Perdido 03

Perdido 03

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Chris Christie Brags About Austerity Measures



Raising health care costs on public employees by 22%, slashing Medicaid, refusing to fund the pension plan unless the unions agree to sharp cuts in benefits and hikes in retirement ages - and he was swaggering and bragging as he announced all of this, according to the NY Times:

TRENTON — A pugnacious and boastful Gov. Chris Christie proposed a no-growth budget for New Jersey on Tuesday, saying he had inspired a legion of copycat governors from Albany to Sacramento and was not about to let up in his efforts to shift money from public workers to property-tax payers and businesses that create jobs.

Declaring that his deep cuts last year had “established the new normal,” Mr. Christie, a Republican, carved out a modest increase for public-school aid, kept municipal aid flat, offered small increases for indigent care at hospitals and financial aid for college students, and set aside a bigger amount to support improvements in the state’s vital transportation system.

But to pay for his priorities, Mr. Christie, who has waged a 14-month rhetorical war against the teachers’ and other public-sector unions, stepped up the pressure to slash their members’ health and retirement benefits.

The governor conditioned a doubling of the middle-class property tax rebate, for example, on the passage of changes that would make public employees pay 30 percent of the cost of their health insurance, compared with an average of 8 percent that Mr. Christie said many now pay.

He also offered to make a partial payment to the state’s woefully underfunded pension system, but only if the system was overhauled to require bigger payments from workers, smaller payouts and an increase in the retirement age.

“Please, let’s not pick the special interests over our overburdened taxpayers,” Mr. Christie said during his budget address.

Mr. Christie said that even in Wisconsin, where Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal to cut the benefits and collective bargaining rights of public workers had set off a firestorm of protests, officials “have decided there can no longer be two classes of citizens: one that receives rich health and pension benefits, and all the rest who are left to pay for them.”

Meanwhile the Times points out that post crisis, austerity measures seem very sexy, but they are actually harmful.

But you know, when you're talking about raising taxes on hedge fund managers, there can never be enough political courage in the form of austerity measures to lay off workers, squeeze their wages and slash their benefits.

Remember the lines the Founding Fathers wrote: Government by the hedge fund manager, for the hedge fund manager, of the hedge fund manager...

8 comments:

  1. Governor Phatass' "austerity measures" stop, of course at the corporate gilded gates. Does the public even know the track record of Phatass' new Ed. Commisioner, a Mr. Cerf, who headed Edison Schools? This corporate sleazebag is named aptly, since he seems to "surf" from one corporate education gravy train (scam?) to another. He worked under Klein, and acted as his shutown king, and now heads an education. In fact, Klein thinks highly of him:


    "One of Cerf’s major accomplishments, Klein said, involved "flipping the system" to empower principals and hold them accountable for students’ learning. Another involved Cerf’s effort to evaluate teachers based on student achievement, one of Christie’s signature education reform proposals, he said.

    During his tenure, Cerf also closed 90 failing schools and bolstered the city’s menu of charter school options.



    "I know the governor wants someone who is tough and fair and who will move the system forward. Chris is the right man for that work," said Joel Klein, the outgoing New York City schools chancellor who said he has known Cerf for nearly 30 years.

    "Chris is one of the most talented and sophisticated people in education in America today." Klein said. "I know every superintendent, every commissioner across the country and he is right at the top of the pack. I think he would be a spectacular commissioner."

    http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/12/nj_gov_chris_christie_nominate_3.html

    Cerf is currently CEO of Sangari Education, a company that provides math and science resources to 500,000 students worldwide." Once again...why does "The Press" have sudden collective amnesia of the term "conflict of interests?". "He left the deputy chancellor’s post last year to became senior advisor on education for Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s re-election campaign." Well, well well...what a SHOCK! Again...have you seen the press use the wordds "cabal" or "conflict of interests" recently regarding these moves? Finally...here's the really juicy part..."Before joining the public sector in 2004, Cerf was president of Edison Schools Inc., the world’s largest for-profit operator of public schools. He is also a former associate counsel to President Bill Clinton and a former partner at two Washington, D.C., law firms.

    One blemish on Cerf’s otherwise robust resume came in 2007, when New York City investigators scolded him for solicting a $60,000 charitable contribution from executives at Edison, who held contracts with the city."

    ReplyDelete
  2. "and now heads Gov. Phatass' Education Department"

    ReplyDelete
  3. So, Commisioner Surf , he gets caught doing some campaign black bag shit for Bloomberg, which is hard to do...getting caught that is. See...it's REALLY hard to get caught doing something illegal for Her Queen Majesty Bloomberg, when all of our "democratic institutions" are in the bag for her. but HEY...I'm sorry to mention what's going on behind the curtain with "the little man" Bloomberg, and it's largely irrelevant, "his" sexuality I mean. It's the year of Our Lord 2011, and being gay isn't a big deal any more...especially in cool, sophisticated New York. However, EVERYONE in the know in Manhattan KNOWS that our fearless leader is as queer as a three dollar bill. Again...not a problem, EXCEPT for the basic DISHONESTY of it all. Perhaps, our Princess...errr Prince Bloomberg finds the issue a bit "sticky" for his Presidential run...? Perhaps the people in Pomona won't find that too attractive in a Pres. candidate. But I digress...I won't call him "Princess" anymore... How bout ...well, I'll let you call him what you'd like.
    So, back to Commisioner Surf... whatever the hell he did was pretty obscene...but let's go on to Edison School's Pennsylvania track record. Don't forget, Commisioner Surf was head of Edison till 2004, so he was at least partially responsible for what you are about to read. Remember, this turd is responsible for changing assessments of teachers based on "accountability" and "performance" and "data"...well...let's check out the "performance" of Commisioner Surf's shop called Edison Schools....k? (cont)

    ReplyDelete
  4. (cont) So remember...Commisioner Surf get busted for accepting campaign contributions from EDISON SCHOOLS...and of course...gets a limp slap on the wrist for the crime...and of course...get's no time...whearas NYC teachers are afraid to raise their voices two decibels in fear of being thrown into Teacher's Prison, So let's look the performance of New Jersey's Education Commissioner's private industry "performance". it must be stellar, right, since his "assessment" is platinum level...he gets appointed to Givernor Phatass' highest education job....Comissioner...(cont)

    ReplyDelete
  5. a struggling Edison school in Albany, N.Y., recently quit and told the Albany
    Times-Union, "It's about my integrity. I can't subscribe to another four years with
    Edison."
    And New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer’s office is about to investigate
    reports of financial management at a New York school from which Edison was recently
    removed, Rochester’s Charter School of Science and Technology, according to the
    Rochester Democrat & Chronicle (April 21, 2005).
    Edison Schools, founded in 1995 by flamboyant entrepreneur Chris Whittle and once
    publicly traded on the Nasdaq, promised to improve student achievement at troubled
    schools for lower cost than regular public schools, and make a profit as well. But Edison
    schools have never been shown to perform better than other schools, and many school
    districts complained of Edison’s higher costs.
    As for profits, Edison has reported only one profitable quarter in its existence and no
    longer discloses financial information.
    Edison stock traded publicly from 1999 to 2003, soaring to nearly $40 a share in early
    2001 and then plummeting to 14 cents. In November 2003, the company stock was taken
    private in a buyout at $1.75 a share. The Florida state pension fund invested $174 million
    in the purchase. Media reports noted that Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was a trustee of the
    board that supervises pension investments and a supporter of Edison and other school
    "reforms" favored by conservatives.
    In recent years, Edison has quietly moved away from its mission of "revolutionizing"
    public education, and into marketing conventional supplemental services such as testing,
    summer school and tutoring. Almost all of its new business involves providing such
    services rather than trying to manage schools.
    Edison once attracted ideological support from backers of privatization and school
    vouchers, and from such powerful conservative bastions as the Wall Street Journal
    editorial board and the Hoover Institution. But its name is no longer mentioned when
    "school reform" supporters propose solutions for public education."

    SO...kiddies...campers...and ANYONE with at least a subset of cerebral skills....let's play a game of "connect the dots"...K...? Just in these last few posts on Edison schools...how many dots can you connect between that Mother Ship (and cash cow) called "Education"...government officials (all the way to Jeb Bush, and I presume the White House) either pols or their "commissioners" like Surf, private education services firms, and...oh well...I'll let you do some critical thinking and come up with some more conections.....like the LACK of said connections mentioned by "The Press".....How many cinnections can we make here...? Yet...Governor Phatass is currently exploring a Presidential run...he's the toast of the town... the new media darling...you can't make this up...

    ReplyDelete
  6. For even MORE info on Edison Schools....

    http://www.pasasf.org/edison/pdfs/042105.pdf

    ReplyDelete
  7. شركة تنظيف الاثاث بالمدينة المنورة
    شركة تنظيف ستائر بالمدينة المنورة
    شركة جلي بلاط بالمدينة المنورة
    شركة تنظيف مساجد بالمدينة المنورة


    شركة سكاي لخدمات نقل العفش والاثاث بالمنطقة العربية السعودية نحن نوفر خدمات نقل اثاث بالرياض ونقل عفش بالمدينة المنورة ونقل عفش بمكة ونقل عفش بالطائف نحن نقدم افضل نقل اثاث بخميس مشيط ونقل عفش بجدة
    شركة سكاي نقل العفش
    مدونة لنقل العفش
    شركة نقل عفش بمكة

    ReplyDelete