Nj Gov. Chris Christie Speech To Mayors

[Skeleton Jelly 2]

Maths

Heh. That was my initial reaction as well. But I believe the tax is actually "cents per gallon."

[hblask 1]

You should also note that one of the reasons NJ has low gas taxes is because of the large number of toll roads -- a solution I support.In fact, you want to build a tunnel to NY? Figure out the cost, and divide it by expected number of users, then charge each user that price. Problem solved.

[CaneBrain 95]

Heh. That was my initial reaction as well. But I believe the tax is actually "cents per gallon."

Yeah, that was the only problem.But seriously, gas prices have gone way up, gas taxes have stayed at 32.9 cents per gallon for twenty years. Florida is above 50 cents (and we have toll roads too). It's a very reasonable solution.If Christie would not go for a gas tax increase considering NJ's gas tax relative to other states, I doubt he will go in for another toll when they already have the GSP, NJ Turnpike and what not. The Atlantic City Expressway was a pretty brutal toll road but it got you from Philly to the Borgata in 55 minutes.

[hblask 1]

Heh. That was my initial reaction as well. But I believe the tax is actually "cents per gallon."

Ah, yes, I stand corrected. I was sure it was a percentage here in MN, but even that is not true.So that brings up an interesting question, which makes more sense? There are MPG issues, construction costs, fairness issues.I guess this is why tolls make more sense -- dollars per mile used, with separate rates for commuter vehicles vs trucks. A gas tax is only loosely tied to usage of any particular road. Plus tolls encourage people to live closer to their job, decreasing overall demand for more roads and decreasing pollution.

[CaneBrain 95]

Ah, yes, I stand corrected. I was sure it was a percentage here in MN, but even that is not true.So that brings up an interesting question, which makes more sense? There are MPG issues, construction costs, fairness issues.I guess this is why tolls make more sense -- dollars per mile used, with separate rates for commuter vehicles vs trucks. A gas tax is only loosely tied to usage of any particular road. Plus tolls encourage people to live closer to their job, decreasing overall demand for more roads and decreasing pollution.

another good side effect of the ARC tunnel. 22,000 cars off the road per year which will help decrease pollution and decrease Jersey's crazy traffic.I like the gas tax idea because Jersey has such low gas taxes/prices. If they just added a $1.00 surcharge to tickets sold on ARC rail lines (and called it a "toll") that's fine I guess.

[Balloon guy 158]

I like an idiot tax.Let the mainstream democrats pick up the bill for once.

[LongLiveYorke 38]

Interesting column by David Brooks in the Times. It is tangentially related to the New Jersey Tunnel, so I'll post it here:http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/12/opinion/12brooks.html?hp

[akoff 0]

Interesting column by David Brooks in the Times. It is tangentially related to the New Jersey Tunnel, so I'll post it here:http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/12/opinion/12brooks.html?hp

WOW NY Times articale that rips Democrats and unions...the guy is gonna be looking for a new job soon or at least have a visit to the bosses office.The point on government unions was great and accurate. The numbers referenced in buffalo were crazy and a classic example of why unions are BS. Population reduces by 50 percent but the organized employment numbers stay the same. What a country!! More fiscal brilliance from democrats and unions....the same ones who want a tunnel that is 5 billion over budget and counting.

[CaneBrain 95]

the same ones who want a tunnel that is 5 billion over budget and counting.

false.also a business owner who doesnt like unions....go on!LOL, read the article.....it's insanely anti-democrat and even he admits the tunnel is a good idea and a necessary project for New Jersey's long term growth.

[akoff 0]

false.also a business owner who doesnt like unions....go on!LOL, read the article.....it's insanely anti-democrat and even he admits the tunnel is a good idea and a necessary project for New Jersey's long term growth.

read the article...i don't think i recall saying it was a bad ides. He said the same things as most any normal person would. you can't afford it, it is shame you can't afford, there isn't a good reason you can't afford it....he does go on to rip the states of NY and NJ (controled by Democrats for many many years)for being stupid and wasting their money, he then goes onto tear into unions and the waste they create, sums it all up about EVEN Roosevelt was aware that public unions are bad and closes by ripping government in general while clearly showing liberals are more to blame, create the biggest problems but everyone has helped...it was damn good article.

[CaneBrain 95]

read the article...i don't think i recall saying it was a bad ides. He said the same things as most any normal person would. you can't afford it, it is shame you can't afford, there isn't a good reason you can't afford it....he does go on to rip the states of NY and NJ (controled by Democrats for many many years)for being stupid and wasting their money, he then goes onto tear into unions and the waste they create, sums it all up about EVEN Roosevelt was aware that public unions are bad and closes by ripping government in general while clearly showing liberals are more to blame, create the biggest problems but everyone has helped...it was damn good article.

I'm 37% sure the author was you. Again, simple gas tax increase covers any POTENTIAL overruns with ease....and NJ more than any state can afford a gas tax increase.Also, he cites nothing specific to say they can't afford it but that's a side issue. It's mostly complaints about how much public servants get after they retire which is a completely separate issue from ARC.

[akoff 0]

I'm 37% sure the author was you. Again, simple gas tax increase covers any POTENTIAL overruns with ease....and NJ more than any state can afford a gas tax increase.Also, he cites nothing specific to say they can't afford it but that's a side issue. It's mostly complaints about how much public servants get after they retire which is a completely separate issue from ARC.

you are too kind but thanks!!you don't increase taxes to pay for a tunnel...you either figure out if the tunnel will pay for itself through additional tax $$ from expending commerce or take the money from some other program. New taxes are not the solution...and they certainly shouldn't be standard procedure.. Why do you seem to think a new tax is good??? Tell the truth do you own a bunch of property there and are hoping to cash it in as soon as possible??!!city street sweepers, janitors and office personel are not public servernts...they are workers the are over paid and under worked.

[CaneBrain 95]

you are too kind but thanks!!you don't increase taxes to pay for a tunnel...you either figure out if the tunnel will pay for itself through additional tax $$ from expending commerce or take the money from some other program. New taxes are not the solution...and they certainly shouldn't be standard procedure.. Why do you seem to think a new tax is good??? Tell the truth do you own a bunch of property there and are hoping to cash it in as soon as possible??!!city street sweepers, janitors and office personel are not public servernts...they are workers the are over paid and under worked.

Because NJ has the 3rd lowest gas tax in the country and it has not gone up in 20 years despite the rise in gas prices overall during that time. It's an overdue tax increase for a worthy project. The benefits of the tunnel are too far down the line to do the accounting that way. I think a new tax is good because it's a small price to pay for an infrastructure upgrade that North NJ desperately needs. The idea that a new tax can never be a solution to something is false and reeks of a far too rigid conservative ideology.I do not own any property in New Jersey. My in-laws do but they live near an existing train station and would not likely benefit from ARC in that way.I highly doubt that the majority of janitors are over paid and underworked. I was talking about the stuff in that article about the pension programs for firefighters, police and teachers. We are having the same fights here in south florida with the police and fire depts.

[Balloon guy 158]

Does anyone know what the tax rate on gasoline is in New Jersey and how it compares to the rest of the country?Anyone?Anyone at all?

[CaneBrain 95]

Does anyone know what the tax rate on gasoline is in New Jersey and how it compares to the rest of the country?Anyone?Anyone at all?

http://www.api.org/statistics/fueltaxes/up...AP_JULY2010.pdfMAP OF GAS TAXES BY STATE

Hope that helps, BG.

[akoff 0]

Because NJ has the 3rd lowest gas tax in the country and it has not gone up in 20 years despite the rise in gas prices overall during that time. It's an overdue tax increase for a worthy project. The benefits of the tunnel are too far down the line to do the accounting that way. I think a new tax is good because it's a small price to pay for an infrastructure upgrade that North NJ desperately needs. The idea that a new tax can never be a solution to something is false and reeks of a far too rigid conservative ideology.I do not own any property in New Jersey. My in-laws do but they live near an existing train station and would not likely benefit from ARC in that way.I highly doubt that the majority of janitors are over paid and underworked. I was talking about the stuff in that article about the pension programs for firefighters, police and teachers. We are having the same fights here in south florida with the police and fire depts.

and the fact that you so casually flip out yet another tax reeks of being fiscally irresponsible....

[CaneBrain 95]

and the fact that you so casually flip out yet another tax reeks of being fiscally irresponsible....

yes finding a straight-forward way to pay for something reeks of irresponsibility.....or the opposite.Irresponsibility would be spending without taxing/cutting from somewhere else. good try though.

[akoff 0]

yes finding a straight-forward way to pay for something reeks of irresponsibility.....or the opposite.Irresponsibility would be spending without taxing/cutting from somewhere else. good try though.

yea when in doubt raise taxes...or better find the one thing jersey doesn't tax the shit out of (assuming only .32 per gallon is cheap of course) and hell lets grab some extra money here!! Whoohoo free money!! The tunnel is in general a good idea, I actually support infrastucture...find a way to pay for it that doesn't include raising / creating new taxes and you have a winner!!!

[CaneBrain 95]

yea when in doubt raise taxes...or better find the one thing jersey doesn't tax the shit out of (assuming only .32 per gallon is cheap of course) and hell lets grab some extra money here!! Whoohoo free money!! The tunnel is in general a good idea, I actually support infrastucture...find a way to pay for it that doesn't include raising / creating new taxes and you have a winner!!!

Annex Delaware?I appreciate you realizing that what I said before was the opposite of fiscal irresponsibility so you changed the argument to "find a way to be responsible BESIDES taxes."

[akoff 0]

Annex Delaware?I appreciate you realizing that what I said before was the opposite of fiscal irresponsibility so you changed the argument to "find a way to be responsible BESIDES taxes."

LOL that would have been my arguement all along.

[85suited 0]

NEW JERSEY RESIDENTS ARE ALREADY OVER TAXED!!!!stop saying..well the gas tax is low.... we can pay for it that way...

[Zealous Donkey 0]

He's at it again. http://hotair.com/archives/2010/11/10/vide...ation-salaries/

[85suited 0]

more chris christie porn

[brvheart 1,752]

Oh my goodness. I'm am so solidly on this guy for President now. I can't imagine voting for anyone else. In 2012, I promise right now, I'm voting for him, even if he's not on the ballot.

[LongLiveYorke 38]

I can see why he's popular, but they way to get better schools is to increase pay for teachers, not to deny them increases or to lower their salaries. This should be coupled with an increased ability to fire bad teachers, of course.I mean, if you're a wealthy business man from Manhattan looking to move out into the suburbs and start a family, you may consider New Jersey. Schools will be a top priority for a such a person, and if New Jersey refuses to pay their teachers well, then they'll inevitably get worse and worse teachers. Meanwhile their competition, Connecticut, has great public schools and pays their teachers very competitively. So, if you're this business man, why would you move to NJ when CT has better schools that aren't facing pay cuts.These are the people that NJ wants to attract, they're the people who will bring in lots of money to the state, who will pay high income taxes, and who will spend a lot. It's a simple business decision: you offer a better product (education) than your competitors (CT, Westchester, etc) and you get the best clients (upper class families). That's the angle I'd approach the issue from.