Christie Crime Digest Volume III

[rocktivity]

68. What The State Supreme Court Giveth, HUD Hath Taketh Away

Last edited Thu Jun 11, 2015, 11:08 AM - Edit history (2)

New Jersey’s top court sided with Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday in a legal fight with public worker unions over pension funds, sparing a state budget crisis this month but leaving unanswered questions about how the state will pay for the promised pensions as Christie prepares to announce whether he’ll run for president.

The state Supreme Court overturned a lower-court judge’s order that told the Republican governor and the Democrat-controlled Legislature to work out a way to increase pension contributions for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.

A decision in the unions’ favor likely would have sparked a contentious scramble to come up with billions of dollars that Christie has repeatedly insisted the state doesn’t have, while drawing additional attention to New Jersey’s fiscal problems, which Christie’s rivals are sure to point to often if he chooses to run.

In a 5-2 ruling, the court said that state constitutional provisions calling for an annual budget process trump a 2011 law requiring high pension contributions from the state.

http://nj1015.com/new-jersey-supreme-court-sides-with-christie-on-pensions/

A repeal of the original law is being called for, and this now appears on an anti-Christie Facebook site.


Meanwhile, it looks like more Sandy aid delays are on the horizon:

..New Jersey officials did not properly award $60 million in Hurricane Sandy contracts...the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development...inspector general said in a report that state officials did not follow federal rules in awarding a $38.5 million contract to operate a management system to handle the federal Community Development Block Grants awarded to the state to finance Hurricane Sandy repairs.

...(T)he state failed to prepare independent cost estimates and included provisions that restricted competition...The report recommended the HUD require repayments of any expenses the state cannot document and separately might have to rebid a $21.7 million...

http://jerseyshoreinsider.com/2015/06/06/u-s-questions-60-million-in-sandy-spending-by-n-j-officials/

"Who Says You Can't Go Home?" asks Christie's New Jersey musical BFF Jon Bon Jovi. Apparently, Chris Christie can...

Or can he? This just in, via Skinner's new HillaryMojo site:

The Clinton campaign has announced that Hillary Clinton will be in New Jersey on June 29 for an event hosted by Dorothea and Jon Bon Jovi. The event includes a “Special Performance by Jon Bon Jovi.”

...(D)onors who contribute $2,700 get premium seating, and those who donate $1,000 get open seating. The website also provides the opportunity for a donor to give a different amount, but it is unclear whether a donor can get into the event for less than $1000...

Is Christie going to have to find himself a new New Jersey-based musical BFF? Lauryn Hill might be available: she's a female minority, but she's from East Orange, and she shares Christie's passion for making taxes disappear!


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