swabbed.
Gov. Christie was on the plane, heading to an event in New Hampshire. Spokesperson Maria Comella said that a passenger was removed from the plane before takeoff at the request of United Airlines, but Gov. Christie never interacted with him.
FOX25 is reporting that a male passenger was attempting to take photos of female flight crew members and someone from Christie’s staff noticed and said something.
“I’m proud of the fact that, you know, folks on my staff observed it and let the flight crew know, so all the credit goes to them, not to me,” Christie said again FOX25.
A Christie Staffer put out a press release stating , “Governor Christie, an aide and a member of his security detail were traveling on a United flight from San Francisco to Boston this morning when a passenger was removed from the plane before takeoff at the request of United Airlines,” Chris Christie campaign spokesperson Maria Comella explained in a statement. “At no point did Governor Christie interact with this passenger nor did this passenger pose a verbal or physical threat to the Governor. Any other inquiries about this matter should be directed to United Airlines.”
NOVEMBER 17, 2015, 1:40 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015, 4:53 PM
BY DUSTIN RACIOPPI
STATE HOUSE BUREAU |
THE RECORD
Governor Christie on Tuesday officially notified President Obama that he will not accept any Syrian refugees following last weekend’s terrorist attacks in Paris, citing a “broken federal monitoring system” and the “very real threat” of an attack on New Jersey by the Islamic State.
Christie, who is running for the Republican party nomination for president, sent the letter a day after two dozen other governors announced they would close their states to Syrians fleeing the war-torn country. On Monday night Christie told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that he would not accept any refugees, a shift in his position from two months ago.
His refusal appears to have no authority, however. While states can refuse to offer their resources to the federal government, the Refugee Act of 1980 gives the president the power to allow refugees into the states. Florida Gov. Rick Scott also acknowledged in a letter to Congress on Monday that “it is our understanding that the state does not have the authority to prevent the federal government from funding the relocation of these Syrian refugees to Florida even without state support.” And foreign affairs, including immigration, are the responsibility of the president.
Drivers Licenses For Undocumented Immigrants Clears Assembly Panel
Legislation that would grant driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants passed the Assembly Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee in a 3-2 voteon Monday. Alyana Alfaro, PolitickerNJ.com Read more
Christie on Drivers’ Licenses for Undocumenteds: ‘Dangerous and Irresponsible’
As the Assembly Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee considers drivers’ licenses for undocumented workers, Gov. Chris Christie issued qa statement in opposition. Max Pizarro, PolitickerNJ.com Read more
By Claude Brodesser-Akner | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com TRENTON
TRENTON — As Gov. Chris Christie mulls a bid for the White House, some of his positionson immigration may be evolving. But one remains steadfastly the same.
“I’m not giving driver’s licenses to people who are undocumented. That’s it,” Christie said flatly, speaking on his monthly radio show on New Jersey 101.5.
Christie called the state-issued driver’s license “the single most important form of identification. It gets you onto airplanes. … I cannot give driver’s licenses to people who I cannot be sure who they are … and I’ve had that position right from the beginning.”
Christie was named U.S. Attorney for New Jersey on September 10, 2001. The 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred on his second day on the job.
“When it first happened … all I could think about was the job — what is this going to mean?” Christie told The Associated Press on the 10th anniversary of the terror attacks in 2011.
Maddie Hanna, Inquirer Trenton Bureau
Last updated: Monday, November 9, 2015, 11:59 PM
The FBI director has been seen as giving it credence. So has the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. And Gov. Christie made his views clear last week, saying in a Fox News interview that “I absolutely believe it’s real.”
The subject of debate: the “Ferguson effect,” a theory that officers are responding to backlash by pulling back from proactive policing, potentially resulting in increased crime.
Christie, making a pro-law enforcement pitch in his Republican presidential campaign, has endorsed the theory, which detractors – including President Obama – say isn’t grounded in evidence.
Obama’s “rhetoric has not been supportive at all of the men and women in uniform around this country,” Christie said Monday at Camden County Police Headquarters. “And it’s his own FBI director who has said this type of conduct has made a chill wind go through law enforcement across this country.
Read more at https://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/20151109_Considering_Ferguson_s_impact.html#8dlVKgbaZIrT8LvM.99
Colin Campbell
Nov. 5, 2015, 8:07 AM
In a video posted a few days ago, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey (R) delivered a passionate and emotional speech about addiction.
The video is really taking off — accumulating over 5 million views through The Huffington Post’s Facebook page alone, as well as being repeatedly featured on cable news.
“My mother was a smoker,” the 2016 presidential candidate began in the video. “She smoked her whole life. She was addicted to nicotine.
“We know the lung cancer was caused by the smoking,” Christie said. “But no one came to me and said, ‘Hey listen, your mother was dumb. She started smoking when she was 16. Then after we told her it was bad for her, she kept doing it. … She’s getting what she deserves.’ No one said that.”
https://www.businessinsider.com/chris-christie-drug-addiction-speech
Chris Christie’s emotional speech
https://www.chrischristie.com/addiction-2?t=fbpost
All of the changes contained in the 2011 law that haven’t already taken effect will be fully implemented in just over 1 year. This law wasn’t designed to show a substantial immediate savings. It was designed to implement changes over a period of years and once ALL of those gradual changes were completed the impact of those changes going forward would have a positive effect on the states financial condition. Immediate solutions for long term problems, are just not reasonable or possible.
The full story on the Chapter 78, P.L. 2011 pension reforms… the problems are unfortunately still very much with us. Here are the facts: cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) were suspended for current and future retirees and beneficiaries from July 2011, but there’s been no inflation in NJ since 2008, so this is not an issue. The increases in employee contribution rates towards their own pensions are only gradual: from 5.5% to 6.5% plus an additional 1% phased-in over 7 years through 2019 for TPAF and PERS; from 3% to 12% for JRS phased-in over seven years; from 8.5% to 10% for PFRS members; and, from 7.5% to 9% for SPRS members. Given the “special” retirement option available only to PFRS members, who can retire after 20-25 years and earn more from their defined benefit pensions for life in retirement then they earned in compensation while serving, they should be contributing more than 10%. As for the increased health benefit contributions, employees subject to any collective negotiations agreement in effect on the effective date of the law in July 2011, i.e. CBAs, that had an expiration date on or after the expiration of the health care contribution provisions of the law, haven’t been subject to the new higher contribution rates yet. In Ridgewood, only Fire is now paying a higher contribution amount, while the PBA and the REA haven’t yet agreed to new CBAs that would trigger higher health benefit contribution rates… so Ridgewood taxpayers have yet to see much, if any benefit from the pension reforms of 2011.
NOVEMBER 2, 2015, 2:11 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2015, 10:32 PM
BY DUSTIN RACIOPPI
STATE HOUSE BUREAU |
THE RECORD
After a full week of not talking about the decision to end the 14-year tenure for Bergen County’s top law enforcement official, Governor Christie said Monday that the move was “long overdue.”
But Christie’s brief comments did little to answer questions about why Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli was told to leave, and why that move came amid mounting questions about the prosecutor’s decision-making and motivations in recent cases.
And also still unclear is who will replace Molinelli and when, a process that could take months unless Bergen County’s delegation of five state senators reaches an agreement with Christie.
Christie made his first comments on the matter Monday, one week after Molinelli was notified that he wouldn’t be renominated for a third term.
“The fact is that it’s time for a change in Bergen County. It’s long overdue,” Christie said after a meeting in Camden where he was highlighting police reform. “When that change is officially made, I’ll give you all the reasons why.”
Christie also said he wasn’t influenced by a letter sent by the Bergen County freeholder chairwoman referring complaints made against Molinelli at recent public meetings.
OCTOBER 27, 2015, 9:39 AM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2015, 10:39 AM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN AND JEAN RIMBACH
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD
Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli said Tuesday that Gov. Christie’s office has signaled its intent to replace him and name an acting prosecutor.
“I’m not resigning today,” Molinelli said in a brief voice mail message.
In a subsequent email, the veteran prosecutor wrote, “I have been advised by the Governors office of his intent to appoint a replacement and have been asked to provide a timeline for my retirement but that’s all.”
He referred further questions to the Governor’s office, but he added, “I plan on being here for a time yet but not in a position right now to say when I will retire,”
It was not immediately clear who would succeed Molinelli in the post.
The action comes amid a series of high-profile setbacks for Molinelli and questions about possible political influence in his office over the case of a Teaneck doctor accused of sex crimes who was permitted to sidestep prosecution.
N.J. violence commission report puts spotlight on mental illness, gun violence
A long-awaited report from a commission formed in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut recommends reforms to the state’s mental health programs to help curb violence. S.P. Sullivan, NJ.com Read more
OCTOBER 5, 2015
(NEW YORK) — New Jersey Governor and 2016 presidential candidate Chris Christie weighed in on the recent mass shooting in Roseburg, Oregon, saying that America should get “tougher” on mental health issues.
“I’m very concerned about the mental health side of this,” Christie told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos Sunday on “This Week.” Christie advocates making involuntary commitment easier for doctors to enforce if they fear a mentally ill patient could become violent.
“We don’t want to involuntarily commit them, to put them away,” he said. “We want to protect others and get them the help they need.”
Christie, a former prosecutor, also supports stricter enforcement of gun laws. “There’s lawlessness out there,” he said, pointing to Chicago, a city with tough gun laws and high violent crime rates. “We are not enforcing the law in as aggressive way as we should.”
As governor of New Jersey, which has some of the strictest gun laws and lowest murder rates in the country, Christie has vetoed a gun control bill that would have limited the size of munitions magazines.
“I think it’s about the mental health issue,” Christie said. “I don’t think we’re as aggressive as we should be.”
The governor turned his focus from the campaign trail to his home state in recent days, canceling campaign stops in the New Hampshire. He declared a state of emergency in New Jersey to help residents prepare for Hurricane Joaquin, which so far has spared the state from any major damage.
“We’re lucky we dodged a bullet in New Jersey this time,” Christie said.
https://wbt.com/chris-christie-urges-focus-on-mental-health-after-oregon-mass-shooting/
SEPTEMBER 28, 2015, 10:58 AM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015, 11:05 AM
BY SALVADOR RIZZO
STATE HOUSE BUREAU |
Governor Christie will not consider legislation to increase the state’s gas tax, unless it is paired with reductions to other taxes in New Jersey, he said Monday.
Christie did not say definitively which taxes should be cut, but he mentioned New Jersey’s estate tax and inheritance tax — noting that New Jersey and Maryland are the only states in the country that have both.
The dual “death taxes” are preventing New Jersey from being “competitive,” Christie said. A common complaint from state residents, he said, boils down to, “It’s not that I can’t afford to live here; I can’t afford to die here.
“Republicans should not be giving away any votes for an increase in the gas tax — none, zero — unless whatever is presented represents tax fairness for the people of New Jersey,” Christie said at a breakfast hosted by the New Jersey Commerce and Industry Association in Morris County.
Christie also made reference to the state income tax and “a number of other taxes that could stand some reducing,” giving few specifics.
The leadership of Camden came out to hear the announcement. Mayor Dana Redd said it’s another step on the way to Camden’s becoming a world class city. Michael Aron, NJTV News Read more
