New Jersey is #1!!An expensive victory for Jersey's drivers

The Newark Star Ledger ^ | 07.29.03

[Coleus]

Ah, driving in New Jersey. The most crowded roads.

The longest commutes. The, ahem, nicest drivers.

And the highest average auto insurance bills in the nation. Again.

New Jersey beat out all the other states for the eighth time in the past decade, according to the annual National Association of Insurance Commissioners' survey, released yesterday.

[Coleus]

And you can't blame this solely on the democrats. The NJ legislature had a 10-yr. Republican majority 8 of which with Christie Todd Whitman as governor. NJ has less than 70 carriers while many other states have over 300. NJ has a high rate of unlicensed and uninsured drivers, many are immigrants. WE STILL HAVE PAPER LICENSES!!! We even licensed 911/WTC terrorists. Yes, NJ, being one of the more sophisticated states with many PhD's and other scientist who work in the Pharmaceutical, Chemical and telecommunications industries is one of only 2 states with paper licenses.

Our property taxes are among the highest too. I know someone who lives on a 33' x 100' lot and pays $7,000.00 per year.

Our physicians had 2 or 3 work stoppages and protested in Trenton twice, they are down to, I think, 3 carriers who will insure them.

[steplock]

If ONLY it were $1000 /yr

Don't these NJ'ers have kids? or are they ALL underinsured?

I'm talking Houston Texas area for just liability on 2 autos 2 adults (no Tickets) but 2 teenager boys.

And that was (Thank GOD) about 10 years ago!

[Calpernia]

And we just renewed our malpractice insurance. It is more than our car insurance. Way more.

Another point of interest. Teens can't be 'put under' their parents car insurance anymore. They have to carry their own car insurance.

[Coleus]

My neighbor's son pays about $3,800.00 per yr. with a couple of accidents under his belt. The article's figure was very low on what we pay. Most people I know pay about $2,000 per car for full coverage.

[Coleus]

We Live in a very expensive state. And costs, fees, taxes and the state budget keep climbing.

[HurkinMcGurkin]

Speaking of New Jersey, I came across this a while back. No offense to the good people of NJ:

----------------------------------------------------

Application To Live In New Jersey:

Name: _____________________________

Nickname: _____________________________

Address: _____________ ________________

Exit # (NJ Turnpike): _______

Exit # (Garden State Parkway): _______

Ethnic Background:

___Italian ___Sicilian ___Jewish ___Italian ___Italian

Profession:

___Mechanic ___Truckdriver ___Meatpacker ___Dockworker

___Hairdresser ___Manacurist ___Avon Sales Lady

___Waitress @ Bennigan's___Exotic Dancer

Backyard Smells Like:

___Sewage ___Sulfur ___Garbage ___All 3

# of Muscle Shirts Owned:

___5-10 ___10-15 ! ___15-20 ___20 and above

# of Bon Jovi Tour Shirts Owned:

___5-10 ___10-15 ___15-20 ___20 and above

# of Bon Jovi Shirts That are Also Muscle Shirts:

___5-10 ___10-15 ___15-20 ___20 and above

Brand of Jeans Preferred:

___Sergio Valente ___Jordache ___Sassoon ___Z.Cavaricci

Percentage of Wardrobe Which is Skintight:

___100% ___95-100% ___90-95% ___85-90%

# of Gold Chains Owned:

___10-15 ___15-20 ___20-25 ___25 and above

# of Gold Chains Worn at One Time:

___5-10 ___10-15 ___15-20 ___20 and above

Approximate Value of ALL jewelry:

___$5-$10 ___$10-$15 ___$15-$20 ___Stolen

Number of Applications of Obsession/Polo/Drakar Before Going Out:

___10-15! ___15-25 ___25 and above

Gold Cap on at Least One Tooth?

___Yes ___No

Hair Height (must be completed by applicants seeking residency in Edgewater or Bayonne)

___6-8 inches ___8-12 inches ___1-2 feet___More than 2 feet

Hair Products Used:

___Hair Spray ___Styling Gel ___Mouse ___Extra

Hold Styling Gel:

___Bondo ___Spackle ___40 Weight Oil ___Krazy Glue

Automobile Owned:

___IROC Z ___Firebird ___Camaro___Mustang___Thunderbird

Number of Inches Car is Off the Ground:

___6-8 inches ___4-6 inches ___2-4 inches ___Under 2 inches

Car Paraphernalia:

___Gold chain around license plate

___Neon lights around license plate

___Neon lights under car

___Chippendales/Playboy air freshener hanging on rear view mirror!

___Garter hanging from rear view mirror

___Chrome hubcaps

___Stick-on window tinting

___Stick-on paint splash stickers

___Fuzzy dice TATTOO

___Crown deodorizer on dash or in rear window

Favorite Sports Team:

___F'in' Giants

___F'in' Jets

___F'in' Mets

___F'in' Yankees

___F'in' Nets

___F'in' Knicks

___F'in' Devils

___F'in' Rangers

___F'in' Islanders

___F'in' Iggles

___F'in' Phillies

___F'in' Flyers

Favorite Music:

___Techno ___Rap ___Bon Jovi ___Bruce Springsteen

Favorite Actor/Actress:

___Joe Pesci ___Robert DeNiro ___Al Pacino

___Marisa Tomei___Annette Funicello ___Anna Magnani

Favorite Movie:

___The Godfather ___The Godfather Part II

___The Godfather Part III___Goodfellas ___My Cousin Vinnie

Favorite Profanity (proceeded by YO!):

___M****rf****r ___C***sucker ___Jerkoff ___Scumbag

___Douche Bag

# of Religious Statutes at Grandparents House:

___5-10 ___10-15 ___15-20 ___20 and above

Relatives Named "Sal"

___5-10 ___10-15 ___15-20 ___20 and above

Favorite International Destination:

___Belmar

___Seaside Heights

___Point Pleasant

___Bayonne

___Great Adventure

___Secaucus

Favorite Driving Technique

___Tailgating

___Attacking stop signs

___Doing 106 mph on the right shoulder of the parkway

___Giving the finger to slow, elderly drivers (non-related)

___Giving the finger to slow, elderly drivers (own grandparents)

[Tired of Taxes]

Great joke, Hurkin. Surprisingly, in comparison to Philly, south Jersey is much more rural than I expected. No Camaros around here - just lots of pickup trucks. :-)

Coleus, you mentioned property taxes. Our property taxes are almost equivalent now to our mortgage and mortgage insurance combined. I've spoken with other NJ homeowners who've said the same. And those taxes are due to be raised again. Soon, they'll exceed our house payments. Some people may be literally taxed out of their homes.

[Hatteras]

Caught up in a traffic jam in the back of a cab on the Garden State Parkway, the tourist noticed a gentleman who finally grew frustrated with the hold up. Having to urinate badly and unable to hold it any longer, the gentleman emerged from his car and started peeing on the wheel of the car next to him.

Astonished at this behavior, the tourist asked the cabbie, "Is everyone from New Jersey that rude and disgusting?"

The cabbie looked over at the scene and said, "No, besides, he's from New York, not New Jersey."

"Well, how can you tell that?" queried the tourist.

"Gee, lady, if he was from New Jersey, he'd be pissing on his OWN car!"

[Coleus]

My aunt was taxed out of her house two years ago, after 45 yrs. in the same house! It's terrible. I just found out that a senior in Yonkers pays only $2,700.00/yr. in taxes.

[Coleus]

So, where's the joke?

[Coleus]

Ahhh!! How do you spell relief.

I climbed up the Cape Hatteras Light House a few yrs. ago before they moved it. Nice area.

[Coleus]

`

[agrace]

Yep. We are a family of five (2 drivers) who drives a 2001 Town & Country minivan - mine - and a 1999 no frills Saturn SL for my husband, both of us over 30, with immaculate driving records, and we pay about $1500/year.

And our property taxes, on a 160k house (well, in today's inflated market it would probably go for more like 240), are just under 6k, having been raised 4 times (thank you local govt - all Democrats) in as many years. 33x100 is about our lot size too.

[Clemenza]

People complain about New York drivers, but I don't see the issue as a disproportionate amount are either cabbies or car service operators from out of the country. Jersey has the WORST drivers, as many trips on Route 1/9 and the Turnpikes have proven to me.

BTW: Ever driven on route 1 through Elizabeth and Linden? The roads look like they haven't changed much since Colonial days!

[Clemenza]

Lots of elderly being taxed out of their houses here in Brooklyn too (although NYC property taxes are still lower than, say, Bergen and Essex Counties in NJ). So the nice elderly couples with the neat lawns are replaced by Abdullah, his two wives, ten kids and three brothers, with all their garbage out front. :-(

[Koblenz]

It's the densest, most urban state.

NJ is not the most urban state. NY, NV, UT, IL, and CA are all higher, mainly due to one huge urban area in each state. But in terms of density, all I can find is 1990, and NJ really is the number one, by a lot. Average of 402 per square kilometer, versus 370.8 in RI, 296.4 in MA, 262.0 in CT. On the other end, there's 1.8 in WY, 2.1 in MT, 0.4 in AK, 4.7 in ID. Even CA is only 73.7. Overall, US is 27.2.

[Coleus]

Be Nice to NJ Week
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/941468/posts

New Jersey to Close the Restrooms at Howard Stern Rest Stop
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/838434/posts

I'm From New Jersey
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/762668/posts

SO YOU WANT TO OWN A GUN IN NEW JERSEY ...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/574753/posts

[Coleus]

And what do we get for it, NOTHING!, terrible streets, traffic, high crime rates, poor economy, high cost of living, etc.

[Coleus]

NJ is the only state in the Country which is classified 100% Urban, they use a formula which I forget.