Some thoughts from former NJ residents...

My wife and I recently took a long weekend off down south to visit some former lifetime NJ residents. These were folks who were born and raised here in the state and had all of their family here as well. So I was curious whether or not they regretted their decision to leave the state 8 years ago.

One of our friends was very emphatic. No way no how would they ever return to the Garden state. Even with the current economic conditions, business is good enough, they make less than when they lived here but take home more. All in all a good deal and a much better standard of living.

The other friends moved nearby. Again, no one has any desire to move back and have been attracting other family members to come. I had an interesting conversation with one of our friends who took a job as a equipment operator for the state. He told me that he was following the news in NJ that state workers wouldn't give up their raises or accept temporary furloughs to save money and cut the state's budget deficit. I was curious to see his reaction.

He went off that the people who work for the state of NJ are nuts. If his current state asked him to take days off as a way to save his job-he is in 100%. If his current state pared back a raised that was already agreed-he would accept it. He said everyone is in it together in these tough economic times and we should all be happy we have jobs. No one is entitled to anything.

Indeed.

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