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(New York, NY) – Is the Garden State under some sort of curse? In recent weeks, we’ve seen Newark Liberty International Airport start melting down in unspectacular fashion. And as of Friday, May 16, New Jersey Transit trains were on strike. Add that into Newark Mayor Ras Baraka getting himself arrested, a massive wildfire in Ocean County, sinkholes on Route 80, and the ongoing congestion pricing reality — it’s enough to make a New Jerseyan want to “fuhgeddaboudit”.
Plus — as if that all wasn’t enough — even New Jersey’s favorite son Bruce Springsteen is taking flak. After he so typically bad mouthed President Trump (while abroad nonetheless) the president responded. POTUS called “The Boss” a “pushy, obnoxious jerk.” For New Jersey — simply put — these are not the glory days.
The Newark Airport problems are perhaps most notable, because as the nation’s third-largest airport, the entire country knows about the situation. And constant flight delays and cancelations just add to the negative perception many have in terms of Newark, and New Jersey as a whole. But maybe New Jersey residents will decide to stay home this summer instead of flying — and then take advantage of the Jersey Shore. Time spent along the beach or enjoying a beautiful sunset will quickly erase thoughts of a New Jersey curse.
Still, some of the plagues now victimizing the people of New Jersey can’t be so easily ignored. If you need the train to get to work — then the ongoing strike is getting directly in the way. Hopefully, ongoing negotiations will mean the whole thing ends sooner, rather than later. Until then, the strike — and the entire NJ Transit experience — feels like a sick joke, if not a curse.
As for Ras Baraka, who’s running for governor, and Bruce Springsteen — both men have led rather charmed and successful adult lives, so it’s hard to imagine they are cursed. Route 80, and the collapsed mines, as well as the resulting traffic — that does feel a little spooky and cursed. The wildfire down in Ocean County may have left people “cursing” — but the odds are arson and poor forestry are the culprits, as opposed to bad luck, or a hex.
At the end of the day, in a state known for the “devil” down in the Pine barrens… it could be a curse, it could be bad luck, it could be the karma associated with poor manners. No matter the base reason, New Jersey is certainly going through it.
