FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

Here he goes again. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says the United States is in danger of becoming a nation of "people sitting on a couch waiting for their next government check."

The refreshingly blunt Republican lawmaker says this is the least optimistic period he's ever seen for this country.

He goes on - boy, doesn't he - saying, "It's because government's now telling people, stop dreaming, stop striving, we'll take care of you. We're turning into a paternalistic entitlement society. That will not just bankrupt us financially, it will bankrupt us morally."

Christie says that when Americans stop believing that hard work and integrity will bring them success, they'll turn into a bunch of couch potatoes waiting for the next government handout.

He didn't mention President Obama, but he has previously said lawmakers need to stop tip-toeing around the need to reform entitlement spending. Christie has even called for raising the retirement age for Social Security.

This is why people like Chris Christie, and why a lot of them were disappointed when he decided not to run for president. A brand new poll in New Jersey shows Christie with his highest approval rating yet: 59%.

The man has a point here. Entitlement spending consumes an ever growing portion of the federal budget.

We recently reported in the Cafferty File that nearly half of Americans live in a household that receives government assistance. Another study shows the public's dependence on the federal government jumped 23% during President Obama's first two years in office.

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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