NJ’s Future Bright, Says Chris Christie [AUDIO]

The post-hurricane Sandy recovery efforts continue in Jersey, and many questions about the state economy remain unanswered but Governor Christie's message to young people is - keep your chins up, and have a positive outlook for the future.

During a recent visit to a Technical High School in Washington Township, Warren County, the Governor said, "Your future in New Jersey is going to be a combination of what both the government, the private sector and you make of it - the more educated you become, the better chance you're going to have of getting a job- and I don't mean just going to college - going to trade or vocational school can help to prepare you for some really good careers."

He added, "A high school diploma is not enough - when my dad grew up most of his friends didn't go to college, and they were able to support their families with really good paying jobs- when I was growing up that was lesser so, now, for you, it's even less than that - so part of it is up to you, to become better educated in fields that you find interesting, or where there are jobs that are really available."

"It will also be up to the private sector - because government is not going to be able to grow jobs on its own, nor should we want it to - because those jobs are all diminishing returns, you know …we've got to work to give the private sector incentives to stay here and be here- lower taxes, lessen regulation, make sure they can compete…and I think we've done that so far, we've cut business taxes by about 2 billion dollars since I've been Governor - we're trying to make sure we're partnering with folks and provide tax incentives to certain companies," said Christie.

He added, "The third obligation is for all of us to understand that we contribute to the atmosphere in this state - do people feel positively and good about this state - is it a place where they think they've got a future - or is a place where they're saying to themselves yeah, I can't make a difference anymore? That comes from inside all of us in the way we act, in the way we treat each other - in the way we feel about our state, in the way we talk about our state all that stuff is really important."

The Governor also said, "New Jersey has always been a great place for people who want to work hard, who want to live a good life, have fun and enjoy all the things that this region allows you to enjoy.  I know it's been a tough few years, but things are getting better, and we're going to have to work hard to make them better faster, but don't give up hope. I think there's a lot of good things happening in this state."