QUIGLEY: CHRISTIE ADMITS DEMOCRATIC APPROACH TO BALANCING BUDGET THE RIGHT WAY TO ATTACK STATE'S FISCAL PROBLEMS

QUIGLEY: CHRISTIE ADMITS DEMOCRATIC APPROACH
TO BALANCING BUDGET THE RIGHT WAY TO ATTACK
STATE'S FISCAL PROBLEMS

(Jersey City) – Assemblywoman Joan Quigley today welcomed Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Chris Christie back to reality with the news that he has realized his economic proposals would doom the state to fiscal ruin.

“It only took 268 days since he threw his hat into the ring, but with four to go until the election Chris Christie has finally come to terms with the devastating fact that his fiscal platform is a non-starter,” said Quigley, a member of the Assembly Budget Committee. “But now he faces an even more painful reality: telling prospective voters that his entire plan was a mirage.”

In today's New York Times, Christie essentially endorsed the approach used by Governor Corzine and legislative Democrats to balance the budget in the midst of the current economic crisis. That approach ensured $1.7 billion in direct property tax relief for middle-class and senior and disabled homeowners and increased education funding by $276 million.

“It's satisfying to know that our approach to balancing the budget through maximizing federal aid and slashing spending has bipartisan appeal, even if it's an election-slash-deathbed conversion,” said Quigley. “In the meantime, I won't be holding my breath for my Assembly GOP colleagues to follow the lead of their standard-bearer. But if they want to, I'm sure the Speaker will allow them to switch their votes on the budget, now that Chris Christie has given them a pass.”

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