Dear Governor Christie: About That $6 Billion You Just Forfeited
Dear Governor Christie:
Thanks to your stubbornness and short-sighted vision for New Jersey, it looks like you’re going to forfeit $6 billion in funding to build a desperately needed new transit tunnel to Manhattan:
The decision casts a dark shadow over the economic future of New Jersey. The State will lose out on an astonishing $6 billion matching contributions from the federal government and Port Authority. The tunnel would have opened New Jerseyans’ access to Manhattan’s lucrative job market, raised tax revenues for the state and local governments, boosted property values, provided a more reliable and faster commute to hundreds of thousands of NJ TRANSIT commuters and drivers, and saved on greenhouse gas emissions.
You have, in a stroke, crippled your state’s economy. It’s evident you’re an idiot, but perhaps your loss can be Philadelphia’s gain. You see, we have rail infrastructure issues too.
For example, there’s long been a need to extend the Broad Street subway to the Navy Yard. Or the retaining walls that surround the tracks running into 30th Street Station are in DIRE need of repair: they are crumbling. Or how about funding to finally get SEPTA’s smart-card system up and running. Or re-opening the long-delayed 23 trolley. And there are lot more I probably don’t know about, but you get the idea: here’s a rather long list from SEPTA (pdf).
I have already spoken to Senator Casey’s office (202-224-6324), Senator Specter’s office (202-224-4254), the US Department of Transportation (202-366-4000), and Governor Rendell’s office (717-787-2500) and they seemed to think it was a good idea!
Governor Christie, I’m going to encourage my readers to call PA’s elected officials to see if we can get our hands on that $3 billion you don’t want. We’re a state that WANTS to work, and that WANTS to pull ourselves out of the economic ditch we’re in, while it seems that over in Trenton, you’re satisfied to live in a depressed economy that’s not really working for anyone. And while I can’t support your laziness, I can certainly do my part to help make NJ’s loss PA’s gain.
Hopefully we can work something out. Frankly, NJ has always been something of a waste (other than the beaches), and you guys wouldn’t know what to do with all the new jobs anyway. Stick with what you know: gambling, organized crime, and tomatoes.
We’ll take those jobs off your hands.
Sincerely,
Brendan Skwire
