Governor Christie ventured deep into George Norcross country to speak about the tough realities of this year’s budgetary woes. It was another sign of raw political courage by the former prosecutor as he seeks to slay the treasure-hogging dragon of Trenton.

His appearance in Camden County, home of New Jersey’s most corrupt tax-levying political dictatorships (both county-wide and in many municipalities) and the site of our state’s own third world theme park known as Camden, probably caused many of the vile serpents of political corruption in the Norcross machine to run and hide under the nearest rock.

It was against the backdrop of this rampant fiscal debauchery and pay-to-play landscape that Governor Christie soberly announced that “seventy billion dollars worth of wealth has left New Jersey in the last four years,” thanks to the ridiculously high tax rates (income, property and sales) foisted upon the state by years of liberal utopian budgeting.

He also pointed out the sad reality that in the political Olympic sport of taxing the snot out of citizens, New Jersey is currently the national champion when taking all areas of taxation into consideration. Thank you Mr. Corzine.

Speaking of the Wizard of Wall Street, Governor Christie also brought up the fact that Mr. Corzine continues to, as Save Jersey Blogger Matt Rooney puts it “seriously wound the Garden State from beyond the political grave” in his last minute deal to ban Governor Christie from firing a single public employee until January 2011.

As Christie stated, “My lawyers have now told me that I am bound by that deal. If I could stop it, I would, except the previous governor tied my hands. I cannot lay off one state worker, I cannot furlough a state worker until January of 2011. That was a great election-year deal he made for us. It is an exquisite pair of handcuffs he put on his successor, but I guess he didn’t think he was going to have a successor.”

It is just this kind of frank talk and political courage that will keep Christie in the public’s good graces even as he makes many very tough and unpopular spending cuts. It is also precisely the contrast of this responsible adult leadership soaked in common sense with the childish schoolyard stunts like Mr. Corzine’s parting gifts that is finally waking the sleeping giant of the New Jersey electorate to look “queasily upon what they have done” all these years, as the Bard might say.

It’s bad folks. Just how bad has been nefariously hidden from the light of day by the magic and dark arts of Corzine and his fellow Wall Street wizards. The state has been robbing the pension plans of teachers and public workers, as well as the unemployment insurance trust fund for years to balance budgets, while subsidizing inept money losing industries like public transportation for years just to stay in the good graces of the unions.

On top of that, the serious financial burdens levied by our government have created such a hostile business environment that New Jersey is “disproportionately affected” by the economic malaise permeating the nation under Obama-Biden’s socialist dirge.

Political leaders from both parties have too long ignored the financial woes in our state, choosing to punt the problems down the line to some future generation to deal with. Thankfully, Governor Christie tells us that the day to deal with it is today.
While serpents and scoundrels from Trenton call Christie’s attempts to seriously deal with the problems “immoral” New Jersey residents seem to understand that tough choices need to be made to stave off financial armageddon. Christie believes the people are ready to hear the truth.

As Governor Christie closed his remarks in enemy territory, he in essence closed with the classic “if I die, I die” approach to governing. A politician dedicated to solving problems and not preserving his own personal career and gravy train. In New Jersey. In Camden County. It was a sighting akin to the Loch Ness Monster or Big Foot.

It’s a wondrous thing to hear a politician say these things. In a political age where the president and his pals in congress see poll after poll, town hall meeting after town hall meeting, and election after election repudiating their vast socialist agenda as not a rebuke of their schemes, but rather a sign of our inability to understand what’s good for us, it is refreshing to see a politician not only listen, but give the American people the respect they are due.

This article originally appeared on my Examiner.com page. You can view it on that site, by clicking here.