I posted the difference in media coverage between the Chris Christie bridge scandal and the IRS targeting scandal. I made the point that media coverage of the bridge scandal has dwarfed that of the IRS scandal in recent months.
In the comments nickgb called shenanigans base on the fact that the tails of a scandal are less covered than the beginnings of the scandal.
Full point.
Posted in Government, Politics: National
Tagged Barack Obama, Bridge Gate, Chris Christie, IRS
Listen, I mentioned that government is coercion:
We allow ourselves to be governed in exchange for a certain degree of order. We allow ourselves to be subject to the confiscatory practice of taxation in order to pay for that order, that law and order.
And we give power to men that we wouldn’t otherwise give.
Power corrupts – absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Posted in Government, Politics: National
Tagged Barack Obama, Bridgegate, Chris Christie, IRS
All government is coercion.
We allow ourselves to be governed in exchange for a certain degree of order. We allow ourselves to be subject to the confiscatory practice of taxation in order to pay for that order, that law and order.
And we give power to men that we wouldn’t otherwise give.
Power corrupts – absolute power corrupts absolutely.
The Christie administration retaliated against a political slight. But they didn’t retaliate against the political operative, in this case a democrat mayor who didn’t endorse Christie for governor – no, they retaliated against the people that live in the mayor’s town. The Christie administration order lane closures to ensure a traffic nightmare would take place on a bridge serving the mayor’s town.
This isn’t denying an appointment, this isn’t leaking sensitive information to the press and this isn’t shelving legislation favored by an opponent. This is wanted abuse of political authority it retribution of a perceived slight.
This was planned, this was deliberate and this was malicious.
I’m not sure that Christie himself ever knew or gave the order – that may or may not come out. But in the same way that Obama sets the tone in the White House and is responsible for the various scandals under his watch, Mr. Christie is responsible for the actions of his deputy chief of staff.
Will this signal the end of his career? Who knows – I doubt it. Traffic is traffic after all. And, to be sure, the only career he has remaining is to be a serious contender for the GOP nomination in 2016; something he wasn’t guaranteed to win before this happened. But if I had to guess, this alone doesn’t sink his chances, in fact, how he handles it may serve to help him.
One of the reasons I have so much scorn for democrats is that they embrace the big government statism power that I despise. Republicans at least SAY* they’re against it but then eventually break my heart by giving in to the temptation that is “power.”
To be sure, the devastation that is “Sandy” is, in some areas, complete. Any human with a drip of a spirit and decency would weep at the scene. But the reason we elect people is that we expect leadership.
And courage.
And with one stroke of a pen, Christie failed BIG time:
Trenton, NJ – Taking action to save homeowners money following Hurricane Sandy, Governor Chris Christie signed Executive Order 107, prohibiting insurance companies from imposing costly hurricane deductibles on New Jersey homeowners. An important part of the recovery of New Jersey will be the influx of funds that occurs when insurers settle claims by New Jersey homeowners. This action will increase the total size of the payments made by the insurance industry, helping residents rebuild their homes and speed New Jersey’s path to recovery.
“We need to ensure that homeowners are not forced to pay higher out of pocket costs than required as they begin the rebuilding and repair process,” said Governor Christie. “While Hurricane Sandy was a devastating storm, it did not meet the regulatory threshold to trigger the application of hurricane deductibles by insurance companies in New Jersey. This executive order makes it clear that consumers do not have to pay these unusually large and often unexpected amounts.”
Now, did the storm meet the threshold to trigger deductible? Maybe, maybe not. But THAT isn’t up to the governor of a state. That’s to be determined by the normal and regular and well understood relationship between the private entities that entered into a legally binding contract.
Governor Christie would be wise to remember that if he legislates away the right to collect deductibles, if indeed they are entitles, he may very well find out that the polices issued to his residents are dramatically more expensive if offered at all.
* Except, of course, things like gay marriage and extreme abortion views. THOSE state powers they are just fine with.
Posted in Economics, Republicans Can Be Leftists Too, Rocket Surgery, States Behaving Badly
Tagged Chris Christie, New Jersey, Sandy
A continuation of my love affair with Chris Christie:
A leader leading is something to behold.
Posted in Government, Liberty, Politics: National
Tagged Chris Christie, New Jersey, Politics, Social Security