Laden...
Shocking no one, a poll this week reveals a New Jerseyans really, really don't want to pump our own gas.
Hello friends,
When I walk into a supermarket and they’ve replaced more of the staffed checkouts with self-service lanes, I cringe. It’s not that I’m opposed to self-checkout on principle, especially when there’s no line and I’m in a hurry.
But I get positively irked when there’s a wait to use the self-checkouts. It somehow adds to the whole indignity of the situation. Something about standing in line for several minutes only to serve myself just burns me up. And when the lady in the machine hollers at me and I have to end up ringing for an attendant anyway, it engages my last nerve.
The self-serve gas thing hits me the same way. I grew up in Pennsylvania, and knew how to pump gas at a pretty early age. And when I started driving, there were plenty of times I chose the self-serve option, but I wouldn’t wait in line for it. If I’m going to sit in a line, I want a little service at the end.
A lot of you seem to agree, based on the results of a Rutgers-Eagleton poll the other day that showed a whopping 73% of New Jerseyans do not want to pump our own gas. By nearly a 3-to-1 margin, folks said they prefer full service. But there’s a few miles between “I prefer not to pump my own,” and “I will only use full service.” So we’ll keep on arguing.
And yet, our Brent Johnson reports, a “bipartisan collection of legislators introduced a bill Monday called the ‘Motorist Fueling Choice and Convenience Act,’” which would not force gas retailers to end self-service, only allow them to offer it.
So why is it that this issue gets people here so worked up?
It’s not just that we’re lazy or entitled or don’t have that Kim Kardashian work ethic. It feels like doing someone else’s job, because it is. And if you think some retailers won’t use it as an excuse to cut workers, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.
Fact is, there are plenty of reasons to preserve the self-service option: Nobody wants to leave a baby in the car while they get out to pump and pay. And it’s a special challenge to the elderly and those with disabilities. That doesn’t mean those people don’t manage to get gas in self-serve states, but shouldn’t we be making things easier for folks, not more difficult?
Bottom line: Self serve will get here at some point. And a lot of us kvetching about it now will use it when it suits us. Jersey abides.
Also this week, a big land sale, your basic nightmare, no mo’ snow days, one to bookmark, and play ball!
GOT LAND: Down in Salem County, the little town of Penns Grove -- best known as Bruce Willis’ hometown -- is auctioning off 78 properties from an extensive portfolio of municipally-owned lots. Some are irregular, other have old houses on them, and others are ready for building.
NOPE NOPE NOPE: Giant parachuting spiders, you say? Luckily, those big yellow Joro spiders are predicted to hit southern states, so no need to panic. Can they eat spotted lantern flies, at least?
SO LONG, SNOW DAYS: Another bill making its way through Trenton now would allow school districts to ditch snow days in favor of virtual classes, to keep counting toward the required 180 days of instruction. Once again, I ask: Can parents of young children get a break, please?
CHEAP EATS: With the price of, well, everything going up and groceries getting ever more expensive, you’ll want to bookmark this one: A list of 33 places to get good, cheap food in New Jersey. From a $5 pernil in Camden to a $7 dinner buffet in Boonton, you can’t beat Pete Genovese’s updated list.
IT’S BACK: There will be a Major League Baseball season this year, after an agreement Thursday between the league and the players’ union to end a 99-day lockout. Let’s go Phils. (Don’t look at me like that, you know I’m from Philly!)
Finally, NJ.com journalists have been covering the horrifying situation at Woodland Behavioral Health and Nursing Center at Andover nursing home since early in the pandemic when the bodies of 17 deceased residents were found in a freezer. It is unquestionably a facility of last resort, one of the worst in the state. So why is it still open?
A new look at the numbers really brings the situation home. Ted Sherman reports that many of problems at the facility stem chronic understaffing that puts its 450 residents -- including patients in memory care, psychiatric and behavioral health issues -- at risk.
Regulators say more registered nurses on staff in more hours of the day improve patient care, yet Andover ranks near the bottom of a ranking of facilities for hours of staff on site. An outside health system is being brought in to assess and monitor Woodland’s operation, but the success of that venture isn’t assured: Disability advocates say Woodland’s owners and administrators have berated and bullied them while they tried to investigate patient claims.
After they sued, judge on Friday ordered that they get unfettered access.
If you’ve ever had a loved in a nursing home, or been a patient in one yourself, you know how important it is for families and loved ones to remain engaged and vigilant in monitoring care. But for too many seniors and at-risk patients, that’s just not possible.
At least in this case, there’s a watchdog in the press keeping the issue prominent and asking needed questions. Will federal and state licensing agencies do their part?
Have a wonderful weekend -- keep warm! -- and pray for peace.
P.S.: Would you look at that. The masks worked.
P.P.S: I’m off on a Spring Break trip next week, so no Letter. I’ll see you back here on the 26th.
Amy Z. Quinn Audience Editor
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