Governor Murphy needs to listen to these callers’ stories (Opinion)

Wednesday afternoon, we were on the air on the Dennis and Judi Show, discussing the restaurant owner in Montclair that said he "would go to jail if he had to" after getting three summonses for keeping his business opened beyond these impossible restrictions.

The owner of Cuban Pete's, Dominick Restaino, said he can't make it under the current restrictions and needs to operate at higher capacity to survive.

He is one of thousands of small business owners around the state who are DESPERATE to stay afloat and try to salvage their places after seven months of punitive state-ordered shutdowns and limitation. During the hour all of the callers agreed that this has gone on far too long, and those who are truly afraid should avoid going to places where they fear they'll get infected with the coronavirus and let the rest of us live, AND MAKE A LIVING!

Two of the callers that stood out are worth your time to listen to. More importantly, Gov. Phil Murphy should listen to them. Oh sure, he feigns compassion and empathy for small businesses and claims to be continuing this nonsense in the name of "public safety." It's clear he just wants to get the state out of the top spot on the list of the highest COVID-19 death rate of all states.

No matter what the cost, economic or in human suffering, that's his goal, plain and simple. He doesn't care about ANY New Jersey residents. He cares about his power and future power position in national politics. Listen to these two callers and feel free to forward them to the governor.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy. Any opinions expressed are Dennis' own.