“It is what it is.”
That’s the latest verbal shrug offered by Governor Phil Murphy during a Tuesday News 12 appearance, Save Jerseyans.
He was referring to the recent report that the New Jersey State Police spent over half of a million dollars ($522,783) to purchase eight Chevy Suburbans. The gas-devouring vehicles – purchased with Covid-19 funds – were intended for the transportation of Murphy, Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, and other high-ranking New Jersey state officials, part of an “executive protection unit.”
“Let’s put it this way: I don’t think it’s illegitimate,” Murphy added.
How these vehicles aided or will aid the state’s response to Covid-19 is naturally more than a little hard to understand.
There’s an extra layer to this thing, too: Phil Murphy just walked away from a $1.4 Trillion “green energy” plan to make the state carbon neutral by mid-century. He’s reportedly working on a new “master plan” to replace it. How do eight new SUVs serve that goal? Assuming, of course, you buy into the idea that combustion engines are contributing to the death of Planet Earth?
I suppose priorities and coronavirus seriousness are flexible when executive “security” (or comfort) are at stake.
