Posted on 11/19/2014 8:04:34 AM PST by SleeperCatcher
How do you know you are the governor of a failed state? When more residents there want to leave than want to stay. And that’s the case in New Jersey; the state’s historic high taxes are making life miserable for most and if given the chance, most would vote with their feet.
Such frustration is evident among the restive New Jersey population, as evidenced by a new survey showing that half of the state’s residents are planning to escape the high-tax, government-union model government there; just 45 percent want to stay.
As noted by Public Sector Inc:
The desire to leave is particularly strong among working age people, reflecting the state’s more than 10 years of economic struggles. Some three-in-ten who say they want to leave specifically blame the state’s high taxes for their desire to leave, while 12 percent blame a lack of economic opportunity.
Business executives around the country who rate Jersey as one of the nation’s worst business environments would tell you that, too, is largely a function of high taxes.
This is not a new finding. In fact, the website reports, this is the seventh straight year that the Monmouth University poll has found that about 50 percent of the state’s residents want to bail.
“The state’s high cost of living is the driving factor, and the chief culprit among these costs is the New Jersey’s property tax burden,” the director of the poll said. Back in 2010 (the most recent study) the Tax Foundation ranked the state’s average property tax burden the highest in the nation. The state also boasts the 7th highest income tax burden.
But the deep blue state’s uber-Left wing politicians are stuck in a tax-and-spend mode. Just this year state Senate President Steve Sweeney, a Democrat, proposed boosting taxes another $1.6 billion to pay for grossly underfunded (meaning “over-promised”) government pensions – a move that will only cause more of the state’s taxpayers to leave more quickly. Those Democrats; they can never seem to get enough of your money.
What’s more, a survey released in May by Chief Executive magazine of CEOs around the country ranked New Jersey the fourth-worst in the nation for conducting business. One executive in the poll said that Christie may have helped some but the state “legislature did an end-run for a higher minimum wage” – the one constant in economics is that a higher minimum wage always leads to fewer jobs/less employment. But again, New Jersey Democrats are nothing if not consistent when it comes to adopting provisions and laws that hurt business and hurt workers.
Another CEO added: “New Jersey will continue to lose businesses unless they find a way to alleviate the punitive taxes on businesses and personal homes.”
Several years ago, when he was more of a reformer, Sen. Sweeney said, “New Jersey has a government that we can’t afford any longer.” But, as the tax numbers seem to lay bare, that hasn’t changed much as the state continues to struggle to dig itself out from under its crushing debt, including huge pension debts accumulated over 20 years.
In a recent study, Allied Van Lines also found that New Jersey holds this record: Top state in outward migration. It is followed by two other high tax, high debt, deep blue states: Illinois and New York, in that order. Both of those states also have higher-than-average public sector unionization.
Studies show that there is a cultural difference that makes living in other areas of the country very difficult for people raised in New Joisey and New Yawk.
After having watched a couple of episodes of “The Real Housewifes of New Jersey” I can readily imagine why.
After watching that crap, I just wanted to shiver, shake and just go take a shower.
I mean....it’s just like a damn train wreck in slow motion coupled with all the pretentious self-absorbed worst of humanity rolled up into an hour of “it’s all about me.”
Ugly people.
Cannot understand why my Wife would watch that show.
And the other half want higher welfare payments.
Stay away from Texas.
Any state has to have drawing power. We are too mobile and will leave if there are better places.
NJ used to be a place of refuge from NY City for businesses. It is no longer. What’s the draw now?
I’m in California where my vote no longer counts, but there is plenty of work, the weather good (OK great), and family nearby.
By the way, cost of living is moderate here. My utility bills are half what they were in Colorado, being a partial offset to property taxes, gas taxes etc.
Like I said....it’s like a slow motion train wreck...you can’t help but watch... It really takes self-control to just shut that sh!t off, IMO.
I wouldn’t put this negative label, about New Jersey, on Chris Christie in particular. Most of his failures in the state are most likely beyond his ability to override or get past legislative and statewide political majorities that are Liberal, whether officially “independent” or Democrat. GOP governor or not (at the moment), New Jersey’s problems are home-grown by its own Liberal majority populace.
I understand what you are saying but I left. And my wallet is happy.
Unfortunately, the nearby low tax state of Delaware has acted as a magnet for hordes of people from NJ. Their retired teachers and other government types flock to Delaware and the developers throw up sub-division after sub-division to house them. That has resulted in a blue state becoming even more solidly Democrat and our taxes increasing to become more like the hell hole they left.
Perceptions matter, and Gov. Crisco is an aggressive loudmouthed fatso who is a caricature of Jersey rudeness. The New Jersey state bird is said to be the upraised middle finger, after all.
And, since NJ has for all intents criminalized private gun ownership, that also must influence decisions to flee the Garden State.
I’m one of the ones who want out so bad he can taste it. But I married and Jersey girl and so that’s that.
To be fair to Christie, that phenomenon has been going for the past decade, LONG BEFORE he was governor.
I will be going too.
Nah.. can’t be true. Gotta be right wing propaganda...
NJ is THE Worker’s Paradise... a veritable Utopian Liberal Paradise - PARADISE, damnit - where everyone’s dreams, wishes, and desires are completely fulfilled...and everything is fair, equal, tolerated, sensitive, and just perfect...
Sort of like Fond du Lac in Shrek...
Also retirees dont want to stay there as well and pay the punitive taxes. They take their revenues with them when they leave the state. Like Reagan said, ‘not more taxes but more taxpayers’. Keep importing 3rd world minorities, illegals and other morons and see what happens to blue states like Old Jersey.
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