Best Trade Ever

Deion Sanders and Warren Sapp think the Eagles trade of McNabb was a bad idea, with Sanders going so far as to call it a "shebocle."  Based on the amount of credence I lend to Sapp and Sanders, I'm now fully on board with the deal as the best trade ever.  But I should thank Deion for the word "shebocle" -- just wish I'd had that term available during the health care reform bill debate.

Great Moments In Higher Educational Research

The headline reads: Why Guys Prefer Hooking Up to Dating. Apparently, professors at JMU did a study that determined that college guys prefer hooking up to dating, while women prefer the latter. They also found out that women want a relationship more than men, and men value independence more than women.

Either the professors at JMU are insanely stupid for needing a study to learn this stuff, or they just wanted to get grant money and make up a study so they could claim to be doing "research." I'm not sure which conclusion I find more comforting.

Almost As Bad A Joke As The Union Itself

I've got a new personal measure to help judge if a politician is doing well -- the quality of the job performance directly correlates to how much public employee unions dislike a said politician.  By my new metric, Chris Christie must be doing a great job in New Jersey if he's got people in the state teacher's union hoping that he dies...

Bergen County representatives of the state teachers union have ratcheted up the campaign against Governor Christie's agenda in a fiery memo that encourages members to "get some dirt" and "go public," and adds the education commissioner to the "attack list."


But it's the memo's closing "prayer" that is sure to ignite controversy:


"Dear Lord … this year you have taken away my favorite actor, Patrick Swayze, my favorite actress, Farrah Fawcett, my favorite singer, Michael Jackson, and my favorite salesman, Billy Mays. … I just wanted to let you know that Chris Christie is my favorite governor."


The memo, sent to locals in the county earlier this week and obtained by The Record on Thursday, is signed by New Jersey Education Association field representatives, including Joe Coppola, president of the Bergen County Education Association.


Coppola said the "prayer" was a joke and was never meant to be made public.


"Obviously, it's inappropriate," he said. "I would never wish anybody dead."

I would dispute that last comment -- plenty of people wish death upon others in a moment of anger, and some continue to do even after the moment passes.  Immediately after 9/11, I wished for death upon Osama bin Laden, and I'm not sure I feel differently today.

Of course, Coppola is speaking about this issue in the general sense -- rational people rarely if ever wish death upon other human beings.  I think he's telling the truth here, but the lack of judgment in including this joke in a written communication is awful.  Jim Geraghty rightly notes that liberals might have a tough time screeching about Tea Party rhetoric against Obama when a key bastion of Democratic Party support is busy praying for the death of a sitting Governor.

In the end, I'm guessing this has to be a joke -- I don't know of anyone who would claim Patrick Swayze or Farrah Fawcett to be their favorite actor. Even liberals aren't that sappy.

Stat Of The Day

If you want to know why our intelligence services may not be doing so well in their missions, this stat might help: More than 90% of CIA employees now live and work entirely within the United States.

The Healthcare Follies Continue

Maybe I'm missing something here, but the explanations of Democrats for why the health care bill will actually cut the deficit ring more and more hollow over time.  But I'm also stunned with the seeming lack of understanding of basic economics...

Shea-Porter said the bill will improve the public's health and save money by providing care to 32 million uninsured people, many of whom would otherwise seek expensive care in emergency rooms.


"So how are we going to pay for this?' she asked, rhetorically.


The question sparked laughter and hoots from the bill's opponents at the town-hall-style forum.


Members of the capacity crowd hammered away at her point, saying the bill would incur huge debt.


Johanna Hayes, a doctor from Londonderry, said the bill has too many costs yet to be determined.


Hayes also claimed preventative care would raise overall costs.


"You are wrong about preventative care," Shea-Porter said.


"I am not," Hayes said. "I do it. I'm an epidemiologist."


On several occasions, people in the crowd laughed at Shea-Porter's remarks or spoke spontaneously from their seats.


This inspired responses from her supporters.


The congresswoman told the audience she shared their frustration over jobs lost and economic hardships.


She also asked for civility and drew a parallel between outbursts on the floor of Congress and in the meeting at Londonderry Town Hall.


"It is disappointing," she said. "Can we disagree without personal attacks?"


Ultimately, Shea-Porter didn't shy away from the confrontational tenor of the meeting, and said in an interview later that she enjoyed the give and take.


"I love it," she said. "I like trying to explain."


At the meeting, Rep. Al Baldasaro, R-Londonderry, said the New Hampshire Budget Office estimated the health care bill would cost the state $1.2 billion in Medicaid expenses over the next 10 years.


Shea-Porter said the bill would be funded, in part, by savings from the preventative care and by taxing the top 2 percent of income earners.


Also, it would be funded by curbing waste and fraud, and by a 14 percent savings on the Medicare Advantage program, she said.


Audience members wanted to know what would stop insurance companies from raising rates exorbitantly.


Shea-Porter said the companies could do that before the bill was passed.


But, ultimately, with more people entering the marketplace for insurance, the companies need to be competitive to gain customers, she said.

I'm trying to figure out what that last sentence means. Shea-Porter acknowledges that insurance companies could still raise premiums under this bill, but claims that increasing the number of people they have to cover (effectively expanding the demand for insurance) will force companies to be more "competitive" and reduce prices.

I am reasonably certain the bill has mechanisms to limit premium increases, but the way she described it, she's expecting a market mechanism to handle the issue. She's essentially saying that if you increase demand, you're going to reduce prices. I'm not sure how that would work -- I know there's an argument to be made that by requiring everyone to sign up, you will reduce the risk to the entire pool, but I don't think this translates into lower premiums. So I'm lost as to what she means.

In other words, Nancy Pelosi was wrong. Even after they passed the bill, Democrats can't explain it.

Worst List Ever

I know people make lists like this just to create debate, but rest assured that any list of the Top 100 films of the 1990s that has The Thin Red Line at the top and doesn't have Saving Private Ryan or Shawshank Redemption lacks credibility.  And who decided that Pulp Fiction is only #19 and Silence of the Lambs is only #36, while Eyes Wide Shut somehow makes it at #7?  And that's before I get to my biggest peeve -- The Talented Mr. Ripley is a crock of absolute shit, yet somehow makes the list.

Maybe Neither Side Really Wants Him

Even Arlen Specter can't keep track of whether he's a Republican or Democrat.  I didn't like him when he was a Republican, so the party switch has actually been great for me.  In fact, I think PA voters should thank him for switching parties by sending him off to retirement this fall.

In The Latest Celebrity News...

Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey announced their breakup via Twitter.  I didn't even know they were dating.  At least I know who they are -- I'm still able to recognize celebrities from the 1990's!  Woo-hoo!

I'm not sure if this is a sign that I should be on Twitter, or that Twitter should be destroyed.

The Healthcare Follies Continue

Sometimes, I wonder if the characters in Alice In Wonderland could even adequately describe the insanity of this legislation...

Sen. Tom Coburn drew ridicule last month for trying in vain to prohibit sex offenders from getting Viagra prescriptions under the new health care law.


But Coburn is now having the last laugh after the Congressional Research Service confirmed his assertions that sex offenders not in prison could get Viagra and other drugs treating erectile dysfunction under health plans subsidized by taxpayer dollars.


In a memo to the Oklahoma Republican, who is one of two doctors in the chamber, and provided to FoxNews.com, the CRS said there are no provisions in the new health care law "which would require health plans to limit the type of benefits that can be offered based on the plan beneficiary's prior criminal convictions."


...Coburn offered an amendment blocking this to the companion bill that reshaped parts of the health care law. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., dismissed it as a "gotcha amendment" designed to be difficult for Democrats to oppose. But the amendment failed 57-42.

I'm going to give Senator Durbin and his Democratic colleagues the benefit of the doubt and assume they don't want to be on the record as supporting a bill that provides ED products via taxpayer funds to child molesters (there is an interesting legal issue, I imagine, as to whether the amendment Coburn offered would be constitutionally valid, but I don't know that anyone raised it, and I think in normal circumstances legislators would happily allow the courts to figure it out). But assuming that Durbin and the Dems did not want this result, the only reason they voted against Coburn's amendment was procedural, since allowing the amendment would have forced another House vote on the healthcare bill.  So that we're clear, it was so important and pressing to pass this healthcare legislation nownownow (with many of the benefits held in limbo until 2014) that Congress couldn't be bothered to amend language that would prevent taxpayer subsidies being used to pay for ED products going to child sex offenders because of procedural reasons.  And that's the best argument Democrats have for opposing Coburn's amendment.

Anyone still wondering why the Democrats look like they're facing an election bloodbath in November?

Album Cover Nostalgia

A new recurring series inspired by the Lord of Truth. We all remember certain album covers fondly -- here's one more.

I distinctly recall driving around at a Villanova homecoming, not long after graduating from college, and having two of my fraternity brothers belting out "Mo Money More Problems" over and over again.  I'll leave their names out, except to note that one got married earlier this year and another is getting married later this year.  And yes, both will be married to women.

The real reason for this post?  I just read that Sean Combs recently started referring to himself as "Ciroc Obama", which triggered this story.  This blog has few rules, but one of them is that stories involving rap moguls and toilet bowls filled with unconsumed vodka need to be noted.

What Annoying Song Is Stuck In My Head Today?

If I need to suffer with a song stuck in my head, why shouldn't you have to do the same? Sometimes they're good, most times they're bad... but no matter what, they make you suffer. So I like to share the suffering whenever it happens.

After yesterday's post, you knew this was coming.  And this song is NOT annoying; it's simply one of my favorites, and I'm perfectly happy to spend a day with this going through my head.



You're welcome.

Supreme Court Soap Opera

Oh, goody.  Washington's worst-kept secret is slowly leaking out -- Justice Stevens is finally going to call it quits.  As Byron York notes, Democrats are really hoping he does it this year instead of waiting until next year.

My personal view is that the GOP can still make this a useful election issue, and we can all see it as a teaching tool.  The confirmation hearings probably cannot include a series of questions as to how a nominee would vote on the constituionality of Obamacare's individual mandate (since a prospective justice would likely properly refuse to pre-judge such an issue), but there's plenty of room for discussion of precedent and the Commerce Clause.  On additional question -- if Elena Kagen (the current SG) is indeed named to the bench (and she is considered the front-runner), would there be an argument in favor of having her recuse herself from any eventual Supreme Court decision on Obamacare?

A Public Option

The O-Pad.  Brilliant. 



(hat tip: Hot Air) "When has the public ever done anything more creative or successful than the government?"

I'm Still Sticking With Direct TV... Or Maybe Switching To FIOS

I have little to no interest in net neutrality, but I tend to oppose most things the FCC mandates.  So bully for Comcast.  Now, if they can fix the Flyers and Sixers...

Maybe You Should Try Stamps.Com

Megan McArdle's story of a trip to the Post Office would be funny if it wasn't true. I know we're all debating the size of government, but do even liberals think the postal service is still necessary? Can we cut it back and put the postal workers into more useful endeavors, like trying to figure out a way to raise CNN's ratings?

He Has No Answer

Mr. President, when it takes 17 minutes to answer a simple question about the health care plan, it means you don't have a good answer to the question, or that you're not being honest with your response.

Charles Krauthammer mocks the President beautifully.

Someone Page Eric Cartman -- The Hippies Are Loose

I had this overwhelming desire to scream the word "Go home, Hippie!" when I read this...

President Obama said Monday that he was revamping American nuclear strategy to substantially narrow the conditions under which the United States would use nuclear weapons.


But the president said in an interview that he was carving out an exception for “outliers like Iran and North Korea” that have violated or renounced the main treaty to halt nuclear proliferation.


Discussing his approach to nuclear security the day before formally releasing his new strategy, Mr. Obama described his policy as part of a broader effort to edge the world toward making nuclear weapons obsolete, and to create incentives for countries to give up any nuclear ambitions. To set an example, the new strategy renounces the development of any new nuclear weapons, overruling the initial position of his own defense secretary.


Mr. Obama’s strategy is a sharp shift from those of his predecessors and seeks to revamp the nation’s nuclear posture for a new age in which rogue states and terrorist organizations are greater threats than traditional powers like Russia and China.


It eliminates much of the ambiguity that has deliberately existed in American nuclear policy since the opening days of the cold war. For the first time, the United States is explicitly committing not to use nuclear weapons against nonnuclear states that are in compliance with the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, even if they attacked the United States with biological or chemical weapons or launched a crippling cyberattack.


Those threats, Mr. Obama argued, could be deterred with “a series of graded options,” a combination of old and new conventional weapons. “I’m going to preserve all the tools that are necessary in order to make sure that the American people are safe and secure,” he said in the interview in the Oval Office.

Preserving those tools should not include making useless self-limiting statements simply so you can look good to the bureaucrats of the world community. I'm happy if the world never sees another nuclear blast. But I refuse to think it deters anyone or serves U.S. interests to say that our default response to a biological or chemical weapons attack would not include nuclear retaliation. I'm starting to wonder if the President wants our future military endeavors to end up like the battles between G.I. Joe and Cobra on the animated TV series, where pilots always parachuted to safety from planes that got shot down, and laser fire never hit anyone.

Wait, The Nationals Have Fans?

Tom Boswell whines like a little girl regarding the invasion of Phillies fans in Nationals Park yesterday...

Still, it's a shock when rude interlopers boo a home team during its own opening day introductions. Perhaps, after a century of almost uniform Phils misery, including a celebration of their own 10,000th loss, it's too much to ask Philadelphia guests to have the class of visiting Yankees or Red Sox boosters who, accustomed to winning teams, invade but don't insult.


Of course, on Wednesday and Thursday, Nats fans could just make "Thanks for Donovan" signs and snicker discretely.


The president, accidentally and unfortunately, played into the day's most unsettling motif -- a desire not to be too closely associated with the Nats in public. Before the game, the chief executive was given a lovely red Nats jacket for his trip to the hill to make the 48th such ceremonial pitch by 13 presidents since William Howard Taft in 1910.


"I've never been to a game with you when you didn't have a [White] Sox jacket," Selig recalled. "He said, 'I got something coming.' And then sure enough, he pulled out the White Sox hat."


And on his head it went.


"Yeah, bad touch there," said Manager Jim Riggleman, a Washington-area native, with a tight grimace.

Having attended countless games where Red Sox and Yankee fans show up uninvited to other teams' home ballparks, I know for a fact that many of them boo other team during introductions. The ones who don't are either too drunk or not smart enough to have figured out when to boo. And considering the President's sinking poll numbers, perhaps the Nats should consider themselves fortunate that he doesn't align himself fully with them.

Losing One More Crucial Voting Bloc

If you've lost Mad Magazine... I'm going out on a limb and starting to think the President may lose the Daily Show next.

The Healthcare Follies Continue... with an Album Cover!

I post a link to Peter Suderman's discussion of the constitutionality of the individual mandate for a couple reasons.  First, I'm fascinated by the coming debate.  Second, the man took the time to put up an album cover featuring Warren G and thereby referencing one of my favorite songs. 

20 Thoughts on the Departure of #5

So the Iggles have traded Donovan McNabb.  I kept planning to write a post about what I perceived to be the inevitable trade, but the Birds managed to make the trade quite suddenly on Easter Sunday.  20 trade thoughts, in no particular order...

1. From the Skins perspective, I agree with the belief that they overpaid. In fact, based on trade value chart calculations, the second/fourth combo is worth a late first round pick (between 25-30), and that's without consideration for the fact that this draft is considered very deep. Also, rumor has it the second pick could somehow jump to a third based on certain conditions (I have no idea what those might be -- assuming they are about as realistic as Andy Reid dropping 40 pounds, but who knows).

2. Though the Skins overpaid, I don't know that they overpaid as shamelessly as they did in the past. This is not like dumping a third round pick on T.J. Duckett. And I actually think this decision has more to do with Shanahan than Snyder. Shanahan is in win now mode -- I think he's close to 60 and wants this team to go for broke, rather than waste time building; this accounts for the signings of Larry Johnson and Willie Parker to go with Portis. The Skins' current backfield would be the envy of fantasy football owners, circa 2005. I'm not sure it matters if the Skins' offensive line continues to made out of balsa wood, but Shanahan's a good offensive coach, so I think they'll be decent on offense.

3. Where I see the Skins' deficiencies is on defense, where they have been very strong in recent years. I don't know that the defensive line, save for Orakpo, does much for them, and I include Haynesworth, who was apparently made available in the McNabb trade (and after Snyder paid the guy $40 mill last year, that says A LOT). The defensive secondary also scares me if I was a Skins fan (LaRon Landry was rumored to be offered straight-up for McNabb, but the Eagles wisely decided they already have safeties who can't cover or tackle). I'd be worried because Shanahan's approach in Denver to defense was to bring in a few big-ticket acquisitions and have very little depth, which sounds like Dan Snyder's mode of operation anyway.

4. For the Eagles... man, they are arrogant as hell. It would be the good kind of arrogant, if I had any faith that they would now win a title. But trading a revenge-minded McNabb within division is pretty much daring him to prove them wrong. In the short term, I think this hurts them, because they do have to play Donovan twice this year, and probably for the next 3-4 years (because there's no way Snyder doesn't sign him long-term). I'm worried about 2010, although am pretty much certain the Eagles will be in contention again this year, and now every year going forward (as per what I will say below).

5. I don't know if I trust the Eagles' coaches to run a game, but I do trust them on identifying and understanding offensive talent. They don't tend to stick with guys whom they don't believe can play, and they have been pretty good at identifying quarterbacks starting with McNabb (this team also drafted A.J. Feeley in round six and turned him into an very good backup and later got a second-round pick for him). So if they like Kolb, and it's pretty clear they do, I'm good with the deal from that perspective. I wish they had another good QB on the roster, though, because Mike Vick may think he really does deserve a chance to start.

6. My biggest worries about the Eagles are on defense, not offense; the offensive skill positions are loaded (Jackson, Maclin, Avant, Celek, McCoy, and Weaver, with good backups like Bell and Cornelius Ingram). Other than Trent Cole, I'm not sure the team had a playmaker on defense at the end of the season, and that includes Asante Samuel. While the Eagles definitely need to rebuild the right side of the o-line, they at least have some pieces in-house who are viable options. On defense, they really need another d-end, at least one cornerback, a safety (although Macho Harris played better than people think last year), a linebacker, and perhaps a defensive tackle for depth. They're now armed with the picks to fill those needs.

7. I would feel worried about Kolb having to deal with the shadow of McNabb while also playing against him twice a year, but I think if he's that much of a wimp, then you wouldn't make him your quarterback. Which makes me think they're really confident in Kolb.

8. As for McNabb... there are a couple perspectives here. I think if you put Donovan with a decent team with weapons (not the Redskins so far as I can see) and a good offensive line, he will still be a good top-10 QB in this league (though toward the bottom of that top 10). He's an older guy and a little too injury-prone in recent years. The guy misses too many open targets and I question his decision-making at times in the two-minute drill. But he's still a better QB than the Redskins have seen in God knows how long, and the best QB the Eagles have ever had.

And that does mean something. We may have forgotten, but we saw some very dark days of Eagledom from 1991-2000. After Randall Cunningham started getting hurt, we saw QBs like Bubby Brister, Rodney Peete, Ty Detmer, Koy Detmer (it always cracks me up a little that there were TWO Detmers, and BOTH started games for the Eagles), Bobby Hoying, Doug Pederson... put it this way -- none of those guys (with all due respect to the underrated Peete) would make you forget A.J. Feeley. The tough thing about the NFL is that it is exceptionally hard to win year after year without an elite-level QB. The Birds had that for the last decade, and here's hoping they still do, because without such a player (as the Skins know) it's awful hard to win.

9. Andy Reid says the fans in Philly treated Donovan fairly.  On the whole, I think he's right.  There were idiots on the extreme who never gave him the respect he deserved, but that's true of any fanbase  McNabb was a lightning rod in Philly, but every starting quarterback is going to get the lion's share of credit and blame for his team's success/failure.  Yes, Donovan won almost two handfuls of playoff games for the franchise, which pretty much blows away anything any other QB ever did.  Yet he never won the Super Bowl and lost four NFC Title Games.  He handled himself well, but also was the guy heading the team when it lost some very painful games, and bore his share of responsibility for those losses.

10.  McNabb was and is a great guy, a good teammate, and close to Hall-of-Fame caliber QB. He played hard, he gave his all, and he played hurt. The fact that he still wasn't embraced in Philly says as much about Philly as it does about McNabb. The fact that most of us (including me) still profess undying love for the safety who left us last season and aren't in tears this morning also says something about Donovan.

11. Back to the Skins.  Hearing DC sportstalk radio debate the trade is like hearing a rehash of everything I've ever heard about this team for the last decade in this town.  There's a contingent of devoted defenders of the team who think they have it made and/or this is a good move even if the team's not ready to contend (on the idea that they're "changing the culture"), and a contingent of people who are so cynical of Skins management that they could do well in Philly.  My beliefs on the upside of the trade for the Redskins are above, but I'd add this additional thought: part of the reason the Redskins have had depth issues the past several years has been a lack of appreciation for having multiple draft picks.  Donovan won't be able to help if they can't address the team's depth.

12.  Anyone else think the Eagles did this to try and steal some thunder from the Phillies on Opening Day?  As an aside, Roy Halladay kicks butt.

13. I have always been a Rick Reilly fan, but his column on the trade is insanely dumb. Reilly hits the Eagles for trading McNabb within the division and doing what's best for McNabb by saying Belicheck would never do something like trading a Pro Bowl QB with years left on the odometer in-division to an offensive genius like Mike Shanahan. Take out the offensive genius part, and Belicheck did trade a Pro Bowl QB with years left on the odometer in-division. The guy's name was Drew Bledsoe; if you want to fault Reid, perhaps the blame should be that he doesn't have Tom Brady waiting in-house to take the reins.

Reilly then tops one dumb example with anpther dumb example -- he cites the Brooklyn Dodgers trading Jackie Robinson to the Giants, a team he hated, so as to force Jackie's retirement. Maybe Reilly only covers baseball so he can mock steroid users, but he should know that the Dodgers and Giants are division rivals. You know, like the Eagles and Redskins.

14. Back on the conspiracy to upstage the Phillies point -- the trade can't be a bad thing if it annoyed Bud Selig. Hell, I'm now hoping the Eagles announce a trade of Michael Vick on the night of the All-Star Game.

15. I have to agree with Paul Domowitch, who is wondering why everyone believes Andy Reid's clout in the Eagles organization has diminished.  I think Reid's playing master politician here.  If the Birds lose now, it's because Joe Banner and Howie Roseman forced McNabb out of town.  If the Birds win with Kolb, it's because Reid and his staff got the young QB ready.

16.  McNabb is now taking on the number once worn by Heath Schuler in D.C.  As a result, I'm expecting Donovan to run for Congress in 2022.

17.  I'm now really looking forward to the Eagles draft.  Knowing that, they will probably trade out of the first round.

18. Peter King threw out the first "Tim Tebow to the Eagles" rumor.  Thank you for starting that train.

19. Anyone else want to see that first Eagles-Skins game at Fed Ex?  Or the matchup at the Linc?

20.  For the record, I will always like McNabb the QB and McNabb the person.  I hope he has a great year in 2010 while I also hope the Skins go 3-13 (two wins over Dallas and one win over the Giants).  In the meantime, I'm ready for the Kevin Kolb era.

Reasons I Would Move To New Jersey

Governor Wrecking Ball?  Considering Jersey's a fiscal wreck, that may be exactly what the state needs...

WHEN Republican Chris Christie campaigned for governor of New Jersey last year, he promised to turn Trenton upside down.


Voters - even Democrats - must have liked the idea, because they kicked out incumbent Jon S. Corzine in favor of a tough-talking former U.S. attorney who had virtually no experience in elected office.


Now, Christie has a white-knuckled grip on the Capitol, and yet, amid his trying to topple established Trenton norms, his approval rating has dropped by 9 points.


"I think the public is confused," said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. "What we have right now is a governor who is doing exactly what he said he was going to do. It's certainly a breath of fresh air."


Christie, dubbed "Governor Wrecking Ball" by a Newark Star-Ledger columnist and praised as a reformer by Rush Limbaugh, unveiled a doomsday budget in Trenton last month that included deep cuts in state aid to school districts and municipalities. He proposed massive cuts to public transportation and Medicaid, all to help close the state's nearly $11 billion deficit. He also has pledged to veto any tax hikes.


"The day of reckoning has arrived," Christie said during his budget address.


About a week after he unveiled the budget, Christie signed sweeping pension reforms for public employees that include reimbursement caps for unused sick days and contributions toward health care.


"It's like cold turkey for the state," said Bill Layton, Burlingtion County GOP chairman.


Some say Christie's fresh breath has been a little too hot, like a fire-breathing dragon laying waste to municipalities and school districts across the state, with no regard to whether some have made budget sacrifices.


"I think part of the problem in New Jersey right now is that too much is happening too soon," said Chuck Chiarello, mayor of Buena Vista Township and vice president of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities.


"I have to admire the governor's spunk, but New Jersey didn't get into this deficit last year or the year before," Chiarello said.


"It's been a 20-year process. The governor could actually be jeopardizing our state economy. The economic impact this could have on our communities hasn't been measured yet."


In an escalating war of words with the powerful New Jersey Education Association, Christie has accused teachers of being unwilling to give up raises to save jobs or the high-school marching band. Christie called the union "bullies." The union said that he was picking on teachers to give tax breaks to millionaires.


"We expect to lose anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 jobs," NJEA president Barbara Keshishian said. "There's going to be plenty of after-school programs cut, too. It's going to be devastating."

Yes, it's just as devestating as all those private-sector workers who have lost their jobs in a down economy. The voters are coming to the realization that government, at least state government, can't just print money out of thin air. Christie's following through on their wishes. Kudos to him.