Anyone following the Christie/Exxon settlement?

[ivwshane]

I don't think I've seen anyone post a single thing about this but to me it's a 7 on the, "are you shitting me!", scale.

So Exxon was taken to court in 2004 for environmental damages done by their facilities to the tune of 8.9 billion. Fast forward and christie, who promised to find the state pensions but hasn't and is instead cut pension payments. So what does big Chris do? He decides to settle with Exxon for $250 million! Why after all this time did he do this now? Well it turns out that if he waited later he wouldn't be able to use the settlement money for anything but fixing the damage to the environment.

Smart right? It is but it's a dirty move. Why? Well it turns out Christie was to speak at a private think tank supported by guess who? Exxon.

If you ask me I'd say this pretty much kills Christies presidential ambitions but I'm not a righty so I don't know how they think.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/03/0...ent-is-bad-for-new-jersey.html?referrer=&_r=0

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/...settling-lawsuit-with-the-oil-giant/comments/

Pension history:

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/01/how_did_nj_get_into_this_pension_mess.html

 

[ivwshane]

Interesting...not a word from anyone? No alarm bells?

 

[ivwshane]

This guy appears to be corrupt as hell and easily bought.

http://crooksandliars.com/2015/03/after-donations-christie-admin-prudential

Republican Gov. Chris Christie's administration has over the past five years paid at least $6.5 million in taxpayer fees to Prudential Financial to manage New Jersey pension funds, even after company officials made substantial contributions to Christie's 2009 gubernatorial campaign, International Business Times has learned. One of the Prudential officials was Christie's top fundraiser, adviser and donor. Christie appointees nonetheless maintained investment contracts with Prudential despite state rules that require such contracts to be canceled when executives at firms managing pension money donate to or raise money for state lawmakers.

 

[soundforbjt]

SOP for the politicians "owned" by big corps. And I doubt he'll be any factor in the primaries, he acted friendly once towards Obama, that puts him out right there.

 

[cubby1223]

This guy appears to be corrupt as hell and easily bought.

http://crooksandliars.com/2015/03/after-donations-christie-admin-prudential

Hi, I live in Illinois. That corruption is small potatoes compared to what goes on here. But, thanks for the reminder of how partisan you are It has been duly noted.

 

[ivwshane]

Hi, I live in Illinois. That corruption is small potatoes compared to what goes on here. But, thanks for the reminder of how partisan you are It has been duly noted.

Oh hey, hi Pot! I'll take deflection for 100 please!

 

[Matt1970]

So in almost a week your current rage fest managed to get a whopping 6 posts, 4 of which were yours.

 

[Sonikku]

Nobody cares about politicians being bribed by corporations anymore. We're more concerned with deflated footballs.

 

[ivwshane]

So in almost a week your current rage fest managed to get a whopping 6 posts, 4 of which were yours.

Kind of crazy isn't it? And the other posts were from people like you, discussing me and not the topic. I wonder why? My other topic on Hilary Clinton though, wow!

Thanks for your valuable insight and contribution to this thread! Now you can say you aren't a troll or a hack because you posted in an anti christie thread!

 

[emperus]

I read this a week ago or so. Christie does so many dirty things, it's hard to get riled up by each of them. These kind of things seem to be the way he operates. There is still a federal probe looking into him and his dealings and hopefully this is another thing they can look into. I also read that the legislature is hoping to have the settlement rescinded.

 

[Pens1566]

So in almost a week your current rage fest managed to get a whopping 6 posts, 4 of which were yours.

There's a lack of posts because there really isn't much to discuss/debate about the subject. It's blatant.

 

[ivwshane]

There's a lack of posts because there really isn't much to discuss/debate about the subject. It's blatant.

Usually people either acknowledge such corruption, deflect it or minimize it, try to discredit it, exploit it, or what I should have expected, to ignore it completely, as has been evident by the total lack of participation in this thread.

The left typically don't dog pile, and the right usually ignore the truth when it hurts their team. You can see the clinton email thread for contrast.

I created this thread because it seemed like a pretty big deal and I thought everyone from all sides of the spectrum hate bought politicians.

 

[Mxylplyx]

There's a lack of posts because there really isn't much to discuss/debate about the subject. It's blatant.

This.

On the positive side it is quite apparent that Christie's political career will soon be finished. New Jersey is ready to be done with him, and donors have fled his candidacy for others that actually have a chance. Amazing how fast a carefully cultivated persona such as his can collapse.

 

[Matt1970]

Kind of crazy isn't it? And the other posts were from people like you, discussing me and not the topic. I wonder why? My other topic on Hilary Clinton though, wow!

Thanks for your valuable insight and contribution to this thread! Now you can say you aren't a troll or a hack because you posted in an anti christie thread!

I think after the bridge incident people have written Christie off. He pretty much isn't electable.

 

[trenchfoot]

At first I thought he was his own man, given how in-yer-face he is and how quick he is with doling out bitch slaps to anyone who tries to angle in on him and punch him out.

Well, that was then and after all of those heavy-handed dirty politics moves he made and got exposed for it and of which this Exxon scam is a part of, he pretty much flamed out and is in a death spiral headed for that graveyard where all disgraced politicos get shoveled under, with no one to blame but himself.

His style was good for exploiting local politics, but that will never fly on a national scale.

 

[the DRIZZLE]

The WSJ has a very different take on this case and the State's odds of winning.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/chris-christies-oil-windfall-1426116430

 

[ivwshane]

The WSJ has a very different take on this case and the State's odds of winning.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/chris-christies-oil-windfall-1426116430

I don't subscribe to the wsj, you will have to summerize the article.

 

[the DRIZZLE]

I don't subscribe to the wsj, you will have to summerize the article.

They criticize Christie for the opposite reasons than the articles in the OP do, arguing that the entire suit was an unjust shakedown. Key points:

- Exxon had a prior settlement with the state and this suit is double dipping
- Other similar suits brought against Chevron and Dupont under this statute have been settled for very small amounts ($1-$2m)
- The $8.9b number is bullshit because it's based on hypothetical use of the land if it had been developed into something rather than the value of its natural state as a wetland
- The $225m is more than a court likely would have awarded and is still the largest environmental settlement in NJ history