Time to bury beach tags in the sand

Pop Quiz: Which of the following summer traditions doesn’t fit? A) Independence Day celebrations; B) Red, white and blue decorations; C) Barbecue cookouts; D) Beach Tags.

The first three are pure Americana, rooted in our culture of freedom. But the fourth — anathema to liberty and freedom of movement — allows municipalities to mandate fees for the “privilege” of using a taxpayer-funded, taxpayer-owned public beach. And, no surprise, most towns that do so are in the People’s Republic of New Jersey.

Without question, South Jersey has some of America’s best beaches, known for warm ocean temps, cool ocean breezes and pristine sand that provide fantastic family getaways.

That desirable combination also makes for very expensive shore vacations.

Granted, being a seasonal destination — where merchants must generate a year’s worth of income in just a few months — lends itself to high prices.

A night on the boardwalk costs a small fortune: pizza, lemonade, cotton candy, and ice cream, followed by amusements and miniature gold can easily set a family back hundreds. And that’s in addition to hungry parking meters five blocks away, some of which have, for some idiotic reason, a time limit requiring an inconvenient trudge back to the car.

People wince, but for the most part, they accept it as part of being at the Jersey shore.

But rubbing sand in the wound is having to pay for beach tags. This policy has long irked the vast majority of beachgoers, who believe the exorbitant money they spend more than offsets the cost of beach maintenance. And they also believe, justifiably, that since the beach belongs to everyone, no one should have to pay to use it.

Beach tags seem to violate the public trust doctrine, which

is the right given to people to access the shoreline between high and low tides. The problem with many politicians and bureaucrats is that they incorrectly view things in terms of “government ownership,” where they get to unilaterally decide what is best for the people. Wrong.

Just as the term “government money” is a fallacy — since all funds in government coffers are the people’s money, paid via taxes — so too is the notion that a government has the right to restrict public beach access at will, especially when such a policy disproportionately affects lower income people. Enjoying the beaches should never be predicated on the size of one’s wallet.

In some towns, weekly beach tags run as high as $20 — so a family of five must shell out a hundred extra dollars just for the “privilege” of using the beach. And will they get a refund if it rains all week, or if the beach is not in optimal condition? Not a chance.

Here’s a question that tag advocates can never answer: if the fees are so vitally important to the beaches, how do darned near all other states maintain theirs without charging for beach access — and in many instances, do it much better? In many Jersey shore towns, there are so many obscure laws and regulations that it seems as if virtually everything is a violation.

Ballplaying on the beach? Having a catch in the ocean? Flying a kite? Picnicking? Think again, as some beaches restrict them.

In reality, doing most of those things is overlooked, but such regulations shouldn’t be on the books in the first place, as it opens the door to selective enforcement — breeding contempt for the system and leading to potential abuse by overzealous wannabes.

But make no mistake: South Jersey comes down hard on enjoyable activities that are not just permitted elsewhere on America’s beaches, but welcomed: bonfires, bike riding, dog walking, horseback riding, kayaking, and — God forbid — enjoying a cocktail. (Caveat: under Jersey law, minors can drink alcohol and smoke pot in front of a police officer, with zero legal repercussion, but if an adult cracks a beer on the beach, he faces a substantial fine. Only in Jersey…).

There are many wonderful things about our unique Jersey shore, but increasingly they are being overshadowed.

If these beach towns don’t want to drown in frustrated tourists, they would eliminate unnecessary ordinances — starting with beach tags — and remember who makes South Jersey what it is: the forgotten taxpayer.

Do that, and it’s Surf’s Up all the way.