Christie Whitman Appeared On Celebrity Jeopardy With Tim Russert And Tavis Smiley

But The Real "Jeopardy" Was The Trouble She Caused With Her Dismal Legacy Of Higher Property Taxes And Record Deficits

EZ Pass Scandals, Wild Spending, Phoney Tax Reductions, Schundler Character Assassination, $6 Billion Budget Deficit, Massive State Debt Increase, Huge Pension System Stock Market Losses Marked Whitman’s New Jersey State Government Career, And Are Now Raising Local Property Taxes All Over New Jersey

Toms River: Former Governor Christine Todd Whitman appeared on "Celebrity Jeopardy" and competed with television newsman Tim Russert and radio talk show host Tavis Smiley, and acquitted herself a lot better than the "jeopardy" she caused for New Jersey taxpayers when she was the state's chief executive.

Observer Said She Was "No Friend Of NJ"

Whitman was a lot more accurate on the "real" Jeopardy than she was when the Ocean County Observer said she was "no friend of New Jersey”, in an editorial accusing Whitman, who served as Federal Environmental Commissioner after she resigned as governor, of lying about the air quality at ground zero after the World Trade Center disaster in New York City.

The observer editorial referred to Whitman’s “stunning disregard for the health and welfare of the brave people who helped pull the bodies from the wreckage of the twin towers” when Whitman lied about the safety of the air at the scene of the trade center tragedy.

Whitman “Didn’t Want To Scare People”, So She Lied

The Observer editorial described as “pathetic” her defense that she “didn’t want to scare people.”

Whitman eventually resigned as head of the EPA just before allegations surfaced that she had distorted the facts on air contamination in the World Trade Center area just after the September 11, 2001 disaster.

In February of 2001, Whitman resigned as governor of New Jersey after lying about the projected state budget deficit (which turned out to be $2.5 billion) in the 2002-03 state budget.

Whitman’s Income Tax Reduction Program Was A Phoney

“Because of similar claims about her “tax reduction” program, much of the tax burden in New Jersey was transferred from wealthy people who pay the bulk of the state income tax to middle income homeowners, including a million senior citizens, who are still receiving Whitman-inspired tax increases in the form of higher property taxes.
The following year, the Whitman budget deficit inherited by the new governor, Jim McGreevey, reached a massive $6 billion which caused further property tax increase all across New Jersey, including numerous Ocean county communities.

Since then, the process has continued to get worse, because neither Whitman, or DiFrancesco, or McGreevey ever made the slightest effort to cut spending.

Resigned To Go To Washington; Resigned To Come Back

Whitman resigned the governorship to go to Washington, and handed her administration over to Senate President Donald DiFrancesco, who became “acting” Governor for the ten month remainder of her second four year term.

DiFrancesco Borrowed $325,000 From Hovnanian; Didn't Pay It Back

DiFrancesco was a candidate to be Whitman’s successor, but dropped out when it became known his own fiscal policies included borrowing $325,000 from the Hovnanian construction interests, a “loan” which he conveniently never paid back.

Whitman Record Included Huge Budget Deficit, EZ Pass Scandals

Whitman’s record as governor included, in addition to the massive budget deficits, EZ Pass scandals, a character assassination of GOP gubernatorial candidate Brett Schundler (which may have cost Schundler the 2001 election), a costly and wasteful political patronage operation that compromised the finances of the state government, scandals at the state DMV over the Parsons mess, aggravated over-development and sprawl, a massive increase in the state’s debt, huge losses in stock market investments ($22 Billion), more traffic gridlock, excessive development, and near insolvency in the state’s pension system - and the election of Democratic governor James McGreevey.

Big Whitman Property Tax Increases Still To Come

These blunders, the effects of which have not fully surfaced yet, are the root cause of big property tax increases for years to come - paid for by taxpayers who won’t even remember Whitman’s name.

Russert And Smiley Not The Only Ones In "Jeopardy" From Whitman

So if there are any questions about how many folks were left in jeopardy by Christie, it was only about two million New Jersey families whose property taxes have increased (or are about to  increase) because of her numerous policy blunders. Russert and Smiley were not the only ones in jeopardy.

(This article for 5/17/04) More soon on the adventures of Christie Whitman and her equally implausible successor, J. McGreevey, from the facilities of OceanCountyPolitics.

Click Here to access previous article: “Jim McGreevey Is Doing His Best to Make People Think He Is An Even Worse Governor Than Christie Whitman.”

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