There Is No Cat - We’re all bennies in a way

Monday, June 3, 2002

We’re all bennies in a way

The Philadelphia Inquirer rips New Jersey shore towns for making it difficult and expensive for people to use their beaches. I agree with them. It’s always frosted me that the towns on the shore charge to use what’s supposed to be a public resource. That’s why I tend to spend more time at the beach in May and September than I do during the summer. Monmouth and Ocean counties are singled out for particularly bad policies. I thought the ocean belonged to all of us, and I guess it does, but any land leading up to it is $60 a season....

Posted at 3:53 AM

Comments

Yeah, it’s always pissed me off, too. I pay taxes--state and Federal--to maintain those beaches. Then, if I want to go there during the summer, I have to pay the town to get on the beach I already paid taxes for.

It’s one of the things that really annoys me about NJ.

By the way, the title of the blog on weblogs.com caught my eye. Nice blog.

Posted by Meryl Yourish at 6:51 PM, June 5, 2002 [Link]

um the people who live at the shore year-round (i.e., me) have to pay for badges too. it does suck. but its not our fault just cause we live there. and its not the small town politicians that we elect either, like them or not. i don’t really know what the logic is behind beach badges. more money i guess. beach maintainence.

Posted by Ali at 10:01 PM, October 5, 2003 [Link]

This may be a tad late to reply to this...but I grew up there, too. And we hate that we pay the HIGHER taxes to live at the beach all year round, and you guys come and INVADE our towns, reaping the benefits. Yes, we all pay to get on the beach--no discount for the locals. And, we depend on that money from you. And, all of the money from badges goes to the tourism board to support beach cleaning, lifeguards and entertainment for all of the bennies and locals alike. Sadly (and surprisingly) taxes would be killer without beach badge sales.

Posted by Alison B at 1:41 PM, June 1, 2004 [Link]

No offense, AlisonB, but CALIFORNIA (the most populous state), TEXAS (the second most populous state), and FLORIDA (the fourth most populous state), have FREE FREE FREE beaches. And don’t tell me taxes are higher in Corpus Christi, South Padre Island, or Galveston than they are in New Jersey. My suggestion to Pennsylvanians is simply to vacation on a beach where you’re acutally wanted, like Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, California... (Hey, why is it backwards ’red’ states have progressive open beach laws but the progressive ’blue’ states have backwards beach laws?)

Posted by JimmyEv at 10:05 PM, March 2, 2005 [Link]

The beach badge fees pay the lifeguard salaries, and the additional costs the shore communities have to bear such as cleaning garbage off the beach/boardwalks, overtime for law enforcement and hiring of summer/temporary police officers.

Posted by beachboy at 2:32 PM, June 7, 2005 [Link]

Not all beaches require tags. Actually, the best beaches in my opinion have always been free.

Posted by Ibv at 4:05 PM, June 8, 2005 [Link]

I have lived in Houston, and moved away. I came back to visit. The fees it cost to be at Stewart Beach are not and never will be a problem. Without the lifeguards and be beach clean up, what kind of beach would you have in Galveston. Thank you for your time, and I will be back again and again. No matter what the fees are at the time

Posted by Denny at 10:22 AM, July 17, 2005 [Link]