New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie said America is “turning into a paternalistic entitlement society” where the federal government is telling individuals to “stop dreaming” and “stop striving,” a message Christie claimed is leading to “a bunch of people sitting on a couch waiting for their next government check.”
“I’ve never seen a less optimistic time in my lifetime in this country and people wonder why. I think it’s really simple. It’s because government’s now telling them ‘stop dreaming,’ ‘stop striving and we’ll take care of you,’” Christie said in a speech during the George W. Bush Presidential Center’s “Tax Policies For 4% Growth” conference at the New York Historical Society on Tuesday.
“We are turning into a paternalistic entitlement society that will not just bankrupt us financially, it will bankrupt us morally because when the American people no longer believe that this is a place where only their willingness to work hard and act with honor and integrity and ingenuity determines their success in life then we’ll have a bunch of people sitting on a couch waiting for their next government check. New Jersey moved in that direction. We are moving away from that direction.”
In his speech, Christie also made light of the names he has been called by the Democratic leadership in New Jersey for cutting $2.2 billion in spending.
“They were calling me all kinds of names. Julius Caesar. Napoleon Bonaparte. All the leaders of the past I admire so much,” Christie said to laughter.
Former President George W. Bush also delivered remarks and introduced Christie at the event.