What is an emergency switch outside a utility room supposed to be for?

[Stephen King]

It's used to turn off Frankenstein's monster if the lightening charges up too much.

[George E. Cawthon]

I don't "ump" gas anywhere. But everyone bitches about having to wait for an attendant pumping gas in Oregon. BTW, I don't see how NJ laws can prevent fires in other states. ;)

Seriously-- why be serious about NJ.

[George E. Cawthon]

Until the attendant fills your gas tank with diesel or vice versa.

[Doug Miller]

The NJ law has nothing to do with preventing fires; it's all about protecting jobs.

[trader4]

fires; it's all about protecting

I'd have to disagree that the NJ law is about protecting jobs. It's been on the books since the 30s and I think if you look at why it was created in the first place, there is agreement it was because it was thought to be a safety issue. The politicians in NJ don't give a damn about jobs, unless they are union jobs with political clout. Almost all of the gas pumping jobs are non-unionized. The reason the law is still there is because the majority of the people here like it. The typical letter you see in the paper is along the lines "When I was driving on my trip to FL, NJ was the lowest gas price I saw, so it proves self service isn't a factor with gas prices." Of course, what these dummies don't understand is that NJ gas is among the lowest because the NJ state tax on gasoline is one of the lowest in the country and we are close to a number of refineries. Then, the discussion turns to the elderly and handicapped, who claim they will be unable to get gas. That despite the fact that stations would still have some attendents for full service and it obviously works in other states. So, faced with that, the politicians figure that if they can give the voters at least something trivial that they want, they will be dumb enough to vote them back in, ignoring how they are getting screwed right and left with corruption and the highest taxes. And it does seem to work.

[Goedjn]

Well, I wanted cubage more than I wanted "nice looking", so I bought a 150 year old Masonic temple, and am converting it. About the time I'm too old to climb the stairs, it will be really nice. My heirs will be delighted, bemused, or both.

--Goedjn

[The Other Funk]

NJ laws never have anything to do with what law makers say they are about. Bob

[Edwin Pawlowski]

While what you say about taxes is true, other states, like Massachusetts have a mix of self and full service as each town fire marshal makes the law for pumping. The full service stations sell at the same price as the self serve stations across the street or around the block. I'll be damned if I'm going to stand out in the cold when I can pay the same price and have it pumped for me. The only difference it is consistently about 30¢ higher than NJ.

I live in CT. Some of the stations offer both, but they artificially raise the full serve about 35¢ to 50¢ over the self serve. They really don't want to pump it but if you make them, they will be well paid for the service. In any case, they are about 6¢ over MA due to our very high gas taxes. I think we are second highest in the country.