[Huck]

Well, I bought my house in Sussex County. I love it there. I go fishing in Warren County almost every weekend. Our neighbors are all friendly nice people. I take it personally.

The GOP in NJ is a shambles. And the demographics are hard to overcome. But this is my home. I was born here. It is a nice state with a lot of good things about it. I refuse to trash it. Hell, people trash California, and I understand the frustration, but that is a beautiful, wonderful place. We have to try to make inroads. Hell, California once elected Ronald Reagan.

[laconic]

Yep, its unfortunate that people see the turnpike (admittedly awful in north Jersey and Newark) and ignore the rest of the state, which has many fine places and wonderful people. They also forget that this is a state that voted twice for Ronald Reagan by overwhelming margins and once for GW Bush, just 15 years ago. Its also a state that had 3-1 Rep majorities in both houses of the legislature in the early 1990s after the Florio tax debacle. I recognize that part of the problem is the New York transplants to Central Jersey who bring liberal politics with them; I don't know how you change their views. But a large part of the problem is that the Reps who controlled the legislature really tried to out-dim the Dems, and largely succeeded.

[chimera]

Hey, I hear you. I am a NJ ex-patriot from the once-Republican central Jersey suburbs, and it breaks my heart to see what has happened to my home state. I have lost my NJ connections since my Mom passed away and we sold her place down the shore. Apart from the urban jungles, it's a nice place and has some good people.

Ever thought about a 51st state movement? They had one of those going for awhile in South Jersey, until the demographics (immigration) changed it. The State of West New Jersey might have some appeal, especially if you can drop the excess baggage of Newark and Elizabeth and Camden and Trenton.