(Image source: Wikimedia Commons, Bauer-Griffin)

BY ZACH TOOMBS

Sorry, Snooki. It turns out New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is not a fan of MTV’s number-one program Jersey Shore, especially when the show is receiving tax payer funding. Philadelphia’s WTXF reports.

“New Jersey Governor Chris Christie says MTV’s Jersey Shore doesn’t deserve state funding. The governor vetoed $420,000 in film tax credits for the hit TV show. He said tax payers should not foot the bill for a project which he says does nothing but perpetuate misconceptions about the Garden State.”

So, why was tax payer money going to Jersey Shore in the first place? WNYW in New York has the answer.

“The tax credit was approved two years ago and was intended to provide jobs in the state and boost the local economy in Seaside Heights, where Jersey Shore is filmed.”

Christie said he was first alerted to the tax credits for Jersey Shore by calls from national coalitions for Italian Americans who take issue with several terms used on the show.

In a letter to the state’s Economic Development Authority quoted by the Huffington Post, Christie wrote:

"I have no interest in policing the content of such projects. However, as chief executive I am duty-bound to ensure that taxpayers are not footing a $420,000 bill for a project which does nothing more than perpetuate misconceptions about the state and its citizens."

And, at a time when Republicans and Democrats rarely agree on anything, it seems that the Republican governor’s decision to block the Jersey Shore tax credits is one political act that’s gaining some real bipartisan support.

Democratic New Jersey State Representative Declan O’Scanlon told Talking Points Memo:

"I can't believe we are paying for fake tanning for 'Snooki' and 'The Situation', and I am not even sure $420,000 covers that.”

Jersey Shore operated off a $2.1 million budget in its first season. So far, no comment from The Situation, J-Wow or Snooki and friends.