Chris Christie Announces New Jersey Government Shutdown, Orders State Of Emergency

[Swordsmyth]

Illinois (http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-07-01/horrific-catastrophic-court-ruling-send-illinois-financial-abyss), Maine (http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-06-30/maines-lepage-says-he-wont-sign-budget-bill-ensuring-shutdown-will-begin), Connecticut (http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-06-30/connecticut-gov-signs-emergency-spending-measure-lawmakers-fail-pass-budget): the end of the old fiscal year and the failure of numerous states to enter the new one with a budget, means that some of America's most populous states have seen their local governments grind to a halt overnight until some spending agreement is reached. Now we can also add New Jersey to this list.
On Saturday morning, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie declared a state of emergency in the state, and announced a partial state government shutdown as New Jersey become the latest state to enter the new fiscal year without an approved budget after the Republican governor and the Democrat-led Legislature failed to reach an agreement by the deadline at midnight Friday, CBS New York reports (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gov-chris-christie-orders-new-jersey-government-shut-down-amid-budget-impasse/).

WATCH: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announces state government shutdown amid budget impasse https://t.co/T5uqoA85rO pic.twitter.com/OHkOHXEl5P (https://t.co/OHkOHXEl5P)
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 1, 2017 (https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/881174820104409088)
In a news conference Saturday morning, Christie blamed Democratic State Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto for causing the shutdown. And, just like Illinois and Connecticut, Christie and the Democrat-led Legislature are returning to work in hopes of resolving the state's first government shutdown since 2006 and the first under Christie, before NJ is downgraded further by the rating agencies.
"If there's not a resolution to this today, everyone will be back tomorrow," Christie said, calling the shutdown "embarrassing and pointless." He also repeatedly referred to the government closure as "the speaker's shutdown." Christie later announced that he would address the full legislature later at the statehouse on Saturday.



Prieto remained steadfast in his opposition, reiterating that he won't consider the plan as part of the budget process but would consider it once a budget is signed. Referring to the shutdown as "Gov. Christie's Hostage Crisis Day One," Prieto said he has made compromises that led to the budget now before the Legislature.

"I am also ready to consider reasonable alternatives that protect ratepayers, but others must come to the table ready to be equally reasonable," Prieto said. "Gov. Christie and the legislators who won't vote 'yes' on the budget are responsible for this unacceptable shutdown. I compromised. I put up a budget bill for a vote. Others now must now do their part and fulfill their responsibilities."
Politics aside, the diplomaitc failure has immediate consequences for Jersey residents: Christie ordered nonessential services to close beginning Saturday. New Jerseyans were feeling the impact as the shutdown took effect, shuttering state parks and disrupting ferry service to Liberty and Ellis islands. Among those affected were a group of Cub Scouts forced to leave a state park campsite and people trying to obtain or renew documents from the state motor vehicle commission, among the agencies closed by the shutdown.
As funds run out elsewhere, it will only get worse. Police were turning away vehicles and bicyclists at Island Beach state park in Ocean County.

BREAKING: NJ Park cops turn away dozens at Island Beach State Park in Govt #Shutdown (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Shutdown?src=hash) @NBCNewYork (https://twitter.com/NBCNewYork) @JSHurricaneNews (https://twitter.com/JSHurricaneNews) @tedgreenbergNBC (https://twitter.com/tedgreenbergNBC) pic.twitter.com/NplmGahc4l (https://t.co/NplmGahc4l)
— Brian Thompson (@brian4NY) July 1, 2017 (https://twitter.com/brian4NY/status/881145318976442368)
A sign posted at the park entrance featured a photo of Prieto and the phone number of his district office in Secaucus, along with the caption: "This facility is CLOSED because of this man."



When asked about the sign, Christie spokesman Jeremy Rosen said the governor wanted to make sure people knew why the site was shuttered. "Speaker Prieto singlehandedly closed state government," Rosen said, adding that the governor wanted to make sure families "knew that the facilities were closed and who is responsible."
Not all things will be affected: remaining open under the shutdown will be New Jersey Transit, state prisons, the state police, state hospitals and treatment centers as well as casinos, race tracks and the lottery.

More at: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-07-01/chris-christie-announces-new-jersey-government-shutdown-orders-state-emergency

[Schifference]

I remember a pointless bridge shutdown in NJ.

[sparebulb]

You can bet that the shipments of Hot Pockets and Cheez-wiz to the Governor's Mansion haven't stopped.

[Zippyjuan]

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/01/politics/nj-government-shutdown-chris-christie/index.html


According to nj.com, the conflict in the legislature is about the finances of not-for-profit Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield, the state's largest health insurer.

The state Senate passed a bill that allows the state government to control how much Horizon keeps in its surplus fund before it must contribute to a public health fund.

But Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, a Democrat, refused to allow the bill to come to a vote in the House, nj.com said.

Christie, a Republican, has promised to use his line-item veto to eliminate other bills in the budget unless the Horizon bill is passed, nj.com reported.

Christie addressed the legislature Saturday afternoon, saying Horizon is making huge profits without any control by state government, which created Horizon in the first place.

"Horizon doesn't want additional oversight. They don't want additional transparency," he said. "And unfortunately they have politicians who will do their bidding."

Prieto issued a statement saying discussions about changing Horizon were not part of the budget process and that Christie was trying to "extort" Horizon's ratepayers.

"I will consider it once a budget is signed. In fact, the Assembly Judiciary Committee stands ready to hold hearings starting this month," Prieto said.

The shutdown began at midnight and the governor ordered a special joint session of the Legislature to start Saturday morning to address the budget.


The governor told reporters Saturday that the state will do what it must to function, either via federal funding or by running up a tab. He cited state police as an essential service.

Asked whether more services will close if a shutdown continues, he said, "Probably not."

[CPUd]

881644628172300288
https://twitter.com/ChrisMegerian/status/881644628172300288

[sparebulb]

881644628172300288
https://twitter.com/ChrisMegerian/status/881644628172300288

http://img15.deviantart.net/3a42/i/2012/338/8/3/bernie_the_beach_master_by_ethelwulf-d5n13sz.jpg

[angelatc]

All beaches should be privately owned and operated.

[Suzanimal]

http://img15.deviantart.net/3a42/i/2012/338/8/3/bernie_the_beach_master_by_ethelwulf-d5n13sz.jpg

The resemblance is uncanny.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DDxD7l1XoAAwfGw.jpg

[Root]

Christie wants to raid Horizon Health Insurance’s $300M cash reserves for the state budget. Dems are ok with this if they can siphon off some for schools. This is the impossible impasse. So Christie pulled out the Obama playbook and shut down the parks and beaches.

Fucking government.

[specsaregood]

Christie wants to raid Horizon Health Insurance’s $300M cash reserves for the state budget. Dems are ok with this if they can siphon off some for schools. This is the impossible impasse. So Christie pulled out the Obama playbook and shut down the parks and beaches.

Fucking government.

The sickest part isn't that they are arguing over whether they should or CAN raid the cash emergency reserves; but that they fighting over how much and when to raid them. For some reason, I have a hard time thinking that a bunch of blood sucking ticks that can't balance budgets, manage to fund their pension liabilities, or handle disasters without going to the big teated federal government for handouts are in any position to decide when a private organization has "too much" in reserve for unforeseen emergencies.

[Swordsmyth]

http://img15.deviantart.net/3a42/i/2012/338/8/3/bernie_the_beach_master_by_ethelwulf-d5n13sz.jpg

https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftwitchy.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F11%2Forca-beached-whale.jpg&f=1

[Root]

The sickest part isn't that they are arguing over whether they should or CAN raid the cash emergency reserves; but that they fighting over how much and when to raid them. For some reason, I have a hard time thinking that a bunch of blood sucking ticks that can't balance budgets, manage to fund their pension liabilities, or handle disasters without going to the big teated federal government for handouts are in any position to decide when a private organization has "too much" in reserve for unforeseen emergencies.
Yeah agreed. If NJ needs an extra $300 million so badly, he should just legalize marijuana and use the tax proceeds from that

[CPUd]

Yeah agreed. If NJ needs an extra $300 million so badly, he should just legalize marijuana and use the tax proceeds from that

He's probably worse than Jeff Sessions on weed.

[DGambler]

Why do we need government employees to enjoy state parks?

[CPUd]

Why do we need government employees to enjoy state parks?

881301431822766082
https://twitter.com/YALiberty/status/881301431822766082

[Root]

Why do we need government employees to enjoy state parks?
To charge you a daily park use tax.

[tod evans]

Why do we need government employees to enjoy state parks?

Reported!

[Suzanimal]

Beach appears to be open. The good folks of New Jersey should go crash the party.

[Valli6]

The last time NJ government shut down (2006?), they resolved the issue by raising the sales tax - and they did it while keeping the public totally oblivious about it. Most people knew nothing about it till well after the fact.

How'd they do it? The media focused ALL coverage on the shutting down of NJ's beaches and Atlantic City casinos - which of course, brings in a ton of money for the state. In the "news", there was wide spread hysteria and outrage over the shut down and everyone was talking about it.

Only if you deliberately did extra research, would you have noticed a few rare and brief mentions of the suggestion about raising the sales tax to fix the budget - but neither the TV news or the newspapers ever uttered a word about it. I had managed to dig up this fact, but the information was so cryptically stated, that I thought i might be misunderstanding - but in the end, yep, they raised the sales tax while keeping the public totally ignorant of the plan. The day after, most New Jerseyans had no idea their sales tax had been raised.

Anyone else remember this?

(wikipedia)

The 2006 New Jersey state government shutdown was the first shutdown in the history of the U.S. state of New Jersey.[1] The shutdown occurred after the New Jersey Legislature and Governor Jon Corzine failed to agree on a state budget by the constitutional deadline. [June 30] Furthermore, Corzine and the Legislature clashed on the issue of raising the state sales tax to help balance budget. [This clash must've happened in secret, because I heard no mention of it at the time! :mad:] Exercising his constitutional powers as governor, Corzine ordered the shutdown as a means of pressuring the Legislature to pass a budget. The shutdown began at midnight on July 1, 2006, when Corzine called for an orderly shutdown of non-essential government services, which was followed by a second round of shutdowns three days later on July 4.

The shutdown officially concluded after the legislature adopted a budget on July 8, 2006. All government services were restored by 8:30 am on July 10, 2006.

New Jersey would not have another shutdown until July 1, 2017 when the Government shut down after failing to pass a budget before the midnight deadline. The Shutdown is currently ongoing.[2]... (more)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_New_Jersey_state_government_shutdown
(Oh, and public employees later received back pay for their days off!)



I'm afraid that this time, they are about to do something to further screw up NJ hospitals and medical insurance, but that will have to be a separate post.

[goldenequity]

NYC To Pay $16 Million In Lawyer Fees For Illegal Aliens, While Subways Held Together With Zip Ties

https://www.weaselzippers.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Zip-tie-NYC-Subway-Car-Twitter@MsJaya_B-640x480.jpg

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/06/30/nyc-to-pay-16m-for-illegals-lawyer-fees-subways-held-together-with-zip-ties/

[CPUd]

http://i.imgur.com/1gSfOQo.jpg

[CPUd]

881882675656744964
https://twitter.com/GovChristie/status/881882675656744964

[osan]

This is too good to last. How sad.

[Anti Federalist]

Did the NJ State Police get sent home?

Yah...of course...

[Root]

Did the NJ State Police get sent home?

Yah...of course...

Is the state still collecting sales and income tax.

of course...

[Suzanimal]

881954415787343872

[juleswin]

It could have been worse, at least he wasn't caught on the beach with a mistress.

[Suzanimal]

Chris Christie dismisses outrage over his use of shuttered N.J. public beach

Amid growing public frustration, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie defended his family’s use of a beach that he had closed to the public — suggesting that they were free to run for governor as well.

“I’m sorry they’re not the governor,” Christie told “Good Day Philadelphia” Monday morning.

Christie sarcastically suggested that this latest “incredible scandal” is really nothing more than the press catching a politician “keeping his word” because he had already announced his vacation plans.

He also dismissed the Star-Ledger newspaper, which on Monday featured a photo of Christie lounging on the beach on its front page. “I’m sure they will get a Pulitzer for this one,” he quipped, according to NJ.com.

...

When a reporter asked Saturday if it’s fair that his family would be free to use the state beach while others would not, Christie was characteristically blunt: “Run for governor, and you can have a residence there.”

...

Despite his beach outing, Christie told the media that he did not get any sun on Sunday.

“I didn’t,“ he said. “I didn’t get any sun today.”

After the pictures were published, Brian Murray, the governor’s spokesman, conceded that he was on the beach briefly to talk to his wife and family before heading to the office, but reiterated that he “did not get any sun.”

“He had a baseball hat on,” Murray said.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/chris-christie-dismisses-outrage-use-shuttered-n-j-public-beach-143608505.html

[Suzanimal]

Plane Flying Over New Jersey Tells Chris Christie to 'Get the Hell Off' the Beach

A plane carrying a banner telling New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to get off the beach earned cheers from beach-goers Monday.
Christie sparked widespread outrage on Sunday after photos emerged showing the governor and his family enjoying time at a New Jersey beach that had been closed to the public due to a government shutdown.

"Tell Gov. Christie: Get the hell off Island Beach State Park," the banner read, according to a video of the flight passing by.

...

http://time.com/4844160/chris-christie-plane-banner-beach-get-off/

881969274713190400

[phill4paul]

881954415787343872

They had to blur out his camel toe.

[Swordsmyth]

New Jersey lawmakers reach deal to end budget standoffNew Jersey Governor Chris Christie said late on Monday he will sign a budget bill to end a partial government shutdown that became a black eye for him after he was seen lounging on a beach that had been closed to the public over the holiday weekend.State lawmakers were finalizing the bill and legislators and the governor said they would stay as long as it took on Monday night and into Tuesday morning to craft and sign it.Christie said all state parks and beaches would be open on Tuesday for the Fourth of July holiday and state offices would be open as usual on Wednesday.
He said he was happy a resolution had been reached on the budget impasse, but saddened it came three days late.
New Jersey State Senate President Steve Sweeney told a news conference: "None of this was easy."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/jersey-lawmakers-reach-deal-end-budget-standoff-025350469.html

[francisco]

New Jersey lawmakers reach deal to end budget standoffNew Jersey Governor Chris Christie said late on Monday he will sign a budget bill to end a partial government shutdown that became a black eye for him after he was seen lounging on a beach that had been closed to the public over the holiday weekend.State lawmakers were finalizing the bill and legislators and the governor said they would stay as long as it took on Monday night and into Tuesday morning to craft and sign it.Christie said all state parks and beaches would be open on Tuesday for the Fourth of July holiday and state offices would be open as usual on Wednesday.
He said he was happy a resolution had been reached on the budget impasse, but saddened it came three days late.
New Jersey State Senate President Steve Sweeney told a news conference: "None of this was easy."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/jersey-lawmakers-reach-deal-end-budget-standoff-025350469.html





Donald J Trump

Chris Christie is being attacked for going to a beach that was closed to the public with his family. Believe me, folks. Christie did everyone a favor. I've seen him in a bathing suit. SAD!