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+1--on all points.
While I suspect that the OP might be trolling, jay's comment regarding a person who has...a lot of issues...is also a likely possibility in this situation.. And, in that regard, I have to point out to the OP that unhappy people are rarely turned into happy people by a Geographical Cure.
Miserable people tend to be miserable no matter where they choose to live, and those who are happy with their lot in life can remain happy even if some things in their environment are not to their liking.
I'm also positive that NJ is the ONLY state where some people drive too fast, while others drive too slow.
Because we are a small state, there is DEFINITELY "less room to put things." Should we tell him that NJ is the densest state in the country and the 11th most populous state?... No? Ok.
This, though, says it all:
"In high school, I never got along with hometown people again! I never kept in touch with people from high school, because of their typical NJ attitudes!"
God, I wish we could just delete people like this from the internet.
Just remember,,, sooner or later,, EVERYONE is FROM NJ
And I've been to other states but like NJ a lot too. Bad drivers are everywhere, just different flavors. Actually other states are much worse for bad drivers.
NJ is one of the worst states in America. I agree with almost all of the OP points, and with what happened to me the other day here, I am 100% certain that I am leaving this state this year, and taking 2 productive taxpayers with me.
I was driving to work around sunrise, and every day I pass a beautiful farm with sheep. This particular day, I had some time to kill and the sheep were out and I saw that there were a bunch of lambs just born, so I pulled way off the road to watch them play. I was on a rural backroad, 6:30 am with no cars around and it was completely quiet and peaceful and I was just watching and photographing the sheep. The farmer saw me, I waved, she waved back, and she went back inside.
A state trooper comes flying up to me with his siren blaring. Scares the sheep away. Completely unnecessary and gets out of his car very quickly, as if I'm going to run away. He has a shaved head, a pissed off look like I did something, and tattoos all over his arms like he's G.I. Joe Badass. The conversation went like this:
Me: Good morning, sir.
NJSP: What are you doing?
Me: Watching sheep.
NJSP: You need to move along. Lets go. Get back in the car.
Me: Why, sir? I'm just taking a break from driving.
NJSP: Because I said so. Unless you want a ticket for disregarding a law enforcement officer.
Me: A ticket for what? Watching sheep?
NJSP: Obstructing traffic. And don't run your mouth. Show me your license and insurance, I'm going to run your plates.
Me: Ok sir, I'm leaving.
NJSP: Stay right there and don't leave until I tell you its ok to leave.
Me: For what, sir? Are you detaining me? I'm only asking what law I broke.
NJSP: You're obstructing traffic and now your acting suspicious (mind you, his car was in the actual road, my car was parked on dirt about 3 feet off the road). We've had some issues around here lately...
So I give him my info, by now another cop pulls up, the farmer is outside, the sheep are gone, and I'm late for work. Everything checks out because I'm not a law breaker. 1/2 hour later: "You're free to go. Next time don't resist and just comply and there will be no problem."
Needless to say, I was livid. It ruined my day. And it taught me two things about why NJ isn't a livable place for me or anyone else who wants to feel free and independent. #1- people here are so disconnected from nature and just literally can't even understand that there are people who just want to stop and smell the roses, or look at sheep in a field. If you're not being productive (which means driving aggressively, acting hurried in all aspects of life, meeting and exceeding your sales goals, and generally being a stressed out douche) NJ doesn't want you and will probably see you as a threat.
#2: There are too many cops here. I pay the Troopers salaries, I pay for local cops salaries, and I pay for all of the cops on retirement living in Florida. So I pay for 3 police forces. I've never been helped by the cops, but I have received bogus tickets and been harassed. Drive down I-80 in the morning and there's a cop every 1/2 mile. The cops in NJ are tax collectors with guns. Yet, the sad part is, no state has more aggressive drivers than NJ, so it isn't even working whatever they are doing (which is mostly harassing out-of-staters driving in from PA to go to work). And I've been to around 40 states total and lived in 4 other states. No other place is like this one.
One last thing. It is illegal to photograph in a NJ state park without a permit. You heard that right. You literally cannot have a hired photographer take pictures of your family barbeque or wedding party, etc in a NJ state park without notifying the NJ Park Police and purchasing a permit to do so. That permit is $325: http://www.nj.gov/dep/njstateparkpol...20Statutes.pdf.
If you take video, its another $425. How do I know this? I tried to shoot an iMovie in a park with some friends and was told it would be minimum $425 to do so and our cooler and belongings were checked without permission by the NJ park police (we had no alcohol but heck we must be drunk to be trying to shoot a movie. So weird and unproductive). Even in nature in NJ, you can't be free. So, if this isn't too far gone, I don't know what is.
[quote=VintageSunlight;47796406]NJ is one of the worst states in America. I agree with almost all of the OP points, and with what happened to me the other day here, I am 100% certain that I am leaving this state this year, and taking 2 productive taxpayers with me.
I was driving to work around sunrise, and every day I pass a beautiful farm with sheep. This particular day, I had some time to kill and the sheep were out and I saw that there were a bunch of lambs just born, so I pulled way off the road to watch them play. I was on a rural backroad, 6:30 am with no cars around and it was completely quiet and peaceful and I was just watching and photographing the sheep. The farmer saw me, I waved, she waved back, and she went back inside.
A state trooper comes flying up to me with his siren blaring. Scares the sheep away. Completely unnecessary and gets out of his car very quickly, as if I'm going to run away. He has a shaved head, a pissed off look like I did something, and tattoos all over his arms like he's G.I. Joe Badass. The conversation went like this:
Me: Good morning, sir.
NJSP: What are you doing?
Me: Watching sheep.
NJSP: You need to move along. Lets go. Get back in the car.
Me: Why, sir? I'm just taking a break from driving.
NJSP: Because I said so. Unless you want a ticket for disregarding a law enforcement officer.
Me: A ticket for what? Watching sheep?
NJSP: Obstructing traffic. And don't run your mouth. Show me your license and insurance, I'm going to run your plates.
Me: Ok sir, I'm leaving.
NJSP: Stay right there and don't leave until I tell you its ok to leave.
Me: For what, sir? Are you detaining me? I'm only asking what law I broke.
NJSP: You're obstructing traffic and now your acting suspicious (mind you, his car was in the actual road, my car was parked on dirt about 3 feet off the road). We've had some issues around here lately...
So I give him my info, by now another cop pulls up, the farmer is outside, the sheep are gone, and I'm late for work. Everything checks out because I'm not a law breaker. 1/2 hour later: "You're free to go. Next time don't resist and just comply and there will be no problem."
Needless to say, I was livid. It ruined my day. And it taught me two things about why NJ isn't a livable place for me or anyone else who wants to feel free and independent. #1- people here are so disconnected from nature and just literally can't even understand that there are people who just want to stop and smell the roses, or look at sheep in a field. If you're not being productive (which means driving aggressively, acting hurried in all aspects of life, meeting and exceeding your sales goals, and generally being a stressed out douche) NJ doesn't want you and will probably see you as a threat.
#2: There are too many cops here. I pay the Troopers salaries, I pay for local cops salaries, and I pay for all of the cops on retirement living in Florida. So I pay for 3 police forces. I've never been helped by the cops, but I have received bogus tickets and been harassed. Drive down I-80 in the morning and there's a cop every 1/2 mile. The cops in NJ are tax collectors with guns. Yet, the sad part is, no state has more aggressive drivers than NJ, so it isn't even working whatever they are doing (which is mostly harassing out-of-staters driving in from PA to go to work). And I've been to around 40 states total and lived in 4 other states. No other place is like this one.
One last thing. It is illegal to photograph in a NJ state park without a permit. You heard that right. You literally cannot have a hired photographer take pictures of your family barbeque or wedding party, etc in a NJ state park without notifying the NJ Park Police and purchasing a permit to do so. That permit is $325: http://www.nj.gov/dep/njstateparkpol...20Statutes.pdf.
If you take video, its another $425. How do I know this? I tried to shoot an iMovie in a park with some friends and was told it would be minimum $425 to do so and our cooler and belongings were checked without permission by the NJ park police (we had no alcohol but heck we must be drunk to be trying to shoot a movie. So weird and unproductive). Even in nature in NJ, you can't be free. So, if this isn't too far gone, I don't know what is.[/QUOTE
Was he young? My co-worker's husband is a state trooper about to retire this year, he does not patrol anymore mainly desk work, but anyway we were talking about his upcoming retirement and she he said it cant come quick enough because the new hires and the younger hires are not like they used to be.. granted if your speeding and braking the law on the roadways you deserve a ticket, but some of them are taking their power a little too far I guess. Maybe the farmer was under the impressing that maybe you were and animal activist trying to see if any abuse was going on, who knows..
One last thing. It is illegal to photograph in a NJ state park without a permit. You heard that right. You literally cannot have a hired photographer take pictures of your family barbeque or wedding party, etc in a NJ state park without notifying the NJ Park Police and purchasing a permit to do so. That permit is $325: http://www.nj.gov/dep/njstateparkpol...20Statutes.pdf.
If you take video, its another $425. How do I know this? I tried to shoot an iMovie in a park with some friends and was told it would be minimum $425 to do so and our cooler and belongings were checked without permission by the NJ park police (we had no alcohol but heck we must be drunk to be trying to shoot a movie. So weird and unproductive). Even in nature in NJ, you can't be free. So, if this isn't too far gone, I don't know what is.
You can't take a commercial photo in a park nor can you shoot a commercial film there. It's a commercial venture, you can't make money off other tax paying citizens or take over the environment and prevent other citizens from using it. If you are shooting a movie with some friends then you're still shooting a movie. Just because you aren't set up as a LLC doesn't make it a non-commercial film.
If you want your friend Steve to shoot your wedding party or your family barbecue, that's fine, Steve can't be a professional and can't demand anyone else in the park do what he wants, anyone in the background he has to just deal with, but you can totally take photos for personal use.
If you were shooting it for a class and could prove it you might have had a chance, but you can't show up in any park anywhere and just shoot a film. Not even National Parks, who have a pretty liberal use policies in regards to filming. But if you show up with >2 people you need a permit. https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/news/com...to-permits.htm
When people beotch about a place, they are usually externalizing their own inadequacies and unhappiness to the environment at large. California and Oregon are the same BS as New Jersey. I've lived on both coasts. There is no difference. You still have to work. You still have to love. You still have to drive on roads. The people are all the same old same old by and large. Some different scenery, but it's really quite a homogenous country we live in nowadays.
So fantasize about Oregon and the Washington all you want. When you get there, settle there, and live there, you'll still be you. And if you aren't happy with that, then living among a slightly higher percentage of snowflakes is not going to change anything.
Sorry, that's just reality. The grass is not greener. The blood is not redder.
I do not like the east coast at all in general, but New Jersey particularly. I visited the west coast last year (SF Bay area in April to visit relatives; Seattle in August just for vacation) and I realized how much different the west coast truly is (weather/climate, atmosphere [happiness], people, roads, driving, scenery, etc.).
LOL. Seattle has one of the highest depression and suicide rates in the nation, due in large part to its weather.
Quote:
Originally Posted by potanta
When I graduate college, I really plan on moving to Seattle, Washington or Northern California when I grow up, and I am not planning on having children at all (please don't tell me I'll change my mind, I hate having children).
You hate having children? You are 18. You ARE children. When you are 28, I am willing to bet that you're going to want to pass on your seed and spawn it up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by potanta
2. Road system is bad.
- You have to take a jughandle just to make a left turn on mainly the state routes. That's ridiculous,
because only New Jersey and one other state has this. This bothers me, because jughandles take up
more space within a small state.
I see you are in East Hanover. How do you propose to make a left hand turn from Route 10, on to, say, River Rd. or Ridgedale, without a handy jughandle? Jughandles are a motorist's friend.
Quote:
Originally Posted by potanta
- We have the smelliest, narrowest, and most dangerous highway in the country called the Garden
State Parkway or the Turnpike.
OK, I will give you "narrowest" if you are talking about individual lane width on the Parkway.
But as far as "smelliest" goes, that's just that one short stretch of the Turnpike...something you would know if you were born under a bad sign with a blue moon in your eyes (yeah). Anyways, you won't even notice the smell if you have an extra large hazelnut Dunkin Donuts coffee and a toasted everything bagel in the car with you. Do you even Jersey, bro?
Quote:
Originally Posted by potanta
4. Traffic is bad.
LOL, good luck in CA.
Quote:
Originally Posted by potanta
5. Rude drivers
- I have to drive the speed limit or 5 above, because the cops will catch me if I speed. Every driver
tailgates me or they always change lanes and speed so fast and then they go in front of me.
- All drivers here take too long to react to a green light.
- Drivers speed past crosswalks faster faster and every day.
LOL, good luck in CA.
Quote:
Originally Posted by potanta
6. Bad drivers
- People speed causing danger.
- Some drivers drive too slow.
LOL, good luck in CA.
Quote:
Originally Posted by potanta
10. Smells. We are truly the armpit of America.
That's just your upper lip you're smelling. Wash better, and use a clarifying astringent.
Quote:
Originally Posted by potanta
13. Ugly. This applies to most of the East coast like the northeast. The trees are all ordinary looking and dark green. West coast rules when it comes to scenery and trees.
The northeast has ugly trees? Have you heard of something called a New England fall foliage tour? And have you heard of Maine?
Quote:
Originally Posted by potanta
19. Too expensive (Food, property tax, tolls are being raised).
LOL, good luck in CA.
Quote:
Originally Posted by potanta
20. No skate parks like what I saw in California.
What is this? 1989? Are you Christian Slater in Gleaming the Cube?
Quote:
Originally Posted by potanta
Does anyone else hate New Jersey besides me?
Yes. A daydreaming philosopher named VintageSunlight who is so leaving NJ, the worst state in America, this year! And bringing 2 productive taxpayers with him! Who may or may not be in a sister-wife situation with him? I dunno. Sounds weird.
When people beotch about a place, they are usually externalizing their own inadequacies and unhappiness to the environment at large. California and Oregon are the same BS as New Jersey. I've lived on both coasts. There is no difference. You still have to work. You still have to love. You still have to drive on roads. The people are all the same old same old by and large. Some different scenery, but it's really quite a homogenous country we live in nowadays.
So fantasize about Oregon and the Washington all you want. When you get there, settle there, and live there, you'll still be you. And if you aren't happy with that, then living among a slightly higher percentage of snowflakes is not going to change anything.
Sorry, that's just reality. The grass is not greener. The blood is not redder.
I was happy enough with my life in NJ, but I jumped at the chance to leave NJ since I don't have kids, hate NYC and didn't see the point in staying. My money goes much further in a low-cost state and the weather is much more conducive to my hobbies. So between having more money in my bank account and getting out and enjoying my hobbies more in NV than I did in NJ thanks to the weather and landscape, I'm even happier. As an aside, I haven't been beeped at once for taking too long to make a turn since moving to NV. I haven't seen a pothole and there's no comparing the Las Vegas airport which I frequent for work to Newark (especially terminal A in Newark which looks like it belongs in a former Soviet country). The only downside is fewer job opportunities out here, but most of the jobs in my field in the NY metro area are in NYC and I'm done with that miserable commute.
NJ is far from the worst place in the US, but depending upon one's preferences, there can be better options. Actually, the first reply to this thread put it well - NJ has everything, just not the best of everything (unless you count the highest property taxes in the US as a good thing). Denver is now the fastest growing city, and a lot of that has to do with people wanting to live closer to the mountains (although with traffic it can now take two hours to go from Denver to the mountains on the weekend). No comparing the Catskills to the Rockies, though.
However, I'm totally not surprised about most commenters jumping on the OP - granted s/he sounds like they're quite young and might not realize the high cost-of-living in SF or Seattle. Some of their points reflected naivety, but some were actually pretty valid.
Last edited by Cubicle Dweller; 04-10-2017 at 03:37 PM..
^ Haven't seen a pothole? How are the winters there?
Do you even realize what you're comparing?
NJ and the NE is OLD. Yes the airport sucks. It's old and very popular and well-used (hello, it's a NYC area airport) and needs updating. Yeah the infrastructure is old and we need more room. It's an old area. We don't have the luxury of a lot of newness. If you like newness, you're in the right place.
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