Time was when a “state of emergency” meant, well, a real emergency.

No longer.

Now it’s an “emergency” when New Jersey gets a few inches of snow in winter. Those of a certain age – over 50 for sure, or maybe even over 30 or 40 – will recall things never used to be this way. Snow was expected in winter and unless it was a legitimate blizzard, the world, or the state, did not automatically shut down.

Gov. Phil Murphy declared a “state of emergency” for today (Wednesday) on Tuesday. The most dire forecast was for a maximum of six inches of snow in northern New Jersey; less in the southern part of the state.

The governor has some experience here. Back in January, he declared an emergency as well and nothing really happened in terms of snow. But many events were cancelled that Saturday, including a planned women’s march in Trenton.

None of this is surprising in light of what happened in mid-November.

That’s when a surprisingly strong snow and sleet storm on a Thursday afternoon caused massive traffic jams all over the state. Motorists spent hours on the road trying to get home and some kids ended up spending part of the night in their schools.

This event morphed into partisan politics when Chris Christie complained that it took him about five hours that day to drive from central Jersey to his home in Mendham Township. Christie is not ready to forget the experience; he actually brought it up again during a recent TV appearance with Stephen Colbert to hype his book.

So when that storm ended, you knew what was going to happen next. The governor would overreact the next time the forecast called for snow – and he’s been doing it ever since. That explains the emergency declarations and the constant application of brine to state highways.

Some may ask, so what? What’s the big deal if we, as a state, overreact? And it must be pointed out that Murphy certainly isn’t alone among politicians in overreacting.

The problem is that schools, some businesses and government offices close when it may not be truly necessary for them to do so. These declarations also have a tendency to alarm some seniors unnecessarily.

But there’s something more. This isn’t Georgia, South Carolina or any other place where snow is a novelty. This is New Jersey where snow in winter is common. Murphy, who grew up in Massachusetts, certainly knows that.

Is it so hard to view approaching storms in context and to realize that a full-blown state of emergency is not required every time it snows?  Most state residents don’t need an official emergency declaration to drive carefully when it’s snowing or to stay off the
roads at the height of a storm.

Sure, there’s the old saying about, “better to be safe than sorry.”

But there’s also another one about “crying wolf.”