NJ Gov. Chris Christie (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Nothing says “strong fiscal conservative” like riding to your son’s high school baseball game in a $12.5 million, taxpayer-funded police helicopter. Right?
Such was the transportation of choice for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) as he caught a ride on a brand new state police helicopter so he could attend 5 innings of his son’s baseball game at a New Jersey high school field. Christie circled in for a spectacular landing and then protected by state police troopers as he was ferried to and from the gleaming chopper in an official vehicle.
Questions of necessity were immediately brought up concerning Christie’s expensive baseball field trip, but the governer’s office brushed off any complaints. Christie’s spokesman said the helicopter is “occasionally used as the schedule demands” and called the use for attending his son’s baseball game “judicious.”
Gov. Chris Christie arrived at his son’s baseball game this afternoon aboard a State Police helicopter.
Right before the lineup cards were being exchanged on the field, a noise from above distracted the spectators as the 55-foot long helicopter buzzed over trees in left field, circled the outfield and landed in an adjacent football field. Christie disembarked from the helicopter and got into a black car with tinted windows that drove him about a 100 yards to the baseball field.
During the 5th inning, Christie and First Lady Mary Pat Christie got into the car, rode back to the helicopter and left the game. During a pitching change, play was stopped for a couple of minutes while the helicopter took off.
Christie’s eldest son, Andrew, was the starting catcher for Delbarton High School, in Morris Township. The governor played the same position of catcher when he was in high school.
The game was being held at St. Joseph Regional High School in Montvale in Bergen County. Christie watched the game from the stands, flanked by State Police security guards.
“It is a means of transportation that is occasionally used as the schedule demands,” said Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak in an email. “This has historically been the case in prior administrations as well, and we continue to be judicious in limiting its use.”
The governor had no public events on his schedule, offering no insight to where he might have been traveling from. He had a private meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Drumthwacket, the governor’s mansion, in Princeton. He is meeting with a group of Iowa donors who have publically expressed a desire to persuade him to run for president in 2012.
A local television station in New Jersey has video of the incident. Watch below…
Gov. Christie has achieved national prominence in his first term as New Jersey governor for cultivating a hard-nosed “fiscally responsible” image that often comes at the expense of public employees and state funding for education and health care. His efforts to oppose and antagonize labor unions and state workers in New Jersey launched what has become a nationwide campaign by Republican governors to attack public employees under the guise of cutting spending and reducing state deficits, such as what has occurred in Wisconsin under Gov. Scott Walker.
It was only last week that the New Jersey State Supreme Court ruled that Gov. Christie’s state budget that substantially reduced education funding was unconstitutional and ordered the governor and the state legislature to appropriate $500 million for schools in economically depressed areas.
Gov. Christie vehemently opposed the decision and has gone on record opposing increased spending on schools and teachers as a “liberal” scheme. Christie responded to the state supreme court ruling by calling it “wrong” and insisting that the court “should not be dictating how taxpayer dollars are spent.”
In response, Mr. Christie again cited school financing as the chief example of a liberal court run amok, which he vowed to remedy by choosing more conservative justices. Answering questions at a public forum in Cherry Hill, N.J., he said, “I’m going to appoint people who I believe understand their job, which is to interpret the law and not make law from the bench.”
Earlier, in a news conference at the State House, the governor said, “I believe that this decision represents everything that’s wrong with how Trenton has historically operated and everything that I’m here to fight to change.” He said the Supreme Court “should not be dictating how taxpayer dollars are spent and prioritizing certain programs over others.”
Why waste taxpayer money on education when it can be spent in a much more responsible fashion, like on a helicopter ride to a baseball game?
Making the chopper controversy more prominent is that Gov. Christie has become a celebrated figure within the Republican Party establishment, creating a nationally known image and receiving high praise from the GOP and conservative leaders that wish to emulate his anti-union agenda.
More recently, Christie has been aggressively courted by Republicans to consider a presidential bid in 2012. The GOP figures that Christie could be viewed as a “moderate” by voters and could be more palatable to Americans than some of the more extreme elements making up the party’s existing presidential field.
As noted in the article above, Christie was rushed to and from the baseball game in order to meet with a group of Iowa Republicans that traveled to the Garden State to make a pitch for the governor to make a 2012 bid. Christie has consistently denied rumors that he will run and says he is not interested.
He screams about the budget then uses our money to go see his son’s games – must be nice to be one of the “elite” and not have the rules apply to him. And some ppl want him to run for president? Are they out of their minds, he’s a slovenly individual who can’t take care of himself, no less a country.
OMGoodness, has Christie no shame? For him to call himself “fiscally responsible” and “conservative,” but then to use this $12.5 million helicopter [purchased for New Jersey's homeland security and to transport critically injured patients] to attend his son’s baseball game is morally bankrupt! His actions just rub salt into the wounds of those who are hurting financially, whose schools are not funded properly, and whose teachers are being attacked by him and others of his ilk.
Hmmm, I wonder how many teachers or police officers salaries that could’ve paid for… really Christie, HUGE waste of TAXPAYERS money!!! Not to mention a car to carry you 100 ft… seriously?!?! I cannot wait for elections and pray the residents of NJ wake up to your shaninagins!
So, for all of Mr. Christie’s tough talk at Democrats and unions about financial sacrifice, couldn’t he find a Ford and drive to the game? Surely flying in the official helicopter, stopping the game, and driving 100 yards to his seats…doesn’t this qualify as over the top waste of money? Christie is another “leader” that leads, as long as he doesn’t have to follow his own rules.
Question.
Why is it worse for Christie to hitch a ride on an existing State Helicopter, than for President SolarShingles to utilize an armada of Presidential jets and helicopters and limousines to take Michelle to dinner in New York City, or to attend any number of Democrat Political Fundraisers at taxpayer expense in New York and Chicago and San Francisco?
What’s the difference?
I know, Chrisitie is supposed to stand for fiscal restraint, so he’s a hyyyyyyppppppocrite.
I thought President SolarShingles said he was going to go through our budget “line by line” and root out waste and inefficiency.
I know what’s really got everybody so up in arms about Christie and the helicopter: its because it was used to attend his kid’s baseball game.
I wonder if at least one teacher’s job could have been saved if he would reimburse the state….something to think about
I have bookmarked, Dugg, and I joined the RSS subscription. Thanks! .
Christine, flying a helicopter to a baseball game couldn’t pay for anyone’s salary. The Helicopter may have cost 12.5 million but the flight there did not. No Raellan, if he reimbursed the state for paying for fuel and salaries this one time it wouldn’t save a teachers job. Please allow me to explain: Fuel costs about 4.50 a gallon for Jet A. The helicopter probably holds around 150 gallons. You cant use all the fuel or you crash and there are rules on minimum fuel. Lets say he landed after all was said and done with 30 gallons left on board. 120 x 4.50 = 540 dollars. Plus pilots salaries and miscellaneous for the day maybe equaling 4000 and thats pushing it. So no, flying the helicopter to the game did not rob some teacher of their yearly salary. Although I can see how you’d be mad if someone was making you pay more of your salary for your benefits. Now you know why conservatives don’t like higher taxes or having to pay more for public employees retirement plans.