Hillarysworld

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- The biggest public works project in the U.S. - a $9 billion-plus train tunnel connecting New Jersey and New York City - is dead in its tracks. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Wednesday he is sticking by a decision announced earlier this month to kill the project because of runaway costs. He rejected a variety of financial proposals offered by the federal government to salvage the tunnel under the Hudson River, saying none of them fully relieved New Jersey of responsibility for overruns.

"It's a dollars-and-cents issue. I cannot place upon the citizens of the state of New Jersey an open-ended letter of credit," Christie said.

The decision to abandon construction more than a year after it began burnished the Republican governor's reputation as a cost-cutter but was criticized as foolishly shortsighted by transportation advocates, train riders, union leaders and some Democrats. It also leaves New Jersey with nothing but a $600 million hole in the side of the hill.

Continues @ AP.org

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This, I believe, is a mistake.   I like a lot of things Gov.Christie has done since getting elected... but this one, a flat no.

The NJ economy is hurting, bad. NJ people are hurting beyond belief, even as its companies are doing gangbusters great with the benefit of outsourcing job. 

Travel to and from work in NJ is horrendous; the smog is growing.

If Gov.Christie thinks this will both save dollars for the NJ budget AND lead to job creation in NJ, he is wrong on that.  He could have raised state level debt from public financing specifically for the project and repaid it with income from the proceeds of the tunnel and trains.

A couple of weeks ago, he had said he was killing the tunnel project; then at the urging of many economists, he said he would reconsider.

Stock market is doing quite good. Companies are making record profits and are doing just fine.  Are there more jobs in the world? You betcha!  They are not being created in the U.S. though.

Is the thought/rationale of Gov.Christie is that not creating the tunnell will lead to people working from home in NJ?  Dream on Governor!  They will be working from home in India (Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi and many more cities), Philippines, Puerto Rico, Ukraine, Latvia, ....  Jobs are leaving the country by the thousands every day!  I am serious!  This is a fact.

Jobs that cannot be outsourced, that build and/or ease the infrastructure in the U.S. and make people's life a bit more liveable is what we need.