Christie May Trim N.J. Budget Amid Spat With 'Arrogant S.O.B' Democrat

By Terrence Dopp and Elise Young - 2012-06-27T04:01:00Z

Governor Chris Christie called a New Jersey Senate Democrat an “arrogant S.O.B.” over the failure to guarantee a tax cut in the Legislature’s $31.7 billion spending plan, without saying whether he’ll veto the package.

Christie’s comment referred to Senator Paul Sarlo, a Wood- Ridge Democrat who heads the budget panel, and how the measure deals with tax relief. The Republican said he “got fooled” in swapping his income-levy rollback for property-tax rebates, citing a six-month delay and conditions set by lawmakers.

The budget that passed the Senate and Assembly without a single Republican vote would set aside money for the rebates while making the payments conditional on revenue reaching targets set in Christie’s spending proposal. State receipts for the fiscal year that begins next week have been projected to fall short by as much as $1.3 billion.

“If you’ve been good according to Paul Sarlo, maybe you can have your tax cut,” Christie, 49, told a crowd of about 750 at a town-hall meeting in Brick Township yesterday. “But I wouldn’t count on it.”

MORE...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-27/christie-weighs-cutting-spending-from-democrats-budget.html