@sneakypete it’s also that people are leaving the state for warmer climes and people who are staying are loudly voicing how ticked off they are with the higher taxes, the fact that the political system wants to change the gas stations to self serve from full service, it’s now against the law to run your car for more than three minutes in park unless you are stuck in a traffic jam but you can’t have it idle in park with the engine on in the winter to clean snow off the windows or you face having a $250 fine. Ridiculous things like that.
So there are a lot of people saying they will vote out their local representatives next year. Which has them scared because the state could go purple or (horrors) red. So this is a quick fix to make sure the state stays blue. No matter what the cost.
Which is scary because not only do these people vote, my understanding is they will be eligible for jury duty as well. And big cities like Trenton and Camden and Newark are already going to ruin, and some other cities are starting to turn.
Believe me, if I didn’t have family here I’d be looking at other states too.