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(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Image, file photo)
Hooray for Senate President Steve Sweeney, who stated legislation allowing consumers to pump their own gas will not pass as long as he is in charge. I hope he sticks to his guns.
Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon (R-Monmouth), Sen. Gerald Cardinale (R-Bergen) and Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) want to change the present law to have consumers stand out in the snow, freezing weather, pouring rain and handle dirty, smelly gas pump handles. They also want to make a large group of people lose their jobs who now perform that service for us.
I wonder why they didn't try to bring this to a vote during the miserable past winter we had and what is motivating them to push for this. It certainly is not for the benefit of their constituents. It will benefit only the large gas station owners like Wawa, and the oil companies who have plenty of dollars to spend for lobbying. In my opinion, the motivation of the people pushing for this doesn't pass the smell test.
If we need money for the Transportation Trust Fund, let's look into taxing some of the real estate and businesses owned by so-called nonprofits.
A recent poll showed 63 percent of registered voters in New Jersey do not want to pump their own gas, and a poll of women showed 72 percent of them do not want the law changed.
-- Elmer M. Smith,
Hopewell Township
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