Corzine Tells Rural Folks They’re On Their Own
I’ll admit it from the get-go: I am from rural New Jersey. I grew up in Sussex County. We had a party-line phone until the late 70s. Our power used to go off every year when the ski slopes would fire up the snow makers. We got 2 TV channels well and 5 only so-so. We generated a goodly percentage of our heat in the winter from wood we had cut the summer before. A lot of roads in town were unpaved through the 70s.
And for many years we depended on the State Troopers for our police protection, as the towns near us did not have police departments (and our town’s only started in 1975). Now, obviously, we didn’t need much of a police force, as crime was not a huge issue. Were we nicer, better people then? Heck no. However everyone, and I mean every single house, was armed. I firmly believe that the knowledge that every single homeowner had a loaded shotgun that they were used to using in reach had an amazing effect on the burglary rate.
Sussex was, and still is, a conservative outcast in the sea of Jersey politics, and as such received very little back from Trenton for the tax money that was sent in. And mostly that was alright with folks, as all we ever really wanted from the State Government was that the Troopers, the State Troopers, would show up within 20 minutes or so of our calling them. And, God bless ’em, they always did.
And now Corzine wants to take even that away
TRENTON — New Jersey State Police have patrolled the state’s rural areas for 87 years at no extra cost to smaller towns that never created police departments.
In fact, the law that created the state police agency stated it would “primarily” be used to protect rural areas.
But times have changed, and free rural New Jersey state police patrols may soon end.
As the state grapples with chronic state budget woes, Gov. Corzine has proposed requiring municipalities that get free state police patrols to pay a quarter of the estimated patrol cost to raise $20.5 million for the cash-strapped state.
Rather than do something silly like, say, cut waste in Trenton or perhaps not add thousands of people to the state payroll our glorious bloated bureaucracy has instead chosen to charge people for what they already pay for. It’s brilliant economics.
“There is no plan afoot to remove state police protection from any town now utilizing it,”
(state Attorney General Anne Milgram) said. “The plan is simply to require reimbursement for that coverage, which is only fair.”
This is crap. The towns already pay for the coverage. The State Police was created to patrol rural areas and they are funded by the taxes everyone pays.
This is just another salvo in Corzine’s war on small towns.
Why am I feeling all bitter and clingy?
Politics | Mr. Bingley | 
April 28, 2008 2:53 pm
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I thought the state police was created to write tickets on the Parkway, Turnpike and the interstates.
Bingley-You just have to figure out how to make state police protection part of health insurance. Then Corzine will be all for covering it.
Bill, that’s the state police in a lot of OTHER states. Like, say, the Florida Highway Patrol, my own personal least favorite law enforcement agency in the universe.
Mr Bingley,We got four channels when I was a kid
2,4,5,7.You were deprived,only got two.Ha Ha.
I signed up last year for a special 6 month offer,
I had like 200 channels( it was incredible).
But,I cancelled it when I realized I only liked
like four channels.
Mr.Bingley:I didn’t mean to make light of the
situation.This is another example of government
trying to control any independent community.
The pocketbook is a way to control people.
I feel it’s not about money,it’s about control.
Freedom is what they fear the most.That’s why the Boy Scouts continually get attacked by these freaks.
Sorry, I get carried away.
Dave,
I’m a particular fan of the Maryland State Police, myself.