Why the NJ hands off protests were so stupid

So… what exactly were we protesting yesterday? Anyone? Because from where I stood, it looked like a whole lot of people marching against a threat that doesn’t even exist. “Hands off our Medicare! Hands off our bodies!” Oh please.

Teaneck, Montclair, Trenton, and various South Jersey locations. In total, 26 groups organized demonstrations throughout the state, including in Atlantic City, Bloomfield, Cape May Court House, Cumberland County, Franklin Township, Galloway, Glen Ridge, Hopewell, Jersey City, Lawrence Township, Red Bank, Metuchen, Monroe Township, Morristown, Ocean City, Piscataway and Pitman.

Let’s be real. Nobody’s coming for your Medicare. Nobody’s coming for your Medicaid. If you stopped to understand what’s really going on you would feel kind of foolish for freaking out.

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He hasn’t proposed anything remotely threatening your uterus or your prescription plan. Or your Medicaid, Social Security, or anything else. But the sky-is-falling crowd needed something to scream about, so they made up a crisis and hit the streets.

What Elon Musk is trying to do with DOGE — which stands for Department of Government Efficiency — is pretty simple. He’s looking to cut through some of the waste, streamline how government works, and make things run smoother. That’s it. Get rid of corruption, theft and waste so we can all have more money in our pockets.

It’s not about taking anything away from anyone. It’s just about getting rid of unnecessary spending and red tape. Honestly, when they’re done, it could make the government a little more functional and us a little richer and who wouldn’t want that?

Yesterday’s protests were like watching a fear-mongering flash mob of people who had no idea what they were even protesting. Just vague panic fueled by headlines and hashtags. And you know what? That kind of performative outrage helps absolutely no one.

If you’re going to take to the streets, at least know what you’re fighting for. Or better yet, what you’re fighting against. Screaming about rights no one is threatening doesn’t make you a hero. It makes you look foolish.

Next time, let’s save the signs and slogans for actual issues. Because this? This was just embarrassing.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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