Registered: Feb 2004
Location: in colorado somewhere!
Posts: 25636

It's their own damm fault voting for idiots.

quote:

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TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - July 3, 2006 - As New Jersey's government shutdown threatened to close Atlantic City casinos and state parks, Gov. Jon S. Corzine on Monday said state lawmakers must report to the Statehouse on the July Fourth holiday and stay there until they adopt a budget.


Corzine called for a special session of the Legislature after Monday afternoon negotiations with the lawmaker leading opposition to the governor's proposed sales tax increase failed yet again.

Tuesday's session - coming on Independence Day as tension over the budget dispute builds - is to start at 9 a.m. with a speech by Corzine, who intends to push a compromise plan offered nearly two weeks ago by Senate President Richard J. Codey.

"I will try to speak explicitly about a compromise that I hope people will find is reasonable," Corzine said.

The governor imposed the shutdown after lawmakers missed a July 1 deadline to adopt a new state budget amid a dispute over this plans to increase the sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent. The impasse among the governor and his fellow Democrats who control the Legislature left New Jersey with no means to spend money.

New Jersey's lottery ticket sales and road construction have halted, courts are closed and more than half the state work force was off the job.

The same could happen to betting at race tracks and at the Atlantic City casinos, which require state monitors to operate. By Wednesday, state parks, historic sites and beaches could also be closed.

Codey's compromise involves using half the $1.1 billion that would be raised by the sales tax increase to ease the state's highest-in-the-nation property taxes. The Senate president predicted the plan would pass the Legislature if considered, but Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts, D-Camden, has rejected it.

Roberts has been leading opposition to the sales tax increase and continued to reject the compromise late Monday. He wants a sales tax increase reserved for property tax reform talks to be held later this year and opposes using it to fund general state spending.

"The sales tax in its entirety needs to be dedicated to property tax relief," Roberts said.

Yet Assemblyman Joseph Cryan, the chairman of the state Democrat Party, on Monday indicated it hasn't received full debate among Assembly Democrats.

"I agree with the governor," said Cryan, D-Union. "I think the Assembly needs to take a real honest look at it in our caucus and I'm hopeful tomorrow allows us to do that."

Roberts scoffed at suggestions the idea hasn't been discussed, saying he's talked about it with legislators and noting it has received widespread publicity.

Corzine's move came after a 40-minute meeting with Roberts failed and Roberts challenged Corzine to list lawmakers who back his plan to increase the state's sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent.

"If the governor can demonstrate that legislative support is there, then I will post his sales tax bill in 24 hours," Roberts said.

Republicans welcomed Corzine's order.

"The governor should have called us into session last week," said Senate Minority Leader Leonard Lance, R-Hunterdon.

The Senate gathered in Trenton on Monday, though it had no bills to vote on. Codey told senators to stay in session until a budget is adopted. No Assembly meetings were scheduled, which frustrated Corzine and Senate leaders.

"I can't veto a budget, I can't sign a budget until it's actually presented by the Legislature," Corzine said.

Budget talks became heated as Corzine proposed increasing the state sales tax to help overcome a $4.5 billion deficit for his $31 billion spending plan. The proposal would cost the average New Jersey family $275 per year, according to experts.

The casinos are waging a court battle to remain open. The Casino Control Commission told Atlantic City's 12 casinos to lock up at 8 a.m. Wednesday, and an appeals court panel on Monday denied the casinos' request to stay open while the appeals continue. Casino lawyers planned to appeal that decision to the state Supreme Court on Monday evening.

Daniel Heneghan, a commission spokesman, said the state stands to lose $1.3 million a day in revenue to help senior citizens and people with disabilities if the casinos close.

The state extended deadlines for people trying to renew driver's licenses, vehicle registrations and car inspections - a good thing, since some people showed up at state offices Monday only to find the offices were closed.

"I was shocked. It's a waste of time and money and my day off," said Victoria Moore, 53, of Ocean City, who was looking to renew her license at an office in Egg Harbor Township. "I balance my budget at home, why can't they balance theirs? I know how to cut corners at home, why can't they?"

About 45,000 state employees are on furlough in the meantime, with only personnel deemed essential, including state police, prison guards, child welfare workers, and some administration staff still working. About 150 furloughed state workers rallied Monday outside the Statehouse, beseeching lawmakers to end the impasse.

Roberts said most Democrats in the Assembly - along with several Senate Democrats - oppose the sales tax increase, fearing voter backlash and preferring to reserve any tax increase for property tax changes. Assembly Democrats proposed a series of alternatives, some of which Corzine accepted, but both sides remained $1 billion apart as the budget deadline passed.

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Registered: Feb 2004
Location: in colorado somewhere!
Posts: 25636

Wait. That was two days ago. This is today. HOLY SHIT. It's happening. How the fuck can they just close down Atlantic City?

quote:

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New Jersey shuts down casinos
Jul._5, 2006. 09:01_AM
JOHN CURRAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — New Jersey's casinos ushered the last of the gamblers away from slot machines and tables Wednesday, and janitors locked the doors behind them as a state government shutdown claimed its latest victims.

In the first mass closure in the 28-year history of Atlantic City's legalized gambling trade, all 12 casinos were under state orders to lock up.

Atlantic City's casinos are lucrative for New Jersey. They have a $1.1-billion (U.S.) payroll, and the state takes an eight per cent cut of the action — an estimated $1.3 million a day.

But as a stalemate over the state budget entered its fifth day Wednesday with no deal in sight, even they had to shut down.

With no state budget, New Jersey can't pay its employees, meaning the casino inspectors who keep tabs on the money and whose presence is required at casinos are off the job.

State parks and beaches were also closed because of the lack of staff.

"It's like last call at a bar. It's a little bit eerie," said Michael Trager, 36, of Cincinnati, was playing a video poker machine at 10 minutes to 8 a.m. when an attendant told him to conclude his bet. "They said, `That's it, you gotta cash out. We're closing.' "

The doors to the Boardwalk side of Caesar's were locked by janitors. An announcement came over the public address system telling gamblers the casino was closing.

The problem started when the Legislature missed its July 1 constitutional deadline to pass the budget amid a fight with Gov. Jon Corzine over his proposed boost in the state sales tax.

Without a spending plan, Corzine ordered state offices shut down Saturday and all non-essential state government operations closed, and he furloughed more than half the state's employees.

Only about 36,000 people in vital roles such as child welfare, state police and mental hospitals remained on the job, and they were working without pay.

The dispute between the governor and his fellow Democrats who control the legislature centres on his plan to increase the state sales tax to seven per cent from six per cent to help overcome a $4.5-billion deficit in his $31-billion spending plan.

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Hilbert Space
Posts: 35568

Didn't the Federal Government close down once under Clinton because Congress couldn't agree a budget?

Corzine's right that they need to move closer to balancing their budget. I would say that they should cut spending to do it (although NJ is the richest state, per capita, you can't keep raising taxes indefinitely) but tax hikes are better than not reining in spending and not increasing revenue. The budget has to balance sooner rather than later.

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Registered: Feb 2004
Location: in colorado somewhere!
Posts: 25636

I wonder though how long everything's gonna stay closed. With the casino's closed,buses that run there stop,1.3 million a day revenue stops,it's like 9-11 again with everything..stopping.
Cops working for free? I sense pandimonia there....very soon.

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Hilbert Space
Posts: 35568

1.3 .million a day's not a good thing for the state to lose, but it's not calamity.

The police are 'essential workers', they're still on duty and will continue to be.

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Zion
Posts: 4444

Will the privately owned casinos have any course of action to recoup their losses due to the State shutting down? It seems to me that the casinos shouldn't be punished for the poor fiscal actions of the State.

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Location Location
Posts: 26385

Wait, does this mean you can start pumping your own gas again?

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Zion
Posts: 4444

Jersey makes you have somebody pump your gas?

What kind of bassackward State is that?

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Registered: Mar 2005
Location: SEATTLE
Posts: 1932

quote:

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Originally posted by Paint CHiPs
Wait, does this mean you can start pumping your own gas again?

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Hilbert Space
Posts: 35568

quote:

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Originally posted by Cruise Director
Jersey makes you have somebody pump your gas?

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Registered: Mar 2004
Location: USA
Posts: 24317

You WANT to pump your own gas? I agree the law is weird, but that is like saying they will bag my groceries, but fuck that, I want to do it myself.

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Registered: Dec 2002
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NJ and Oregon both require gas pump attendants. Don't know the rationale in NJ, but back in the very early '60's a lot of stations in Portland were going over to self-service, and a little old lady stopped at one. Pumped her gas, went in and paid, got in her car to drive away and yanked the hose out of the pump. There was no automatic shut-off valve, she panicked, jumped out of her car and ran back to shut off the pump. She was in the middle of a lake of gasoline when it ignited.

As it happened, she was the mother of a powerful member of the State legislature.

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Hilbert Space
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quote:

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Originally posted by Trenchant_Troll
You WANT to pump your own gas? I agree the law is weird, but that is like saying they will bag my groceries, but fuck that, I want to do it myself.

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Registered: Mar 2004
Location: USA
Posts: 24317

I'm not convinced that it would make gas cheaper here. Maybe.

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Registered: Dec 2002
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On my various jaunts about the country in the last 15 months, I've purchased gas in stations both rural and urban, high traffic volume and low, in 10 states.

My experience has been, mostly, the more urban a station location is, the higher the trafic volume it services, the more expensive the gas. Little rural gas stations frequently provide full service whether required to or not - the cheapest gas on my road trip last year was in central Nevada, one hell of a long ways off the beaten track, and the station operator insisted on filling the tank, checking the oil, and washing the windshield.

Pump attendants do not appear to have any significant impact on gas prices.

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Hilbert Space
Posts: 35568

They must be a significant expense and, capitalism being what it is, one would expect that competition, in the absence of a mandated expense, would drive the price down.

My observation on gas prices is that it seems to depend on locale within a state but that rural and urban can be cheap or expensive. I think that the more rural stations here do more business, actually, but that's not necessarily true everywhere. Presumably local tax has a role to play in setting prices, as well.

Stations that offer both self and full service charge more for full service, where I've seen that situation.

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Registered: Mar 2004
Location: USA
Posts: 24317

Yeah, but this is NJ, Smug. They will just raise the gas tax to compensate.

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Hilbert Space
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To be fair to the NJ government, gas tax is one thing that is pretty low; it's half a cent more than Wyoming's and Wyoming has the lowest tax on gas, I believe.

Purchases of clothes aren't taxed in NJ and am I right that food purchases (from a supermarket, rather than a restaurant) aren't either?

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Registered: Mar 2004
Location: USA
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That is correct, Smug.

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Hilbert Space
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Here in the socialist republic of New York, it's all taxed, at 8%.

But at least we can buy beer in supermarkets and gas stations, I suppose. Except on Sunday morning. And if you want wine or liquor, you have to go to a liquor store. Where they aren't allowed to sell beer.

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Registered: Mar 2004
Location: USA
Posts: 24317

So you have go to church sober now? That must really be cramping your style.

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Zion
Posts: 4444

With the addied income from the casinos (1.3 million per day) I don't understand why NJ is so highly taxed? Nevada has some of the lowest personal taxes in the country.

What, besides the Troll, does NJ have to offer that is worth such high taxes?

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