Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey is the kind of official you need in office in tough times when the habit of overspending seems unbreakable -- whether it's in Washington, on Beacon Hill or in Chatham Town Hall,

Non-emergency projects should be postponed until better economic times return. Grandiose projects should be scaled down to what's needed and deferred if no emergency exists. Fat public union contracts have to end. New taxes, no way. Spending must be cut to avoid increasing taxes by overrides.

So listen to what Governor Christie has to say.

Gov Christie calls S-L columnist thin-skinned for inquiring about his 'confrontational tone'