Letter to the editor
To the editor:
It’s spring in New Jersey, and along with the flowers, one of the perennial ill-advised ideas poking its way into the sunlight is the notion that our state should drop its full-service requirement for gas stations and require people to pump their own, like the people in other states. It is suggested that in return for allowing us the dubious pleasure of self-service, gasoline prices would be reduced.
Unfortunately, this is a bargain the consumer will never see. Currently, prices in New Jersey are equal or less than those of border states who have the self-service option. In other states, initial savings were almost immediately gobbled up by increased state taxes, a scenario likely to be followed here in New Jersey.
Just as big a concern for me is the increased burden and cost this plan would impose on our elderly and disabled population. In those states where full-service is optional, the cost for that service in invariably five cents higher or more per gallon. Why should we force senior citizens and the disabled who require such help to pay a penalty when they now receive the same service as everyone else at the same price?
A similar situation is posed by parents driving with young children in the car. Should we penalize them for not wanting to leave their children alone in an automobile while they leave to pay their pump bill?
I, like many others, would like to see lower gas prices. However, let us not fool ourselves that requiring New Jersey residents to pump their own gas will reduce the cost of gas 1 cent. The real villains of this situation are the oil-producing nations who artificially limit production, oil-industry practices in general and the network of state and federal taxes that each pile on to force prices higher. We need greater efforts at the federal level to address these factors before we can see lower gas prices.
Finally, this legislation gives us no valid reason to give up a service that employs up to 200,000 attendants statewide. These individuals are supporting families, paying taxes and contributing to their community. By eliminating the full-service requirement, we also eliminate their jobs.
This legislation is such a low-octane idea, that if it were gasoline, we would never allow it near our car. It is a bill that I will oppose when it comes before the Senate.
Shirley K. Turner
Lawrenceville-Pennington Road
Senator
15th Legislative District