RedStateVT Loves Chris Christie!

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday killed a decades-in-the-making train tunnel connecting New Jersey and Manhattan, saying the state can't afford to pay for cost overruns on the underway project.

At a news conference Thursday, Christie said: "I can't put taxpayers on a never-ending hook."

Christie has refused to raise the state's gas tax, which is among the lowest in the country, to replenish the fund. (Foxnews.com, 10/7/10)

Why do we know that this was a good decision? Because New York Times columnist Paul Krugman (did you know that he has a PhD?) thinks it is a bad decision (NYT, 10/8/10).  By contrast, here is what the Dr. said:

Of the $8.7 billion in planned funding, less than a third was to come from the State of New Jersey; the rest would come, in roughly equal amounts, from the independent Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and from the federal government.

Now, refresh our memory. That money from the federal government…where does that come from exactly?

Even if costs were to rise substantially, as they often do on big projects, it was a very good deal for the state.

Krugman should do some research on a “big project” in Boston. We think it was referred to as the Big Dig.  We might suggest checking with Barney Frank, but he was too busy ruining the nation's economy during that period.

Canceling the tunnel was also a blow to national hopes of recovery, part of a pattern of penny-pinching that has played a large role in our continuing economic stagnation.

So the recovery is lost because of this decision. And how dare Christie penny-pinch with the taxpayers’ money!

Agreed
I hope the president learns the right lesson. Ignore the pollsters and aides calling for positioning to the center. Provide a clarion voice to Americans about the need for bold, progressive reform -- and show your own supporters a fighting spirit to push for it. Rouse the progressive majority not by complaining about its ingratitude but by championing its cause. (Katrina vanden Heuvel, Washington Post, 10/7/10)

RedStateVT agrees. This is exactly what we want President Obama to do. Move further to the left. Can you say “one term?”