Seth Grossman’s “Fort Lee” moment with Gov. Christie’s staff one year ago

Last year,? Governor Christie’s “Director of Constituent Services” had police remove me from?his “Town Hall” meeting in Montville, Morris County, when I tried to hand out?four suggested questions for the Governor before the program started.?? Details of the incident are?published today’s?South Jersey Times at http://www.nj.com/south-jersey-voices/index.ssf/2014/01/letter_i_had_a_fort_lee_moment.html.???? Below is?an exact copy of what I was handing out.??Seth Grossman, Executive Director @Grossman4NJ

IN 2008, DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR JON CORZINE BROUGHT ?TOWN HALL MEETINGS?? TO NEW JERSEY TO SELL HIS 700% TOLL HIKE SCHEME.?????

?TOWN HALL MEETINGS? ARE DESIGNED TO DELIVER THE LEADER?S MESSAGE AND SUPPRESS OPPOSITION IN A CONTROLLED SETTING, WHILE APPEARING TO BE FAIR AND OPEN.

BUT IF YOU CHALLENGE THE LEADER, AND ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ISSUES THAT MATTER MOST,? YOU CAN CHANGE THE SCRIPTED? OUTCOME.?? THAT?S HOW WE STOPPED CORZINE?S TOLL HIKES.?? ASK QUESTIONS LIKE THESE:

1.? Five years ago, Governor Corzine?s pie charts said state government debt of $117 billion–$32 billion in bonds, $25 billion in unfunded pension debt, and $50 billion in unfunded medical benefits for retirees was a big problem.?? This debt came to $45,000 per household, and gobbled up 15% of the state budget or $5 billion each year.?? What are those numbers today, and why don?t you think that this is a problem?

2.? Two years ago, some 1,800 voters in Atlantic City filed a petitions to force a public vote on whether the Revel Casino should get 20 years of tax breaks.? But you joined with Democrats to pass a special law that took away their voting rights.??? Do you now admit that this was a mistake, and are you now willing to force new owners of the Revel to pay the same taxes as everyone else?

3.? Cheap natural gas is cutting the cost of electricity in other states, but your administration is keeping electric rates at roughly double what they should be.? Do you still plan to subsidize solar panels and continue plans to put wind turbines out in the ocean to make electric rates go up even more?

4.? You say that you want to cut taxes.? But how can you cut taxes if your $31 billion budget is $2 billion or seven percent higher than Corzine?s last budget?

3 thoughts on “Seth Grossman’s “Fort Lee” moment with Gov. Christie’s staff one year ago”

  1. I’m sure people would rather listen to the Governor and if they had the chance, would rather have him answer their question. As you know, after the storm, people did not know if they were coming or going. Although you have the right, using the governors town hall meeting to pass around annoying leaflets with questions that are not only going to piss him off, but are also of little importance to the people in attendence who have lost their homes. Asking people to spread your agenda and politic in this sinario is pretty weak. I’m glad they stopped you, and if I was there and had a storm related question I would have wiped my ass with your leaflet, then said to the guy next to me who was that asshole?

  2. First, this particular “Town Hall Meeting” was held in Montville, in Morris County while Governor Christie was campaigning for re-election. It had nothing to do with Hurricane Sandy. No homes in the hills and mountains of Morris County were flooded by Sandy. Neither the Governor nor any person there said anything or asked any question about storm damage. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the NJ Constitution both guarantee my freedom of speech. Nobody had to take my leaflet or read it, and anybody was also free to say any nasty thing they wanted about me. But the police had no right to stop me and remove me from the room. If you believed in American liberty and our Constitution, you would defend my Constitutional rights, even if you personally disagreed with what I was saying. And by the way, Governor Christie agreed that the people in the audience were very interested in what I had to say. The Governor repeatedly claimed that he cut spending and fixed the government employee pension system. My suggested questions pointed out that neither claim was true. Only now, after the election, newspapers are reporting that taxes for most New Jersey residents went up by 18% since Christie took office, and that New Jersey government is now “the least solvent in the nation”. Seth Grossman. Executive Director

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