New Jersey Acting Governor Richard Codey, making the most of his last weeks pretending to run the state:
GOVERNOR’S CALL TO ACTIONNew Jersey needs a new State slogan, and I need your help finding one. “Perfect together” was fine in its day, but times change. We have the opportunity to craft a new message for our tourist literature to reflect the pride we have in our many parks, open spaces, farmlands, quaint villages, boardwalks and beaches and our exciting cities. Our Revolutionary War History is unique and we are the birthplace of the greatest inventions and scientific discoveries. New Jersey is a wonderful place to live, work and play.
How do we tell the world about our State – and its great and generous people. In our slogan.
Send me your thoughts on what would be the best slogan New Jersey can have. The deadline for submissions is November 14th, 2005.
I’m reminded of a Simpsons episode where a third grade class takes a field trip to the state capitol building, and the teacher describes the mural on the interior of the capitol’s dome: “It depicts our state bird, the Potbellied Sparrow, eating our state pasta, Bowtie.”
Wikipedia has a list of current state slogans, one more banal than the next. My personal favorite is Idaho, “Great Potatoes”.
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Check out what Wikipedia lists for DC …
Who thought DC would be so honest with their slogan.
The state chosen by the Free State Project, New Hampshire, has some preceding words in their slogan I had no idea about.
The whole thing is:
“Make Up for Lost Time Live Free or Die”
Yeah… Patrick Henry was thinking exactly that, I guess he just couldn’t articulate it as well as New Hampshire’s marketing department.
*pukes*
My bad… Stark said it… ol Pat was Liberty or Death… same thing… whatever.
Here’s my suggestion for the state’s new Slogan:
“Perfect apart: New Jersey and Washington”
Hey, it could catch on!
As a life long resident of New Jersey, for what it is worth here are my comments regarding the state. While New Jersey does have many nice suburban areas, the state has a high cost of living, is a tax sewer, and has degenerated into a left-wing bastion. In fact, if ex-governor McGreevey was running again, I venture he would garner at least 40% of the popular vote, maybe even be re-elected. Many New Jerseyians criticize its government, but they routinely vote for strong supporters of big government.
If you want something short and sweet about the state, how about this: New Jersey, New York City West, with little of the City’s positive cultural attributes.
Sorry that this is somewhat irrelevant to the article, but the official state motto of New Hampshire is in fact “Live Free or Die.” I checked the state web site, and the “Make up for lost time” is nowhere on there. I’ve lived here since 1983 and have never heard that before.
When I was in DC recently and noticed “Taxation without Representation” on the license plates, I searched and searched for some way the word “NO” had been hidden, maybe by a plate-frame or something. Nope, that’s all of it.
Washington, District of Columbia: Taxation Without Representation.
As Leprechaun notes, refreshingly honest.
The “Make up for lost time” thing may have come from a previous version of the Wikipedia “state slogans” article, where it was listed along with “live free or die.” It has since been removed.
NJ already has a nice state slogan – “The Armpit of America“
How about “[E]verything goes wrong in New Jersey”?
Here’s a lil’ bit of irony for you…I (and probably many non-NH residents) first saw their (admittedly cool) slogan on a license plate. Wait, a license plate…”live free or die” emblazoned on your state-mandated vehicle tag…well, it’s still a cool slogan right?
During the 1970′s, there was a campaign to make Bruce Spingsteen’s “Born To Run” the NJ state song.
Considering that the song contains the line “We got to get out while we’re young,” it is the perfect song and it comes with the perfect slogan for New Jersey.
On the website of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, you will find a special notice for owners of vehicles which have the old “Liberty” plates.
Liberty replaced with Empire, where have we heard this before?
Bruce Spingsteen’s “Born To Run” as the NJ state song – “baby this town rips the bones from your back it’s a death trap, it’s a suicide rap, we’ve gotta get out while we’re young” pretty funny to me.
I had heard that West Virginia had a contest for a new state slogan, and the top two vote-getters were “got teeth?” and “one big happy family.”
NamedForRep.Ron,
LMAO! I hadn’t noted how ironic that was until you wrote about it.
New Jersey, as randy old Ben Franklin once said, is “like a keg tapped at both ends.” One could extend his description to property owners. I know of a family in a North Jersey town (Closter) who inherited a bit of property (a couple of acres, a house, shed, and garage), and the town raised their taxes in a single year from $8k to $18k! This is as bad as eminent domain, which is also alive and well in the state. Having lived in the state for the past 11 years, I have also seen how the corrupt state Supreme Court and the equally corrupt towns have conspires to enrichen developers and raise taxes.
Sorry, I missed the deadline. I just heard about this on fox news and thought I’d send you some funny one liners for a chuckle. I coulda been a contenda!
Badda-Bing, Badda Boom…New Jersey!
New Jersey–It’s about time you showed us some respect!
Shark Suits? Big Hair? What’s not to like?
New York? Forget about it, come to New Jersey]
New Jersey. When you’re here you’re familia!
OK – I grew up and lived in NJ for 30 years (now in SC) Heres a couple of slogans I’d like to see.
“Nothing could be finer than the smell of Secaucus in the Morning….” or “Use Guys ain’t had Pizza till you eat Pizza Here!!”… or “Joisey and Use guys… Poifect together” or.. “Washington slept everywhere!”
New Jersey: Home of the Devil!
How about the “New Jersey and You… who farted?” choice from SNL?
http://www.cafepress.com/teesed/984940
New Jersey….you`re home..here
New Jersey…where memories grow into miracles
hello my name is douglas thesing…iam not sure when or how long the state slogan will last…..i do know the day when it was anounced..on the radio..i said to my self!! they spent, so much money on a slogan,and as far as iam concern,it could be better!!..so as soon as i heard it, i came up with one right off the top of my head,and it goes like this. (NEW JERSEY, THE GARDEN STATE…..”PLANT” YOUR FEET IN THE STATE OF OPPORTUNITY)i do hope who ever reads this, and does think it shows what our state really is, and what any person can have, if they apply them selfs….this is the state to prosper in..I hope you can guide me to the right sources..I think our great people, would like this slogan…thank for your help…Douglas Thesing
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