Tales Of Mystery & Imagination...

[Laxman]

Last edited Sun Jan 26, 2014, 10:50 PM - Edit history (1)

Chris Christie's House of Horrors



The reign of Chris Christie in NJ could fittingly be compared to one of the works of Edgar Allen Poe. Greed, revenge and comeuppance were all common themes of Poe's work and the saga of the rise and (hopefully) pending fall of the good Governor rivals works like the Telltale Heart and The Fall of The House of Usher as a sordid story of human failing. It seems that ambition, hubris and lust for power may be the undoing of Mr. Christie, just like one of the tragic subjects of a Poe story.

The horror of the story comes, however, from the damage that was done to NJ by Christie's pursuit of personal advancement and the works of his inner circle of supporters in their attempt to support his goals. His policies of governance that were designed more for their marketing value than for their effectiveness may leave lasting scars on the state. Before his arrival in Trenton NJ was a state that annually had the #1 or #2 per capita income. A state #1 or #2 in quality of public education. Home to multi-national corporations that braved the high taxes and traffic and other noted ills of the state because of the quality of life for their employees and access to world markets, airports, rail lines, port facilities and proximity to New York, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. Instead of fostering what makes the state great, he has forsaken infrastructure investments and attacked the foundation of the educational system.

In the nation's most densely populated state, where balancing economic development and human activity with preservation of resources is so important, he weakened environmental regulations and abandoned planning to appeal to supporters like the Koch Brothers. In coastal state, vulnerable to the effects of sea level rise and having just been devastated by climate change fueled Hurricane Sandy, he abandons existing state efforts to combat our contribution to that climate change. He has politicized the distribution of disaster assistance in an attempt to use the multi-billion dollar fund to burnish his image, reward compliant local leaders and punish those who did not fall into line with his ambitions.

The man who made his image as a corruption fighter has brought political corruption to new levels. Oh, it may not be the traditional use of public office for personal wealth building, but it is corruption nonetheless. Rewarding big contributors with lucrative contracts, using the power of his office for intimidation and coercion, highjacking the governing process to foster his national image in a quest for the presidency and his attempts to trample anyone who stands in his way are corrupt practices, make no mistake about it. All the while using boorish behavior and threats as part of his larger-than-life persona.

What do the citizens of NJ get as a result of his actions? A botched Sandy recovery effort. Fiscal damage as our once financially strong state is rated dead last in fiscal stability in a recent George Mason University study. Budgeting tricks that have robbed the state of its ability to invest in much needed infrastructure projects with generational significance. Attempts to weaken protection of the shoreline, the globally significant Pinelands and the regionally important Highlands region of the state. A source of national embarrassment. In general, bad government.

The coverage of Steve Kornacki, exposing the use, misuse and abuse of the Port Authority this weekend was just the tip of the iceberg, but important because it brought the focus of the Christie scandal away from the sensational and towards the really damaging policy abuses that are where the real danger lies. If this affair (really a series of affairs) has served to torpedo Christie's national ambitions, its been a net positive for the country. However, there will be a legacy of damage and detriment that the people of NJ will have to recover from that will be as destructive in the long-term as Sandy. This is the part of the story that has no happy ending.

So, as we watch events continue to unfold, we are hopefully witnessing the descent of Chris Christie into an abyss befitting one of Poe's classic tales. Will this result in his ultimate undoing? We can only hope. Can Christie hear the beating heart underneath the floorboards? If there's justice its pounding away in his head as I type this. The pressure continues to mount. The time to send Governor Christie packing is neigh. Send him away where he can vex us nevermore!

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

1. Would anyone really be surprised

if they found out he cut somebody up into pieces or bricked somebody into a wall in the basement of the statehouse?

[2naSalit]

6. I, for one,

am totally waiting for that shoe to drop. And I hope those who stand up against him in this pile of allegations and, hopefully, prosecutions don't come to any harm.

[Walk away]

2. The really good news about this is that his Presidential hopes are dashed...

I live in NJ and we have a history of being poorly governed. We are a fairly wealthy state that supports a great school system and a relatively Blue safety net. We pay the highest property taxes in the country and, although our politicians are mostly crooks at the state level, we have historically continued to fill the coffers and cover the cost of the dirty deals.

But Christie needed more than just money to get to be president. He had to screw the unions, destroy our public schools and throw our working poor in the gutter in order to prove he was a "real republican".

The thought of that big asshole making his Teabaggy nuts by crapping all over my state for 2 years was really scary! Even if nothing else comes of this, he will never be able to beat us up again. Hoboken will get it's Sandy funds and he will have to back down on the threats. The fact that he has to answer to someone for his dirty deals and they are out in the open makes all the difference.

[Laxman]

3. The Damage That He's Done Already....

will take years to fix. Especially if he survives to finish out his term. Hopefully this will turn out to be like a Poe story and he gets his due in the end.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

5. Its hard enough to get good government in our system

The real damage of corruption is the bad policies that get made. Old time politician got things built, accomplished things that were good for society. That doesn't excuse their corruption,but it was different than what we have now. Guys like Christie just screw us for his own benefit.

[Walk away]

7. I know all about NJ functional corruption. My Grandfather was Mayor Hague's...

"left hand man". Hague is the text book example of political corruption but he built state of the art hospitals and schools, housed and fed the poor, created jobs and was beloved by the working man. The old Jersey City joke was "sure I voted for Hague....3 times!"

[Cha]

4. Kick!

[Laxman]

8. I Have To Admit...

that I feel a great deal of animosity towards the Governor because I believe his legacy will be one of mismanagement and fiscal ruin. I normally would not revel in the downfall of anyone, but he has passed himself off as a superior administrator and has conducted himself in such a boorish and mean-spirited manner that whatever he gets he deserves. Poe stories always had people getting theirs in the end. I hope this ends similarly.