The Morning Briefing - November 10, 2015
TRENTON – As the “lame duck” session of the state Legislature kicks off, there’s a pile of bills sitting on Gov. Chris Christie’s desk, awaiting a signature or veto. We have a governor sunk in the polls for President who knows every signature will be scrutinized, politicized and criticized. And so Christie began the session yesterday by rejecting bills to strengthen gun laws for domestic violence offenders, a bill that would allow lottery tickets to be delivered to your door and some laws to save Atlantic City. He also outlawed bestiality, for those New Jerseyans who enjoy the tender touch of a cow, and banned the sale of powdered alcohol, to the outrage of soccer moms just trying to get through the third game of the day.
STATEWIDE - Sen. Bob Menendez is absolutely right to think Congress should ban the federal government from contacting people through those annoying auto-dialed or pre-recorded phone calls or text messages to collect a debt, in this world of rampant fraud. In the past, if you got a debt-collection phone call from some guy saying he was from the IRS, it was bogus. But, under new legislation, that call could actually be real – contradicting every warning to date.
ON THE RAILS – With no surprise, it is estimated to cost $65 billion to fix the antiquated rail lines that travel through New Jersey on the Northeast Corridor, as the heavily-used link from Boston to Washington D.C. ages rapidly. That price tag includes that extra tunnel under the Hudson River. The Record notes that even doing nothing is incredibly expensive – like $20 billion or so – just to maintain inadequate service through 2040 on a Depression-era rail system that has been overburdened since the Carter Administration. That $20 billion assumes this system can handle the added ridership, which, of course, it can’t.
EAST RUTHERFORD – A local man is accepting a six-month ban from the Meadowlands Sports Complex, in exchange for the racetrack operator agreeing to care for all the wandering cats. The Record reports the local court will dismiss charges against the man, who has been illegally feeding the wild cats. But he has been assured they will be taken care of – other than being fed surplus hot dogs by tailgaters.
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL – There will be eight major GOP candidates on the debate floor tonight, as everyone is now saying Sen. Marco Rubio is the new shining star. Still, Donald Trump and Ben Carson are amazingly in the lead, for those keeping track of this debate marathon. Meanwhile, Gov. Chris Christie will be somewhere in the building, performing on an undercard in the 7 p.m. debate, with perennial candidates Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum and others who will pointlessly run for President for the next 20 years or so.
STATEWIDE – Today is the “Fight for $15 Day of Action,” in which low-paid workers across the country are forced to lose a day of pay to demand for a decent, livable wage. There will be events across New Jersey, such as nursing home workers picketing at facilities in Jersey City, Neptune City and Perth Amboy. There will be 270 demonstrations nationwide, led by fast food employees, child care workers and others who often appear invisible.
ATLANTIC CITY - When we all grouse about the high cost of living in New Jersey, here's another shocker: Bloomberg reports that lifeguards in Atlantic City receive pensions. Yup, you work for four months a year and then - boom - you can retire with a pension of $30,000. You just need to work for 20 years on the chair, 10 years consecutively, and you can qualify at age 45. And when you die? The payments go to your dependents. Pleased to hear the state is now looking into this Prohibition-era perk, as there are now 100 retired lifeguards pulling pensions, with the top guy handed $61,000 a year from the city's general fund.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
DES MOINES, IOWA - Sure, Presidential candidates are known for kissing babies. But what if Jeb Bush happened to go back in time and run into baby Hitler? Well, he would throw adolescent Adolph down a sewer. Or maybe chuck the diapered dictator in front of a bus. Or, well, maybe we are taking this too far. But Bush does appear in a HuffPo video saying if he could jump in a time machine, he would kill the baby. You know, for the record.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
So who has the 2,442nd star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? Well, duh, everyone knows that has to be Alan Menken, the famous Disney composer, awarded his star on this day in 2010. Double-duh.
WORD OF THE DAY
Hoodwinked - verb
Definition: to deceive or trick
Example: The Presidential hopeful hoodwinked the debate audience with claims of a deep understanding of macro Ethiopian economic policies related to global, pluralistic constituencies.