Opinion: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie: Have helicopter, will fly
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Comrades, to the barricades!
OK, maybe that’s too dramatic. But if ‘we the people’ keep being played for chumps by those elected to lead us, maybe Marx was right: The state should wither away.
The latest example of stupid politician tricks came Tuesday when New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie took a state police helicopter to watch his son’s baseball game.
According to the Associated Press, Christie and his wife Mary Pat flew in by helicopter, got into a nearby car, drove 100 yards to the field and watched their son Andrew’s game until the fifth inning. Play was then stopped as they departed.
No word on how embarrassed Andrew was at the fuss Mom and Dad made.
Of course, criticism of the first-term Republican governor -– who naturally has a get-tough approach to state spending -– erupted quickly.
Criticism that spokesman Michael Drewniak rejected, saying of the helicopter ride:
It is a means of transportation that is occasionally used as the schedule demands. This has historically been the case in prior administrations as well.
Yep. I think Louis XVI tried out the old ‘all the other kings lived large’ line on the peasants during the French Revolution too; to paraphrase Sarah Palin, ‘How’d that work for ya, Louis?’
On Thursday, though, guess what? Christie tried a new approach, through a new spokeswoman (hmm, maybe if he wants to cut the budget, he could start with spokespeople?)
To quote the AP:
A spokeswoman for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says the governor and State Republican Committee are reimbursing the state for all personal use of a state police helicopter, which includes two trips to watch his oldest son’s baseball games. Spokeswoman Maria Comella says Christie has paid $2,251 to the state to cover the cost of all trips. Comella also says the state GOP has paid $919 to cover the cost of Christie’s trip Tuesday when he used the helicopter to fly 75 miles from a game in Montvale to Princeton to take a meeting with a group of top GOP campaign contributors from Iowa.
Funny how politicians will almost always do the right thing -– once they’ve been exposed for doing the wrong thing.
And this isn’t a partisan issue. Though Christie’s a Republican, you can find plenty of instances of Democrats behaving badly.
But I’m willing to make a deal with politicians like Christie:
You stop trying to balance the budget on the backs of poor people while cutting the taxes of your rich campaign contributors, and I’ll let you ride around in your helicopter.
If not, well, those barricades are looking mighty tempting.
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-- Paul Whitefield
