housing as we know. given the democratic legislature, how will you accomplish this commendable goal? >> we'll accomplish it by -- >> explain to people what it is because it is an acronym. . . >> a keystone of your budget plan is for municipalities to consolidate services voluntarily. what will you do if they don't get enough more volunteers? will you mandate for services coming together? >> i don't think we will have to force it. we will offer grants to municipalities to study sharing services between municipalities and consolidation of services. s6zyou take that grant and if yu can save money and provide the services you commuter institute the plant and share the services or give me my money back. the people in the town will know that you will either institute a plan or you have to pay the state back. we need to put pressure on school officials -- state officials to deal with the property tax issue. host: new jersey has communities that are so small that are costly with their own chiefs of police and so forth. guest: i think people are so fed up with property taxes in new jersey that those decisions should be made at local level. host: if municipalities will -- we refuse to come together, will you say that is the reason why property taxes are so hard? guest: that's what we would have to do. host: where you calling from? caller: hopewell. there has been discussion in new jersey's to branding the funding of stem cell research. where do you stand on this issue? guest: i think it is important. i think it should be done in the private industry. i don't think state government should be involved or as the money to do it. we of the $8 billion deficit and we do not have the money to invest in it. we have many companies in new jersey that do great work in stem cell research. host: pickup the fund. you see 32nd spots for the candidates -- uc 30-second spots for the candidates. before we go to another video call, you didn't arab editorial board with the "star-ledger." it is said that you do not give any specifics on how you would close and $8 billion budget deficit. guest: i have given many specifics. when i was u.s. attorney and i said i would battle corruption and terrorism, nobody asked me how much the lawyers would be paid and what is the strategy. they said go and do it and i did it and i performed for seven years doing it. when i say i will cut income taxes over the next seven years, i will. host: we have another question directly for mr. christie. caller: what will you do to get more jobs into new jersey. guest: we have the highest unemployment in the region and i think the reason for that is our taxes are out of whack. we have the highest tax burden in america. business is no longer want to be because it is too expensive to be here. we need to lower the tax rates and lower regulation in new jersey to make new jersey more business-friendly. we are the most unfriendly business tax climate in america for the second year in a row. host: 1 specific action you will take to make businesses in new jersey more business friendly? guest: i will sign an executive order that freezes taxes for businesses. i will get a group to study which regulations to get rid of to make things more business friendly. host: why can you be so is this about that but not go into greater detail about finding ways of to close a $8 billion budget gap? guest: i am being specific. host: i said more detail. guest: we are talking about $185 million for people who do not have health insurance that was spent by the state. we have wastes of money. that is almost $1 billion -- half a billion dollars. host: you have an $8 billion hole. guest: those are just some examples. host: where are you watching from? caller: i'm watching on pbs. one thing that drives me crazy about living in new jersey is dual office holdings. when trenton does something about it, the grandfather themselves in. is it anything you can do about this problem? guest: i would never compromise and grandfather people in. that should have been a fight. we have a whole group of people that have dual offices all over new jersey that should not be. the governor should have stood up and fought for that. i am also against a dual public employment. one public seller should be enough for anybody. i would have looked at pass legislation for people to prevent them from having two public salaries. host: we had about 600 questions on line. we have an e-mail question. nancy wants to know about preschool. do you support public preschool programs? guest: putting preschool is very important. right now, the state of new jersey cannot afford to support towns that have the highest taxes in america. i would keep it in the district we have now and funded there. across the state of new jersey, it is a good idea but not one we can afford right now. host: let's follow-up -- there's an advertisement on the air for the governor that says you have called preschool babysitting. fact or not? guest: out of context. i did not use it pejoratively. host: if you could take back that language, would you? guest: that is not the context and used it in. host: robert, you are on the line. caller: you have said the traffic stocks -- stops, but would a u.s. attorney get out of getting a ticket? host: we have heard about your driving record. the number of points that to have your druggist license -- driver's license -- it hoguest: it is none right now but over the course of my driving record i think it is six. did not do well of 40 tickets. -- i did not do well avoiding tickets. if tickets were appropriate, they were given to me. host: you were pulled over with your family in the car. there were conflicting accounts. some of the account i read said you made it clear to the officer who pulled to over that you were the u.s. attorney. guest: as the officer was attempting to tow away my car with my four young children in the car, my wife had forgotten to mellon the registration for her car. i get out of the car, the tow truck driver recognized me as the u.s. attorney and he is the one who said it. everybody knew because he said he would not towed the car of the u.s. attorney. host: anything else that you want to say about it? guest:no. host: we will be joined by christopher daggett, the independent candidate. this is a great way to be the most informed citizen you can they. caller: good evening. mr. christie, i want to know if you are for or against a government or public option regarding health care for the state of new jersey? guest: we already have some top government auctions. we have them the care in new jersey which anybody who is 350% of the poverty level is eligible for. i would continue family care and tried to get more people enrolled in it. there would be many people eligible for it who are not enrolled in it. host: clarified the advertisements. we see the governor's advertisements that say mr. crichristie would not mandate mammographies for women. what is your personal view? guest: when i was 18 years old, my mother was diagnosed at 47 years old for a mammography with breast cancer. it was pre menopausal breast cancer which was serious back then. my mom's legs was a precocious surgery immediately and she got aggressive -- mom's life was saved. no son who went through that experience would not vote against legislation like that. people who are uninsured, we need to get affordable health insurance and they should be able to pick the option they want. host: did that give the option for some people to pick insurance policies that did not mandate -- that do not mandate mammographies for women? guest: they can pick what options they want. it mammography is called for by a physician, the insurance company has to pepper host: the government would mandate that? guest: yes, it is a fake issue and it is an issue the governor is using to scare women not to vote for me. host: we will go to our colleagues at "the star-ledger." caller: i am concerned about the budget situation for the state colleges and what your view is on that for higher education? guest: that is one of the few places i have said we need to spend more money. we are 50th in the nation of public colleges for graduating high-school students. we have cut the funding for higher education. that is wrong. it is shortsighted from an economic perspective and shortsighted in terms of keeping kids in new jersey. 30,000 this year left new jersey to go to college out of state. host: how can you cut taxes and funds colleges? guest: i will cut taxes but i did not say to what degree. we have to make ourselves more competitive. we will make priority judgments and grow the economy in this state which will grow revenue. our revenue is declining because businesses are leaving. host: can you take one more question? you are on the line and thank you for joining us. caller: what type of campaign contribution reform will you legislate with respect to the money going through different political action committees from one end of the state to the other? guest: there was a great story and the front page of the newspaper about the governor giving millions of dollars of his own number -- of his oown to this allows him to spread money around the state. host: i want to thank you very much for joining us. there is an election on november 3 the three major candidates. go out and make your voice heard. mr. christie is leaving and mr. data is coming in. -- daggett is coming in. caller: i think the biggest issue facing people in new jersey is taxation and property taxes. caller: the police and the government should work to stop crime in urban areas. caller: i am concerned about the amount of chemicals in our environment. caller: one of the most important issues is the lack of funding for arts education in our public schools. caller: i think everybody should have free health care. i think the governor should make that happen. >> have a question? let your voice be heard. host: welcome back. we are now joined in the studio by mr. kress daggett who is the in the -- mr. christopher daggett who is the independent candidate. this is a great chance to ask mr. daggett questions. you are on the line. caller: i watched governor c orzine run four years ago and i am disappointed he did not address our property tax issue. i'm 65 and recently retired. my big fear is that it's my property taxes do not get lower, i will have to leave the state and i don't want to. no one seems to be addressing the real estate tax issue. host: you have put out a proposal calls for a 25% reduction in property taxes. how can you do that? guest: for senior citizen homeowners, it preserves a property-tax cut for seniors. the 25% cut for corporate businesses as well as small businesses and a rollback of the taboret increase in income tax that was put in place last year. i do it by expanding the sales tax to cover a number of services that are not now covered. accountants, lawyers, it is only business to personal. not business to business. if you are a lawyer and i retain you, i would have to pay a tax on your service. host: let's go to a video question. caller: what will you do about bringing after-school programs to kids that keep them out of criminal activities instead of being gang members? guest: that is a difficult question because it's of the areas where crime is high, we have to expend our after-school programs. we face a difficult budget situation in the new jersey. we will have to rely on people getting together and working in the communities to provide those services that may not be able to be funded formally by government. it is a big issue and something we have to pay attention to. host: we go to our next caller. the election is on november 3. caller: i would like to know how you intend to maintain or raise the rebate without raising taxes? guest: i am getting rid of the property tax rebate program and replacing it with a property-tax cut. that will be 25% less for homeowners. host: why would you get rid of the tax rebate checks. guest: the way the rebate system works, we pay a lot of money to trenton and it costs about 25 cents on the dollar and they send back a portion of it. i am doing a property tax cut for homeowners. it is a maximum two $2,500 per person. i am expanding the sales tax without raising taxes. the money that we taken from that, we used to allow property tax reduction. host: if certain people will be taxed through your plant were previously not tax, are you not increasing taxes? '=wguest: this expansion will fl most heavily on people with a lot of disposable income. this will be upper middle income people that will pay this. it will not be paid by people in the lower economic strata. host: you are on the line. caller: how does the candidate feel about privatization of county facilities in new jersey? guest: i think we should look at the privatization of some government services but it has to make sense. it is something that could be provided better by the public service, it should be done. it to be looked at very carefully. -- it should be looked at very carefully. sometimes it makes sense that we should do it and if so, we should consider it. host: i was watching the debate and you and governor coraine said a lot of the same things. guest: i have said a number of things that are an honest assessment of the problem and i have tried to put forward specific solutions. i have done things that make sense. governor corzine has praised me for it. guest: he has not been an effective governor in the last eight years. host: mr. christie should not e governor because? guest: he has not given us a plan how he will take this state forward. he is a one issue candidate without any experience in state government. host: we go to another question. hiv aids continues to be a public health issue. how will you specifically prevent new infections and provide treatment to those living with this? guest: we have to continue to do whatever we can by way of education and make people aware of the potential problems and how they can contract aids. we have to make sure that we have programs in place for maybe a needle exchange and those sorts of things. it is for the medical community to advise me best and how to deal with this issue on a daily basis. this is not an issue vatican they will have the kind of knowledge of public health. this -- this is not an issue that a candidate will have the kind of knowledge about public health. host: another candidate said he will sign gay marriage legislation. guest: i would do that, as well. host: mr. christie said he would not sign legislation like that. he believes marriages between men and a woman. here is another video question. caller: what will you do to keep new jersey clean, clean water, clean air, clean produce, so we can continue to live healthier lives? guest: i was regional administrator of the environmental protection agency. i have a great passion for the empowerment and i will continue to press forward on implementing laws of new jersey and put new ones in place where necessary. we have a good history in new jersey of being aggressive on environmental protection. i would continue that tradition. host: dwight d. you think the new jersey environmental federation -- why do you think in the jersey environmental federation -- guest: i seek their endorsement. the other candidates did as well. i am happy to put my 25-year environmental record on . the line. host: mr. daggett has gotten and board -- an endorsement from the sierra club. guest: i have, indeed. host: we go to the state capital. caller: what do you propose involving immigration reform? guest: that is a national issue. we have to make sure we seal airports properly. -- sealed our ports properly. what are the facts here? there are a number of people who should be assisted in getting through the process of getting full citizenship. they have worked here for years and contributed to our economy and we need to figure at a good path to citizenship for them. sometimes the parents are illegal immigrants but the children are born here so they are naturalized u.s. citizens. we have to figure out a way to deal with them. we have to do it in a way that takes out the rhetoric and the emotion and deal with the facts and put them on the table and figure at as a solution that works for as many people as possible. some people may get deported because they are involved in crime or other activities. host: we go to cherry hill. caller: i live in south new jersey and commute to new york for my job. what are your plans in increasing safety and inspection on rails? some of them look worse every year. host: how long is that commute? caller: it is about two hours. host: each way? caller: yes. guest: that is a long commute. safety is a primary issue. i am not clear and any safety issues with the transit system in new jersey. zk÷ issues should addressed -- should be addressed quickly should they arise. without that information, it would be hard to respond fully. host: calls are coming in and the lines are open. the election is on november 3. get out there and vote. it is a great opportunity to listen to the candidates. thank you for calling. you are on the line with christopher daggett. caller: what will you do to keep atlantic city more competitive? guest: that is an issue we will have to address. out we attract more gaming interests into atlantic city -- one people things talk about is trying to put sports gambling in atlantic city and attract more people. it is a difficult issue. we lost a window of opportunity to put it in place. the federal government give us an opportunity but the question is whether we can recapture that. we need to do something to continue to work on attracting people. one thing i have done in my proposal for property tax cuts includes an expansion of the sales tax to include shore homes and condominiums and use $20,000 because we have let that dwindle over the years. host: you would spend more on tourism? guest: absolutely, that is part of the plan i have in place. i said that i would expend the sales tax to include condominium rentals and home rentals. it is about $130 million for that asset class of additional services that we would tax. we would have $100 million dedicated to an open source of funding. $20 million for increasing tourism and $10 million for allowing communities to have full beaches. host: what would you do if you became governor to change the makeup of the new jersey supreme court which is considered the most liberal bent in the nation. ? guest: i am interested in someone on the supreme court who is even tempered and as a track record of being fair, this passionate, listens well, takes into account the facts, and makes decisions that are in the best interest of public policy. i do not have a litmus test that i put on people for social issues or political parties. i want people who have a track record of integrity and honesty and a strong willingness to hear people out and make reason that decisions. host: past court decisions, judicial decisions, is that fair game? guest: sure, you will look at how they handled the court decisions they had. host: if they disagree with you on a particular decision, -- guest: it would depend on the issue to some degree. for the mostp# part, i am lookg at people who demonstrated and even tempered and fair way of going about the process. host: thank you for calling. caller: how do you propose to reduce the stranglehold of unions and the out of control municipal salaries of the state? guest: we will have to engage unions and looked at having a contract round or maybe there is a salary cut or freeze. we will probably have to contribute more to their salary or pension benefits. we get that done by getting them to a knowledge this is a budget problem. we have to look at all employees to work on this problem together. the unions are tough. when they're faced with the fact, they w