Do you know of anything the state government has handled "properly" Sam?

"Mr. Corzine (the NJ Governor) proposed Thursday that the state lift its self-serve ban as part of a package of transportation proposals on carpooling, mass transit and enforcement, intended to cushion residents from rising gasoline prices. And while he cautioned that his proposal was just a pilot program that would be limited to perhaps three months, he said that self-serve gasoline could save drivers about 5 or 6 cents a gallon, if properly handled."

Let me ask you something Sam. Do you think that in all those states in the U.S. where motorists pump their own gas and where gasoline prices are significantly higher than in New Jesey ... would result in lower gas prices in NJ if we pumped our own gas here? I think not. If any savings to the consumer were gained, the politicians would put an additional tax on the five to six cents per gallon that was "saved". Motorists come over from Philly and New York now for cheaper gas in NJ. I can't imagine the long gas lines developing on this side of the bridges if gas in Jersey was an additional five or six cents cheaper than it is now.

I don't know about Oregon (the only other state where they don't pump their own gas) but I think the basic reason for customers not having to pump their own gas in Jersey has to do with NJ state insurance regulations more than the politics involved.