Another example of New Jersey politicians being ridiculous. I'm not railing against beach tags in general; most beach towns in New Jersey have them and obviously the price of admission doesn't keep locals and shoobies from the beach. If the money stays local and is used to clean and keep the beaches nice, I really don't have a problem with them; although I must tell you that I took advantage of the one of the only FREE beaches in NJ yesterday and it was beautiful. The problem with the proposal this article details is the idea that New Jersey should have one universal beach tag good for any beach in the state.
You might ask-what's wrong with that?
Well-here's my opinion-take it for what it's worth-
the dollars collected for the universal beach tags will be funneled through New Jersey state government, a culture of corruption and greed, and all the players' palms will be greased yet again. The proposal suggests that the municipalities involved will get funds allocated to them based on numbers of visitors, but let's face facts here-once the money goes to Trenton, municipalities have a snowball's chance in hell of getting any of it.
I won't even go into the comparision with the Soviet Union (OMG WTF!!!!!)
So here's the article from this morning's AC Press;
State assemblyman's impossible dream: Free beach tags for all
(Published: Monday, July 14, 2008
(Published: Monday, July 14, 2008
)
"When the Soviet Union wasn't free, at least its beaches were."
Assemblyman Neil Cohen is in his office on a weekend during summer recess, comparing New Jersey's beach admission fees unfavorably with Iron Curtain policies. Pardon the northern New Jersey legislator if he's bitter. His perennial efforts to abolish the fees and institute full state funding of beach maintenance have never gotten as far as a vote in the full Assembly.
"I don't see it happening any time soon," said Cohen, D-Union, who has tried for 11 years.
This year, his friend has taken a softer tack. Assemblyman John Wisniewski, D-Middlesex, wants to institute a universal beach tag, valid in any town.
"It doesn't abolish the beach badge, it homogenizes it," said Wisniewski, whose beach of choice is Manasquan in Monmouth County. The state would collect the proceeds and distribute them in proportion to each town's number of visitors.
Wisniewski will push the bill when the Legislature reconvenes in September. But although he said constituents have praised the idea, he won't predict whether his bill will get further than Cohen's, much less whether it could pass.
If the subject is familiar to Cohen after 11 years in the Legislature, it's rote to Bill Dressel, executive director and 34-year employee of the New Jersey League of Municipalities.
"It comes up every year, Memorial Day ... it's like the sparrows back to Capistrano," Dressel said.
The famous flock in California is actually swallows, not sparrows, but the way Dressel talks, maybe penguins will swim there from Antarctica before beach tags bite the dust in New Jersey.
"Maintaining a beach for visitors is a very expensive and risky business. You're subject to conditions that are beyond your control," Dressel said.
Asked why no other state charges for beach access, Dressel said other states devote more budget room to upkeep.
"Other states have other sources of funding. I'm from Virginia, and I know the money they commit to tourism. New Jersey pales in comparison," Dressel said. "If you could rely on a large commercial base, that's great, but a lot of these other towns don't have that." Atlantic City, the Wildwoods and the Strathmere section of Upper Township don't use beach tags.
Any discussion of beach-tag changes hasn't trickled down to municipal governments themselves, as far as Mayor Chuck Chiarello of inland Buena Vista Township knows. He's on the executive board of the League of Municipalities, and he can't recall any recent chatter.
"We get bulletins every single day from the league. I haven't seen too much traffic on that topic," Chiarello said.
"If you talk to mayors from other areas where they don't have beaches, they think it's atrocious," said Stone Harbor Mayor Suzanne Walters, another board member for the league. Nonetheless, she believes the badges are merited as "sort of a user fee."
Cohen believes that charging for beach access is ludicrous, but he has been receptive to Wisniewski's "intermediate step."
By the way, what's Cohen's favorite sand spot?
"I really don't take vacation," the assemblyman said. "That's part of the problem."
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