Monday on the air we talked about a new survey showing that a majority of residents of New Jersey think the state is heading in the wrong direction. It's a change from polls last year when people were afraid of COVID-19, thanks to the media and our politicians.

Now that the dust has settled, some of them are waking up and realizing that some things are not the way they should be. Welcome to the party, where have you been?!

We asked listeners even though taxes are too high, and our government is too heavy-handed, what makes them stay? The obvious reason is that it is a great place to live, apart from the politics. Followed immediately by family ties.

One listener from Hunterdon County sent us an email that struck a chord and makes you think about all of the longtime residents we've lost in the last few years due to the buffoonery that goes on in Trenton.

Here's what this woman had to say. It's worth reading.

I always knew that part of my family went way back in New Jersey, but until I started doing genealogy did I find that my ancestors came to NJ in the 1600s. They weren’t ever wealthy people, just came over to work hard and support the families. Iron workers and teamsters (the horse and wagon kind). They fought in the American Revolution, the Civil War, WWI and WWII. More and more came to NJ over the years – the last batch arriving in the late 1800s.

Now that you know where I’m coming from you can understand why I DON’T want to leave New Jersey, and when that creep that calls himself Phil, tells me if I don’t like the taxes I should leave – I take offense personally. I love New Jersey. Especially Hunterdon County. I don’t know why we have to try to change New Jersey to make it more like where the new people coming here came from. If I go to an Italian Restaurant and complain that they don’t serve General Cho’s Chicken I would expect to get thrown out – not given a free bottle of wine, anything I want that’s on the menu for free, AND a gift card to a Chinese Restaurant!

I started my business from scratch in 2003. Nobody gave me a grant, or free college, or food stamps. No tax breaks for starting up a new business. I would only wish that the government would care about its lifelong residents as much as it does for the (illegal) immigrants.

It's a sentiment felt by so many people here in New Jersey, but they're afraid to say it out loud. It's easier or wiser to just pick up and move to greener pastures.

I doubt King Phillip will read that or even care, but we do, and we thought you'd want to see that yes, there are plenty of people out there that think like you. They just don't dare say it in public.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy only.

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