For Immediate Release:
"The Christie campaign's attempts to prop up his failed economic record ring hollow among the 400,000 people looking for work, the middle class families burdened by his 20 percent property tax increase and the students dealing with the devastating consequences of his $1 billion cut to education.
Gloucester County Times Editorial: "Christie's Flat Out Wrong When He Tells You That He's Not Raising People's Taxes" And He Should Be "Taken To Task If The Full Rebate Cuts Stick And He Tries To Keep Wearing That 'I Didn't Raise Taxes' Halo." "Though we're with him on most of the cuts, Christie's flat out wrong when he tells you that he's not raising people's taxes. Even if municipalities and school districts don't raise property taxes by a single penny, the planned suspension of state-funded rebates until at least April 2011 blows a hole in the wallets of middle-class households and senior citizens…But when Christie wants to effectively take $800 to $1,200 in rebates from so many households, with no guarantee that the funding will return, he has no right to say 'we are certainly not increasing the tax burden we place upon our people ... .' That's simply not true. Christie should be taken to task if the full rebate cuts stick and he tries to keep wearing that 'I didn't raise taxes' halo." [Editorial, Gloucester County Times, 3/17/2010]
Christie's Record Property Taxes Rose 18.6 Percent In His First Three Years, Compared To Just 6 Percent In Corzine's Last Three Years. "Net property taxes in New Jersey rose 18.6 percent in Gov. Chris Christie's first three years in office, compared to just 6 percent in Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine's last three years in office, a New Jersey Spotlight analysis shows.." [NJ Spotlight, 5/6/13]
NJ Spotlight: Schools "Actually Received More In Overall Aid" In Fiscal Year 2010, And Now "Districts Are Getting Close To Returning To Those 2010 Totals Under Christie's Latest Budget, But The Financial Wounds Were Deep" And "Few Would Say They Have Healed." "It's not easy to tell whether this is the most generous education budget in history or one of the most egregious, given the rhetoric coming from both sides in the debate. Actually there is a bit of truth in each. The governor is in full reelection mode, pitching the state's investment in school aid as the highest ever. And strictly by the numbers, the amount is indeed the most the state has directly paid. But that's hardly the full picture. In fiscal 2010, schools actually received more in overall aid, helped by an additional $1 billion in federal stimulus money. The year after, without that help, Christie made deep aid cuts to schools, leading to unprecedented layoffs and decimated programs. Three years later, districts are getting close to returning to those 2010 totals under Christie's latest budget, but the financial wounds were deep and with a 2 percent tax cap in place since then, few would say they have healed." [NJ Spotlight, 4/09/13]
The Buono for Governor campaign released the following statement in response to the Christie campaign's latest ad:
"New Jerseyans are tired of his excuses and want a vision for a New Jersey that lifts up everyone rather than favoring millionaires and corporations."
- David Turner, a spokesman for the campaign
BACKGROUND
CHRISTIE'S NEW JERSEY COMEBACK NEVER HAPPENED
Star-Ledger Editorial: "Compared With The Rest Of The Country — Even The Rest Of Our Region — We Haven't Restored Nearly As Many Jobs Lost During The Start Of The Recession. Which Makes Gov. Chris Christie's Gloating Lately About The Jobs He's Created That Much More Insufferable." [Editorial, Star-Ledger, 4/7/13]
Asbury Park Press Editorial: "The Jersey Economic Comeback? Never Happened." [Editorial, Asbury Park Press, 8/19/13]
Bloomberg On Christie's Economic Record: "So Compared To The Country As A Whole, New Jersey Has Faltered Since Christie Took Office." [Bloomberg, 8/15/13]
CNBC: Christie Would Be "Unlikely To Point To New Jersey's Standing In Our America's Top States For Business Rankings. It Has Declined Since He Took Office In 2010" Falling From 30th To 42nd In 2013. "But he is unlikely to point to New Jersey's standing in our America's Top States for Business rankings. It has declined since he took office in 2010. That year and in 2011, New Jersey finished 30th overall. In 2012, the state plunged to 41st. For 2013, it drops another spot to 42nd." [CNBC, 7/13/13]
THE FACTS – HIGHEST UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE REGION, BOTTOM OF THE BARREL IN JOB CREATION, AND AT THE END OF THE DAY 400,000 NEW JERSEYANS ARE LOOKING FOR WORK
New Jersey's Unemployment Rate Of 8.5% Was The Highest Among Its Neighbors By Nearly Half A Point. In August 2013, New Jersey's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 8.5%. New York's was 7.6%, Pennsylvania's rate was 7.7%, Delaware's was 7.3%, Maryland's unemployment rates was 7.0% and Connecticut's was 8.1%. [BLS.gov, Accessed 9/20/13]
· From January 2010 To August 2013, New Jersey's Unemployment Rate Dropped A Point, From 9.7% To 8.5%, While The National Unemployment Rate Dropped 2 Points, From 9.8% To 7.3%. [BLS.gov, Accessed 9/20/13]
August 2013: 391,667 New Jerseyans Are Out Of Work And Looking. [BLS.gov, Accessed 9/20/13]
August 2013: New Jersey Had Only Recovered 49% Of Jobs Lost During The Great Recession, While New York Recovered 126% And Pennsylvania 78%, And The Nation 78%. New Jersey's peak total non-farm seasonally adjusted employment came in January 2008, at 4,092,200. The low point came in September 2010 at 3,969,800 and August 2013, New Jersey stood at 3,958,700. New Jersey had only regained 49% of jobs lost. New York regained 126%, Pennsylvania 78% and nationally 78%. [BLS.gov, Accessed 9/20/13]
August 2013: New Jersey Ranked 44th In Job Creation Under Christie, And Lagged Behind New York (23th), Delaware (39th), Connecticut (38th), Maryland (24th) And Pennsylvania (42nd). New Jersey's total non-farm employment grew from 3,805,700 to 3,958,700 from January 2010 to August 2013. The numbers were seasonally adjusted. New Jersey's growth rate was 2.81%, lower than Pennsylvania at 3.40%, Connecticut at 3.80%, Delaware at 3.79%, Maryland was 4.70% and New York at 4.77%. [BLS.gov, Accessed 9/20/13]
New Jersey Poverty Rate Reached A 52-Year High In 2011. Poverty in New Jersey continued to grow even as the national recession lifted, reaching a 52-year high in 2011, according to a report released today. The annual survey by Legal Services of New Jersey found 24.7 percent of the state's population — 2.1 million residents — was considered poor in 2011. That's a jump of more than 80,000 people — nearly 1 percent higher than the previous year and 3.8 percent more than pre-recession levels…. The report — the seventh issued by Legal Services — defines being poor in New Jersey as a family of three making less than $37,060. That's twice the federal poverty rate because New Jersey's cost of living is among the highest in the nation." [Star-Ledger, 9/8/13]
2009 CANDIDATE CHRISTIE WOULD HAVE RUN AGAINST 2013 GOVERNOR CHRISTIE'S RECORD
2009 Christie: New Jersey Suffered From The Highest Unemployment Rate In 33 Years, The Highest Tax Burden, The Highest Property Taxes, Going Up $1k On Average, And Needed A New Governor. "9.7% unemployment, the highest in New Jersey in 33 years, and the worst in the region. The highest tax burden in America on each and every New Jersey citizen. The highest property taxes in America, going up as much as $1,000 on average per household in the last four years. 200,000 jobs now nearly lost, nearly 200,000 just this year. New Jersey is in crisis, we are in crisis because we're taxed too much. Because we spend too much, and because we borrow too much. But you know, hope can be real again in New Jersey if we have a Governor that will come in and make the tough choices to cut spending. Hope can be real again if we cut income taxes across the board and cut business taxes." [Christie, New Jersey Gubernatorial Debate, 10/1/09 (video available)]
2009: Christie Pointed Out New Jersey's Unemployment Rate Was "At Least 0.7 Of A Percentage Point Or Higher Than New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware And Connecticut." "Christie calls Corzine's policies a "failure," and points to the unemployment rate as proof. He noted that in August, New Jersey's unemployment rate was at least 0.7 of a percentage point or higher than New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Connecticut." [Herald News, 10/18/09]
2009: Christie Criticized Corzine For Running Attack Ads While The State Was "Facing The Worst Unemployment Rate In The Region." "Calling Tuesday accountability day, Christie criticized Corzine for spending $25 million on negative, attack ads at a time when the state has the highest property taxes in the nation and is facing the worst unemployment rate in the region. Christie said Corzine represents higher taxes, more spending and more government programs." [Eastern Express Times, 10/31/09]
CHRISTIE'S CLAIMS TO CONTROLLING PROPERTY TAXES OMITS HIS CUTS TO PROPERTY TAX RELIEF THAT RESULTED IN 20% HIGHER TAXES FOR THE AVERAGE NEW JERSEY RESIDENT
Philadelphia Inquirer: Christie's First Ad Touted "No New Taxes For Anyone" But Christie "Christie Cut Into Tax Credit Programs, Which Effectively Raised Taxes On Some." "Viewers will see the phrase 'no new taxes for anyone.' But, to balance budgets, Christie cut into tax credit programs, which effectively raised taxes on some." [Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/2/13]
5/13/13: Columnist Moran Headline: "Christie Fires Blanks At Study On Rising Property Taxes." [Columnist Tom Moran, Star-Ledger, 5/13/13]
Columnist Tom Moran: Christie, "Faced With A Compelling Study Showing That The Property Tax Burden On Average Homeowners" Rose Nearly 20 Percent "Gov. Chris Christie Lashed At The Author Of The Study While Failing Utterly To Refute The Findings." "There he goes again. Faced with a compelling study showing that the property tax burden on average homeowners in New Jersey has risen by 18 percent since he took office, Gov. Chris Christie lashed at the author of the study while failing utterly to refute the findings. The report on NJ Spotlight, written by Mark Magyar, considered the impact of the governor's decision to reduce rebate payments by billions of dollars. The governor promised during the campaign that he would restore the rebates, but once in office, did exactly the opposite. So even though property taxes are rising more slowly, the burden has grown because the rebates have been scaled back so sharply." [Columnist Tom Moran, Star-Ledger, 5/13/13]
· 5/12/13: Star-Ledger Editorial Headline: "Christie's Bogus Spin On Property Taxes." [Editorial, Star-Ledger, 5/12/13]
CHRISTIE CUT NEARLY $1 BILLION FROM PUBLIC SCHOOLS, THE LARGEST PER PUPIL SPENDING CUT IN THE NATION – WHICH NJ SCHOOLS STILL HAVE NOT RECOVERED FROM
Christie's $820 Million In Education Budget Resulted In 81 Percent Of Districts Planning On Cutting Staff, And Of Those 42 Percent Saying They Expected Class Size To Rise As A Result. "The school's dilemma marks a statewide trend as districts say aid cuts have meant staff reductions that in turn have led to larger class sizes. A survey by the New Jersey School Boards Association last summer, conducted after Gov. Chris Christie slashed school aid by $820 million, found 81 percent of responding districts said they intended to reduce teaching staff. Of those, 42 percent expected class size to rise as a result. … With a 2 percent cap on property tax increases coming next year, class size may increase further, West Orange School Superintendent Anthony Cavanna said." [Star Ledger, 11/28/10]
· Christie's FY11 Education Cuts Were The "Largest Yearly Decline Of Any State" Of Public Per Pupil Spending. "Per pupil spending for public elementary and secondary education fell in fiscal year 2011 – the first ever recorded annual decline, according to Census Bureau data released today. In all, the 50 states and the District of Columbia spent $10,560 per student, with more than three-quarters funding salaries and employee benefits. The decline represents only a 0.4 percent reduction from 2010, but it's the first year-over-year decrease since the federal government began recording data in 1977. Public spending fell by $873 per pupil in New Jersey, the largest yearly decline of any state, followed by Illinois (-$860) and Maine (-$820). A total of 21 states reported spending drops from 2010." [Governing.com, 5/21/13]
The FY14 Budget Would Leave 477 Schools, Or Just Over 80% Of Schools With Less State Aid Then They Received The Year Before Governor Christie Took Office. "The vast majority of NJ school districts have yet to recover from Governor Christie's $1.1 billion cut in state aid in his FY11 budget. A new analysis by ELC shows that, even with the Governor's slight aid increase proposed for the FY14 State Budget, 477 districts will remain below the level of state aid they received the year before the Governor took office. In the 2010-11 school year, Governor Christie cut state aid to districts in an amount equal to 5% of their total operating budgets." The New Jersey Department of Education said there were 590 school districts in New Jersey. [Education Law Center, 4/4/13; New Jersey DOE, Accessed 9/2/13]
CHRISTIE'S CLAIMED HE BALANCED FOUR BUDGETS, WHICH WAS CONSTITUTIONALLY REQUIRED
PolitiFact: "New Jersey's Constitution Requires A Balanced Budget Every Year." [PolitiFact, 8/28/12]
Wall Street Journal Political Diary: "For Instance, Mr. Christie's First Large Ad Buy Touts The Four Balanced Budgets He's Signed, As If The State Constitution Didn't Require A Balanced Budget…" [Political Diary, Wall Street Journal, 5/7/13]
PolitickerNJ: Christie Claimed Four Balanced Budgets During His Term But "By Law The State's Budget Must Be Balanced, So Christie Has Not Had A Choice." "The release also links to articles refuting the governor's claims that he has presented four balanced budgets during his term. By law the state's budget must be balanced, so Christie has not had a choice." [PolitickerNJ, 5/1/13]
