Christie Scores In Evesham

Everywhere that Chris Christie goes, Jon Corzine's high property taxes follow him.
Last night we joined Carl Cameron and Fox News at a VFW hall in Evesham (Burlington County) where a overflow crowd on New Jersey residents came to hear Chris talk about his plan to trim New Jersey's wasteful, overblown state budget and deliver tax cuts to the highest-taxed state in America.
Yes, Chris is attracting national TV coverage because his message is resonating here in blue Jersey. He knows how to bring people together.
And standing in front of a huge American flag, Christie hit his stride last night.
The residents of Evesham have suffered from a 16.7% property tax increase under Jon Corzine. If Jon Corzine kept our property tax rebate in place the average Evesham resident would have received $1,066 to help ease the pain Corzine has inflicted on their pocketbooks this year. But Corzine eliminated rebates and still raised taxes and fees.
Chris has already detailed 88 ways that he will fix New Jersey including 21 ways to cut expenses and make every dollar count and five taxes he would cut. Chris went over many of these points last night and explained how immediate measures could begin to cut the state's expenses and pass the savings on to taxpayers.
Chris Christie was in a feisty mood last night -- decidedly upbeat, but still pugnacious. And he had the crowd riled up as he enumerated the reckless big-spending ways of New Jersey's eight disastrous years under McGreevey and Corzine.
"Now, what do we have to show for it?" Christie asked. "Not only do we have the highest unemployment rate in 33 years but, if things continue as they are now, at the end of this decade we will have a net loss of private sector jobs in New Jersey. That would be the first time that a decade ended that way in New Jersey since the 1930s."
Chris lamented the flight of New Jersey residents to others states and other parts of the country and noted that the runaway growth of government is suffocating the state residents who are left. "Under McGreevey and Corzine, five government jobs were created for every one job in the private sector," he commented. "We cannot continue down this path."
Noting that Corzine has spent tens of millions of dollars of his fortune on this campaign alone (not to mention more than $100 million on other campaigns) Christie said: "We all know how Corzine spends his own money. What we've got to do is get him to stop spending your money the same way. The way to do that is to give him his unemployment slip on November 3. We want to do what his colleagues at Goldman Sachs did. We want to fire him."
And Chris didn't mince words when it came to Chris Daggett either.
He called Daggett's sales tax hike plan "more of the same."
Chris said Daggett "wants to take a lot of money out of your right pocket, keep most of it and then put a little bit of it into your left pocket. In his mind, he's doing you a favor. That's what he calls a tax adjustment. You know he must hold a doctorate in education when he calls a tax hike an 'adjustment,'" Christie added. "But you and I know what it is - more of the same."
Christie reminded the crowd that Corzine also hiked the sales tax and promised it would be used for property tax reform. "That lasted two years. Then the property tax relief disappeared," Christie said.
"Hope can be real," Chris explained. "And the way to change Trenton is to change governors."
Christie told the crowd that the election "will be close and we will need every vote."
"But I know that if you and I do what we have to do, we will win."
Christie's stellar success as a prosecutor and a trial lawyer was on ample display last night.
Without a note, he smoothly and engagingly detailed his plans.
With personal references, humorous asides, cogent facts and figures and poignant stories and anecdotes, Chris held the floor in a masterful fashion and he seemed to relish every moment of it. This man is a hugely accomplished public speaker. He rarely flubs a word or backtracks.
At the same time, however he does not come across as slick.
In fact, he comes across as remarkably candid and retains the ability to relate to ordinary people in a manner that would be just this side of charming if it weren't so Joisey direct and ultimately authentic.
Only two other leaders that I know of have this same ability and both happen to be successful lawyers and prosecutors. Their names are Rudy Giuliani and Ed Rendell. And I count them both as very able and adept leaders.
What an incredible opportunity New Jersey has in our own native son, Chris Christie.
Go to Christie for NJ right now and get involved.
It's time for us to have a Governor who accomplishes great things. Let's help make it happen!
Photos by Dan Cirucci