Even New Jersey state senators are being driven crazy by Gov. Phil Murphy's stateshut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Last Saturday night, state Senator Declan O'Scanlon tweeted tongue-in-cheek defiance of the governor's orders:

O'Scanlon, a guest on my show Monday night on New Jersey 101.5, says he has no regrets:

"It was obviously tongue in cheek, the part about looking at the moon, and how that may very well if you have to leave your property to do it, which we did violate this 24/7 lockdown order."

What inspired the tweet, the senator says, happened earlier in the day when state officials appeared to be prohibiting drive-by celebrations for birthdays and graduations, which has since been walked back.

'When I did that tweet it was still on my mind and still out there. There's no reason for it," O'Scanlon said, adding there are a number of contradictory pronouncements.

"Public tennis courts can be open but private tennis courts can't be. Flower shops and ice cream shops can be open but bait shops can't be. Small boutiques can't be. Walmart can be and sell some of the same things that small shops sell. It's a problem. It's gotta stop," he said.


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O'Scanlon's tweet hit home and went viral.

"I didn't intend for this but it really struck a nerve," he said.

Despite his tweet, O'Scanlon does have some sympathy for his friend, the governor, who resides in his district in Middletown.

"These are tough choices and brutal ones. At this point, you have to make some decisions — if we're not going to lock down everything, until we have the vaccine which is more than a year away probably, we have to make some tough choices. By the way if you did that and waited a year, you would kill our economy and set ourselves up for a depression like we've never known."

Monmouth County Sherrif Shaun Golden had a problem with the tweet.

Despite the tweet being tongue in cheek, O'Scanlon said we don't the luxury of waiting another couple of weeks.

"Because if we wait another couple of weeks, we could tip the scales for many businesses. I'm on the phone every day with businesses who are right on the edge," he said.

From the mental health aspect as well as the financial O'Scanlon, said. "Saving our economy is saving lives."

I agree.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Steve Trevelise. Any opinions expressed are Steve's own. Steve Trevelise is on New Jersey 101.5 Monday-Thursday from 7pm-11pm. Follow him on Twitter @realstevetrev.

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