Christie’s Pinelands Veto Reveals Hypocrisy

[Update: Bergen Record story nails it:

“It is a shame that the protections of the Pinelands and the independence of the Pinelands Commission must be sacrificed for the political ambitions of scandal-plagued Governor Christie,” said environmental blogger Bill Wolfe, a former employee of the state Department of Environmental Protection.  ~~~ end update].

Just a quick followup on yesterday’s post on Gov. Christie’s veto of the minutes of the Pinelands Commission,  killing a proposed 5% raise for staff.

I want to focus today on the points made in the Gov.’s letter to expose his rank hypocrisy.

The Gov. blasted the Commission for “confiscation” of funds dedicated for conservation purposes to pay staff and for “gross abuse of authority”.

Meanwhile, the Gov. has “confiscated” more funds dedicated to environmental programs to pay for his tax cuts and corporate subsides than the last 4 Governors combined – almost $1 billion in Clean Energy Funds alone.

The Gov.’s DEP budgets have “confiscated” hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues from dozens of special environmental funds and Bond accounts to pay for DEP salaries, including depleted Green Acres funds, enforcement settlement agreements, and the constitutionally dedicated Corporate Business Tax.

How does he possibly have the balls to criticize the Pinelands Commission for “confiscation”?

And who can fail to see the huge fat elephant in the room – ahem… – the Gov.’s own serial and vindictive “abuse of authority”.

Whether that abuse of authority is measured by a record number of legislative vetoes; absolute failure to accommodate Legislative oversight; attacks on the Courts and judicial independence; over-reaching Executive Orders; relying on “Red Tape and Sandy “Czars” to assure unilateral control; unilaterally taking NJ out of RGGI, or the current mounting scandals and criminal investigations of Christie Administration abuses, there can be no doubt that Governor Christie has broken new ground in “gross abuse of power”.

[For the best descriptions of the Gov. style in this regard by national publications, see:

• Chris Christie’s Entire Career Reeks – It’s Not Just the Bridge
• Crossing Chris Christie 

But the icing on the hypocrisy cake is how Christie portrayed the Pinelands Commission as selfish and self interested, for “helping themselves to funds dedicated for the benefit of many”.

Helping themselves? The Pinelands Commissioners are not paid – the raise was for staff. Those staff protect the Pinelands for the use and enjoyment of the many – including future generations.

By  doing so, the Gov. put himself on the side of the public, defender of the public interest from these selfish bureaucrats at the Commission.

That’s the nuanced riff of the Gov.’s budget speech attack line: “94 cents of every new dollar in spending goes to public employee  pensions and healthcare benefits”.

The same old attack against so called greedy teachers and public employees, who selfishly seek pay raises, pensions, and health benefits at the expense of taxpayers, while squeezing out needed spending on other important priorities.

It is divisive, nasty, and flat out wrong on the facts and policy.

If the Gov. cared about facts, he’d know that Pinelands staffers have been under a 4 year pay freeze. Their salaries are significantly lower than DEP pay scales, for virtually the same work.

The Commission has 23 unfilled positions under the Governor’s austerity budget. The Commission once had 4 PhD scientists, now it has none as professionals leave for higher pay at DEP and the private sector.

Pinelands science, planning, management, and overall natural resource protections have suffered by this shortsighted austerity approach.

All these inconvenient facts are ignored in the Gov.’s shameful attack on the Commission.

But, by playing on legitimate resentment of middle and working class people who are being crushed by the economy (i.e. the 99%), these demagogue tactics divert attention from the Gov.’s agenda and policies that benefit the wealthy and subsidize corporations (the 1%).

And they well serve the Gov.’s national political ambitions.

But that’s just how the Gov. rolls.