Gov. Chris Christie said the country is becoming a "paternalistic entitlement society" this morning in a speech at a conservative conference headed by former President George W. Bush. Addressing Bush and other national Republicans, Christie said he hasn't seen a less optimistic period in the country in his lifetime. "Government's telling them stop dreaming, stop striving, we'll take care of you," he said at a theater at the New York Historical Society. "We're turning into a paternalistic entitlement society. That will not just bankrupt us financially, it will bankrupt us morally." "We'll have a bunch of people sitting on a couch waiting for their next government check," Christie said. Christie and Bush kicked off a day-long conference on pro-growth tax policy run by the President George W. Bush Institute, a group that Bush said allows him to engage in public policy issues behind the scenes. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/04/gov_christie_nation_is_becomin.html
It's really too bad Christie wouldn't run. The guy is awesome. Edit: And say what you want about Bush as a President, but the last sentence shows his character's worth.
This is the "fundamental transformation of America" Odumbo pledged for us. When enough people have their asses firmly embedded in their couch watching Oprah/Dancing With The Stars/The Bachelor/American Idol... and waiting for their next Gummint check... THEN we will have the nirvana believes is "fair".
Someone should tell Christie that Bush's unfunded wars,Bushs unfunded tax cuts,Bush's unfunded medicare drug program,Bush's unfunded massive growth of goverment,Bush taking the 300 billion a year defense spending he got from Clinton and turning it into 700 billion,Bush taking the balanced budget he got from Clinton and turning it into a 1.2 trillion dollar deficit costs far more then welfare and food stamps
If your livilyhood depends upon a continued government check, you're going to vote for the candidate mostlikely to continue those checks regardless of other policy that you may dissagree with. At some point we will reach saturation where so many are dependent upon those checks that no matter what candidate is put up against those willing to spend us into bankruptcy to keep those checks coming cannot win. Have we reached that point yet with nearly 50% of the population receiving a regular government check?
This is very true, a lot of people have told me this is easily the most pessimistic period of their lives. The damage that this current administration has wrought is not just material, but more critically, spiritual and psychological. The promise of America is effectively on life-support now. It might take a long long time for America, long after this administration has gone, to recover from this mess.
You can catch video of George W. Bush's introduction and Governor Christie's remarks at the following link. http://www.wral.com/news/video/10963276/#/vid10963276 Christie did a great job. It is a shame he is not running for President this year. Let's hope he jumps in for 2016.
I agree. Even a dirtbag like Bill Clinton at least appealed to peoples' better instincts. Obama relentlessly tries to divide us on lines of race, class, income, union member or not, age, etc. The scary thing is that almost half the country seems to be ok with that.