Gov. Christie began making the public and media rounds today to talk up his budget and defend it against critics. This morning he was on CNBC's Squawk Box, where Christie talked about making cuts without regard to his re-election chances and raised the idea of reducing Cost of Living increases for state retirees. The hosts opened the segment by reading off a list of some of the headlines and grim pronouncements gleaned from today's newspapers.

"Things are going well," Christie quipped, allowing a smile to slowly spread across his face as the hosts laughed.

Here are some highlights from the show, and some comments you can expect to hear reprised over the next three plus months of budget debate.

On criticisms of his budget cuts:

"If you're going to cut over $10 billion in state spending to special interests who have been used to feeding at the trough for government for years and years and years in New Jersey, of course they're going to push back and get angry, but I wasn't elected by them.

I was elected by people who are tired of New Jersey being an economic laughingstock across the country and I'm going to change it. I'm going to change it over the next four years and candidly I don't care if I get re-elected. I was sent here to change something and I'm going to change it."

On valuable programs that are being cut:

You can't cut $10 billion and not cut some valuable programs, but the fact is we have the highest marginal tax rates in America, we have the second highest sales tax in America, we have the sixth highest corporate business tax rate in America and we have the highest property taxes in America, so I think the revenue side we've maxed out. It's time for us to start cutting back what we spend and that's what I was sent there to do."

On his approach to spending:

"The voters had a choice in November. They had a liberal tax-and-spend Democrat as governor running against someone who said, "I was going to cut spending, cut taxes and rein in government." The voters made a choice and it wasn't close and so now it's my job to do what I said I was going to do no matter what garbage I take from folks who write in the newspapers."

On pensions: 

Our problem is about a $46 billion problem right now. You have to bend the cost curve on these pensions. Over the last three years we have had retirees' pension benefit costs go up 56 percent . . . Obviously our benefits are too rich and we don't have the employees paying enough into the pension system."

Christie said he could not cut benefits employees have already earned, but that bringing down Cost of Living increases would cut the state's $46 billion pension deficit in half.

"Like that," he said, snapping his fingers.

He added that the state also has to begin contributing to the pension fund again, though Christie's budget skips all of this year's recommended $3 billion payment.

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