From the APP:
State of mind: Half want out: Poll: Many New Jerseyans want to leave state, citing cost of living
Frederick J. Huffenus wants to leave his heart in New Jersey and move to South Carolina.
Huffenus, 63, a New Jersey native, is awaiting a heart transplant. When he gets it, the retired Toms River police officer and his wife plan to move south to save money in retirement.
“I love New Jersey,” Huffenus said. “New Jersey has everything I want. . . . But I want that (financial) peace of mind. You’re penalized for living here all your life, you work hard and save all your life, and then you’re taxed.”
Huffenus is among the half of state residents who would like to move out of state, a new Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey newspapers poll shows.
The poll comes on the heels of a Rutgers University report last week that confirmed a sharp increase in the number of people leaving the state. That report said the state lost $680 million in tax revenue last year as a result.
Huffenus said his son Daniel moved to North Carolina in 1998. He has two other grown children living in New Jersey, and he hopes they move south eventually.
“Our concerns are more for our grandchildren, as they try to grow up in this state,” Huffenus said. “What kind of jobs would they have to have to afford a house?”
Huffenus said he and his wife believe they can get a larger three- or four-bedroom house with $800 in taxes. That compares with their small two-bedroom house in Toms River with $2,200 in taxes.
“I can go down there and live comfortably, have my grandchildren visit, and not have to worry about the money,” Huffenus said. “Every year you stay here, it gets a little tougher.”
In the Monmouth/Gannett poll, nearly 60 percent of those who said they wanted to leave New Jersey cited financial issues: property taxes, high cost-of-living, state taxes or housing costs.
More than half of adults under the age of 50 and nearly 60 percent of residents earning between $50,000 and $100,000 expressed a desire to leave New Jersey.
Of those who want to leave, a little more than half said they were “very likely” to make good on the wish, and more than half said they planned to go before retirement.
This policeman retired at 51, I do not think he has any room to complain, living off of nj pension for the last twelve years.
More than half of adults under the age of 50 and nearly 60 percent of residents earning between $50,000 and $100,000 expressed a desire to leave New Jersey.
So, basically the middle class wants out of NJ. That’s always a good sign.
This is the kind of story that makes knowledgeable and thinking readers stop picking up newspapers.
When Mr. Huffenus says:
“You’re penalized for living here all your life, you work hard and save all your life, and then you’re taxed.”
A reasonable person has to remember that Huffenus wasn’t always penalized, he earned more here than he would have almost any place else over the last 40 years, and he saw great appreciation in the value of his home.
With that said, NJ is certainly not a sensible place for a retiree w/o deep pockets and very strong family connections here, so moving out for just about anyone in Huffenus’s situation makes sense.
Finally, of course the high price of housing here is the No. 1 issue (even though everyone always talks about taxes, also in part due to bad newspaper work), and we are just now seeing the beginning of the end of a massive housing bubble so the market seems to be doing its job there, though of course not as efficiently as anyone would like.
A little perspective about economics and what that particular man received for living here would go a long way.
Mr. Huffenus was a police officer. Taxes are high because someone has to pay for his pension and benefits for life. It’s interesting how many public sector workers I know that complain incessantly about taxes, but simply don’t see the link between their sweetheart salary & benefit packages and high taxes.
Gotta love cops who retire early who muscle the politicians and people with their unions and then skip out and complain about costs later while the rest of us have to pay for them elsewhere for the rest of their lives
I call on Gov. Corzine to impose a 35% Gross Assest Exit Tax on all NJ Residents permanently leaving the sate. 35% of all your Gross Assets should be paid to the state of NJ if you leave permanently. All proceeds should go to support Abbott School Districts as well as NJ Universal Health Care.
How dare they leave a wonderful blue state for one of those backwards red states.
You have got to be kidding me.. Huffenus and his wife both have NJ State Pensions. Fred’s is $37,983 for playing Barney Fife and Cathy’s is $10,536 for some job that paid $24,000 after 18 years in the Toms Rivers schools (I would guess as a lunch aide or a minor clerical gig). In addition, we have been paying health insurance premiums for these ingrates since Fred retired at the age of 51. Now we get to buy him a heart, which will cost you and I something north of $800,000. After we pay for that heart, he’s hittin’ the road because NJ has high taxes. As unbelievable as this example is, just wait until our $120,000 salary cops retire. After cheating the system with atypical amounts of overtime in their final years (if they haven’t already scammed a disability..), these jokers are going to walk with $85-95,000 a year and full lifetime medical coverage, frequently in their late 40’s or early 50’s. The abuse is so widespread and ridiculous that I offer no apology to the good public servants. Regardless of their service, they are overpaid, far too numerous and will bankrupt our state. By the way, if you want to research the depressing reality of this timebomb, the otherwise lame Asbury Park Press (Gannett) maintains a database of an amazing array of public records through a link on their homepage. It’s called “data universe”. Explore at your own peril…
I don’t know if a State can declare bankruptcy but NJ should certainly start to explore the issue.
What kind of reactionary garbage article is this? I bet you the poll is not even representative of the entire population of New Jersey! What is it with the New Jersey media bashing the state constantly? NJ 101.5 does it all the time with their stupid last one out of NJ turn off the light spiel! Jim Gearhart (whatever his name is) is such a tool! Sure it is expensive but so are other parts of the country. NJ is a major hub of business and commerce so what do you expect? It is apart of the NY and Philly metro areas and with all the companies in North Jersey (and residents in NNJ) it is a major metro in its own right. Corruption is everywhere in every major metro. Chicago and Los Angeles and every big city is filled with corruption. Aside from Newark and few other places, the state has relatively low crime, most of the suburbs are nice and there a lot of jobs out there (high income and non-high income). Traffic is not the best but it is way worse in LA, SF, and other places. NYC is not too far away, nice beaches, the the Jersey City/Hoboken waterfront, the malls, good schools, high paying jobs, etc. come with a price. When will people get this s*** out of their system that everyone can live large? Even though your costs are higher, your income is higher too. Many New Jerseyans( and Americans) live beyond their means and have the nerve to complain they are broke! No place is perfect and life is very tough so deal with it! Geez.
Apparently, people are dealing with it my leaving.
correction:
my -> by
re # 8
The state cannot declare bankruptcy, but it can continue to raise taxes…which it must do to meet pension payments for retiring teachers @55 and policemen @ 50.
What could happen is the federal government take over.
NJ is far too deep in debt and with a looming recession, there will be no way to meet their obligations.
Collapsing real estate only magnifys the problem, can you say 8% sales tax?