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The HeraW and The Lantern

WednewUy, Maj 28,188*

Stand Up & Be Counted— Against Casinos The reaction of some of the mayors polled by the County Herald on Wildwood Mayor Guy Muziani's hoped-for ‘free-standing casino’ is disturbing while most of Mr Muziani's fellow resort community mayors along the Jersey Cape expressed little support for his proposal, some qualified their opposition by saying they wouldn't mind if such a gaming plade were located only in Wildwood and not their community With the notable exception of Cape May Mayor Arthur Blmokvest, the mayors seemed to give the impression of offering a disclaimer for their opposition ; as if to indicate there is a fraternal creed along municipal government leaders which proclaims that public opposition of one to another’s idea is a No-No. AM.,WHO OPPOSK Tills EVII.S and adverse effects of government-sanctioned gambling on the massive scale that casinos are should he adamant and persistent and vocal in their opposition to Mr. Muziani's desire. I .oca I leaders must, above all, be so. A municipal leader cannot in one breath K reclaim that casino gambling isn’t fitting for is own 'family resort' community, and in the next indicate that it may be okay for nearby Wildwood, which Mayor Muziani himself acknowledges is still a ‘family resort.' Of course, Mr. Muziani doesn’t see any incompatibility in the terms 'family resort’ and ‘casino gambling.' And when he proclaims that something must be done to lengthen the season, he defines 'family resort’ to. mean that "a family can only come when the schools arc closed. Presumably, a FreeStanding f’asino Resort would be one where mom and dad can slip away to enjoy themselves losing a few bucks while the kids are in scViool ANOTHER DISTURBING ASPECT of the Muziani Casino Plan is that-it comes across like those situation comedies, game shows and ads on TV. No sooner do you see a really successful one, when along come several imitations of not only lesser quality but having the overall effect of diluting the enduring strength and quality of the original. Not that Atlantic City's casinos have a quality about them which bears Wildwood imitating. The fact remains that Atlantic City was permitted to have casinos because it was a last ditch attempt to save a dying ‘World’s Playground.’ The Wildwoods, the Cape Mays, Stone Harbor, Avalon, Sea Isle City, Ocean City — none are dying; in fact, tech in its own, some unique, way seems to be thriving. There seems to still be a market for Family Resorts, which y/e define as communities families want to visit to have a good, wholesome time together. What more can we offer.

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Senate Bill Would Add More Paperwork

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Primary Tuesday

COURT HOUSE - Next Tuesday, June 3 is the Presidential Primary Election and polls throughout the county will beopen7a.m. toSp.m. Resides the Democratic Presidential race between President Jimmy Carter and contender Sen. Edward Kennedy, the Republican Congressional race will serve to draw voters (o the polls. In the race for the Second Congressional seat Court House Republican Beech Fox, the county sheriff, and

college teacher John Mahoney, Republican of Atlantic County, will vie for the nomination * to run against Democrat incumbent Bill Hughes of Ocean City. With the withdrawal of George Bush (whose name remains on the Jersey ballot) from the Republican Presidential contention, leaving Ronald Reagan a virtual convention shoo-in, the Congressional race may well be the only drawing card for many GOP voters next Tuesday.

TRENTON - The reporting burden of New Jersey businesses will increase significantly if Senate No. 285 as amended, becomes law, according to the New Jersey Taxpayers Association.

That bill, which has passed both houses and awaits action by the governor, would require each employer in the state to file quarterly a list of all persons employed during the period together with their Social Security number, gross wages paid and amount of state gross income tax withheld.

PURPOSE OF this extra paperwork by employers is to provide information to be entered into a computer under the supervision of the Director of Taxation, together with names of all persons who received public assistance and unemployment compensation payments during the same period. The names would be compared by the computer. If the same name appears on more than one list, it would be identified and subsequently investigated by one of the agencies to ascertain whether the person was legitimately receiving welfare or unemployment com-

pensation , Cost of initiating this program is expected to be subdtantia). Although the bill contains an appropriation for $1 million, estimated administrative cost is.around $3 million for the computer and / personnel to enter the hundreds of names into the compiter for matching. It is anticipated that federal funds will be available to assist the program. PROPONENTS OF the legislation assert that the procedure will-uncover and ultimately deter fraudulent and erroneous welfare and unemployment claims, thus producting significant dollar savings. Such a system will also provide a means for verifying state income tax compliance. Doubt has been expressed whether cost of the progratn is accurately estimated and whether sufficient planning has been undertaken to justify such a large new expenditure. With the budget for the next state fiscal year undecided, NJTA questions whether any legislation adding to the cost of staPe government should be enacted unless an in-depth cost-benefit study favorably demonstrates its feasibility.

Sex Ed. Proposal Illustrates Misplaced Legislative Power

By James Hurley It was something of a relief to see that the state Board of Education has agreed to reconsider its precipitous decisiqn to order all school districts in New Jersey to provide "family life" courses to all students from kindergarten through 12th grade. While Ihe courses outlined ini the board's guidaliires may be beneficial, such a mandate corrting from a small group of I appointed overseers clearly went against the grain of too many New JerseySTls wtarlwlieve in our representative form of government. Thus, the storm of controversy over "family life" education, often bluntly called sex education, was not so much a dispute over the merits of public sex education, but rather a political dispute irtvblving the basic premises of the democratic system. IT 18 A dispute that will continue, not only with the state Board of Education, but also with many other governmental agencies that have, or think they have, been given the authority to make law by regulation and decree. The examples of this kind of misplaced legislative power are many, and include not only state agencies but countless federal agencies as well. The American system of government is very simple, very logical and works very well when the rules are followed ALL LAWS should come from the legislature, with the concurrence . of the chief executive. It is then the executive’s job to en-

force those laws, which he does through various departments and agencies whose functions are approved and paid for by the legislature. Executive agencies, in essence, are and should be little more than police departments: their job is to enforce the laws made by the legislature. The judicial branch must then settle disputes over the Interpretation of the laws and, when the Judiciary finds that a law as written does not mean »-what the legislature wanted it to, then the Legislature can change the law to suit its intent. BUT OVER the yeare since this system was* devised, we have seen a muddying of the lines between branches. We

have seen the courts writing new law, forcing legislatures to pass special legislation to conform to the court’s ideas as to what

And vfe have seen executive agencies writing their own laws, enforcing them and interpreting them without the benefit of any input from those who represent the citizens. This is wrong. It is just as wrong as it would be to allow a police department to enact its own- laws, appoint its own judges and then arrest, prosecute and punish citizens for violating the laws. MUCH OF this sort of gover nent by decree is the result of mistakes made by the legislature. Too often, the Legislature awards the power to make

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law to an executive agency because it is easier than studying the issues and making the laws itself. There is, it seems, a tendency on the part of some legislatures to say, ’’Let the experts decide what the rules should be. They know more^han we do.” While this last statement may be true, it is not a good excuse for abdicating the legislative responsibility. Thus, if the state Education Department thinks it is a good idea to require that all public school students be taught all about sex and reproduction, for instance, it should urge the Legislature to pass laws to that effect.

INSTEAD, THE legislature, acting under pressure from the judiciary, passed blanket legislation empowering the state Board of Education to pass its own laws mandating, so far, some 29 various programs for local school districts, the latest and most controversial of which is family life education. The point is this: The situation was created by legislative error and should be corrected by legislative action not just to deal with this single issue, but to remove the misplaced legislative authority from the agency and put it back where it belongs - in the legislature.

Assemblyman Hurley m (Cape-Cumberland) is ‘ minority party leader of the lower house.