The Jaffe Briefing - December 15, 2017
|
The Jaffe Briefing will publish its final issue of the year today, returning Tuesday, January 2. Happy 2018 to all!
|
OUR TAKE ON THE NEWS IN NEW JERSEY
JERSEY CITY - Season's greetings and peace on Earth. Unless you happen to be an imam from Jersey City, who apparently called Jews in Israel "apes and pigs." NJ 101.5 reports about this imam asking Allah's help to kill them "down to the very last one" during a startling sermon at the Islamic Center of Jersey City on Friday. The spewing hate was all prompted by the move of the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. The imam says it is a "religious obligation" to regain control of the area surrounding the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam. This spiritual leader spit out some other horrid stuff, not worth summarizing here or anywhere. Eager to hear a strong and visceral response from area imams, denouncing the hate and crazy call for violence.
ON THE RAILS - Commuters: You demanded a new tunnel into Manhattan. Now, pay up. NJ Transit is jacking commuter fares another $40 a month, as part of a new and exciting deal between New York and New Jersey to squeeze $5.6 billion for the $12.9 billion Gateway rail tunnel. The funds offset about half the project cost, leaving the rest in the shaky hands of President Trump, who denies the existence of any financing deal. Some more drama: Politico reports the deal ignores the cost of rehabilitating the old tunnels, that Trump is shutting down funding for the project, and that commuters will shell out the many additional costs sure to come. The weary commuter asks: Is there any light at the end of this tunnel?
NUTLEY - Could we already be seeing effects of the proposed tax reform in DC? This week, Nutley voters killed a $70 million bond referendum to build new classrooms amid concerns about the proposed loss of state and local tax deductions, Bloomberg reports. While this proposal was a tough sell anyway for residents, who already shoulder on average $11,000-per-year in property taxes and are still smarting from pharma giant Roche shuttering its plant, the potential loss of tax deductions proved to be the death knell. Look for this same scenario to play out statewide, as weary taxpayers are worried about piling any more long-term obligations on top of the heap.
STATEWIDE - You may be in prison, on probation or on parole. But why shouldn't you be able to vote? That's the question from state Sen. Sandra Cunningham, pushing a bill to change New Jersey's voting law. Cunningham notes the law diminishes the political power of black residents and urban communities, which have considerably more people incarcerated in New Jersey, she says. Giving inmates the power to vote makes them part of the society where they will soon return, and also ensures they will receive plenty of mail around election time.
IN THE MEDIA
AT THE MORGUE - No doubt, it's no fun to die. But, in NJ.com's 18-month special investigation, apparently it is really, truly awful to die here. Apparently, New Jersey's entire system for investigating deaths is a national disgrace. The state fails the dead and betrays the living, to boot. Check out this well-packaged package, with NJ.com's gloomy video preview, following this teaser text: "You don't want to die in New Jersey." Agreed.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
PARIS - There's rarely any found money in an airport, unless the cashier actually gives you correct change for a $6 bottle of water. Yet, in Paris, a homeless man saw Charles de Gaulle Airport as a cash cow, finding $354,000 worth of euros in a room that a cash transport company uses. Video surveillance shows the man leaving the airport with two large bags, which, we can only assume, was stuffed with big bills. Police are actively seeking the guy, who hopefully is spreading cash amongst the others living under the bridge.
CORNWALL, ONTARIO - United Parcel Service has lost a Canadian man's $846,000 inheritance, but offered a silver lining: a refund of the $32 shipping fee and a well-worded apology letter. It has been a 10-month battle for the man, the NY Post reports, with UPS not budging and TD Canadian Trust refusing to refund the missing cash. The check was sent via UPS from a lawyer about 270 miles away. "I should have just driven," the man grumbled. "It's something I kick myself in the rear over every day."
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 1982 that the savior arrived in East Rutherford, as Bill Parcels is named head coach of the Giants.
WORD OF THE DAY
Fructify - [FRUK-tuh-fye] - verb
Definition:
To bear fruit
Example: Will the Murphy Administration be able to fructify bold new initiatives in 2018, based on the many ideas of its transition team?
WEATHER IN A WORD
Frigid