Good News: Dead Weight Teachers Retiring in NJ

Looks like Chris Christie's budget measures are having the desired effect. Faced with the horror of having to pay 1.5% of their bloated salaries to help offset the cost of the generous health care benefits, a record numbers of teachers are opting for retirement.

Good. Less dead weight. Get some fresh blood in there, folks who are thankful to have a job and aren't whiny malcontents sucking off the public teat.

Budget cuts and anxiety over possible changes in pension rules seemed to be fueling an increase in the number of teachers who were retiring in New Jersey.

Nearly 6,500 school employees have filed for retirement this year. That's almost double the number for all of last year.

Some 5,106 submitted papers for their retirements to take effect in July.

The Christie administration earlier this month temporarily delayed plans to push for changes to teachers pensions and retirement medical benefits.

The proposals included charging for free post-retirement health insurance and changing the way pensions are calculated.

Christie has come under fire as he tries to lower property taxes by cutting millions of dollars in aid to schools.

The crowd at a town hall meeting last week liked the governor's proposal to cut property taxes, but a new Quinnipiac University poll finds that voters are split on his job approval rating – 44 percent approve of the job he's doing, while 43 percent do not.

The people who approve of Christie see him as a "leader" – and those that don't consider him a "bully."

Actually that poll isn't exactly "new" as it came out last Thursday.

"He has to be doing something to get out of this problem we have, owing money to everybody," Susan Charvat, of Wayne, said.

"Like him or not, it's clear Gov. Christopher Christie has brought a New Jersey bounce to the governor's office," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "A leader (hurrah) or a bully (boo, hiss)? We're divided about the governor."

Mixed as it may be, Christie's approval rating is actually higher than for any other elected leader in the state, according to the poll. Only President Obama, with a 50-46 percent approval rating, scores higher.

Voters disapprove of the job U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg is doing by a 47-40 percent margin. U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez has a 43-38 percent disapproval rating, according to the poll.

A clever way of showing the disapproval of the senators. They says Christie's got a 44-43 favorability, yet they show Lautenberg's disapproval number to make it appear as if he's got a 47% approval.