I will protect your pensions. Nothing about your pension is going to change when I am governor. - Chris Christie, "An Open Letter to the Teachers of NJ" October, 2009

Monday, March 14, 2011

Governor Christie is AFRAID of Teachers!

Which is why he never schedules his town halls when school is in session:
Tuesday, March 15th, 201 
Woodbridge Community Center, 600 Main Street, Woodbridge, NJ 07095  
Doors Open at 8:45am, Program Begins at 9:45am -  
Seating is on a first come, first serve basis -
* Required

No, sorry - I'll be teaching.

Why doesn't he want to meet with teachers? This Twitter conversation he had today gives us a clue:

@ Hard is going to be trying to put gas in my car, car insurance & high prop taxes. We had the benis bc pay was low...now what?
Sorry, MomNTeach, but someone's got to sacrifice, and the rich are, according to Christie, already doing WAY more than those special people should:
During last night's Ask the Governor program, Governor Christie - when asked why he's not insisting the rich share in the sacrifice- said "there already is shared sacrifice by millionaires in the Garden State...the top one percent of taxpayers in this state pay 41 percent of the income tax already...I didn't think it was fair to ask them to a pay anymore."
Of course, we don't want to talk about the fact that the wealthiest 1% also took all of the economic gains in NJ over the past 20 years; hence, no town hall meetings for you, teach! Another bonus: he won't have to look you in the face and tell you that you can handle a 20% cut in your take home pay when you make a whopping $54K.

And he won't have to explain how the long-term effect of telling young people that a government employer can break promises to them at any time will pretty much destroy the teaching corps for generations to come.

But look at it this way: the time you've saved by sparing him having to hear about the pain he is inflicting on you is time you can use to plan how you are going to pay off your student loans without running up your credit card when you take your kid to the doctor.

So there's that.

5 comments:

Joe LoRe said...

http://otoolefan.wordpress.com/2011/03/11/the-sound-and-fury-of-chris-christie/

Unknown said...

Wonderful article! I'll be sharing on my FB page. Also hoping to connect with folks like NJMomNTeach who have been directly impacted by the Govs policies. I'm hoping people share their stories with me at ThanksGovChristie@gmail.com (no, this will not be a traditional thank you to the Gov...).

Teacher Mom said...

I did the math the other day. I will loose 300-400 per check under the new plan. I have no credit card debt. The only debt we have is a car payment for a four-year-old Toyota, and student loans. Students loans I had to take out both to get my position and to keep it. Continuing education is a requirement for most states. I live a very modest life while supporting 2 children, and my spouse chooses to work for a small business making me the main bread-winner for the family. We already live in a one-bedroom 700 sq ft apartment. There is NOTHING to cut, and nowhere to run. Currently my TAKE HOME pay is 60% of my paycheck. My husband whose salary is literally half of mine, brings home only 300 less per two week period. If this bill goes through, we will have to look in to some form of assistance. Never did I ever think that having a masters degree and working as a professional educator would ever put my family in this type of position.

Joe LoRe said...

Teacher Mom - That was the exact number we came up with in making the decision for my wife to leave her school.

We lose 300-400 per paycheck under this plan.

No pay raise over the last 4 years due to contract negotiations.

Childcare costs for a 1 year old in daycare from 7:30 A.M. to 4 P.M. $300 to $500.

That alone just ate up 85% of her net take home pay.

And even with the other two kids pitching in with household chores - what kind of time did that leave us after dinner was cooked and everything done? All so we could spend 1 hour a day with our child?

When we ran all the numbers, that 15% left would have went to a once a week housekeeper & landscaper & ordering dinner just so we could have some quality time.

Anyone who thinks that it is petty for these teachers to be upset about the money is an asshole.

We were told just a year ago how these wall street bastards needed these bonuses so their companies can keep them. They destroyed a global economy. Why is it ok to demean a teacher because she/he wants a liveable wage?

Teachers are society makers, we need good qualified teachers.

Unknown said...

Hey gang, I would really love to hear these types of stories! I'm putting together a series of short films (more like viral video web commercials really) - light hearted, but direct and to the point, focused on how Govs like Chris Christie are hurting the folks they claim to serve. I'd really appreciate the chance to talk, or to answer yoru questiosn about who I am and what I'm about. Hit me up via email!