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My goal was to make New Jersey's state government a model for all other states to emulate, hopefully thereby to stem, or at least slow down, the flow of power to the federal government.

My view is that we should not be taxing at the Federal level for the things that New Jersey can do for itself.

Part of my job is to make sure the Northeast is part of our defense industrial base, and New Jersey has always played a role.

New Jersey has more Superfund sites than other state in the nation, but considerable progress has been made.

States get to improve transportation infrastructure; that creates economic development, puts people back to work and, most important, enhances safety and improves local communities.

We are keeping New Jersey one step, several steps, ahead of terrorism.

New Jersey residents deserve to have their tax dollars spent on transportation and infrastructure projects right here in the Garden State instead of being wasted in Washington.

We have to allow people in the states to make their own decisions, to get government agencies out of the way and let local people make decisions about what's best for them.

Now, in New Jersey, we have more government workers per square mile than any state in America. But since I've been governor we now have fewer people on the state payroll at any time since Christie Whitman left office in January 2001. That's the right direction, Mr. President, not the wrong direction.

My appropriations requests have always sought to benefit New Jersey. That is how I base my submissions to the committee for consideration.