New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie expressed outright “disgust” Wednesday after a leader of New Jersey’s largest teachers union said that “life’s not always fair” when discussing students who live in poorer neighborhoods and attend failing public schools.
Vince Giordano, vice president of the New Jersey Education Association, made the comments on New Jersey Capitol Report, a morning talk show, during a discussion about school vouchers.
“Life’s not always fair and I’m sorry about that,” Giordano said.
Christie, who has been in a pitched battle with the teachers unions in the state since the beginning of his tenure as governor, lashed out at Giordano in a YouTube video posted Wednesday.
“I cannot express how disgusted I am by that statement,” said Christie.
“But I also have to tell you I’m not the least bit surprised because I think it so succinctly captures what their position — their real position — is. Not the position they put on their slick thirty-second ads when they say, ‘Every child should have a great education.’ Well they mean every child except for the ones in the failing school districts who shouldn’t have a choice,” Christie went on, calling the position “immoral.”
“This is supposed to be an organization that represents our teachers… I don’t believe it’s what teachers in the state think. I believe that teachers get into teaching because they want every child to do better, every child to reach their full potential; not to sit on Sunday talk shows and pontificate to the poor in this state about how life isn’t fair,” Christie said. “I’m going to stand up for the poor in this state… and the only way to do that is to get them educated.”
Christie then said Giordano should either resign or be fired.
“That level of puffed up rich man baloney is unacceptable in this state. He should resign. He should resign today,” Christie said.
“If somebody in my administration said something like that to the poor and the disadvantaged in the state, they would find their rear end on the sidewalk in two minutes. And I’m going to look out my window and see if his is on the sidewalk on State Street when I get back,” he concluded.
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