The Jaffe Briefing - February 26, 2019
STATEWIDE - So, after decades of traffic, taxes and more traffic, it looks like New Jerseyans have had it. A new poll from Monmouth University says only 50 percent of us think New Jersey is a good place to live. That's a huge drop from the 1980s - when we were all so giddy with the Brendan Byrne Arena and a plethora of new malls - that we scored 84 percent in what's called the "Garden State Quality of Life" index. Monmouth University reports the biggest drop this year is in the Philly suburbs, where they are all still suicidal because the Eagles didn't make the Super Bowl. There's also pockets of doldrums in Essex and Hudson counties, the pollsters report, where NJ Transit cancellations have become more common than parking tickets.
TRENTON - Donald Trump may do what Donald Trump does to the environment, but a bill now in the Legislature would ensure his policies have minimal effect in New Jersey. Consider it somewhat of a Groundhog Day bill, courtesy of Assemblywoman Nancy Pinkin. No matter what laws Trump signs in D.C., New Jersey law will just keep reverting back to good ol' January 19, 2017, the day before the president took office. Such a backstop bill would ensure federal protections of air quality, water and endangered species won't be scaled back, no matter what the heck happens. Read all about it in today's NJ Spotlight.
TRENTON - You'll still be drowning in fees, but state officials have found at least one way for you not to get completely screwed when buying concert tickets in New Jersey. A law goes into effect on Friday that blocks all these nefarious characters from creating websites that appear to be connected with the venue or the concert promoter, NJ 101.5 reports. These scammers pay for top billing on Google, so you just assume their 700 percent mark-up for Taylor Swift tickets is just the norm. They've gotten really good at making their bogus sites look like Ticketmaster, or whatever, which is why Sen. Nellie Pou and others decided to put an end to these tricksters, at least in New Jersey. Fines start at $10,000. Go get 'em.
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS - Big bucks are being blown on politically motivated lawsuits, says new Borough Attorney Al Wunsch. Taxpayers got soaked for $400,000 in 2018, a hefty sum in a 5,500-person town with an $18 million operating budget. And, in the seven weeks since Wunsch got hired, five brand new lawsuits got filed by former council members and even by Mayor Mario Kranjac. Wunch tells The Record that most of the "frivolous and ridiculous legal actions" from Democrats and Republicans alike, had "no legitimate purpose other than to (waste) time and money." With Borough Hall now pided between a GOP mayor and a Democrat-controlled council, expect this frivolity to continue. Ka-ching.
OLD BRIDGE - Three good Samaritans, including the mayor, rescued a weary harp seal that got beached off Raritan Bay. Now, they're told their good deed on Feb. 15 was actually a federal crime. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials tell NBC News that Mayor Owen Henry and two other passersby violated a federal law prohibiting people from approaching seals or interrupting their natural behaviors. Violators could faces $11,000 in fines and a year in the slammer. But, the mayor says the Marine Mammal Stranding Center took eight hours just to return calls for help. "I understand [NOAA's] concerns. But (get) here and do it." NOAA is not pressing charges; it just wants to educate others not to approach wildlife. Fine. Lesson learned.
IN THE MEDIA
STATEWIDE - Don't expect to see Rep. Bill Pascrell at your local supermarket thumbing through a National Enquirer at the check-out. The congressman says the outrageous gossip rag is actually a "purveyor of fabricated news" and wants it off the shelves. No doubt that the editorial quality is questionable, as there is no possible way that Jennifer Aniston's love life can be screaming headlines week after week. Pascrell is more concerned with how the National Enquirer is "a vehicle in the furtherance of illegal extortion, blackmail, and other crimes," noting the allegations to extort Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Pascrell dashed off his letter to supermarket owners, calling the tabloid "an unofficial arm" of President Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, and "maintaining a near-complete flow of negative publicity" aimed at his opponents. Wonder how the National Enquirer will respond. Perhaps a story about how Pascrell is actually Elvis?
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
BERLIN, Germany - You'll soon have greater appreciation for the "cleaner wrasse." And what the heck is that? Silly you. It just happens to be the smartest fish on the planet, researchers say. How smart? Well, there are only certain animals that can recognize themselves in the mirror. You've got the apes, the dolphins, the whales, the Eurasian magpies, of course, and a single Asian elephant. And now researchers are welcoming the cleaner wrasse to the club. It's a four-inch striped fish that lives in the coral reefs. German scientists placed a mark on the fish and quietly observed. The cleaner wrasse kept checking itself out in the mirror and tried rubbing against some rocks to remove the mark. The Daily Telegraph reports the fish is either a damn genius, or German scientists need a new test.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 2015 that KFC unveiled an edible coffee cup in the United Kingdom, a heat-resistant white chocolate wrapped in sugar paper. KFC says the latest innovation is all about "simplifying life." Meanwhile, as you have never enjoyed this innovation, the trial balloon ended with a thud.
WORD OF THE DAY
Ratiocination - [rat-ee-oh-sə-NAY-shən] - noun
Definition: The process of exact thinking; reasoning
Example: Has social media finally killed the fine art of ratiocination?
WIT OF THE DAY
"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia." - Charles Schulz
WEATHER IN A WORD
Rainless
THE NEW 60
A Jaffe Briefing exclusive by Andy Landorf & John Colquhoun
