Jovitalk - Bon Jovi Fan Community
Page 2 of 8 1 2 3456 Last »
Show 40 post(s) from this thread on one page

Jovitalk - Bon Jovi Fan Community (https://drycounty.com/jovitalk/index.php)
-   NBJ - Everything Else (https://drycounty.com/jovitalk/forumdisplay.php?f=10)
-   -   Bruce Springsteen Mocks New Jersey Governor (https://drycounty.com/jovitalk/showthread.php?t=56997)

steel_horse75 03-05-2014 03:46 PM
Good cover version

rocknation 03-08-2014 09:46 PM
In a previous episode of "Why Bruce Was Right About Chris Christie," Port Authority police union chief Paul Nunziato announced he was taking a leave of absence from his "day to day" duties. He is on record as saying that it was he who approached PA exec David Wildsten with the question of whether Fort Lee had too many access lanes:

Quote:
Bill Baroni, Mr. Wildstein’s superior at the Port Authority and another Christie ally, offered testimony to the legislative committee in November that indicated that Mr. Nunziato suggested to Mr. Wildstein in July that he close two bridge access lanes as part of a traffic study...

Mr. Nunziato never disputed that characterization...Even before Mr. Baroni’s testimony, Mr. Nunziato openly mocked those who had contended that the lane closings were politically motivated...suggest(ting) that such a view was akin to conspiracy theories about where Jimmy Hoffa might be buried...

In a statement released after Mr. Baroni’s testimony on Nov. 25, Mr. Nunziato endorsed the lane closing, saying that “the Port Authority’s attempt to be fair to all New Jersey commuters rather than a select few was admirable.” Mr. Nunziato was apparently referring to Mr. Baroni’s testimony that the traffic study was an attempt to determine whether Fort Lee’s three access lanes to the bridge amounted to special treatment...
And what has Mr. Nunziato has been doing in his spare time? Being interviewed by the Feds and lawyering up (but not particularly well):
Quote:
In recent days, Mr. Nunziato’s lawyer has sought to clarify his client’s statements.

“Paul Nunziato had nothing to do with nor knowledge of the planning, implementation or execution” of the closing of the access lanes, the lawyer, Charles J. Sciarra, said in a statement...Mr. Nunziato...first learned “that there was an obvious improper motive regarding this issue” when the committee released documents suggesting the action may have been politically motivated...

Mr. Sciarra said Mr. Nunziato’s comments grew out of loyalty to his political allies and that he believed that the lane closings stemmed from the dispute between the Port Authority’s New York and New Jersey factions.

“My client was trying to be supportive of people who were supportive of his union; he never intended to mislead,” Mr. Sciarra said in a brief interview. And because of Mr. Nunziato’s own “increasingly acrimonious” relationship with Mr. Foye, he “became a vocal supporter of Mr. Wildstein in the dispute: believing this to be a botched traffic study, Mr. Nunziato made colorful and supportive statements to the press.”

He didn't INTEND to mislead? Actually, there's a proper legal term for what Mr. Nunziato did, and it isn't "not intending to mislead" -- it's:

LYING!!!

Kathleen 03-09-2014 01:30 AM
I guess the thing that bothers me the most about all these revelations is the fact the Christie's team is a bunch of schemers and liars. Everyone seems to forget that they were handchosen by him. Meanwhile he is going free as a bird.

rocknation 03-09-2014 03:02 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kathleen (Post 1171519)
I guess the thing that bothers me the most about all these revelations is the fact the Christie's team is a bunch of schemers and liars. Everyone seems to forget that they were handchosen by him. Meanwhile he is going free as a bird.
Taking a bullet for "the don" has always been a (crime) family tradition.

At this point, it's a moot issue as to what Christie knew when -- there's been SO much lying and scheming going on that either HE'S a corrupt liar, too, or he's SO incompetent he doesn't realize that he's SURROUNDED himself with corrupt liars!

rocknation 03-11-2014 05:38 PM
Oopsie -- it turns out that Christie even cheated on his cheating!

The city of Hoboken did get some Sandy relief money -- enough to buy only one of the seven backup generators they needed. But its mayor says she was told there would be no more funding until she approved a local development deal which turned out would have benefitted the head of the Port Authority financially:

Quote:
Gov. Chris Christie's administration...railed (against) a...report alleging that Hoboken was shortchanged $700,000...the state hadn't used the same criteria for Hoboken as for other cities when it determined how much the city would receive from the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Energy Allocation Initiative...(A) spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection said that the report relied on incomplete data, since the final grant awards had yet to be finalized.
Huh? What does not using the "complete" data have to do with not using an equitable formula calculation? Watch your step, NJDEP -- you're just a subpoena away from having to explain why you didn't tell anyone that their air pollution monitors weren't working during the bridge closing!

rocknation 03-12-2014 05:36 PM
Here's the latest Christie heartwarmer:
Quote:
Governor Chris Christie‘s administration did not only punish mayors who dared to cross him, it also rewarded those who were in its favor. A new report from The New York Times reveals the New Jersey Republican handed out pieces of steel from the World Trade Center to 20 handpicked mayors who he most wanted to endorse him ahead of the 2013 election.

...(M)ayors further down Christie’s list received other gifts...such as “an intimate tour of the National September 11 Memorial, or the new World Trade Center construction site, or Port Authority money for jobs programs or new firefighting equipment, even in towns far from the port...”
Bribery, pure and simple -- and with public funds, to boot.

For Christie, the good news is that this supports his contention that Fort Lee's mayor was not targeted by the lane closures -- he's reportedly number 45 on the list. For Christie, the bad news is that it supports the contention that the lane closures had more to do with devaluing the nearby land involved in a development deal that his cronies wanted a piece of!

rocknation 03-18-2014 07:01 PM
The first few particles of post-intestinal residue
 
have made physical contact with the rotating air cooling apparatus:

Quote:
Emails show Christie's ex-campaign manager thanked ex-Port official for testimony that was eventually discredited

Governor Christie’s former campaign manager congratulated a top Port Authority executive for his now-discredited testimony before lawmakers claiming that the George Washington Bridge lane closures were part of a traffic study, records released on Monday show.

“Hey, great job yesterday,” Bill Stepien wrote to the Port Authority’s Deputy Executive Director Bill Baroni on Nov. 26. “I know it’s not a fun topic, and not nearly as fun as beating up on [former U.S. Sen.] Frank Lautenberg, but you did great, and I wanted to thank you.”

Lautenberg, a longtime Democratic U.S. senator from New Jersey whom Baroni sparred with in April 2012 when he was called to Washington, D.C., to testify about the Port Authority’s toll hikes, died in June of last year (at the age of 89).

The message was among more than a dozen previously unreleased texts and emails made public Monday when they were submitted to a Superior Court judge in Mercer County. The judge is weighing whether Stepien and Bridget Anne Kelly, Christie’s former deputy chief of staff, must comply with a legislative subpoena from an investigative committee seeking documents related to the closures.
Bragging about attacking the elderly? No doubt Stepien included that on his resume when he landed his new job with a politicial consulting firm. But the reason why this is particularly bad news for Governor Soprano is that unlike Kelly and Baroni, Stepien reported directly to him. Why would Baroni and Wildstein "inform" Stepien and not Christie? Why didn't Stepien inform Christie? Why tell Christie something he already knew?

rocknation 03-19-2014 01:02 AM
Takin' It To The Streets?
 
Sounds like Christie's 2014 "I Give New Jersey Politics A Bad Name" tour is off to a rough start:
Quote:
For the second time in a week, protesters harangued embattled New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at a contentious town hall meeting in Middlesex County...At least 17 people were kicked out after interrupting the governor

Among their gripes: how the Christie administration has divvied up relief aid following Hurricane Sandy. They also asked why Christie hasn’t fired David Samson, chairman of the Port Authority, following some of the governor staffers’ alleged involvement in a political payback scheme to close lanes on the George Washington Bridge back in September...

Last week, at a town hall meeting in Mount Laurel, N.J., six hecklers...were thrown out after interrupting Christie on a number of issues, including so-called “Bridgegate.”

Up until last week, the town halls Christie has held in GOP-friendly municipalities have been on the friendlier side. Security has since increased, with additional police on the premises...

...(Christie) warned...that there may be protesters planted from state unions...and to just ignore them if they interrupt. “I’m a soothsayer...They do it because they have no other choice” because they “failed at the polls.” Many of the demonstrators said they were not affiliated with any union.

And it sounds like his "opening act" shouldn't expect to go over well, either....
Quote:
Protests planned for Port Authority meeting in Jersey City

Protesters will descend on Jersey City...for a meeting of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to demand that the embattled chairman, David Samson, resign.

New Jersey Working Families Alliance also recently filed a formal complaint with the state Ethics Commission against Samson, who has been accused of using the powerful public appointment to enrich his law firm, Wolff & Samson.

“Christie rose to national fame by shouting down teachers and mocking ordinary citizens at town hall meetings. Now, with his administration mired in scandals and his poll numbers plummeting, he can’t take his own medicine,” the director of the alliance, Analilia Mejia said in a statement. “Working families everywhere are outraged by the pattern of abuse and cronyism that has come to light since Bridgegate.”

rocknation 03-21-2014 04:20 AM
Town Meeting Tour Upates
 
About that monthly Port Authority meeting in Jersey City to be chaired by David Samson and protested by the NJ Working Families Alliance: Samson announced he had to excuse himself from the meeting and left. Guess he had to see about his new federal subpoenas concerning the commissions his law firm earned from $2.8 BILLION in construction contracts that he authorized on two other New Jersey bridges.

Meanwhile, Christie is accusing the local unions he's opposed of infiltrating his town hall meetings, and has allowed state police officers to photograph the protestors. The New Jersey attorney general has issued a "cease and desist" order:
"The State Police is responsible for the safety and security of the governor and the public at town hall meetings. In doing so, the State Police are careful to guarantee that First Amendment rights are respected and the public — whether expressing positive or negative sentiments toward the governor and his policies — have ample opportunity to make their positions known."
In case you've forgotten, the attorney general was supposed to be replaced by Christie's chief of staff Kevin O'Dowd. Due to being implicated in Bridge(t)-Gate, however, the nomination was postponed. A perfect example of how Christie not only knew, but masterminded everything right down to trying to cripple any attempts at state-level oversight.

rocknation 03-24-2014 07:11 PM
The Bombshell has landed!
 
This thread was supposed to be nothing more than some posts about Bruce Springsteen making fun of Chris Christie's corruption problems -- here's a pic and video, ha ha, thank you and good night.

I wouldn't have given a damn about what has transpired since then except that Governor Soprano and his crew (I mean, Governor Christie and his administration) seems to have decided to play "Can You Top This?" But all in all, their hypocrisies, intimidation, and monumental bluffing are "just bricks in a wall" of reasons why Bruce was right in having the common sense (and moral courage) to publicly shun Christie.

So I now declare this thread to be a stealth defense of Bruce, and I am beyond grateful for the number of views you've given it. However, I am also quite prepared to stop posting when Bridge(t)-Gate ends -- and it looks like that day has arrived:

Quote:
The New York Times: With his office suddenly engulfed in scandal over lane closings at the George Washington Bridge, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey two months ago summoned a pair of top defense lawyers from an elite law firm to the State House and asked them to undertake an extensive review of what had gone wrong. Now, after 70 interviews and at least $1 million in legal fees to be paid by state taxpayers...it has uncovered no evidence that the governor was involved in the plotting or directing of the lane closings.

...(T)he lawyers were able to piece together communications leading up to, during and after the lane shutdowns, despite the lack of cooperation from Ms. Kelly, Mr. Stepien and Mr. Wildstein...

Questioned about the credibility of an internal inquiry...Randy M. Mastro, the lawyer leading the internal investigation...said there was no incentive to sugarcoat the findings.

The review will be delivered to Mr. Christie, who has promised to make it public quickly without alterations. The work by Mr. Mastro’s firm is being paid for by state taxpayers, at a rate of $650 an hour...
Oh happy day! Christie is cleared, Kelly, Stepien and Wildstein are guilty, Samson's name never came up, Mastro can return to representing the Port Authority in a lawsuit over their toll hikes, and the taxpayers' money is well spent -- God's in heaven, all is right with the world! Once the state and Federal investigations confirm Christie's findings, it will officially be ALL OVER!!!

Kathleen 03-24-2014 07:59 PM
I read that this morning and it sucks monkeys. I want that $1 million back. He has no right to spend my money on expensive lawyers so they can write a report saying he's clean. We know he's not.

rocknation 03-25-2014 10:04 PM
In a blow to Gov. Chris Christie’s authority,
 
Quote:
a state appeals court ruled today that (his) administration broke the law when it said power plant operators no longer needed to comply with rules governing carbon dioxide emissions.

A three-judge appellate panel ordered the (New Jersey) Department of Environmental Protection to change its rules within 60 days, noting that it should have done so long ago. “Indeed, had the department done so when the issue was first raised...this appeal would have been unnecessary,” the court said...

The suit — filed by Environment New Jersey and the National Resource Defense Council — stems from Christie’s decision in 2011 to unilaterally pull New Jersey out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative...(T)hey said the (NJDEP) should have changed or repealed the rules that governed the state’s participation in it, not just posted a notice on its website...
There he goes again, playing by his own rules. And there's something else his NJDEP needs to "clear the air" about: What, if anything, they did about the air pollution monitors nearest his George Washington Bridge being out of order during the first two days of Bridge(t)-Gate. Here's hoping that they're on somebody's subpoena list!

rocknation 03-27-2014 09:29 PM
Bridge(t)-Gate internal report (spoiler alert)
 
Christie has managed to keep one political promise: He HAS been quick to release the internal review of Bridge(t)-Gate that he commissioned. All 360 pages of it can be downloaded from here (unless you only have time for a 4-page cover letter or a 16-page summary). But if you do decide to join me in plowing through them, keep these things in mind:

1. The review was assigned to a law firm that has done other legal work for the Christie administration. In fact, until recently, the lawyer who spearheaded the review team was also in charge of representing the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in a lawsuit about toll increases.

2. Though the review team claims to have interviewed about 70 people, none of them were the people closest to reporting to Christie and who were terminated or transferred from their jobs: David Samson, David Wildstein and Bill Baroni of the PA; former chief of staff Kevin O'Dowd; deputy chief of staff Bridget Kelly; Bill Stepien and Matt Mowers of his political campaign. Also not interviewed was Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer and her associates concerning her accusation that some of Christie's associates told her that her city would receive no additional Hurricane Sandy funding if she didn't approve a land development deal that the Port Authority owned.

3. No one testified under oath, and there are no interview transcripts.

Despite its lack of objectivity, conflicts of interest and inevitable self-fulfilling prophecy, the report might make for a good read. But I won't give away the "ending" -- nobody likes a "spoiler!" :rolleyes:

rocknation 03-28-2014 06:02 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by rocknation
Christie has managed to keep one political promise: He HAS been quick to release the internal review of Bridge(t)-Gate that he commissioned...
If you don't even have time to read even a summary, you can check out Rachel Maddow's analysis:
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-s...t-208847427953

However, the reason why Christie was in such a hurry to release the report has nothing to do with trying to reassure his constituents -- there's a big-bucks political donor convention he's attending this weekend:
http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/bridgegate-and-christie-2016-208866883593

And here's the interview with Diane Sawyer -- keep a handkerchief handy:
http://youtu.be/Qxd9WSwjdIg

Kathleen 03-28-2014 08:47 PM
But the good news this Friday is that Samson just resigned :D

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/29/ny...l.html?hp&_r=0

rocknation 03-28-2014 11:41 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kathleen (Post 1175151)
But the good news this Friday is that Samson just resigned :D

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/29/ny...l.html?hp&_r=0
Quote:
...Christie('s) first news conference in nearly three months...came a day after a law firm hired by his administration released an internal report that stated the governor was not involved in the decision to close the traffic lanes, which led to four days of gridlock in Fort Lee, N.J...

The report placed blame squarely on Bridget Anne Kelly, then one of his top aides, and on David Wildstein, a longtime political operative and the second ranking New Jersey official at the Port Authority. The governor fired Ms. Kelly, and Mr. Wildstein resigned...
I wonder why Wildstein didn't tell Samson what he was up to. Shouldn't Samson have fired him?

Quote:
Federal prosecutors in New Jersey issued a subpoena earlier this month to the Port Authority seeking records related to Mr. Samson’s potential conflicts of interest. They focused on his votes to award bridge contracts to two large construction companies that have been represented by his law firm, Wolff & Samson...
Samon's name is mentioned only three times in the report. And his law firm is stacked with clients who do business with the Port Authority. Should Christie have hired him? Surely such a blatant conflict of interest is impeachable enough!

Quote:
The Washington Post: Christie said..."David tendered his resignation to me this afternoon, effective immediately."

Christie stressed during the news conference, with a raised voice, that he did not ask Samson to resign, saying that the chairman had raised the idea of leaving about a year ago, and Christie had asked him to stay...

In...the Port Authority's e-mail chains about who leaked the bridge story to the Wall Street Journal feature Samson prominently. He told Scott Rechler, who is on the Port Authority's board of commissioners, "I just read it and it confirms evidence of [authority executive director Patrick Foye] being the leak, stirring up trouble...In] this case, he's playing in traffic, made a big mistake..."
Of course Christie wanted him to stay -- he can't claim that he didn't know he'd hired Samson! Now he's going to have to explain why. Samson wasn't supposed to go anywhere without having cashed in on the development deals in Hoboken AND Fort Lee -- surely Christie realizes he could be ousted on that alone!

Quote:
New York Times: Once considered a leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination, Mr. Christie...tries to move beyond the scandal — even as...investigations...by state lawmakers and another by federal prosecutors, continue to unfold.

...(A)fter his news conference, Mr. Christie is scheduled to fly to Las Vegas, where he will meet with Sheldon G. Adelson, a billionaire and Republican power broker whose endorsement is coveted by several 2016 presidential prospects...
Christie almost didn't have a choice but to release Samson: his sexist self-exonerating report has been going over like such a lead zeppelin that he needed to blow it away by deploying another weapon of mass media distraction!

Kathleen 03-29-2014 06:41 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by rocknation (Post 1175158)


Christie almost didn't have a choice but to release Samson: his sexist self-exonerating report has been going over like such a lead zeppelin that he needed to blow it away by deploying another weapon of mass media distraction!
Love your last line. That report is a disgrace on so many levels. All of his other aides get treated with kid gloves but Bridget gets fired and insulted. The guy is pond scum.

rocknation 04-01-2014 02:45 AM
I've had time to look through Christie's self-exonerating report and summary, and it looks like the root of his problems is that he has been undermined by a scorned slut, a nerdy lunatic, and a paranoid incompetent. The good news is, Christie hired only two of them.

Former Deputy Chief of Staff Turned Scorned Slut Bridget "Bridge(t)-Gate" Kelly
Quote:
From the summary:
...(I)n August 2013...Kelly had become Deputy Chief of Staff, assuming the post left vacant by her predecessor, (Bill) Stepien, who had departed in April 2013 to run the Governor’s re-election campaign. Because Stepien was her “benefactor,” Kelly relied heavily on him during this transition. And at some point after Stepien’s departure to run the campaign, Kelly and Stepien became personally involved, although, by early August 2013, their personal relationship had cooled, apparently at Stepien’s choice, and they largely stopped speaking...

From the report:
Evidence in Kelly`s personal life may have had some bearing on her subjective motivations. Her first known communication to David Wildstein about the lane closures occurred around the time her relationship with Bill Stepien had cooled. Apparently at Bill Stepien`s behest and Stepien and Kelly had largely stopped speaking. Indeed, that fact may have affected how Kelly and Stepien conducted themselves...
Kelly gave the order to put a New Jersey town in gridlock because she got dumped? She's been a divorcee since 2012, he's single, and they worked in different departments for Christie, so they had neither a "workplace relationship" nor an "affair." But you know how women are -- she probably mistook the "reliance" Stepien was providing to be a "grand romance."


Former #2 Man at the Port Authority Turned Nerdy Lunatic David "I Don't Have To Show You No Stinking Resume" Wildstein
Quote:
From the summary:
...Wildstein started pressing Port Authority engineers to assess the traffic effects resulting from the dedicated Fort Lee toll lanes leading onto the George Washington Bridge...Indeed, Wildstein himself first raised the issue in late 2010. For some reason yet to be determined, Wildstein seemed to be driving this issue again in 2013. It was Wildstein’s “idea,” like so many other “crazy” ones he’d had before that never got off the ground.

From the report:
Wildstein communicated the concept of a traffic study, which Stepien apparently dismissed as one of Wildstein’s “50 crazy ideas.”
And how did such a crazy person get to be the #2 man at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey? Christie certainly should have provided some advance warning -- they were on the baseball team in high school (Christie as a player, Wildstein as a statistician). More to the point, Wildstein's job was created, and his resume was never required. How could that have happened without the governor's approval?


Paranoid Incompetent Hoboken Mayor Turned Public Fund Extortion Victim Dawn Zimmer
From the summary:
Quote:
From the report:
Our investigation found that Mayor Zimmer’s allegations are, in material respects, demonstrably false...the subjective perceptions she may have do not match objective reality, as reflected in the hard evidence uncovered during our investigation...

Even crediting this notebook’s contents as genuine, however, they are only as accurate as the perceptions of the writer...what other witnesses say she then told them is not corroboration either because it is as unreliable as the perceptions she recounts...

Whatever subjective perceptions she may have do not match objective reality, as reflected in the hard evidence uncovered during our investigation.
As for Dawn Zimmer, she just doesn't know how to play with "the big boys." Having led an anti-gentrification faction that took over Hoboken she's seen her town get flooded twice, including valuable railroad equipment in the train station, and her inability to be taken seriously is leading to delusions. The report contains photos of her talking with Richard Constable and notes, "A person does not normally yawn when being threatened, coerced, or spoken to improperly." But according to them, she's NOT a normal person, is she? And does a normal person accept extortion threats?

rocknation 04-01-2014 04:29 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kathleen (Post 1174865)
I want that $1 million back. He has no right to spend my money on expensive lawyers so they can write a report saying he's clean. We know he's not.
You cheered me up with the news about Samson resigning. Turnabout is fair play:
Quote:
Christie's bridge scandal lawyers to be subpoenaed
A New Jersey legislative committee probing a political payback operation carried out by Gov. Chris Christie's aides and associates plans to subpoena interview transcripts and other documents from the lawyers the governor hired to carry out an internal investigation...

...Lawyers at the firm, Gibson Dunn, appeared to withhold documents subpoenaed by the legislative panel while their own report on the lane closings was being compiled.
And he'd better put them online, transcripts and all -- after all, WE paid for them!

Kathleen 04-01-2014 10:22 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by rocknation (Post 1175217)
You cheered me up with the news about Samson resigning. Turnabout is fair play:
And he'd better put them online, transcripts and all -- after all, WE paid for them!
He might have made a fatal mistake there. He used taxpayer money to fund that report and because of that he might actually have to abide by the subpoena. That might expose records that he doesn't want exposed.

I can dream can't I LOL

rocknation 04-03-2014 10:15 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kathleen (Post 1175237)
He might have made a fatal mistake...that might expose records that he doesn't want exposed.
I can dream can't I LOL
Welcome to your wakeup call -- your dream has come true already!
Quote:
How Christie's Office Used Government Employees to Win Endorsements

The thrust of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s re-election strategy last year was to secure endorsements from Democratic officials -- and new Bridgegate documents show just how intent he was to make sure that happened.

...(D)ocuments...released by his attorney last week...show that the very same people who helped mayors as government workers also sought their endorsements as political operatives... New Jersey's ethics law states "under no circumstances may you use state time or state resources in pursuit of political activities."

...The speculation continues to be that the Bridgegate scandal evolved from a plan to retaliate against Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, who didn't endorse Christie. "He was not someone who was on my radar screen in any way, politically, professionally or in any other way," Christie said of Sokolich in January. But internal documents indicate that his team was going after Sokolich hard.

His name first showed up in an email sent in January 2013 by a government official, Pete Sheridan, to five of his employees in the Intergovernmental Affairs unit...(containing) a list of 21 Democratic "targets" whom (they) were supposed to secure endorsements from. Sheridan told his state employees that they should be only doing this on their own time, since it was political work. But he sent those instructions during work hours...

(O)n Sept. 9, the first day of the lane closures...Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Ann Kelly...checked in with the state worker who had been trying to secure Sokolich's endorsement: Had he called yet to complain?
So he couldn't have picked Sokolich out of a lineup, eh? I guess Sheridan drew up that list of targets and sent that email behind Christie's back. But if Sokolich's non-endorsement wasn't enough of a motive for Christie's closing the lanes, what WAS? It turns out that the number of reasons for his punishing Fort Lee runs into the billions, beginning with -- guess who?

Quote:
It turns out that there was a loser in the Fort Lee development deal.

The winning bidders – Tucker Development...and the Fort Lee Redevelopment Associates – are working on getting their properties financed...(I)f the financing fell through...(w)ho would benefit? Silverstein Properties, whose losing bid contemplated developing the entire property...And who is Silverstein represented by? (A law firm owned by) David Samson...head of the Port Authority...
A few weeks after the lane closures, Tucker announced that they'd secured their financing -- two hundred million dollar's worth on a project estimated to bring in at least two billion. That's a big fat commission Samson's law firm lost out on. But if the financing, if not the development itself, were to fail, Sampson and his client Silverstein Properties could "rescue" the project and cash in:

Quote:
Is A Billion-Dollar Development Project at the Heart of Bridgegate?

I find it hard to believe that would-be investors in this project weren’t alarmed by the prospect that Port Authority officials had decided, without warning, to begin running experiments to see what would happen if local access to the GWB was temporarily, and then permanently, restricted...

The Hudson Lights project is a billion-dollar project because it offers unparalleled access to the George Washington Bridge. But take away that access and it’s no longer a billion-dollar project...

Governor Christie told us in December that he had a talk with his top appointee at the Port Authority, Chairman David Samson, about the number of toll lanes allocated to the Fort Lee on-ramp. Clearly it’s time to find out why...and if they were ever aware that there was a billion dollars at stake...
Of course they knew there were billions at stake: In both Hoboken and Fort Lee, they wanted a cut, and were ready to make things "happen" to the projects (and their mayors -- icing on the cake because they were Democrats) if they didn't get it. Straight out of the mobster's playbook!

rocknation 04-06-2014 04:00 PM
And we're off -- Federal Grand Jury Testimony Begins
 
Quote:
BridgeGate Hits Next Level As Feds Launch Grand Jury Investigation

Federal prosecutors in New Jersey have convened a grand jury to investigate the George Washington Bridge lane closures...(O)n Friday...(t)wenty-three grand jurors...heard testimony from Michael Drewniak, press secretary to Gov. Chris Christie...

...(T)he existence of the grand jury confirms that the matter has evolved into a criminal investigation...(A) team of state prosecutors in New Jersey are monitoring the federal case...
As press secretary, Drewniak was in charge of telling the public what Christie wanted the public to be told. It stands to reason that what he knew, Christie either knew also or should have. Yet, like David Samson, Drewniak has been able to hold on to his position despite such blatant incompetence and unprofessionalism while some of his colleagues got canned.


Speaking of David Samson, his law firm has lost another client:
Quote:
The Bergen County Improvement Authority...who oversee the financing arm of county government — said they were doing a search to find a law firm to replace Wolff & Samson, which until last month had been representing the authority in a lawsuit with the operators of Bergen Regional Medical Center.

Wolff & Samson — headed by former Port Authority Chairman David Samson — dropped the county as a client on March 14, 10 days after the freeholders voted 6-1 to call for his resignation over the George Washington Bridge scandal...
No fair -- since Samson is now formerly of the Port Authority, there isn't a conflict of interest anymore, right?

rocknation 04-08-2014 12:45 AM
Wildstein and McKenna Talk to Feds
 
But...with or without immunity?
Quote:
Wildstein and McKenna Meet With Federal Prosecutors in Bridge(t)-Gate Probe

 ...David Wildstein, who has said he informed Christie of the lane closings on Sept. 11 as they were happening, spent several days at New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman’s office in Newark...(sources)...said...In addition, Charlie McKenna, former chief counsel to Christie, met secretly in mid-January with investigators working for Fishman...

Neither meeting has previously been reported...(They)...suggest Fishman is making progress in the high-profile probe of suspected public corruption...

Wildstein’s attorney Alan Zegas (has) said if his client “has immunity from the relevant entities, he’ll talk”...McKenna, meanwhile, could have highly valuable information that might undermine the official line that the lane closings were part of a traffic study...
It's understandable that everyone is in a tizzy about Wildstein talking to the Feds. But I think McKenna's talking to them is far more newsworthy: he reported to Christie directly, and as his lawyer, would carry out Christie's orders rather than give them.

Quote:
McKenna could say whether Christie was proactively involved in putting the traffic study story forward as an explanation for the lane closures, the person familiar with his meeting said.

In the days leading up to a Nov. 25 hearing before the state assembly, the Port Authority’s own in-house lawyer had coached Wildstein and Baroni to give false legislative testimony to explain the lane closures, according to a Jan. 31 letter from Wildstein’s lawyer Zegas to the Port Authority’s General Counsel, asking the agency to pay for his client’s legal expenses...

Indeed, Baroni—himself a lawyer— told the New Jersey legislature that the lane closures were part of a traffic study. And when Baroni sought assurances about his performance that day, Wildstein texted: “Charlie said you did GREAT...” Charlie McKenna, who was then chief counsel to the governor...likely has information on who...coach(ed) Baroni...
McKenna (who was on his way to the state supreme court until Bridge(t)-Gate rerouted him to a state education position) is also likely to have information on whether he got his orders directly from Christie, as does David Samson and Bill Baroni of the Port Authority, Matt Mowers and Bill Stepien from his election campaign, and his press secretary Mike Drewniak -- they were all in the business of carrying out Christie's orders.

rocknation 04-08-2014 11:32 PM
Christie Bullied by Yet Another Crazy Lady

Quote:
On April 1st, Chris Christie...attended a celebrity roast...to celebrate the ninetieth birthday of Brendan Byrne, the state’s governor from 1974 to 1982. “He’s an inspiration,” Christie told the audience...because he has “shown that political comebacks can actually happen.”

Christie sat on a long dais with five former governors...next to...Thomas Kean, a longtime supporter...and five local comedians...(who) he glared at...as they delivered their lines. The speakers aimed much of their fire at Christie...

Joy Behar, the former co-host of The View... (said), “When I first heard that he was accused of blocking off three lanes on the bridge, I said, ‘What the hell is he doing, standing in the middle of the bridge?” After another barb, Christie interrupted her. “This is a Byrne roast,” he said. He stood up and tried to grab her notes. The audience laughed awkwardly.

“Stop bullying me,” Behar said as he sat down. Christie said something out of earshot and Behar responded, “Why don’t you get up here at the microphone instead of being such a coward?” Christie stood up again and moved in front of the lectern as Behar retreated.  “At least I don’t get paid for this,” he said.

Christie sat down and Behar continued, though she was noticeably rattled. “I really don’t know about the Presidency,” she said. “Let me put it to you this way, in a way that you’d appreciate: You’re toast."
https://youtu.be/njvDuNvaQuI

Has Christie has been done in by secretive incompetent underlings yet again? It didn't occur to ANYONE on his PR team that given his situation, a roast would be begging for trouble? A friendly phone call to the organizers reminding them that Christie wasn't the guest of honor and therefore shouldn't be the main subject of the jokes might have made all the difference. Besides, what better way to prove you're not a bully than to bully a woman? Behar should have said, "I apologize for bullying you -- I think it's because I still haven't gotten over being jilted by Current TV!" Or, "You AREN'T Brendan Bryne? But you're sitting where the guest of honor is supposed to sit!"

This story has a happy ending, however:
Quote:
Even Byrne got in a dig...“Somebody referred to that bronze statue of me that’s in the courthouse,” he said. “Actually, that was supposed to be Governor Christie, but they didn’t have enough money to pay for all that bronze.”
BOOM -- not bad at all for a ninety-year-old! Brendan Byrne, ladies and gentlemen! He'll be there all week -- try the waitresses, tip the veal!

rocknation 04-14-2014 03:10 AM
Judge Rules For Kelly and Stepien in Bridge(t)-Gate Subpoena Case

A New Jersey superior court judge has ruled that Kelly and Stepien can refuse to turn over subpoenaed documents to the state investigative panel because they may be self-incriminating. Kelly is reportedly "thrilled," while Stepien's lawyer described it as "a complete vindication" of his client. But it's hardly a setback.

The reason the judge ruled this way is precisely because they ARE afraid of incriminating themselves -- otherwise there would be no reason to take the fifth in the first place. The judge indicated that more specific state-level subpoena requests would be considered, and also pointed out that there were probably complimentary federal subpoenas pending which cannot be refused. For example:

Quote:
Manhattan DA subpoenaed Port Authority records on projects and Christie ties

...The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has subpoenaed records related to projects by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and communications with Gov. Chris Christie’s office...

...(Also,) a subpoena was issued by Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor...seeking documents related to possible conflicts of interest by former Port Authority Chairman David Samson, whose law firm, Wolff & Samson has represented clients that have benefited from agency actions under his tenure. Samson resigned as chairman on March 28...(and has) said he has adhered to the highest ethical standards as chairman.
Samson said that out loud, and WASN'T struck by lighting? Maybe that's because he had a mentor:
Quote:
...(S)ources said another New Jersey (Port Authority) commissioner, Anthony Sartor...a 1999 appointee whose latest six-year term is up this year...would be stepping down...Sartor, who chairs the Port Authority board’s World Trade Center redevelopment subcommittee, heads an engineering consulting firm, Warren-based Paulus, Sokolowski & Sartor, with ties to the multi-billion dollar trade center project, and he repeatedly has had to recuse himself to avoid a direct conflict of interest.

Meanwhile, feedback on Christie's self-investigation has come in. Polls say that 63%, 84%, and another 63% of those surveyed look at the Christie-Mastro report as a "whitewash" -- an average of 70%. And now it's possible that there may be less to the report than meets the eye!
Quote:
Legislative investigators may be headed toward a legal showdown with Gov. Chris Christie and his team of lawyers to obtain the documentary evidence that was used to clear the governor and his top aides of wrongdoing in Bridgegate and other Port Authority-related scandals.

Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), cochairman of the Joint Select Committee on Investigation, said yesterday it is his understanding that Randy Mastro and his Gibson Dunn & Crutcher firm not only failed to conduct the 70 interviews under oath, but also failed to videotape, audiotape, or have a stenographer make transcripts of any of the interviews.

“If this was supposed to be a transparent 360-degree examination of what happened, the lack of any hard evidence of what people said and how they responded to questions means that this report is based upon nothing more than the (Mastro team’s) mental impressions of what people said,” Wisniewski noted. “That’s the classic definition of hearsay,” he said, dismissing the conclusions of the $1 million taxpayer-funded study.

rocknation 04-14-2014 09:35 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by rocknation
Christie Bullied by Yet Another Crazy Lady (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULEh3XRtOF0)

...It didn't occur to ANYONE on (Christie's) PR team that given his situation, a roast would be begging for trouble? A friendly phone call to the organizers reminding them that Christie wasn't the guest of honor and therefore shouldn't be the main subject of the jokes might have made all the difference...

Probably just a coincidence, but:
Quote:
Christie communications staffer leaves for post in Oregon

Kara Walker, who most recently served as a deputy press secretary to Christie, will now take the top role with the Oregon House GOP...Walker held a number of posts on Christie's staff, starting as an intern and working her way up...
Walker reported to Christie's press secretary Mike Drewniak, who still has his job though he's talking to the Feds. Odd that she felt the need to look for another job; even odder that she'd take one that's such a huge step backward: Oregon has voted for Democratic presidents since 1988, and Democrats currently control both the state senate and house of representatives.

Maybe she just got lucky that there was a vacancy. Maybe somebody had to take the fall for the roast, and Christie needs Drewniak too badly to fire him. Maybe Christie arranged the job as a favor to Drewniak. Or maybe she decided to jump before she was pushed.

At any rate, as Ms. Walker walks the Oregon Trail, she'll be pleased to know that Oregon and New Jersey are the only states in America in which it's illegal to pump your own gas!

rocknation 04-24-2014 02:39 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kathleen (Post 1175237)
He might have made a fatal mistake...us(ing) taxpayer money to fund that report...because of that, he might actually have to abide by the subpoena...
And it's looking more fatal by the minute.
"This memorandum does not contain a verbatim transcript of what was said at the meeting; rather, it is a summary of the discussion that reflects counsel’s mental thoughts and impressions and is therefore covered by the attorney work product doctrine."
So begins each of the 75 interview summary memos distilled from Christie's taxpayer-financed, self-absolving investigation of Bridge(t)-Gate and the accusation that he masterminded the shakedown the mayor of Hoboken. Unfortunately, because it WAS taxpayer financed:
Quote:
Christie’s Mastro Mistake: Report Backfires Politically, Legally

“It seemed crazy to me to do what they did,” Robert Del Tufo, a former New Jersey...and U.S. Attorney, said of Christie’s...internal investigation. “They spent over a million dollars of taxpayer money. It’s unusual in an internal investigation not to take down transcripts of what people said, and presumably they just summarized things so they could put a slant on what people said."

...Del Tufo...believed the interview memos “implicitly would be public information paid for with public funds, and I think investigators could get the memos with a subpoena.”

Well, the interview summary memos are now online -- it's a moot issue anyway. So let's take a took at what Christie had to "say" for himself (beginning on page 163):
Quote:
The Governor was not aware, and had no recollection of ever knowing, that Mayor Zimmer took any position adverse to the Rockefeller Group project.

The Governor...now knows that Wolff & Samson represented the Rockefeller Group, although he was not aware of that at the time of the allegations at issue.

The Governor had no memory of meeting Mayor Sokolich. The Governor knew Mayor Sokolich’s name because of the accusations that Mayor Sokolich made.

While the (lane) realignment was in effect, Governor Christie did not recall being aware of the lane realignment or the traffic caused by the lane realignment.

...Baroni and Wildstein, along with others, were present for most of the time (during the 9/11 memorial ceremony). The Governor has no specific recollection of conversations with them, other than light banter.

Asked whether anyone raised the subject of traffic in Fort Lee prior to or at this event, the Governor responded that he had no such recollection...

...(T)he Governor pointed out that Wildstein is not a contact in his cell phone. The Governor commented that his direct contact with Wildstein was when Baroni brought him to meetings.

The Governor had no specific recollection of the September 17, 2013, and October 1, 2013 Wall Street Journal (“WSJ”) articles...The Governor had two reactions to the article: (1) it was typical of Foye to write and then leak an email, rather than directly discussing the issue; and (2) the Governor wanted to know what happened.

(T)he Governor thought McKenna came back and told him that Baroni said this was a traffic study, and that Foye was making a huge deal out of nothing.

Asked about...Wildstein’s and Baroni’s resignations, the Governor recalled telling McKenna to ask for Wildstein’s resignation, and telling O’Dowd and McKenna to ask for Baroni’s resignation, although the Governor did not recall when this was.

...(T)he Governor recalled someone (though he does not recollect who), relaying that Wildstein had said something along the lines of, “I’m not stupid; I got this cleared by the Front Office.”

On the morning of December 12, 2013, there was a breakfast...(with) union leaders, which Stepien attended. The Governor had no specific recollection of that event...

You'll be happy to know, however, got when the going got tough, Christie got going:
During the December 13, 2013 senior staff meeting, the Governor walked in, slammed the door, and stood the whole time.

The next day, the Governor went to Trenton...He then held the press conference, while exhausted, answering all questions. Only after coming back did he realize that the press conference lasted nearly two hours.
But that isn't to say that he lacks a sensitive side:
The Governor recalled that O’Dowd had reported that Kelly was crying when she had said that she had nothing to do with the lane realignment...The Governor was not surprised that someone, particularly an individual like Kelly, might be nervous or upset in this situation...

Maybe the root of Christie's problems is that he doesn't recall becoming New Jersey's governor!

rocknation 04-25-2014 07:55 AM
Christie has never been a fan of state worker pension funds:
Quote:
Christie spoke for 35 minutes to a half-full ballroom...at a New Jersey Chamber of Commerce dinner...continu(ing)...to make his pitch for pension reform and renewal of a cap on raises for public workers, sounding alarms about the state's economic future...

"We're not going to grow out of this," Christie said after outlining the state's escalating debt and health-benefits costs. "It's time to dig in and make a few people unhappy so the greater good can be achieved...We will be judged by how we conduct ourselves in these decisions," Christie said...
Well, if he's so interested in keeping the state's pensions in line, why is he willing to gamble them on a hedge fund that is on the edge of crapping out on a casino it invested in?

Chris Christie’s $300m pension proposal broke state anti-corruption laws
Quote:
...Weeks after Christie was re-elected...the governor’s state investment council announced its intention to invest $300 million with...Chatham Asset Management. Chatham’s principal...Anthony Melchiorre, donated $22,500 to the RNC on May 5, 2012 and then $8,300 to the RNC on August 15, 2012. Andrea Melchiorre...living at his address...also donated $17,500 to the RNC on the same day...

The decision to award Chatham Asset Management the contract was made despite State Investment Council rules explicitly banning investment managers doing business with New Jersey from making (or having made) any political contributions “for the purpose of influencing any election for State office.” Those rules bar pension contracts from going to investment managers who have made such contributions in any of the two years leading up to a proposed pension contract.

Additionally...New Jersey’s pay-to-play law prohibits using outside groups...or family members to circumvent pay-to-play statutes barring state contractors from donating to groups that financially support state election campaigns.

“If these contributions were made to the RNC in order to get around state laws, then it is a violation of the law,” said Melanie Sloan, executive director of the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics In Washington. “New Jersey law is clear: you cannot do indirectly what you are prohibited from doing directly.”

The Christie administration's response is, well, multi-faceted:
Quote:
On behalf of Gov. Christie, (the) New Jersey Treasury('s) Chris Santarelli told Pando:
...It would be a violation of the regulation if the firm or an investment professional of the firm made a political contribution "to a Federal party committee or other political committee or organization for the purpose of influencing State or local elections governed by." The purpose of the RNC is not to influence elections in the State of New Jersey and donations to the organization cannot be earmarked for a particular race.
If that's the case, Wire.com owes the RNC a retraction:
Quote:
That could be, in part, why the national RNC quickly made sure to mention its support for Christie's campaign in a congratulatory statement from chairman Reince Priebus:
In this race Governor Christie earned significant support among minority voters. That’s a testament to the success of his results-oriented leadership and an inclusive campaign. During this race, the RNC worked alongside the Christie campaign to engage early and often with Hispanic, African American and Asian voters.
Fortunately, Christie had a backup defense:
Quote:
Santarelli also insisted that despite the size of the campaign contributions in question, the Christie administration’s investment council “was not aware of the contributions you have called into question.”

Now, about that casino: According to The Asbury Park Press, Chatham Asset Management owns 28 percent of the "troubled" property:
Quote:
Investing in a hedge fund that is a major owner of a property that emerged from bankruptcy protection last year from nearly $1.5 billion in debt seems to be taking risk to a whole new level.

Revel, which cost $2.4 billion to build, is expected to be sold sometime this year for as little as $200 million to $300 million. It continues to have difficulty attracting customers, ranking ninth out of 11 casinos in the state...

That didn't stop Gov. Chris Christie from doing all he could to help the casino succeed, including giving it $261 million in New Jersey tax money via credits once it turned a profit - a profit that never materialized...
Ninth out of eleven? Well, a better slogan would probably help:


*New Jersey state employees need not apply. You've already gambled your pension on Chris Christie -- and lost.

Now we know the real reason why Christie is so anti-state pension funding -- he's been pissing away our money!

rocknation 04-25-2014 10:11 PM
In his spare time, Christie heads up the Republican Governor's Association, going on speaking tours and bragging of setting new fundraising records for them. Among them is a recent donation of ten thousand dollars:

Quote:
Law Firm hired for Bridge(t)-Gate probe is GOP donor

The public...got its first look at who has donated to the Republican Governors Association in the months since Christie took over as chairman...

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher...has not donated to the Democratic Governors Association this year and did not make contributions to the group in 2013 or 2012. It made two donations to the RGA in 2012, each for $10,000. The group donated $15,000 in 2011 and $10,000 in 2010 and 2009.

...(N)ine days before a team of its top lawyers made public a report clearing Christie in the bridge scandal...Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher...gave $10,000...(C)ritics called (the report) a “whitewash..."
Perhaps those critics should also be calling it a "kickback!"

rocknation 04-26-2014 05:49 AM
Because not everyone here is an English-speaking American, I'll explain what the Securities and Exchange Commission does: they act as a police force over America's public and private financial dealings, and they've decided to join the state and federal authorities in investigating Chris Christie:

Quote:
SEC probing New Jersey Governor Christie's transport funding

The Securities and Exchange Commission is looking into New Jersey's use of up to $1.8 billion in tax-exempt bond financing from the Port Authority to fix a bridge and roadways feeding into the New Jersey side of the Holland Tunnel...

About $3 billion of Port Authority funds were originally earmarked for an $8.7 billion project that would have built a new commuter train under the Hudson River. Though construction had already begun, Christie killed the project in 2010 after taking office...

New Jersey is using some of those funds to rebuild the Pulaski Skyway and roadways leading to the Holland Tunnel. Under its 1921 charter, however, the bi-state Port Authority's purview includes access roads to the Lincoln Tunnel, but not to the Holland Tunnel. So the Christie administration allegedly pressured the Port Authority in 2011 to re-brand the Pulaski Skyway as feeding the Lincoln Tunnel...
And because not everyone here is either an American, a New Yorker, or a New Jerseyite:


It's possible that Christie wasn't "aware" or didn't "recall" that the Pulaski Skyway couldn't feed the Lincoln Tunnel it its life depended on it. But trying to re-brand the Pulaski Skyway as feeding the Champs Elysees would be easier to believe!

Kathleen 04-26-2014 06:18 PM
Umm....don't want to say too much here but THIS project was one of the downfalls of my husband with the Port. As an engineer he didn't believe the contract that was signed was advantageous to the Port - it wasn't. It eventually got renegotiated but he lost his job in the process. Baroni called him a troublemaker. He is back there as a consultant and working with PATH now but Lincoln Tunnel Access left a very bad taste in his mouth. Many people (Including some very high up people) knew about the conflict of interest and the complete illegality but they just kept their mouths shut and conducted business as usual. My husband spoke up and lost his job because of it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rocknation (Post 1175991)
Because not everyone here is an English-speaking American, I'll explain what the Securities and Exchange Commission does: they act as a police force over America's public and private financial dealings, and they've decided to join the state and federal authorities in investigating Chris Christie:

And because not everyone here is either an American, a New Yorker, or a New Jerseyite:


It's possible that Christie wasn't "aware" or didn't "recall" that the Pulaski Skyway couldn't feed the Lincoln Tunnel it its life depended on it. But trying to re-brand the Pulaski Skyway as feeding the Champs Elysees would be easier to believe!

rocknation 04-26-2014 08:29 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kathleen (Post 1175998)
...THIS project was one of the downfalls of my husband with the Port. As an engineer he didn't believe the contract that was signed was advantageous to the Port - it wasn't. It eventually got renegotiated but he lost his job in the process. Baroni called him a troublemaker...

Many people (Including some very high up people) knew about the conflict of interest and the complete illegality but they just kept their mouths shut and conducted business as usual. My husband spoke up and lost his job because of it.
Quote:
Chris Christie not only killed the tunnel project, but lied about doing so to save the state from paying for imaginary cost overruns, even after the U.S Department of Transportation, trying to save the tunnel, said it would cover New Jersey's share of any such costs. That was late 2010; Christie's men -- including David Wildstein and Bill Baroni, both of whom resigned in the wake of the Great Ft. Lee Clusterfk -- were beginning to take over the PA. That process accelerated when David Samson, another Christie crony, became Chairman of the Port Authority Board of Commissioners early in 2011. (link)
Do you mean that your husband was against tunnel being built, or HOW the project had been set up? And were there Christie cronies lined up ready to cash in on the project's "disadvantages?"

Even if Christie did the right thing by killing the tunnel project, it was illegal of him to manipulate the federal funding involved in order to avoid raising state taxes.

Well, nobody's speaking up for Baroni now. Revenge is a dish best served cold, LOL!

Kathleen 04-26-2014 09:56 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by rocknation (Post 1175999)
Do you mean that your husband was against tunnel being built, or HOW the project had been set up? And were there Christie cronies lined up ready to cash in on the project's "disadvantages?"

Even if Christie did the right thing by killing the tunnel project, it was illegal of him to manipulate the federal funding involved in order to avoid raising state taxes.

Well, nobody's speaking up for Baroni now. Revenge is a dish best served cold, LOL!
No, my husband was in favor of the tunnel. Once Christie killed it, he and his cronies came up with this ridiculous Lincoln Tunnel Access project to repair New Jersey roads with Port Authority toll money. And because Christie had placed so many people at the Port there was no pushback from the top people. The everyday engineers that saw what was going on pretty much kept their mouths shut - my husband did not. What they did was illegal and they didn't appreciate him pointing it out to the legal department.

And personally (since I'm an engineer also) I think Christie did a huge disservice to the ordinary citizens of New Jersey by killing that tunnel. There was a lot of construction that had already been started down on 1 and 9 near Jersey City. Killing the tunnel meant a loss of jobs and also a loss of 10 years of planning. There was a of of money available for the project (backed by Port Authority tolls) and Christie saw a way to bail out his own transportation budget and still get the necessary road repairs done. The Pulaski Skyway has been in horrible condition for quite a while now and basically has been a disaster waiting to happen. I have no quarrel with fixing it, it should have been fixed years ago but it shouldn't be paid for with Port Authority tolls. It provides no access to the Lincoln Tunnel and never has. It has nothing to do with the Port. It was a swindle - pure and simple.

rocknation 04-27-2014 03:42 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kathleen (Post 1176001)
No, my husband was in favor of the tunnel. Once Christie killed it, he and his cronies came up with this ridiculous Lincoln Tunnel Access project to repair New Jersey roads with Port Authority toll money...The everyday engineers that saw what was going on pretty much kept their mouths shut - my husband did not...

The Pulaski Skyway has been in horrible condition for quite a while...it should have been fixed years ago but it shouldn't be paid for with Port Authority tolls. It provides no access to the Lincoln Tunnel and never has...It was a swindle - pure and simple.
Oh, dear, this is starting to hit way too close to home. Maybe you'd better change your screen name to "Deep Throat The Second!" :D

Kathleen 04-27-2014 06:45 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by rocknation (Post 1176003)
Oh, dear, this is starting to hit way too close to home. Maybe you'd better change your screen name to "Deep Throat The Second!" :D
It IS hitting close to home but so far no subpenas yet. All the names mentioned in the press are people my husband worked with directly. He figures it is only a matter of time before they get around to him. He feels that he is on the side of the angels so he is not too concerned. He did what he thought was right. After losing your job over taking a stand, worrying about the subpena process comes in a distant second.

And frankly, he wouldn't have done anything different. (Neither would I for that matter). You gotta look yourself in the mirror in the morning.

rocknation 05-13-2014 06:07 AM
If you've read everything so far, you should understand Chris Christie well enough to pass a pop quiz:

Quote:
In March 2013, New Jersey officials forecast that online gambling would yield somewhere in the neighborhood of $180 million in tax revenues for the state during the first fiscal year Internet gaming was legal. But the estimates have been falling ever since—to $160 million when Chris Christie signed the state budget last summer, and down to just $34 million earlier this year, after a few months of legalized online gambling had passed.

More recently, the state treasurer said that no more estimates on online gambling revenues would be made public...
Quote:
...(Christie) said...he was blindsided by April tax collections...(coming) in at least $600 million below his estimates.

...The April surprise widened the overall shortfall in the governor's budget to at least $807 million — a whopping sum that Christie says will force difficult cuts to the budget in the next 60 days and could even threaten a couple of important payments into the pension fund for public workers.

"What we're being told initially is that this is the effect of the change in the law at the end of 2012 by the Obama administration and the Congress to increase tax rates on upper-level individuals," Christie said...
Quote:
...When Christie issued his budget estimates in 2012, they looked odd to most observers. He predicted that revenue would have a huge yearly increase of 7.4 percent — which the Star-Ledger found was the most optimistic in the nation — due to economic growth. This also allowed him to avoid raising taxes, or making any more particularly painful spending cuts, as his reelection the following year loomed...

So it was very inconvenient when David Rosen...(of the New Jersey Office of Legislative Services) said Christie's projections would come up $145 million short that year, and $392 million short the following year. Christie criticized Rosen immediately, calling his office partisan and saying "they shouldn't be given any credibility." He added..."Why would anybody with a functioning brain believe this guy?...How often do you have to be wrong to finally be dismissed?"
And now for the quiz:

When the going gets tough, Chris Christie gets...
  1. secretive
  2. bratty
  3. intimidating
  4. reality-denying
  5. rule-breaking
  6. blame-diverting
  7. WAY too predictable!!!

Kathleen 05-13-2014 11:50 PM
I would go with G by utilizing A through F :p

rocknation 05-14-2014 12:13 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kathleen (Post 1176443)
I would go with G by utilizing A through F :p
And Kathleen goes to the head of the class!

Kathleen 05-14-2014 02:41 AM
Unfortunately Christie is still the Head of State (the governor) so I lose either way :(

rocknation 05-16-2014 02:12 AM
Quote:
"Knock, Knock."
"Who's there?"
"O.J."
"O.J. who?"
"You're on the jury."
Is there some kind of secret organization that's in charge of putting out jokes like that when a big scandal happens? Chris Christie certainly hasn't been spared:
"What's Chris Christie's favorite song?"
"Bridget Over Troubled Water."

Why bring this up? Because the dedication to New York City's 9/11 Memorial Museum was conducted today, with a full roster of politicians and other VIPs taking turns at the podium. I never doubted that Christie would be invited, but not being from New York, I wasn't sure if he'd get a chance to speak.

Well, he did speak, but not before a sudden change of plan:
Quote:
A last-minute change prevented what could have been an uncomfortable moment...

The original program for Thursday's ceremony had Christie's remarks followed by Idina Menzel's performance of...the song Bridge Over Troubled Water.

But just before the ceremony, museum spokesman Anthony Guido announced that Menzel, star of the Broadway show If/Then, was sick and would not perform. In her place, another member of the show's cast...herself a 9/11 widow, performed Amazing Grace.

If only HE had had enough class to "not perform!" But rather than let the song go unheard because it might make someone "uncomfortable", here's Bon Jovi's version!


All times are GMT +2. The time now is 09:00 AM.
Page 2 of 8 1 2 3456 Last »
Show 40 post(s) from this thread on one page

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11.
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.