New Jersey Legislature holding firm on no pumping your own gas (Opinion)

The recently ousted Senate President Steve Sweeney refused to even hear about any bills that would allow pumping your own gas in New Jersey. He's gone but the new Senate President Nick Scutari is reportedly following the same path.

It's their mantra: Follow the faulty, inaccurate polls, and limit as much freedom in New Jersey as possible.

Just like Phil Murphy nullified your elected representatives by taking full control of the state in the last two years during the pandemic, Scutari is doing the same in the Legislature by not even allowing a bill to be heard or advance. Instead of letting the peoples' representatives decide and give people a choice, these powerful authoritarians like to wield all the power.

Here's what Scutari had to say about it, “The people of New Jersey are very clear in wanting to keep the system we have now, and there is no data supporting any contention that moving to a self-service model would save residents money at the pump.”

The bill wouldn't change anything for people who want to have someone pump it for them, it would just give the rest of us a chance to do what all the other 49 states get to do.

Also, according to the gasoline retailers association director, Sal Risalvato, it would potentially save those customers about 15 cents per gallon.

Here is how he reacted to the almighty senate president's refusal to even entertain a vote on the bill:

"When the Senate president says New Jerseyans want to keep the system we have now, he's unfortunately relying on a flawed poll that asked the wrong question. Our internal polling shows that New Jerseyans want a choice and that's exactly what this legislation does. It gives motorists the choice of continuing to receive full-serve or having the option of self-serve. It's about convenience for motorists who don't want to wait for someone else to pump their own gas. It's also about saving money."

So if you had any hopes of New Jersey moving into the 21st century when it comes to stopping for gas, fahgettaboudit! The powerful people in charge will not allow anything they don't like even to be voted on by the representatives you voted for.

It makes a mockery of our system of representative government. The game is rigged against us and as the last two years proved, there's nothing you can do about it, except flee like so many others have.

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

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