BloombergNews.com tells us that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is taking some heat for frequent and expensive helicopter trips:
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is relying on the state-owned helicopter fleet more than ever, with 106 trips last year at a cost of $2,500 an hour.
Flight logs for Christie, a 51-year-old Republican, were released to Bloomberg as a result of a New Jersey Open Public Records Act request. Christie has stepped up his air time even as he imposes municipal budget constraints and insists that public workers must pay higher costs for pensions and benefits.
The flights last year compare with 23 in 2010, his first year in office; 66 in 2012; and 70 in 2011, records show.
If the Republicans are going to reclaim the White House in 2016, it will have to be on a platform that condemns the $17 trillion national debt and convinces voters that they are the party to get federal spending under control. This type of new item will not serve Gov. Christie if he seeks the GOP presidential nomination, and it does nothing for the image of his party.
Authored by Steve Gunn
