BarryC
01-30-2008, 11:12 PM
I thought I'd talk a little about this disgustingly liberal state I live in.
Actually I love New Jersey, but there are some things that I really hate about it.
I like the fact that it's pretty safe here, physically. I'm referring to natural disasters. Tornadoes are very rare here, as are earthquakes. Hurricanes come here, but are very weak by the time they get here. We have plenty of forest fires too, but not like in some Western states. It gets hot and humid here, but not like in the deep south.
Also I live in a relatively crime-free area, for which I'm thankful. It is rural, and that seems to help.
Another good thing here is the fact that we have either the lowest, or some of the lowest, gas prices in the nation.
We also have tons of wildlife here, and I love that. It's comon to see one or two dozen deer at a time here, as well as large numbers of wild turkeys. There are also coyotes, foxes, beavers and black bears.
I love the countryside with the small towns and villages. But the developers are systematically wiping out all of that, little by little, in many areas of the state. That really pisses me off. Our once-scenic country roads are getting choked with traffic, even in the middle of nowhere, where nobody lives. For Pete's sake, we already have 8 million people here. I say there are 49 other states that people could move to, many with a lot more room than we have. This is a very small state after all.
One really bad things is, we have a liberal creep of a governor. (None of the governors I ever voted for ever got elected.) Apparently the State budget is in a major deficit right now. I remember a time, not that long ago, when we had a big surplus and everything was good. Then municipal property taxes are very high here too. Atlantic City is about 18 to 20 miles to the east of here. It has a had a string of bad or corrupt mayors. Also the casinos keep expanding while the old residential neighborhoods just keep getting worse. If you go over to where the old lighthouse is, you'll find that it's surrounded by vacant lots and run-down buildings. Philadelphia is about 60 miles to our west. It seems to be one of the most crime-infested cities in America at the moment, and only seems to be getting worse. Most of our TV stations come from there, so we hear all the bad news. I'm glad I don't live there.
Then there's the crazy people who live here. I don't know if this is an epidemic all over the country, but here in this area the other drivers on the road are nuts. On the county roads that have speed limits of 45 and 50 they go 65 or more, way more. They also feel that if they are turning right at a stop sign or red light then they don't have to stop. If a sign says "no turn on red", they ignore it too. It's pretty scary to obey the law when everyone around you isn't.
So New Jersey is bad and good at the same time. I still love it here, but wish there was a way to get the big spenders out of public office. You know, it's strange, but the municipalities that have a low tax rate are the ones where the rich live anyway, so it doesn't help.
Anyway, that's how it is.
Barry
Actually I love New Jersey, but there are some things that I really hate about it.
I like the fact that it's pretty safe here, physically. I'm referring to natural disasters. Tornadoes are very rare here, as are earthquakes. Hurricanes come here, but are very weak by the time they get here. We have plenty of forest fires too, but not like in some Western states. It gets hot and humid here, but not like in the deep south.
Also I live in a relatively crime-free area, for which I'm thankful. It is rural, and that seems to help.
Another good thing here is the fact that we have either the lowest, or some of the lowest, gas prices in the nation.
We also have tons of wildlife here, and I love that. It's comon to see one or two dozen deer at a time here, as well as large numbers of wild turkeys. There are also coyotes, foxes, beavers and black bears.
I love the countryside with the small towns and villages. But the developers are systematically wiping out all of that, little by little, in many areas of the state. That really pisses me off. Our once-scenic country roads are getting choked with traffic, even in the middle of nowhere, where nobody lives. For Pete's sake, we already have 8 million people here. I say there are 49 other states that people could move to, many with a lot more room than we have. This is a very small state after all.
One really bad things is, we have a liberal creep of a governor. (None of the governors I ever voted for ever got elected.) Apparently the State budget is in a major deficit right now. I remember a time, not that long ago, when we had a big surplus and everything was good. Then municipal property taxes are very high here too. Atlantic City is about 18 to 20 miles to the east of here. It has a had a string of bad or corrupt mayors. Also the casinos keep expanding while the old residential neighborhoods just keep getting worse. If you go over to where the old lighthouse is, you'll find that it's surrounded by vacant lots and run-down buildings. Philadelphia is about 60 miles to our west. It seems to be one of the most crime-infested cities in America at the moment, and only seems to be getting worse. Most of our TV stations come from there, so we hear all the bad news. I'm glad I don't live there.
Then there's the crazy people who live here. I don't know if this is an epidemic all over the country, but here in this area the other drivers on the road are nuts. On the county roads that have speed limits of 45 and 50 they go 65 or more, way more. They also feel that if they are turning right at a stop sign or red light then they don't have to stop. If a sign says "no turn on red", they ignore it too. It's pretty scary to obey the law when everyone around you isn't.
So New Jersey is bad and good at the same time. I still love it here, but wish there was a way to get the big spenders out of public office. You know, it's strange, but the municipalities that have a low tax rate are the ones where the rich live anyway, so it doesn't help.
Anyway, that's how it is.
Barry